Chapter 28: An Outstanding Actress
Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
Mr. Xing was suspicious of Xu Xiyan’s abilities. When they had contacted her, her data showed that she was a master of Wing Chun, kickboxing and Sanda. That was the reason they agreed to use her as the double.
Xu Xiyan understood that they were suspicious of her abilities, especially because of her overly feminine dress.
But she was already there; she wouldn’t take no for an answer. Xu Xiyan would do whatever it took to secure the role.
Without a second thought, she threw Mr. Xing over the table and pinned him down.
“So, am I capable enough to play the character?”
“Yes! Of course!” he said, shocked. “That’s more than enough!”
The throw had been so clean and precise, Mr. Xing didn’t even have time to react.
After Xu Xiyan let him go, Mr. Xing said, “fill in the form, and then go change your clothes.”
On the form, Xu Xiyan wrote Jing Xi under the “name” section.
That would be her stage name. The family name Jing was her mother’s. From that day onward, the entertainment industry would know her by that name: Jing Xi.
Free from the Xu family, she would represent herself from then on. Any success or failure would be of no concern to the Xu family, just as the glory or decline of the Xu family would be of no interest to her.
After completing the form, Xu Xiyan changed into the dark uniform of a policewoman.
Everything about her changed as she let go of every last bit of her strong, elegant aura.
The staff was stunned by her look, thinking why would an outstanding actress like her remain a mere double? What a pity!
In the scene where Xu Xiyan would be playing a double, the heroine would be chasing after a wanted fugitive. She would have to jump from an abandoned house onto the roof of a car, and then roll to the ground from there.
The director wanted the scene to be more impactful. So he had requested that the actress not equip herself with any safety wires. In light of the risk, the lead actress, Huang Yanran, proposed the idea of using a double instead.
As the camera began recording, Xu Xiyan ran from the far end of the house, jumping off the eaves, landing on the car, and rolling onto the ground. The scene was shot in its entirety, just one take.
But her face had been captured by the camera. With a double, this should never happen.
The director requested to reshoot the scene. Once again, Xu Xiyan performed all the moves brilliantly, but this time she did not act with the proper timing, and thus another take was necessary.
On the third take, she adjusted her angle and timing, completing even more dangerous moves, while avoiding having her face captured. Finally, the director was happy with the shot, shouting “cut!”
There were only two scenes that required Xu Xiyan to act as a double. After completing both of the scenes, she took a bottle of water and claimed the day’s pay. When she returned to Fang Xiaocheng’s car, she was greeted by Ying Bao’s crying face.
“What’s the matter, Ying Bao?”
Xu Xiyan set aside the water and picked her daughter up.
Ying Bao kept wiping her face with her tiny hand. Her face was covered with tears. She stammered, sniffling.
“Xi baby is working too hard…Xi baby jumped down from a very high place, what am I going to do if you injure yourself? My poor Xi baby…why can’t she get a double herself…?”
So she had seen the whole thing…
No wonder she was worried, watching me fall from the building.
Xu Xiyan wiped Ying Bao’s tears, comfortng her.
“I’m a double, you know. Have you forgotten that Xi baby is actually a superhero in disguise? Xi baby will be fine.”
“Don’t you dare say you’re fine,” interjected Fang Xiaocheng. “Look, you’re bleeding.”
Fang Xiaocheng sighed, grabbing Xu Xiyan’s arm and helping clean the infected area with a clean wet towel. After applying two band-aids, Fang Xiaocheng said, “you have to get that sterilized a bit better when we get back!”
Xu Xiyan was used to being tough.
“It’s fine,” she replied softly. “It’s just a scratch, it’ll heal soon.”