When the winter set in, snow fell on the city. Ning Xi received a notice from the crew of ‘Tán Hǎixiān jì’ which asked her to report to them.
As far as the script for the movie went, she had got it all memorised. She had also read the original novel and many reviews of the novel in order to create a Fairy Qingya that people would appreciate.
Although she wasn’t the heroine of ‘Tán Hǎixiān jì’, Fairy Qingya was much more popular than the female protagonist for those who were fans of the book. This was one of the main reasons why Director Qian spent so much time on that role.
The fact that a newcomer who had just debuted had bagged this role made the people in the circle extremely jealous. Only, Ning Xi was still not very popular so no one knew whether her acting would be satisfactory. So for now, she had no anti-fans scolding her.
In this world, having anti-fans was also a sign of popularity. Some actors deliberately released articles derogatory to themselves to increase their exposure and popularity. Therefore, people wouldn’t be kind enough to increase Ning Xi’s exposure by giving her negative publicity before she was even popular.
With the bad luck that Jiuji Entertainment had with actresses, perhaps they wouldn’t have to use negative publicity. This little star might even fall before she rose.
Once she became a part of the crew, Ning Xi finally realised what the true meaning of ‘stars’ was.
The actor playing the hero was a two-time Qian Hua award-winning idol drama actor, popularly known as the Emperor of Silver Screen, Shao Chong. The lead actress was Fei Yu who had won the Pegasus Award at the age of 17. There were other important actors in the crew who were very popular and had a great reputation. There weren’t many actors like Ning Xi who wasn’t very famous.
However, the actors in the crew knew Director Qian’s standards were very high and, looking at Ning Xi’s appearance and style, they immediately realised why she was chosen as Fairy Qingya. On top of this, the rumour was that Ning Xi was personally introduced by Zhou Haili to Qian Cong Hai, so regardless of what they thought, they were still polite on the surface.
“Sister Yuhan, what’s the matter?” Sun Yuhan’s a.s.sistant found that her expression was quite unnatural.
“It’s nothing,” Sun Yuhan smiled and shook her head, concealing the shock in her heart.
She had seen this new actor before, and she had seen her with President Chang. No wonder that a figure like Zhou Haili took care of her. Her background was a great man like him.
Just as she was thinking about this, she saw Ning Xi come over and respectfully and graciously greet her, posturing herself as a junior.
Although her heart was in a turmoil, she didn’t reveal anything on the surface. Instead, she gave Ning Xi a friendly smile and spoke politely to her before letting her leave.
“Sun Yuhan is putting on a show again,” Zhu Moli, who played the villain in the movie, said. When she saw the way Sun Yuhan was acting, she felt sick and told her a.s.sistant in a biting tone. “I think that the other person now a.s.sumes she is good to get along with.”
Her terrible mood was so obvious that when Ning Xi came to say h.e.l.lo, her att.i.tude was very casual and negligent.
Zhu Moli’s att.i.tude was shot by reporters more than once, but her PR gave her the strength to position her personality as her realistic temperament. So although there were some in the circle who were offended, many fans found her very real.
In front of so many people, Ning Xi didn’t like being thick-skinned and lick others’ shoes.
Courtesy was her quality, but she wasn’t any less famous than Zhu Moli. She was Jiuji’s artist and didn’t need to please actresses from other companies. If the news spread out, not only would she be ashamed, even her company would lose face.
Zhang Qingyun saw Ning Xi’s cold treatment by Zhu Moli. His face turned cold, but there were a lot of people, so he didn’t say anything.
“These days, youngsters are becoming more and more temperamental.” Zhou Haili, who sat next to Shao Chong, commented. She then waved to Ning Xi, “Ning Xi, come. Sit here.”
“Teacher Zhou,” Ning Xi trotted to Zhou Haili, blushing furiously, giving her a very youthful atmosphere.
“Who is your teacher? Call me Zhou Jie from now on.” Zhou Haili asked her a.s.sistant to put a chair for Ning Xi and pointed to Shao Chong. “Before your and Shao Chong’s scene, it’s best if you get familiar with each other. That way, the actual shoot will be smooth.”
Shao Chong listened with a smile and nodded. “It is Sister Zhou who is thoughtful. She’s worried that I’ll NG seeing such a beautiful girl, so she specifically invited us to interact well before the shoot.”
Zhou Haili glanced at him, “You better not drag Ning Xi behind.”
Ning Xi covered her flushed face, “Zhou Jie, it should be me who shouldn’t drag Teacher Shao behind.”
“It’s okay, he’s your senior. It’s better if he helps you out.” Zhou Haili smiled and looked at Shao Chong, “Say, aren’t I right?”
“Yes, yes.” Shao Chong smiled wryly and nodded. “Sister Zhou is right.” He and Zhou Haili belonged to the same company. Although they weren’t too close, they had some friendship. Today, through the words of Zhou Haili, he understood that she was helping out this new person and gave her some face.
Seeing this scene the people around were a little scared. This new actress signed by Jiuji really had good luck! She even entered the eyes of Zhou Haili. If in the future, this big sister said a few words, who would block Ning Xi’s path?
Zhu Moli’s face turned dark. The person she had given a cold shoulder to was being raised high now. It was basically a slap in the face.
She felt her face feeling hot and burning. Everyone around her seemed to be laughing at her.
When it was nearly noon, it was finally Ning Xi’s turn. She took off her thick fur jacket and revealed her elegant costume. She shivered from the cold.
The master responsible for the suspension wires checked the safety of the cords and got her into the harness. He then went out of the frame.
Because Ning Xi’s role was of a beautiful fairy, she had to be hanging from the top to create an artistic view of an immortal.
This was the first time that Ning Xi was on a hanging wire. The weather was cold and snow was falling all around, so her expression was a bit stiff.
Soon, she was suspended mid-air and her skirt swayed with the wind. She looked more like a female ghost than a fairy. She rubbed her hands to create friction and watched the director shout for everyone to get into their positions and the expectations and worry of Zhang Qingyun. She felt an unprecedented tension in the bottom of her heart.
She needed fame. She needed money. How could she let herself be overcome by this panic?
“Ning Xi, are you ready?” Qian Cong Hai shouted through the loudspeaker.
She squeezed out a smile for him and gestured that she was ready. Although she didn’t have anyone or anything to depend on, she still had herself.
“Action!”
She felt as is she had become weightless at that moment and her body began flying down. The cold wind rushed past her face causing some chilled pain.
However, the expression on her face was extremely calm and mysterious. It was as if she was an immortal walking on the clouds, alienated from all worldly beings. Her beauty shone in the camera.
“Boom!” She fell on the ground and on her knees. She quickly climbed up.
“Very good.” Looking at the shot sequence, Qian Cong Hai was very satisfied with her performance. He was even a little surprised. “Ning Xi, prepare another shot with Shao Chong.”
Ning Xi was once again forced to hang from the wires for the shot of the Fairy flying away from the ground. But, because the cameraman couldn’t control the angle, and the wind was greatly affecting the overall effect of the scene, she had to reshoot it several times from the wires.
“This little girl can really fight,” Shao Chong looked at the shivering young woman. He spoke to Zhou Haili emotionally, “I couldn’t tolerate what she does when I was her age.”In the past, he had NG’ed several times while acting on suspension wires. Seeing Ning Xi do the same without complaining, how could he get irritated with her?
Zhou Haili put away her phone and smiled. “That’s why I dared to recommend her to Old Qian. I’m usually hesitant to recommend newcomers.”
Shao Chong frowned and then laughed. “The person who has entered Sister Zhou’s eyes will definitely become famous.” He put down the script and stood up to walk to the scene slowly and deliberately so that Ning Xi could wear her thick coat for longer. Their costumes were very attractive in order to get the right effect, but they weren’t by any means warm. In this temperature, the effect of clothes fluttering in the air had to be taken. Therefore, the actor had to suffer.
“Teacher Shao,” Seeing Shao Chong come over, Ning Xi smiled at him. Her delicate, white hands were reddish.
Shao Chong smiled softly. “Do you still remember the lines?”
Ning Xi nodded cleverly.
As seniors in the industry, it was easier to appreciate the well-behaved junior and newcomers.
He took off his coat and handed it to the a.s.sistant behind him and gestured to Director Qian.
Shao Chong and Ning Xi didn’t have many lines in this scene. The most important part of this scene was the visuals. Shao Chong was very familiar with the cameras, so his acting wasn’t a problem. But Qian Cong Hai was worried that Ning Xi couldn’t keep up with his acting. Then, the effect of the scene would be greatly diminished.
“Camera One, close up on Fairy Qingya,” He held a walkie-talkie in his hand and guided all the cameramen.
“Okay, pan slowly,” He stared at the camera, clearly showing his surprise.
“The road is long and dangerous. Why must you persist?” Fairy Qingya looked at the man before her. “What’s more, how do you know that the immortals in the Ninth Heaven have no selfishness?”
The man was first surprised, then he firmly said, “Without reaching the final step, how would I know what the end looks like?”
She smiled faintly. The smile was like blooming flowers and shining stars. Unfortunately, it was short-lived. Her expression became indifferent again. “Whatever the case, go and see if it’s the place you seek.”
“Cut!” Qian Cong Hai stood up with excitement and walked up to them. “Very good, great!Ning Xi’s smile just now was too good!”
Ning Xi took the coat that Xiao Yang gave her and smiled in embarra.s.sment at Director Qian.
“Aren’t you afraid of this newcomer running over your head and stepping on you?” Zhu Moli stood before Sun Yuhan and schemingly said, “Would you be this friendly if she did that?”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Sun Yuhan laughed. “Anyway, the newbie can’t threaten you.”
Zhu Moli had always been the supporting actress. Listening to her, her face turned dark and gloomy. She glared at Sun Yuhan and turned away.
Sun Yuhan laughed and didn’t continue to look at her. She began reading her script.
“Buzz!” When Chang Shi Gui was looking over the files in his office, he heard his phone ring. He put down his pen and unlocked the screen.
He opened an email that only had a few pictures. The woman in the picture was hanging mid-air and her figure appeared blurred because of the snow.