Chapter 12: Stunning the Entire Audience
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Chapter 12: Stunning Everyone on Set
“Liao Jie, is Chen Ping from your company, Shengteng Entertainment?”
“Yes.”
“I heard he was picked from among the extras?”
“That’s right.”
“Buddy, how did you manage that? Chen Ping landed the role of Chao Xiaoshu, while you’re playing Qi Si?”
“How would I know? Maybe that pretty boy was kept by someone.”
The entertainment industry was a very realistic place.
The same was true on a film set.
The big names socialized with other big names.
The lesser-known actors, meanwhile, instinctively gathered together.
At that moment, several actors playing minor roles in Ever Night, including Liao Jie, were standing together and chatting among themselves.
“A pretty boy? Hah. That guy doesn’t even have the looks for it.”
“Who knows? Maybe he brought financing into the production.”
“Hey, Liao Jie, tomorrow’s your scene. Do you want to…”
“Don’t worry. Just watch me tomorrow.”
Liao Jie was a proud and aloof man.
Although he and Chen Ping belonged to the same entertainment company, the competition between them was even fiercer because of it.
He had never liked extras such as Chen Ping. He had not expected Chen Ping to land a role far more impressive than his own.
What frustrated him most was that Chao Xiaoshu was the leader of the character he played.
Tomorrow, he had intended to give Chen Ping a harsh lesson.
The following day.
The production crew urged Chen Ping into the makeup room early in the morning.
After so many quiet days, it was finally his turn to film.
Of course, today’s scenes were not particularly demanding. Chen Ping’s Chao Xiaoshu would mainly appear alongside several brothers from his gang.
“Mr. Chen, the makeup will take quite some time. Please bear with us.”
The makeup artist was extremely courteous toward an actor in a minor role like Chen Ping. Chen Ping, for his part, did not put on any airs. He simply closed his eyes and let the makeup artist do the work.
Without a doubt, the makeup artists on a film set were far better than those Chen Ping had encountered at ordinary styling shops.
That did not necessarily mean they had vastly superior technical skills.
Rather, compared with makeup artists in ordinary commercial salons, those working on a film set had a better understanding of what mattered most.
They had a general grasp of the film’s style and each actor’s role and positioning.
More than an hour later, Chen Ping’s makeup was complete.
“Mr. Chen, you can open your eyes now. We’re finished.”
“Thank you.”
Chen Ping nodded and opened his eyes.
“Mr. Chen, you…”
There had been nothing unusual while he was being made up.
But the moment Chen Ping opened his eyes, the makeup artist suddenly froze.
“What is it?” Chen Ping asked, puzzled.
“N-Nothing… Mr. Chen, everything’s ready.”
“Thank you.”
Chen Ping thanked him once more.
“See that? Now that is real talent.”
After watching Chen Ping leave the makeup room, the makeup artist turned to his colleagues.
He had heard some of the rumors about Chen Ping over the past few days.
The makeup room, in particular, was a hotbed of gossip, and all sorts of stories had circulated there.
They, too, had been rather baffled by Chen Ping.
Why would the director choose someone in his twenties to play Chao Xiaoshu?
But after applying Chen Ping’s makeup, they were instantly overwhelmed by the aura of a wandering swordsman that he exuded.
Now that was the presence of a true master.
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“Strange. Why hasn’t that fellow arrived yet?”
“He’s probably still in makeup.”
“Taking this long?”
“Chao Xiaoshu is an important character, after all. Naturally, they’ll spend more time on him.”
One of the minor-role actors said sarcastically, “He’s finally out.”
“Where?”
“Look… the one carrying the sword.”
Liao Jie and several other actors were whispering among themselves.
One of them, sharp-eyed, spotted Chen Ping approaching from a distance and spoke in a low voice.
Everyone looked over and saw a swordsman from the martial world approaching with a sword in his arms.
He did not walk quickly.
Yet with every step he took, the aura of the man before them grew deeper.
By the time Chen Ping reached the set, even Liao Jie found himself unable to look directly at him.
“That guy’s really talented.”
“Talented? He’s insanely good.”
“That presence is incredible.”
The other actors spoke in hushed voices.
Jin Shijie smiled. “I told you, Teacher Dahong. This kid is no ordinary person.”
“So that’s why Director Yang chose him. I never expected him to have such real ability.”
The two veteran actors had no scenes that day, but their professionalism had still brought them to the set.
When they saw Chen Ping approach with his sword, both men immediately became interested.
After all, these veteran performers were acting fanatics. In terms of skill, ordinary young actors were no match for them.
After acting in so many productions, they sometimes found themselves bored.
They had not expected Chen Ping’s appearance to stir their competitive instincts.
Unfortunately, neither man shared many scenes with Chen Ping. Jin Shijie’s Master Yan Se and Chen Ping’s Chao Xiaoshu would meet only once. As for the character played by Ni Dahong, he would not even cross paths with Chao Xiaoshu.
“Everyone, pay attention.”
“Today’s scenes are fairly simple. They’re all dialogue scenes, with no great difficulty. Give it your best, and let’s try to wrap early.”
Assistant Director Zhang Jiu addressed the set through a loudspeaker.
“Is the production department ready?”
“Lighting, lighting…”
“All right…”
“Action!”
The slate snapped, and the day’s filming officially began.
But barely three seconds later, Director Yang Yang called for a cut.
“What’s going on, Qi Si? Why are you acting so timid?”
“You’re only walking beside Chao Xiaoshu. Is someone taking you to the execution ground?”
Qi Si was played by Liao Jie.
In truth, ever since he saw Chen Ping, Liao Jie had been awkward and hesitant.
At first, he had wanted to give Chen Ping a harsh lesson.
Now it was Chen Ping who had given him one instead.
And the worst part was that Chen Ping had not even been trying to target him.
“Sorry, Director. I wasn’t in the right state just now.”
“Don’t make excuses. Do it again.”
Yang Yang shot Qi Si a glare and signaled for them to start over.
But something went wrong again almost immediately.
This time, only ten seconds had passed before Director Yang called cut again.
“Qi Si, did you skip breakfast? Speak louder. One more time…”
They started over yet again.
But take after take, Director Yang called cut more than a dozen times.
“You—what’s your name?”
Yang Yang pointed at Liao Jie, furious.
“Director, I’m sorry. Let me do it again. One more time—I promise I’ll get it right.”
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By then, Liao Jie was almost in tears.
He did not understand why.
But after standing beside Chen Ping that day, he had felt completely lacking in confidence.
Now, after ruining more than a dozen takes in a row, his composure had completely collapsed.
“A promise? What good is that?”
“It’s such a simple scene, yet you’ve made me redo it more than a dozen times.”
“Leave.”
On a film set, the director held the greatest authority. And very few directors had gentle tempers.
Yang Yang was a woman, but that did not make her any less hot-tempered.
A scene this simple had required more than a dozen takes, and she was furious.
“Director, I’m sorry. Just one last time. Please give me one final chance.”
Liao Jie knew he had caused serious trouble. His face had gone pale with fright.
The entertainment industry was simply that ruthless.
He knew the director had already decided to replace him.
There was nothing unusual about that.
Liao Jie was only a minor actor. Even leading actors could be replaced under certain circumstances.
The other actors felt sorry for him, but everyone remained silent.
No actor would challenge a director’s authority.
Besides, Liao Jie’s performance had been so terrible that even if he were allowed another take, he would probably fail again.
But at that moment, Chen Ping spoke up.
“Director Yang, could you give Liao Jie another chance?”
“Chen Ping?”
“I think something must have gone wrong for Liao Jie just now. A few minutes to compose himself should be enough.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am.”
“All right. I’ll give you ten minutes.”
In the end, Yang Yang agreed out of consideration for Chen Ping. Chen Ping quickly thanked her.
He pulled Liao Jie aside and handed him a cup of water.
“Here. Have some water.”
“Brother Ping… Brother Ping…”
Holding the cup, Liao Jie was overwhelmed by conflicting emotions.
If he had kept his mind in better shape earlier, things would never have reached this point.
But what he felt most strongly now was unease.
Although the director had given him ten minutes to adjust himself, Liao Jie had no idea whether he would be able to get through the scene afterward.
“Don’t overthink it. You actually acted quite well.”
They were colleagues from the same company, after all.
Although Chen Ping disliked Liao Jie’s arrogance, he would have felt guilty if the man lost his job because of him.
He knew that Liao Jie had failed repeatedly because he had been affected by Chen Ping’s presence.
Otherwise, there was no reason for Liao Jie to have performed so badly.
“Brother Ping, I’m sorry. This was all my fault.”
Liao Jie did not dare meet Chen Ping’s eyes.
“There’s nothing to apologize for. We’ll do it again in a moment. I believe you can handle it.”
Chen Ping offered him a little encouragement.
At the same time, Chen Ping deliberately toned down most of the aura he had been projecting.
“Mm.”
For some reason—perhaps because he had received Chen Ping’s encouragement—Liao Jie felt much better after resting for a few minutes.
When he looked at Chen Ping again, he no longer felt unable to meet his gaze.
“Director Yang, we’re ready.”
“All right.”
Ten minutes later, Chen Ping and Liao Jie returned to the set.
This time, nothing went wrong, and they completed the scene with ease.
When filming wrapped that afternoon, Liao Jie finally let out a long breath of relief.
End of Chapter
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