Three days later
Ye Yuwei, who originally had a variety show scheduled, was suddenly asked to make a guest appearance.
Ye Yuwei wasn’t very willing to go.
Although the ultimate path for idols is usually acting or singing, she believed it wasn’t yet ti for her to start acting.
What she wanted was to first master her singing and dancing skills, cent her position in the industry, and only then transition to acting. Guest appearances like this were, in her view, just a way to burn through her fa.
But she had no choice—she had to follow Big Ship Company’s orders.
On set
Long Zitao, holding a cigarette, leaned lazily against a stone pillar. When he saw the fully made-up Ye Yuwei approaching, he raised his hand in a wave.
"Mr. Long, why are you here?"
"It’s . I’m playing the second male lead in this drama."
"Then why aren’t you in makeup? What are you doing here?"
Today, Long Zitao was wearing a light-colored casual suit with the buttons undone, exposing a floral-patterned shirt. A mismatched red-and-white-striped tie loosely hung around his collar.
The sa cocky, pretending-to-be-cool deanor.
Ye Yuwei felt like her entire worldview was crumbling. Back in the training base, she had never noticed Mr. Long behaving like this!
Now, no matter how she looked at him, he just seed off.
Feigning a suave posture, Long Zitao exhaled a smoke ring and shouted loudly at Ye Yuwei, "Why would I need makeup? I don’t have any scenes today."
"Then why are you here?" Ye Yuwei had a hunch about the reason.
"I’m here to check out your acting skills. To keep an eye on things for you."
"Thanks, but I’d rather figure that out for myself."
"Oh ho! You’ve barely been out here for a few days, and you’re already acting all high and mighty, even doubting your teacher?"
Angered, Long Zitao stubbed out his cigarette, shoved both hands into his pockets, and started shouting loudly.
"Haha, how would I dare? I was just joking, okay?"
"That’s more like it. Your scene is about to start."
"Got it."
Ye Yuwei waved her hand and walked away.
As she left, the typically flippant Long Zitao suddenly turned serious. His deep gaze followed her retreating figure the entire ti.
On set
With a crisp clapperboard sound, the whole crew began operating according to plan.
Dressed in a traditional costu, Ye Yuwei sprinted across the open wilderness scattered with dandelions.
At the stunt coordinator’s command, the staff in charge of the wire rigging started running in the opposite direction.
Though she had ntally prepared herself, ng ixuan still felt her heart race the mont her body left the ground.
In less than two seconds, she was pulled up to a height equivalent to five floors.
However, she gritted her teeth and suppressed her inner fear, carrying out the pre-rehearsed movents.
"Cut!" the director shouted.
The crew slowly brought her down. Since this drama was a joint investnt by her company and Tencent, no one on set dared to play any tricks.
Furthermore, she had brought gifts for everyone when she arrived.
So, the shoot had been relatively smooth so far.
"Yuwei, how are you doing? We’re going to need a few more takes from you," the director ca over and asked.
"I’m fine, Director. Feel free to shoot as much as you need."
"Alright. Your movents are great, but your eyes still lack intensity for this scene. You’re supposed to be rescuing the male lead, so you need to convey urgency in your heart. For those blocking your way, there should be a glint of killing intent," the director explained to her.
This director’s biggest headache was her acting. Because she didn’t co from a professional acting background, there was indeed so gap in her skills.
But Ye Yuwei was obedient and brave when it ca to action scenes, which reassured him to so extent.
They began filming again. Ye Yuwei continued sprinting across the field while the wires lifted her into the air.
This was just a test shoot. They needed several takes to find the best state.
They also had to adjust the lighting and cara angles. The makeup artist ca over to touch up Ye Yuwei’s makeup.
"Yuwei, not bad," Long Zitao said as he approached, handing her a bottle of water.
Ye Yuwei was montarily stunned. While Long Zitao was one of the lead actors, the way he freely moved around the set suggested he held so other, more significant position.
"Brother Long, taking care of your student?" the director remarked with a chuckle.
"What can I say? My student is a bit clueless sotis, so she needs extra attention," Long Zitao replied.
Ye Yuwei nearly spat out the water she had just drunk. "Mr. Long, are you complinting , or are you crafting a narrative for ? I’m a clever girl, you know."
"You still need more real-world experience. Don’t let yourself get tricked or lured away by bad people," Long Zitao said, looking into her eyes and smiling.
"Trick for what? These days, I only drink premium liquors and eat imported fruits. Who wouldn’t worry about going broke?" Ye Yuwei joked, though a thought flickered in her mind.
"Haha! Haven’t seen you for a while, and you’re already this full of yourself," Long Zitao teased.
"Mr. Long, didn’t you say you’d guide through the acting process?"
"Alright!"
Long Zitao started explaining the scene to her.
Watching from a distance, the director shook his head to himself. Truly, one was bold enough to teach, and the other bold enough to learn.
Honestly, while Ye Yuwei’s acting wasn’t great, it was still better than Long Zitao’s.
"Yuwei, your action scenes are quite impressive. Have you been trained before?"
To Long Zitao, Ye Yuwei seed to have a solid foundation. Her movents were fluid and sharp, far better than those actresses who only knew how to pose.
"Nope, maybe it’s just natural talent," she teased.
"Tsk, say what you want, but you’re milking it now."
At that mont, the crew began shouting for everyone to get ready for another take.
Long Zitao had to step aside, allowing Ye Yuwei to breathe a sigh of relief.
After another three consecutive takes, the director finally felt they were ready.
Next was the real shooting. Real shooting involved pyrotechnics.
These firework props were incredibly expensive and required filing for approval with the authorities beforehand—a logistical headache. As a result, they only used them when absolutely necessary.
"Action!" the director commanded.
But this ti, a major accident occurred. Ye Yuwei couldn’t properly hold onto the prop sword because of inertia, and it flipped back to hit her foot.
A sharp pain shot up her leg. Instinctively, she wanted to bend over, but she was pulled into the air, losing her balance. Panic overtook her mid-air.
At that mont, colored smoke flared under her, and pre-planted explosive charges went off in sequence across the ground.
Although the explosions were precisely calculated, Ye Yuwei still felt debris from the blasts hitting her legs.
"Stay steady! Don’t move! Don’t move!" The stunt coordinator’s booming, steady voice ca through a loudspeaker.
Ye Yuwei’s heart was racing, but under his firm direction, she quickly cald down and stopped fidgeting.
Once the dust settled, the wire crew carefully lowered her to the ground.
Imdiately, a swarm of anxious crew mbers surrounded her.
"Yuwei, are you okay?"
"Quick, her arm’s injured!"
"Call an ambulance, now!"
Ye Yuwei felt a splitting headache. She thought she might not get killed by the stunt, but by the noise instead.
"No need, I’m fine. Really, I’m fine. Let’s keep shooting," Ye Yuwei shouted, struggling to break free from the crowd.
"Yuwei, don’t push yourself. You need to go to the hospital," Long Zitao said as he rushed over, his face full of concern.
"Seriously, no need. By the ti I get there, the wound will probably have healed," Ye Yuwei joked, gritting her teeth against the pain.
In reality, her arm had a shallow gash that was bleeding, and her calf was starting to swell.
"Yuwei, head to the hospital. It won’t delay the filming," the director urged her.
"I’m really fine. If I leave now, the schedule will be delayed. I was only supposed to help out as a guest; I didn’t expect to be a burden to the crew," Ye Yuwei said with a smile.
The people around her had mixed reactions, but whether their intentions were kind or not, they couldn’t help but admire her professionalism and showed her a thumbs-up.
"Yuwei, if you’re sure you’re fine, then you need to be absolutely certain. You still have other commitnts afterward," her assistant said, visibly displeased. Her boss getting injured made her life harder by extension.
Plus, being sent by Big Ship Company ant she had to align with the company’s interests.
The assistant didn’t care if the shoot was delayed; all she cared about was making sure Ye Yuwei could fulfill her next commitnt.
Ye Yuwei smiled faintly. "It’s just a small scrape. Put so antiseptic on it and give an ice pack for my leg; I’ll be good to go."
Under her insistence, filming continued.
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