"Dim the lights a bit more, and add more purple tone, Zhiyi, move to the center."
Inside the room, Director ng was busy adjusting cara positions, moving actors, and setting up shot angles. This scene was the only intimate scene in the entire film and a crucial turning point in the plot, so he was paying great attention to every detail, from a single strand of the actors’ hair to the candles on set.
"It’s a rainy night, and the moonlight is very dim. Light technician, dim the lights a bit more."
Shen Zhiyi stood in the position Director ng had assigned, and according to the script, she was supposed to be half-drenched, with her wet hair clinging to her shoulders. Her male co-star was playing an injured character, with wounds from being stabbed, and a makeup artist was touching up the blood stains on his clothing.
The rundown room had a broken window, and for the sake of the wind and rain effects demanded by the script, the props team brought in a wind machine. It was a cold night in late October, and the wind chilled her to the point where her lips turned pale.
"Alright," finally temporarily satisfied, Director ng returned to the monitor, but upon seeing Shen Zhiyi’s pale complexion, he was no longer content, "Touch up Zhiyi’s makeup, give her cheeks a bit of rosy color. It will make the image more powerful."
Only when everything was ready did Director ng call out "Action."
---
"Have you always been deceiving ?" the male actor questioned voice by voice, closing in, and trapping her in front of the table. For a mont, they were extrely close; he didn’t want to miss any expression of hers, "Tell with your own words."
With a soft "bang," Shen Zhiyi’s lower back pressed against the edge of the table, her eyes downcast to avoid his gaze, looking at the blood slowly seeping from his chest. She paused before speaking in a cold and harsh tone, "I—"
Suddenly, an arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her onto the table, the man drawing close.
On the monitor, the cara slowly panned downward, her light-colored dress hem being lifted, leaving only a thin layer of underlining. Beneath the semi-transparent fabric, a hand could vaguely be seen climbing higher.
Director ng: "Shift your body a little more to the left."
Following these instructions, the male actor moved, obscuring Shen Zhiyi’s figure with his body, only her delicate arms, resting on his shoulder, exposed, the wet fabric sticking to her skin. Suddenly, she arched her head back, uncomfortable, the pale moonlight illuminating her flushed face.
"Cut," Director ng was not satisfied with the male actor, "You’re standing too stiff, like a wooden stake. Relax a bit, bend your waist."
The male actor earnestly took Director ng’s direction, while Shen Zhiyi’s long hair got tousled by the wind. A stylist ca over to fix it, and Xiaodong joined them.
"Sister Zhiyi," Xiaodong’s expression was complex, "Pei... has arrived."
Shen Zhiyi looked up: "What?"
Now?
"Right over there." Xiaodong pointed to a corner near the monitor.
Following her direction, Shen Zhiyi indeed spotted a familiar silhouette. She hadn’t noticed when he arrived, as the room was exceptionally dark to create the night atmosphere.
The monitor displayed Shen Zhiyi’s surprised expression, and Pei Yu turned, erging from the dim corner.
It was chilly at night, and he had added a long coat over his suit that reached his knees, impeccably dressed as though he had just co from a formal event. Noticing Shen Zhiyi looking at him, he also raised his eyebrows, but the light was too dim to clearly see his expression.
Shen Zhiyi felt awkward for no apparent reason, "When did he get here?"
Had he seen everything just now?
"From when Director ng called Action," Xiaodong confird her suspicions, "he’s been here the whole ti."
He had indeed visited the set a few tis, but it was his first ti watching her act, and of all scenes, he had to walk in on an intimate one.
There was no more ti to think further, as Director ng finished discussing the scene with the male actor, and the two resud their previous positions.
"Here," Director ng said, "make your forceful movents more apparent. You need to lift Zhiyi up in one go without any hesitation."
But the table surface was sowhat high, and since the male actor could only use one hand, he tried several tis without smooth execution—it looked as though he lacked the strength, earning him a scolding from Director ng. It took quite a while to finally get this step right.
Shen Zhiyi sat on the table, with the male actor very close in front of her. After being reprimanded a few tis, the male actor was under a lot of pressure, but fortunately his professionalism held up, and he controlled his expression well.
The focus of this intimate scene was on Shen Zhiyi, so the monitor mainly displayed her reactions. When the man’s hand touched her, her eyes widened in astonishnt, showing resistance, trying to break free. But after a few brief lines of dialogue, her deanor shifted, her eyes reddened at the corners, her initially resistant moves turned into embracing the man’s shoulders, her skirt lifted to reveal a stretch of pale and slender calf, which trembled as the man pressed closer.
There was no background noise in the room; in order to ensure good sound quality, except for Director ng, who occasionally offered suggestions for adjustnts, the rest of the crew remained silent.
Pei Yu stood in a corner, his gaze steadily fixed on the monitor. It was his first ti trying to watch her from such an angle.
On the screen, she suddenly threw back her head, a suppressed moan escaping her throat. Off cara, Pei Yu suddenly snapped the cigarette he had been idly playing with between his fingers.
His Adam’s apple moved, and Pei Yu’s eyes deepened, as he casually placed the crumbled cigarette in his pocket.
"Cut!"
Director ng appeared relaxed, showing satisfaction with the scene. Both actors were skilled in controlling their lines and emotions, perfectly capturing the feeling he wanted. This intimate scene was specifically designed for emotional tension, requiring no explicit content but sufficient detail.
"Alright, Zhiyi, we just need a few more close-up shots."
After finishing the close-up shots, Shen Zhiyi finally had ti to rest. She didn’t find Pei Yu where he’d been inside the room and so stepped outside.
Imdiately upon exiting, the cold night air made her shrink. The clothes she wore for the scene were quite thin for the sake of looking good on cara.
"Pei Yu?"
Pei Yu, not far away, turned around and walked towards her, draping his coat over her shoulders, "Are you done?"
"Mm," Shen Zhiyi looked at him curiously, a bit surprised.
He didn’t seem to mind the intimate scene that had just taken place.
It was for the best if he didn’t mind, Shen Zhiyi let go of her concerns, catching a hint of the sll of tobacco, "Did you smoke?"
"No," Pei Yu said, "Feel my pocket."
Shen Zhiyi felt the shredded tobacco in the coat pocket and understood; he sotis had a habit of crumbling cigarettes, which was sowhat better than smoking.
She brushed off the tobacco scraps sticking to her hand, "I’m going to the resting room for a while, are you leaving now?"
Completing that scene ant at least half an hour of rest ti; staying outside was too cold, so it was better to wait in the resting room.
"I’m not leaving," Pei Yu’s expression was indifferent, not seeming unhappy but certainly not pleased, giving Shen Zhiyi a strange feeling, "I’ll keep you company for a while."
Company it is, then. Shen Zhiyi nodded, "Okay."
Reviews
All reviews (0)