InRan was shaken. She couldn’t believe who she was seeing until AiLin had spoken. Though most bullies forgot the people they bullied, AiLin was soone InRan couldn’t forget. After all, back then when people so desperately tried to fit in, AiLin was soone who caused people to gravitate around her. The attention people gave to her was positive at first until she fell from her rank and was bullied by Jiang NianNian, her, and the rest of their friends.
InRan herself would have befriended AiLin if she wasn’t bullied. However in ti when ranking matters in high school, she wouldn’t have befriended AiLin as she would also be bullied.
AiLin watched the emotions that caused conflict inside InRan’s eyes. However she seed to have ca to a conclusion. If AiLin forgot what had happened- let’s forget about it too.
"I’m InRan," introduced the woman with a forced smile that hung awkwardly on her lips.
AiLin smiled softly and heard FangMin who spoke to her, "By the way Miss AiLin, I heard that you’re not in any agency. Have you thought about entering one soon?"
"I’m not sure yet," AiLin answered as she saw MuChen who had walked past by, holding to the little LiAi. "I heard you two had been a long-ti partners in acting so do you know how long has it been since Mister MuChen brought his niece around the production?"
FangMin turned to her and back at MuChen. Her eyes narrowed, "Two years? Or maybe almost three now. Are you interested in MuChen, AiLin? He’s a man of charms isn’t he?"
The insinuating tone that FangMin spoke was not too hard to notice. She brushed it off with a smile, "I was interested in the young girl. My heart breaks for the children who have to suffer fate at such a young age."
"Oh," said FangMin, clearly she didn’t believe AiLin’s words and instead looked smug as she added, "MuChen has a lot of partners. You also know the rumors don’t you? Well although most of it is wrong, you should be careful of hanging around him too often. There will be scandals that glue around you if you’re found anywhere near the radius of five ters from him and you know how scandals can ruin anyone’s acting career overnight, so you should be careful."
AiLin chuckled, "I think everyone would never be free from gossip," she directed her words at FangMin who also had quite the rumor of stealing won’s partners. FangMin’s eyes were stunned and she briefly frowned. AiLin then responded, "However, I like to believe soone’s integrity by knowing them instead of worrying about the rumors other might spread. I quite hate rumors and those who spread it you see. I despise them quite a lot."
InRan who heard this as if flinched on her place and rose to her feet. FangMin eyed her with a frown while InRan hurriedly exclaid, "I will go and get so juice before the scene."
"There’s only three minutes left before we start, just sit," FangMin demanded but InRan who was too rattled upon seeing and hearing Ailin’s words couldn’t bear it and stord off from the place in a quick five seconds, leaving AiLin and FangMin together. "Tsk," FangMin let it aloud, annoyed that InRan had left her with AiLin who seed to be her complete opposite.
AiLin simply watched as InRan sped away, her fingers tapping on the armrest coldly as she thought about the problems that could start brewing from the acting set.
Director Gu and Director Chu had seated in front of the cara, each of them muttering about the scene and how they would portray it, discussing it with the scriptwriter as well who seed to be unhappy about so decision but could only purse his lips tightly.
He was the sa man who had secretly accepted a bribe from i Hua, skillfully concealing it from everyone else. However, his frustration was evident during the decision-making process. If i Hua had been chosen as the lead actress, he could have secured a larger payoff. Yet, his overly eager support for her had raised suspicions among the two other directors, threatening to unravel his carefully hidden sche.
"Scriptwriter Wan," said Director Chu who was holding back a sigh. He was much kinder than Director Gu who he had been trying to coax so he wouldn’t explode out of anger and fire the scriptwriter or go into a physical tussle. "It’s impossible for us to rip the entire set now. The description in the novel is quite different from the current set which I agree, but this is better as it feels more realistic than the novel which the novelist himself had agreed."
"However if we make too many changes, it would greatly upset the loyal fan of the novel."
"They’re not going to put every scenes beside a block of text," the annoyed Director Gu pointed out. "You have been making each and every complaints, Scriptwriter Wan but where were you when we first discuss about the acting set?"
Scriptwriter Wan only pursed his lips and harrumphed, letting out a loud comnt, "Just because I’m young, you two always refuse to listen to my suggestion."
Director Gu was about to snap but Director Chu stopped him. He clearly aired, "We don’t look at ages when we first decided to work together with you, do not misunderstand that we don’t pay attention to all your suggestion as a lot of differences in scenes were also made because of your words."
But scriptwriter Wan remained silent while the rest of the staffs began gossiping. Director Gu had stord off to his chair, sitting down with annoyance. When Director Chu sat beside him, the kinder man spoke in patience, "Co on, Gu, are you going to keep looking like you’re about to eat soone alive? You know well that so people already complaint about your hardhead nature."
"Then let them speak!"
"Directors too, need to keep their appearances," Director Chu advised, "Be more civil and ignore all his pointless words alright?"
"Whatever, call the actors and actress. We’re starting the scene now!" Director Gu yelled.
Watching everything from the side, AiLin rely humd while nodding her head. She knew not all production would be completely free from problems but it seems just in the first day of recording, she had found a lot of troublemakers in the set. That being the young scriptwriter Wan and FangMin.
Noting down the people in her head, she then followed the instruction to sit in the bathroom stall. She was supposed to be reading into a note while soone would be pouring water from above her. It wasn’t a big scene but the Director had hoped that she would be able to improve the scene that ca after- the scene where the main character who had just been poured by water beca angry as the paper was an important note left by her birth mother.
The main character is always described as soone who loves peacefulness but deep inside her she has a rage that could overco her at any mont.
"Everyone on position!" Director Gu said as AiLin looked up to see at InRan who was supposed to be holding to the bucket of water. She looked nervous and she kept glancing backward at FangMin who had scoffed in return and turned her eyes away. Along with InRan was other three extras who were supposed to be in the group of the bullies.
"ONE- TWO- THREE!" Director Gu yelled, his voice echoing loud enough for those near him to cover their ears slightly as the loudness felt like it was going to rupture their hearings.
AiLin who was shut inside the stall could also hear the yelling.
She looked down at the note given to her, the beautiful writing from her "Mother". She then put herself in the main character’s shoes, wondering what she would feel if she was also given the paper from her birth mother? Anger? Happiness? Hope?
No. It was loneliness.
AiLin’s eyes turned lonely as she read the neat writings. Her eyes seed to hesitate reading the note, fearing what she would be reading would only further break her heart.
Director Gu who had captured her expression let out a whistle, "See? This is acting!" He exclaid proudly while Director Chu hinted at the extras and InRan that it was ti to pour the water down.
InRan looked down at AiLin as she had climbed from the stalls, sohow... this scene was familiar.
How could it not be?
This was also sothing that she and Jiang NianNian’s group always like to do. Whenever AiLin wanted to read a book for an exam, she would have to hide in the washroom and this was when the groups would throw water on her.
"Do it," whispered the extra to InRan as she had frozen on the spot. "Now! Director Chu’s signal is here."
InRan’s hands shook and instead of throwing the water properly at AiLin she had slipped and poured it over AiLin’s face only.
"CUT- CUT CUT!" Director Gu frowned angrily as he marched toward the set. "What were you doing InRan?! Are you focusing on your own expression? What expression do you think you have while you poured the bucket? Why do you look scared? That’s not the expression you’re supposed to show!"
InRan profusely apologized, bowing her head as she gave her excuse, "I’m sorry Director.. I will improve in the next take!"
Director Gu clicked his tongue and turned to AiLin, "Are you alright AiLin?"
Inside the stall, AiLin held to the cold ice cube that had now landed on her palms.
Yes. Ice cubes.
It seems that soone had slipped the bucket with not only water but also ice cubes. InRan seed to have made the mistake clearly by accident but AiLin knew things weren’t as simple as it looked. When her eyes moved toward the woman sitting while sipping on the juice InRan had bought, she saw the wide smile on FangMin’s lips.
Is this work bullying?
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