Superstar's Development Diary
Chapter 130: Not Taking Sides

Chapter 130: Chapter 130: Not Taking Sides

Yang Xiaoqing’s arrival caused quite a stir.

She was not a star who had suddenly risen to fame like He Jinxia. Instead, she had been a child star from a young age, constantly filming, her fame surpassing He Jinxia’s by a great margin. Having played the role of a "daughter" too many times as a child, she was once dubbed the "National Daughter."

He Jinxia watched Yang Xiaoqing walk toward her with a bright smile and could not help but lower her eyes, thinking it was not surprising at all that Yang Xiaoqing and Luo Sifang had fallen out.

Luo Sifang was shrewd, not a fool, and precisely because of that, her interactions with other stars were highly purpose-driven.

Facing stars willing to give her face and play along was one thing, but her behavior could be off-putting to more straightforward stars.

It seemed that when Luo Sifang first interacted with Yang Xiaoqing, Yang Xiaoqing had put her in her place, leaving Luo Sifang with a grudge. This resentment likely spurred Luo Sifang to stir up trouble in the crew and tarnish Yang Xiaoqing’s image.

After all, she was the lead actress in this play. If she were overshadowed by Yang Xiaoqing, what would the rest of the crew think?

The conflict between the two was inevitable from the moment Luo Sifang approached Yang Xiaoqing.

"Jinxia, you look beautiful in that outfit, I like it. It has a classic beauty, and you are one of the actresses who suit period costumes the best I’ve seen!"

He Jinxia gave her a reserved smile and replied, "Sister Qing, you flatter me."

Yang Xiaoqing shook her head, her expression earnest, "No, you truly deserve it."

He Jinxia was lost for words and could only respond with a silent smile.

Seeing her react like this, Yang Xiaoqing couldn’t help but give her head a slight shake and sighed, "You, you are just too gentle, that’s why people always take advantage of you."

He Jinxia felt a chill in her heart; Yang Xiaoqing was clearly referring to the incidents where others had leached off her popularity.

Given her relationship with Yang Xiaoqing, they were hardly in a position to discuss such matters, so she remained silent.

Seeing that He Jinxia wasn’t in the mood to chat, Yang Xiaoqing pondered for a moment and then said, "Do you have time tonight? I’d like to invite you to dinner to discuss the script."

Their scenes together in the play were sadly few; they hardly needed to rehearse together.

He Jinxia, head bowed, a gleam flickered in her eyes. She guessed that Yang Xiaoqing’s invitation to go over the script was just a pretext, her real motive was something else.

While she was contemplating, suddenly an assistant from nearby called out He Jinxia’s name.

Seeing He Jinxia, the female assistant ran over breathlessly and said, "Sister Jinxia, today is Sister Sifang’s birthday. She’s planning to invite everyone in the crew to dinner at the hotel to celebrate. Sister Jinxia, do you have time tonight?"

—Caught between a rock and a hard place, that was how He Jinxia felt at that moment.

With Yang Xiaoqing’s invitation ahead and Luo Sifang’s assistant’s loud announcement behind her, agreeing to either would mean siding with one faction.

From the corner of her eye, she caught Luo Sifang staring intently at her.

After pondering for a brief moment, He Jinxia made up her mind and apologetically said, "I’m sorry, I felt a bit unwell when I got back to the set yesterday, and I registered for a hospital visit nearby for tonight, so I won’t be able to make it."

Upon hearing this, a hint of regret crossed the assistant’s face, but she didn’t press her. She told her to take good care of her health and then left.

He Jinxia had a history of being hospitalized for a high fever and fainting; now saying she needed to see a doctor, many people wouldn’t really doubt it.

After the female assistant left, He Jinxia turned to look at Yang Xiaoqing and likewise politely declined her invitation.

Yang Xiaoqing’s eyes flickered slightly, and a smile formed at the corner of her mouth as she whispered, "What a pity, I’ll invite you for a scene when you’re less busy in the future."

He Jinxia naturally agreed on the surface.

The two chatted for a while, and when the assistant director called He Jinxia to shoot, Yang Xiaoqing left.

The bright red bridal sedan, the red Brocade Handkerchief, the drums and suonas playing joyfully, the wedding planner busily shouting around, singing about the joyous marriage of the couple, and the maids scattering candies, fruits, and peanuts to clear the way...

During the first take, due to the incorrect handling by the four people carrying the sedan, He Jinxia inside was jostled around, and the assistant director immediately called for a retake.

The second take swept the camera towards the crowd on the street, capturing their happy, curious, and spectating expressions. However, some very modern items weren’t cleared from the scene and accidentally got caught in the shot. There was no choice but to reshoot.

The third take failed because of the incorrect expressions on the faces of the extras.

...

After five takes, they finally caught a scene where a gust of wind blew past the sedan, whipping the small curtain inside up and down, and the Brocade Handkerchief covering He Jinxia’s head was also tossed about, revealing her delicate face.

He Jinxia grabbed at the Brocade Handkerchief, trying not to let it get blown away by the wind, a smile on her lips. She carefully glanced outside the window, her eyes filled with joy about getting married and yearning for her new life.

The camera lingered on her smile that was as radiant as flowers, not moving away for a long time.

"Cut, that’s a wrap!" pondered the assistant director slightly before decisively waving his hand and shouting.

This scene was actually quite controversial regarding Su Qingwan’s performance.

Su Qingwan knew that Ciming Jiayou’s heart was not with her but with her elder sister, Su Qingying, so she had long told the elders of the Su Mansion that she would not marry into the Ciming Family.

Originally, the elders of the Su Mansion had intended for Su Qingying to marry Ciming Jiayou, uniting the two families, strong joining with strong, the legitimate eldest daughter marrying the only legitimate son of another family, a fitting match.

But just when the two families were discussing the marriage, a complication arose on Su Qingying’s side. She left a family letter and unexpectedly ran away from home!

The script wrote that Su Qingying ran away from home to pursue the male lead, Gu Chengzhi. And Gu Chengzhi had left the Capital to investigate the disappearance of his childhood sweetheart, Zhou Yue, the female supporting character played by Yang Xiaoqing, and the reason behind her disappearance.

Because of Su Qingying’s sudden disappearance, the Su Mansion had no choice but to betroth the younger sister, Su Qingwan, to the Ciming Family.

Although the Ciming Family was somewhat dissatisfied, Su Qingwan was still a legitimate daughter, gentle and graceful, with the demeanor of a family matriarch, so they accepted her.

When Su Qingwan heard this news, she felt conflicted.

She wanted to confront Ciming Jiayou and ask for clarity, but she was put under house arrest by the Su Mansion, not allowed to leave for fear she would disappear like Su Qingying.

So, until the day of her marriage, she had not seen Ciming Jiayou even once; it was precisely this lack of communication that left Su Qingwan unaware of Ciming Jiayou’s intentions.

At the time of her wedding, even though she deeply resented that Ciming Jiayou’s affections had shifted elsewhere, she was ultimately getting married to the man she loved. Could she not be excited and happy?

So in this scene, He Jinxia chose not to display a sorrowful, conflicted expression but chose one of happiness and joy.

Fortunately, the assistant director also agreed with He Jinxia’s approach and did not call cut on her expression.