Superstar's Development Diary
Chapter 159: Superstar Arrival

Chapter 159: Chapter 159: Superstar Arrival

Fearing that Gu Qiao might agree now and change her mind a few days later, Peng Yufei simply struck while the iron was hot and moved the scenes to be shot earlier.

To transition from an executive director to a chief director, Peng Yufei needed experience and qualifications, but how could these be accumulated?

In three simple words: shoot, shoot, shoot!

Shoot the important scenes, join the important crews!

He had shot this scene before, he had experience now, the next time he was asked to do it, he would handle it even better.

As the clapperboard sounded, He Jinxia’s expression changed instantly as she entered the state of acting.

In the cold and solemn grand hall, Su Qingwan sat alone at the main seat, somewhat restless, her fist clenching and unclenching subconsciously, her face anxious, her eyes flickering uncertainly.

A few seconds later, a maid hurried in, yelling, "Miss, the city gates have held, the city gates have held! Jin Country didn’t break through; we are safe!"

Su Qingwan felt a wave of relief, her body even swaying slightly, her eyes still flickering, she murmured, "It’s good that they held, good that they held..."

Seeing Su Qingwan’s eyes turning slightly red, lost in a daze, the maid couldn’t help but reach out to support her, "Miss, your body—"

Su Qingwan shook her head to interrupt, "It’s nothing, Lianlian, that on the table—"

Before she could finish, a thunderous cheer erupted from outside the hall, the elated roars of the city’s inhabitants!

During the live filming, there were no cheers from the common people, and there were certainly no people outside the window, but He Jinxia, to shoot this film, had to pretend there were cheering crowds outside.

Upon hearing the noise, Su Qingwan froze for a moment, then standing up with the help of the maid, she hurried over to the window to look out.

The window already had a camera set up, with Peng Yufei operating the equipment, switching the live feed to the main screen, following every moment closely.

Looking out at the "common people" outside the window, Su Qingwan’s expression was a complex mix of relief, regret, gratitude, and more so a sense of release and freedom.

Suddenly struck by a thought, Su Qingwan began to cry, holding tightly to the window frame, nodding incessantly at the "people," murmuring, "It’s good that it held, good that it held..."

"Miss, Miss?" The maid’s voice rang in her ears; Su Qingwan snapped back to reality, turned to look at the maid, and seemed to use all her strength to gesture for the maid to leave.

After the maid left, He Jinxia took slow steps towards the table, bent down to pick up a silver little cup, and stared at it for quite a while before she suddenly smiled.

Standing in the center of the set, she was both crying and laughing.

Her laughter was unrestrained, carefree, and joyful. Scenes of the past flashed through her mind, and finally, she lifted her head, drank the wine in the cup in one gulp, and fell to the ground with a smile.

The camera lingered on Su Qingwan’s mouth, He Jinxia fell and bit into the blood bag hidden in her mouth, closing her eyes and smiling as she died.

Two wet streaks of tears on her face, along with the stunning smile on her lips, formed a hauntingly beautiful image.

"Cut!"

With the director’s call, Su Qingwan’s death scene went smoothly in one take!

It was a spectacular outburst by He Jinxia on set, her lines, actions, and micro-expressions were all done very well, Peng Yufei watched it again and again through his 3D glasses, and the only thought in his mind was: flawless.

Even the thought began to grow in his heart that the character of Su Qingwan might well contend for the Best Supporting Actress award!

Thinking of this, Peng Yufei’s scalp tingled.

If he remembered correctly, this was He Jinxia’s first time shooting a TV series; to shoot this well on the first attempt, and encountering such a good role, it might really be possible...

I dare not think about it, I dare not think.

Peng Yufei shook his head, dismissing the thoughts he had entertained, announced a break, and then cheerfully walked over to He Jinxia, handing her a red envelope as a gesture to ward off any negative vibes after playing a corpse.

It’s an unwritten rule in the industry to give a red envelope to actors who play dead characters, as a way to stifle the fear. Fellow cast members would offer it, and some directors do as well.

In the filming location where they were working, He Jinxia was the actor with the highest status, so the other actors weren’t qualified to give her such a red packet. Only Peng Yufei could do it.

He Jinxia did not refuse and accepted the red envelope with a smile. She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes, which continued to well up with tears, and said helplessly,

"Thankfully, I was able to perform smoothly this time. If I had to do it a few more times, my emotions would probably collapse."

Peng Yufei, with a raised eyebrow and visibly amused, said, "How about we shoot it a few more times? Emotional outbursts like this aren’t common in other dramas. Doing it a few more times could help you build some experience."

He Jinxia declined with a smile, "No need."

Peng Yufei persisted, "How about a few more times?"

Still smiling, He Jinxia replied, "No need."

With a shake of his head and a sigh of regret, Peng Yufei said, "Actually, doing it a few more times is really beneficial!"

Continuing to smile, He Jinxia repeated, "No need."

Seeing that she wasn’t taking the bait, Peng Yufei gave up his persuasive attempts and said with resignation, "Alright, let’s take a ten-minute break and then start shooting the next scene."

He thought to himself that he should have He Jinxia do multiple takes for important scenes in the future, to give himself a chance to gain some experience as well.

Little did he know that He Jinxia had already seen through his intentions.

After the break, they continued shooting the morning scenes. As noon approached, the arrival of a star sent shockwaves throughout Film City.

The astonishing news spread from one person to ten, from ten to a hundred, from a hundred to a thousand, spreading rapidly like lightning. Even the remote area where He Jinxia was located was quickly abuzz with the news.

During a pause in the shooting, Cheng Xiaohua ran over excitedly and shared the news with her.

"Jinxia, Sheng Yan has come to our film crew! That’s Sheng Yan, the superstar Sheng Yan!"

He Jinxia was slightly startled. Sheng Yan had come to their film crew? Why was it so sudden?

A myriad of thoughts flashed through her mind, and after a bit of confusion, she realized Cheng Xiaohua had misspoken—it wasn’t that Sheng Yan had come to their film crew, but to Film City!

He Jinxia let out a sigh of relief, but immediately a mixed feeling of anticipation and unease rose in her heart. It was strange; her heart was racing even though she hadn’t done anything wrong. Why was it beating so fast?

She looked around and, seeing that the others in the crew were all excitedly discussing Sheng Yan’s arrival in Film City and not paying attention to her, she said in a low voice:

"Sister Xiao Hua, you’ve seen Sheng Yan before. Why act so surprised and scare me too?"

Cheng Xiaohua whispered back, leaning in closer, "Isn’t this just to cover for you? Your relationship can’t be revealed, you know. For someone like me, who’s never seen a god, it’s not too much to scream in excitement. Being too calm, now that would be strange."

He Jinxia blinked and nodded, looking enlightened, "Makes sense!"

Curious, Cheng Xiaohua asked, "Jinxia, why is Emperor Sheng in Film City? Is he here to visit you? No, no, that can’t be. Could he be here to film? But hasn’t Emperor Sheng been retired for a long time? It’s so odd, he..."

He Jinxia’s lips curved into a smile as she listened to Cheng Xiaohua rattling on, and her thoughts drifted off into the distance.

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