Superstar's Development Diary
Chapter 256 - 257: Bizarre Acts

Chapter 256: Chapter 257: Bizarre Acts

"Small Bridge Flowing Water, People" was set to play on Tengfei Video, a piece of good news that was only released the following day.

Gu Qiao specifically purchased an additional press release to clarify that "Small Bridge Flowing Water, People" had already secured a video website, dispelling rumors that no video site was willing to pick it up.

It was almost comical, purchasing a press release to announce the set date and website, which cost even more than the initial promotion; with funds running critically low, Gu Qiao had no choice but to dip into her personal assets to make up the shortfall.

Even if it made her heart bleed, she could not let this film be compromised; in Gu Qiao’s heart, it was worth it.

On Weibo, the official "Small Bridge Flowing Water, People" account also posted the news, brimming with joy. The wording was playful, as if a heavy burden had been lifted and one could kick off their shoes and run wild, the content enchanting and whimsical.

V Small Bridge Flowing Water, People: [Thank you all for your love and attention. The Small Bridge is here to tell you a piece of good news. On August 1st, Tengfei Video at 10:00 PM, two episodes back-to-back! (PS: Only VIP friends have this premium experience), non-members will have to wait one more day to see the latest content.

In August, let the Small Bridge take you through the heatwaves to experience the scenery under the slanting sun of Capital Changan, watch the flowers bloom and fade in the courtyard, look up to see the clouds in the sky rolling by and reshaping!

A supreme recipe stirs the Itinerant World; beneath the Peach Blossom Forest, wild flowers slowly captivate the eye. Each flower opens in its own way, a tale from the past, pulling at the threads of a saga filled with love and hate. Who is destined for whom, and who is the obstacle that one cannot overcome in this lifetime?

The wind rises, and the clouds surge; with poetry in motion, all will be revealed on August 1st, Huadu TV at 7:30 PM, Tengfei Video at 10:00 PM. We won’t see you until you see us, waiting for you! [Hahaha]

Once the official news was out, the lead actors all shared it, including He Jinxia, although her repost was managed by her team.

At that moment, she was preparing to shoot a few of the more intense scenes in "Eighteen Years Old Sky," scenes that are a bit ominous to speak of, specifically a rape scene.

In the script, Luo Mei, played by He Jinxia, was just a carefree high-school student with a younger brother forming a perfect "good," living in a happy and loving home where her parents doted on her.

However, the unfortunate event happened when she was sixteen. One day, afraid of being scolded by the homeroom teacher for not cleaning the classroom properly after school, she stayed late to clean up after evening self-study, which didn’t end until nine thirty pm.

After cleaning, it was nearly ten o’clock. Taking into account the time to exit the school and walk home, by the time she reached the alley near her house, it was already half past ten.

The alley was very dark, with only one streetlamp whose dim light faintly illuminated a corner. From afar, it evoked the eerie sense of Yellow Spring’s point of no return.

That day, as Luo Mei walked through the alley, two drunk hooligans also happened upon the same path, one coming and the other going, inevitably encountering each other.

Emboldened by alcohol, the two men grew lustful and dragged Luo Mei into a corner to have their way with her, leaving her with trauma that would last a lifetime, leading to depression and an unplanned pregnancy.

The baby could be aborted, but depression was not so easily dismissed.

She spent a full year recuperating in the hospital, not deemed safe to leave and free from her shadows until the hospital discharged her.

When she stepped out of the hospital, a place of sterile walls and the ever-present scent of formalin, and looked up at the searing sun in the sky, she felt as if she was experiencing a different lifetime.

He Jinxia reflected on Luo Mei’s subsequent development and sighed that there was nothing more melodramatic than life itself, which always seemed to escalate in intensity.

"Hello, I’m the actor for this scene," said a stout woman as she came over and greeted He Jinxia with reserved politeness.

He Jinxia saw her dressed as a man with short hair and a hat on her head. Her pale complexion and chest that had been flattened made her look very unassuming. Pressing down her hat, even upon closer inspection, it was difficult to distinguish her gender; one could only tell she was rather portly.

Jinxia was somewhat surprised and hurriedly reached out to shake hands with her, asking, "Hello, are you here to play the role of a ruffian?"

The woman smiled simply, a little embarrassed, "Yes, the director picked me up on the street a few days ago, but I’ve never acted before—I’m afraid I might not perform well."

He Jinxia’s smile stiffened on her face, "Picked...up from the street?"

"Hello, Jinxia, I’m a fan of yours. I never expected to have the opportunity to act on the same stage as you, I’m so excited! After the shoot, could I get your autograph?"

Another woman dressed as a man came running over, much thinner than the one beside her, with short hair as well, and a cap on. There was even a fake Adam’s apple visible on her neck.

He Jinxia was at a loss for words for a moment, her eyes full of complexity, not sure if she should commend the crew for their dedication to cross-dressing, applaud the director’s brilliant idea, or be shocked at picking up people from the streets.

When she first received the script, she had been worried about this scene, afraid she wouldn’t be able to let go when the time came.

Now, there was nothing to let go of, she just had to open her throat and shout.

Everything was ready, everyone took their places, and action!

Luo Mei walked with her head hung low, kicking at the stones on the ground, and didn’t notice the two people coming toward her.

"Cut, this scene is good!"

Duan Yu shouted out. The staff immediately rushed up to tidy her hair, while the director proceeded to shoot those two fill-in actors.

Clearly first-timers in front of the camera, they walked uneasily, one navigating the path with exaggerated, winding steps while arm-in-arm.

The director shot two takes, then decided to abandon the arm-in-arm walking, instructing them to just walk shoulder-to-shoulder, and also told them to try walking back and forth on the road to find their groove.

They obediently walked back and forth over a dozen times. When it felt about right, they looked up at the director, who smiled and said to them, "It’s already been filmed."

Upon asking, they learned that the director had stealthily turned on the camera and started filming while they were practicing.

Without deliberately shouting "Action," the casual shots turned out more natural than expected.

Soon, the scene changed, moving on to the moment Luo Mei brushes past the two ruffians.

They maintained a slight distance and, at the director’s signal, walked towards each other, coming together in less than two seconds.

"Cut! That’s good, next scene!" After three retakes, this shot went smoothly.

Perhaps Duan Yu was not confident in the performance of the two impromptu extras, so instead of using long shots for this scene, they used short shots, each one brief, to be pieced together in post-production.

Following this, the two ruffians grabbed Luo Mei, one dragging her along while the other covered her mouth to keep her from screaming. None of these scenes were actually shot; instead, they used silhouettes under the lighting to convey the actions.

Without having to face the camera, these two extras actually performed not too poorly behind the scenes, and at last, under the lights, the two shadows overlapped, marking the completion of the whole process.