Superstar's Development Diary
Chapter 39 Too Much, Not Even Letting Go of the Same Sex

Chapter 39: Chapter 39 Too Much, Not Even Letting Go of the Same Sex

Luo You’s rich inner turmoil was something He Jinxia was oblivious to as she approached the director, watching Li Li flub her lines again through the camera’s lens, while casting a sidelong glance at Dong Qiin, whose expression was somewhat gloomy.

Today was Li Li’s first day of acting in the crew, playing the role of Chen Xiaohui who was being mistreated at the company. Her best friend, Feng Xiaoxiao, couldn’t stand it anymore and made a scene at the company, after which the male lead pulled her aside to question her.

In the script, the male lead, Sun Zhiying, initially wanted to call security to throw her out, but amidst Feng Xiaoxiao’s passionate cursing, he accidentally discovered that they were elementary school classmates.

Yes, he, Feng Xiaoxiao, and Chen Xiaohui, all three of them were elementary school classmates and were quite close.

Sun Zhiying still remembered being very chubby as a child while Feng Xiaoxiao and Chen Xiaohui were both skinny and frail. Whenever someone called him a fatso and bullied him, it was these two good friends who stood up for him.

Thinking about their past bond made Sun Zhiying furrow his brows. He didn’t call for security. Instead, he personally dragged Feng Xiaoxiao out of the company, and the two of them started arguing outside the company’s main entrance.

Wu Daxi’s first line was shouted at Li Li, "Enough! Can you solve the problem by making a scene like this, is it worth it? Aren’t you afraid that Chen Xiaohui might get fired by the company?"

Following that, Li Li was stunned by the shouting, fell silent for a moment, and then the male lead continued to reason with her, revealing in the process his identity as their elementary school classmate.

Unfortunately, it was the being stunned that Li Li couldn’t get past; every time Wu Daxi delivered his lines, Li Li would involuntarily start laughing.

At first, Wu Daxi would join her in laughter to ease the awkwardness, but after three or four times, Li Li still kept laughing. Wu Daxi no longer joined in, stepping aside to let his makeup artist dab off his sweat and touch up his makeup.

Thus, it was just Li Li left there, awkwardly giggling alone.

After another flub, Dong Qiin yelled "Cut" and finally lost her patience:

"Can you actually act this scene out? It’s so simple, yet you can’t perform it well. Control your emotions. If you continue like this, don’t bother coming to shoot anymore. We’ll replace you!"

On a movie set, directors aren’t always absolute, but during shooting, they definitely have the final say.

As the person behind the lens, the director can detect where their actors are making mistakes better than the actors themselves.

Besides a portion of the funding contributed by the Li Family, the rest of the money for this film was provided by Dong Qiin, who didn’t need to be concerned about others’ opinions. When she said to replace someone, she truly meant it.

This time, Li Li dared not laugh any longer, putting away her playful demeanor and began acting cautiously.

Possibly the more she wanted to perform well, the worse she did. She wasn’t laughing this time, but her subsequent expressions were painfully stiff, and she had no idea what to do with her hands and feet.

"Cut! Take a five-minute break!" Dong Qiin, unable to bear it, immediately declared a break and halted the shooting.

Li Li bit her lip, standing there feeling somewhat wronged. She wasn’t a newcomer without any filming experience; she had also played the second and third female leads in several TV dramas.

In the TV drama crews, everyone often joked around and played, and she hadn’t seen those directors say much. Why was Dong Qiin so particular about her?

Unable to understand, Li Li looked around and approached Wu Daxi to go over their lines.

With a mindset to help, Wu Daxi explained to her in a gentle tone, telling her not to be nervous; as long as she wasn’t nervous, she would surely pass.

When He Jinxia was called to makeup, she glanced over at them from the corner of her eye, catching sight of Li Li’s bright-eyed gaze towards Wu Daxi.

Subsequently, Li Li found her rhythm, demonstrating the professionalism of an actress—a simple scene passed in one try, and even those with off emotions found their feel after two or three tries, which slightly improved Dong Qiin’s mood.

The company’s doorway scene took five full days of shooting, and after replenishing all the materials needed, the group officially moved to indoor scenes.

It was at this time that Xiao Xiuxiu, who held the positions of assistant director and screenwriter in the crew, made her appearance.

Apparently, she had gone abroad to receive an award related to screenwriting and took the opportunity to network. Her days were wonderfully spent until Dong Qin repeatedly urged her to return to the country.

As soon as Xiuxiu arrived, she first went up to He Jinxia and carefully scrutinized her from head to toe, finally concluding with a serious expression, "You’ve lost weight."

Isn’t that obvious?

After all, she had been dieting for nearly a month!!

He Jinxia silently looked at her, choosing to respond without words.

Seeing her dumbfounded look, Xiao Xiuxiu was the first to laugh, "Haha, after not seeing each other for a month, why do I feel like you’ve become more affable? Where did that aloof demeanor go?"

He Jinxia couldn’t help but speak up, "It’s your words that are cold, and besides, I’m not aloof at all."

Xiao Xiuxiu curved her lips into a smile, suddenly took a few steps forward, and whispered in her ear, "Whether you admit it or not, you’ve already blended into this crew. Jinxia, you’re doing very well."

He Jinxia paused, suddenly understanding a bit more.

Xiao Xiuxiu said she was aloof because when she first came for the audition, although her demeanor was gentle, she was actually keeping people at bay as a protective measure.

Other stars were equally gentle but came off as polite, yet her gentleness felt like a rejection.

Having joined the crew, she had learned a lot, met many people, and the ice of resistance in her heart had melted, completely transforming her.

Coming back to her senses, He Jinxia looked at her with soft eyes and spoke in a gentle voice, "Thank you for giving me this opportunity."

Seeing her like this, Xiao Xiuxiu suddenly hissed, covering her heart with one hand and her eyes with the other, "Stop electrifying me with that look, it’s totally unfair!"

He Jinxia: ???

"Xiuxiu!" Dong Qin’s voice came from not far away, and Xiao Xiuxiu hurriedly responded and ran over.

As she left, He Jinxia could still hear her muttering, "How can someone’s eyes be so captivating, not even sparing the same sex, it’s just too much!"

He Jinxia: "..." Blame me, huh? ^_^

With the addition of Assistant Director Xiao Xiuxiu, the pace of the entire crew sped up even more. The crew was divided into Groups A and B, with different actors for each group maximizing all the actors’ time without any wastage.

Thanks to her previous workplace training and a match in image with the protagonist Chen Xiaohui, He Jinxia acted as if divinely aided, significantly speeding up the crew’s progress, while her acting skills also rapidly improved, and Dong Qin’s demands on her became increasingly stringent.

Although there were almost no one-take successes later on, two or three takes were generally OK.

Days flew by, and after a month filled with overtime and high efficiency, there was only one scene left for He Jinxia in the company from before she started dieting.

The final scene was a confrontation between Chen Xiaohui and the designer Miss Lin.