Superstar's Development Diary
Chapter 53 Fainting

Chapter 53: Chapter 53 Fainting

"Scene 150, take one, action!" With the clapperboard’s snap, He Jinxia began exercising with great difficulty.

She was already running exhaustedly, but she couldn’t stop, as if a flood or ferocious beast was chasing her.

Push a little harder, strive a little more, as long as she worked hard, everything was possible, she would lose weight, she must lose weight!

With a "bang," He Jinxia, while running, felt a bit dizzy and accidentally fell off the treadmill to the side.

Struggling to stand up, the weighted iron rings on her hands and legs made her body exceptionally heavy.

Trembling, He Jinxia got back on the treadmill and started running again.

Never mind how the audience might react to this scene, even the staff on set, fully aware it was an act, found their eyes welling up with tears.

It was a mixture of admiration and sympathy for He Jinxia.

It was unclear what kind of conviction could sustain someone who now couldn’t even walk steadily to keep running incessantly.

The camera shifted to Wu Daxi standing outside the transparent glass of the gym, who, receiving a cue from the director, immediately put on an expression of unbearable pity and distress.

He wanted to rush over, but ultimately stopped in his tracks, standing silently and watching.

At that moment, Feng Xiaoxiao, played by Li Li, dashed over, but her step had just lifted when the director immediately called cut!

He Jinxia promptly stopped the treadmill and lay down on the ground to rest, feeling a bit dizzy.

To more closely resemble the condition of Chen Xiaohui in the script, the iron rings bound to her wrists and legs were real. Today, on Xiao Tiantian’s recommendation, she had increased her training intensity to be "squeezed dry," leaving her utterly exhausted.

It was precisely because her condition fit the script so well that her performance was so convincing.

"Li Li, pay attention to the expression on your face. Come here and look, what kind of expression is this? Where’s your distress, where’s your urgency? Chen Xiaohui is your close friend, your best friend from childhood. Your performance is too indifferent," said Dong Qiin, who had pulled Li Li aside to discuss her performance before she practiced several times in place to finally get into the right mood to resume filming.

Luckily, this time the scene was okay, but unluckily, the nightmare of NGs, brought on by Li Li, officially began.

In the scene, Li Li ran up to He Jinxia, who once again fell. Li Li held her down, not allowing her to get up, and said with a crying voice,

"Jinxia, let’s not diet anymore, okay? Your body can’t take it, it really can’t handle it..."

"Cut! Li Li, your facial expression is off. Cry, you have to cry in this scene!"

Second time: "Cut! Li Li, your expression is too fierce. Are you looking at a sister or an enemy?"

Third time: "Cut! No good, can you make your nose a bit redder, please? Who cries without their nose getting red? Your crying is too fake!"

Fourth time: "Cut..."

...

To accommodate Li Li in performing this scene, He Jinxia fell over and over again, and stood up time and again, with nothing but Director Dong’s cut calls resounding by her ear, not a syllable more.

By the end, He Jinxia didn’t know how she had withstood the repeated NG takes from Li Li, and how she had managed to get through the following scenes with Sun Zhiying when Li Li finally had a successful take.

She only knew that when the director yelled, "Cut! That’s a wrap," her body uncontrollably collapsed, her eyelids felt as if they weighed a thousand pounds, and her entire mind screamed for sleep.

And then, she really did fall asleep.

As consciousness slipped away, she thought she heard her mother calling her name, "Jinxia, Jinxia..."

*

When a man dressed in black, with sunglasses and a hat completely concealing his features, suddenly appeared and carried He Jinxia away, Wu Daxi’s gaze lingered on the direction in which He Jinxia disappeared, worry hanging in his eyes.

Li Li turned her head to glance at him and said with a sneer, "What’s the matter, you feeling sorry for her?"

Wu Daxi’s expression tightened as he turned to look at Li Li, his face darkening with a bit of rebuke, "She fainted because of your continuous NGs, go apologize to her after she wakes up."

Li Li’s complexion soured; she pouted as Dong Qiin walked over. Hearing Wu Daxi’s words, Dong Qiin couldn’t help but agree, "Yes, Li Li, you owe He Jinxia an apology."

"I just called the nutritionist, who said that Jinxia had doubled her fitness task today in order to realistically portray extreme endurance in that scene. I explained the scene to you many times, yet you NG’d nine times; this does not reflect the professionalism of an actor."

Seeing that one by one, everyone was taking He Jinxia’s side, Li Li felt some resentment towards her, unable to understand what kind of spell this damn fatty had cast on them to blame everything on her!

Isn’t NGing a normal part of filming?

Others can have NG takes, so why couldn’t she?

So what if someone has fainted? She too had once fainted on set from heatstroke.

Acting is tough by nature. It’s not unusual for a crew to shoot summer scenes in winter and winter scenes in summer, fainting is minor in comparison. There are actors who have pushed themselves harder than He Jinxia; why should she be blamed for everything when Jinxia faints?

Li Li couldn’t understand it, believing she had done nothing wrong, but pressured by the situation, she reluctantly bit her lip and said, "I’ll apologize to Jinxia after she wakes up."

Dong Qiin frowned, her gaze sharply turning towards Li Li, "If you go to apologize with that face, without any sign of remorse, then don’t bother—it will only disgust Jinxia."

"After Jinxia loses weight, the movie will almost be finished, and you can do whatever you want after the shoot. But in my crew, don’t pull any tricks on me; I will never use actors who like to form cliques or small factions!"

Li Li felt a chill run down her spine, her heart shrinking with anxiety, she immediately rectified her attitude and apologized to the director, "I’m sorry, Director Dong, it’s my fault for holding Jinxia back, I will definitely apologize to her when she wakes up."

Seeing this, Dong Qiin finally turned and left.

Li Li stood there motionless until Wu Daxi glanced at her and followed the crew as they packed up and left.

Half an hour after Wu Daxi had left and the gym was about to close, Li Li, reminded by someone, walked out somewhat distractedly.

In the dense night, no one noticed a black car parked by the roadside—it didn’t start and seemed like no one was inside.

As soon as Li Li came out, she immediately noticed the black sedan across the street, pretended to look around casually, saw no paparazzi, and quickly ran to the car and opened the door.

The moment the car door opened, the distinctive silhouette of Wu Daxi in the driver’s seat became faintly visible.