Chi Ying’s film was tentatively titled Wedding, Wedding. It wasn’t a large production, with only a few dozen people in the entire crew.
The cinematography department was the first to come together, while the cast was the last.
That was mainly because the film had so few major characters. You could count them all on two hands: the male lead, the female lead, the male lead’s parents, the female lead’s parents, the female lead’s best friend, and a few of the male lead’s coworkers. That was about it.
The primary filming locations were equally limited: the male lead’s apartment, the female lead’s home, their respective workplaces, and the places where they met for dates.
Chi Ying had planned her budget down to the last detail. In the script, the female lead worked as an editor for a magazine, so whenever she needed to shoot scenes set in a magazine office, she planned to borrow the offices of Modern Cinema, located on the floor above her own workplace.
She had already gotten to know everyone there quite well, and figured they would probably let her shoot a few scenes over the weekend when the office was empty. If any problems came up, she could always ask Director Han for help later.
As for the female lead’s home, she found the perfect location in a small alley behind the research center.
One of the courtyard houses there had just become vacant, and the owner was looking for tenants. Chi Ying had noticed it while passing by a few days earlier. As soon as she returned to the office, she told Sun Yanyan about it and asked her to rent it for two months.
Sun Yanyan slapped her thigh in delight, thinking it was absolutely perfect. She negotiated the rental that very day and ended up leasing it for three months, giving them a more comfortable schedule.
The place had only recently been vacated, so it still contained all the basic furniture and appliances. Everyone who had already joined the production brought over whatever household items they weren’t using, and within a single day, the place had been transformed into the home of a long-time Beijing resident.
The first actor to officially sign a contract was the female lead, Song Lin. Since the entire story revolved around her character, she naturally had the most screen time.
Song Lin had been among the first to hear about the project, so even before signing, she already had a rough idea of the role she would be playing.
In truth, she was more or less playing herself, so it wasn’t especially difficult. Even so, she completely reinvented her appearance. She cut off her long hair and got one of the professional short hairstyles that had become fashionable in recent years. She even spent time lurking outside the office building where Chi Ying worked, observing how office workers dressed and behaved.
After noticing that most of the women going to work wore little or no makeup, she stopped wearing makeup herself as well, applying only a light foundation so she would look better on camera. She even bought several sets of business attire and casual everyday clothes. Fortunately, it was summer, so the wardrobe didn’t cost much.
Once she signed the contract and received the script, Song Lin practically forgot to eat and sleep as she studied it, determined to give the performance of her life.
Meanwhile, when Tan Yi received Chi Ying’s call asking him to come sign his contract, he remained silent for quite some time.
Back in school, Tan Yi had always been confident and full of conviction. As people would say years later, he practically radiated positive energy.
But after graduation, he had repeatedly been rejected during auditions by one production after another, and those experiences had inevitably chipped away at his confidence.
The last time they spoke, Chi Ying had told him to wait a few days. Even then, he’d guessed that she had probably found a suitable project for him. What he never imagined was that she would immediately offer him the leading role. Instead of celebrating, he found himself hesitating.
It wasn’t that Tan Yi doubted his own abilities. The problem was that he had almost no practical experience acting in front of a camera. He was afraid that if he made mistakes, he would ruin Chi Ying’s big opportunity.
During this period, he had experienced firsthand just how difficult it was for newcomers to establish themselves in the industry.
A young woman who had only recently graduated from film school being given the chance to direct a movie was an extraordinary opportunity, but it also came with enormous risks. If anything went wrong, Chi Ying’s career would be the first thing sacrificed.
Tan Yi came over almost immediately.
When he arrived at Chi Ying’s office, Sun Yanyan handed him the actor’s contract. He read it carefully for a long time but never picked up the pen.
Chi Ying could tell he genuinely wanted the role, but something was clearly holding him back.
Seeing the situation, Sun Yanyan made an excuse and quietly left the room.
Smiling, Chi Ying teased him.
“So, what’s the problem? Do you think the contract isn’t good enough, or are you afraid you can’t handle the job?”
Realizing she had misunderstood, Tan Yi quickly explained, “It’s not that I don’t like it. You know I don’t have much filming experience… Of course I want to act in movies. But now you’re giving me the male lead in your project. Honestly, I’m afraid I’ll mess things up for you.”
Chi Ying had complete confidence in him.
“You don’t need to worry about me. Just focus on doing your job well.”
She also noticed that this time he had come carrying a laptop bag that still looked about seventy percent new, and he was dressed like a typical young IT professional. It was obvious he’d taken her previous advice to heart.
She decided it was time to encourage him.
“Tan Yi, think about it. Out of all the teachers and students at our school, you were the one chosen to play the male lead in this year’s graduation production, The Last Emperor. That wasn’t an accident. Everyone believed you were the right choice, and your performance during the final showcase spoke for itself.”
“You shouldn’t doubt your own ability, and you certainly shouldn’t doubt everyone else’s judgment. You’re good enough.”
“Once you read the script, you’ll understand. This role is practically made for you. The character is around your age and has gone through experiences very similar to yours. It’s far easier than playing Puyi in our graduation production.”
“Believe in yourself. And believe in me. I would never gamble with my very first film.”
Tan Yi felt a warm surge of emotion at her words.
This time, he said nothing more. He simply signed the actor’s contract without another moment of hesitation.
Once the male and female leads had been finalized, the casting was essentially over.
The remaining task was to find actors for several important older characters, and Chi Ying planned to return to the university the next day to ask for help.
The two of them chatted for a little while longer.
Originally, Chi Ying had wanted to ask whether any of the male students were free recently. There were still a few minor male roles in the film, each with only a handful of lines and barely any screen time.
If there were classmates who weren’t busy filming anything, it wouldn’t hurt to let them come appear on screen for a bit.
The person she actually wanted to ask about was Liu Xiaojun.
Overall, Liu Xiaojun was quite capable. Whether it was his appearance or his acting skills, he was excellent. The only thing was that he wasn’t quite as handsome as Tan Yi.
The two had been close friends throughout university. Influenced by Tan Yi, Liu Xiaojun also loved studying and wasn’t particularly interested in taking outside acting jobs, so Chi Ying had hoped to bring him onto the project as well.
Instead, Tan Yi awkwardly told her that Liu Xiaojun had recently landed a new role, and not just any role, but a fairly significant one.
Hearing that, Chi Ying didn’t ask any further questions.
That evening, when she returned to the dormitory, Song Lin had spent the entire day cooped up inside and had barely eaten anything. Afraid she was pushing herself too hard, Chi Ying dragged her downstairs to a roadside food stall for dinner.
“Relax. Filming hasn’t even started yet. Don’t stress yourself into getting sick before we begin. If you can’t make it, someone else will get your role,” Chi Ying teased while trying to reassure her.
Song Lin rolled her eyes.
“Gee, thanks. Let me remind you, I’ve already signed the contract. If you want to replace me now, you’ll have to pay me breach-of-contract compensation. When filming starts, I’ll crawl there if I have to.”
Chi Ying burst into laughter, spraying noodles from her mouth.
“Ugh, you’re disgusting!”
Song Lin hurriedly pulled several sheets of the cheap napkins from the folding table and wiped it clean under the restaurant owner’s disapproving gaze.
Chi Ying updated her on the latest progress.
“I’ve arranged to go back to school with Tan Yi tomorrow. Why don’t you come with us?”
“Professor Zhao would be perfect to play my mom. Besides, Old Zhao has always been especially fond of Tan Yi. It’ll be easier with him there. Otherwise, Old Zhao keeps worrying about Tan Yi drifting around without any opportunities.”
“Someone sounds a little jealous.”
Truthfully, Tan Yi had unquestionably been the standout male student in their class, so the way his career had gone after graduation had left the teachers who believed in him deeply disappointed.
As for the female students, however, Song Lin wasn’t the most outstanding. That title belonged to Li Yuxin, another girl from Chi Ying’s dormitory. As a result, Song Lin had never carried much weight with the teachers.
Now, however, she was about to play the female lead in a film produced by the influential General Manager Lei of Huaying Group. Secretly, she couldn’t help feeling rather pleased with herself.
Since Chi Ying wanted her to return to school to recruit help, she had no objections.
“Have you decided on the other three roles yet?”
“Other than your Professor Zhao, not really. I want to see our Professor Liu first tomorrow and ask her to help coordinate things.”
“You know there are quite a few acting teachers at school who fit the right age range, but some of them probably won’t be available, while others are rather particular and not easy to invite. I’m just a fresh graduate. I don’t have enough influence, and I certainly don’t have much money. So I’ll just have to shamelessly ask Professor Liu for help.”
Song Lin nodded in complete agreement.
Professor Zhao and Professor Liu had been their homeroom teachers. Helping them would be effortless. Other teachers, however, might not be so accommodating.
She took several quick bites of her noodles before continuing.
“Don’t worry too much. We may be newcomers, but getting the chance to work on a movie isn’t exactly an opportunity teachers get every day either. We might be complete nobodies right now, but who’s to say we won’t become famous one day? If that happens, we’ll become part of their network. Building a good relationship now only benefits everyone.”
She was telling the truth.
That was how networks were built, especially at the Film Academy. Teachers helped students, classmates helped classmates, alumni helped alumni. One person introduced a project, another shared information. As long as someone was genuinely capable, resources would gradually come their way.
As they ate, Chi Ying continued exchanging news with her.
“I’d actually wanted to bring Liu Xiaojun over too, but Tan Yi said he’d landed an important role recently. In that case, I couldn’t exactly ask him to come do a tiny background part.”
Song Lin glanced at her.
“Tan Yi didn’t tell you the whole story?”
Seeing Chi Ying’s confused expression, she explained what she knew.
“Didn’t you tell Tan Yi about our movie the last time you talked?”
“He trusted your judgment, so after he got back, he turned down that director’s film.”
“When Liu Xiaojun found out Tan Yi wasn’t taking it, he asked Tan Yi to recommend him to the director.”
“The director agreed to let Liu Xiaojun audition.”
“And after that… Liu Xiaojun ended up getting cast as the male lead in that film.”
…
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