A night without dreams passed. The moment the alarm went off, Yunjun Ye opened her eyes.
When she arrived at the set, Angie and Irene seemed to have arrived long ago, their makeup already half-done.
“You two are so early! I knocked on your doors, but there was no answer,” Yunjun Ye said, looking at Angie sitting quietly in front of the makeup mirror with a feigned expression of grievance.
“Irene’s and my makeup are quite difficult; all things considered, it takes about an hour or more! Coming early avoids delaying things,” Angie said softly with a faint smile.
“Even so, there’s no need to be this early. It’s only 7:30 right now. Did you both leave home at 6:00?”
“Around 6:00 and a little bit. Remember yesterday? You waited for us for so long after finishing your makeup.”
Thinking of yesterday and how bored Yunjun Ye looked after finishing her makeup, Angie found it amusing. Making all sorts of funny faces in the mirror, Yunjun Ye would then secretly look over at Angie through the reflection. When Angie looked back, she would pretend to tidy her costume, acting just like a child.
“I need to do my makeup quickly too, or else I’ll end up making you wait,” Yunjun Ye shrugged, taking her costume and walking into the dressing room.
As soon as she stepped in front of the camera, Yunjun Ye immediately noticed a change in Angie an acting style different from the past and from yesterday. Today, although Angie wore the same costume as yesterday and her makeup was identical, the overall feeling was worlds apart.
It was a technique that pushed a woman’s gentleness to the absolute extreme. Combined with Angie’s breathtaking, peerless oriental beauty, it was enough to make anyone’s bones melt within minutes.
After a scene of back-and-forth acting, amid Angie’s water-like, gentle brows and eyes, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck Yunjun Ye, and she understood the shift in Angie’s performance.
Angie was doing it to better match her acting.
No wonder Angie had said there was no need to deliberately pretend or act like a man; she only needed to put aside her natural allure and just be herself.
Once Yunjun Ye was simply herself, the burden in her heart naturally lifted, and she became completely relaxed. Whenever anyone relaxes and lets go to do what they love, the results achieved are twice the effort with half the work.
Yunjun Ye’s acting talent was extraordinary to begin with, so her portrayal of the young scholar came vividly to life.
When Angie played opposite her, she only needed to appear softer and more charming than the average woman, and their collaborative scenes naturally complemented each other.
Sure enough, for their first scene after the discussion, both of them made tentative adjustments, and the results were unexpectedly fantastic.
The crew members on set were amazed by Angie’s feminine charm, and even the director broke into a wide smile on the spot. This was the ideal image of the female lead he had been looking for. He also immediately understood why netizens had unanimously voted for Angie to star when the script was announced. Consequently, he made an instant decision to postpone the major wedding night scene originally scheduled for this afternoon.
He felt that if the two leading actors polished their chemistry just a bit more, not only would the shooting progress accelerate, but the final visual impact would greatly exceed expectations.
“The scenes for the wedding ceremony and the wedding night will be postponed by a few days. Anyone involved in these two scenes can leave early,” director Yin Yongquan announced loudly without wasting any time once the decision was made.
“Doesn’t that mean we can knock off early?” Yunjun Ye asked, finding it hard to believe. Filming had just started not long ago could it really be this easy?
“Yes!” Yin Yongquan nodded affirmatively. “We can finish several hours early.”
“Oh my, Director, you’re so handsome,” Yunjun Ye praised, skipping away with a few light-hearted hops.
Before she had taken many steps, Irene grabbed her by the arm. “Now that we have so much free time, how do you plan to arrange it?”
“Of course we’ll go out for a stroll! After all, it’s our first time in Nanshi, and since we don’t have to rush today, we can have a good time exploring,” Yunjun Ye said happily.
“Should we call Teacher Angie? I wonder if she’s going,” Irene asked with some doubt.
“Of course we have to invite Teacher Angie along. It’s such a rare moment of leisure.”
“What if she doesn’t go?” Remembering yesterday when they had originally planned to go out, only for Angie to back out and ruin their little scheme Irene felt a lingering fear.
“If she doesn’t go, we’ll drag her along. Even the most diligent student needs a balance of work and rest,” Yunjun Ye said with a mischievous eyebrow twitch.
“Alright, then I’ll leave that task to you.”
After whispering their plan to each other, the two went off to handle their respective tasks.
Encouraged by the director’s announcement that they could knock off early, the crew members worked with extra enthusiasm.
Before the anticipated time, today’s shooting schedule was already finished.
In the dressing room, Angie was removing her makeup while Yunjun Ye stood by her chair, helping tidy up the hair ornaments that had been taken off, occasionally stealing sideways glances at Angie.
Although Angie didn’t know Yunjun Ye very well, the younger girl’s childish, ingratiating behavior still surprised her slightly. Turning her head to stare at Yunjun Ye, she asked, “Teacher Yu, is there something you want to say?”
Caught red-handed during a stealthy glance, Yunjun Ye felt no embarrassment at all. Instead, she put on a cheeky, ingratiating smile and looked at Angie. “We’re knocking off so early today. Do you want to go out for a walk together?”
“So you’ve been dawdling here for so long just to say this?” Angie thought to herself with quiet amusement.
“What else?” Yunjun Ye pouted.
Watching Yunjun Ye’s changing expressions, Angie shook her head inwardly.
“Then you should just say it straightforwardly instead of acting so mysterious. What did we say last night?”
“I thought we were just talking about how to handle the scenes. Besides, I was afraid you’d refuse again, and going out is so much more lively with more people,” she said, looking slightly aggrieved.
Angie suddenly felt a strange sensation; when this young woman acted spoiled, it was truly formidable probably very few people could withstand it.
“Of course we weren’t just talking about the scenes. We are collaborative partners and also friends. Between friends, you don’t need to be so polite; just say whatever is on your mind.” Angie unconsciously softened her tone.
“Alright then! Let’s go out for a stroll together this afternoon.” Yunjun Ye suddenly dropped her previous cautiousness and returned to her usual self.
Angie was momentarily stunned. That face-turn was way too fast!
“Okay, let’s go together.” Angie couldn’t bear to refuse. “Go remove your makeup quickly too.”
Having received a satisfactory reply, Yunjun Ye secretly flashed a V-sign in her heart while keeping her expression completely calm.
Nanshi was a historically and culturally renowned city with stunning natural scenery. With countless humanistic and natural attractions, there were plenty of places to explore.
Stepping out of the set, the three of them realized that because the trip was so sudden, they hadn’t done any prior research and felt a bit lost.
“Why don’t we go to Ci’an Temple right now? I heard it’s very spiritual, and it’s not far. The timing is just right, and we can visit the night market later,” Irene suggested.
“Sounds good,” the other two nodded in agreement simultaneously.
Once an agreement was reached, the three of them headed straight for their destination.