Although An Juexiao was usually lively and chatty like a bird chirping on a spring branch, when she was acting, she became as quiet as a noble lady in an oil painting.
This was the An Juexiao Gu Zhanran saw when he visited the set the next day. She held her script, dressed in a period costume, sitting quietly on the steps memorizing her lines. The gentle sunlight fell on her, outlining her in a soft golden glow.
He deliberately did not disturb her, only watching from afar.
She frowned one moment, pressed her lips the next, then scratched her head, like a student getting stuck while reciting a lesson, looking especially endearing.
But Gu Zhanran had not watched for long before people started arriving. Someone like him appearing on set could never stay low-key. First, Director Tian personally came to greet him, then various actors gathered around.
Gu Zhanran did not care to deal with them, dismissing them with a few words and only keeping Director Tian to talk. While speaking, his gaze would occasionally drift toward An Juexiao, who was still sitting in the corner with her script, completely absorbed and oblivious to everything else.
Director Tian misunderstood his gaze, thinking he was displeased that An Juexiao did not come over to greet him. “She just joined the crew, does not understand the rules. I will call her over to greet you.”
“No need,” Gu Zhanran said calmly. “An actor’s job is to act well, not to play socialite.”
“… ” Director Tian felt a headache coming on. This President Gu was friends with Huo Mingze, but their personalities were completely different. The former came to the set seemingly just to observe, uninterested in everything, almost ascetic, impossible to read. The latter enjoyed being surrounded and flattered on set, easy to please with a few compliments.
Compared to those investors who tried to take advantage of actresses or meddle in filming without understanding anything, Director Tian felt Gu Zhanran and Huo Mingze were already very decent investors.
Since Gu Zhanran had said there was no need for company, Director Tian was happy to leave.
Soon, the loudspeaker on set rang out.
“Get ready, scene fifty-seven.”
Gu Zhanran saw An Juexiao step onto the set in a white costume, holding a sword. Her movements were lively and spirited. This look, completely different from her modern appearance, made his eyes light up. He silently felt relieved that the styling of this historical drama was relatively traditional, not something ridiculous like exaggerated hairstyles.
Today’s scene happened to be the one where Witch Qing disguised herself as her sister and infiltrated the male lead Yun Hao’s camp. Normally, Witch Qing wore dark clothing with heavy, almost demonic makeup.
This time, she wore white for the first time, with a fresh, clean look.
As for her own transformation, she felt curiosity and excitement. An Juexiao portrayed this rare trace of girlishness in Witch Qing extremely well.
Then Xin Yan appeared, playing the cherished daughter of a major sect leader. She called out to Witch Qing, who was looking around outside the camp, and brought her inside.
Faced with someone suddenly approaching her, Witch Qing instinctively revealed a fierce side. Xin Yan, playing the pampered daughter, was startled.
It was supposed to be a very simple scene, but Xin Yan kept getting NGs.
“Cut. Xin Yan, your positioning is off, you’re stealing the shot.”
“Cut! Xin Yan, the emotion isn’t there, do it again.”
“Stop! Do you understand surprise? It’s not just opening your mouth and staring.”
After several NGs in a row, the more Director Tian spoke, the more anxious Xin Yan became, and the worse her performance got. Finally, Director Tian lost his temper and snapped, “You graduated from the same school, how can the difference be so big!”
Xin Yan’s face turned pale instantly. She clenched her teeth and shot An Juexiao an indignant glare.
An Juexiao looked at her calmly, then quietly walked away, giving Xin Yan some face. Kicking someone when they were down was never her style.
When Director Tian said that, Li Lingyin, the female lead, was also present. She let out a laugh, then tried to smooth things over. “Director Tian, don’t be angry. Newcomers all need proper guidance. Besides, you personally picked An Juexiao, of course she performs well. That just shows you have a good eye.”
Xin Yan felt those words hit a sore spot, but with the director present, she did not dare to talk back. She could only grind her teeth in silence.
Director Tian said irritably, “Take five minutes, then we shoot again!”
With that order, everyone dispersed, leaving behind Xin Yan, whose face had darkened with anger.
Director Tian’s criticism had been unintentional, yet it ended up drawing a lot of resentment toward An Juexiao, planting a seed of anger in Xin Yan’s heart.
The undercurrents on set did not concern An Juexiao much. After her scene, there was only one word in her mind, hot.
It was early summer. Although not as scorching as July or August, the thick period costumes were enough to make actors sweat profusely. When other actors finished their scenes, assistants would swarm in with water bottles, fans, and other items, taking good care of them.
An Juexiao had to hold a fan herself. She walked to a quiet corner, boldly lifted the long hem of her costume, and began fanning herself.
It was unbearably hot. Filming a historical drama at this time felt like being wrapped in a thick quilt.
Her actions might have been a bit rough, but it was a common sight on such sets. Whether big stars or small actors, everyone did the same. The only difference was that An Juexiao had no assistant to elegantly hold up her heavy costume.
The cool breeze finally made her let out a sigh of relief. But before she could finish exhaling, her gaze landed on someone a few steps away, and she froze.
“Cough, President Gu, you came to visit the set…” An Juexiao immediately became flustered, her hand still holding up her costume with nowhere to put it.
Compared to her embarrassment, Gu Zhanran was completely composed. As if he had not seen anything, he simply handed her the drink and a small electric fan he was holding. “For you.”
The Pikachu electric fan and the pink drink cup looked unexpectedly adorable in his hands, creating a striking contrast.
“Thank you.” An Juexiao quickly lowered her skirt and took the drink. As if trying to salvage her image, she sipped from the straw in an unusually refined manner.
Even without a mirror, she knew her face must be flushed from the heat. Fortunately, her stage makeup was heavy, so Gu Zhanran probably could not tell.
“You’re so hot your face is red. It’s a good thing it’s not July, otherwise you might get heatstroke.”
“… ” An Juexiao felt like crying.
Seeing her silent, Gu Zhanran showed a hint of concern. “Are you feeling very uncomfortable?”
“No, no,” An Juexiao said quickly. “I’m fine, really.”
Inwardly, she thought, compared to the sun, you make me feel even hotter.
“Filming is always like this, shooting summer scenes in winter, winter scenes in summer. It’s normal. It’s just the weather being hot, no big deal.” An Juexiao said honestly. “Besides, whether it’s hard or not isn’t important, as long as the pay is good.”
“Are you reminding me not to delay your payment?” As one of the investors, Gu Zhanran certainly had the right to say that. “Others try hard to emphasize how tough filming is, but you take a different approach.”
“I really don’t think filming is that hard. Office workers have it hard, construction workers have it hard. Everyone works hard to earn money.” An Juexiao glanced at him awkwardly. “Take you for example, a big CEO…”
“Hmm?”
She had intended to make something up about how even wealthy people have their struggles, but realized she could not say it with a straight face.
Gu Zhanran seemed to see through her thoughts. “I’m not suffering, no need to make something up.”
“President Gu, talking to someone as straightforward as you is really relaxing,” An Juexiao said with relief.
Gu Zhanran smiled. “I watched your performance just now, it was quite good.”
“Of course it was. Top of my class at Beicheng Film Academy, that’s not fake,” An Juexiao boasted proudly, then added in a softer voice, “Actually, I should thank you.”
“Thank me?”
“Thank you for that one sentence that woke me up, it helped me grasp the character’s motivation and highlights.”
“I don’t want verbal thanks.”
“Then after filming, I’ll treat you to another meal?” An Juexiao quickly added, “Don’t worry, not a place like Wang Dabowl this time.”
“Deal,” Gu Zhanran said with a smile. “But we’ll probably have to wait until next time for that meal.”
“You’re leaving?” An Juexiao froze, unconsciously clutching the corner of her costume.
Only then did she realize that Gu Zhanran had not come just to visit the set, but also to say goodbye. Someone as busy as him, whose time was more valuable than gold, could not possibly stay on set for long.
“You’ve only been here for two days,” An Juexiao muttered to herself. Her tone sounded both plaintive and reluctant. She lifted her beautiful eyes and looked at Gu Zhanran with a faintly wistful gaze. “Coming for just two days and taking a private jet, that’s such a waste of fuel.”
Gu Zhanran: “……”
So she was not reluctant to part with him after all.
Author’s note:
Gu Zhanran: QAQ Who wants to eat, who cares about eating!
An Juexiao: =。=