Pei Xinyuan was quite out of place among the stand-in actors.
Simply put, the others just saw this job as one of the many they had done as stand-ins or extras, nothing special. Especially for stand-ins who couldn’t even show their faces and were even more background than the background. It’s hard to expect them to put much effort into it.
But Pei Xinyuan’s dedication to this job was evident, and they had never seen a stand-in who would request a retake because they felt their performance was not good enough.
Because of this unusual dedication, the other extras silently distanced themselves from her. After all, it’s quite conspicuous to have a hard worker among those who don’t want to put in effort.
Fortunately, there was another person in the crew who also chose to stay with the group, Han Jiaojiao. The two of them would get lunch boxes together and find a shady spot to rest, so they weren’t too lonely.
Early in the morning, Pei Xinyuan dragged the still-sleepy Han Jiaojiao over here. Han Jiaojiao, while being pulled forward, sighed helplessly, "How come I didn’t know you were a fan of Jiang Lingxi? It’s so early, she probably hasn’t arrived yet. Even if you’re hoping to catch her, don’t drag me along. I’m so sleepy!"
"I hadn’t seen her in person before. Once I did, I realized I liked her. Don’t you like her?"
Han Jiaojiao, with a strong survival instinct, shook her head then nodded, "I like her, I like her."
She had heard some scandals about Jiang Lingxi before. Though she knew that in the entertainment circle, truth was often one part authenticity with nine parts falsehood, she still had no particular feelings for Jiang Lingxi.
Until she met her on this film set.
It’s not exactly liking; Han Jiaojiao felt more like she admired and respected Jiang Lingxi.
She was a woman more gallant and with a powerful presence than most men.
But the person next to her was rather fanatical.
By chance, she once saw Pei Xinyuan’s photo album, and found that the girl, who usually didn’t like taking photos, had hundreds of images in her album—all of Jiang Lingxi.
Definitely a fanatic.
The two of them stopped behind a big tree not far from the lead makeup room, peeking over to see.
But before they could see clearly if Jiang Lingxi was inside, someone came out.
Pei Xinyuan was about to retract her head when Han Jiaojiao stepped on her toe in panic, causing her to let out a small hiss and they were caught unexpectedly.
"Who’s sneaking around behind the tree, come out."
The two looked at each other, and finally, with drooping heads, they walked out from behind the tree.
Wei Xiao, who was about to have someone fetch Pei Xinyuan: "..."
"What are you two doing?"
"Di-director," Pei Xinyuan glanced at the door now firmly blocked by Wei Xiao, "Has Teacher Jiang returned to the set?"
"Yes, she’s inside getting her makeup done." Wei Xiao instinctively turned to look, "Are you two here to see her?"
"I just wanted to check if Teacher Jiang is feeling better. Sorry, director, for bothering you," said Pei Xinyuan, bowing before pulling Han Jiaojiao to leave.
Since she was back in the crew, it meant she must be feeling better. It didn’t matter whether they saw her, as they would definitely meet when filming started.
"Wait, Pei Xinyuan, you stay."
Thus, Han Jiaojiao managed to leave, but Pei Xinyuan stayed.
"Director, is there anything else?"
Wei Xiao beckoned, watching her obediently come forward, nodding with satisfaction after a glance over.
The young lady, though having an apple-like face that seemed somewhat infantile and cute, had quite good posture, and the role of Qing Yuan required someone whose first impression was amiability and poise with a calming presence.
Jiang Xiyu’s face was indeed striking, but when it came to posture, she couldn’t compare with this Pei Xinyuan.
Thinking of this, he simply asked, "How much do you know about the character Qing Yuan?"
Inside the makeup room, Jiang Lingxi subtly inclined her ear.
She had just heard Director Wei talking to someone and only now realized it was Pei Xinyuan.
Hearing the director’s question, she suddenly wanted to know how Pei Xinyuan would respond.
Pei Xinyuan was first stunned by the question, but after recovering, she quickly suppressed her excitement and replied without thinking, "Qing Yuan appears stable and courteous on the surface, but after following Emperor Yuan Zhao for over twenty years, she secretly admires and mimics his ways. You can see this from... Qing Yuan values Emperor Yuan Zhao more than her own life."
Even Wei Xiao had not expected this girl to analyze so much without seeing the script.
The same question that Jiang Xiyu answered with a clear fail, Pei Xinyuan’s response was worthy of excellence.
The reason it wasn’t a perfect score was naturally because he wasn’t Qing Yuan himself.
With that, he turned back to the room, "Teacher Jiang, what do you think of this answer?"
As Pei Xinyuan, who had just been speaking too fluently, adjusted her breathing in small gulps, her face instantly turned scarlet.
She had forgotten Jiang Lingxi was in the room.
Did this mean her long monologue had been overheard?
"Your answer was very good," Jiang Lingxi said, looking at her reflection becoming more like her past self, and in her trance, she saw the quiet dark green figure always standing behind her, "In my heart, Qing Yuan is just ."
She had seen it with her own eyes!
Especially that last sentence.
Although history books didn’t record it, she remembered clearly that Qing Yuan had indeed risked her life for her.
Upon hearing Jiang Lingxi’s voice coming from inside, Wei Xiao saw the visibly nervous young lady before him seem as if she had been injected with a hearty dose of encouragement, her spirits lifting instantly.
"Since Emperor Yuan Zhao has spoken," Wei Xiao cleared his throat and said seriously, "I’ll give you an opportunity. Whether you can capture the role of Qing Yuan is up to you."
"Thank you, Director, thank you, Sister Xi."
Wei Xiao stopped Pei Xinyuan, who kept bowing repeatedly in gratitude, and, not wanting to take all the credit in front of Jiang Lingxi, "It’s Jiang Lingxi who recommended you to me, so thank her. By the way, follow me to get a script, time is tight and the task is heavy, find time to memorize the lines."
Before leaving, Pei Xinyuan didn’t forget to go into the makeup room and solemnly thanked Jiang Lingxi.
Jiang Lingxi clenched her fist in encouragement, "Good luck!"
The makeup room returned to silence. She Man gave Jiang Lingxi a complex look, feeling that everything that had just happened seemed almost too smooth.
That Pei Xinyuan came early in the morning to inquire about Jiang Lingxi, was coincidentally caught by the director coming out, reacted so well under examination that both the director and the lead actress expressed satisfaction, and the role of Qing Yuan landed in her lap effortlessly.
A serious script wouldn’t dare write !