Anhe Film and Television Base.
Li Tao, the head of the extras, instructed the 20 extras behind him, "In this scene, bandit Da Biao takes you down the mountain to seize territory, meets the heroine Yan Fei, gets smitten, and wants to take her back as his wife, but then gets dealt with by Yan Fei. The scene is simple, the focus is on the fight scene, and the director will give quite a bit of screen time."
Saying this, Li Tao specifically looked at Ye Tong, smiling, "At that time, Xiao Tong will have a fight scene and two lines. This is something your brother worked hard to get for you, so make sure you perform well."
Ye Tong immediately handed him the drink she had just bought, "Thanks, Brother Tao, I’ll treat you to a meal later."
"No problem, perform well, and don’t forget your brother when you make it big in the future."
Ye Tong wore a smile, her voice sweeter than before.
"Brother Tao, can you arrange for Sister Ning to have a spot a little closer to the front? Her skills are pretty good; she can take on three hooligans by herself."
Li Tao glanced at Ji Ning, who was forcibly pulled from the corner by Ye Tong, waved his hand, and agreed to the request.
This girl was indeed stunning, but her attitude showed no interest in acting, clearly dragged here by Ye Tong to make up numbers.
She was, after all, a special recruit from Anhe Middle School; it’s understandable she looks down on them.
Li Tao wasn’t very enthusiastic, "Later, you stick behind Xiao Tong, and be careful not to steal the scene."
Ye Tong quickly tugged at Ji Ning, giving her a signal.
"Thanks, Brother Tao."
Only then did Li Tao nod, tucking his black leather bag under his arm and heading off to find the assistant director on set.
***
Outside the makeup room.
Lin Qing knocked a few times, and only after hearing the words "Please come in" did she push the door open and enter.
A woman, who bore a few resemblances to her, sat in front of the makeup mirror, watching her through the reflection.
"Aunt, what brings you here?" Lin Wei was somewhat surprised.
Lin Qing placed the paper bag she was holding next to the makeup mirror, smiling brightly, "I came to visit. Bought you some coffee."
"Thanks, Aunt, I was just craving some."
Lin Wei politely took the coffee and drank a large sip.
The assistant beside her frowned slightly, "Sister Wei, Sister Yuan wants you to lose weight recently..."
"Relax, I didn’t add sugar." Lin Qing rolled her eyes at her, slightly lifting her chin, "I want to have a private word with my niece, you can step out for a bit."
A trace of disdain flashed in the assistant’s eyes as she looked up at Lin Wei.
Lin Wei, with a good temper, reassured, "Xiao Li, when we shoot the fight scene later, everyone will definitely be tired. Could you go buy a few boxes of water for the crew?"
"Sure, Sister Wei, I’ll head out now."
Once Xiao Li left, Lin Wei’s seemingly gentle face immediately turned stern, her tone cold, "What are you doing here?"
Lin Qing smirked, "I missed you, so I came by to have a look."
"Whatever it is, just say it!" Lin Wei had long seen through her and impatiently glanced at her.
"I need a small favor, and it’s for your good too."
Lin Wei’s hand paused while holding the powder puff, a trace of displeasure flashing in her eyes, "What is it you want this time? It took me so much effort to get this role, don’t drag me down!"
"Would your aunt do something like that? There’s this good-looking extra who’s been quite the rising star lately. Today, she happens to have a scene with you. Isn’t your aunt just worried she’ll steal your spotlight and overshadow you?"
"Get to the point!"
"She snatched my man."
Lin Qing was furious thinking of how Li Tao was indifferent to her, yet overly attentive to a newcomer, even helping her get opportunities.
A hint of mockery appeared in Lin Wei’s eyes, "And this is how many extras stealing your man now? How come they all have the blinders on, ignoring directors and producers, but always going for the extras’ leader?"
A flicker of embarrassment crossed Lin Qing’s eyes as she suppressed her discontent and forced a smile, "Xiao Wei, we are family. When you first entered the industry, wasn’t it your aunt who put in the effort to find connections and help you? You can’t be ungrateful."
Lin Wei most hated hearing her say this. Although it was true, Lin Qing had found people to bring her into the film crew, her achievements today were all her own doing. Yet this woman always played the gratitude card from the past.
If she didn’t help her, she would complain to her parents, rallying the whole family to condemn her, it was utterly exasperating.
"Just this once, don’t make it a habit!"
"Dear niece, that vixen’s name is Ye Tong, remember to slap her a few times on behalf of your aunt. Your aunt will be watching on set."
Lin Wei was fed up with her, nodding slightly, dismissing her.
The extra she has a scene with.
Probably doesn’t have any background, right...
***
"Sister Wei, Sister Yuan called saying she’ll come to visit the set later."
Assistant Xiao Li walked in with two bottles of water.
Lin Wei’s eyes brightened, her face full of delight.
Sister Yuan, whose real name is Gu Yuan, is a gold medal agent at Tiansheng Entertainment. She currently manages two top-tier artists, four second-tier, and five or six newcomers like her.
Usually, she focuses on first-tier artists, while newcomers like her are directly handed over to the assistant.
The resources are, of course, tilted towards the first-tier artists.
For newcomers like them, they just sip the leftovers unless they suddenly become a breakout star in a certain show or catch the eye of a particular director, only then will they be given more focus.
This time, Sister Yuan is visiting the set because she successfully auditioned for the third female lead in this major drama ’Gone with the Wind,’ barely catching Sister Yuan’s attention.
"When is Sister Yuan coming?" Lin Wei grasped the script, feigning calmness.
"She said she’ll be here shortly, she should be able to catch your fight scene. Sister Wei, perform well, Sister Yuan is currently in talks for a major costume drama, this is a great opportunity."
Hearing this, Lin Wei’s eyes shone even brighter.
"Alright, thank you, Xiao Li. Tell the director I don’t need a stunt double."
Assistant Xiao Li nodded with satisfaction and left again.
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the film base.
Ye Tong was nervously reciting her lines, though there were only two, she insisted on practicing them outside.
She even asked Ji Ning to help her run through the lines.
Ji Ning was somewhat speechless, but for the sake of the ice cream Ye Tong bought her, she started reading the lines of that third female lead.
However, Ye Tong wasn’t quite satisfied.
"Sister Ning, could you please put some emotion into it? I can’t feel it."
"Ah, too hard, go gentle..."
"So strong... faster..."
What kind of wild phrases are these?
Gu Yuan, who had just gotten out of the car, instantly furrowed her brows, her face showing displeasure.
In broad daylight, how could anyone be doing such things in the parking lot?
Gu Yuan, in her seven-centimeter high heels, prepared to take a detour.
"Sister Ning, with your skills, have you thought about becoming a stunt double?"
Gu Yuan paused, it turns out she misunderstood.
Rounding two cars, she saw two young girls practicing lines.
One of them wasn’t very cooperative, appearing impatient, almost ready to quit.
Gu Yuan’s eyes lit up, staring intently at the uncooperative girl.
Her face was naturally made for acting, she was stunningly beautiful!
Even if she just stood there doing nothing, she was an eye-catching presence.
It was as if she naturally possessed an aura that demanded attention.
Gu Yuan’s mind was already rapidly outlining a roadmap for her future.
"Sister Ning, just one last time! Please! It’s my first time being on camera with lines."
Ye Tong clasped her hands together, looking pitifully at Ji Ning.
Ji Ning took a deep breath, extending three fingers, "Three chocolate doughnuts."
"Deal!"