Unfortunately, in this life, her body’s flexibility is somewhat lacking and her meridians are not fully opened, so she cannot perform the complete Jinghong Dance; she can only dance the relatively calm first few seconds.
Sheng Yan noticed that He Jinxia was struggling a bit with the dance, and his brows furrowed. When Director Li once again suggested to simply use this dance for the scene, Sheng Yan said lightly, "No."
Everyone’s gaze turned to Sheng Yan, including Jinxia’s.
Sheng Yan slowly began, "This dance is good, but it can only be showcased for a few seconds on camera, which is a waste of talent. There’s a dialogue scene after the dance, and I’m worried Jinxia will be too exhausted to keep up."
Director Li thought about it and felt the same. He wasn’t as nitpicky as other directors who insisted on picking a few seconds from minutes-long dances for the sake of perfection. Moreover, the dance wasn’t the focal point of that particular scene, and focusing too much on it would disrupt the balance of primary and secondary elements.
He Jinxia looked at Director Li, then at Sheng Yan, and after pondering for a while, she spoke up, "If it’s not a few minutes long, I should be able to—within one minute."
"No," Sheng Yan refused without hesitation.
He Jinxia looked at Sheng Yan, whose dark and deep gaze was also fixed on her, his eyes showing an unwavering determination.
He Jinxia’s words were choked off, and she swallowed back what she had wanted to say.
Director Li looked around, and with a twinkle in his eye, he suddenly smiled and said, "Don’t rush, our art director hasn’t said a word yet. What kind of dance He Jinxia should perform, we have to listen to the art director’s opinion!"
This statement defused the tension, and the art director, being an old hand at this, said with a smile, "Jinxia, come with me; I have an idea, but we need to see the effect of your dance first."
What the art director meant was to choreograph a different dance, so there was no need for He Jinxia to perform this one.
The entertainment circle is a place that values status. If it’s necessary to offend one of two stars, obviously, it’s better to choose the one with the lower status.
Since Sheng Yan had already expressed his objections, the art director didn’t want to offend him and therefore had to reject He Jinxia’s suggestion.
After He Jinxia left, Director Li glanced at Sheng Yan beside him and then turned to look at He Jinxia’s retreating figure, clicking his tongue and asking, "What, you find the girl disagreeable now?"
Sheng Yan gave Director Li a glance and said lightly, "She’s already twenty-one, not a little girl anymore."
He spoke as if he were much older, but he was only four years older than her.
Director Li laughed "hehe" with a gleam in his eyes, "Seems like you’re really competing with her. Age is not the issue, nor is seniority, and definitely not status."
He paused before continuing, "If you really don’t like that girl, then I won’t use her. There’s no need to make her feel embarrassed and unable to step down."
Sheng Yan’s expression stalled, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly as he countered, "Embarrassed?"
As if to confirm something, he asked again, "You think I made her feel embarrassed?"
Director Li’s face flushed with a trace of heat as he retorted, "Isn’t it so? The young lady kindly made a suggestion and you cut her off without a second word, and your expression was so cold it was frightening."
Misunderstood and aggrieved—Big Boss Sheng experienced these two emotions for the first time in his life.
He had simply suggested not doing the Jinghong Dance because he didn’t want Jinxia to be so tired, but how did that turn into him making things difficult for her?
Sheng Yan’s brows knitted tightly together, his expression changing slightly at some thought, and he turned to leave.
He had only taken a few steps forward when Director Li’s voice came from behind, ruining the mood, "Had enough rest, everyone? Let’s start shooting the next scene!"
Sheng Yan had no choice but to retract the step he had taken, turned around, and continued shooting.
They shot until noon.
During the break, Sheng Yan looked around for He Jinxia, but unfortunately, he couldn’t find her anywhere.
Feeling slightly annoyed, he gave Zhang Ming a task: find out where He Jinxia was.
When Zhang Ming heard his request, his expression changed, he looked around, and seeing that there were people nearby, he quickly pulled Sheng Yan into a secluded corner and asked in a worried whisper,
"My ancestor, what are you trying to do? This is a film set, not an airport or a hotel. Why do you want to see her? Don’t tell me it’s because you haven’t seen her for too long and since she’s so close, you want to spend more time with her!"
Sheng Yan’s eyes flickered slightly, his dark, ink-like eyes staring at Zhang Ming, he calmly said, "Yes, I want to spend more time with her."
Zhang Ming: "..." Nobody believes you!
You just saw each other yesterday, not only saw each other but also held each other, and it’s even possible you kissed!!
However, Sheng Yan just looked at him steadily, not saying another word, the atmosphere became heavier, putting Zhang Ming under immense pressure. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ ⓝovelFire.net
Zhang Ming mustered up his spirit to meet his gaze, indicating his absolute resolve not to "condone and partake."
One second passed, then two seconds, then three seconds...
He couldn’t last five seconds; Zhang Ming admitted defeat, turned his head helplessly, and said, "Stay right there and wait for my news."
Sigh, managing an artist is like raising a younger brother, especially when this brother throws tantrums now and then, causing trouble. It’s too much to bear; a salary raise is strongly requested!
It didn’t take long for Zhang Ming to find out where He Jinxia was, and he personally led Sheng Yan to her.
He Jinxia was in the makeup room. The room was spacious, so by moving the chairs to one side, they could clear a space. She had been practicing dance in the makeup room according to the artistic director’s instructions all morning and had just taken a break.
He Jinxia was a bit tired from dancing and didn’t feel like going out to eat, so she had Cheng Xiaohua bring a boxed lunch to eat in the makeup room.
Tony wasn’t on set; he was blissfully smitten by his lover’s visit and had run off to the airport to personally pick up Bruce.
While eating, there was a knock at the door of the makeup room. He Jinxia and Cheng Xiaohua paused their movements and looked up toward the door.
As the door slowly opened, Sheng Yan’s tall figure appeared at the doorway, his face as stunning as ever, capturing the imagination and leaving one to see nothing but him.
He stepped inside, revealing Zhang Ming standing at the door.
Zhang Ming knew the two women were in a relationship and thought Cheng Xiaohua knew as well; he spread his hands helplessly towards them.
When Sheng Yan came closer, Cheng Xiaohua suddenly snapped back to reality and pinched her face harshly, inhaling a sharp breath from the pain.
"I’m not dreaming..."
Cheng Xiaohua muttered, then suddenly her eyes widened as she realized something and abruptly stood up. She bowed awkwardly to Sheng Yan and whispered almost inaudibly, "Emperor Sheng, hello. Please take your time talking with Jinxia."
He Jinxia was also a bit stunned. Seeing Cheng Xiaohua run out, she subconsciously reached out to grab her but was blocked by Sheng Yan stepping forward the next second.
Her hand touched the edge of Sheng Yan’s clothing, tracing a searing arc.