Cheng Xiaohua was speechless and choked, "..."
"Are you worried about something, or not feeling well?"
Jinxia coughed lightly and used the explanation she had for Brother Luo, "I was too excited after hearing about the premiere results last night and stayed up late reading comments online."
Cheng Xiaohua nodded in understanding, "I heard you have scenes to shoot tonight, so take good care of yourself. If you can’t handle it, ask Director Liu for a leave and rest early."
He Jinxia nodded obediently.
He Jinxia arrived at the film set at precisely seven o’clock, and the crew members were all resting.
He Jinxia slapped her face, forcing herself to focus, casting aside random thoughts, and burying her head in the script, fully immersing herself in the acting ahead.
The film set was bustling all night, and everyone greeted Jinxia with a smile, offering congratulations and wishing her film great box office success.
He Jinxia returned the smiles and said thank you. Seeing smiles on everyone’s faces, she couldn’t help but curiously ask, "Is there some good news?"
The staff, full of enthusiasm, said, "Didn’t you know? Tomorrow, our male lead 2 and male lead 3 will both be joining the crew!"
He Jinxia paused, then shook her head, "I really didn’t know that. Who are the actors?"
They shook their heads too, "We don’t know either. The director is keeping it a secret, only saying they’re both popular young actors." Googlᴇ search novｅlfire.net
They started guessing on their own, "Could it be Zhang Yao? He’s really popular lately!"
"I prefer Zhu Zhenlong more, he’s more manly. It must be him!"
"It’s definitely Guo Lixin, he’s also very popular recently!"
The staff chattered away, the air filled with a gossipy scent and a hint of excitement.
Director Liu’s team had an average age of twenty-six, and women of this age aren’t blindly starstruck, but they still appreciate a handsome man and were very much looking forward to the young actors.
Considering the young actors were younger than the staff, they claimed themselves as "sister fans" or "mom fans," and their star-chasing was quite rational.
He Jinxia was somewhat infected by the atmosphere of the crew, and her mood lightened considerably.
In the evening’s shoot, He Jinxia performed exceptionally well, her every move embodying Xiao Xiangyu’s spirit and charm.
Qiu Zhenze’s acting was as steady as his veteran style—solid, if not spectacular, but it could definitely be called excellent.
After finishing the shoot, He Jinxia spoke with Qiu Zhenze, asking if he knew who the actors joining the crew the next day were.
Qiu Zhenze furrowed his brow, pondered seriously for a long while, then finally replied: "No, I haven’t heard Director Liu mention it."
He Jinxia looked at the crew members packing up nearby and said with a smile, "Hopefully the young actors coming are not only good-looking but also skilled in acting so our crew can get even livelier."
The cast of "Xiao Xiangyu’s Many Sorrows" was still missing some actors, having only started shooting not long ago, and many actors hadn’t yet arrived.
Looking around now, the actresses still outnumbered the actors, a classic case of more Yin than Yang!
As most of the crew members were also women, this made everyone even more eager for the arrival of the two new young actors.
Qiu Zhenze said, "With Director Liu’s eye for talent, those who can’t act probably wouldn’t be chosen to come."
He Jinxia raised an eyebrow lightly, "It seems you have quite some confidence in them."
Qiu Zhenze smiled, "I do believe in Director Liu’s judgment."
He Jinxia nodded, she also trusted Director Liu’s vision, but...
The next day, upon seeing one of the young fresh faces, He Jinxia harbored deep doubts about Director Liu’s discernment.
"What are you doing here?"
On the set, He Jinxia quickly walked up to one of the young actors, expressing her shock at his presence.
Dressed in a flowing white robe and wearing a golden crown, Yu Yanyu flicked open the folded fan in his hand and stood there looking suave and elegant, dashing with his charming smile, "This lord here naturally came to act!"
He Jinxia involuntarily stepped back a few steps, her eyes slightly widened, "Don’t tell me you’re playing the male second lead?"
Just as Yu Yanyu was about to reveal his role, he caught the despairing expression on He Jinxia’s face and indignantly said, "What, I can’t play the male second? My acting skills have passed the test set by Director Liu!"
He Jinxia was relentless, "Maybe Director Liu wasn’t wearing his glasses at that time."
Yu Yanyu was stunned, not wearing glasses, what was that about?
Ren Xiao, who had been standing next to him, couldn’t help but let out a laugh, whispering, "Director Liu is severely nearsighted. Without his glasses, he’s practically blind."
"Sister Jinxia, why do you look at me that way, it’s hurting my fragile, pitiful, and helpless little heart!"
Yu Yanyu launched into a relentless nagging offensive, yet He Jinxia ignored him and instead turned to Ren Xiao with a smile, greeting him, "Xiao Xiao, long time no see, I feel like it’s been ages since I last saw you."
Ren Xiao felt somewhat flattered and nodded at her, "Senior Jinxia."
He had not expected He Jinxia to remember him. Back when they had teamed up for a few days during the reality show "Burn, Youngsters!" they had gotten along quite well.
At that time, He Jinxia was just a supporting actress in a movie and a TV show, and her popularity was about the same as his.
But now, He Jinxia had a film award under her belt and her status had shot up to that of a leading actress, while he was still stuck in the same place, unchanged.
Ren Xiao sighed softly in his heart, it was fate, no one was to blame.
He Jinxia asked, "Xiao Xiao, what role are you playing?"
Yu Yanyu tugged at him, signaling with his eyes not to tell the truth.
However, Ren Xiao was an honest person and seriously said, "I am playing Bai Xuan."
He Jinxia realized, "So you are the male second lead in our drama!"
She glanced at Yu Yanyu, "I knew it, how could you possibly be the male second? Unless Director Liu..."
The voice of Director Liu suddenly came from nearby, He Jinxia’s ready words switched up, "Unless Director Liu believes that your acting has greatly improved."
Director Liu laughed heartily, "Xiao Yu is playing the male third lead, a Peacock Spirit who later evolves into a Phoenix. His potential is great, and I have a lot of confidence in him."
Knowing that Yu Yanyu was actually playing the male third lead, He Jinxia thought it over and couldn’t help but silently nod.
The character of the male third was peculiar and flirtatious, a playboy type, a role indeed very suitable for Yu Yanyu, as he naturally had such a personality and could play it genuinely.
He appeared to be affectionate and charming, but deep down, he was actually the most heartless.