Falling in Love with a Stand-in [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Movie Queen’s Little Butterfly (04)

“We are Sister Qinglu’s team. We follow Sister Qinglu’s lead, understand?”

As an assistant to a Movie Queen, Liu Lele was quite worldly and had seen all sorts of people in the entertainment industry. People like Shen Yu, who only knew how to pull strings and play petty tricks behind people’s backs, were best kept at a distance.

Moreover, Song Pianqian was beautiful and lacked status, making her the easiest target for scumbags.

The more Liu Lele thought about it, the more convinced she became. However, she couldn’t just start blurting out dirt on Shen Yu, so she could only give earnest advice: “You’re new to the circle and don’t understand. Listen to me; I won’t lead you astray.”

Jian Yixin didn’t explain herself, nor did she ask why she needed to be wary of Shen Yu. She simply nodded with a smile: “I know.”

Liu Lele finally felt relieved and began chattering about various interview precautions, completely treating Song Pianqian like a newcomer she was mentoring.

Jian Yixin hadn’t expected Lin Qinglu to give her this opportunity; this plot point didn’t exist in the original text.

However, 09 was very happy: “This shows that the relationship between the host and the target has grown closer. The direction of the host’s efforts is correct.”

The interview was scheduled for the afternoon. The film crew’s schedule wouldn’t fluctuate just because of a short video interview; filming proceeded as planned.

The movie Zhao Niang was a “female-centric” film. Shen Yu was the male lead, but his screen time was roughly equivalent to the second female lead, Ye Zixuan.

The plot was somewhat inspirational, set in an era similar to China’s Republican period. It told the story of Xue Yingzhao, a woman sold to a dance house, who step by step became a top dancer and earned the title “Zhao Niang.”

In this process, she met a noble young master played by Shen Yu, while Ye Zixuan played the noble master’s childhood sweetheart.

Stripping away the artistic veneer, it was a classic, melodramatic love triangle. Logically, Lin Qinglu wouldn’t have looked twice at such a script.

But the same story, when written and filmed by different people, can turn out entirely different. Lin Qinglu took the role primarily because the director was Yu Bo.

He was eccentric and extremely talented. He might not be great at filming commercial blockbusters, but he excelled at capturing the graceful, soft beauty of women and that unique charm of the old era that seemed etched into their very bones.

“Is Director Yu not here today?” Jian Yixin asked Liu Lele in a low voice after following her behind the camera positions.

Liu Lele likewise whispered: “I heard he wanted to eat river fish, so he went fishing.”

Jian Yixin couldn’t help but laugh; this director was indeed unconventional.

Ye Zixuan was making final adjustments on set. Shen Yu leaned in to talk to her; the two spoke in soft whispers, laughing occasionally, appearing to have a very good relationship.

Lin Qinglu, meanwhile, occupied a royal blue velvet sofa meant for the noble young lady. She wore an old-style, plain white silk qipao with a red plum blossom pattern. Her two long, delicate legs were crossed, and she held a sandalwood fan. With one flick of the fan, a wave of fragrant wind followed.

The royal blue made her skin look dazzlingly white, and her waist curved into a seductive line. Every gesture exuded an indescribable charm.

Lin Qinglu smiled faintly, her eyes hiding hooks that pulled the attention of the entire crew toward her.

“Where was this prop bought? The scent is too strong,” Lin Qinglu chatted idly with Director Zhao, but her eyes strayed toward her dance double.

Her look needed to be simple yet naturally enchanting. Her eye makeup was the focal point; the corners were finely lined, tinged with a dizzying red. Her long lashes seemed weightless, fluttering open like a light fan when she looked at someone.

Encountering such a soul-stirring pair of eyes, Jian Yixin, even as a woman, felt her heart skip a beat.

“Sister Qinglu is a living, breathing enchantress,” Liu Lele muttered, clutching her heart and taking a deep breath.

Jian Yixin couldn’t agree more. Her eyes were full of appreciation; Lin Qinglu was truly an SSS-level beauty who stood above the crowd. Only someone like this deserved the best of everything in this world.

Lin Qinglu had successfully hooked the person she wanted to hook. She arched a crescent brow, feeling proud inwardly, and became even more flirtatiously captivating.

Ye Zixuan was also on set; there was no way she hadn’t noticed Lin Qinglu. Her own qipao was made of higher-quality material—pressed flat and smooth, the fabric emitting a soft luster. It was incomparable to the plain, deliberately aged qipao Lin Qinglu was wearing.

At first, she allowed the stylists to adjust her details while she chatted and laughed with Shen Yu. But once Lin Qinglu felt the urge and sat on that sofa, the surrounding noise died down, as if everyone was afraid of disturbing her.

Ye Zixuan had to admit: wherever Lin Qinglu was, she became the center of the universe. Everyone else could only fade into mediocrity, their light dimmed. Ye Zixuan lowered her head in disappointment, gradually losing interest in the conversation.

Shen Yu understood perfectly. Even he—despite his dislike for Lin Qinglu—found his attention straying toward her, struck by her stunning appearance.

Shen Yu comforted her softly: “Zixuan, perform well later. Your acting has improved a lot; you can definitely do this.”

Ye Zixuan lifted her small face and looked at Shen Yu gratefully: “Thank you, A-Yu.”

In a place where the others couldn’t see, the corners of Ye Zixuan’s lips dropped, her face becoming expressionless. Beauty was a gift from heaven; she couldn’t compete with that. But with all the effort she put into acting, there had to be some results.

This scene involved many shots and lasted until the afternoon, with Lin Qinglu remaining in the same attire.

There were several “NG”s (No Goods) in the middle. Aside from a few times when props weren’t in place, they were all because of Ye Zixuan. It wasn’t that her acting was particularly bad, but rather that this movie required the aesthetic of women to be pushed to the extreme. It wasn’t just a requirement for Lin Qinglu; every woman in the film had to be full of charm.

Simply put, Ye Zixuan lacked that “feminine allure.”

Jian Yixin watched from the side for a long time, inwardly sighing that Ye Zixuan didn’t have it easy either. Half of a woman’s beauty comes from her appearance, and the other half comes from confidence. Maintaining confidence in front of Lin Qinglu was just too difficult.

In the afternoon, the staff from V-Video arrived. Jian Yixin went with her colleagues on the list to prepare for the shoot. This kind of short video shoot focused on humor and lightheartedness, so it wasn’t very serious. The location was set in a lounge within the studio.

Jian Yixin felt no pressure. She only needed to talk about some interesting anecdotes from the dance double audition and describe “what it feels like to be a dance double for the Movie Queen.”

The planner was extremely satisfied with the double’s visuals. Although they didn’t say it outright, they immediately added several questions for Jian Yixin in the script.

The finale! She had to be the finale!

The planner could already imagine that the popularity of this episode would far exceed previous ones. Between the prestige of Lin Qinglu’s name and now high-quality visuals, they had nothing to worry about.

The planner was dreaming happily, never imagining that reality could be even more beautiful—

Just as Jian Yixin was recording the final question.

“Pianqian, you’ve spent some time with Teacher Lin. Have any fun stories happened that you can secretly share with us?” the young host asked with a grin.

Facing the camera, Jian Yixin was composed. Hearing this, she pursed her lips and smiled, picking a story that the crew already knew:

“I remember once, Teacher Lin bought afternoon tea for the entire crew. After buying for everyone, she missed her own portion and could only watch everyone else eat.”

Jian Yixin told the short story in a witty and engaging way. The host laughed with genuine feeling and couldn’t help but follow up:

“And then?”

There was no “and then” to that story. Jian Yixin kept her smile unchanged, wondering how she should make up the rest.

At that moment, the door behind her opened.

The Republican beauty in the plain white qipao with red plum blossoms slowly stepped into the frame. She was slender and light. In just a few steps, her gait was like swaying willows—composed and graceful, full of charm.

She walked to Jian Yixin’s side, shaking her sandalwood fan gently. Her gaze was like mist, and her voice flowed smoothly:

“And then?”

“And then, Pianqian privately supplemented me with a dessert.”