I Was Taken by the Female Lead After Transmigrating into a Book - Chapter 44

After hearing a brief explanation of the situation, Huo Wu pretty much knew what was going on. She raised an eyebrow and looked at the miserable-looking assistant. His expression amused her. She thought that this assistant was usually quite relaxed, but as soon as a show directed by Li Ke started filming, his composure would quickly collapse. He’d look grim all day, and she hoped he wouldn’t get intermittent depression from the stress of the job.

She said, “I understand. Go tell him that I’ll take care of crowd control these two days. He can relax.” Then, her tone shifted. Huo Wu looked at the busy staff members and subconsciously said, “Has Ling Xinghe joined the crew today?”

“Not yet,” the assistant sighed. “The news is that his flight lands in the afternoon. He should still be on the plane right now. Director Li’s intention is for him to rest for a while after he lands, get familiar with the interior of the set and the filming locations, and then start filming. He’s also been assigned a mentor…”

The assistant paused and asked Huo Wu, “Sister, do you think that kid Xinghe can handle it? You know how Director Li is. He says he’s understanding and can teach anyone, but once filming starts, if a take doesn’t pass three times, he’ll just tear into them…”

“I’ve seen his audition tape. It’s passable,” Huo Wu said. “It’s good enough for a supporting role, but the details still need to be adjusted. His scenes should be done in three days.”

The assistant finally got some solid information. He felt a little relieved and happily headed back. Huo Wu sat there, looking at the scene, and her brow furrowed for a moment before relaxing again.

Bai Feifei was a little surprised when she received the notice for today’s morning shoot. The person who sent the message was Huo Wu, and Li Ke was nowhere to be found. She thought for a moment and said, “Then let’s start. I’ll prepare a little. Please don’t let anyone disturb me later.”

Fu Xiaoxiao got the instructions and also started to get nervous. She had done a lot of work beforehand and had consulted Guan Ziyao for a long time, but since she had never actually worked on a film set, she still felt a little anxious.

A moment later, Bai Feifei came out of the makeup room, and the makeup artist and stylist followed. The room instantly felt much cooler. The scene they were filming today was her scene with Li Ran.

Bai Feifei pursed her lips. The mental preparation she was about to do was for this exact scene—these past few days, Li Ran had been acting childishly around her. When he saw her, he’d coldly snort with his nose in the air, as if he could shoot down a bird with his contempt. Filming might not go smoothly later, and today, the overall director was Huo Wu. Just thinking about Huo Wu watching her every move from behind the camera, knowing that not a single tiny action would escape her eyes, made Bai Feifei incredibly nervous.

Before filming started, Bai Feifei walked around the set and noticed that Li Ran wasn’t there yet. She hid under a tree to cool down. Fu Xiaoxiao was fanning her with a fan. It was already past nine o’clock, and the hot sun was rising. In addition to the recent signs of rain, the air was stuffy like a steamer, and with the sun, it felt like she was about to be cooked at any moment.

Bai Feifei wiped away some sweat and let the makeup artist touch up her makeup, all while her eyes were fixed on Huo Wu.

“Didn’t they say the first scene would start at nine on the dot?” The makeup artist was also a little anxious. She looked at Bai Feifei’s slightly smudged makeup and used a tissue to gently blot her face. “It’s too hot outside. It’s uncomfortable to have makeup on for too long… It would be bad if you get acne.”

Bai Feifei shook her head, smiled at the makeup artist, and said, “I don’t know what’s going on either. Let’s just wait a little longer.” Since the main actress who was being delayed didn’t say anything, the makeup artist didn’t have much to say either. She sighed and gave Bai Feifei’s light makeup a quick touch-up.

Not long after, Huo Wu walked out from behind the camera. Guan Ziyao followed her closely with an umbrella, making sure her upper body was always in the shade.

“Li Ran requested a last-minute leave. He’s on his way to the airport to pick someone up,” Huo Wu said in a businesslike tone. “We’ll switch to the next scene. We’ll shoot something else. Do you need time to prepare?”

“Which scene?” Bai Feifei asked, surprised.

Huo Wu thought for a moment and handed her the newly printed script. “The scene after Li Ran’s, the one with just the two of us.”

Bai Feifei blinked and then smiled knowingly. She looked left and right. There weren’t many people around, so she felt comfortable speaking. She walked two steps closer to Huo Wu, getting very close, and whispered, “If it’s our scene, I can film anytime. I remember it very well.”

Huo Wu took a step back. She looked at her with deep eyes and nodded slightly, a hint of reserve in her expression. “Mhm. You have five minutes to prepare.”

Bai Feifei smiled as she watched Huo Wu walk back behind the camera and explain something to the other assistant director. There was enough time to go back to the room for some air conditioning, but Bai Feifei refused. She looked at the scorching weather and sighed. “Don’t go back. You’d just have to readjust when you come out. It’s too restless, and it’s not good for getting into character.”

Fu Xiaoxiao didn’t understand, but she listened to Bai Feifei.

Five minutes later, the scene officially began.

This scene was about Bai Feifei’s character, Fusang, slowly walking alone in a somewhat secluded alley after being confessed to by Li Ran’s character, Li Mingming. The plot was simple, but the micro-expressions and emotional control of the two characters were very difficult. Wu Ling had to test Fusang, and Fusang also had to test Wu Ling. This back-and-forth dynamic, if filmed well, would make the audience feel the tension and wouldn’t feel like the scene was unnecessary.

Although she had just rejected someone, Fusang’s steps were light. The hair on her forehead was damp, and the morning sun behind her gave her a sense of unadorned naturalness, making her look more lively and cheerful. She wore a high ponytail and walked down the alley on her way home from school. She had rejected the wide main road not far away and refused her family driver’s request to pick her up. She seemed to have caught sight of something from the corner of her eye, and her eyes lit up as she called out, “Wu Ling!”

In front of her was Wu Ling, dressed in all black, with long sleeves and pants, and her hair as black as a raven’s feather, even in the summer. Hearing Fusang’s call, Wu Ling seemed to freeze for a moment. She then turned her head, her face as cool and detached as always. She waited for Fusang to run a few steps closer before she spoke. “Why did you come back this way?”

Fusang blinked. Her eyelashes were long and thick. When she lowered her head slightly, the shadow cast by her eyelashes created a small curve on her face. She looked lively, pretty, and a little well-behaved.

“Didn’t I tell you to wait for me?” Fusang tilted her head slightly, then moved a little closer to Wu Ling. She wrinkled her nose slightly, a little playfully annoyed. “Why did you leave without waiting for me?”

Wu Ling saw her approach, turned back, and continued walking. “I thought you were going to talk for a long time.”

“What do you mean, a long time?” Fusang smiled. Her voice was clear and pleasant, like the sound of wind chimes clinking together. “He just told me he liked me, and I told him I didn’t. It was over in two minutes. Who knew you’d leave so fast?”

“You don’t like him?” Wu Ling walked to the left, giving her some of the shade on her right side. “Walk here. I need to get some sun.”

“Why are you getting sun on a hot day?” Fusang mumbled, but she still walked into the shade. Her skin was so pale that she was a little sensitive to ultraviolet rays. In just a moment, red patches had already started to appear on her arms and neck.

Wu Ling frowned when she saw this. She took a bottle of medicine out of her bag and applied some to Fusang’s skin. Fusang let out a comfortable sigh. She looked at Wu Ling with her grape-like eyes, carefully tugged on her hand, and smiled with her eyes. “Then you’re not mad anymore, right?”

“I wasn’t mad,” Wu Ling said, looking at her very seriously, her head lowered. “It’s normal for people to like you. You’re likable. This is your unique charm.”

Fusang smiled and said, “You’re praising me like that. No one has ever praised me like that before—my dad always says it’s because he gave me a good family that people envy me. My mom says it’s because she’s pretty that she gave birth to me, and that’s why so many people like me.”

“Those things will always be superficial,” Wu Ling said in a calm, unhurried voice. She had finished applying the ointment to all the red patches on Fusang’s body. She paused, looked at Fusang’s body to make sure she hadn’t missed anything, and then continued, “People like you because you are you. If you were me, or someone else, timid, insecure, a liar, or arrogant and looked down on others, constantly insulting others… of course, some people would still like you, but the number would definitely not be as many as you have.”

This was a long paragraph, but Wu Ling spoke it very clearly and at a slow pace. Fusang listened at first, and then suddenly looked up at the end and asked, “Then what kind of person do you think I am? You only talked about the shortcomings others might have, but you didn’t talk about my strengths.”

“You?” Wu Ling’s voice went up a little, and she paused, but she didn’t continue. After a while, the ointment had dried a little, and the red patches on Fusang’s body faded. The two of them continued to walk, maintaining a similar silence.

Wu Ling then said, “You still haven’t answered my question. If you don’t like Li Mingming, then who do you like?”

“Who do I like?” Fusang blinked. Her eyes were fixed on Wu Ling’s profile. She smiled, and her smile looked a little distant in the sunlight. “That’s a difficult question.”

“I haven’t thought of how to answer yet. Can you tell me first? It should be easier to answer what my strengths are than who I like, right? You don’t have to say a lot, just a few.”

Wu Ling seemed to be at a loss for a response to this. But she listened to what Fusang said and continued, “There are many. I can’t think of them all at once—how about you give me some examples, and I’ll tell you if you have them or not? How does that sound?”

Bai Feifei’s eyes widened. That wasn’t in the script! But Huo Wu’s eyes were still fixed on her. Bai Feifei immediately came back to her senses, cleared her throat, and said in a lively, smiling voice, “Then I won’t hold back, okay?”