I Was Taken by the Female Lead After Transmigrating into a Book - Chapter 61

Everything was ready. The makeup artist spritzed Bai Feifei’s forehead and neck to make them damp, so the stray hairs would stick to her skin. The heat of the summer was palpable on screen. She walked to the front of the camera and took her position, with Qi Yang standing beside her, also with her makeup done.

The school was empty. The doors and windows were closed, the classroom lights were off. Even with the beautiful sunset, the silent campus added a sense of dread. The camera started rolling and the clapperboard snapped. This scene was difficult to act due to the shift in emotions and the change in their expressions. Their performance during the audition wasn’t perfect, but their handling of the unexpected and their emotional expression was considered acceptable by Li Ke.

After Qi Yang left, Fusang lay on the ground, exhausted. Her leg was injured, but she didn’t know where. Just a slight movement caused a piercing pain. All she could do was wait for Qi Yang to come back and get help. But who would come? The last time she reported it to the police, the officers just came over, asked a few questions, and had her sign a statement before leaving. She had no evidence.

Without anything to support her, she was practically crawling on the ground, moving forward with her arms and one knee. Fusang’s eyes were filled with tears. She thought, trying to find some humor in her misery, “At least no one is here right now… or it would be too ugly. I need evidence, but where can I get it from? There’s a bush up ahead. I can hide in it and wait. I’m so tired. Will anyone come to save me? Will Qi Yang come back…?” Her faint muttering was barely audible but constant.

Behind the camera, all the crew members were quiet. Even though the set was noisy, they all made a point to be gentle with their movements, afraid of startling the girl who was trying so hard to hide. She didn’t have to be here. But she found the notebook Qi Yang had left behind and saw the message Qi Yang had left. She knew someone was using their last bit of hope to ask for help, so she had to come.

Even as the head director, who knew all the details of the script, Li Ke couldn’t help but ask himself, “If it were me, would I go?” He probably wouldn’t. Even though he knew the despair and what the person who left the note would go through… he still wouldn’t go. Some people would always prioritize themselves, and he was one of them. But there was no denying that when he was young and fearless, he had also thought, “If it were me, I would definitely go save her.”

On the screen, Fusang finally managed to find a place to hide: a small, secret corner covered by bushes and plants. She held her breath and carefully looked around this small space. A moment later, before she lost consciousness, a smile she didn’t even realize was there appeared on her face.

“Cut!” Li Ke said. “Makeup artist, change her makeup. Feifei, stay still. Props team, clean up the area!” Bai Feifei opened her eyes and remained curled up without moving. A shadow fell over her, and she looked up to see Li Ke, who had come from the monitor. He rubbed his chin, looking at the marks Bai Feifei had left behind. It was a ten-meter-long trail of mud. There were handprints and knee marks that stretched all the way to her small hiding spot.

“Let’s get a long shot of this trail later,” Li Ke said. “We’ll work overtime tonight. We’ll add a rain scene.” Bai Feifei looked around in confusion and saw that the makeup artists all had pale faces. Li Ke hurriedly went to contact the props team about the water truck. After making the arrangements, he walked over to Bai Feifei. “We’re adding a scene for you.” As a newcomer to the entertainment industry and the female lead, Bai Feifei didn’t know how significant it was for Li Ke to add a scene for her. But that didn’t stop her from listening carefully.

“Later, I’ll arrange for a rainstorm to wash away this trail you left behind,” Li Ke said. “It’s going to be tough. You have to stay here until the trail is completely washed away, all while your face can be seen by the camera.” This wouldn’t be a short amount of time. Even though it was summer, the water from the truck would be ice-cold, and it wouldn’t feel good being sprayed with it. In the script, Fusang was supposed to be unconscious in a brief coma. So Bai Feifei had to control the trembling of her eyelids while her face was being filmed until the marks on the ground were washed away.

But as soon as Li Ke said this, Bai Feifei understood why he was adding the scene. The script was quite one-sided. After Fusang fainted, the next scene was Qi Yang returning in the middle of the night with people to save her. But it didn’t explain why the people who were chasing them gave up, or why Qi Yang took so long to come back. A rainstorm would perfectly explain everything.

While she was waiting for her makeup to be done, Bai Feifei sat still and asked the makeup artist, “What’s a ‘sunny rain’ Sister Binbin? Have you ever seen one?” “It’s when it rains while the sun is out,” Binbin said while doing makeup on Bai Feifei’s ankle and touching up the wound makeup on her knees and arms that had smudged from sweat. “I don’t know the details, though.” Bai Feifei said “mmm” and looked up the results. In the simplest words, she said, “It’s when the wind blows rain from another area here, so it can rain even when it’s sunny. It’s usually accompanied by a huge wind, and the rain is heavy and fast.” Bai Feifei saw the last line and excitedly straightened her back. “There’s usually a rainbow after the rain!” Then she realized something and shrank back. “…But our rain is fake.” The makeup artist was amused by her sudden mood swings. “You should save your energy. You’re going to be very tired later.” No matter when a rain scene was filmed, it put an invisible amount of pressure and burden on the actors and the entire crew. It was a huge physical burden for the actors, and it put a lot of demands on the makeup artists, lighting, and props. The director, of course, had to worry about every single part of it. Everyone was holding their breath, hoping to get it in one take. But that was rarely the case.

A newly added rain scene, but because of the natural lighting, Li Ke decided to re-shoot it. So Ling Xinghe and the others were brought back from the hotel. They had very few scenes, and their lines were just a simple word: “Damn!” The B team temporarily filmed their scenes. Since they were already there, the actors didn’t leave. They stayed on set to take photos.

About twenty minutes later, the water truck arrived. In a spot that the camera couldn’t see, Bai Feifei had plastic wrap around her upper body and waist. After a quick adjustment, they continued filming. It wasn’t a good feeling to have the water from the truck hitting your face. Bai Feifei closed her eyes and endured the water pouring out of the hose, hitting her face. She couldn’t control the trembling of her eyelids and lips. Li Ke kept directing Bai Feifei’s movements in front of the camera, and she eventually settled on a position with her head half-bowed, curled up in the corner as if she were hugging herself. This way, the water would land on her hair and the side of her face, and the camera would still be able to see her face clearly. After a brief rehearsal, Bai Feifei began filming.

A storm of wind and rain poured down. The raindrops formed dense streams and quickly created puddles on the ground. Fusang’s clothes were soaked in no time, but her eyes were tightly shut and she was unaware of it. Only her ankle was getting more and more swollen. The rain lasted for an unknown amount of time. She opened her eyes in a daze and murmured, “Why is it raining so hard… on a sunny day…?” Then she closed her eyes again. The rain stopped.

Bai Feifei opened her eyes, shivering. Trails of water ran down her face and into her collar. Li Ke asked from a distance, “Feifei, how are you?” “I’m fine,” Bai Feifei said, knowing she had to do another take and didn’t have time to rest. Plans were no match for reality. She wished she had told Fu Xiaoxiao to take Giant and Little Cutie for a bath another day. Even with the plastic wrap and the fleece vest underneath, she was freezing from the long exposure to the cold water. The plastic wrap couldn’t completely block the water, and when the vest got wet, it became even more uncomfortable. Bai Feifei wanted to drink something warm. She shivered and took a deep breath, letting the makeup artist touch up her wounds. She lowered her head, remaining silent, finally realizing what Binbin had meant when she told her to save her energy.

A cloud of steam suddenly appeared in front of her. Bai Feifei was startled. She looked up and saw Huo Wu holding a cup of hot water out to her. Bai Feifei instinctively said, “Ah Wu?” “Take small sips,” Huo Wu said, kneeling down. She was wearing the same school uniform as Bai Feifei. After Bai Feifei and Wu Qingying’s scene was finished, it was time for Wu Qingying’s and Huo Wu’s. She was a little sad she hadn’t been able to see Huo Wu and Wu Qingying’s scene, as both of their acting skills and lines were top-notch. It was a treat just to watch and listen to them.

Bai Feifei’s hands were stiff from the cold. Huo Wu didn’t give her the cup but instead held it to her mouth. Water dripped from her hair, gathered in her eye socket, and hung on her eyelashes, about to fall. Huo Wu reached out and lightly touched Bai Feifei’s eyelashes with her index finger, and the water droplet fell onto her finger. Bai Feifei’s eyes felt itchy, but her hands were being held by the makeup artist, so she couldn’t do anything about it. It was as if Huo Wu had a telepathic connection with her. She said, “Close your eyes.” Bai Feifei obediently closed her eyes and felt Huo Wu’s warm fingertip wipe her eyes, cleaning away the annoying water. With her eyes closed, her other senses seemed to become more acute. She could feel the cotton swab in the makeup artist’s hand become lighter and heavier. She could smell the fragrance on Huo Wu’s hand and feel the heat of her fingertips as they ran across her cheek. Bai Feifei’s breathing became lighter, and her eyelids trembled. She thought, Huo Wu seems to be really good to me. It seemed that sometime ago, Huo Wu stopped hiding her feelings. She would sit next to her, walk side-by-side with her, and do things that were more than just friendship, but weren’t explicit, and seemed very intimate. Just like now.

When she opened her eyes again, everything seemed clearer. Bai Feifei’s mood became inexplicably better. She nuzzled her head lightly into Huo Wu’s palm, which hadn’t left yet, feeling a little attached. If it weren’t for the circumstances, she would have really wanted to kiss Huo Wu.

“Hang in there,” Huo Wu said softly. Bai Feifei obediently nodded, couldn’t help but pucker her lips, and kissed the air.

After being in the rain for another half an hour and filming a few scenes where her state changed, the scene was finally done. Filming was much faster than they had expected, finishing half an hour early. Li Ke generously announced that they were taking a break. Huo Wu held a pile of clear plastic pieces, marking spots where Bai Feifei had been. The stunt double was also in place, working with the lighting team to find the best angles to avoid wasting time.

There were many people on set, and the space was incredibly narrow. Without Fu Xiaoxiao, who was a human megaphone, to clear the way, Bai Feifei didn’t have anyone to help her. She was still dripping with water, standing alone in a small corner, looking a little pitiful. Li Ke noticed her from the monitor. He was already prone to getting frustrated in the hot weather, and the anger that had just subsided because of Bai Feifei’s smooth filming suddenly flared up again. “Where’s the crew assistant? Didn’t you arrange one? If the female lead gets sick from being in the rain, are you all going to take her place?” After he said that, he wondered what was wrong with Bai Xue. How could she not even handle something so simple?

Just a few seconds after this thought, he saw someone else next to Bai Feifei. Huo Wu had grabbed Bai Feifei’s hand and was leading her to the lounge. Li Ke: “…” No wonder Bai Xue dared to let go.

After leaving the rain and walking on the dry ground again, Bai Feifei and Huo Wu’s hands tightened. Bai Feifei said with some difficulty, “Ah Wu.” “Hmm?” “I want to take off my shoes.” In the script, Fusang was wearing sneakers—it was a rule in high school that you couldn’t wear sandals. Bai Feifei had seen this rule before they started filming and didn’t understand it. Now that her body and shoes were wet, and she was leaving shoe prints everywhere she walked, she understood it even less.

Huo Wu said “Mmm” and walked in front of Bai Feifei. To Bai Feifei’s surprise, she knelt down and untied her shoelaces. She effortlessly lifted Bai Feifei’s leg and observed her knee for a while. “You and Wu Qingying are really the same type of person.” They both used their on-the-spot improvisation from the audition, and Li Ke also thought it was good. But that was an unexpected situation. No one had anticipated it. But when you can control it, it comes across as more real. Bai Feifei was a person who was willing to work hard to achieve perfection. She was even willing to put up with small injuries. So the wounds from her audition were the same as the ones she had now. The makeup artist’s skills were excellent. Li Ke had spent a lot of money to hire a professional team, so Bai Feifei’s wounds were so realistic they were almost indistinguishable from real ones.

Huo Wu helped her take off her shoes. The pain in her knee was still piercing with even the slightest movement. Bai Feifei didn’t refuse. She held onto Huo Wu’s shoulder to keep her balance and said, “Director Li said that scene was a highlight and was very important.” Huo Wu stood up, holding the shoes with two fingers. With her other hand, she slowly took Bai Feifei’s hand again.

Huo Wu got in the car first, standing by the door and watching Bai Feifei. Bai Feifei seemed to be used to it. She kept her legs straight and used her arm strength to pull herself up the stairs, trying not to bend her knees. It seemed that Bai Feifei could get up the stairs more easily if she didn’t have help. Huo Wu held the shoes and silently took two steps back, sitting down in the car. Before leaving, Fu Xiaoxiao had turned off the air conditioning, so the temperature in the car was even higher than outside. Bai Feifei took a deep breath. Huo Wu wrapped her face with plastic wrap, then let Bai Feifei go take a quick shower. She took a very quick hot shower, but she still felt like she had been reborn. It was hot, so her hair would dry naturally even without a blow dryer. Bai Feifei took out the phone that she had left in the car and happily went to take a selfie with Huo Wu.

Bai Feifei pouted, winked, and gave a peace sign. Huo Wu just smiled and looked at the camera. After taking a dozen photos, Huo Wu had reached her daily smile quota and was too lazy to move her facial muscles to smile anymore. She took out her laptop, which she had left at Bai Feifei’s place, and started working. She looked serious, letting Bai Feifei take pictures of her in secret, as if she didn’t feel any pain. Bai Feifei took dozens of photos until she was satisfied. As she looked through the photos, she couldn’t help but say, “How can someone be so beautiful when they smile and so charming when they’re serious?” Huo Wu rested her hand on her chin, still looking pensive. Bai Feifei held up her phone, turned the camera to the back, and continued, “This one is great. Her eyes are so sharp and serious. This one is also great. The curve of her eyelashes is so beautiful when she’s looking down…” The Huo Wu in the camera still looked serious, but she had subtly turned her head to the side, and her gaze was no longer on the screen.

Bai Feifei’s eyes curved into a smile. “Not to mention the front view. How can she be so beautiful? She’s gorgeous…” “Is it recording?” Huo Wu suddenly asked. Bai Feifei was completely unaware. “Of course… huh?” Huo Wu pointed at the table Bai Feifei was leaning on with her left arm. “Did you forget about the mirror you put here with your own hands two minutes ago?” Bai Feifei was caught. She held up her phone and turned around to look at herself in the mirror. A moment later, she calmly pressed the stop button and said, “I’m just adding a little excitement to my life.” Huo Wu chuckled and asked, “Excitement?” Bai Feifei shrank back and nodded meekly. “I’ll show you what excitement is.” As soon as Huo Wu said that, she leaned in and kissed Bai Feifei. The kiss wasn’t deep. It was like a dragonfly touching the water. It was over before Bai Feifei could even taste it, but it made her feel certain about something. I’ll do it again. I’ll do it again next time. I’ll keep trying.