The Stand-in is Exceptionally Clingy [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 30.2

Chapter 30.2: The CEO and Her Canary

But she couldn’t be too petty. Taking two steps at once, her years of being sharp and forceful in business gave her a sense of calm and sharpness as she walked.

This was a subtle difference: walking too slowly seemed coy and pretentious, while walking too quickly made her body appear stiff.

“No, we have to start over,” the teacher said sternly, without a hint of a smile on her face. “You’ve been practicing these five steps for three days now, and you still haven’t gotten the feel for it?”

“And your posture. If you walk just a little bit too fast, your shoulders slump and you hunch over. You can’t even hold it for five seconds.”

Lin Jing had been in the industry for many years and had a lot of seniority. Being humiliated in front of so many people on set made her feel a wave of discomfort. “I’ve been training for days and my feet are a little swollen. I can’t walk.”

The teacher said, “As for training, no one else has fallen behind. So why can Jian Ke walk so well?”

Lin Jing’s heart burned with anger. She looked unhappily at Jian Ke, who was practicing walking on a wooden plank nearby.

Each character in the film had a distinct persona, so everyone’s way of walking was different.

A-le was an assassin, with a sharp and nimble outfit, her footsteps quick and light. The movements of her arms and the way she held her sword were also specific.

At this moment, Jian Ke had one hand on the soft sword at her waist, walking steadily and lightly across the wooden plank. She made almost no sound, like a cool, refreshing breeze.

The cameramen and staff nearby couldn’t help but applaud.

“Sister, you’re so cool!”

Lin Jing suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and muttered in disdain, “If it wasn’t for that sapphic drama that got a little popular recently, how could the director have cast her as the lead just to get some traffic?”

“Xiao Jian, your movements are so beautiful,” Lin Jing said, walking over to Jian Ke and complimenting her. She crossed her arms, a malicious smile on her lips. “How about you be my stand-in for a while?”

“The camera will be shooting from behind anyway. Our body types are similar. If you put on my clothes and walk for me, no one would be able to tell the difference. The capable should work more, right?”

The other staff members’ expressions changed slightly as they all looked at Jian Ke.

Jian Ke wiped the sweat from her forehead with a wet wipe and gave a small smile. “That’s not a bad idea. The capable should work more. Miss You Er has so many scenes, I really don’t mind playing them all.”

“There are already plenty of shows where one actor plays two different roles. Maybe if we add this element, the film will be even more outstanding.”

Lin Jing’s face darkened. “I was just joking. Are new actors all so aggressive these days? You have no respect for your seniors.”

Jian Ke’s eyes grew cold. “I was just joking too, Sister Lin. Couldn’t you tell?”

“You…” Lin Jing was choked up by Jian Ke’s response. Seeing the stifled laughter from the people around her, she ran a hand through her hair and stomped back to the lounge in a huff.

The physical training teacher looked defeated and helpless. He couldn’t stop Lin Jing.

After Jian Ke’s training ended, she changed out of her costume and stood by the camera on the set, reciting her lines. She rehearsed her movements as she recited, trying to find the best way to perform.

Xiao Yang brought her a pair of comfortable slippers. “I just heard from one of the set assistants that Teacher Lin was making things difficult for you?”

“That’s not making things difficult. That’s pure jealousy,” one of the staff members who was familiar with Jian Ke said before Jian Ke could even speak.

“She’s been practicing that walking scene for days. Teacher Chen is probably going to be driven crazy by her this time.”

“She comes to training for half an hour every day and complains that she’s tired. I spend two hours every day setting up the scenes for her. She’s the number one slacker, so how could she possibly get better?”

“She can just find a stand-in. Doesn’t Lin Jing always do that? She finds a stand-in for walking, eating, and even sleeping. And yet, she keeps pestering screenwriter Wang to add more scenes for her.”

“She always puts on a senior’s airs, thinking she’s a forgotten pearl in the sea and the audience doesn’t deserve her. But after so many years in the industry, she still doesn’t have a single decent role. Doesn’t that say it all?”

“Someone from the set of Spring Lyrics warned everyone that if she gets her scenes added, the entire crew will have to work overtime with her. She has bad acting skills but always has all kinds of excuses, and she ends up scolding all the staff on set.”

“The director doesn’t care. I have no idea who her backer is. I heard that her role as Miss You Er was also directly chosen by the associate director.”

Xiao Yang, who had quietly joined the gossip circle, thought to herself, Could her backer really be more powerful than Ms. Lou?

It’s just that her Sister Jian is so chill and doesn’t actively ask Ms. Lou for resources. Otherwise, Lin Jing wouldn’t be so arrogant and bully her.

Just as everyone was chatting, the set assistant suddenly came running over, panting.

She looked at Jian Ke, her tone a bit hesitant. “Just now… just now Sister Lin Jing went to see the associate director and Director Xu… to discuss using a stand-in. And both directors have already agreed.”

Xiao Yang: “She’s getting a stand-in, of course. But why did you come specifically to tell Sister Jian about it…”

“Because…” The set assistant looked at Jian Ke with embarrassment and lowered her head. “Because… Sister Lin Jing specifically requested that Sister Jian be the… stand-in.”

“What? A lead actor being a stand-in for a supporting actor? Is she crazy?” Xiao Yang’s temper flared. She rolled up her sleeves and was about to go argue, but Jian Ke stopped her.

Jian Ke: “Even if you give her another five days to walk those five steps, she won’t be able to do it properly. It’s better to let me try. That way, we can save everyone some time and not delay the filming schedule.”

The set assistant swallowed hard and buried her head even lower.

“It’s not just… this part. There are also some scenes later where she falls off a horse and gets stabbed… those are also scenes where her face won’t be shown.”

A cameraman couldn’t stand it anymore. “Doesn’t that mean more than half of her scenes will be done by Jian Ke? Is it reasonable for a character to be mostly played by a stand-in? How did the director agree to this?”

The set assistant said, “Sister Lin Jing said her schedule will be busy later and she won’t have time to film, so she can only use a stand-in.”

Xiao Yang: “If she doesn’t have time to film, then why did she take the role?? And there are so many stand-in actors she could have chosen, but she had to specifically ask for Jian Ke. Lin Jing is clearly targeting Jian Ke.”

“You go and tell the directors that Jian Ke is here to be the lead actor, not to be a stand-in for someone else!”

The set assistant, of course, knew how unreasonable this was. “But Director Wang has already agreed, and he told Sister Jian to go to Teacher Chen as soon as possible… to receive instruction.”

Xiao Yang scoffed. “This wasn’t in the contract. It’s perfectly reasonable for us to refuse. Even the directors can’t force us to do it.”

Jian Ke stopped Xiao Yang. “That’s enough. She’s just delivering the message. Why are you being so mean?”

She took a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to the set assistant, who was now red-eyed and tearful. “It’s fine. I’ll go right now.”

The set assistant wiped her tears and looked at Jian Ke with gratitude. “Thank you, Sister Jian.”

Jian Ke changed into a completely different long robe with water sleeves. Xiao Yang was still indignant. “Sister Jian, how could you agree to this? Lin Jing is clearly bullying you.”

Jian Ke smoothed out the wrinkles on her sleeves and slowly found her footing. “Then what else do you want me to do? She clearly acted first and reported later, forcing me to be her stand-in. If we refuse, the directors will just replace me.”

Xiao Yang: “So what if they replace you? There are other good scripts out there. Sister Qiu can find another one.”

“But this script is really good. The audience’s expectations are high, and I have a feeling it’s going to be a hit. Besides, the news of me joining the crew has already been released, and my fans are working hard to promote it. If we cause a mutually destructive situation now, it won’t be worth it.”

The film’s promotion had started half a month ago. If news of the lead actor being replaced suddenly broke out, it would definitely cause a wave of speculation among netizens.

Xiao Yang lowered her head. “So we’re just going to let Lin Jing get her way?”

Jian Ke clasped her hands at her waist, her posture elegant and graceful. With her hair simply draped over her shoulders, she still looked beautiful.

Her dark, bright eyes were deep and obscure. Of course not. I’m not the kind of person to be taken advantage of.

…

After another hour on set, it was late, but the training base was still brightly lit.

Lin Jing, who had claimed she was going to rest, had returned at some point and was sitting in a chair, watching Jian Ke walk as “Miss You Er.”

Jian Ke walked across the laid-out bluestone slabs, her steps steady and capable, the tassels at her waist swaying slightly. As if she suddenly heard a sound, she stopped and turned to the side.

She stopped at the exact spot, and even her gestures and expression gave people a refreshing feeling, as if Miss You Er from the script had truly come to life.

It was a completely different character from A-le, but Jian Ke still nailed it and made them feel like two completely different people.

Jian Ke let out a sigh of relief. She felt her nerves were stretched taut, and only relaxed when she saw the satisfied looks of the people around her.

Teacher Chen also patted her on the shoulder, a smile in his eyes. “You walked very well. Some people not only work hard but also have a natural talent for acting. Those people will leave everyone else behind and do even better.”

Teacher Chen was a professional posture and etiquette teacher hired by the director at a high price. Strictly speaking, he wasn’t part of the crew, so he was probably the only person on set who dared to openly scold Lin Jing.

His sarcastic comments naturally reached Lin Jing’s ears. She rolled her eyes repeatedly, full of disdain.

What’s the use of being hardworking and talented? You’re still just my stand-in, aren’t you?

“Xiao Jian, your turn just now was a little too much. Half of your face was exposed. That won’t work. The transition will look unnatural, which would be a problem.”

“Start over, start over.”

Xiao Yang: “I advise you not to go too far…”

Before she could finish, a commotion suddenly erupted at the entrance of the training base.

Everyone looked over and saw the director and associate director walking in front with big smiles, nodding and bowing obsequiously to the person behind them.

Many of the staff were huddled together, surrounding the person in the middle so that their face was hard to see.

Who is this… what kind of leader is this? Such a big show?

Jian Ke stood on her tiptoes to see—

Lou Bianxia? Why would she be here?

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