Jiang Se had already made up her mind, but was waiting for Huo Zhiming to speak. She didn't want this willful old man to get used to doing whatever he wanted on the set, even if it was for the movie or the plot. But because of the conversation with Tao Cen, he asked her to cut her hair without discussing it with her.
"I think it is necessary." Huo Zhiming nodded heavily. "Such an action can make the character of Su Yi come alive. It will bring a greater shock to the audience when the film is released, which is better than thousands of words to build up this character."
When talking about the plot, Huo Zhiming seemed much more excited. He made a scissors shape with one hand and a hair-cutting gesture with the other:
"With just this cut and the hair falling, the 'ruthlessness' in this character's personality becomes apparent." That kind of ruthlessness is even more intense than killing someone. In the plot, the behavior of 'Su Yi', played by Huo Zhiming, shaving his hair, also has this intention, all to highlight the character's personality.
"Jiang Se..." Someone in the distance was desperately calling Jiang Se's name. She turned her head to look at the voice. After the fan who called her successfully got her attention, she screamed excitedly and covered her face and cried.
"This request has nothing to do with what anyone says. It is purely for the sake of the movie's plot." Huo Zhiming is not a fool. He is just used to keeping his head down and doing his own thing.
Even if he didn't deliberately investigate the news of Jiang Se and Tao Cen's "discord" in the crew, many people would have told him about it.
He said these words to express to Jiang Se that he was not trying to make things difficult for Jiang Se because of Tao Cen's words. He said these words purely because Tao Cen's suggestions happened to hit the mark and caught his weak spot.
"If you don't want to, I understand." He sighed deeply. The two assistants were hesitant to speak, and the assistant director had an unpleasant look on his face. Huo Zhiming understood. He also knew how much courage it took for a girl to shave her head. "But there are some flaws. It's okay if they are not discovered. Once you see them, you can't tolerate them anymore."
Jiang Se understood what he meant. If Jiang Se insisted on not cutting his hair and Huo Zhiming was unwilling to give up his opinion, the matter would become a stalemate.
The filming of the movie is almost finished. With so much investment and preparation in the early stage, once it is stalled, it may be suspended indefinitely.
At that time, the accountability and anger of investors may be borne by Huo Zhiming alone. He knows the consequences, but still reveals his decision to stick to his heart.
Jiang Se turned his head to look at him. The old man had a head of gray hair combed back, revealing an angular face. When he spoke, his eyebrows were raised, and his forehead was filled with layers of wrinkles.
"What will you do if I don't want to?"
What she asked was how the movie would end if Huo Zhiming refused to shoot the next plot because of her.
With his bad temper, he is not willing to compromise with the rules of this world. The investors' accountability and the market's ridicule will turn into a mountain of pressure on this stubborn old man.
The temporary change of the play may bring him serious breach of contract problems, and he may face some subsequent compensation and loss of reputation.
He didn't take the easy road, but chose the more difficult road.
"I'm in the capital, and I have a courtyard house passed down from my ancestors. Someone has been wanting to buy it for a long time. If it doesn't work out, I'll just put it up for sale!" He stiffened his neck and said, "The whole family is renting a house. I don't believe I can't think of a way to solve the problem while I'm still alive!"
On the set, Tao Cen was reading the script. She had said everything she needed to say and done everything she needed to do. She was no longer as nervous as Song Yi and wanted to wait to see the ending.
The angry looks of Mo Anqi and others could not affect her, and the strange looks from the surrounding staff could not make her frown. Her calmness disappeared the moment Jiang Se and Huo Zhiming came back.
She raised her wrist to check her watch. Huo Zhiming and Jiang Se had only been out for about a quarter of an hour. She originally thought that Jiang Se would have a strong reaction to Huo Zhiming's request, and the two would not be able to reach an agreement in a short time.
When Jiang Se came back, his expression was calm. Huo Zhiming was shouting at the prop master to prepare two sets of scissors and other tools.
Tao Cen was a little bit unbelievable and looked up at Jiang Se. Jiang Se happened to be looking at her. When she noticed Tao Cen's gaze, she did not dodge or evade, and even slowly raised the corner of her mouth, as if to provoke Tao Cen.
Did she really agree to Huo Zhiming's request? Tao Cen had this thought in his mind for a moment, but then he quickly denied it: This is impossible!
She should have tried her best to refute it, she should have criticized Huo Zhiming for his wild ideas, she should have thought about advertising endorsements that could take her to the next level, and thought about how she would use the image of short hair during the promotion period of "God's Redemption" in a few months to convince audiences around the world that she was the long-haired Lannie in "Prisoners".
Tao Cen didn't believe that Jiang Se would be so stupid as to make such a decision!
If she was really persuaded by Huo Zhiming so easily, does it mean that she would be vulnerable after leaving Xia Chaoqun
The atmosphere on the set was weird, but Huo Zhiming seemed very passionate. Jiang Se took off her coat, revealing the nightgown underneath. She scratched her long hair hanging behind her head and walked to the 'bathroom' arranged on the set.
The prop master followed Huo Zhiming's instructions and brought razors, scissors and other tools.
Mo Anqi looked anxious. With all this movement, even a fool could tell that Jiang Se had agreed to Huo Zhiming's "unreasonable request".
"Sese, do you want to call Sister Xia first?"
Mo Anqi rushed to stop him, worried that Huo Zhiming had interfered with Jiang Se's decision.
She wanted to delay time temporarily and wait for Xia Chaoqun to come and discuss the matter with the crew. With Xia Chaoqun's help, there must be a way to solve the problem without cutting her hair.
"No need." Jiang Se shook her head. Tao Cen's face was very serious at this time, without a trace of smile. She crossed one hand over her chest, clenched the other hand into a fist and placed it in front of her chest, her teeth clenched tightly.
Mo Anqi was so anxious that she was about to cry, watching the prop master put things one by one into the drawer of the "bathroom".
Everything was ready. Jiang Se in the camera slowly pushed open the glass door of the bathroom, came out wearing a bathrobe, stood next to the mirror, and as the original script expected, he shaved the hair on his legs with a serious expression.
She put down her tools and looked up at the mirror. The surface of the mirror was covered with a layer of fog. She reached out a hand and slowly wiped it away.
After filming this segment, Huo Zhiming should have called for a stop, but he stood behind the camera and said nothing.
Jiang Se reached out and grabbed a strand of wet hair that was still dripping with water, with an expression that showed some reluctance and some cherishment. He stroked it again and again, portraying the struggle vividly.
Huo Zhiming did not call for a pause here. He signaled one camera to remain still and aimed the other camera at the position of the mirror.
This scene can only be shot once, and Huo Zhiming believes that Jiang Se has the ability to get it right in one go.
The woman in the mirror drooped her eyelids, and the next moment she seemed to have made up her mind. She opened the drawer and took out a pair of scissors. When she raised her head, there was a smile on the corner of her mouth and her eyes were full of determination. At this moment, Su Yi seemed to have the courage to become the enemy of the world!
The moment Tao Cen saw Jiang Se take action, he knew that his plan might fail.
She originally wanted to use such an incident to influence the relationship between Jiang Se and Huo Zhiming, but now Jiang Se was not affected by her. Instead, it aroused her determination to move forward, which was more in line with the temperament of Su Yi's character in the play.
On the contrary, she was so confused by Jiang Se's behavior that she couldn't even concentrate on reading the script in her hand.
As for her competition with Jiang Se, as far as this "play" is concerned, she has already lost. She lost because she once again misjudged her opponent, and it seems that she also lost to Jiang Se's momentum.
If the previous competitions with Jiang Se were minor, "Criminal Suspect" was the first showdown between the two. It seemed that up to now, she, like Shen Xunran in the play, had fallen into a disadvantage, being bound and suppressed, and could no longer struggle out.
Luo Yin's attitude in Century Galaxy may make many Chinese viewers feel that Jiang Se is the one who will replace her sooner or later.
No matter what others think, Tao Cen has never thought so. She has always been confident in herself.
But at this moment, as Jiang Se cut her hair little by little in front of the mirror, when the hair fell to the ground, she seemed to see the birth of an invincible opponent!
She is not a person who retreats when faced with difficulties. She has experienced countless battles in her life, but she has stood firm and faced them all.
But for the first time in her life, she began to doubt whether she should not have taken on this "Criminal Suspect". She was demoted from the female lead to a supporting role, from a red flower to a green leaf. She thought she had approached Jiang Se's bottom line, but she actually brought out the cruelty in Jiang Se's bones. She didn't know whether she acted too realistically or was too deeply involved in the role, which caused Tao Cen to feel as if he saw the living Su Yi in "Criminal Suspect" when he looked at Jiang Se in front of the mirror.
After a scene was finished, the entire set fell silent. Tao Cen felt as if an invisible hand was pulling at her heart. She wanted to say something to break the strange silence, but when she opened her mouth, she felt like there was nothing to say.
The people around her looked at her with complicated expressions. That embarrassing feeling reminded Tao Cen of the embarrassment she felt many years ago when she was a newcomer and was mistaken for an errand girl and forced to change out of her costume.
"Bring me the scissors!" The crew was in a heavy mood. Huo Zhiming's shout broke the silent atmosphere. The script supervisor didn't understand what was going on, but still followed his instructions and picked up the scissors that Jiang Se had used to cut his hair.
When he passed by Jiang Se, he didn't dare to look up at her face. He could only vaguely hear the sobbing of the three young assistants beside her.
Tao Cen watched Huo Zhiming take the scissors from the staff member, and without even looking at a mirror, he reached out and started cutting the hair on his head.
"Teacher Huo..." His assistant's sudden exclamation attracted everyone's attention. This fussy old man cut his neatly combed hair into pieces in a few seconds.
"Teacher Huo..."
Everyone who saw this scene couldn't help but widen their eyes. Jiang Se was also stunned for a moment, letting Mo Anqi brush away the hair on his body while saying, "You don't have to do this."
When Tao Cen saw this, he twitched the corners of his mouth and could no longer pretend to be calm.
"Let's go back to the hotel."
She called out to him, but Song Yi was still in a daze. It was not until Tao Cen had walked several steps that he seemed to wake up from a dream and followed her.
In this scene, Tao Cen's plan failed and he just acted like a villain in vain.
She wanted to destroy the relationship between Huo Zhiming and Jiang Se, but instead made Jiang Se completely appreciated by Huo Zhiming. She did not suppress Jiang Se, but was suppressed by Jiang Se in the only rivalry between the two. She was like Shen Xunran who was played around by the "suspect" in "Criminal Suspect". He knew who the "suspect" was, but was troubled by the lack of evidence.
Tao Cen could imagine how big a sensation this movie would cause when it was broadcast, and how much fame it would bring to Jiang Se.
Her final scene with Jiang Se was filmed in a teahouse by the river in Linjiang City.
The two women who were once at loggerheads with each other now sat on the floor across the table. The water in the kettle on the table made a gurgling sound as it boiled. The wind from the river blew in through the railings, ruffling Tao Cen's hair, and a few strands of hair covered her eyes.
There was some redness in her eyes as she looked at the woman sitting opposite her, as if she was a little unwilling.
At this moment, Tao Cen seemed to have forgotten the cameras and staff around him, and even forgot that he and Jiang Se were just filming a movie.
After a long time, she pursed her lips, flicked her hair, and couldn't hold back her anger:
"It's you who wants to kill Wu Chunhe, isn't it?"
The corners of her mouth twitched slightly, and her subtle expression vividly showed the anger and powerlessness deep in her heart. The veins on her neck were exposed, and her fists on the table were clenched:
"It was you who killed someone at the Paifeng Hotel, wasn't it?"
With every question she asked, the bloodshot in her eyes grew deeper.
In this scene, Tao Cen's performance was very strenuous, yet mixed with the decadence of a loser.
That kind of decadence is not only the result of Shen Xunran's helplessness in the face of criminals, but also the result of Tao Cen's unwillingness to accept being at a disadvantage during the filming. She cleverly combined the two emotions into one, and only then did she create the outstanding policewoman Shen Xunran who was within Huo Zhiming's expectations.
Her voice gradually became deeper and deeper, and the camera captured her tense body. The woman opposite her scooped tea leaves into the cup slowly and unhurriedly, as if she was not affected by her emotions at all. She was so calm that she didn't seem like a woman.
"Where's the evidence?"
She raised the corners of her mouth and smiled slightly, like a fox playing with its prey, cruel but charming:
"Officer Shen, you said I killed someone, where is the evidence?"
She held the teacup, moving slowly as if she was looking at a rare treasure, but her eyes were on Tao Cen's face.
This cunning woman was meticulous and had extremely strong anti-detection abilities. She wore a wig that Shen Xunran could see through at a glance, and he arrogantly laughed at her incompetence.
That kind of look was very stimulating. The water in the kettle made a louder sound, and the boiling steam seemed to be about to push the lid of the teapot off. (To be continued)