"The police are always so incompetent." She saw Shen Xunran's expression. She had dealt with Shen Xunran many times and knew how determined, persistent and righteous she was.
However, this excellent quality seems weak and pitiful in the face of reality, like a cold joke.
She drooped her eyelids, and her curled eyelashes blocked the thoughts in her eyes. She was like a mystery wrapped in fog. Although I was getting closer, I couldn't get into her heart.
"More than a decade ago, my father was framed by Wu Chunhe, and the police were powerless to do anything." She laughed softly when she said this: "Now someone has died and two cases have occurred, and the police are still helpless."
This woman smiled as she spoke, and even used one hand to push the crooked wig. This action made Shen Xunran a hundred times, ten thousand times more embarrassed than her sarcasm: "You come to doubt a weak woman like me."
She is a weak woman? Shen Xunran was speechless. She felt as if a huge stone was weighing down her heart, making it so heavy that she even had difficulty breathing.
"I will keep an eye on you!" She said this very loudly, but she didn't have much confidence. She sounded very angry and lost her usual calmness: "I will find evidence that you killed someone."
It sounded like the rant of a loser, extremely ridiculous, but she couldn't think of any more appropriate words.
She was firmly suppressed by this woman. She was unwilling and unconvinced, but just as she said, the police were powerless to do anything.
The suspect was right in front of her, and all she could do was say these two meaningless words, which were of no help to the case at all.
The playful look on Su Yi's face made Shen Xunran helpless. As a policeman, the biggest frustration was knowing that the person sitting in front of him was the real criminal, but because there was no evidence, he had to let the criminal go unpunished. Nothing could make Shen Xunran more uncomfortable than this.
This scene was filmed in such a way that Huo Zhiming was amazed. There was clearly no loud argument, no fierce physical movements, and no fighting between the two women, but the intense atmosphere was far more exciting than a physical fight.
The gurgling sound of the boiling water was incorporated into the play, adding to the tension. The rivalry between the two women was worth more than a thousand words.
The scene should have been extremely tense, but the two of them used restrained performances to produce a level that exceeded Huo Zhiming's expectations.
Even though he was the one who wrote the script, Huo Zhiming felt that Tao Cen and Jiang Se's performance at this moment had gone beyond the limitations of the plot.
Shen Xunran's determination to take down Su Yi emerged in her eyes, as if she would take out handcuffs and get hold of this woman's handle in the next moment. Even though Huo Zhiming knew that Shen Xunran came out to meet Su Yi privately in this scene, Tao Cen did not carry props such as handcuffs when filming this scene.
Su Yi's expression of playing cat and mouse was present throughout the whole process. With her nonchalant expression, she watched Shen Xunran's excitement as if she was watching a play, and the corners of her pursed lips were filled with silent teasing.
No matter in or out of the play, the two are evenly matched. This scene was passed in one go thanks to the outstanding performances of Tao Cen and Jiang Se.
After this shot was taken, the main plot of "Criminal Suspect" was almost over. The staff who witnessed this confrontation heard Huo Zhiming shouting:
"Very good." Only then did I realize that this scene was over.
In the previously tense atmosphere, many people subconsciously clenched their fists. When Huo Zhiming shouted "stop", many staff members loosened their fists, only to find that beads of sweat were already oozing out of their palms.
The camera was turned off, and Huo Zhiming was excitedly watching the previously filmed scene.
Jiang Se took off the hood on her head lazily. In two months, the hair she had cut herself had grown a lot longer. She took a sip of the teacup, listened to Huo Zhiming's cheerful and satisfied laughter, turned her head to look at him with a smile on her face.
"Do you know?" Tao Cen felt a little choked up for some reason:
"Carolus' shampoo brand is also considering me."
At this time, she always felt that she needed to say something to Jiang Se.
Carolus shampoo has been under consideration by Jiang Se for several years. When the deal was about to be concluded, the top management of Carolus hesitated because Jiang Se cut her long hair. This forced Tao Cen to find a way out and gain another qualification to compete for the position.
If it were in the past, she would have been very happy, but now she didn't feel much joy.
Jiang Se didn't seem to care about her hair. She had just taken off her wig and her hair looked a little messy, but her delicate and heart-beating face still supported her shapeless short hair.
Without the long hair that could have made her look even more beautiful, Tao Cen noticed that her face had delicate lines and fine features. The way she smiled when she lowered her head made it difficult to find any flaws in her appearance. Even Tao Cen, who didn't like her, could not deny the shocking feeling her face brought to people.
"Good things always have competition, and everyone has opportunities." Jiang Se paused for a moment before realizing that Tao Cen was talking to her. She said meaningfully, "I've heard about this from Sister Chaoqun."
She should be unwilling and furious, but her smile at this moment was like an invisible slap in the face of Tao Cen, making her look particularly embarrassed.
"Giving up so easily doesn't seem to be your style?"
She tried to provoke, as if she wanted to anger Jiang Se. It would be best if she was like she is now. She had clearly won the qualification to compete with Jiang Se for the endorsement of Carolus as she wished, but when she showed off in front of Jiang Se, she still felt insecure.
"That's not giving up easily." Jiang Se corrected her: "Even if you get the endorsement of Carolus, I still got something better than the endorsement of Carolus' shampoo."
As for what better thing she got, Tao Cen probably knew it in his heart.
The failure of filming "Criminal Suspect" had a profound impact on Tao Cen. In the field where she was good at and confident, she had always felt suppressed by Jiang Se's aura ever since Jiang Se cut her hair.
That feeling followed her like a shadow. Even though the film was almost finished and her scenes with Jiang Se were coming to an end, Tao Cen found that the feeling had not left her.
She felt a little panicked and a little powerless.
Tao Cen realized that no matter whether she was competing with Jiang Se for the status in Century Galaxy, the ranking among Chinese movie fans, or the advertising endorsement, no matter whether she suffered a loss or gained an advantage in the confrontation with Jiang Se, she always maintained a kind of confidence brought by her rich and skillful acting skills. So now, when she specifically mentioned in front of Jiang Se that she got the advertising endorsement of Carolus and that she won, perhaps behind this boasting, she had lost the confidence that she thought she could surpass Jiang Se in acting.
She shouldn't have filmed "Criminal Suspect". She lost her most precious confidence.
Perhaps the shadow of this filming will accompany her for a long time. Maybe in the future she will always think of the failed filming process, and it will become a hurdle in her future career. She doesn't know whether she can get over it.
"I didn't think you could really cut hair."
She moved the corners of her mouth, trying to show a calm smile as usual, but after trying several times, she found it difficult to do so, and finally gave up trying to smile at Jiang Se.
Tao Cen didn't expect Jiang Se to really cut her hair. She thought Jiang Se would argue with Huo Zhiming and have her hair cut with a wig instead of her real hair, as the assistant director of the "Criminal Suspect" crew requested. She thought that this would lead to a disagreement between the actor and the director.
She thought that by doing so, Jiang Se would be cautious during the filming, and would be on guard against being plotted against by her at any time, and he would no longer be able to fit in with the desperate and daring Su Yi in the plot.
Tao Cen thought a lot, but he didn't expect that Jiang Se would pick up the scissors and really cut her hair.
Ever since things went against her expectations, she had been thrown into disarray, and had lost a lot of momentum to Jiang Se. She herself had not expected that this incident seemed to have a deeper impact on her than on Jiang Se, so much so that she was still saying some meaningless and incoherent words at this moment.
"I didn't expect that I would need to cut my hair for the filming of "Criminal Suspect." Jiang Se drank half of the tea in the cup, then picked up the teapot and refilled it with some more.
"Don't you think it's a pity?"
Tao Cen looked at her hair and couldn't help but ask.
"It's a pity." Jiang Se glanced at Tao Cen. Tao Cen's expression was not relaxed at this moment. He lost his usual composure and looked a little stern.
The corners of her mouth seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. She tried to lift them up several times, but finally they fell down powerlessly.
The surrounding staff gathered around the camera and marveled at Jiang Se and Tao Cen's performance.
"But it will still grow. However, some opportunities only come once." This made her better understand Su Yi's state of mind in "Criminal Suspect", and this incident also increased her resistance to Tao Cen. This feeling allowed her to combine with the state of mind of the characters in the plot, and she was able to perform better when facing Shen Xunran, played by Tao Cen. Her lukewarm surface concealed her aggressive heart.
Jiang Se touched her head and used her fingers as a comb to tidy up her hair. She was also a girl and it was inevitable that she would love beauty, but her hair was too short. She tried to comb it several times but still couldn't create a style, so she finally chose to give up.
"When I was filming 'God's Redemption', I just joined the crew and played the role of Shireen." At that time, she was plotted against by Laura. In the scene where she was set on fire, the flames burned her hair. If she had not chosen to continue acting at that time, she might not have had the opportunity to become Laura's stand-in later, let alone replace Laura and play the role of Lanny.
The reason she was able to convince Cesare was not based on her friendship with Cesare, nor could it be described by a simple "hobby".
Tao Cen felt even worse after hearing this and asked her:
"'Salvation of God' is about to be released. How can you convince those extremely picky European and American audiences with your current appearance?" She continued: "I have also read the novel 'Prisoners'. The image of Lanny with long hair in the novel is completely different from your current appearance."
She paused, "Cesare and the investors have not yet announced that they have kicked out Laura and asked you to replace Lanny. I think you are also aware of the rejection of the European and American markets. What can you do to make the audience accept you?"
"What does my appearance have to do with the role?" Jiang Se couldn't help but laugh: "What convinces the audience is not my own image, but my acting skills, my performance in "God's Redemption"."
Tao Cen tried to disturb her peace, but she didn't know that the more she did so, the more impatient she seemed.
Jiang Se didn't point it out. After saying this, he put down his teacup and whispered:
"I'm glad to be able to work with a senior like you in "Criminal Suspect". I have benefited a lot from it." After she said this, she didn't care how Tao Cen felt after hearing this: "I'm going to go and see the previous filming. Excuse me, Miss Tao."
The two were not friends, and after just a few words, Jiang Se thought that was enough. She was willing to be persuaded by the plot and cut her hair for a scene in "Criminal Suspect", but it did not mean that she could accept Tao Cen's intentions at the time.
She walked towards Huo Zhiming and others, and the staff made room for her so that she could sit next to the camera and watch her previous performance.
Tao Cen sat in his seat with his hands on the table and his head lowered. He did not feel any better because of the conversation with Jiang Se.
She had a feeling of being out of tune with her surroundings. Shen Xunran's frustrated mood in "Criminal Suspect" might have affected her, making her feel very uncomfortable at the moment.
After the crew's wrap-up party, Mo Anqi and others escorted Jiang Se back to the hotel. Most of the luggage had been packed and sent back to the capital a few days ago, and the remaining small amount of daily necessities needed to be packed later.
Chen Shan poured mineral water into the kettle and took out green tea powder from the hotel's refrigerator, preparing to make some for Jiang Se.
She sat on the single sofa, tilting her head back. The makeup artist grabbed her hair twice and clipped it up:
"If you keep your hair for another three or four months, you can style it into a WOB style." If Jiang Se's face can be compared to a painting, then in the makeup artist's eyes, this painting is the result of a master's painstaking effort and is an exquisite work.
With clear contours and beautifully arranged facial features, no matter how much makeup she wears, she will always present different levels of beauty.
She used to have long hair, and her hairstyles were either elegant and intellectual, or pure and girlish, which limited her a lot. After cutting her hair, more possibilities became available: "In the future, if there is a need, I can use hair extensions to style my hair."
Xia Chaoqun has a long-term vision and should have seen the advantages of Jiang Se after cutting her hair, so after temporarily suspending the Carolus endorsement talks for Jiang Se, he immediately negotiated a cooperation with French luxury skincare brand Melovin for Jiang Se. (To be continued)