Before Xia Yitong went there that afternoon, she had made an appointment with the director by phone in advance, but she didn't want to waste the director's time, nor did she want him to misunderstand that she was eager to join the crew. She held her ground despite the director's pitiful pleading and only asked him to find a staff member to pick her up outside to avoid unnecessary trouble due to unfamiliarity or other issues.
Unexpectedly, the person waiting outside the studio was a middle-aged man wearing a high-end suit. He turned out to be the producer of the crew. Maybe he really liked her as a "substitute" and gave Xia Yitong enough face. Xia Yitong couldn't refuse and had to let the producer accompany her throughout the whole process.
The film set is busy. The director of this film is named Cheng Zhihuan. Director Cheng and Qin Hanlin are both famous directors, but they take different paths. Qin Hanlin is a type of director who takes into account both commercial and literary works, and he works hard on the picture. Director Cheng's main achievements are in literary films, and he works hard on humanities. Fifteen years ago, a film he directed that reflected a special industry in the Republic of China was shortlisted for the main competition unit of the Venice Film Festival. At that time, the heroine of the film lived up to expectations and won the title of Best Actress. In terms of international achievements alone, Director Cheng is better than Qin Hanlin, but their domestic reputations are no different.
Working with Director Cheng is something that many actors who have dreams of becoming actors have dreamed of, but for Xia Yitong, this luck came at the wrong time. So when she saw the crew that was thriving again because of the confirmation of the new leading actor, and Director Cheng who was directing and dispatching on the set and striving for perfection, she felt like a bottle of mixed feelings had been overturned, and she didn't know what it felt like for a while.
Seeing her turn to look at the actors who were filming on the set, the producer stopped and introduced them to her, saying that the one in yellow clothes was xxx, and the one in blue coat was xx, and asked them which scene they were filming now.
Xia Yitong nodded, "Thank you."
She indeed did not know the two people in the filming area. The entertainment industry is not big, but it is not small either. It is basically impossible to recognize everyone.
The producer then introduced her to each area, costumes, props, lighting, makeup and lounge, and finally talked about the accommodation arranged for her during the filming. Needless to say, it was very generous and even better than Lu Yinbing's.
She hasn't signed the contract yet, and in order to avoid changes, the crew gritted their teeth and spent a huge amount of money.
Xia Yitong said, "No need, just the room that Teacher Lu stayed in before, so as to avoid the trouble of checking out and going through the process again."
Producer: "Okay, I'll get someone to do it."
Xia Yitong walked around and suddenly asked, "Can I go to the place where Teacher Lu fell?"
“This…” A hint of hesitation flashed across the producer’s eyes.
"Are you having trouble?"
"No." The producer shook his head, wondering why he had to go again. Yesterday, Mr. Xue from Lu Yinbing's studio came to see it. He brought a man with him and checked those stairs over and over again like a detective investigating a case. He also asked the photographer to take away the negatives that were accidentally taken that day. It seemed that the truth was hidden in them. He also repeatedly warned him not to tell anyone, not even Xia Yitong.
The producer originally thought it was just an accident. Until Xue Yao was busy with that, he didn't think there would be any problems within the crew. Now that Xia Yitong also said she wanted to go, he couldn't help but feel a little shaken. Could it really not be an accident
The producer brought Xia Yitong to the filming location at that time. Xia Yitong stood below and looked up. It was taller than the average floor. It was made of wood and had a stale smell. It was obviously quite old.
She stepped onto the first step and pushed down hard. The stairs still seemed stable. The producer said, "We have someone check it. These stairs look old, but unless a 200-pound strong man runs and jumps on them, they will not break. Teacher Lu slipped and fell, but the stairs are still in good condition."
Xia Yitong climbed up the stairs and asked as he walked, "Where did he fall from?"
"The second to last level."
Xia Yitong walked to the step and looked down. The supervisor subconsciously walked to the vertical position under her, with his arms slightly open. Xia Yitong curled her lips. She didn't intend to jump down. The supervisor was too nervous.
She walked down one step, slowly squatted down, and looked at the stairs where Lu Yinbing had slipped. It was clean as a mirror. Of course, it looked like it had been washed because it was raining heavily on the day of filming.
Xia Yitong stroked the stairs with her fingers and tried to stand up, but she felt a gaze following her. She turned around immediately and saw the staff not far away were greeting each other and arranging the scenery, so busy that they had no time to pay attention to this place.
Was it an illusion? No, she didn't think so.
She has been immersed in this industry for many years and is very sensitive to cameras and people's eyes.
She supported herself on the stairs to get up. The anemia reaction was very mild. She took a few seconds to stand down and let the supervisor do his own thing while she walked around. The supervisor was not happy to be around her like a little follower, so he politely said that he would call him if he needed anything and left.
Xia Yitong walked in the general direction where his eyes had just been cast. There were both male and female staff members, but fortunately they were in charge of an entire area and were now doing detailed work, so there was not much mobility, and Xia Yitong was able to have sufficient conditions to find that person.
She instinctively knew that she should know that person. Some of the staff members were facing her, some were facing her sideways, and some were always facing away from her. She looked at people's faces with vigilance. Suddenly, a person walked out hurriedly with his back to her. The back of the person looked very familiar.
Xia Yitong shouted, "Stop!"
The man walked faster.
Xia Yitong was very skilled. He caught up with the man in no time. He grabbed his shoulder and was stunned for a moment. He subconsciously let go of his hand: "Dong..."
She remembered that Lu Yinbing's studio had hung her up before, and maybe other people still remembered her, so she swallowed the last two words and lowered her voice and asked, "Why are you here?"
When Xia Yitong met Dong Yafei, she was good at making plans.
Although he is only two years older than her, he looks several years older than his actual age, like he is in his early thirties, and there are very fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.
Dong Yafei looked evasive and had no intention of saying more to her.
Xia Yitong: “Hey.”
Dong Yafei quickly walked around her and went to do her work.
Seeing her current state, Xia Yitong kept thinking on the way back whether she had gone too far. Dong Yafei was also a migrant worker in Beijing. Was it necessary for her to ruin her reputation and kill her? Although it was Lu Yinbing's studio that handled it, she and Lu Yinbing were together, so of course Lu Yinbing's account had to be put on her head.
She thought she had concealed it well, but Lu Yinbing had already seen through it. When Xia Yitong was distracted for the fourth time, Lu Yinbing pinched her with her fingernails.
Unhappy: "You are getting bolder and bolder thinking about other women in front of me."
Xia Yitong: "I didn't."
Lu Yinbing: "That means you are thinking about another man. I am still lying in bed, but you are thinking about your second spring."
Xia Yitong: “…”
If I hadn't seen you still lying there, I would have pinched your face hard with both hands to make you say nonsense.
Lu Yinbing relied on her weakness and pouted her lips to the sky: "Will you tell me or not?"
Xia Yitong thought about how to tell her about this matter. Forget it. Lu Yinbing would definitely scold her anyway. So she told the truth without exaggerating, how unexpected she was, how haggard she was, and whether she should compensate her in some way.
Lu Yinbing said, "Are you sick? Madonna syndrome?"
Xia Yitong smiled, as expected.
"You're still laughing even after I scold you." Lu Yinbing clicked his tongue.
"I like to hear you scold me." Xia Yitong said, like a little wolf, full of energy and vitality.
"Then I'll continue to scold you." Lu Yinbing said, "Do you know why people's fortunes are different? One part is that God favors those people, and the other part is that they have earned it themselves. Although I don't believe in Buddhism, I still believe in the saying that what goes around comes around, excluding those who are extremely unlucky. I don't think she is particularly unlucky, she is still quite lucky. You also said that she became famous before you, from the eighteenth tier to the third tier, this is fortune, and the third tier has a sponsor, moral issues aside, this is also fortune. If she could make good use of the sponsor's resources, she would be a second-tier celebrity even if she hasn't made it to the first tier now."
Lu Yinbing said, "Also, if she hadn't distanced herself from you, you would have been very sincere to her. She has a very popular best friend like you, and as my wife's best friend, I will definitely help her. She has risen from the second tier to the first tier. Do you think she has a bad fate?"
Xia Yitong followed this line of thought and suddenly felt that Dong Yafei was really lucky.
Lu Yinbing said, "But she didn't seize a single opportunity. It wasn't God who let it slip away, but she chose the wrong path. She couldn't stand seeing you doing well, so she distanced herself from you. After hooking up with the sponsor, she didn't think about how to hone herself but pointed the finger at you. If you had been successfully slandered by her, you would be the one doing odd jobs on the crew now. Not only is she jealous, but she is also vain. Didn't you say that she is not from Beijing? At worst, she can go back to her hometown. I don't think she looks like someone who wants to act well. Who knows who she is trying to hook up with on the crew?"
Lu Yinbing suddenly paused when he said this, a trace of shock suddenly flashed across his eyes, could it be...
Xia Yitong said: "No way?"
Lu Yinbing lowered his eyelids, quickly suppressed his emotions, and looked at her lazily: "You really have nothing to do to sympathize with such a person. If you have the leisure time, you might as well tell me more stories."
"What do you want to hear?" Xia Yitong didn't notice her previous pause. She was distracted by her last sentence. She put Dong Yafei's matter behind her and was excited to tell Lu Yinbing a story.
"sleeping Beauty."
Xia Yitong: “…”
The female knights are all lying in bed, and they still want to listen to Sleeping Beauty. Okay, this time the princess will tell the story.
"Once upon a time there was a kingdom that was rich and powerful, but unfortunately, the king and queen had no children. They were very sad and distressed. One day, the queen was walking by the river, and a small fish floated its head out of the water and said to her: 'Your wish will come true, and you will give birth to a daughter soon'..."
When the story about the female knight splitting the thorns outside the royal city came up, Lu Yinbing tried to keep his eyes open, but he couldn't help but close them, breathing steadily. The princess followed suit and kissed the female knight's palm, swearing eternal loyalty.
The next morning, Xue Yao came again, and this time she sent Xia Yitong out again.
Her face had never looked so ugly, as if it contained a blizzard on the top of a snowy mountain. She reached into her pocket and took out a small, transparent ziplock bag. By pinching a corner, the contents were clearly visible.
It is a steel ball with a diameter of about 6mm.
Lu Yinbing didn't seem too surprised, and raised his eyes to look at her: "Dong Yafei?"
Xue Yao was the one who was surprised: "You knew?"
Lu Yinbing: "I just guessed it last night, and today you came to verify my guess."