Huayu: This director is so eager to improve.

Chapter 8 Actress Ning Li

Generally speaking, it's considered silly and foolish for a director to yell "Action!" and most directors wouldn't do that.

Therefore, Qi Yue's beginning was just a simple beginning.

After the script supervisor slammed the clapperboard again, a strange emotion welled up in Li Qing's heart.

Yu Zui, played by Jiang Qiming, stepped forward, snatched her hand that she instinctively held to her chest, pried her hand away, and without even looking at it, threw the engagement ring directly into the pond.

"Let me go! Let me go!"

"I won't let you go. He's dead, he's dead, do you understand?!"

Li Qing's body, which was being held tightly by Jiang Qiming, suddenly stiffened. There was a deathly silence for a few seconds, which lasted so long that everyone around them held their breath.

Suddenly, her lips began to tremble uncontrollably, her nose stung, and tears that had been building up for so long burst forth like a dam breaking.

It wasn't a loud wail, but rather an initial, silent, intense sobbing, with her shoulders shaking violently as if they were about to fall apart.

She raised her hand to cover her face, but then futilely lowered it. Tears streamed down her face, mingling with suppressed sobs. The despair and sorrow of losing a loved one and having even her last shred of hope cruelly taken away were conveyed with unparalleled realism.

"Card!"

Qi Yue stared at the slender figure on the monitor, who was crying and almost curled up in a ball, for a full five seconds.

Then, he picked up the walkie-talkie, his voice calm and even:

"This is it. Everyone, go back and get some rest."

A barely perceptible sigh of relief rippled through the crowd.

Jiang Qiming rushed forward to help Li Qing, but Li Qing swayed and stood up on her own, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, covering her mouth and running back to the dressing room.

Behind the monitor, Qi Yue was already discussing tomorrow's filming arrangements with Guo Fan, as if the scene just now was just an ordinary part of their work.

"Director Qi, Teacher Wang is here!"

Their discussion was interrupted by the actor who played the "mouse".

Qi Yue turned around and, sure enough, saw Wang Hongwei walking over with a smile on his face.

Behind him followed a slender, bespectacled, and somewhat refined middle-aged man.

"Teacher Wang, what brings you here today?" Qi Yue hurriedly went to greet him, with Guo Fan following behind.

"Let's see how it's going, and also to fulfill a promise."

Wang Hongwei glanced around the busy but orderly film set and nodded.

"Not bad, not bad, it's quite impressive. Small but complete."

He stepped aside to let the slender man next to him move forward:

"Let me introduce you to Ningli, my old friend of many years. She graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy, then went abroad for further studies, and just came back in the last two years."

He then turned to Ningli, "This is Qi Yue, whom I mentioned to you. He's a very insightful young director, and Guo Fan, the top technical expert."

Qi Yue immediately extended both hands, a smile on his face: "Teacher Ningli! I've long admired your name, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

Ning Li was slightly taken aback by the "I've heard so much about you" greeting, as he hadn't appeared in the public eye for a long time, except for some of his earlier works.

He took it as Qi Yue being polite out of respect for Wang Hongwei.

"Director Qi, you're too kind. Teacher Wang, you flatter me. The atmosphere here is great; it's full of young people and very energetic."

"I promised you before that I would help you find a candidate for 'Fu Guosheng'," Wang Hongwei got to the point, pointing to Ningli.

"So, do you guys want to have a chat?"

Qi Yue's heart skipped a beat. Fu Guosheng was the core villain in the early part of "Yu Zui". He appeared gentle and refined, but in reality, he was scheming and ruthless. He was a very complex and charismatic character.

Ning Li's image and temperament are an undercurrent hidden beneath a calm surface, which is exactly what Fu Guosheng needs.

Qi Yue looked at Guo Fan beside him, "Brother Fan, have the actors we confirmed arrived yet?"

Guo Fan immediately understood, "Not yet, but they said they'll be here soon."

"Okay, then we can let him have some time to cool off first," Qi Yue said, turning to Ning Li.

"Teacher Ning, how about we find a place to look at the script?"

Ning Li glanced at Qi Yue, but didn't seem to notice anything unusual.

"Of course, but I must first state that I have my own habits when it comes to acting. I may be a bit slow to warm up and I am also selective about the scripts I choose."

"No problem! I guarantee you'll be satisfied with the script. What we need most are actors who have their own ideas and can immerse themselves in their roles." Qi Yue planned to get the person on the set first.

"Well then, Teacher Wang, Teacher Ning, it's almost lunchtime, shall we find a place to eat and chat?"

The two readily agreed, and Qi Yue then arranged for someone to book a restaurant nearby.

Before leaving, he glanced at the closed dressing room door and beckoned to a young assistant who was helping to pack up the equipment.

......

In the dressing room, Li Qing had washed away the tear stains on her face, but her eyes were still a little red and swollen.

Rationally, she understood that Qi Yue's harsh words were meant to force out her truest emotions.

It did achieve the desired effect.

But being reprimanded so mercilessly in front of so many people,

"You jerk! You big idiot!"

She picked up her pen and added a few strokes to the originally adorable Winnie the Pooh on the title page of the script.

The round ears were painted black, a big nose was added, and the smile was drawn into a fierce grin.

There was also an arrow drawn next to it, with the words "You naughty person!" written on it.

It's as if this way, I can vent the complicated emotions in my heart.

Just as she was getting into the swing of things, there was a gentle knock on the door of the dressing room.

The young stagehand who came in earlier was carrying a small first-aid kit, a bottle of eye drops, and a box of exquisitely packaged throat lozenges.

"Sister Li Qing," the young stagehand said shyly.

"Director Qi asked me to bring this over. He said..." the assistant mimicked Qi Yue's tone, "'I spoke too harshly just now. If your eyes are swollen, apply a cold towel and put in some eye drops. Crying scenes are hard on the throat, so eat some candy to soothe it.' Um... Director Qi also said he apologized to you."

The stagehand placed the things on the dressing table in front of Li Qing and added, "He also said that your performance in that scene was exceptionally good, really good."

After saying that, the stagehand quickly slipped away, leaving Li Qing staring blankly at the things on the table.

First-aid kit, eye drops, throat lozenges... and that "apology".

Looking at the box of throat lozenges, she then glanced down at the "big pig-headed jerk" on the script's title page, which she had drawn so badly that he was unrecognizable.

The grievances and anger in my heart, like a balloon pricked by a needle, burst out completely in an instant.

She looked at the drawing on the title page again, picked up her pen, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately did not erase the "big pig's head".

Instead, she carefully drew a small, smiling Winnie the Pooh bear next to it, holding a jar of honey.

After finishing the drawing, she looked at the "big pig's head" and "little bear" side by side and couldn't help but chuckle softly. She then quickly covered her mouth, afraid that someone would hear her.

Okay, for the sake of this "apology"...

I'll forgive you a little bit for now.