Chapter 20: One Doesn't Look Like She's Acting, the Other Acts Like She Isn't

On set, Qi Hui and the other three turned their heads in some bewilderment, looking toward the director.

The assistant director was just as baffled as Qi Hui and the others — what was going on?

Facing the many puzzled looks, director Jiang Wei thought for a moment, scratched his head, pushed up the black-framed glasses on the bridge of his nose, and said:

"Nothing's wrong, keep filming."

Jiang Wei felt something was off about this scene, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what.

Thrown off by his reaction, the others couldn't make heads or tails of it either, but they didn't press the matter and immediately continued shooting.

Watching from the side, Teacher Zu Feng, Wu Gang, and Feng Enhe were equally puzzled — that shout just now had been full of force, and they'd thought something had happened.

They hadn't expected it to fizzle out like that.

Teacher Zu Feng pressed his lips together, a little disappointed.

"Good, continue." The assistant director called out: "Four actors, let's do that last take again, we need a few extra close-ups."

One setting is one scene — the dialogue and blocking just now all count as one scene, but the close-ups need to be filled in, so they have to do it again.

During filming, this is a very common occurrence.

Qi Hui and the other three were in good form, made no mistakes, and wrapped up this scene quickly.

Soon, the second scene began.

"Scene 178, take one, action!" The assistant director's megaphone blared as the script girl clapped the slate in front of the camera.

This scene switched to an eating scene — Qi Hui and the other three were eating the dumplings they'd just wrapped.

The camera circled the dining table for a wide shot, then cut to individual close-ups of the four, capturing their very different expressions.

Xie Ruolin, played by Qi Hui, wore a faint smile, confident and composed, with a hint of barely perceptible smugness.

He now knew Yu Zecheng inside and out, while Yu Zecheng knew nothing about him.

Yu Zecheng, played by Sun Honglei, showed no change in expression, focused entirely on eating his dumplings.

Meanwhile, Cuiping, played by Yao Chen, and Mu Wanqiu, played by Mu Wanqiu, wore looks of faint impatience and disgust.

"Yao Chen did well." Director Jiang Wei said with a smile: "But Zhu Jie fell a little short."

The character of Cuiping couldn't stand Xie Ruolin — that disgust hidden beneath the surface was played very well.

Zhu Jie, on the other hand, came across as a bit unnatural.

Of course, her shots were mainly from behind and in profile, so it didn't really matter, and Jiang Wei didn't call cut.

"Yao Chen was never lacking to begin with." Teacher Zu Feng said with a smile.

Wu Gang glanced over twice, said nothing.

"Heh heh heh…" Feng Enhe laughed — one didn't look like she was acting, the other acted like she wasn't.

Soon, the needed shots were finished, and Qi Hui took a bite of dumpling and began his line.

He tilted his head slightly, sizing the other up with a smile, and said to Yu Zecheng: "After being neighbors all this time, I still don't know where Mr. Yu is employed?"

Yu Zecheng, played by Sun Honglei, paused briefly, chopsticks still holding a dumpling, silent. His slightly lowered little eyes turned toward Mu Wanqiu.

Mu Wanqiu's lids were lowered; she shook her head almost imperceptibly.

"Cut!" At that moment, the director called a halt again.

Zhu Jie's body trembled slightly — it seemed she hadn't performed well.

She was a little helpless, and had already braced herself for a dressing-down.

The director called out: "Xie Ruolin and Yu Zecheng, you two… um…"

He deliberated over how best to handle it.

Hearing that, Zhu Jie's eyes went wide — it's not my problem?

"Did I mess up?" Sun Honglei asked, his little squinty eyes wide as well.

After a moment's thought, Jiang Wei said: "Come over here and take a look, all of you."

At once, Qi Hui and the other three crowded around the monitor to review the scene they'd just shot.

It didn't take long to spot the problem — the Yu Zecheng on screen was overly cautious, a bit timid and shrinking.

While Xie Ruolin, played by Qi Hui, had gained a few extra edges in his easy banter.

Less like a businessman, more like a young, accomplished domineering CEO.

The problem was clear — Qi Hui's performance was overshadowing the lead, Yu Zecheng.

In this scene, Xie Ruolin's presence was too strong, making Yu Zecheng look like mere window dressing, completely reduced to Xie Ruolin's sidekick.

That wouldn't do — a supporting character upstaging the lead would have a serious impact on the whole drama.

Jiang Wei had noticed this issue in the previous scene, but since Xie Ruolin and Yu Zecheng hadn't shared any screen time, he hadn't dared to be sure.

Now that the two were acting opposite each other, the problem was fully exposed.

Not far off, Teacher Zu Feng gave a dry laugh: "This kid's not bad at stirring things up, but his actual craft is a bit lacking…"

Before the words were even out, he suddenly sensed something off beside him.

He turned his head and saw Wu Gang had sidled over.

"Teacher Wu?" Teacher Zu Feng instinctively stepped back.

"Heh heh, you rascal…" Wu Gang pointed at him and said with a smile to Teacher Zu Feng: "If that young Qi had come a few days earlier, my performance might've been even better."

Teacher Zu Feng was puzzled: "Why do you say that, Teacher Wu?"

Wu Gang smiled: "Remember what scene we shot a few days ago?"

"The Yuan Peilin one," Teacher Zu Feng said.

Yuan Peilin was a traitor in the drama. Li Ya, played by him, was responsible for protecting him, but the lead Yu Zecheng tracked him down through various clues, and in the end the anti-traitor squad hacked off the traitor's head.

Of course, before being eliminated, Yuan Peilin in the drama betrayed his comrades several times, causing the organization no small amount of damage.

Which made Lu Qiaoshan, played by Wu Gang, green with envy.

There was also Lu Qiaoshan's famous scene: 【"Am I that cheap?"】

Wu Gang chuckled: "If that kid had come a few days earlier, I'd have known how to play Li Ya's jealousy toward Lu Qiaoshan even better."

Hearing this, Teacher Zu Feng's expression stiffened; he immediately understood what Wu Gang meant.

"Is it that obvious?" Teacher Zu Feng instinctively touched his own face.

Feng Enhe smiled faintly: "Not obvious — just almost written all over your face."

Teacher Zu Feng: "……"

……

At the dining table, Jiang Wei and Qi Hui sat together with a few others, with several assistant directors standing behind them, pondering how to solve this problem.

"Make him uglier, why don't you." Yao Chen peeled garlic as he spoke casually.

Zhu Jie pressed her lips together, her slender brows slightly furrowing — had Yao Chen failed to stay in character, letting the disgust toward Xie Ruolin from the scene bleed out into real life?

Jiang Wei, thinking it over beside them, figured that made sense.

"Get a Zhongshan suit and try it." Jiang Wei ordered. Within the bounds of historical accuracy and character setting, making him uglier could only mean changing his outfit.

Xie Ruolin's look was a tailored cream-white suit; perhaps switching to a coarse hemp Zhongshan suit would work better.

Soon, an assistant director brought over a blue Zhongshan suit. Seeing this, Qi Hui put it on directly.

Then… then Jiang Wei realized this approach wouldn't work.

In the Zhongshan suit, Qi Hui not only didn't look rustic, but somehow gained an extra air of authority, an imposing presence — like a big shot riding in a Coaster.

Jiang Wei found himself unable to say anything to Qi Hui except salute.

Sun Honglei, seeing this, couldn't help furrowing his brow.

He was the lead; Qi Hui stealing his spotlight like this naturally left him a bit unwilling.

"How about a different hairstyle, and some glasses?" he suggested.

When he first joined the crew he'd looked just like that — back then he had a buzz cut, wore short sleeves, the spitting image of Liu Huaqiang, the kind who'd stab you with a watermelon knife at any moment.

He didn't look like Yu Zecheng at all.

Later it was only after changing his hairstyle and putting on glasses that he got it right.

Hearing this, the director called over the hairstylist, gave Qi Hui a traitor's center part, and had him wear a thoroughly tacky pair of black-framed glasses.

But the moment this look came out, Jiang Wei and the others furrowed their brows.

Still no good.

He looked like a delicate, cultured Republic-era student — refined, scholarly, handsome.

In a Western suit, a returned overseas student.

In a Zhongshan suit, a progressive student.

With that face, no matter how you dressed him up, you couldn't make him ugly.

Jiang Wei was a bit troubled. Qi Hui's situation now was similar to Stephen Chow's — no one could act opposite him, only act in support of him, as if he alone were the lead.

Zhu Jie watched Qi Hui with a smile in her eyes, saying nothing; she thought he looked quite good.

"How about… I try stuttering?" Qi Hui thought for a moment, then said.

Hua Xuanji then asked the hairstylist for some hair gel, slicked the center part back into a pompadour: "Been… been neighbors for this many days, and you… you still don't know where Mr. Yu… Yu Zecheng works."

The demeanor was still that demeanor, the line still that line, but the presence had weakened considerably.

Jiang Wei's eyes lit up: "Not bad — that's exactly the feeling!"

"Still think he's no good now?" Wu Gang smiled, looking at Teacher Zu Feng with a chuckle.

Teacher Zu Feng gave an awkward smile, stammering without a word.