Costume fitting ended up taking about twenty minutes or so. Since the last time Xia Ruyun had seen the robe, several ornamental jewelry pieces had been taken off. According to the tailor fitting it to her body, “it was for emphasizing the poverty that Murong An and Yang Guiying come from.”
Dressed, she made her way to the makeup artists. Once touched up, she returned to the set where some of Li Feiling’s initial scenes were being shot. Sitting down beside some other actresses, she kept quiet and watched Li Feiling running through the village set. She wanted to improve her acting, and what better way was there than watching the best of the best?
“Cut! Well done, Li Feiling, these takes should be enough for us, so let’s get moving. ” Zhang Jingsong waved his hand, motioning for the cameras to stop rolling. Leaning over, he grabbed a printed out packet of the day’s schedule. “What’s the next scene?”
“The promise scene, Director Zhang,” Li Feiling answered before Zhang Jingsong flipped to the right page. She hiked up the hem of her dress and stretched out her legs while breaking into a smile. A few onlookers looked over with heated gazes—an embarrassed Wu Linjie among them—but she pretended not to notice.
“Ah, I remember now, you’re right,” Zhang Jingsong clicked his pen while looking over to the few actors and actresses who had gathered. “Xia Ruyun, you’re up! You know the promise scene, correct? This scene is yours. Everyone else, same as before! Focus on the sound since you all won’t show up on camera.”
Hiking up the long skirt of her costume, Xia Ruyun nodded while making her way onto the set. Inside the hut, she took a seat on the floor under the window by the bed. Her character, at this point, still had fair skin unblemished from wrinkles. She had stopped talking and going outside though because of her parents’ desire to mold her into the perfect wife. Settled on the floor, she smoothed out her skirt while waiting for the scene to begin.
Not long after she sat down and composed her feelings, she heard Zhang Jingsong shout, “Action!” Ignoring the camera, she craned her head back and listened to the commotion outside.
“Cut! Cut! Xia Ruyun, don’t forget,” Zhang Jingsong swiped his hand to the side, halting the scene seconds after it started. “I want a touch of solitude. Your parents aren’t letting you leave the house anymore. The only fragment you have left of the outside world is the sun coming in from the window.”
Thumbs-up. Xia Ruyun had tried in the last take, but it seemed like Zhang Jingsong wanted more. Shifting her legs and looking a little more downward, she experimented with different ways to show ‘solitude’ until Zhang Jingsong gave her the pass. After more than a dozen takes, they moved on to the part where Yang Guiying would barge into Murong An’s room.
“Don’t get jolted now, this scene’s going to be loud,” Li Feiling grinned towards Xia Ruyun as they tested the door’s hinges. Placing a hand over her heart, she acted aggrieved. “If you get a heart attack from the shock of seeing how beautiful I am and die, how can we carry out our promise to take over the world?”
Rolling her eyes, Xia Ruyun turned away as a faint smile tugged on her lips. Still by the window, she stayed with one of the cameramen as the scene began.
---
BANG!
The front door was thrown open first. Footsteps approached Murong An’s room and seconds later, Yang Guiying’s breathless face came into view as she rushed through the second door as well. Once she had closed the door, she dragged the table and chair in front of it, leaning against them to keep Murong An’s parents out.
Her hands sat on her legs as she leaned forward to catch her breath. Clenching her teeth, her face morphed into one of teary indignation. “Murong... do you know what just happened? No, of course not,” she answered herself, “you’ve been locked away.”
Slamming the table against the door, she looked up to stare at Murong An. “The nearby warlord's army is here. They wanted food and shelter. The first person they asked was Old Wang who lives alone at the end of the street... but she didn’t want to give up her house or her food.”
A shaky sigh left her lips as she looked back down. “They killed her. All the elders are out there... cleaning up the dead body. I can’t stand this anymore, Murong. We have to do something...”
Still silent, Murong An left her spot and walked over to Yang Guiying. She grasped Yang Guiying’s trembling hands and dragged her away from the door. Now beside the bed, they sat side-by-side. Murong An rubbed Yang Guiying’s back. Letting Yang Guiying cry it out, she pulled her close as a few tears streamed down her own face.
Choked up, Yang Guiying tried her best to talk but failed time after time. Only after ten minutes did she manage to find her voice. “Murong An... I want to change the world. Let’s run away. When we’re together, who can stop us? I promise I will keep you safe.”
“... I promise too, Yang Guiying.” Murong An squeezed Yang Guiying’s hands, her face wreathed in shadow as cracked a smile. “Let me leave this accursed place.”
Widening her eyes in surprise, a shaken Yang Guiying looked up and made eye contact with Murong An. “R... Really?”
Seeing Murong An nod, Yang Guiying pressed her lips together as the fire of determination blazed to life behind her eyes. She stood up and walked to the door. Once the furniture was cleared, she looked back one last time. “Tonight then. I’ll come get you through your window, okay?”
---
“Andddd cut.” Zhang Jingsong spoke up after letting the scene continue. “Captivating. I just couldn’t stop you two. Very well done. I still want to run through it a couple more times, but good job.”
Xia Ruyun took deep breaths and cleared her thoughts. Beside her, Li Feiling blinked her tears away before grinning and offering a high-five. A weak high-five later, the two of them sat to the side. They composed their thoughts while the crew moved all the set pieces back into place. In most filming sessions, Li Feiling would use this break as a perfect opportunity for a witty, bantering comment.
But for some reason... her throat hitched with Xia Ruyun. Her eyebrows furrowed as nothing came to mind. No jokes, no teases, no anything. She couldn’t quite figure out why either.
Perhaps it’s the lingering idolization my younger self held for Xia Ruyun?
Content with the explanation she had come up with for herself, she turned away only to see a slack-jawed, starry-eyed Wu Linjie staring from the side of the set. Now he was an easy target for some banter. A little awkward, but likable enough. “What are you looking at, Wu Linjie? You’ve seen me act before. I’m honored you’re still so amazed though? Was there anything in particular that caught your eye, hmm?”
Snapping out of his daze, Wu Linjie pursed his lips. “Your beautiful leg- I mean uh... nothing, yeah... I was just impressed with the emotions in your acting. Yeah...”
“Mhm, is that so?” Li Feiling raised her eyebrows while watching Wu Linjie cough and look away as he scolded himself. Both of them let the conversation end there, and Li Feiling turned back to Zhang Jingsong. Brushing away the mild discomfort lingering from Wu Linjie’s blunt comment, she smoothed her dress downward and raised a hand. “Alright, Director Zhang, I’m ready to continue whenever!”