The filming continued without issue. Xia Ruyun had to admit it wore on her, but the fun of socializing and filming kept her going. It helped that she didn’t have many scenes during the first day. She had spent a fair part of the day just lounging on one of the comfortable chairs beside the set. Wind blew through the area, drinks sat within reaching distance, and relaxed conversation filled the air.
Plus, because the actors congregated together, she had familiarized herself with them a little more! Sure, she hadn’t talked to anyone yet, but she got a feel for everyone’s personality! The road to social skills would be tread—in slow steps of course. Through the afternoon, she shook and nodded her head a couple times when people asked her questions and also patted some people on the shoulder when they got teased too much.
She’d even been called “older sister” a couple times...
As for the actual work, she filmed a handful of scenes—mostly with Li Feiling—and familiarized herself with the script. Then, there was one other event of note: the dietician’s introduction. During a break in filming after the ‘invading army’s camp’ scene, Liu Qiangli introduced himself to everyone.
No nonsense, Liu Qiangli introduced himself with a short summary of his working and education experience—along with the services he would provide. After answering some questions, he continued by handing out clipboards, each with a piece of paper. Everyone, he explained, needed to fill out their height and weight, eating, exercise, and sleeping habits, and more. He understood how, as a forty-year-old man, his intentions could be misinterpreted, so he followed it up with a detailed and lengthy promise to gain everyone’s trust.
Even then, not everyone was convinced—an understandable opinion from Xia Ruyun’s point of view. She, however, didn’t mind. Liu Qiangli was a kindred introverted spirit. She could tell from a simple glance. He wouldn’t tell a soul because he wouldn’t be talking to anyone in the first place.
To assuage the few still on the fence, Liu Quangli offered to sign an NDA with anyone who still had reservations. His words, though, ended up being unnecessary as Li Feiling walked over and put an arm over his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I can vouch for this guy, he’s my personal dietician.”
Grinning as everyone grabbed their boards and began filling them out without hesitation, Li Feiling patted Liu Quangli on the back. “See? I told you to just lead with that, nobody can resist this queen’s powerful name and attractive face! It is considerate of you to take advantage of this break, though, rather than waiting for the end of the day when everyone’s worn out.”
“Nobody’s going to like you if you keep flaunting like that,” Liu Qiangli raised his eyebrows while crossing his arms.
“But you do,” Li Feiling winked while walking forward to take a seat in an empty chair.
“…True,” Liu Qiangli shook his head, feeling a faint smile tug at the corner of his lips.
Laughing as a smug expression danced across her face, Li Feiling tapped her chin. “Oh yeah, tell your wife I said happy birthday, it was last week, right? I’ll send over a gift later.”
“I’ll tell her, but, truly, no need!” Liu Qiangli’s eyes widened.
“Nope, I feel like it. It’s truly nothing much,” Li Feiling laughed before turning away and looking at Xia Ruyun—whom she had sat beside on purpose just moments ago. Her voice softened as she leaned in a little closer. “Hey, Xia Ruyun. Are you doing alright with this March chill?”
The only response she elicited was a faint nod, a half-turn away, and a slow hand-slide to cover the information on the paper. Of course, because Xia Ruyun was staring straight down at the paper, Li Feiling didn’t see the faint hint of red on her cheeks.
Hmm... a bit of a lackluster response...
It’s fine, understandable given her past. I’m not going to push her too far.
Instead, she sat there falling into thought while tapping her chin. For some reason, her words always came out kinder when talking with Xia Ruyun. It wasn’t that she was mean to others, but she was a firm champion, enjoyer, connoisseur even, of verbal sparring.
Not that I have the chance to spar with anyone in this cast though...
What a shame really, I hope I’m not going to get rusty.
Unaware of the nearby murmurs, she decided to pull out her phone and move on. The nearby actresses and actors, though, felt their jaws drop after what they had heard.
“I’ve never seen Li Feiling speak like this before!”
“Not a hint of banter, only a caring question with unparalleled tenderness!”
“Is this still the same Li Feiling?”
Wu Linjie, in particular, could only shake his head in dejection. Getting consoling pats from the other male actors, he lamented the difference in treatment. Though... friendly with him, Li Feiling’s temperament towards him had never bordered on this level of tenderness...
Before long though, the situation moved on: the sound of pens scribbling on clipboards filled the area as Zhang Jingsong’s directing shouts punctured the silence every few minutes. Among the early finishers was Xia Ruyun. She scribbled her signature at the bottom of the page and handed her clipboard to Liu Qiangli.
“Just in time, Xia Ruyun!” Zhang Jingsong called out from his director’s chair. “Let’s film the study scene. Are you ready or do you need more of a break?”
Shaking her head, Xia Ruyun walked over to the costume designers and makeup artists to get tidied up before walking onto the stage. Sitting in the chair, she spent a couple seconds glancing around the set to search for her manager. Unable to find Gao Qian, she frowned for a second before the makeup artist tapped her cheek. “Please don’t frown while I'm doing this. It’ll mess up the makeup.”
“Sorry.”
Meanwhile, the set designers took advantage of the few downtime minutes to change up the set to fit the scene.
“Alright, you’re good to go,” The makeup artist smiled while helping Xia Ruyun up and out of the chair. “I must say though, my blush this time was on point. You’re looking extra beautiful.”
Covering her mouth as faint laughs slipped through her lips, Xia Ruyun whispered a quiet “thank you,” before walking off to the set. Sitting down in the small tent, she steeled her expression. The stool sitting in front of her would serve as her table. Covered in worn-out scrolls, the stool served to emphasize, as Zhang Jingsong had explained, “the impoverished lifestyle Murong An and Yang Guiying lived after running away.”
Regardless, I have to do this scene justice.
Deep breaths.
In... and out.
The rustling of pants. A cameraman squatted down beside her.
It would be a quick scene.
“Ready?” Zhang Jingsong asked the crew. “Okay! Lights, camera, action!”
---
Shuffling her papers, Murong An shifted on the ground and crossed her legs. Hunched over the stool, she dragged the candle a little closer and shivered while flipping through the scrolls. Her breaths shook as she tugged the beat-up coat tighter around herself.
Each scroll was covered from top to bottom in a forest of characters. Unlike the mythological tales she read in her childhood, these were detailed first-hand accounts of past battles.
[... 7,000 untrained peasants rushed the hill, thinking they could take it from 500 fortified defenders. 6,800 died, but they did take the hill...]
[... Later, the peasants were starved by a siege and the hill was retaken by a force of 50 trained soldiers...]
As she read, she scratched out notes, detailing the arts of war. Notes she’d take to become a useful asset to Yang Guiying...
She hugged her knees and pulled her ragged shirt over her mouth to conserve warmth. Her eyes burned with determination as she dug her hand into the ground, clenched her jaw.
“Never again...”
I’ll become the best strategist in the world. I’ll never get locked away again.
I’ll... I’ll become my own person.