Ignored by Zhang Jingsong, Li Feiling shook her head while letting out an exasperated chuckle. Once the assistant wheeled the cart of cushions in, she turned and whispered a “Thank you, Shuhua” to her manager before letting her leave the room. Without much to do afterward, she helped hand out cushions to all the actors and actresses while Zhang Jingsong handed out scripts.
As she handed out cushions, a glimmer of recognition danced behind her eyes as she noticed Xia Ruyun standing in the corner. Raising her eyebrows and keeping her expression neutral, she looked away before anyone—including Xia Ruyun—noticed her gaze.
Her old idol had returned to the industry...
Shelving her thoughts, she followed Zhang Jingsong’s orders and sat in her assigned position in the cushion circle. Zhang Jingsong took the cushion to her right. To her left, sat Wu Linjie, and to his left sat... Xia Ruyun. With Wu Linjie beside her, she folded her hands on her lap while a faint flicker of curiosity danced behind her eyes.
“Hey, Senior Li,” Wu Linjie coughed while offering a handshake.
Li Feiling raised an eyebrow and returned the handshake as a few amused thoughts flashed across her mind. We’ve already worked on so many projects together, are we still offering formal greetings every time we see each other?
I don’t mind though... a few extra manners never hurt anyone...
Wu Linjie, though, broke into an ecstatic smile as Li Feiling returned the handshake. After they finished, he looked to the other side of the circle where a few of his friends sat, pointing to his hand while laughing.
“So, how are you, Wu Linjie? Quite a coincidence with how we keep bumping into each other,” Li Feiling shook her head and chuckled while nudging him to calm down. His... struggle to converse with women was nothing new. He liked her, but also didn’t.
I’m sure he thinks it’s romantic, but if I had to put money on it, I’d say it isn’t.
She felt it was more of a ‘first woman he’s ever gotten close to other than his mother’ situation...
What a person this twenty-three year old teenager was.
Xia Ruyun, with one cushion between her and Li Feiling, watched her changing expressions with great interest. They were subtle, like any great actress’. Li Feiling excelled at keeping her expressions under control, but she still had the same hidden tells from all those years ago. Her almost playful interest came through in the faint head tilt, the half-eye roll, and the folded hands.
What a surprise though...
I didn’t expect Li Feiling of all people to show up. It’s not the largest production, nor does it have a super famous director, and that’s not even mentioning the budget. It’s big, but not eye-popping like her other projects.
Maybe it's part of the trend of female empowerment projects that Li Feiling seems to be taking on, recently? Plus, the premise seems well-written...
Eh. Xia Ruyun didn’t care anyway. As long as she kept her head down and did the work it’d be... fine.
“Alright, are we all settled?” Zhang Jingsong’s sharp voice punctured through her thoughts. His expression hardened as he put on his ‘director’ hat. “Idle conversationalists in the back, please cease your conversation. I have already allowed your conversation to continue for two minutes. Can’t you all learn a thing or two from the stellar actors and actresses near me? Consider Li Feiling here, she’s sitting extremely still while waiting for you all.”
Giving the now-apologizing actors and actresses on the other side of the circle an understanding smile, Xia Ruyun shook her head and snuck a glance towards Zhang Jingsong.
... For a director whose reputation is having ‘an eye for detail,’ do you not see that the conversation started because of the interaction between your star cast members?
“Anyway, I apologize for my harsh words,” Zhang Jingsong sighed while massaging his eyebrows. “I’ve been swamped with work, and, thus, have not slept much recently. I have an announcement to make, though. We’ll begin filming on the first of March. I know it's short notice, a tad over a week, but it works with all of our schedules. I’ve let all your managers know, no need to text them now.”
He popped open his water bottle and took a sip. “Now, shall we start with some introductions? Li Feiling, do you mind starting?”
“Not at all, Director Zhang,” Li Feiling grinned while flashing a confident look to the rest of the room. “Li Feiling here~ Nice to see some familiar faces here. As you all know, I’m still trying my best to improve so I hope to learn a lot from you all. I’ll be playing the female lead, Yang Guiying.”
Brief and to the point with her introduction; she passed the attention off to Wu Linjie who wasted no time and started talking everyone’s ear off. A summary of his life story, achievements, and past projects. Later, he ended his introduction with “I’ll be playing the male lead, Long Fei. Pleasure to meet you all.”
Wu Linjie stirred Xia Ruyun’s interest and grabbed her attention. She felt he had the potential to be a social butterfly. As it stood now, though, she could attest that the golden retriever-like reputation he had among fans was genuine, but with a little more practice, he could harness his natural sense of humor to become a true charismatic powerhouse. As for the rest, he was quite successful already. A fair few nominations and a Phoenix Supporting Male Actor of the Year already sat in his grasp.
For her own introduction though, she paused before nodding to the expectant gazes. “... I’m... Xia Ruyun. I’ll be playing the supporting female lead, Murong An.” She didn’t elaborate on her situation or who she was.
It’s just more talking... and everyone either already knows my situation or doesn’t need to know...
Among those who did know though, one in particular tapped her fingers together. Adjusting her messy ponytail into a... slightly less messy ponytail, Li Feiling stitched her eyebrows into an almost imperceptible furrow.
So quiet.
The angelic voice that had drawn her into the industry all those years ago had become so... hesitant. Xia Ruyun and her songs pushed her much younger self to chase her dreams.
It’s just a shame... Though, I guess that’s how life has unfolded...
Beyond a distant admiration, her feelings towards Xia Ruyun had faded over the years. Not much remained beyond a faint flame piquing her interest.
I know I resolved to close the distance between us when I saw her earlier... but judging by the current situation... it’ll be hard to even get her contact information—let alone get closer to her.
Eh... I’m sure it’ll happen eventually though, no need to force it.
It might sound arrogant, but Li Feiling knew her own charisma and charm.
For the rest of the introductory period, both Li Feiling and Xia Ruyun didn’t talk much.. They nodded and paid attention, but unlike Wu Linjie who pitched in with some comments from time to time, both of them kept their mouths shut.
Through the subsequent script reading, Xia Ruyun also kept quiet. People like Li Feiling had plenty of lines, but she didn’t have more than a handful—her work would be more non-verbal after all.
As a whole though, the movie seemed... interesting. Xia Ruyun felt whoever wrote it had a twisted heart. Death! Death everywhere! By the end of the movie, more than two-thirds of the cast was dead!
Taking place in ancient warring times, Xia Ruyun felt it resembled the Warring States period she learned about in Q City’s grade school. The show follows Li Feiling’s character, Yang Guiying, and her bloody and tireless journey to unite the continent. From a commoner, to a general, to the eventual empress.
Over the course of the story, she’s accompanied by her childhood friend: the supporting lead, Murong An, who acts as her strategist, advisor, and emotional support. Later, after Murong An leaves, Yang Guiying falls into a months-long rut of depression.
At this point, the star soldier who takes control of the battlefield like a wild demon, Long Fei, comes in and comforts Yang Guiying. Together, driven by both their dreams—and the dreams of their dead comrades—they unite the continent and become loving empress and emperor.
With a bittersweet ending as they visited the graves of all their fallen comrades after the coronation, Xia Ruyun felt the show was quite charming, quite interesting, and potentially... quite successful if everyone played their part.