Chapter 5: Interstellar

The novel Interstellar had become very popular two years ago. When the original work was completed, it exploded in popularity, attracting the attention of many film companies. However, due to the high copyright cost, filming difficulty, and huge investment, no one had managed to secure it for over two years. Several companies had been competing fiercely, waiting to see who could make the biggest impact. Now, it had been acquired by Huaying.

And it is clearly set up to support Yang Tong in her pursuit of the Best Actress award. She is still filming her first lead role in a TV drama, while Yang Tong is already stepping onto the big screen, starting at a much higher point.

Liu Qin was upset and kept ranting on WeChat.

“What’s so good about Yang Tong? The president of Huaying must be bewitched.”

“He’s probably a big, fat guy. I wonder if they’ve slept together.”

He’s not fat—not at all, in fact, he’s a handsome man.

As for whether they’ve slept together, that’s unknown.

Meng Ying pushed her meal away, sat on the sofa, and spaced out for a while. After a while, she bent down, picked up the script, and started reading it. When you start at a lower point than others, you have to work harder. After reading for a while, her mind still couldn’t focus, so she got up, took a shower, and when she came back out, she was able to get into it.

She studied the script until past 1 AM.

When she heard the sound of the door closing next door, she knew Liu Qin and the others had returned. Only then did Meng Ying go to sleep. The “Interstellar” trending topic indeed made it to number one the next day and stayed there.

In the makeup room, makeup artists, assistants, staff, and stagehands were all discussing it. Cheng Tang, the second female lead of Nine Heavens, who was also from Huaying, felt a bit jealous and muttered about it early in her own makeup room.

“Yang Tong seems arrogant, but she’s actually quite petty. All the resources are being given to her, and our boss is so biased.”

A curious makeup artist asked, “What does your boss look like? Is he really a fat guy like the internet says?”

Cheng Tang covered her mouth and smiled. “What fat guy? Our boss? I’ve only seen his profile when he was sitting in a car. His face was sculpted and very young-looking.”

“Wow, really? Is he good-looking? Does Yang Tong meet with him often?”

“Yes, he’s good-looking,” Cheng Tang pouted again. “But only Yang Tong can meet him. We’re all just background for her.”

The group sighed in envy.

This conversation also reached Meng Ying’s makeup room, which led to more complaints from Liu Qin. Meng Ying closed her eyes, reciting her lines while the makeup artist worked on her. The lines kept playing in her mind—her character, the female antagonist Ling Yao, was somewhat similar to her in a way: both were in love with a cold-hearted man.

But the difference was that the villain’s fiancé had someone else in his heart, while Xu Dian… Meng Ying couldn’t see if there was another woman in his heart. Last night, he had said he was only dealing with her.

So, there probably wasn’t anyone else…

This filming set was for interior scenes, and Ling Yao was still the fiancée of the Cang Long character. So, her costumes were simple, but the costumes in Nine Heavens were ethereal, in keeping with the fantasy genre, and the dresses were light and thin. After her makeup was finished, Meng Ying stepped down from the chair, looking serene and beautiful.

Her outstanding temperament and graceful figure made her look stunning, and on her back was a red rose.

Liu Qin clicked her tongue and pulled back the curtain, saying, “They’re calling for you.”

“Okay.” Meng Ying lifted the hem of her dress and walked out. Not far ahead, Director Jiang was directing the crew. Meng Ying walked over, and when Director Jiang looked back, he scratched his beard and said, “Not bad. Come over here.”

Meng Ying moved gracefully, the skirt swaying behind her.

Her slender waist was subtly visible, and as the makeup room door opened, Gu Yan, wearing a long black robe of Xuan Long, stepped out. The moment he looked up, his gaze fixed on the red rose faintly visible on the back of Meng Ying’s waist. His steps faltered, and his eyes darkened.

Yesterday.

He had seen it too.

“Gu Yan, over here.” Director Jiang waved his hand. Meng Ying turned around and saw the man in the black robe striding toward them. His gaze briefly swept over her before he nodded at her.

Meng Ying smiled, “Hello, Senior Gu.”

“Hello.”

Gu Yan stood beside Meng Ying. He was tall, and the black robe gave off a somewhat oppressive aura. Director Jiang gestured as he began discussing the scene with them. Meng Ying didn’t have many scenes yet, so Director Jiang seemed a little concerned and talked a bit more than usual.

He said to Gu Yan, “You should guide her a bit.”

Gu Yan tilted his head, and Meng Ying looked up. Their eyes met, and Gu Yan softened the sharpness in his gaze, offering a slight smile. “Shall I guide you properly?”

Meng Ying smiled in response, “Okay.”

“Then let’s go,” Gu Yan extended his hand toward her.

Meng Ying smiled and placed her hand in his. As they walked, their scenes were bound to involve love, hate, and possibly some physical contact, but holding hands was nothing. Her hand was soft and smooth, and Gu Yan applied just enough force to guide her up the stairs.

The stairs were quite high. Meng Ying lowered her head and watched the path, her hand resting in his, feeling the warmth from his palm. She lifted the hem of her skirt and followed him step by step. They hadn’t started filming yet, but the camera was focused behind them, capturing their silhouettes, elongating them.

The woman was delicate.

The man was wild.

The contrast of white and black was a perfect match.

Director Jiang smiled and stroked his beard.

The scene began to be filmed. Cang Long strode into the room, his robe billowing, sitting at the table, tapping his fingers nervously. Ling Yao entered with tea, and upon seeing Cang Long, her eyes lit up, filled with love. Cang Long hesitated, turned his head away, took the tea, and finally lifted his chin but didn’t look at Ling Yao, saying, “I want to call off the engagement…”

Next, the teacup dropped, and Ling Yao was in disbelief. She cried, holding Cang Long’s arm, tears streaming down her face. Cang Long, though impatient, couldn’t help but explain…

Due to the scene’s intensity, Meng Ying’s hair became disheveled, and her clothes followed suit. She tilted her head, filled with despair.

She instinctively imagined the man in front of her as Xu Dian, delivering a very convincing performance. Gu Yan gripped her arm tightly, his eyes fixed on her tears, on her lips. She looked fragile and vulnerable. His eyes briefly softened with pity before he tightened his grip on her arm, but his expression remained neutral.

“Cut!” Director Jiang called out.

“Excellent.”

Everyone let out a sigh of relief. Gu Yan still held Meng Ying’s hand, raised an eyebrow, and smiled. “You did well. You managed to follow my lead.”

“Thank you, Senior.” Meng Ying was a bit happy; at least she hadn’t been overwhelmed by his presence.

It could only be said that Xu Dian was a great help. Once she immersed herself in the emotion, it became very easy.

Director Jiang hadn’t expected Meng Ying to be such a good actress. He had only seen her on Weibo, where she was often involved in online disputes and hot searches, with a not-so-great reputation. After receiving her audition video, he had let her come for the test. She seemed promising at first, but later, when he saw all the negative news about her, he had some doubts.

Who would have thought? She was actually very good, easily getting into character, her emotions on point, and she was able to follow Gu Yan’s performance seamlessly.

He could finally relax.

The rest of the filming went on until late at night, and the day’s work wrapped up. Meng Ying did have a few shots, but they were few and far between. The character was simply too easy to get into emotionally.

When the director finally called “cut,” Meng Ying instantly relaxed. Gu Yan stood up, took the bottled water his assistant handed him, twisted off the cap, paused for a moment, and then handed it to Meng Ying.

Meng Ying hesitated for a moment, took the bottle, and smiled. “Thank you, Senior.”

Gu Yan nodded, opened another bottle for himself, took a sip, then casually glanced at her and asked, “Your emotion was quite good. Were you thinking of someone?”

Having reached the position he was in now and acted in so many roles, he was well aware that, at the beginning, actors usually connect to their emotions through empathy, and only later do they learn the techniques. From observing Meng Ying’s performance today, it was clear she was using empathy, so…

Pausing his drinking, Meng Ying lowered her head and smiled. “No, Ling Yao’s emotions are primarily driven by pain, so it’s easier to handle.”

She looked up at him.

Her smile was gentle.

The moon above the filming location was full, casting a soft glow on her face, which made her look even more delicate. Gu Yan looked at her with a faint gaze, then withdrew his eyes.

Was there really no one on her mind?

He lifted his long robe and walked down the stairs.

Liu Qin brushed past Gu Yan, excitedly calling out, “Senior Gu,” in a very polite tone. Looking at Gu Yan’s stern face, Liu Qin almost lost her composure and asked for his contact details. But then, she quickly moved to grab Meng Ying’s hand, excitedly saying, “You did great today! You were amazing, and I saw you chatting with the Best Actor earlier. What did you talk about? Did you ask for his contact info?”

Meng Ying was exhausted.

Being the lead actress was truly tiring. There were so many scenes to film, and she didn’t even think about asking for anyone’s contact info. She waved her hand.

She used to have just one or two lines or be a background character, so she never understood the struggles. She linked her arm with Liu Qin’s and said, “I didn’t ask. I was too shy to.”

She hadn’t even thought about asking.

Liu Qin sighed in frustration. “You… come on.”

Back at the hotel, Meng Ying took a shower, had a nutritious meal, and then sat on the sofa, drying her hair and letting her body relax. She picked up her phone and checked Weibo.

The trending hashtag, #Huaying puts huge investment from Interstellar, was still at the top.

Fans were still loudly proclaiming how much the president of Huaying cared for Yang Tong. Meng Ying stared at it for a while, then took several selfies.

She then opened WeChat and clicked on Xu Dian’s chat.

She typed.

Meng Ying: What are you doing? Handling something related to Interstellar?

After sending it, she immediately regretted it. It was a bit of a test, and sure enough, he didn’t reply. She gritted her teeth, then posted the selfies she had just taken on Weibo.

On the other side of the film set.

They were still filming a night scene, which would go on until around 3 a.m. Yang Tong wasn’t in the best condition, but when Xu Dian arrived, she gained a bit more energy. She glanced at the man on the sofa through the mirror.

He was dressed in a black shirt and black pants, wearing glasses, and the top button of his shirt was fastened, with his hair slightly falling down, obscuring his brows and eyes. His indifferent yet charming peach blossom eyes were hidden. His long legs were crossed as he lazily leaned back on the sofa, flipping through a magazine.

Every staff member who entered or exited couldn’t help but glance at him. No woman could resist this man.

Yang Tong admired him for a moment.

Just as she was about to speak, her assistant hurriedly walked in, holding a phone, and loudly said, “Sister, Gu Yan and Meng Ying are trending! The trending post says they look great together.”

On the sofa.

Xu Dian paused his magazine flipping.

Yang Tong held her phone and glanced at it, then looked at the man in the mirror. She cautiously asked, “Xu Dian, do you think Gu Yan and Meng Ying make a good pair?”

Xu Dian loosened his shirt collar, smiled softly, and said, “They make a great pair.”

Previous

Next