raknovel Chapter 42, Shi Shi's filming wrapped up, Little Gulnazar
Chapter 42, Shi Shi's filming wrapped up, Little Gulnazar
In the blink of an eye, filming for "Brotherhood of Blades" has been underway for almost a month.
Liu Shishi's last scene is Zhou Miaotong's last appearance in the entire film, a farewell in the snow.
Logically speaking, the shooting order of a movie is generally not based on the plot, but mainly on the set design, weather, and the characters' emotions.
Filming scenes in the same location together saves money and time; filming scenes with coherent emotions together avoids straining the actors.
But all of Liu Shishi's scenes unfold exactly in the order of the plot—from their first encounter at Nuanxiang Pavilion to their confrontation in the imperial prison, to their farewell in the snow, one scene after another, like pages of a book being turned one by one.
This was the only request, or rather suggestion, that Gao Huan made to director Lu Yang.
Lu Yang glanced at the screenwriter, investor, and lead actor, didn't ask why, and simply said two words: "Okay."
Gao Huan didn't say why, but Liu Shishi knew.
Because method actors need time to get into and out of character.
Shoot along the way; emotions are ingrained in your body, so you don't have to jump back into them every time.
Filming in reverse, where today is a farewell and tomorrow is a first encounter, some actors who get too into character will be torn apart.
She kept this in mind but didn't say thank you.
The final scene was filmed on location in the snow at the Huairou Film and Television Base.
The artificial snow was laid out by the prop team, but it was indistinguishable from the real thing from a distance.
The sky was gray, and the wind was strong, blowing the snow off the ground and hitting my face, making it sting cold.
Liu Shishi was wearing a moon-white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with only a thin veil over it. Standing in the snow, she looked as if she could be blown away by the wind at any moment.
Gao Huan stood opposite her, dressed in a tattered and blood-stained flying fish robe, with makeup to make him look injured. His face was pale and his lips were chapped.
Lu Yang shouted "Start".
The two people stood in the snow, neither of them moving.
The wind passed between the two people, lifting Liu Shishi's skirt and then letting it fall back down.
She moved first, walked up to Gao Huan, took out a plain silk handkerchief from her sleeve, and gently wiped the blood and snow off his face.
The movements were very gentle, as if afraid of hurting him.
"How much longer will you accompany me on this journey?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.
Gao Huan looked down at her, his eyes filled with weariness, regret, and something else she couldn't understand.
"I'm sending you to Jiangnan. From now on, you can stay away from the capital and live a peaceful life."
Liu Shishi paused for a moment.
She didn't withdraw her hand, but instead folded the handkerchief and put it back in her sleeve.
Let bygones be bygones.
She looked up into his eyes, eyes that were invisible in the play, but at this moment, Liu Shishi looked at Gao Huan with light in her pupils.
"I can no longer distinguish between hatred and gratitude."
Gao Huan remained silent.
He stood there, like a tree bent by the wind but not yet broken.
Liu Shishi walked to his side, but did not take his arm or lean on him. She simply stood beside him, her shoulder less than a fist's distance from his arm.
The two stood side by side in the snow, looking at the vast expanse of white ahead.
The wind picked up.
The snow was blown up, blurring the lens.
Lu Yang did not call a halt.
As the view zooms out, the two figures become fainter and smaller against the snowy backdrop, until only two blurry outlines remain.
One tall and one short, like two trees growing in the snow, their roots firmly planted in their own places, their branches occasionally touching in the wind.
"Card."
Lu Yang's voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the studio could hear it.
There was a moment of silence, then someone applauded.
Liu Shishi stood still, her eyes red, but she didn't cry out.
Gao Huan stood beside her without moving.
After a few seconds, Liu Shishi took a deep breath, turned around, faced the entire crew, and smiled.
"Filming is finished," she said, her voice trembling slightly, but her smile was genuine.
The staff got busy.
The prop master enters, the lighting technician turns off the lights, and the stagehands pack up the equipment.
Liu Shishi's assistant ran over and draped a black down jacket over her shoulders.
She shrank her neck and pulled her collar tighter.
Gao Huan turned around and was about to leave when Liu Shishi called him back.
"Gao Huan."
He stopped and turned around.
"Thanks."
Gao Huan looked at her, a slight smile playing on his lips: "You acted well, not because of me."
Liu Shishi didn't say anything more.
At this moment, director Lu Yang walked out from behind the monitor, holding a large bouquet of flowers in his hands, white lisianthus, with a few sprigs of eucalyptus leaves, simple and unassuming.
He handed the flowers to Liu Shishi and patted her on the shoulder.
"Shishi, this scene is your best in this play."
Liu Shishi accepted the flowers and smiled, "Thank you, Director Lu."
Lu Yang waved his hand, turned around and left; he wasn't good at saying those sentimental things.
Yangyang Jin also walked over from the side, holding a bouquet of pink roses, which was wrapped exquisitely and was a size larger than Lu Yang's bouquet.
She handed the flowers to Liu Shishi, smiling as she said, "Sister Shishi, happy wrap-up! Huan asked me to prepare these."
Liu Shishi took the second bouquet of flowers and glanced at Gao Huan.
Gao Huan was standing a few steps away, talking to a staff member, and didn't look at her.
Liu Shishi held the two bouquets of flowers in her arms. The white lisianthus and pink roses were squeezed together, the colors didn't match, but she thought they looked beautiful.
Holding the flowers, she watched Gao Huan walk towards the door from the crowd.
His gaze swept over the shoulders of several staff members, passing over the prop boxes and camera tripods.
She tiptoed slightly and looked towards the entrance of the photography studio.
Two milk tea carts and four hamburger carts were parked neatly in the open space in front of the entrance.
The vehicle was decorated with a banner that read, "Thank you for your hard work, 'Brotherhood of Blades' crew."
The front and rear of the convoy vehicles were marked with Gao Huan and her personal identification signs, respectively.
The scale of the operation was more than twice as large as when Chen Yao arrived.
Naza stood next to the milk tea cart, wearing a long red down jacket, her hair down, and sunglasses, talking to the staff.
She was wearing makeup, and the vibrant energy of the 22-year-old girl was dazzling. Standing in the hazy sky, she was like a fire blown in by the wind.
Gao Huan was standing next to her, talking to her.
Naza took off her sunglasses, tilted her head to look at him, smiled, and reached out to take his arm.
Liu Shishi stood in the crowd, holding two bouquets of flowers in her arms. Looking at the scene, her expression remained unchanged, but the fingers holding the flowers tightened slightly.
When Nazha walked over arm in arm with Gao Huan, her steps were light and quick, and the hem of her down jacket swayed gently with each step.
Gao Huan's pace was neither fast nor slow, and his expression remained unchanged.
"Sister Shi Shi!" Nazha spoke first, her voice sweet and just right, "Congratulations on wrapping up filming! I watched clips of your scenes, they were really great."
Liu Shishi, holding the flowers, smiled and said, "Thank you for visiting the set."
"Of course," Nazha said, leaning closer to Gao Huan. "I've always remembered how well you took care of me."
She was telling the truth.
Liu Shishi did take care of her.
A few years ago, when Gulnazar first debuted, she appeared on a variety show, and Liu Shishi was also there.
Nazha didn't know anything back then. When the host asked her a question she couldn't answer, Liu Shishi answered it for her.
Later at events, Liu Shishi would take the initiative to greet and introduce her to some seniors.
Naza kept these things in mind and would send Liu Shishi messages during holidays.
But remembering kindness and letting your guard down are two different things.
Naza's hand, which was linked with Gao Huan's arm, tightened slightly at the knuckles, as if afraid he would run away.
Her gaze swept across Liu Shishi's face, then over Gao Huan, before settling on the two bouquets of flowers, where she paused for a moment.
"The flowers are so beautiful," she said.
"It was a gift from Yangyang Jin," Liu Shishi said.
Naza glanced at Gao Huan, but Gao Huan didn't say anything.
"Sister Shishi, what are your plans after filming wraps up?" Nazha asked.
Liu Shishi thought for a moment: "Let's rest for a few days first, then we have some work to discuss."
"Then you should take care of yourself and not overwork yourself." Nazha said this sincerely.
Gao Huan stood to the side, not saying much.
Liu Shishi's gaze swept across his face, but his expression remained unchanged.
But Liu Shishi noticed that the arm that Nazha was holding didn't move, but his left hand was hanging at his side, holding his phone, as if he was replying to a message.
"Sister Shishi," Gao Huan said softly, "Congratulations on wrapping up filming."
Liu Shishi looked at him and said, "Thank you."
Gao Huan took a step forward and stretched out his hand.
Naza didn't let go of his arm, so he could only extend his left arm.
He turned to the side, his right arm slightly outstretched. Liu Shishi, holding the flowers, couldn't free her hands. After hesitating for a moment, she turned slightly to the side, leaning her shoulder and upper body against him, resulting in a half-hug.
Above the chest, within the bounds of politeness.
Naza's hand remained clasped around his left arm, never letting go.
Liu Shishi leaned against Gao Huan's right side for less than two seconds, then stepped back.
The three of them stood on the steps at the entrance of the photography studio. The wind blew in from outside, blowing Liu Shishi's skirt up and Nazha's hair onto her face.
Naza reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear, a very natural gesture, as if she were declaring something.
Liu Shishi saw it, but didn't say anything.
"Then I'll be going now," Liu Shishi said, holding the flowers and nodding slightly. "You two chat."
She turned and walked towards the lounge, her pace neither fast nor slow.
After walking a few steps, she heard Nazha's voice behind her: "Sister Shishi, let's have dinner together later."
She didn't turn around, but simply raised her hand, waved, and then disappeared around the corner of the corridor.
Naza watched Liu Shishi's figure disappear, then glanced at Gao Huan.
"Sister Shishi seems to have lost weight."
Gao Huan did not respond.
"When you hugged her just now," Nazha paused, "why did you only use half your body?"
Gao Huan glanced at her: "Because you're holding onto the other half."
Naza paused for a moment, then laughed.
Laughing, she tiptoed and kissed him on the cheek.
"Good boy, brother will reward you nicely tonight. I brought something with me."
Gao Huan didn't speak, but simply nodded in satisfaction.
Naza linked arms with him and walked into the photography studio, her steps lighter than before.
Liu Shishi returned to the lounge, placed the two bouquets of flowers on the dressing table, sat down in a chair, and looked at herself in the mirror.
Her eyes were still red, but it probably wasn't because of the role anymore.
She took a deep breath, picked up her phone, and scrolled to Gao Huan's WeChat chat window.
They have a lot of chat history lately, mostly about work, but there are also often a few casual greetings and small talk.
She stared at the chat window for a few seconds, then locked the screen and placed her phone face down on the table.
She didn't know what she wanted to say, but she knew that some words were stuck in her throat and she couldn't say them.
The crew was still filming their nighttime scenes, but Liu Shishi wasn't needed.
Her scenes are all over.
She returned to the hotel from the film studio, took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and settled down on the sofa.
The TV was on, but the volume was very low, and she didn't know what program was playing.
She just needed some background noise to keep her attention from wandering in one direction.
My phone vibrated.
It was a post on Nazha's WeChat Moments, with nine pictures: a milk tea truck, a hamburger truck, a group photo of the crew, a group photo of her with herself and several other lead actors, and a group photo of her with that person.
The two stood together, she linked her arm with his, rested her head on his shoulder, and smiled beautifully.
The caption read: "Happy set visit~"
Liu Shishi stared at the photo for a few seconds, then turned off her phone screen.
The room darkened, leaving only the flickering light of the television on the wall.
She recalled that earlier that day at the studio entrance, Nazha was holding someone's hand, which meant that when that person hugged her, they could only use half of their body.
It wasn't that he didn't want to use his whole body; it was that the other half was being held back.
She couldn't quite explain why she felt uncomfortable.
There was a mix of jealousy, relief, and a sense of powerlessness, like "I've already lost before I even started."
At 10:30 p.m., Nazha pestered someone to practice yoga in the hotel room.
She was wearing his T-shirt, the neckline so low it revealed half her shoulder, and the hem just covered her upper thigh.
She said she wanted to practice Pilates, someone agreed, and she started doing it.
I could hold a plank for less than a minute before my arms started to shake.
Someone squatted down beside her and pointed at her lower back with their finger: "Push your waist up."
She tried to push, but she didn't use the right amount of force, and she swayed and fell to the ground.
"I can't go on, I have no strength left."
She buried her face in the yoga mat, her voice muffled.
Someone stood up, walked to the side, and took a sip of water.
That's enough for today.
Naza rolled over and lay on her back on the mat, looking at the ceiling.
Her face was flushed, and her hair was disheveled.
"Carry me to bed," she said.
Someone put down the water glass, bent down, scooped her up from the mat, and carried her to the bed.
Naza shrank under the covers, leaving only her face showing, and squinted at him.
Aren't you going to sleep?
"You go to sleep first, I'll write something."
Naza hummed in agreement and closed her eyes.
In less than five minutes, his breathing became even.
Having just completed three yoga poses, she spent the morning filming on set before arriving from Hengdian. In the afternoon, she traveled for more than two hours and then busied herself distributing food trucks in Huairou. She was completely exhausted.
Someone sat at his desk and took out the screenplay for the movie "The Nameless" from his bag.
It was revised again.
He picked up a pen, wrote two lines of dialogue on the paper, crossed them out, wrote two more lines, and crossed them out again.
The wind outside was strong, making the curtains billow.
He likes the feeling of wind blowing when he's doing things.
My phone vibrated.
On WeChat, Liu Shishi's profile picture has a red number lit up in the upper right corner.
He opened it; it was a message.
"Are you asleep?"
Someone glanced at the person curled up in bed and started typing.
"no."
A dozen seconds later, the other side sent another message.
"I'm in room 1003."
There is no context, no explanation.
It's just a room number.