Standing a few steps away, Yuan Yuan and others didn’t disturb Qi Cong as he reviewed the script. After hearing the director’s words, they each picked up their tools and came forward. Yuan Yuan took out a powder puff to fix Qi Cong’s make-up while Jiang Meng went behind Qi Cong to comb his hair and straighten his clothes.

Zhao Zhenxun, who was busy all afternoon until dinner time, took a few steps forward and walked up to Qi Cong side. He said, “Don’t feel pressured. You are new, so it’s normal to NG at first. You just need to gradually improve.”

Qi Cong looked around and asked, “Where’s Jia Jia?”

“He’s shooting another scene. He’ll come over as soon as he’s finished.”

Assistant Director Guo began to direct the idle crew to move out of the set to prepare to start filming. Zhao Zhenxun looked to the side at Qi Cong again and said, “Act well.”

Qi Cong nodded.

Five minutes later, the scene was cleared and Yuan Yuan and Jiang Meng finished Qi Cong’s final preparations. They each took their tools and walked to the side, but before leaving Yuan Yuan made a cheering gesture toward Qi Cong.

The study room set that originally seemed crowded, became spacious after everyone had left. The lighting engineer finally adjusted the lights, and then turned off a few peripheral lights used to illuminate the set from above.

The light in the study instantly diminished, giving the feeling of being late at night. In the flickering candlelight, dressed in azure robes, Qi Cong stood alone in front of the study book shelf. Half of his body was in light, half in darkness, his face obscured by a black mask, as if he had come out of the darkness in a trance.

“Qi Cong, don’t move.”

Qi Cong was still getting used to the light, blinked and didn’t move.

Deputy Director Guo stood behind the camera, directing the cameraman to adjust the angle again, looking at the integration of the camera and the scene in front of him. Then nodding with satisfaction he said to him, “Qi Cong, walk in the direction of the desk. Remember that you are now You Changqing. Relax, we’re still just trying out shots and arrangements, it’s not official shooting yet.”

Qi Cong heard the words but didn’t move. He just looked at Deputy Director Guo and said, “Wheelchair or crutches.”

The low, gentle, and slightly sandy voice spread across the too quiet set. Since Qi Cong wore a costume at this time, it inexplicably made people want to rub their arms.

Many of the staff members who hadn’t heard Qi Cong’s voice before froze, and even Deputy Director Guo became quiet for a few seconds.

“Ah yes!” Deputy Director Guo twisted his head to look at the small actor who played the role of You Changqing’s servant and asked, “Where are his wheelchair and crutches?”

The young actor turned around and pushed out a brown wooden wheelchair from behind a shelf and said, “Here it is, the crutches are pinned to the wheelchair.”

“Push it over to him.”

The little actor looked at Qi Cong who was standing unmoving at the corner, and connected with the faint outline of his eyes behind the black veil on his mask. Inexplicably a little nervous, he bowed his head, pushed the wheelchair over and said, “Here is your wheelchair.”

“Thank you.” Qi Cong bent over the wheelchair and stretched out his hand, exposing his upper body completely to the light. His soft long hair slipped over his shoulder as a few strands fell in front of his body. His sleeves swung lightly, moving the bamboo leaf pattern like it was scenery suddenly coming to life, unconsciously grasping people’s line of sight.

The little actor froze. The set also vaguely became quieter.

Qi Cong didn’t notice as he adjusted the direction of the wheelchair and lifted the hem of his clothes to sit on it. After determining the position of the crutches first, he then put his hands on both sides of the wheelchair armrests, and skillfully controlled the wheelchair back to the position where he was just standing. Then he looked back at Deputy Director Guo and said, “Director Guo, I am ready.”

The graceful gentleman who wasn’t good at walking sat peacefully in his wheelchair, as the depths of the candlelight got caught in his eyes. Deputy Director Guo’s eyes lit up as he looked at Qi Cong in the camera. Squeezing the cameraman out, he adjusted the camera angle with his own hands, and said, “All right, Qi Cong you will go to the desk in a minute, then move behind it and pick up a book to read for a while before writing. After that…you who play the servant boy, don’t just stand there, come out. When he  goes to the desk to read, bring him tea. After putting the teacup down, you should whisper ‘Young Master, it’s time to rest.’ Qi Cong you don’t have to respond, just wave your hand to the boy to step down and when he leaves just continue reading and writing. Let’s first try this scene. Put aside the unexpected news and the poisoning for now. I’ll give you time to get used to filming. Come on, everyone in their positions, let’s start!”

The crowd returned to their senses as the lighting and sound technicians hurried to get ready. The young actor also snapped out of his daze. He looked at Qi Cong, who was sitting in a wheelchair beside him, stood for two seconds and trotted out of this study.

He was really nervous when he first saw him.

It would be false to say that Qi Cong wasn’t nervous about his first shoot but…. 

He looked nervously at Yuan Yuan, Jiang Meng and the frowning Zhao Zhenxun, who waited at the edge of the set. He closed his eyes and recalled Gu Xun’s afternoon analysis and his understanding of the role of You Changqing, then he slowly adjusted his breathing.

There was nothing to be nervous about, he just needed to do his best.

“Come! All departments in position. Qi Cong, get ready in three, two, one, go!”

The scene became so quiet that only the sound of camera equipment was left.

Qi Cong opened his eyes at the sound of the clap of the board, his back straightened, his chin tucked in. His sitting posture seemed to be the same, but it became vaguely different again. He glanced in the direction of the window, then withdrew his eyes, reached to control his wheelchair and slid toward the desk.

The sound of the wheelchair rubbing against the floor continued.

Off the set, Jiang Meng and Yuan Yuan watched the wheelchair move, the aura and expression of Qi Cong becoming a little strange as they excitedly grabbed each other’s hands.

Zhao Zhenxun’s eyebrows twitched slightly as he glanced at the sitting posture of Qi Cong. His heart calmed a little as he moved his eyes to look at the camera behind Deputy Director Guo, who was now staring straight at the camera.

The rattling of the wheelchair stopped, and Qi Cong stopped at the desk. In front of him, a cushioned chair that shouldn’t have existed in the first place was behind the desk, blocking his way forward, and crowded the space where he should park his wheelchair.

The staff member in charge of furniture placement froze. Repentantly, he got up and went to the director to admit his mistake and move the chair out of the way. However, before he could take a step, Qi Cong suddenly reached out to touch the crutches on the side of the wheelchair, and naturally and skillfully, as if he did it millions of time before, with one hand on the desk and another on the ground for support, slowly get up from the wheelchair and moved to the seat.

It was only then that he found that the chair was in the way and interrupted the position set before. Deputy Director Guo swallowed the words he wanted to say to the furniture set-up staff that welled up in his throat and signaled everyone to be quiet. Quickly, he walked to another camera position to focus more on Qi Cong in the camera frame.

In the camera, Qi Cong seemed to unconsciously touch the red jewel on the crutches, then put them in a place where he could reach them and picked the book from the book case. After reading just two pages he put it aside. Once again, naturally and skillfully, as if he had done this thousands of times, he reached out for a piece of paper. Pressing it with paperweight, he held his sleeve with one hand and held the brush with another as he dipped it in the ink and began to write.

His series of movements were so smooth that they didn’t seem hard or uneasy. It was almost like he was living, reading and writing here everyday.

Deputy Director Guo looked at the impeccable movements of Qi Cong through the camera and couldn’t help but push the camera closer. Then he turned around and waved to the young actor waiting outside the study door.

The young actor had already picked up the tea after receiving the signal, took a deep breath, bowed his head and entered the door. He walked gently and quickly to the desk. Then he put the tea down at the corner of the desk, and whispered, “Young Master, it’s time to rest.”

The voice of the young actor was very dry with a tension that could be heard by the naked ear.

It broke through the atmosphere brought out by Qi Cong, making Director Guo frown, but he didn’t stop filming.

During the period of time that it took the young actor to enter and put down the tea, Qi Cong maintained his unhurried writing speed, as if he didn’t notice the appearance of the young actor in general.

When the small actor made a sound, he still didn’t change his posture, but his eyes were glued to the paper.

Just when everyone thought he had forgotten what to do next, he suddenly stroked the paper and then put the brush near the ink. Then he flicked his wrist at the young actor standing in front of the desk – moving as elegantly and casually as if he was a prince who had been in power for a long time and was calling on his subordinate.

When Deputy Director Guo saw the details of this action in the close-up of the camera he couldn’t help but raise his eyes to look at Qi Cong. Then he smiled and clapped his hands, saying, “Good, that’s the feeling. Come on, everyone get ready, we’ll shoot the official scene now. Boy, come here I will re-adjust your position. You can’t enter from here, you have to go around or you will block the shot. Qi Cong, come too.

Under the direction of Director Guo, the quiet set once again became active. Qi Cong, who just finished writing, loosened his taut waist a little, put down the brush and got up.

All the staff looking at Qi Cong found that the invisible aura of superiority that they just felt became silently scattered as Qi Cong got up from his seat.

Everyone couldn’t adapt to this change, so they couldn’t help continuing to look at Qi Cong.

When Deputy Director Guo noticed this, he felt a bit angry and amused at the same time as he said to the surrounding crew, “What are you standing around for? Hurry up and work, do you all want to work overtime?”

Only then did the staff come back to their senses. They all withdrew their eyes and spread out, getting busy.

Qi Cong walked over to Director Guo. He noticed everyone’s eyes, but he couldn’t figure out why they were looking at him. He just pretended he didn’t notice and called out to Director Guo when he got closer, waiting for his orders.

Director Guo looked at Qi Cong and didn’t say anything at first. Then he looked Qi Cong up and down and said with a smile, “Not bad. I was worried that you were new and inexperienced so it would take time for you to get into shape. I didn’t expect you to give me such a big surprise. Did you ponder over the script? Tell me, what do you think of the chair behind the desk, keep it or lose it?”

The evaluation seemed to be good and it seemed that Qi Cong didn’t mess up his scene just now.

Qi Cong’s uneasy heart became slightly relieved. He replied with conviction, “Keep it.”

“Why? Give me a reason. If you can convince me, I’ll keep the chair.”

Qi Cong glanced back at the chair, remembered Gu Xun who was far away in Beishi and then looked back at Deputy Director Guo. “You Changqing hates his handicap and always wants to look as good as, or better than a normal person. This chair is his dignity, and he wouldn’t lose it.”

On the sidelines, Zhao Zhenxun, who was about to go up to Qi Cong suddenly stopped. He took out  his vibrating cell phone from his pocket and glanced at the incoming call. Frowning, he looked at Qi Cong again, then after saying a few words to Yuan Yuan, he found a quiet corner and connected the call. “What’s the matter?”

“Has the filming of Cong started? Where is it?”

“….” Zhao Zhenxun raised his hand and pinched his brow as he spoke. “I seem to remember the premiere of “Heaven Asked?” is today.”

“I don’t need you anymore, I just saw Shen Jia.”

The call was disconnected. Zhao Zhenxun put down his phone, looked at the screen for a while, turned around with a black face and resigned himself to walking towards the entrance of the set.

 

Edited by: Antiope1

 

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