Xia Wei Liang emerged after doing her makeup and changing her clothes.
She wore a plain cheongsam, stained with streaks of blood. Her hair was messy, and her face was bruised with blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
A typical image of a revolutionary preparing to face death with dignity!
She looked at herself in the mirror from side to side, feeling that something was still not right.
“Miss Xia, what’s wrong?”
The makeup artist, Yao Qian, who was well-known in the industry, saw her constantly looking in the mirror with apparent dissatisfaction. Her face immediately turned cold.
Xia Wei Liang tilted her head and asked, “Does it have to be this look? Uh, I mean, are there no other options?”
Upon hearing this, Yao Qian’s expression became even more somber. She threw her makeup brush onto the table, sat down, and crossed her legs. “The look was discussed with the director before filming. If you’re not satisfied, go talk to the director! If you think my makeup isn’t good, then find someone else!”
“I’m not saying the look is bad…”
“Alright, if the makeup is done, you can go. I’m busy here.”
The entertainment industry is a battlefield of fame and fortune. Only when one is famous does one have a voice; otherwise, one must be humble. Even as just a makeup artist, her arrogance was evident because she was part of a strong production team and a renowned director’s acclaimed work.
She had done makeup for the biggest stars, so why would she bother with a third-rate, eighteenth-tier actress?
“This attitude…”
Brother Yuan was about to lose his temper, but Nuomi and Xia Wei Liang forcibly dragged him out of the makeup room.
Nuomi: “Brother Yuan! This is a film set, not our home. Getting angry will have consequences!”
Xia Wei Liang also reflected deeply: “It’s not her problem; I’ve made a mistake.”
Nuomi shook her head, “Sister Wei Wei, you were the last one confirmed for the role. We didn’t have time to communicate with wardrobe and makeup at all. Moreover… no one approached us; everything was decided by them, so this can’t be blamed on you.”
To be precise, “Picking Up” was a male-dominated drama, with even the female lead having limited screen time, let alone the third female lead.
And as a Republican-era revolutionary drama, the wardrobe and makeup for the third female lead were even more meticulous.
Song Yuan asked her, “Do you feel something is wrong?”
Xia Wei Liang frowned deeply and suddenly made a bold decision, “Nuomi, wipe all this stuff off my face. I want to ‘leave’ clean and pure.”
“Huh?”
More than ten minutes later, the assistant director called her over for a blocking rehearsal.
Xia Wei Liang took a deep breath, encouraged herself, and then walked over. Director Zhou was already there.
The filming location was a stone prison, damp and dark. When Director Zhou turned his head and saw the person approaching, he was stunned for a moment, narrowed his eyes, and pulled up a chair to sit down.
Xia Wei Liang followed the assistant director to block the scene and communicated briefly with the lighting, cinematography, and sound technicians to understand where to stand.
At this moment, Yao Qian came over and said something to Director Zhou, making his expression even worse.
Assistant Director Wang came over and said the director was calling for her. Xia Wei Liang felt nervous but still walked over calmly.
“Who allowed you to change your own look?” Director Zhou asked directly.
The girl opposite him had a serene, porcelain-white face. Her hair was neatly combed and secured with a fine-tooth comb. The stains on her cheongsam were all wiped clean, and every button was fastened neatly.
Her small hands were clasped in front of her. A jade bracelet adorned her left wrist, making her wrists appear slender, her fingers long, and her posture graceful and upright. She didn’t look like someone about to be secretly executed, but rather like a young lady from a prominent family.
Director Zhou’s expression grew more somber.
Hah, as expected, a mere decorative actress, only thinking about how to look clean and pretty in front of the camera, completely disregarding the character’s background! Was she here to film a movie or to walk a fashion show?
He had previously thought this girl, despite her lack of experience, was spirited and highly adaptable!
Now it seemed she was no different from those actresses who liked to show off after landing a role in his play!
Every industry has its rules, especially filmmaking, which requires coordination and unity among all departments. Every step must be flawless. Changing her look demonstrated her disrespect for the other staff members!
As Director Zhou finished speaking, the other staff members, though seemingly busy, were all extending their ears. Some onlookers were waiting for another actor to be scolded to tears.
During this time, someone took out their phone and snapped a photo of the scene…
After Xia Wei Liang said something, Director Zhou’s voice rose, “That’s still no reason for you to change your look!”
The rest of the crew was accustomed to it. Director Zhou’s outbursts on set were common. It was just that Xia Wei Liang had courted disaster this time.
The young lady opposite was clearly also red-eyed with anger. She immediately became spirited, stood even straighter, and raised her voice, “…Lian Zhu’s family declined, was destroyed in the turmoil, and her family scattered, but her inherent pride did not diminish! Even if she has to die, she must walk this final journey cleanly and purely!”
Everyone was stunned.
“……Lian Zhu’s heart harbored no grand love. What nation, what people, meant less to her than a clean, fair face and a simple, spotless dress!”
“She willingly went to her death, not for the country, not for the people, but for the young man in her heart! He was the one who propped up her shattered self-esteem and pride!”
“Even in death, she wants to leave clean and beautiful! Because her life is complete! For the world to see her as tragic is the real tragedy!”
The young lady roared these words, her cheeks flushed with emotion, and her eyes faintly glistening.
The scene fell silent.
At the entrance of the stone prison, a tall figure leaned against the wall, his brows furrowed as he listened quietly.
After Xia Wei Liang finished speaking in one breath, her soul and spirit returned to her body. Her brain started working again, and her first reaction was to slap herself twice!
Damn it!
Xia Wei Liang, you’ve gotten too arrogant! You’re lecturing Director Zhou about the play now?
Hah, you’re quite something!
Give you a firecracker, and you’ll treat it like a whirlwind chariot and ride it to the heavens, right?
Xia Wei Liang took two deep breaths, her little head spinning rapidly as she considered how to salvage the situation with Director Zhou.
Would kneeling and paying respects be too rash?
Or should she just collapse and pretend to have amnesia?
Or, calling Director Zhou “Dad” wouldn’t be impossible either…
“Hmm, I understand.”
Director Zhou suddenly spoke, startling her.
Understa- understand what?
“It’s not… Director Zhou, I’m just a child… I haven’t grown up yet. Why would you bother with me? Heh, hehe…”
She was truly on the verge of tears.
You were such a lovely little fairy, why did you have to open your mouth?
Director Zhou looked at her with his eyes narrowed to slits, let out a couple of chuckles, and then abruptly asked, “So, what do you think she was thinking at the moment of her death?”
Xia Wei Liang froze.
She slowly lowered her head, remembering the dark hotel audition room, the fleeting encounter with the young man, and remembering… that embrace in the darkness.
With a smile, she said, “She was thinking… the young man’s embrace must have been very warm.”
Director Zhou’s eyes, which had been narrowed to slits, gradually widened. Staring at the gentle, soft glow on the young girl’s face, he immediately raised his hand to signal for the formal shooting preparations to begin—
From the set, the director’s shouts continued to come—
“Cut!”
“Xia Wei Liang, stand there and don’t move! What, do you think our camera range is too small and you want to venture out on your own?”
“Again!”
The man standing not far away, gazing at the girl surrounded by lights, constantly apologizing but with a pleasing expression, her determined efforts were truly dazzling.
His gaze gradually softened with warmth.
Perhaps, this was how she was meant to be.