Crossover Actors - Chapter 25
At dawn, it started raining and it hadn’t stopped all day, continuing intermittently until evening. The mountain city was shrouded in mist, and the sky was as dark as ink.
Coincidentally, they were filming a rain scene today, with the crew stationed at the entrance of Ye Xiaowu’s school.
Ye Xiaowu didn’t have an umbrella, and Ye Shan came to pick him up, noticing the close interaction between him and Qi Xiao. The two brothers lived in the same room, so it wasn’t hard for Ye Shan to guess that Ye Xiaowu might be secretly in love.
Ye Xiaowu readily admitted it and complained to Ye Shan that Qi Xiao wanted him to attend university and study in Beijing together after graduation. He joked, “I won’t be able to get in unless you help me again.”
Ye Shan didn’t respond, lost in thought, tightly gripping the umbrella handle.
For the scene, a stand-in was needed. They filmed from different angles, first capturing Ye Shan’s and then Ye Xiaowu’s main shots, which would be edited together later. Small plastic markers were inserted between the brick seams to calibrate positioning; any deviation would cause a mistake.
The camera was raised and pulled back to capture the slanted lines of rain.
The assistant director shouted, “Cut! Good!”
Lu Wen immediately knelt down on one knee, his elbows holding the umbrella, and removed the plastic markers from the ground one by one. Before filming, Qu Yanting had personally placed these markers here according to the camera movement design.
During the filming today, Lu Wen had learned from Qu Yanting where to place the markers, how to find the lighting, and which camera angle to use.
After pulling out all the markers, Lu Wen gathered them in his hand and stood up just as Qu Yanting approached. He wiped off the dirt and handed them over.
“Thank you,” Qu Yanting said, accepting them. “Let’s go.”
The scene was over, and they would be working through the night at an outdoor location. They were heading to the next shooting site.
With many people around, the sidewalk became narrow. Lu Wen and Qu Yanting walked side by side, their umbrellas occasionally bumping into each other, the umbrella ribs scraping against the fabric with a rustling sound.
The crew’s vehicles were parked far away in a temporary rental parking lot.
The camera equipment was heavy and valuable, blocking the way. When they reached the crew’s parking area, Duan Meng shouted, “Everyone who’s working, help move the equipment!”
Sun Xiaojian and Li Dapeng went to help, while Lu Wen carried his own bag. His RV was parked at the far end, and he scanned the area but didn’t see the Porsche among the labeled cars.
The parking spots were limited, and the Porsche wasn’t as durable as other cars, so Qu Yanting had the driver take it back.
Lu Wen said, “Mr. Qu, my RV is the most spacious. You can ride with me.”
Qu Yanting replied, “Alright, thanks.”
“Stop thanking me all the time,” Lu Wen said. “No need for that among acquaintances.”
Qu Yanting was speechless. “… Who’s an acquaintance?”
Soon, the rain intensified, making the sound of raindrops on the umbrella even louder. When they reached their destination, they closed their umbrellas and got into the car.
The rain had brought a sudden drop in temperature, so they changed into some thick spare clothes in the car. Lu Wen headed straight to the bed, took off his costume, and spread out his private clothes to choose from.
Qu Yanting sat at the booth, placing the script and other items on the table. The paper was damp on one corner, and he used a tissue to press and absorb the moisture.
Lu Wen put on a pair of sports pants and asked, “Which one looks better, the dark gray or the light gray?”
With no one else around, Qu Yanting assumed the question was for him and replied, “They both look good.”
Lu Wen said, “That’s like saying nothing.”
Qu Yanting said, “The dark gray.”
Lu Wen asked, “At least take a look at me, right?”
Qu Yanting finally lifted his gaze, observing Lu Wen trying on different clothes. He had previously not understood female celebrities and now didn’t understand male celebrities either. Was it necessary to be so particular with only a few hours before the next shoot?
Lu Wen picked up a mauve sweater, made of fluffy mohair with a soft gray tone. He discarded it, saying, “This sweater irritates me; Sun Xiaojian left it in the car.”
Qu Yanting asked, “Why?”
Lu Wen complained, “The color makes pale skin look pale, wheatish skin look dark, and dark skin look like a crow.”
Qu Yanting decided it was better to continue wiping the water.
Soon, Sun Xiaojian and Li Dapeng returned.
With more people around, Qu Yanting immediately fell silent. If it were a matter of business or work, he would overcome any discomfort and maintain a composed exterior. In private situations like this, he kept his head down to avoid any interaction.
Li Dapeng made coffee, while Sun Xiaojian saw Lu Wen with his shirt off and hurried to the bed, saying, “Ancestor, you’ll catch a cold!”
Lu Wen chose a hoodie, cleared other clothes aside, and made some space on the bed, pulling back the blanket.
Sun Xiaojian asked quietly, “What are you doing?”
Lu Wen replied, “Call me when it’s time; I’ll lie down for a bit.”
“You can’t lie down now,” Sun Xiaojian pulled him up, “Tonight’s the major shoot. Sit properly and study the script under Mr. Qu’s watchful eye, let him see your diligence.”
Lu Wen shuffled over to a small booth by the window, sitting across a table from Qu Yanting.
The car was divided into two areas. After preparing the coffee, Sun Xiaojian and Li Dapeng moved to the front lounge and pulled up the screen.
As they set off, the atmosphere was quiet, only the sound of wind and rain from outside.
Qu Yanting held a hot cup of coffee, his sleeves wet, cool against his wrists. He took a sip, his gaze drifting past the rim of the cup.
He watched Lu Wen trying to show off.
Lu Wen sat at the table, first arranging his tools: sticky notes, correction fluid, and a cool black canvas pen case that college students loved.
Finally, he took out the script and placed it carefully on the table. Just as he placed it, he felt a jolt of anxiety.
Lu Wen calmly covered the cover, but unfortunately, Qu Yanting had already glimpsed it.
Lu Wen awkwardly removed his hand, revealing the doodle on the cover— a small swallow drawn next to Qu Yanting’s name during the script reading.
Before he could even showcase his “diligence,” he was caught in the act. He tried to save face, saying, “This is a sign of respect for you.”
“Why not draw a tree behind Ren Shu instead? Is it disrespectful to the director?” Qu Yanting didn’t believe this childish act.
Just then, Qu Yanting’s phone rang, showing “Ren Shu” on the caller ID.
The instant the ringtone sounded, Lu Wen saw Qu Yanting flinch slightly, as if startled. Though the movement was small, he was sure he saw it.
Curious about who could make Qu Yanting react like that, Lu Wen glanced at the screen and said, “Uh, it’s Director Ren calling.”
Qu Yanting held the coffee and stayed still.
The phone vibrated on the table, ringing once, twice, three times…
The ringtone continued to loop, accompanied by the wind and rain outside. Qu Yanting waited for the last ring before the call ended. Before he could, Lu Wen couldn’t help but say, “You’re young. How come you suddenly have hearing problems?”
Qu Yanting shot Lu Wen a glare.
The glare, sharp like a sword, was like the thorns of a rose. Before feeling the pain, it gave him the courage to try again.
When the ringtone looped for the final time, Qu Yanting picked up the phone and slid to answer.
“Yanting, it’s me,” Ren Shu said directly, “Are you busy? How’s everything over there?”
Qu Yanting replied, “On the road, almost there.”
Ren Shu expressed concern, “I saw the weather forecast says Chongqing is experiencing heavy rain. I wanted to check in with you.”
“Yeah, it’s been raining all day,” Qu Yanting said. “Perfect, we won’t need the water truck.”
He joked, but the situation was far from optimistic. The worst scenario for a rain scene is having real rain; many conditions become uncontrollable, and the final result could be drastically different from what was intended.
Tonight’s shoot was a major scene — a car accident in the rain.
The scene occupied a section of an actual road. The crew had scouted and chosen the location months in advance and submitted a filming application to the local authorities. Once approved, the schedule couldn’t be changed, so they had to clear the location and complete the shoot within the allotted time.
Ren Shu asked, “Will the storyboard be useless?”
“That’s what I was about to say,” Qu Yanting replied. “The rain is quite heavy, so we need to adjust the lighting and angles. Changing one thing affects everything, and your storyboard script might not be usable.”
Ren Shu understood: “Outdoor conditions are unpredictable. My storyboard was just a rough guide. Yanting, just make the decisions. If we can shoot it, we will. If it’s too difficult, we’ll figure out another solution when I get back.”
Ren Shu’s deep voice carried through the car, and Lu Wen, flipping through the script, slowed down when he heard this. He thought Ren Shu had a point.
Shooting outdoor scenes on such a brutal rainy night was a significant challenge. As the chief screenwriter and investor, Qu Yanting didn’t have to endure this; they could always reapply and reshoot later.
However, Qu Yanting remained calm and even casual, saying, “Don’t worry about it when you get back. Just watch the sample footage.”
Shortly after hanging up, the RV slowed down and parked at the roadside. Getting out and walking fifty meters led to the shooting area for tonight.
With the phone screen still on, Qu Yanting opened a chat group and sent an edit: “Ensure equipment protection, check filming vehicles, wires, and safety gear.”
Each team responded with “Received.”
Among the series of notification sounds, Lu Wen watched as Qu Yanting exited the screen, locked his phone, and put it away with smooth, practiced motions, a stark contrast to his earlier clumsiness.
Qu Yanting grabbed an umbrella and went out to inspect the shooting area.
When the car door opened, a blast of cold, damp wind rushed in. Lu Wen shrank his neck, tightening the drawstring of his hoodie and biting down on the small metal tip.
Outside, Qu Yanting walked with the umbrella, its edge trembling from the rain, occasionally lifting at one corner.
Sun Xiaojian closed the door and said, “Damn, I’m freezing!”
Lu Wen, biting the metal tip, shuffled in his seat. For some reason, he wanted to go outside and take a look. But he wasn’t a director or photographer; what reason did he have to go out?
The rain curtain fell, and he couldn’t see Qu Yanting’s shadow anymore.
The glass window fogged up, and Lu Wen wiped it with a tissue, which quickly fogged up again. Soon, damp tissue scraps covered half the table.
For the last time, he wiped the fog away with his palm. In the brief moment of clarity, he saw Qu Yanting returning from a distance.
Lu Wen called out, “Peng Ge, another cup of coffee!”
Li Dapeng replied, “I’ll make it for you right away!”
Lu Wen leaned on the table, pretending to read the script.
When Qu Yanting returned to the small booth, his coat was slightly damp, and he was colder wearing it. He first took it off. The remaining coffee had already gone cold; he didn’t touch it, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
Li Dapeng brought a fresh, steaming cup and placed it next to Lu Wen.
Lu Wen said, “Peng Ge, my throat hurts from rehearsing lines. I’d like some loquat tea.”
“…” Li Dapeng was almost about to call him “ancestor” in exasperation.
Once the screen was pulled up again, Lu Wen pushed the cup forward, saying, “Mr. Qu, if you don’t mind, please have this.”
Qu Yanting reached for the cup. Lu Wen’s hand hadn’t pulled back yet, and his fingertips touched Qu Yanting’s hand, which felt icy cold.
He noticed Qu Yanting was only wearing a thin shirt and asked, “Do you want to borrow a piece of clothing?”
Qu Yanting hadn’t brought many thick clothes to Chongqing. He wanted to say “It’s fine,” but didn’t want to owe anyone a favor in this weather that ruined clothes.
But Lu Wen had already gone to the bed and brought over the mauve sweater — the one he had previously commented on as making pale skin look pale, wheatish skin look dark, and dark skin look like a crow. He guessed Qu Yanting might mind this sweater, so he deliberately picked it.
Then he said, “Borrowing clothes is secondary. Mainly, I want to see how it looks on someone with a fair complexion.”
Qu Yanting put it on over his shirt. It was a bit large, the shoulder seam falling at the spot where the arm receives a vaccine, and the sleeves extending to the base of his thumb, exposing only his long, slender fingers.
The color matched his skin tone and looked particularly gentle.
As Qu Yanting wore it, Lu Wen averted his gaze and buried himself in the script.
Qu Yanting also took out paper and a pen and began designing a new storyboard. Having graduated from the director department nearly ten years ago, this was the first time he was officially designing storyboards in a decade.
As he focused on the blank page, Lu Wen quietly lifted his gaze, watching the pen tip on the opposite side, worried that Qu Yanting might have become rusty after so long.
Suddenly, Qu Yanting started drawing grids, marking camera numbers, scene types, shooting methods, and main content, arranging the duration for each shot. He bent his head over the desk, filling the entire sheet of paper without stopping.
Occasionally, he glanced up and asked, “Have you finished reading the script?”
Lu Wen was startled and nervously flipped a few pages, his gaze not shifting. Seeing Qu Yanting design the storyboard in one breath, he took out another sheet of paper and, as if playing cards and winning, tapped his fingers on the table.
“How many do you need?” Lu Wen asked reflexively.
Qu Yanting asked, “Do you have a ruler?”
Lu Wen took out a ruler from his sleek black pen case and handed it over, asking, “What are you going to draw?”
Qu Yanting didn’t answer and used the ruler to draw several lines. He outlined the area with solid and hollow circles as markers, using solid and dashed lines for connections, and adjusted the angles for scale.
He was drawing a scene layout diagram, specifying the positions of light sources, the direction of light projection for each camera shot, and the lighting changes needed for the actors in motion.
Qu Yanting finished drawing with a flourish, rolled up his sleeves to check the time, and estimated that the various teams were nearly ready.
He opened the work group chat and sent a notification: “Start work.”
Within three seconds, Sun Xiaojian pulled open the screen and said, “Grandmaster, the costume and makeup team sent a message. They’ll be here in two minutes.”
Qu Yanting shrugged on his coat, fastened one button with one hand, and gathered the script pages with the other before getting out of the car.
When the costume and makeup team arrived, Lu Wen changed into his base layers. To keep warm and dry, he wrapped two layers of plastic wrap over his base layers before putting on his shooting clothes.
The plastic wrap felt very constricting. Once outside, Lu Wen moved towards the shooting area with an exaggerated, stiff-legged walk.
They set up the wires, conducted safety tests, and proceeded with the scene.
Lu Wen and the stunt double got into position, and filming began.
Amidst the dense rain, Ye Xiaowu ran to the roadside, followed by Ye Shan. The two brothers argued in the rain, with the strong wind causing Ye Shan’s umbrella to fall to the ground.
Ye Shan tightly gripped Ye Xiaowu, and they tore at each other, both soaked through.
In the distance, a van sped towards them, its headlights cutting through the rain with a harsh white light.
The rain curtain was so dense it was like a galaxy pouring down, obscuring everything. Suddenly, Ye Xiaowu lost his balance during the fierce struggle, Ye Shan fell aside, and Ye Xiaowu himself was hurled towards the road.
He looked up in panic, facing a blinding light with no way to escape.
His body suddenly felt light as Lu Wen was lifted by the wires, skimming the surface of the road in a shallow arc.
In the blink of an eye, Lu Wen landed on a crash mat.
Disoriented, he closed his eyes, hearing the screeching sound of tires skidding across the ground and the relentless torrential rain…
Amid the chaotic noises, he faintly heard footsteps approaching closer.
It seemed like the wind and rain had stopped. Lu Wen squinted and saw an umbrella overhead.
He mumbled, “Mr. Qu…”
Qu Yanting, holding the umbrella, leaned down. Having called a stop earlier, Lu Wen still lay unmoving. He asked, “Can you move? Did you get hurt?”
“It’s fine,” Lu Wen replied, “…I didn’t hear the stop call.”
Qu Yanting checked, “Really okay?”
Lu Wen nodded. His face was wet, with streaks of water sliding down from his forehead and trembling as they gathered between his eyebrows. As droplets were about to reach his eyes, Qu Yanting extended his hand and wiped them from his eye sockets.
The hand wasn’t warm but carried a man’s strength, as if pulling him out of the cold water.
It was only when Sun Xiaojian helped him up that Lu Wen came back to his senses.
He draped his arm around Sun Xiaojian’s neck, hiding under the umbrella, and whispered as they walked, “Just now, Qu Yanting actually touched my face.”
Sun Xiaojian asked, “What do you mean?”
Lu Wen said, “I could feel it. When I fell, he seemed quite concerned about me.”
Qu Yanting had already returned to the camera, casually wiping his hands on his damp coat.
Kang Danning asked, “How is it, Mr. Qu?”
“Far from good,” Qu Yanting said. “The fall wasn’t hard enough. Do it again.”
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ma'er
qu yanting, man XD