Crossover Actors - Chapter 26

The second shot directly filmed the car accident scene.

 

Lu Wen waited by the roadside. The lingering effects of the wires were still strong, and the plastic wrap made his pores feel suffocated. He bent over and rested his hands on his knees to conserve energy.

 

The rain grew heavier. Qu Yanting inspected the lighting in the middle of the road. With one hand holding an umbrella and the other holding a megaphone, he said, “When the third shot is finished, I’ll signal you, and you should immediately switch on the spotlight.”

 

The head of the lighting crew replied, “Got it, I’ll remember.”

 

“Lu Wen will fall, so we need a two-second close-up of the fall,” Qu Yanting instructed. “Make sure to use the silver reflector properly.”

 

A gust of wind blew, and water droplets covered Qu Yanting’s face. He wiped his face nonchalantly and continued, “Keep the focus sharp. The first take wasn’t good.”

 

The assistant camera operator responded, “Got it, Mr. Qu.”

 

After all adjustments were made, Qu Yanting walked to the roadside. The rain came down hard, and the water accumulated in front of the curb hadn’t drained yet, stretching nearly a meter wide. He paused, estimating if he could jump over it.

 

At that moment, Lu Wen extended his hand from the steps.

 

Qu Yanting placed his hand in Lu Wen’s. Both their hands were wet and slippery, so they had to grip tightly. Lu Wen cleverly pulled him up onto the steps, and their umbrella edges bumped into each other.

 

Releasing his hand, Lu Wen stepped aside. The plastic wrap felt uncomfortable on his body, and he hunched his back slightly.

 

Qu Yanting came over and said a few words. The first was, “Scenes like this usually take all night, so we’ll probably need to shoot many takes.”

 

Lu Wen responded, “I’m ready.”

 

Qu Yanting said, “This scene is challenging in every way. The actors’ relationships aren’t a major concern, so don’t feel any psychological burden.”

 

Lu Wen nodded, “Since it’s difficult in every aspect, Mr. Qu, you shouldn’t feel burdened either.”

 

Qu Yanting was momentarily stunned. As the stand-in director, the pressure couldn’t be alleviated by a mere comforting statement. However, hearing this from Lu Wen felt surprisingly refreshing, and he felt a bit more relaxed.

 

The actors were ready, so Lu Wen put down his umbrella and moved towards the road.

 

It might be hard to believe, but Lu Wen had hardly ever been caught in the rain. Usually, he was driven around, and on less pleasant days, the driver would stay close. As a child, when his raincoat size changed from S to XXL, as soon as he stepped out to splash in a puddle, the nanny would pull him back.

 

So, in his mind, getting drenched was like “suffering.” Tonight, he could say he was sacrificing for the art.

 

Qu Yanting issued the command: “Positions, and action.”

 

The van sped towards them, the engine’s roar was barely audible over the rain and wind. Lu Wen fell onto the road, lifting his head to see two blinding headlights coming towards him.

 

The wide shot zoomed in to a close-up, the scene held for two seconds.

 

Boom, the sound of a violent collision. The tires skidded on the wet road, making a sharp noise.

 

Lu Wen felt his body lighten as the wires lifted him, and his vision was filled with white light. The rain fell like a woven curtain, and deeper was a dense black night. After a brief moment of dizziness, he landed heavily on a crash mat.

 

Qu Yanting signaled with his hand, and Kang Danning shouted, “Cut!”

 

Sun Xiaojian and Li Peng rushed over to help Lu Wen up. Before he could stabilize, the van started and drove back to the end of the road.

 

Kang Danning shouted, “Catch your breath, and get ready for the third take!”

 

The soaked clothes weighed more than ten kilograms, sticking to his body. Lu Wen walked back, stuffing the loosened plastic wrap back into his sleeve. A gust of wind made him feel a chill.

 

“Brother Jian.”

 

“Yes, what’s up?”

 

“Did the company arrange insurance for me?”

 

Sun Xiaojian reassured him, “Yes, it’s arranged. Just focus on filming well. When this scene airs, I’ll have the PR department arrange a trending topic: ‘Lu Wen, Professional.’”

 

Most stars boast about their professionalism, which feels uninspiring.

 

Lu Wen said, “I want: ‘Lu Wen, Awesome.’”

 

After finishing the second take, Lu Wen still had the energy to joke, but as they moved on to the third, fourth, and fifth takes… this set of “falling—being hit—hard crash” shots was filmed a total of eight times.

 

After the eighth take, Lu Wen lay on the crash mat, nearly nauseated.

 

Qu Yanting shouted, “Stop, it’s good!”

 

It was nearly 3 a.m. The rain continued unabated, showing no signs of letting up. The crew moved the rain shelters to prepare for the next set of shots.

 

Duan Meng, with the hood of his jacket up, carried the crane and a black flag. After taking a few steps, Qu Yanting came over to hold an umbrella for him.

 

“Mr. Qu, you don’t need to…” Duan Meng repeatedly refused, “It’s unnecessary!”

 

Qu Yanting, half-soaked, turned the umbrella handle with slight anxiety but pretended to be calm. “It’s not unnecessary; you’ve worked hard.”

 

Under another rain shelter, Lu Wen began his makeup. The wounds were the same as the day he filmed in the hospital, but worse.

 

The makeup artist said, “The blood plasma color is brighter today, with a different concentration and composition from before. Let’s test it behind the ear first to see if there’s any allergic reaction.”

 

Lu Wen cooperated, tilting his head. He saw Qu Yanting walking over.

 

A cool smear of blood plasma was applied to his left ear, whereas the previous time it was his right. The makeup artist said, “Oh, there’s a small tattoo behind your left ear. It looks like a musical note?”

 

Lu Wen replied with a simple “Mm-hmm.” It was a small tattoo he got many years ago and was hard to notice unless specifically looked for.

 

The makeup artist asked, “Why did you get a musical note tattoo?”

 

Lu Wen answered, “Because… I like music.”

 

It seemed natural for a young person to like music. The makeup artist smiled and chatted, “Nowadays, many actors cross into singing. Have you ever thought about releasing an album or something?”

 

Qu Yanting walked into the shelter and overheard part of the conversation, inspecting the makeup on Lu Wen’s face.

 

Lu Wen forced a smile, “I…”

 

For some reason, Qu Yanting sensed a hint of bitterness in Lu Wen’s smile, as if there was something hard to express. He decided to interrupt, shifting back to the task at hand: “Finished chatting?”

 

Lu Wen avoided the makeup artist’s question, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.

 

Qu Yanting sat down beside him and explained the character’s movements for the upcoming shots. In the final segment of the car accident scene, Ye Xiaowu would roll several times after hitting the ground and eventually come to a stop, with the frame freezing.

 

After the makeup, Lu Wen, covered in blood and dirt, began filming.

 

This time, the crash mat was removed, and Lu Wen lay directly on the road, lying on his side, half his face immersed in a layer of rainwater, pressed against the cold, hard cement surface.

 

He tensed his body, preparing.

 

When Qu Yanting shouted “Action,” Lu Wen suddenly rolled his body, moving fast and violently on the damp surface, using his own momentum to simulate the impact and fall.

 

As Lu Wen gradually came to a stop, his mouth and nose were contaminated with dirty water, causing some choking.

 

After countless rolls, he lay exhausted, closing his eyes slightly, embodying the helplessness of near-death amidst overwhelming fatigue, slowly being consumed by the pain.

 

However, before the final shot’s duration was over, Qu Yanting shouted, “Stop—do it again.”

 

The rolling part was done; they just needed to film the final shot. Lu Wen lay still, with the camera directly above and the lighting slightly angled. He had studied some documentaries on the state of people before death.

 

He relaxed his body inch by inch, blinking slowly, with his gaze becoming increasingly vacant.

 

“Stop—” Qu Yanting called out again, “Try again.”

 

The blood on Lu Wen’s face was washed away. He stood up while the makeup artist and assistants gathered around him to touch up his makeup. He allowed them to work on him, feeling dull and unable to figure out what had gone wrong with the final performance.

 

After the touch-up, others moved away, and Lu Wen saw Qu Yanting standing two meters away, seemingly waiting for him.

 

Lu Wen walked over and ducked under Qu Yanting’s umbrella. He apologetically said, “Mr. Qu, I didn’t perform well.”

 

Qu Yanting asked, “How did Ye Xiaowu die?”

 

Lu Wen hesitated. In the script, Ye Xiaowu had a physical altercation with Ye Shan, lost his balance, and was hit by a car. He didn’t understand why Qu Yanting was asking him this.

 

He answered, “It was an accident.”

 

“Have you considered,” Qu Yanting paused for a second, “that it might not have been an accident at all?”

 

Lu Wen was momentarily stunned.

 

Qu Yanting lowered the umbrella to shield them from the blowing wind and rain and to cover their faces. The sound of water splashing on the umbrella’s surface was audible, and he leaned forward, speaking softly as if revealing a secret, “Actually, Ye Shan saw the van.”

 

Lu Wen’s breath caught, “What…”

 

Qu Yanting said, “Ye Shan intentionally pushed Ye Xiaowu towards death.”

 

It was written very subtly in the script, almost unnoticeable, and wasn’t directly shown in the footage.

 

Qu Yanting stepped back and raised the umbrella.

 

Two minutes later, the third take of the final shot was filmed.

 

Ye Xiaowu, covered in blood, lay on the road with his ears submerged in the accumulated water, and a fatal wound on his forehead continuously oozed blood.

 

He slightly parted his lips, his fingers splayed on the ground, struggling to grasp something, but only stirring up a murky ripple. His eyes were wide open, staring unblinkingly, while the rain fell like silver needles, turning the corners of his eyes red.

 

Fear and pain were overshadowed by disbelief.

 

Ye Xiaowu’s death remained Ye Shan’s lifelong secret.

 

The guilt for the rest of his life was real, and the nightmares were real, but the moment Ye Shan pushed Ye Xiaowu, the instant hate and malice were also real.

 

The camera zoomed in for a close-up.

 

Three, two, one. As the final shot’s duration ended, Qu Yanting called out in a deep voice, “Stop—It’s good!”

 

Lu Wen closed his eyes in pain. The rain was dirty, mixed with blood plasma, seeping into his eyes. He got up with the help of Sun Xiaojian and Li Dapeng, one on each side.

 

The actors and costume staff could call it a wrap. Sun Xiaojian said sympathetically, “Finally done. My goodness, you’ve fallen several times and rolled on the ground. Even watching was exhausting.”

 

Li Dapeng said, “You’ve been soaking in the rain; you must be freezing.”

 

Lu Wen could hardly see the road, his legs felt like lead, and he walked with uneven steps.

 

Back in the RV, it was warm immediately. Lu Wen washed his eyes and dried his face and hair.

 

Exhausted, he collapsed onto the bed. Sun Xiaojian helped him remove his shoes, socks, and clothes, cutting off the tangled plastic wrap with scissors.

 

With only his underwear left, Lu Wen lay in a spread-eagle position, commonly known as “playing dead.”

 

Li Dapeng wrung out a warm towel and said, “Don’t catch a cold. I’ll give you a wipe.”

 

Lu Wen, spread out on the bed like a seaweed, felt his senses slowly return as the warm towel was used on him. However, his thoughts remained trapped in the world of Ye Shan and Ye Xiaowu.

 

Sun Xiaojian brought him hot tea and helped him take a sip.

 

Feeling the warmth, Lu Wen became slightly more awake. He didn’t want to think about it for now and turned his attention to others, saying, “You’ve worked hard through the night. Order some hot soup and congee for everyone on me.”

 

“Ancestor,” Sun Xiaojian said, “where am I going to order that at four in the morning?”

 

Lu Wen sighed and lay back down, entering a state of exhaustion.

 

Li Dapeng covered him with a blanket and said, “I’ll make you something to eat when we get back to the hotel.”

 

Sun Xiaojian was surprised, “You can cook?”

 

“Yes,” Li Dapeng said with a smile, “We assistants can do everything. Actually, I bought ginger, brown sugar, and a whole chicken. When we get back, I’ll make a bowl of ginger tea and stew a medicinal chicken soup for Mr. Lu.”

 

“That’s impressive,” Sun Xiaojian said, “You’re just an assistant, helping us out like this seems a bit much.”

 

Li Dapeng replied earnestly, “It’s part of my job, and the leader instructed me; I wouldn’t dare neglect it.”

 

“Thank you, Brother Peng,” Lu Wen said, resting his head on the pillow and expressing his gratitude to the leader, “And also, thanks to Director Ren for taking care of me.”

 

Li Dapeng looked puzzled, “Wait, what does Director Ren have to do with this?”

 

Lu Wen asked, “Wasn’t it Director Ren who instructed you?”

 

“No,” Li Dapeng replied, “Initially, Xiao Zhang arranged for me to be your life assistant and specifically told me to be attentive. He said the person who personally took care of you—”

 

Lu Wen looked up.

 

Li Dapeng answered, “Was Mr. Qu.”