CHAPTER 61: FILMING DAY

Mother Wen was also worried. "I hear the entertainment industry is very chaotic. Those female celebrities get plastic surgery to look beautiful, go from one person to another, and some even take drugs, ecstasy, and sell themselves."

Cai Xiaojing smiled gently. "Please rest assured, Nuan Nuan won’t."

"Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease. I don’t want my daughter to be incredibly wealthy or hugely famous. I just want her to respect herself, be disciplined, and be happy at work," Father Wen said.

Cai Xiaojing nodded solemnly. Wen Nuan was definitely one of the rare lucky ones. As long as Ye Feimo didn’t change his mind, and even if he did, as Wen Nuan’s manager, she had ways to bring her up. It would just take more time and might make Nuan Nuan suffer a bit more without Ye Feimo’s help.

Wen Nuan packed some books and clothes, and Cai Xiaojing helped her take them downstairs. She bid farewell to her parents and sister and left with Cai Xiaojing.

Three days after school started, "Pure Lotus Princess" held a low-key opening ceremony.

The director, assistant director, producer, script supervisor, production manager, gaffer, lighting technician, action choreographer, male lead, female lead, female supporting role, male supporting role, and a whole group of people attended the opening prayer ceremony. It was a customary practice, and Wen Nuan, participating for the first time, found it quite novel.

The entire group took a photo in front of the banner. When the photos came out and Ye Feimo saw them, he commented, "Apart from you, the other girls look like country bumpkins and old women." Wen Nuan glared at him.

Young Master Ye, were you praising my youth and radiance?

The filming location was in A City’s "Jingde" Film and Television City.

"Pure Lotus Princess" tells the story of the love and hatred between a lively and adorable princess and a banished prince from an enemy state who is living among the common people. She is brave, witty, and lively, and always has benefactors to help her. There are three men in the drama who are her knights. In the end, the prince and princess overcome numerous obstacles and become a loving couple. The prince ascends the throne, and Princess Qinglian becomes the empress, ruling the world.

The promotional photos had been taken a few days ago. Wen Nuan had also met some of the other actors in the crew. Everyone was easy to get along with. Zhuo Bingbing, who had been famous for several years, wasn’t arrogant at all and was very approachable. Wen Nuan liked her very much.

The male lead, who played the banished Prince Nalan Wushuang, had been childhood sweethearts with Princess Xiangxiang and was engaged to her. However, he eventually fell in love with Princess Qinglian, betraying Princess Xiangxiang. The actor’s name was Chen Hang, and he had starred in several very popular TV series.

The second male lead was deeply in love with Princess Xiangxiang, his devotion unwavering. In the end, he raised an army in rebellion for her. The actor’s name was Li Chengming. The four of them became entangled in three different love stories in the drama.

In addition to these young actors, there were also some veteran actors in the drama. Cheng Ying played the prince’s mother, and Peng Yuming played the stern and ambitious emperor of the enemy state. Wen Nuan was most happy to reunite with them in this drama. Cheng Ying and Peng Yuming had seen the cast list and knew it was Wen Nuan. Everyone was very happy, and both hoped they could all work together harmoniously.

What surprised Wen Nuan a bit was that Gu Yiting also played a role in the drama, Princess Qinglian’s older sister. She had an inexplicable hostility towards Wen Nuan, and Wen Nuan didn’t know why. However, Cai Xiaojing was very clear. Gu Yiting had originally gotten the role but had it snatched away by Wen Nuan. She must have felt a lot of resentment. Since she only managed Wen Nuan, she had plenty of time and simply stayed on set for the entire first month of filming.

Fortunately, Gu Yiting didn’t make things difficult for Wen Nuan.

"Cut!" Director Zhang called out, looking displeased. This was a scene of Nalan Wushuang and Princess Xiangxiang’s farewell, and it had already had many takes. It was the scene with the most retakes for Wen Nuan in the month of filming.

The reason for the repeated takes was that Wen Nuan’s emotions weren’t invested enough. Princess Xiangxiang hugged Nalan Wushuang from behind, murmuring her reluctant farewell. Prince Nalan couldn’t help but kiss her. For some reason, Wen Nuan just couldn’t perform at her usual level.

They had been filming for a month. Although Director Zhang’s temper wasn’t as explosive as Director Lin’s, his scolding skills were not to be underestimated. He didn’t allow actors to argue back and would scold them without hesitation when necessary.

Apart from the veteran actors, Wen Nuan was the only young actor who hadn’t been scolded by him yet.

Her performance had consistently received praise from Director Zhang.

"You two, can you put some emotion into this farewell scene? Wen Nuan, come over here. Assistant Director, go talk to Chen Hang about the scene." Filming was paused for half an hour. The assistant director explained the scene to Chen Hang, and Director Zhang explained the scene to Wen Nuan.

The weather was unbearably hot. Zhuo Bingbing and several other actresses, wearing their costumes, fanned themselves with small fans and played cards. Seeing another failed take, Zhuo Bingbing laughed, "Princess Xiangxiang, that’s your ninth NG! I feel much better now, haha..."

"That’s right, that’s right, Director Zhang. You usually scold us so badly. This time you have to be fair, right? Feel free to bully her. Princess Xiangxiang looks so easy to bully."

...

"Go, go, go, go play your cards over there." Director Zhang waved his hand. Several women played cards to their heart’s content, while the male actors used their iPhones 4s to go online and play games, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

After explaining the scene for half an hour, Wen Nuan secretly asked, "Director Zhang, can we film the kiss scene using a stand-in?"

"Are you even an actress?"

Wen Nuan was silent. She just felt uncomfortable. Even just touching lips and then pulling away felt a bit... awkward to her. Besides, hugging him from behind and expressing farewell in that scene felt a bit strange.

"Then what do you think we should do?" Director Zhang asked.

This TV series director gave actors a lot of room to play. The script could also be changed at any time, all based on his feeling. In the first ten episodes, Wen Nuan was originally only supposed to appear in three, but they ended up filming eight episodes with her. But as an actress, she wouldn’t refuse such a good thing as having more scenes.

"Actually, I’ve always felt this part of the script is quite unreasonable. Look, the princess and the prince haven’t had any emotional entanglement yet. Princess Xiangxiang and the prince are childhood sweethearts, which is a more innocent period. But look at these lines. They make it seem like Princess Xiangxiang knows she’s going to lose the prince, acting all desperate and unreasonable. It feels awkward for me to act it out too," Wen Nuan honestly expressed her feelings. Her eyes lit up. "Look, the princess is skilled in playing the flute. Wouldn’t it be more artistic to have her send him off with a flute melody?"

The script supervisor and the producer chimed in from the side. Wen Nuan’s suggestion was excellent. Wen Nuan had made good suggestions for the previous few episodes, and the filmed results were very good. Director Zhang also appreciated her talent in this aspect.

Wen Nuan had her own unique insights into acting, and she was very talented and had a natural flair.

"Chen Hang, come over here!" Director Zhang called Chen Hang over and explained the scene for another ten minutes. Director Zhang waved his hand, and the cinematographer, lighting technician, script supervisor, and other crew members all went to their positions.