After spending a month on the crew, Wen Rou's scenes finally arrived.
At four in the morning, Wen Rou hurried to the set. Today marked her scenes, and her very first appearance at that.
The film crew was already a hive of activity by the early morning hours, leaving Wen Rou to wait obediently in line for her makeup.
Because shooting schedules were mixed up, the scenes Wen Rou had to shoot today involved going to Lotus Pier alongside Wen Chao to destroy the Yunmeng Jiang Sect.
Since Wang Lunjiao relied on her beauty to climb to power in the drama, Wen Rou's makeup leaned toward the heavy side. Combined with her exquisite face, she looked even more striking after makeup.
"Are you Wen Rou? Not only is your name unusual, but you're also so pretty—no wonder you get to play a beauty. I have a hunch you're going to be a star." The young makeup artist had a sweet tongue and showered her with compliments right off the bat, though what she said was entirely true.
"Thank you, and thank you for your hard work doing my makeup today, Sister."
"No trouble at all. There, put on these hairpins and earrings and you're all set." With those final touches complete, the makeup artist finished creating the look for Wang Lunjiao.
Today's costume had Wang Lunjiao wearing the black and red attire of the Wen Clan. Paired with her heavy makeup, Wen Rou looked bewitching and alluring. Once done, Wen Rou stepped out of the makeup room amidst gasps of admiration from everyone, waiting to head over to the shooting location.
The male actors with scenes today were already made up and waiting outside. Seeing Wen Rou emerge, they couldn't help casting astonished glances her way. Xiao Zhan, who shared scenes with her, was the first to approach: "Little Sister, please go easy on me later, haha."
Wen Rou was amused, though under the enhancement of her makeup she looked exceptionally striking: "That's easily said, but I must also implore Young Master Wei to show mercy later and spare this humble maiden from dying too miserably. If you spare my life in this world, I will surely repay your immense kindness and great virtue in the next. This humble maiden thanks you in advance." With that, Wen Rou executed a traditional bow toward Xiao Zhan.
Taking in the sight, Xiao Zhan instantly channeled Wei Wuxian: "Although Little Sister is as lovely as a flower, our two families have unfortunately forged a deep and irreconcilable blood feud. Showing mercy is probably out of the question, so I'll just give you a quick and painless end."
Ah, this script wasn't going right. According to costume drama conventions, shouldn't heroes find it hard to resist the charms of a beauty? Wen Rou widened her eyes in shock.
"Well, look at you two already acting it out. Wei Wuxian, aren't you the one who pities beauties the most? Now that she's begging you to spare her, how can you remain so unmoved?"
"Ah, Director, that may be true, but isn't this beauty a bit too cunning? What if she runs away and causes more harm later?"
"Haha." Everyone burst out laughing at this straight-arrow comment, while Wen Rou merely shrugged—what else could she do? It was her idol, after all, so she couldn't bear to refute him.
With such a great beauty arriving on set, she looked even prettier in costume, fitting the role of a character whom Wen Chao fancied precisely for her looks.
Thinking this, the director felt even more satisfied. This must be what they called high quality at a bargain price, and it would be even better if she performed well during filming.
Amidst everyone's bustling, the sky grew fully bright, and the first sequence of scenes began. This sequence was a tragedy for the Jiang Clan, and Wang Lunjiao was so wicked in it that she made people's teeth itch with hatred.
Yet artistic expression in a realistic context still had to preserve a sense of aesthetic beauty. Wen Rou brought out the Wang Lunjiao she envisioned in her heart—a beautiful, alluring woman possessing a vicious and poisonous heart, whose fury and bitter resentment when disciplined by Madam Yu had to be portrayed to the absolute limit.
Naturally, there were flaws during her performance, but overall Wen Rou performed quite well. Her striking beauty, alongside the ruthlessness and the petty triumph displayed in the plot, all came through.
...
"Cut! The destruction of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect segment is complete. Everyone can take a break and go eat lunch."
Hearing the director announce that they could eat, the atmosphere on the set instantly livened up, and everyone relaxed.
Wen Rou's eyes lit up as well.
"Is this the little girl's first time eating boxed lunches from the crew? You look so happy," Zhang Jingtong, who played Madam Yu, asked with a smile as she noticed the young girl beside her still brimming with vitality.
"Yeah, Teacher Zhang! I'm just pretty curious about it, plus eating boxed lunches with so many people together is quite lively." There was no help for it; her curiosity from her past life had followed her into this time and space, and thanks to her youthful, surging vitality, she had become much more lively.
"Haha, call me Sister Zhang instead. I certainly don't want to be called old. Being called 'sister' by such a young girl like you makes me feel a few years younger."
"Alright, Sister Zhang! I suppose I'm the one getting a bargain then," Wen Rou replied with a smile.
"I was really surprised to see you throw yourself into your very first acting gig like that, considering Wang Lunjiao gets put through the wringer in this part of the story. If it had been my first time acting and I landed a role like this, I probably would have needed a long time to build up my mental fortitude."
"Oh, Sister Zhang, you flatter me too much. I've barely scratched the surface! Actually, my best friend and I acted out these scenes in private for a long time and prepared ourselves mentally for ages. At first, it felt really awkward, but after watching Teacher Zhang Shi's performance as Zhao Gao several times, I realized my little bit of torture was just child's play, and that awkward feeling instantly vanished."
Watching the young girl candidly admit her own shortcomings, approach acting with such earnest dedication, and possess such striking good looks at such a young age, Zhang Jingtong genuinely took a liking to her. People had a certain affinity between them—the very first time you met someone, you could instantly tell whether you would become friends in the future.
"Sister really loves this earnest drive of yours. Let's add each other on WeChat so we can stay in touch often."
"Alright, Sister Zhang, it's my honor." Wen Rou waved at Lin Yuqing standing in the distance, signaling that she could come over now.
Zhang Jingtong smiled again, touched by the respect shown to her.
Before entering the cast, neither Wen Rou nor Lin Yuqing had agents, so the two simply acted as each other's assistants, ensuring someone could lend a hand while filming.
After adding each other on WeChat, Wen Rou and Zhang Jingtong parted ways to have their lunch.
"Not bad at all, little Wen Rou! Your acting was quite good today. When you were acting so arrogant at the beginning, I couldn't help wanting to beat you up. And during the part where you got disciplined, I couldn't help breaking out in a cold sweat for you either. If something like that happened in real life, it would truly make someone lose all face—wouldn't you just explode right on the spot?" Lin Yuqing whispered quietly beside Wen Rou.
"It's fine. To be honest, I just immersed myself completely into Wang Lunjiao to play the part. That feeling of having your pride trampled underfoot really isn't something ordinary people could endure. But then again, once you've done those things, what else is there you can't accept? As long as you don't look down on yourself, that's what matters," Wen Rou reasoned with herself, then offered words of comfort to her friend.
"I salute you as a true hero!" Lin Yuqing raised both thumbs, everything left unsaid.