Chapter 135: Participating
Once everyone had arrived, director Xu Hanhai signaled the staff to close the meeting room door, and only then did he begin explaining the program.
The name Xu Hanhai sounded very grand, but in reality, he was quite slim. Gu Qinghuan estimated his height was about the same as hers. He looked under forty, with a neat crew cut and calm, steady eyes.
He began: “First of all, thank you all for supporting and participating in this program. Over the next six days, we will complete the filming of Walking with Light together.”
“For the first five days, you may form teams freely. Each team can recruit a minimum of one student and a maximum of twenty-four. The program airs at 9 p.m. every night, with filming from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.”
“This time, due to official requirements, the program focuses more on realism and continuity than entertainment. Although this reduces the difficulty of editing and production, the workload is still substantial.”
“To ensure the quality of the program, we will collect filmed content every two hours for preliminary editing. After filming ends each day, the material will be compiled for final editing. Please pay attention to this schedule.”
At this point, Lou Cheng asked, “How long is each episode?”
“Ninety minutes,” Xu Hanhai replied clearly. “Each day, there will be a short interview summarizing that day’s events. The interview segment will last about six to eight minutes.”
Gu Qinghuan calculated that, on average, the footage retained from each two-hour segment might be less than seven minutes, possibly even shorter.
Le Yi seemed to guess what she was thinking and whispered, “It’s not that a fixed length is cut from each segment. The editors select the highlights from each team as candidates and then compile them into a full episode.”
Gu Qinghuan suddenly understood: “So if someone doesn’t have any highlights…”
Le Yi shrugged. “For fairness, they’ll probably include a few clips, but how the audience perceives it is another matter.”
Walking with Light was extremely real-time. Even if they arranged an assistant to check other teams’ progress, it would be too late to adjust themselves. After all, the students weren’t extras, and the performance on the last day could not be faked.
With official backing, Xu Hanhai wasn’t afraid of any artist causing trouble. In other words, how much screen time a participant got depended entirely on their own abilities.
Gu Qinghuan and Le Yi whispered to each other, but it didn’t matter much, as the others were still asking Xu Hanhai new questions, mostly about potential issues during filming.
After answering a few questions and arranging the photographers and production staff for filming, the meeting basically ended.
However, Xu Hanhai reminded Gu Qinghuan and Ning Fu specifically: “If you have any needs, you can contact the program’s production staff directly. I’ve already arranged this.”
Since they were students, their social impact had to be considered, and Xu Hanhai valued their opinions.
Gu Qinghuan and Ning Fu obediently nodded, and Wu Changxiao also called them aside to give some tips about the entertainment industry.
The short meeting ended, and Gu Qinghuan shouldered her backpack and went home. Le Yi sent her a message on WeChat, saying they could discuss something there, then hurried off.
That evening, after finishing her homework, Gu Qinghuan shared an update in the class group chat:
Gu Qinghuan: [Starting tomorrow, I’ll be filming the program with Le Yi—no more classes~]
Jiang Chuchu: [This is the real reason you wanted to participate, isn’t it?]
Gu Qinghuan: [Ehe~☆]
Yu Xin: [I’ll lend you my math notes.]
Xie Xiangxue: [I’ll do English notes.]
Xu Xinghe: [I’ll take care of Chinese!]
Gu Qinghuan: [Thanks, don’t need any of them.]
Jiang Chuchu: [I’ve already talked with Tang Huocai—tomorrow Ye Weiyu will come to our class to invite me.]
Qin Yue: [He actually has the nerve to come to our class…]
Gu Qinghuan thought about mentioning that Ye Weiyu had ignored her the other day, but realized it was partly due to her low presence, so she stayed silent.
Jiang Chuchu: [As long as I can get attention on the program, it’s worth it for him.]
Gu Qinghuan: [Chuchu, how did you convince Tang Huocai?]
Jiang Chuchu: [I didn’t need to convince her. I just stated that I wanted to join, and she was eager to help.]
Gu Qinghuan was silent for a moment: [Wouldn’t Ye Weiyu be suspicious?]
Jiang Chuchu: [I did a little groundwork with Tang Huocai.]
Ye Weiyu wanted Jiang Chuchu to join his team, and Tang Huocai had some background and connections.
So if Tang Huocai made the move, she could help him contact Jiang Chuchu. Ye Weiyu wouldn’t suspect Jiang Chuchu at all; he would just assume Tang Huocai was helping.
Xu Xinghe: [The disciplinary committee is also really good at manipulating people…]
Jiang Chuchu: [?]
“Xu Xinghe” withdrew a message.
Qin Yue: [Don’t chicken out!]
Jiang Chuchu: [^_^]
“Qin Yue” withdrew a message.
Yu Xin: [Since we know Ye Weiyu will come tomorrow, let’s give him a warning first!]
The group chat was lively, discussing how to deal with Ye Weiyu tomorrow. Seeing Yu Xin so proactive, Gu Qinghuan gathered everyone’s ideas and drafted a plan.
With Jiang Chuchu free at the moment, she also advised Yu Xin, so things were expected to go smoothly tomorrow.
Gu Qinghuan then focused on her own preparations, still needing to discuss filming arrangements with Le Yi.
As soon as Le Yi sent the first message, Gu Qinghuan felt her heart sink.
Le Yi: [Meet at the school gate at 6:40 tomorrow morning. Is that okay?]
Although filming started at 7 a.m., the idea of waking up so early made Gu Qinghuan feel lifeless.
She hesitated before replying: [I’ll take the bus to school in the morning…]
Le Yi: [Got it. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning. Can you give me your home address?]
Gu Qinghuan sent him her neighborhood’s name.
A few minutes later, Le Yi sent a new arrangement: [I’ll pick you up at the neighborhood gate at 6:30 tomorrow. We can discuss on the way and start filming as soon as we arrive. Is that okay?]
Gu Qinghuan immediately perked up: [Great!]
In that case, it wasn’t much earlier than her usual wake-up time.
Le Yi: [It’s settled then. Get some rest early.]
Gu Qinghuan replied “Okay” and immediately went to bed.
Tomorrow was going to be a tough battle, and she needed to prepare well.
December 27, Friday.
Knowing that their daughter would start filming today, the Wang family carefully ironed Gu Qinghuan’s school uniform in the morning.
Gu Haiyan still worried a little: “Be careful in front of the camera.”
Gu Qinghuan obediently nodded: “Got it!”
When she reached the neighborhood gate, she immediately spotted a white new-energy car parked by the roadside.
Although she had confirmed it was a new-energy car from Le Yi last night, she was still slightly surprised after getting in: “I didn’t expect a star like him to use a new-energy car.”
Le Yi smiled: “It’s convenient for commuting, and it’s more discreet. People will just think it’s an ordinary worker.”
Gu Qinghuan thought about it—she had seen four or five similar cars on her way to school already.
Le Yi asked, “Are you nervous?”
Gu Qinghuan shook her head and asked back, “Have you decided what kind of performance you’ll prepare?”
Le Yi replied: “I’m an actor, so I’d prefer to perform a play or a skit.”
