Chapter 136: Filming Begins
As soon as “play” was mentioned, Gu Qinghuan immediately pictured the content of Thunderstorm and Teahouse.
She thought for a moment and asked, “How do you assess your own professional skills?”
Although Le Yi was somewhat surprised by the question, he answered honestly, “I have confidence in my abilities.”
Gu Qinghuan immediately and decisively said, “Then let’s do a skit instead.”
“Why did you choose a skit?” Le Yi asked with interest.
“First, I want to clarify that I don’t look down on skits,” Gu Qinghuan raised her hand solemnly, “it’s just that while plays have ready-made scripts, in general, their characteristic is advancing the plot through dialogue. In other words—you have to memorize a lot of lines.”
“Even if we finalize the script today and gather the team immediately, four days isn’t enough time for rehearsal.”
“If we chose a play we’ve studied, like Thunderstorm, we might already know some lines, but performing it at the evening gala might ruin the atmosphere.”
“Another point: precisely because your professional skills are high, Le Yi, I suspect that if we did a play, you would subconsciously demand strictness. For high school students, that could be a lot of pressure.”
Le Yi considered this seriously while Gu Qinghuan waited for his response.
Then suddenly, Le Yi laughed: “Actually, I was thinking the same thing.”
He pulled several folders from his briefcase. “These are a few skit scripts I’ve prepared. I plan to pick one from these to perform.”
Gu Qinghuan held her forehead. “You’re testing me, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Le Yi admitted frankly. “After all, you’re my anchor in this program. I need to understand your attitude and ideas before deciding how to proceed.”
“So, the test result?” Gu Qinghuan asked.
“You’re independent, can clearly express your opinions, and your logic is very clear,” Le Yi praised continuously. “I think we can go ahead and do it.”
“What if I said I wanted to do a play, or let you decide instead?” Gu Qinghuan asked.
“Then I’d have to put in some effort to make you understand my thoughts. Once we reach an agreement, we can prepare the program,” Le Yi said, shrugging.
“Fine,” Gu Qinghuan said, not minding. It was always better to have an artist with brains than without.
She thought a bit and added, “But we’re not filming yet. If this part gets selected, people online will probably scold you again.”
Le Yi made a small “eh?” sound. “Scold me for what?”
“For setting a trap for a little girl, even though she’s the one you recruited, or for having a ‘fatherly’ vibe, making her ‘take a test’ or something like that,” Gu Qinghuan replied smoothly.
Le Yi waved his hand. “Let them scold. As long as it’s not in front of me, I’ll pretend I don’t see it.”
In the room where the director was, Wu Changxiao glanced at Xu Hanhai: “Director Xu, should we include this part with Le Yi and Gu Qinghuan?”
Xu Hanhai didn’t even blink. “Include it. It really shows their personalities, and the atmosphere is good. Besides, she spoke first, so the audience can’t complain.”
For an officially backed program, controversies are unnecessary; if they happen, it makes it worse.
He clicked his tongue: “These two don’t even need to perform a skit. They naturally treat a skit as everyday life.”
Wu Changxiao rubbed the back of his head. When the program airs tonight, Gu Qinghuan and Le Yi will realize there are cameras in the car. Tomorrow, they might not have this fun anymore.
Or maybe not? Who knows—they might speak even more vividly in front of the camera.
Unaware of the car cameras, Gu Qinghuan and Le Yi arrived at the school gate smoothly at 6:50.
They got out of the car one after the other. Two cars were already there: a van and a regular sedan.
Lou Cheng was standing in front of the van, flipping through a stack of papers—Gu Qinghuan didn’t know what they were. Bai Qingyin was still in the sedan’s passenger seat, reclining and wearing an eye mask.
Le Yi brought Gu Qinghuan forward to greet them. “Good morning, Lou Jie.”
Lou Cheng closed the papers and said indifferently, “Morning.”
Gu Qinghuan noticed that Lou Cheng’s gaze lingered on her a bit longer than on Le Yi.
Did they contact the officials last night? Did they find out about Ye Weiyu, the “fall guy”? Gu Qinghuan guessed silently.
Le Yi went on to greet Bai Qingyin: “Good morning, Sister Bai.”
Bai Qingyin removed her eye mask, squinting to recognize them. “Morning. You two look energetic.”
“Because today it’s starting!” Gu Qinghuan said with meaning.
Bai Qingyin caught her implication and brightened up, smiling: “Indeed, it’s starting.”
Le Yi felt, perhaps mistakenly, a bit of a murderous aura.
The last van arrived, and Ye Weiyu hurried out. “Sorry, I hit some traffic. A bit late, hope I’m not too late?”
“No,” Le Yi replied. “Perfect timing.”
Gu Qinghuan glanced at Tang Huocai, who got out of the car behind Ye Weiyu carrying a bag. She looked forward to the competition between Ye Weiyu and Jiang Chuchu today.
Just then, Wu Changxiao appeared with four cameramen in front of everyone.
“As discussed yesterday, filming starts today,” Wu Changxiao said with a friendly smile. “To ensure program progress, we’ve set two deadlines in advance.”
“First, by 12 p.m. on December 30, each team must finalize their program and submit it to the Mingde Student Association Art Department. Failure to do so will be considered withdrawal, and the program will be deemed a failure.”
“Second, on January 1, there will be a rehearsal during the day. Therefore, by 7 p.m. on December 31, each team must deliver all props and costumes needed for their performance to the gala’s equipment and costume rooms. Background music must be burned onto a CD or transferred via USB to the control room computer.”
“The production team and Mingde Student Association will inspect everything to ensure no issues and take responsibility for all items. In case of unforeseen circumstances requiring replacements, the production team will not be responsible for any resulting consequences.”
Gu Qinghuan pricked up her ears. That last part sounded particularly significant.
All the artists had come from the entertainment industry and knew the program team’s procedures were meticulous.
Under such conditions, if problems still arose, it would be entirely their own responsibility.
Once everyone accepted the arrangements, Wu Changxiao happily announced the start of filming.
Le Yi exchanged a few polite words with the cameramen, then asked Gu Qinghuan, “Do you want to introduce yourself to the camera first?”
“Will you demonstrate first?” Gu Qinghuan nudged him.
Le Yi nodded and gave a simple, smiling self-introduction to the camera.
After watching, Gu Qinghuan stepped up. Speaking to the camera was a subtle experience; she took a moment to prepare, imitating Le Yi’s style.
“I’m Gu Qinghuan from Mingde High School, Class 1-3. In this program, I will join Le Yi’s team, help recruit members, and together deliver an exciting performance for the gala.”
She stepped back and looked at Le Yi. “How was that?”
“Your expression is a bit stiff, and your wording too official,” Le Yi commented.
“You already know my wording is always official,” Gu Qinghuan bluntly pointed out.
Le Yi sulked silently. Well, looks like being interrupted last time, losing her line, will continue throughout the program.
