How can you ascend to heaven when you are a star?

Chapter 343 First Experience

set.

Zhou Lingyi gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, her palms sweaty and wrinkled.

Although the male and female leads were far away from her, and even the nearest camera was eight or nine meters away, her heart was still pounding wildly, feeling like it was about to jump into her throat, completely out of control.

At school, she was always an active participant in arts and culture activities, and she was involved in school arts performances and city arts competitions.

When facing the audience and the camera, she remained calm, poised, and confident, showing no stage fright whatsoever.

But today, for some reason, even though she wasn't the main character and no one was paying attention to her, she felt nervous. Her breathing became rapid and disordered, and her body was stiff as if bound by some invisible shackles.

It's like... it's like being possessed.

Why it came out like this?
This is not her true acting level.

Zhou Lingyi couldn't help but steal a glance at Sun Meng beside her. She saw that Sun Meng's eyes were glazed over, her lips were pursed white, and her hands were trembling violently at her sides. She was even worse than Zhou Lingyi.

Looking at Qiao Shuxin not far away, she had no expression, her eyes were fixed on one spot, and her lips moved slightly, as if she were talking to herself, muttering something to herself...

Seeing this, Zhou Lingyi actually breathed a sigh of relief.

It turned out she wasn't the only one who was nervous, which eased some of her burden.

If one person is nervous, that's her problem; if everyone is nervous, that's normal.

"start!"

With the director's command, the previously still film set suddenly came to life, as if a machine had been started.

In an instant, Zhou Lingyi's legs began to tremble involuntarily, but seeing that the people around her had already started moving according to the assistant director's instructions, she could only grit her teeth and force herself to move along the prescribed route.

However, it felt like my feet were stepping on cotton, as if I was about to fall.

'Don't fall! Please don't fall!'

Zhou Lingyi screamed inwardly, fearing that she might accidentally ruin the shoot.

If she affects the performance, it will not only embarrass me, but also embarrass Teacher Zhang.

In fact, it wasn't just Zhou Lingyi; the other trainees were incredibly nervous. They were able to perform with ease during the art exams, but now even something as simple as walking was a bit clumsy for them.

Even though he was just an extra, the most insignificant member of the film crew, he felt like the protagonist of the whole world, with everyone staring at him.

They kept telling themselves this, but it was no use; their legs were still weak and they were still sweating.

What should have been a very important moment in life has now become an ordeal.

Time seemed to slow down.

After what seemed like an eternity, the director's voice finally rang out on set.

"stop!"

Zhou Lingyi and the others stood motionless as if they had been frozen in place, their minds racing with wild and chaotic thoughts.

'Why did you stop filming?'

'Could it be that my acting was bad?'

Is it the wrong expression, or the wrong positioning?

'Oh no, I'm not going to get yelled at, am I?'

Han Xiaohua stood up from behind the monitor and said to the male lead, "Male lead, your emotional expression just now wasn't quite right. You need to be more intense..."

The trainees breathed a sigh of relief when they heard that it was the male lead's problem.

Huh?
Since it was the male lead's fault, does that mean his performance was excellent?
A hint of joy flashed in the eyes of the trainees, who couldn't help but recall their performance just now.

However, after thinking for a long time, I couldn't recall a single detail.

There was no way around it; they were just too nervous. Controlling their bodies had exhausted all their energy, and they had no mind to think about how to play their roles well.

It was acted out, yet it seems like it wasn't.

so awkward.

"teacher!"

While the director was explaining the scene to the male lead, Han Zhixue looked at Teacher Zhang not far away and asked in a low voice, "How was my performance just now?"

She was so focused on the assistant director's instructions that she forgot whether she had managed her facial expressions well, which made her feel a little uneasy.

"Not bad." Zhang Wen smiled and gave a thumbs up.

Upon hearing this, Han Zhixue's cool and tense face revealed a hint of joy, happy that her performance had earned Teacher Zhang's approval.

Upon hearing this, the other trainees began to ask questions.

"Teacher Zhang, what about me? How was my performance?"

"Teacher, what about me? Did you see me?"

"teacher……"

Zhang Wen was speechless as he looked at the gazes cast his way by the trainees.

A bunch of random passersby, A, B, C, and D, actually asked if the acting was good or not?
Why would a passerby need to act?

But since the students had already asked, he couldn't tell the truth and could only offer a perfunctory, encouraging response.

"Qiao Shuxin, your expression is a bit stiff. Be more natural, it will look better that way..."

"Zhou Lingyi, when you walk, look straight ahead and don't look down at the ground. Everything else is fine..."

"Wang Jiayi, put some expression on your face, don't be so serious..."

"..."

Zhang Wen commented on everyone's performance, emphasizing the principle of giving equal attention to everyone.

As for whether what I said is right or wrong, let the trainees experience it for themselves. Anyway, everyone is nervous, so who can remember what they just did?
The students nodded repeatedly, then began to ponder the points carefully, reminding themselves to pay attention to the issues Teacher Zhang had mentioned when they reshot the scene.

The parents around were holding their phones, repeatedly watching the content they had just filmed.

This is the child's first time acting, so of course we have to record this wonderful moment.

"You acted so well! Our son is not only a natural director, but also a natural actor," Zhou An's father said proudly to his wife.

"Whether it's directing or acting, as long as the child is happy, that's all that matters," said Zhou's mother.

Several parents nearby looked at their children's performance with pride, as if to say: Look how well my child performed.

"Clap clap clap!"

After director Han Xiaohua finished explaining the scene to the male lead, he clapped his hands.

"Come on, let's film it again. Everyone, get to your positions."

As soon as he finished speaking, the film set bustled with activity once again.

The actors returned to their original positions, the cameraman found the right shooting angle, and the production crew put the props away...

Soon, everything returned to how it was when the filming took place, as if time had been turned back.

"Alright, all departments, please be aware..."

"start!"

"..."

Because of their previous experience, the trainees were noticeably less nervous and flustered during the second shoot.

When I walk, my legs are no longer weak, and I can take more steps. I even feel a little more excited.

I experienced joy while acting.

Although he was just an extra.

This scene demanded a lot from the male lead, and it took nine takes to get it right.

These nine reshoots allowed the trainees to thoroughly enjoy acting.

When it was time to rest, they returned to their parents' side in high spirits, and everyone looked very excited.

Nowadays, they can be considered actors who have worked with famous directors.

"Girl, you acted so well."

"Son, you acted well, you're very handsome, you'll definitely become a big star in the future."

"..."

The parents, seeing their children return, all began to praise them.

Compared to their nervousness when they entered, the trainees were now both excited and proud.

For them, the greatest success was not having their problems cause the director to call a halt and affect the filming schedule.

"I told you all before, acting is nothing." Qiao Shuxin pretended to be calm, but there was a hint of happiness in her eyes.

Although I was born into a family of performers and have visited film sets before, this is my first time participating in the filming of a TV series, and it feels both novel and exciting.

She's already looking forward to her next filming project.

Hopefully, I won't just be a background character anymore; I'll at least have a few lines.

It was noon soon.

Zhang Wen led the students and parents to line up to receive their boxed meals.

Since it was their first time receiving a boxed lunch on set, every trainee was full of anticipation for it.

Today's boxed lunch was pretty good; it included stewed tofu, stir-fried cabbage and wood ear mushrooms, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a fried chicken leg.

The trainees took their boxed lunches, found a shady spot, and, like the other extras, sat down on the ground to eat.

Filming requires a lot of props, so the crew usually doesn't provide stools for actors, let alone extras. Even when staff members are resting, they just find a prop or costume to lay on the ground.

"Oh dear, the floor is so dirty, let's put down some paper." Sun Mengmeng's mother said as she took out a tissue from her bag.

"Mom, it's okay, no need," Sun Meng said casually.

She saw many actors sitting on the ground. The quicker ones grabbed the steps. Since she was here to visit and experience the film crew, she should naturally be like the other actors and not be so pretentious.

"The food doesn't look very good, Teacher Zhang. Are there any hotels nearby? I'll treat everyone," Zhou An's father said generously.

"Let me treat," Zhou Lingyi's father said.

"Don't try to take it from me, this meal is on me today," He Xingyi's father insisted.

The parents' argument attracted the attention of some staff members nearby.

"Parents, please stop arguing," Zhang Wen said. "Your children will be eating these kinds of boxed lunches often in the future, so let them experience them beforehand. Actually, these boxed lunches taste quite good."

Upon hearing this, the parents stopped arguing since Teacher Zhang had spoken.

"I think it's pretty good, better than the boxed lunches at our school," Zhou An said while eating.

"The food in this boxed lunch is pretty good. I've been to a film set where the food was much worse. Be content," Qiao Shuxin said.

"I don't eat fried food. Who wants this fried chicken leg? I haven't touched it yet." Han Zhixue looked at the other classmates.

She is very disciplined in managing her figure, and avoids foods that are high in calories, fat, sugar, or salt.

"I'll eat it, we can't waste it." Zhou An leaned over, put the chicken leg into his lunchbox, and then ate it in big bites.

Compared to actors, he, who was admitted to the directing department, did not have body image anxiety. In fact, he was only thinking about going to the film set to visit and experience it in the morning, so he did not eat much. In addition, he was nervous during filming and consumed a lot of energy, so he was already hungry.

The nine trainees lined up in a row. Perhaps it was because there were so many of them, or perhaps it was because it was their first time eating the crew's boxed lunch, but everyone seemed to be enjoying their meal very much.

In the end, even girls like Qiao Shuxin and Zhou Lingyi finished their boxed lunches.

Zhang Wen threw the lunchbox into the trash can and came back to the trainees, saying, "It's hot lately, so we'll have a two-hour lunch break. You can take a nap or wander around, but don't leave the set."

Want to take a nap?
The students were taken aback.

Does the film set have guest rooms?
However, when they turned around and looked around, they saw the extras sitting on the ground not far away, leaning against the wall with their eyes closed, and they all fell silent.

These are the foreground actors who have shots and lines. Some of the less noticeable extras, like A, B, C, and D, can't even find a place to lean against and just lie on the ground to rest.

Uh……

The trainees hesitated for a moment, but finally decided not to sleep and to go out and wander around. After all, they only had one day to visit, and after today, they didn't know when they would be able to join the group again.

The nine trainees walked in twos and threes, touching the props, peeking at the actors, and asking the staff questions. Time passed very quickly.

After they returned from their rounds, there were still about ten minutes before filming was scheduled to begin in the afternoon.

Many staff members have already started getting busy, and some actors have begun reading scripts to prepare for the next scene.

"Shuxin, I have a question for you." Zhou Lingyi whispered to Qiao Shuxin.

"What's up?" Qiao Shuxin asked while scrolling through videos.

Zhou Lingyi looked around, then glanced specifically in Zhang's direction. Seeing that Zhang was chatting with Director Han, she said, "You're from Beijing, and your aunt is a celebrity agent, so you must know a lot of celebrity gossip, right?"

"Of course," Qiao Shuxin said proudly.

"When I was wandering around just now, I overheard someone talking about Teacher Zhang, saying that Teacher Zhang and Bai Lu are in a romantic relationship. Did you know about this?" Zhou Lingyi asked.

"what?"

Qiao Shuxin was startled and shifted her gaze from her phone screen to Zhou Lingyi's face, her eyes filled with disbelief.

After a long while, she came to her senses and asked, somewhat stammering, "Who told you that?"

"Several actresses said."

"I don't know either, is it fake?"

Qiao Shuxin glanced in Teacher Zhang's direction, then in Bai Lu's direction, and frowned as she fell into deep thought.

Although Teacher Zhang is multi-talented, able to teach art students, write songs, and write scripts, Bai Lu is a star, and one of the rising stars.

Of course, it's not that Teacher Zhang is bad, it's just that in her impression, female celebrities usually date male celebrities or rich second-generation heirs.

Teacher Zhang doesn't fit either of these criteria.

“Those actresses spoke so convincingly, it didn’t sound fake. Why don’t you ask your aunt? Isn’t she Bai Lu’s agent? She’ll definitely know,” Zhou Lingyi said.

Qiao Shuxin nodded.

Even if Zhou Lingyi hadn't said it, she would have asked anyway.

You know, Teacher Zhang is her acknowledged uncle-in-law, how could she let another woman take him away? Not even a female celebrity.

Thinking of this, she immediately found her aunt's WeChat and sent her a message.

"Auntie, does Bai Lu have a boyfriend?"

……

(End of this chapter)