The Rise of Chinese Entertainment in 2008

"Changchang".

Shu Chang vaguely felt someone pushing her. She opened her eyes and saw Liu Yifei. She turned over and mumbled, "Qianqian, let me sleep a little longer."

"Still sleeping? It's almost eight o'clock," Liu Yifei said.

Upon hearing this, Shu Chang became more alert, yawned, and sat up.

"We didn't go to bed that late last night, did we?" Liu Yifei asked curiously.

"My stomach was a little upset last night, so I got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and then I couldn't fall back asleep."

Shu Chang blushed upon hearing this. She couldn't very well tell Liu Yifei that she had gone to find Gu Ning yesterday and stayed up until 3 a.m.

Liu Yifei didn't think much of it and said, "Get up quickly, or people will laugh at us."

Shu Chang dared not delay, fearing that Liu Yifei would notice something was amiss, so she hurriedly got out of bed and went to the bathroom with her to wash up.

"Changchang, you didn't get enough rest last night, so why does your skin look so good? And your skin is much more supple than before."

Liu Yifei glared at Shu Chang and said, "Tell me honestly, did you use some new skincare products?"

"No, it's the same as before. You'll see in a bit if you don't believe me."

"Is that so?"

Liu Yifei asked with some surprise, "Then why is your skin so much better?"

"Perhaps because I've been resting recently, my complexion is better than before," Shu Chang said.

"That's possible." Liu Yifei nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

…………

At nine o'clock in the morning, Gu Ning once again gathered all the actors for a script reading.

The afternoon was for all the actors to have their costumes done.

Shu Chang has short hair in the movie, so she needed to cut her hair short to match the hairstyle of the character played by Gui Yalei.

Originally, Shu Chang looked like a girl next door, but after cutting her hair short, she looks a bit more mature and has a touch of heroism.

Liu Yifei's makeup and styling are much simpler; all she needs is a high ponytail.

It has to be said that although Liu Yifei's appearance is slightly less attractive than it was a couple of years ago, she is still naturally beautiful.

A high ponytail and simple light makeup exude youthful energy.

However, Gu Ning was very dissatisfied and said, "Give her a slightly heavier makeup!"

She exudes such an ethereal aura that only slightly heavier makeup can conceal it.

After the makeup was finished, Gu Ning was still not entirely satisfied.

But the makeup artist said that if it were any heavier, it would look bad.

After a moment's thought, Gu Ning dismissed the idea. A fairy-like appearance coupled with a sharp tongue creates an even stronger contrast.

The makeup and styling for the shoot is finalized, including the costumes.

Once confirmed, makeup and styling changes can be done quickly during the shooting process.

It also prevents wasting time due to unsuitable makeup or styling.

The makeup and styling of the others remained largely unchanged; only their clothing was altered.

But Shu Chang's character is different. In the film, after the female lead turns back to her twenties, she not only gets the hairstyle she wanted before, but also buys many clothes she wanted to wear before.

Almost all of them were various kinds of cheongsams.

Therefore, Shu Chang needs to change her clothes quite often.

Shu Chang with short hair looks quite charming in a cheongsam.

After trying them on, I selected a few outfits that looked somewhat vintage.

Some of the outfits, while more stylish, lacked a sense of period.

It doesn't match the female lead's aesthetic.

However, Gu Ning secretly told Fan Chunxi that she had also rented those apartments.

That evening, Gu Ning messaged Shu Chang, wanting to see a live qipao fashion show, but Shu Chang said that Liu Yifei had been somewhat suspicious that morning and hadn't agreed.

…………

The crew held a launch ceremony at 10 a.m. the following morning.

The opening ceremony itself is also a publicity opportunity. We didn't do it when we were filming "Human Mishaps" because there was no media attention at all.

But things are different now, and Gu Ning naturally wouldn't let go of this opportunity for publicity.

Han Sanpin also came from Beijing to attend the opening ceremony.

The reporters were all bribed, and they didn't ask any sensitive questions.

However, because Liu Yifei was there, many reporters pointed their microphones at her.

In the online poll for the "Four Little Actresses," Liu Yifei is leading by a wide margin.

However, Liu Yifei has not attended any events recently. Now that she has appeared, how could the reporters let such a good opportunity pass by?

"In the selection of the Four Little Actresses, you currently have the most votes. Do you think you will ultimately be chosen?"

"Liu Yifei, what were your considerations in choosing a supporting role?"

"Who do you think has the best chance of becoming one of the remaining three 'Four Little Actresses'?"

……

Reporters surrounded Liu Yifei, bombarding her with questions.

Many of the questions were clearly misleading, such as asking why Liu Yifei played a supporting role.

Regardless of her response, when the media reports it, it will most likely be: Liu Yifei's resources have been greatly reduced, and she can only play supporting roles.

As for asking her what she thought of the remaining three candidates for the "Four Little Actresses," her intentions were even more malicious.

If she gives a bad answer, it's tantamount to admitting that she's guaranteed a spot.

Fans of other female celebrities who have a chance to compete will probably all target her.

"The 'Four Little Actresses' selection was not an official one, and I did not pay any attention to it."

Liu Yifei smiled and said, "I played a supporting role because my good friend Shu Chang was acting in a movie for the first time and was not confident. She dragged me to come with her. Director Gu invited me to the movie, so I agreed to make a cameo appearance."

Gu Ning announced loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the opening ceremony for the movie 'Back to 20.' Could you please ask some questions related to the film? Thank you!"

Gu Ning finally breathed a sigh of relief after the interview ended.

After seeing the reporters off, filming officially began.

The first scene was filmed at home. Fan Chunxi was busy checking the set setup, while Gu Ning was busy explaining the scene to the actors.

Han Sanpin watched from the sidelines and nodded in satisfaction as he saw the crew running smoothly.

After Gu Ning finished explaining the scene, he had the actors rehearse it twice. Seeing that there were no problems, he called out, "Old Fan, do you have any issues on your end?"

"Director Gu, the venue is fine!" Fan Chunxi replied.

"OK, everyone to your positions, get ready to begin!" Gu Ning shouted through a megaphone.

A few minutes later, everything was ready, and the production crew set up the clapperboard to begin filming.

The first scene filmed was Shen Mengjun talking about her daughter-in-law in the kitchen. Gui Yalei, as expected of a Golden Horse Award-winning actress, delivered a superb performance.

A smiling face gives people a sense of kindness, and when speaking softly, one's appearance and tone of voice are not offensive.

But his disdainful look and his daughter-in-law's haggard face formed a stark contrast.

Filming continued, and Xiang Xinran and her brother Xiang Qianjin came downstairs one after the other.

"Click!"

Gu Ning called "cut" and stood up. Seeing that the actors were all looking at him, he looked at Liu Yifei and Zhu Yilong and said, "When you go downstairs, walk a little faster. Also, Yifei, when you say your lines, you need to loosen up your tone and sound a little impatient."

"Understood, Director Gu!" The two nodded.

Gu Ning gave a few more instructions, then said, "Alright, go and get ready. We'll continue in three minutes!"

"Director Gu."

When Gu Ning returned after finishing her explanation of the play, Han Sanpin, who had been watching from the side, came up and said, "I have something to do, so I'll be leaving now. I've already told the people from China Film Group that they will cooperate with you."

As the person in charge of China Film Group, although he served as the producer, he couldn't stay on the set all the time. The actual work was arranged for other people to do it; he was just a figurehead.

"Is President Han leaving already?"

Gu Ning smiled and said, "I was thinking of asking President Han for some pointers."

"I don't have the time, and besides, I might not be able to make this kind of movie as well as you," Han Sanpin said with a smile, shaking his head.

Gu Ning exchanged a few polite words, saw Han Sanpin off, and returned to the film set to continue filming.

However, the filming encountered difficulties with Liu Yifei.

"Everyone, take a break!"

Gu Ning looked at Liu Yifei and said, "Come with me!"