Chinese entertainment: Top stars have no holidays

Chapter 83 Sister Wang just likes older women.

With a satisfied praise from director Li Qingrong, the crew quickly took their positions.

The group worked in an orderly manner to film a backup shot.

It was completed flawlessly in one go, without a single mistake.

The first scene of the production was filmed successfully, with both storylines securing all the necessary permits, giving the crew a perfect start.

The staff members performed their respective duties and quickly moved to set up the next scene.

As a low-to-medium budget youth drama, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" was filmed at a tight and efficient pace.

The film crew's shooting schedule was very clear.

The core scenes in the past few days almost entirely focused on the daily high school life of the male and female leads, with most of the shots being scenes between Jiang Bai and Li Yitong.

The other main actors arrived on time every day and were on standby throughout the entire process.

However, they mostly appear as classmates or close friends, with very few lines and minimal screen time.

Definitely a member of the "atmosphere team" on set.

This is why the young actors, who had no prior connection and were unfamiliar with each other, would gather together to chat while waiting for their scenes, thus building rapport and quickly dispelling any sense of unfamiliarity.

In contrast, Jiang Bai and Li Yitong were much busier, filming one scene after another.

They could only join in the other actors' conversations when there was a scene change or set-up in the middle of each performance.

However, Jiang Bai is surrounded by a rather large aura of popularity.

He's the latest rising star, hailed as Weibo's August boyfriend.

Throughout August, he was all over Weibo's trending topics, with countless female fans expressing their love for him, even giving people the illusion of being the "nation's boyfriend".

We're all just small fry in the entertainment industry, either new actors or minor supporting roles.

With Jiang Bai exuding such "aura," who would dare to take the initiative to chat with him? It would be too much of a test of psychological pressure.

Even Li Xian, who was most familiar with Jiang Bai and had at least met him and chatted with him a few times on the set of "Rush to the Dead Summer," did not take the initiative to approach him for a chat.

The first one to be unable to hold back and take the initiative to strike up a conversation was Guo Junchen, a lively and cheerful sophomore who had just started his second year of university.

During a break after filming a scene, he approached Jiang Bai and Li Yitong, and with a wry smile, complained, "I've realized that the beginning of our drama is all about the male and female leads frantically climbing the ranks, while all the supporting characters are just standing by, right?"

These words immediately amused everyone present.

Guo Junchen pulled over a chair and sat down, looking at Jiang Bai with envy: "Brother Jiang Bai is so steady!"

"I saw that silent unrequited love scene clearly on the monitor. There were no lines at all; the atmosphere was conveyed solely through eye contact and subtle gestures. I really couldn't have acted that way."

"When I was rehearsing plays at school, I always liked to add small gestures and expressions, afraid that the audience wouldn't understand the emotions. But I always got scolded by my teachers, who said that I was just adding meaningless scenes for myself."

"Watching you act today made me realize that the highest level of acting is leaving room for interpretation. Small gestures are useful, but they should be used at the most crucial and appropriate times."

Jiang Bai chuckled upon hearing this, "Don't flatter me, these are just little tricks I learned while filming, I figured them out myself."

""

"Your character, Yang Chaoyang, is the life of the party in the show. She has a lot of screen time later on and her character is very likable, so it shouldn't be too difficult for her to play. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"It's relaxing, but I'm too idle!" Guo Junchen shrugged, looking helpless.

"I filmed all morning, and I just sat in the classroom as a background character the whole time. I didn't even get a single line."

"I almost thought I was on a film set experiencing high school life and immersing myself in a class."

"But I've already been accepted into university!"

Li Mingde listened silently to their conversation, hesitating for a long time. He wanted to join in, but he didn't know what to say. He opened his mouth again and again, but in the end, he didn't say anything.

Let's look at the scenery in the distance instead.

Chen Duling, sitting quietly not far away, watched Jiang Bai and the others chat with a faint smile on her lips.

She has always been quiet and gentle, not good at joining in the fun, but she also doesn't deliberately distance herself.

This guy is the real background character.

Seeing this, Li Yitong beckoned her over: "Dudu, don't sit alone, come and chat with us!"

Friendships between girls develop very quickly.

Although they had just met, they had been whispering and chatting a lot during a reading session a few days ago.

Jiang Bai later heard that the two of them had arranged to stroll along the Qingdao seaside promenade that evening.

After that, we became close friends.

Upon hearing Li Yitong's greeting, Chen Duling smiled slightly, walked over, and said softly, "I just watched your scene together, and the atmosphere was really great."

"In the early stages, Gao Ge also observes from an outsider's perspective, watching the struggles and regrets between the male and female leads."

"I've been observing your opponents' rhythm all day, so I can get into my best form and find the right 'observer' mindset."

Li Yitong casually retorted, "You just have that aloof, academically gifted aura about you, you don't need to act at all!"

"Just by standing there, his aura overshadows everyone else."

"9

"Every time I see you, I feel like you're the best student, the quietest girl in the class, and the teacher's favorite good girl."

The teasing made the usually reserved Chen Duling blush, revealing her to be a girl who was easily embarrassed.

Jiang Bai glanced at her with interest.

He remembered that Chen Duling's acting skills in her early years seemed quite poor.

It's the kind of thing that could be compiled into a highlight reel and thoroughly critiqued.

It wasn't until she became the queen of saving the day in Hengdian that Chen Duling's acting skills gradually improved.

The reason for this is that, like Jiang Bai, she is not a professionally trained actress.

She originally studied aircraft manufacturing.

Even their college entrance exam scores were similar, both over 620, and both were from Fujian province.

Jiang Bai was just a year younger than her.

In that sense, the two of them are quite destined to be together.

Jiang Bai thought for a moment, and was just about to start a conversation with Chen Duling, since he was sure they would have a lot in common.

However, Li Xian, who was leaning back in a relaxed chair, spoke up before him.

"Actually, the most difficult thing to act in a youth drama is to create a sense of immersion."

"Too much effort will seem deliberate, while too much perfunctoriness will lack emotion."

"My biggest impression of watching your first scene today is that your acting was very natural and you didn't seem out of place."

"It's like watching a story about two high school students."

He looked at Jiang Bai and said seriously, "Jiang Bai has a very good grasp of details."

"The restraint of wanting to get close yet not daring to get close is just right, not too much and not too little, which is particularly comfortable."

"I was worried about Zhan Yu's character before, that if I went too far, he would seem greasy. When I'm filming next, I need to learn more about your style of acting that leaves room for interpretation."

Li Xian had actually seen Jiang Bai act.

When "Rush to the Dead Summer" was filmed, Li Xian played a minor supporting role as the boyfriend of the female lead, Li Xia, who was her final destination. He didn't appear until much later in the series.

Back then, Li Xian had seen Jiang Bai and Zheng Hehuizi act opposite each other, and they were not nearly as at ease and adept as they are now.

Clearly, Jiang Bai's acting skills have improved tremendously in just over a year.

Even a professionally trained actor like Li Xian has to learn from him in some areas.

"Brother Xian is too modest. We should all learn from each other." Jiang Bai himself didn't have such a strong feeling, and just thought that Li Xian was praising him.

After all, he's the biggest star in the entire cast.

At this moment, Wang Yuwen, who had been quietly observing the whole time, also joined the conversation with a smile.

"Speaking of which, Jiang Bai and I are old acquaintances."

"We were in the same production team when we filmed 'Rush to the Dead Summer' before. I never thought that we would be able to work together again after so long."

Wang Yuwen smiled and remarked, "It's strange that we didn't have many scenes together both times."

Jiang Bai raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and replied with a smile, "Indeed, it's fate."

"Li Xian was also in the cast of 'Rush to the Dead Summer' at the time."

"What impressed me most was when we first started the machine. It was so hot that we had to hide in the shade of a tree and use a fan every day."

"Filming will start in August or September this year as well, but it's not as hot in Qingdao."

"When I come back to film a youth drama, my mindset is completely different."

"Haha, I get it!" Wang Yuwen instantly understood the meaning behind Jiang Bai's words.

"When I was filming 'Rush to the Dead Summer,' I was just 19 years old, and I felt no different from a high school student."

"When I perform it again now, it feels like reliving my youth; my mindset is completely different now."

Hearing Sister Wang lamenting the passing of youth, Jiang Bai couldn't hold back his emotions.

That's right. This year, Sister Wang filmed a movie called "An Elephant Sitting Still" and started dating a director who is nine years older than her.

Then this director also suffered from depression. He would just sit there all day, not wanting to live anymore, and contemplating suicide. This scared Sister Wang so much that she quickly broke up with him.

After going through this experience, Sister Wang must have grown in mindset and felt a pang of regret for the passing of youth.

Even so, Sister Wang still didn't learn her lesson and later dated a boyfriend who was 10 years older than her.

All I can say is that our Sister Wang just likes older men.

How come your eyesight is already failing at such a young age of 20?

Jiang Bai sighed quietly and rejoined the chat.

In that brief moment when his thoughts were wandering, Li Yitong seemed to get into the conversation and completely let loose.

She had no idol image to maintain. She secretly raised her hand and skillfully removed her detachable front tooth, instantly revealing a small gap. She then grinned foolishly at everyone.

"Look at my special little dentures! They're perfect for both filming and eating!"

This sudden prank completely baffled everyone.

Guo Junchen burst into laughter, slapping his thigh, his eyes widening in disbelief: "My God!"

"Sister Yitong, you really don't treat us like outsiders!"

Li Mingde was also dumbfounded, his face filled with shock.

He only managed to enter the industry after passing the audition held at the Beijing Film Academy. It was his first time acting, and he was completely bewildered.

It seems like his romanticized view of female celebrities has been shattered.

Who would have thought that the gentle and elegant female celebrity on screen is actually a silly and funny girl in private?

He was less concerned about his image than his female classmates who were aspiring stars.

Not to mention him, Chen Duling had never seen a female celebrity so unconcerned about her image before, and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

She was laughing so hard she almost choked, clutching her stomach and wincing in pain as she laughed.

Just as everyone was laughing, the assistant took Jiang Bai's personal phone and brought it close to Jiang Bai.

A message from agent Xu Xu.

The overseas trip has been finalized.

Thanks to the fact that the production team was an internal entity, and Jiang Bai was the biggest star in the team.

While they might not be able to do whatever they want like Sawako, producers are quite accommodating if things are discussed properly.

According to the finalized itinerary, Jiang Bai needs to depart on September 6th. He will first fly to Shanghai to meet up with Tian Xiwei, and the two will then transfer to Bangkok to begin a four-day overseas fan meeting and TV show recording trip.

They will depart from Bangkok on the 10th to return to China, and are expected to arrive in Qingdao in the early morning of the 11th, where they will continue filming that day.

By the time Jiang Bai received the message, he was already used to it.

Since his last project, he has had to frequently take leave after joining a production team.

That's just how it is when celebrities become famous.

In this era, it's practically unrealistic to expect popular artists to be able to stay on set for 3-4 months in complete isolation, just like in 00.

The bottom line for production crews now is that they don't allow actors to film multiple projects at the same time. As for taking leave to attend events, that's the right of the lead actors to tacitly agree.

This behavior can even be beneficial to the production team, as it can bring them some extra attention and exposure during filming.

That day, during a break after filming wrapped, the meticulous Jiang Bai took the initiative to approach director Li Qingrong to explain the situation.

"Director, I have an urgent overseas trip and need to take five days off."

Li Qingrong wasn't surprised at all, and nodded with a smile in agreement: "I received the producer's notification this afternoon."

"It's alright, don't worry."

"I'll adjust the production schedule to focus on filming other people's scenes."

She paused, then joked, "Congratulations! 'A Love So Beautiful' is a huge hit overseas, bringing glory to the world—that's a good thing!"

"Let's showcase the charm of Chinese stars to overseas audiences."

"Maybe our film will be sold to Southeast Asia someday."

"Thank you for your understanding, Director." Jiang Bai nodded slightly. "Our drama is a lighthearted campus drama that Southeast Asian audiences really like, so it's sure to be a huge hit there!"

It seems that "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" didn't become a huge hit overseas in its past life.

But this time the male lead has changed to him. With his current popularity in Southeast Asia, maybe "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" will really become a hit in Southeast Asia!

Jiang Bai was quite confident about this!