Huayu: The young actress is heavily dependent on me

The next morning, Chen Li and his filming team arrived at the NA area on time.

The mornings in Chongqing in May are still quite cool, but the thin mist on the river has mostly dissipated.

The team consists of eight people: cameraman, lighting technician, makeup artist, production assistant, Chen Li himself, Bai Mengyan, and the female lead, Li Yitong.

"The Nanshan Yikeshu Viewing Platform is the highlight of tonight's night view. During the day, take photos of Hongyadong and Dongshuimen Old Street first."

Chen Li spread out the storyboard provided by the system on the folding table and circled several camera positions on it with a pen.

"The equipment must be set up over there by 6 p.m., because the golden light only lasts for 15 minutes. If you miss it, you've come all this way for nothing."

The team members each received their tasks and dispersed to prepare. Chen Li stood by the roadside and glanced at her phone.

"Has Xiaotian arrived yet?" he asked Bai Mengyan, looking up at her.

Bai Mengyan pointed to the stairwell.

Tian Xiwei came running up the steps, her hair in pigtails, wearing a floral dress, and carrying three cups of packaged ice jelly.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry! I'm late—" She held the ice jelly high, smiling sweetly.

"I brought you some iced jelly! You'll die if you don't drink something cold in this weather!"

Chen Li took the iced jelly, handed a cup to Bai Mengyan, and then called out towards the dressing room:

"Yitong, come out and have some ice jelly."

The curtain in the dressing room was lifted, and Li Yitong walked out.

Today she wore a plain white gauze dress, her long hair loosely tied back, and only a thin layer of foundation on her face. Her eyebrows and eyes were so aloof that she looked like someone who had stepped out of a traditional Chinese ink painting.

Tian Xiwei's eyes lit up when she saw her.

"Is this the female lead in the 'Undyed' music video? She's so beautiful..." Xiaotian muttered unconsciously.

Li Yitong laughed at her gaze, walked over and took the ice jelly, then looked down at her closely.

Xiaotian's big, round eyes, two shallow dimples, and cheeks slightly flushed from the heat make you want to pinch them.

"You must be Xiaotian? Chen Li mentioned you to me yesterday. My name is Li Yitong, nice to meet you."

After she finished speaking, she smiled and reached out to gently pinch Xiaotian's soft cheek.

Tian Xiwei didn't flinch when pinched; instead, she smiled even more sweetly, her dimples spreading out in deep and shallow lines.

"Sister Yitong, you're so beautiful! My goodness, you look like a little kitten—"

She leaned closer, tilting her head.

"I love cats the most. I feed the orange cat downstairs every day after school."

"Really? Lots of people call me Little Kitty, hehe~"

Li Yitong and Xiaotian smiled at each other and soon became acquainted.

The relationship between girls is sometimes so wonderful; once they hit it off, they quickly become inseparable and can talk about anything.

Even if it's the first time we meet.

"Brother Chen Li, is Sister Yitong your girlfriend?" Xiao Tian suddenly asked curiously.

Bai Mengyan almost choked on the ice jelly in her mouth, then suddenly turned her head away, her shoulders trembling suspiciously.

Chen Li put down her spoon and was about to say no when Li Yitong preemptively reached out her hand, blushing as she waved it repeatedly at Tian Xiwei:

"No, that's not true! We're just friends—"

She paused, cleared her throat, and added in a serious tone:

"I like girls, okay?"

Tian Xiwei blinked and tilted her head slightly to one side.

Then, two seconds later, she burst out laughing.

"Sister Yitong, you're so funny, hahaha—"

The two became even closer, with Xiaotian even putting her arm around Li Yitong's waist as they chatted about makeup and bags.

Bai Mengyan also joined in, and the three of them chatted and laughed.

Chen Li touched his nose, feeling a little strange.

Why are girls so happy when they hear that their friends like the same sex?

If I knew my roommate or brother was Nan Tong, I'd be keeping an eye on him every night, even in my dreams...

Could it be that the rumors about Li Yitong and Tian Xiwei from my past life were true...?

There really is a Tongxinweimin?

I just don't know which of the two of them will use the external soul bone...

Chen Li couldn't help but picture the two of them lying on top of each other...

At this moment, the stage manager jogged over and said that the camera positions at Hongyadong were already set up.

Chen Li nodded, finished the last sip of her iced jelly, shoved the cup into Bai Mengyan's hand, and turned to look at Li Yitong.

"Yitong, get ready."

Li Yitong took a deep breath, straightened the hem of her gauze dress, and stood in front of the stone steps of the stilted building in Hongyadong.

The morning light slanted down from the east, casting dappled shadows on her plain white dress.

Chen Li stood behind the monitor, holding the storyboard in her hand, her gaze shifting back and forth between the screen and the actual scene.

The system's storyboard is so detailed that it specifies the angle, focal length, and camera movement rhythm for each camera position, and even calculates the changes in light precisely.

"Camera position one, adjust to the left by 15 degrees, tilt it downwards, use a 35mm prime lens, and focus on the female lead's fingertip."

"Blur the lanterns in the foreground, but don't make the depth of field too shallow; leave some background depth."

Chen Li gave instructions while observing the monitor and the live footage.

After adjusting the angle, cameraman Lao Zhou glanced at the monitor and paused for a moment.

The composition in the viewfinder is indeed much more harmonious than before.

"Yitong," Chen Li walked to her side and showed her the action scene from the storyboard.

"The first movement is not a pure classical dance starting position. The left toes pointing forward is correct, but the right hand does not need to start from the waist like in traditional body movements."

"Don't follow your hand with your eyes, look straight ahead, and think that you are waiting for someone."

Li Yitong tried twice. The first time, she still had some ballet momentum, and her shoulders were a little stiff.

The second time, she suddenly relaxed, and the moment her wrist rotated inward, her body language suddenly came alive.

"Keep this feeling in mind."

"Old Zhou, keep an eye on her hand. When her wrist is halfway turned, start moving the camera position, zooming in at a steady speed, and keeping the focus locked so you don't lose track."

In one take, the footage on the monitor flowed smoothly.

Li Yitong, standing in a plain white gauze dress amidst the gray tiles and red lanterns of Hongyadong, resembled a flower blown away by the wind; every movement was precise down to her fingertips.

After filming, Lao Zhou watched the playback on the monitor three times. Finally, he took off his headphones, turned to look at Chen Li with a surprised expression:

"Teacher Chen, you really didn't study directing before? I've been a cinematographer for over ten years, and this is the first time I've seen actors come up with such detailed plans themselves."

The lighting technician next to him also came over to watch the playback and clicked his tongue:

"The lighting was perfectly timed. At this angle in the morning at Hongyadong, we usually have to try at least three or four times to find the right exposure combination. You just ruined it with one shot."

"I was lucky." Chen Li smiled and turned to look at Li Yitong.

"Yitong, you did a great job. That last one was amazing."

Li Yitong took the water glass from Bai Mengyan, her forehead beaded with sweat, and said with a smile:

"Really? I almost lost my balance when I turned around just now—"

"I can't tell, it looks like it's floating by in the shot."

In front of the monitor, Li Yitong and Tian Xiwei huddled together.

The scene begins with the morning light at Hongyadong.

Layer upon layer of gray tiles and flying eaves unfold, and a woman in a plain white gauze dress slowly walks down the stone steps, her bare feet stepping on the bluestone slabs, splashing up fine water droplets.

The camera zooms in, and a fingertip lightly touches the mottled old wall, revealing the intricate texture of the brick seams in the backlight.

Then came the moment she turned around:

The morning breeze lifted a wisp of hair from her forehead, her eyes both cool and gentle.

"Is this really me...?" Li Yitong stared at the screen, muttering to herself.

I never knew I could be this beautiful!

Is this how he sees me...?

Li Yitong raised her head and looked at Chen Li, who was standing next to the monitor.

He was talking to cameraman Lao Zhou about the possible adjustments to the camera setup for the next scene at Dongshuimen Old Street.

The morning light outlined his profile clearly, revealing the clean lines of his nose. As he spoke, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, conveying a sense of composed confidence.

Li Yitong's heart was pounding.