Chapter 135: Red Carpet
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they began sharing photos of this luxurious crew lunch on social media.
“Thank you, Director Gu, for the feast! This is the most sumptuous meal I’ve ever had!”
“Thanks to the Big Boss for the meal.”
In the afternoon, it was time for Bai Xiaosiâs scenes. Gu Wanrong sat on the sofa in the dressing room, chatting with Bai Xiaosi while watching the stylist do her hair and makeup.
“Are you getting used to filming with the crew? How much longer is this production expected to take?” Gu Wanrong mused that since Bai Xiaosi signed with the company and joined the crew, she hadn’t had much other exposure.
Bai Xiaosi kept her head perfectly still from the neck up, allowing two stylists to work on her look. She looked at Gu Wanrong through the mirror. “The food and lodging arrangements for the Fashion Queen crew are fantastic. Thereâs nothing to get used to; itâs great.”
Yuan Zhi, Bai Xiaosi’s manager, chimed in from the side, “Director Gu is truly considerate of us.” She then added, “Thereâs probably about half a month left before Fashion Queen finishes filming.”
Creeeeak.
The dressing room door was pushed open, and a man and a woman walked in. The woman was the female lead of Fashion Queen.
The manâs eyes scanned the room, and he immediately led the lead actress, Cheng Qishuang, forward. With a beaming smile, he said, “Hello, Director Gu! This is Cheng Qishuang, who plays the female lead, Stella, in Fashion Queen.”
“Director Gu,” Cheng Qishuang greeted her. Her face was bare of makeup, and she was wrapped in a long black down jacket.
Gu Wanrongâs gaze swept over the crinkles at the corners of the man’s eyes as he smiled, and she gave a reserved nod.
“I am Shuang-shuangâs manager, Qu Xin from Star Joy Entertainment. I am truly sorry; we didn’t know you were visiting the set today, Director Gu, otherwise, I would have definitely brought Shuang-shuang to accompany you. As it happened, Shuang-shuang had a scene this afternoon and just came over from the hotel. As soon as we heard you were here, we rushed over to meet you.”
In just a few sentences, Qu Xin explained why they hadn’t been on set that morning.
Cheng Qishuang was already seated in front of the mirror, letting the makeup artist work on her face, her eyes closed and motionless.
The dressing room echoed with the sounds of Yuan Zhi and Qu Xin talking grandly. From time to time, they would pull the hair and makeup artists into the conversation, subtly flattering Gu Wanrong.
Gu Wanrong continued the topic that had been interrupted earlier. “The time the crew wraps up shouldn’t be too far off from your personal wrap-up date, right, Sisi?”
“About the same,” Bai Xiaosi said hesitantly; she didn’t pay much attention to such details.
“A few days later,” Qu Xin answered after getting the specific date from Yuan Zhi. He calculated for a moment. “If Director Wu and the others move quickly, our drama could be aired by the end of March.”
This wasn’t an exaggeration. Before taking on this project, Qu Xin and others in the industry knew that Yishang Entertainment had already cleared the necessary channels and built up connections. They were just waiting to finish filming and editing to immediately pass censorship and go online.
“March, huh.”
Gu Wanrong repeated the time.
It was already January. There was no chance to jump on the bandwagon for the inner pages of the New Year’s issues, so it would be better to aim for the March cover, which happened to coincide with the dramaâs broadcast time.
“Are there any scheduled magazine cover shoots for Sisi after she wraps up? What other fashion-related activities are there?”
“Currently, there are no magazine shoots, but there are invitations for guest appearances on variety shows,” Yuan Zhi replied, quickly running through Bai Xiaosi’s schedule for the next few months in her head.
“I see. March is the anniversary of KQ Magazineâs founding. When the time comes, go walk the red carpet,” Gu Wanrong said after listening.
Her gaze landed on Qu Xinâs face, which was filled with envy, and she continued, “Our drama is a dual-female lead story. Cheng Qishuang and Sisi should walk the red carpet together to promote the show.”
Hearing this, Qu Xinâs eyes sparkled. If he didn’t know that Gu Wanrong disliked being touched by others, he would have grabbed her hand and hailed her as his “provider.”
Looking around, he realized he was the only man in the dressing room. “Director Gu, thank you so much! Look at our Shuang-shuangâshe has the face and the figure. I guarantee her condition on the day of the red carpet will be top-tier!”
Unable to hug anyone, Qu Xin instead squeezed past the stylist working on Cheng Qishuangâs hair and excitedly pulled her to stand in front of Gu Wanrong, making her spin around.
Cheng Qishuang lowered her eyes in a mix of shyness and embarrassment, not daring to meet Gu Wanrongâs gaze.
“Sister Wanrong, Shuang-jie and I will definitely do a perfect job promoting the drama. We won’t waste the opportunity youâve given us,” Bai Xiaosi promised happily, taking Cheng Qishuangâs hand.
Gu Wanrong smiled.
Although Yishang Entertainment’s most famous artist currently was Jing Xiu, a newly debuted boy group member, Yishang had plenty of fashion resources. With the support of the Qianyuan Group, KQ Magazine had actually sent extra invitations when they delivered the ones for Endless-9, out of respect for Jiang Bin, the General Manager of the Asia-Pacific region for the LVMH Group.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the dressing room was enthusiastic as the two lead actresses finished their makeup and costumes.
“Director Gu, excuse me! Teacher Cheng, Teacher Bai, the makeup and styling are done. You can come out to film now.”
There were two knocks on the door, and someone stood in the doorway.
“Go ahead. I’ll watch you film as well,” Gu Wanrong said, standing up from the sofa and leading the way out of the dressing room.
Gu Wanrong walked to the filming site and found a seat. When the director saw her coming, he hurried over to greet her.
“Director Gu, you’re still at the set this afternoon to accompany Xiaosi during filming?” Director Wu asked with a smile.
“Since I said I was visiting Xiaosi, I’ll stay with the crew for the day. If you need anything, you can just tell me directly,” Gu Wanrong replied with a smile.
At this point, Cheng Qishuang and Bai Xiaosi began their performance. Their acting skills were excellent, portraying the characters’ emotions vividly.
Watching Cheng Qishuang on site, Gu Wanrong marveled inwardly. The contrast between her acting skills and her socially anxious personality was truly vast.
Indeed, from the moment Cheng Qishuang entered the dressing room, it was basically Qu Xin who did all the talking. It wasn’t that she looked down on people; she was simply socially anxious.
Gu Wanrong, who was once socially anxious herself, could tell at a glance. She had the habit of standing behind someone familiar when meeting strangers, staying quiet in a corner if she wasn’t good at talking, and looking down, not daring to make eye contact when pulled out…
Thinking about it, with Cheng Qishuang’s personality, the fact that she hadn’t made a splash in the entertainment industry but still had roles to play was likely due to her acting talent, her looks, and her lively manager, Qu Xin.
As Gu Wanrong was thinking, she suddenly saw Wu Yongzheng looking at her hesitantly, turning back, then looking again.
“Director Wu, is something the matter?”
Wu Yongzheng somewhat awkwardly led two women over. Gu Wanrong recognized one as the original author of Fashion Queen and the screenwriter herself, Li Mengyun, who had greeted her during lunch.
Based on her outfit, the other woman appeared to be the head of the costume and makeup department.
“This is Andy, our specially invited costume and makeup teacher who previously worked at a fashion magazine. One of the scenes tonight requires very high standards for clothing and jewelry. What the crew managed to borrow can be used for filming… but Teacher Andy and Screenwriter Li both believe the results won’t reach the effect written in the script.”
Wu Yongzheng mulled over his words several times before speaking subtly.
Translator’s Note: Hi everyone! In this chapter, we see Gu Wanrong using her “Big Boss” influence to help the production. You might notice the term “Teacher” (čĺ¸ – LÇoshÄŤ) being used for Cheng Qishuang and the designers. In the Chinese entertainment industry, “Teacher” is a common honorific for respected professionals or experienced actors, regardless of whether they actually teach. Also, “Sister Wanrong” (Wanrong-jie) is a way to show closeness and respect. Hope you’re enjoying the “flexing” of her wealth!
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