Chapter 10: It’s Just a Matter of Two Yuan
The scene turned incredibly awkward. Who would have thought that two yuan could cause such a commotion? If she had known it would escalate like this, she definitely wouldn’t have gotten involved for a mere two yuan.
“Look, I don’t know your boyfriend.”
“He’s not my boyfriend! He’s my childhood friend!”
“Okay, okay, whatever. Anyway, this is a misunderstanding. I really don’t know him. Please calm down.”
Honestly, young people these days are so immature, Yu Linna thought to herself. However, it was normal for young couples to get jealous over such things; Yu Linna understood. Although she had never been in a relationship, she was well-versed in ACG culture and quite familiar with childhood friend character tropes in anime. In her opinion, Ye Zhiyun was a living embodiment of an ACG character.
But who was Ye Zhiyun? Did she really care about the two yuan? She was just angry that this blonde girl who suddenly appeared had disrupted the harmony between her and her childhood friend. Furthermore, associating Yu Linna with the “girl who falls from the sky” trope in anime, she felt a sense of impending doom. This threat had to be eliminated quickly!
“Zhiyun!”
Just as Ye Zhiyun was about to say something, Li Muqing got off the bus. Seeing his childhood friend giving a hard time to a girl he didn’t know, he panicked. It was just a matter of two yuan, was it necessary to make such a fuss?
This simple-minded boy didn’t think twice and stood in front of Yu Linna, his broad shoulders shielding the small and frail girl.
“Zhiyun, don’t make things difficult for her. It’s just a bus fare, it’s not that big of a deal.”
Ye Zhiyun stared at Li Muqing, her gaze fixed.
A nameless fire ignited within her, and the last vestiges of her reason snapped. All she wanted to do was explode.
“Li Muqing, do you even know what you’re doing, you idiot?! If you like being with her so much, then go ahead and have fun! Goodbye!!”
Overwhelmed by jealousy, Ye Zhiyun stormed off without another word. Li Muqing felt so wronged. What had he done wrong? He was just trying to be kind and mediate, how did it turn out like this?
A woman’s heart was truly unfathomable.
“Zhiyun, where are you going? Didn’t we agree to go shopping?”
“I’m not going with you anymore!”
“Hey, don’t go, Zhiyun!”
Poor Li Muqing could only chase after his childhood friend to try and calm her down. He had known her for so long, but this was the first time he had seen her so angry. With his negative EQ, Li Muqing had no idea what he did wrong and could only apologize profusely. Ye Zhiyun, on the other hand, wore an expression of “I’m not listening, la la la,” making things difficult for him.
By the time Ye Zhiyun’s anger subsided and she returned, Yu Linna was long gone.
“Where did that blonde girl go?”
Yu Linna wasn’t foolish enough to just stand there and watch the drama unfold. Was she supposed to stay there and wait to be dealt with by Ye Zhiyun? Of course, she chose to run. She didn’t want to be the reason a potentially happy couple broke up; that would give her a guilty conscience.
Honestly, the two of them really did resemble a childhood friend pairing from an anime, specifically a harem anime. If this were an anime world, that low EQ boy would probably be the protagonist.
But this had nothing to do with Yu Linna. She left early because she had to rush to the film set. When the time came, Huang Jinglin called her and asked her to wait for her at the intersection.
She waited at the intersection for about five minutes before Huang Jinglin finally arrived. The host didn’t waste any time and took her directly to the set. To be honest, if Chen Xi hadn’t said that this girl was suitable for the extra role Murong Yan needed, she wouldn’t have paid any special attention to her. After all, this girl only had a pretty face and no other special talents.
However, she was indeed suitable to appear in Murong Yan’s film, even if it was just as an extra.
“I’ll take you to the makeup room later. Don’t ask too many questions. Just finish quickly so you can get off work.”
“Oh.”
Huang Jinglin’s attitude towards her was quite cold and disinterested.
She had been in the broadcasting industry for a while and understood the entertainment world. There were countless people with only looks and no talent, but many famous directors liked to use them. Because good looks always brought a certain amount of traffic.
Murong Yan was a university classmate of Huang Jinglin and Chen Xi. They met in the same club during university. Murong Yan studied sound design at the time but became a director after graduation, thanks to the support of a senior. Although he hadn’t specifically studied directing, Murong Yan was willing to work hard and did a decent job. His first film was an art film, which was quite well-received, at least earning him some recognition.
This time, he received funding from investors and was rushing to film a low-budget movie. As a new director, he couldn’t afford famous actors. And recently, he needed a female character for a scene in his film. This character was preferably a young girl, ideally between 15 and 18 years old, with slightly foreign features. One scene in his movie required depicting a character’s childhood experience, and a young girl was needed for this scene. The girl didn’t need any lines, just a close-up shot. The scene was only about ten seconds long, but it was very important.
Murong Yan refused to spend a fortune hiring a famous actress. In his mind, none of the young stars had the temperament he was looking for. Even searching for foreign girls living in the country yielded no results that met his expectations. In the end, he even considered scrapping the scene altogether.
However, after seeing the photo Huang Jinglin gave him, he immediately decided on this candidate. It was her!
After Yu Linna arrived at the set, Huang Jinglin found a staff member and briefly explained the situation. The staff member then led Yu Linna inside. Yu Linna entered in a daze. In the dressing room, the makeup artist assigned her a seat and immediately gave her an outfit.
“Miss Yu, please change into this costume right away. If you have any questions, feel free to ask us. We’ll do your makeup, and you’ll go to the set in an hour.”
“So soon?”
“Your scene is a special request from the director. We must capture it today, please cooperate.”
Yu Linna didn’t say anything and obediently followed instructions. This was her first time in a film studio, her first time in a makeup room, and she was a complete novice. She was far luckier than most people. Ordinary extras couldn’t even dream of reaching her position. She received such treatment on her first time as an extra.
She was so lucky thanks to Murong Yan’s insistence on the quality of his work. He wanted an actress whose temperament met his expectations and who looked slightly foreign. Even if it was just a ten-second flashback, he insisted on this scene. This was probably his professionalism.
In his words, “No one can easily portray the young Queen Sally’s temperament. It requires a specific look, even if the actress has no acting skills, I need her to have that temperament.”
An hour later, Yu Linna emerged, dressed in a foreign princess costume, her face made up, and her hair carefully styled. For the camera, the makeup artist made her face look more foreign, making her truly resemble a foreign princess. Since Yu Linna was Chinese, she couldn’t completely look like a foreigner, but she happened to have a slightly foreign appearance. After the makeup artist’s meticulous work, she looked quite different from her usual self.
When she entered the filming set, the staff were stunned, and even the actors rehearsing their lines noticed her immediately.
“Who is she?”
“Brother Yan said she’s the actress playing the young Calgary. Her temperament is quite similar to Sister Jiayi’s.”
Yu Linna was still somewhat uneasy. It was her first time on camera, and she didn’t know if she could do a good job. Murong Yan came over to take a look and felt it was not bad. It seemed Sister Chen’s recommendation wasn’t without reason. Indeed, this girl was very suitable for the role in his film.
“Miss Yu, we’ll be counting on you. Don’t stop until I yell ‘cut.’ Just sit on that throne and try to look melancholic. You don’t have to do anything else.”
Yu Linna nodded repeatedly. Whatever the director said, she had to accept.
Besides, it was her first time on a film set. There were so many people, so many staff members, and so many extras. Was it really okay for her, a suddenly appearing extra, to just go in like this?
Nevertheless, she obediently sat on the throne as instructed by the director. Dozens of cameras immediately focused on her. The staff started moving. Yu Linna was nervous but gradually calmed herself down.
“This scene depicts Queen Sally’s youth. I hope you can show some facial expressions. Since this is your first time acting, I won’t expect too much from you. Just complete this ten-second shot.”
Yu Linna closed her eyes and calmed down. She followed her instincts, conjuring up the image of a princess in her mind.
“Action!”
The cameras rolled. Yu Linna thought about her own experiences, her own desires, and slowly, a melancholic expression appeared on her face. It was essentially a natural performance, and the effect was unexpectedly good.
“Cut! Perfect!”
Murong Yan felt it was okay and didn’t ask for a second take, a rare occurrence for him. He mainly felt that the shot was well done. Yu Linna didn’t break character and met his expectations. That was enough. Doing it again might ruin it, so it was better to leave it as is.
“Next group, Sister Bai, please get ready!”
The scene was completed just like that, without any difficulty or unexpected issues. Yu Linna breathed a sigh of relief.
And because of this, she finished work early.
As agreed, Murong Yan asked a staff member to give her 500 yuan as her fee. Although it wasn’t much, it was a lot for an extra. This money could even help her solve her rent problem, for one month, at least.
“Miss Yu, thank you for your hard work. You can go home now.”
“Miss Huang, can I come back to the set again?”
“Alright, alright, go now. I’ll contact you if there’s anything.”
Huang Jinglin didn’t have the patience to entertain her. She didn’t think this girl would have another opportunity. After all, it was just a special scene, and such a special scene wouldn’t happen again. Yu Linna was simply daydreaming.
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