Chapter 30: Entering Character in a Second

Chapter 30: Entering Character in One Second

A maid?

She needs to get made up just to play a maid?

Wen Xuan took a deep, speechless breath and nodded lightly.

She had no choice but to nod—the company had bowed to capital, so she had to obey.

Still, a maid's makeup didn't need to be too refined. Wen Xuan finished it in a few quick strokes. The false hair bun for the maid was fetched from the very makeup room where she had originally been queuing.

The moment that false bun was attached, Xu Zishan transformed directly from a modern rich young lady into a servile, ancient little maid. On the plain, ordinary bun, let alone a buyao hairpin, there wasn't even a single hairpin—just a plastic begonia flower pinned to the side.

So much so that Xu Zishan was stunned when she saw the final result.

Actually, this styling fit the character prototype. A maid was a maid; they were all basically the same. Even if you played the Second Miss's maid, it wouldn't be anything special.

But because she had just seen Shen Li's final styling, she had secretly raised her expectations to the max. That was why seeing her own look now gave her such a huge sense of disparity.

Especially since Shen Li was sitting right behind her. Comparing the two, Xu Zishan felt she looked both ugly and tacky, utterly crushed into the dust.

"Teacher, this... this isn't right, is it?"

Xu Zishan was unwilling, and even more unwilling to shoot promotional stills in this look. She looked at Wen Xuan and asked, "Why is my makeup so plain? The hair bun is ordinary too, and I don't even have a single hair accessory!"

Wen Xuan was packing up her makeup kit. Hearing this, she glanced at Xu Zishan expressionlessly before saying, "Roles like yours all have this kind of makeup. Although I don't do maid roles anymore, I started with small roles back then. There's nothing wrong with your makeup."

"At most, when they pick your costume later, they might give you something different from the background extras."

Different from background extras?

Her dad invested five hundred thousand, and all she got was being different from extras?

She wanted to be different from Shen Li!

But in a way, wasn't this exactly being different from Shen Li?

"Teacher, you must have made a mistake!" Xu Zishan hurriedly said. "I'm playing the Second Miss's maid. She's playing the Fourth Miss's maid. In terms of role importance and screen time, my role is more important!"

The Fourth Miss's maid?

Wen Xuan blinked in confusion, then couldn't help but let out a light laugh. "You're most likely mistaken. The actors I personally do makeup for wouldn't even rank in the top ten of the cast list."

"Of course, you're an exception."

With that, she couldn't be bothered to explain further. She picked up her packed makeup kit, ready to get off work. Before leaving, she didn't forget to remind Shen Li: "The photography side is even busier than us today. You might have to wait a bit longer."

"No problem, Teacher. Thanks for your hard work today, thank you." Shen Li stood up and bid farewell to Teacher Wen very politely.

After Wen Xuan left, Xu Zishan rushed to Shen Li in a flash, looking at her with a face full of resentment and demanding, "Shen Li, who exactly are you playing?"

She wasn't stupid. A cannon fodder character with little screen time who gets beaten to death early on—how could she possibly have such a good look?

Eyebrows drawn, eyes painted, powder and rouge—nothing was missing. This was absolutely not a maid's makeup.

Wang Chuhan also belatedly looked at Shen Li. No wonder she had just thought Shen Li's makeup was beautiful but didn't look like a maid at all.

The Xu Zishan before her was what a maid should look like.

Shen Li naturally wouldn't say. She had only told her sister; even her roommates didn't know. She was afraid the news would leak and she'd lose this precious opportunity.

Just as she was hesitating how to evade, someone finally pushed the door open: "Teacher Song Anyu, Shen Li, it's your turn for stills."

Song Anyu, who had been pretending to sleep in the makeup chair, instantly opened his eyes at the sound. He had just stood up when his team members flooded in.

The agent was a capable woman. She walked to Song Anyu's side and said: "We need to shoot the stills fast. The 6:30 flight to Sichuan for the brand event can't be delayed. It determines whether you get this endorsement."

"Got it." Song Anyu nodded, and under the escort of several bodyguards, walked quickly out of the makeup room.

The next second, an explosion of cheers and screams erupted in the corridor—all because they saw Song Anyu.

Shen Li took the chance to grab Wang Chuhan and hurriedly followed, leaving the still-bewildered Xu Zishan behind.

Xu Zishan was both angry and confused. Shen Li not only didn't have to queue for makeup, but she was also shooting stills with Song Anyu?

What was going on?

The reason was that Song Anyu wasn't the male lead or the second male lead, but the "Huaxixi" drama's official couple pairing—the male third lead, "Chu Yan."

The moment she stepped into the photography studio, Shen Li was pulled aside by the camera director. He looked down at the materials and fired off instructions like a machine gun: "'Huaxixi,' right? In a bit, you just pose freely. The photographer will capture candid shots. Movements must fit your character—gentler, sweeter, no modern poses."

"Then you'll shoot a set of stills with Teacher Song Anyu first. You're the character CP, but it ends in a BE. So remember: deep affection mixed with despair and reluctance. You understand what I mean?"

Shen Li hadn't even had time to answer before a costume teacher dragged her away: "Come with me to change."

The whole shoot was tight and fast-paced. Shen Li was pulled around like a marionette, changing into one outfit after another. It wasn't until the fifth one that they found the one that best matched her styling.

Then in a flash, she was already in Song Anyu's arms.

"Come on, the two of you gaze deeply at each other. Teacher Anyu, hold her tighter. Show the struggle of not wanting to let go."

"Female—"

The photographer was about to direct Shen Li, but discovered that at this moment, the corners of her eyes were red, her watery eyes brimming with tears, her gaze full of despair.

He was startled, then delighted. He shut his mouth and pressed the shutter continuously, afraid Shen Li's perfect state would vanish in an instant.

"Next pose. Teacher Anyu, sit down. Shen Li, you lie on Teacher Anyu's legs. This one should be sweeter. Post-production can use it as material for CP fans."

Song Anyu couldn't help but glance at Shen Li again after helping her up. That sudden surge of full emotion just now had genuinely surprised him.

Since his debut, he had worked with so many actresses, but never seen one enter character so fast, with emotions so full and precise.

After Song Anyu sat down, he stretched out a long leg, then looked up at Shen Li.

He discovered that when her state broke, her eyes were full of panic. She looked like a frightened little deer, completely at a loss.

Before lying down, Shen Li even bowed apologetically to Song Anyu, whispering weakly: "Sorry, Teacher."

"It's fine. Let's hurry." Song Anyu said softly.

Shen Li took a deep breath, slowly lay on her side, rested her head on Song Anyu's thigh, and simultaneously tilted her head to look up at him. Her gaze was lingering and tender, perfectly interlocking.

She entered character in one second again.

Thanks

"20220618191757429" baby's monthly ticket

"Mo Xixue" baby's monthly ticket

(End of Chapter)