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Tony was finishing up the last details on Jiang Se’s face as Sandy was about to follow suit. Reflected in the mirror was a young woman who had a surprising stillness about her. Her lips were pale, and the complexion of her face was a little unsightly. She looked seemingly worse for wear, but her eyes burned with tenacity and obstinacy.

“Yes, that’s it!” Sand exclaimed with a smile as she clasped Jiang Se’s head in her hands and turned it left and right, looking her over. “That’s a good look in your eyes; keep it up.”

Jiang Se had just been thinking about ‘Feng Nan’ and the things she had to do when her deepest sentiments unintentionally came out. Inadvertently, the willful look in her eyes coupled with the hair and makeup caused Sandy to voice her approval.

Outside the dressing room, the script supervisor was impatiently pacing back and forth and looking down at his wristwatch over and over again while he waited for wardrobe to finish. He was thus completely taken aback by the apparent difference in temperament when Jiang Se emerged. He never anticipated that by simply changing up her costume and makeup, her disposition would transform so drastically. But these were only fleeting thoughts, and he soon got back to business and began rushing Jiang Se once more. “Hurry up! Director Zhang has been waiting for a while now.”

More than ten minutes had passed since Jiang Se entered the dressing room  and Director Zhang’s time was incredibly valuable. The script supervisor was terrified that his patience would soon run out.

Zhang JingAn and Liu Ye were no longer discussing Jiang Hua Corporation or anything associated with it when Jiang Se returned to the director’s shed1. Instead, they were animatedly discussing certain parts of the script.

The two were intensely reviewing dialogue from some key scenes, and they had opposing opinions. However, the atmosphere was surprisingly calm, even harmonious.

When Jiang Se neared the shed, Zhang JingAn looked away from Liu Ye and gestured towards the script supervisor and said, “Get her on the platform and let’s give it a go.”

Earlier, Jiang Se had only caught Zhang JingAn’s attention because of how good she looked in the camera, but now that she had been tidied up and given the proper clothes, her look and temperament were surprisingly appropriate for the role.  

The makeup artist had done a good job of capitalizing on Jiang Se’s characteristics, giving her a natural makeup look but also skillfully drawing out a look of stubbornness, which fit perfectly with the role of the woman who resisted Gao Rong. Indeed, Jiang Se was to act the part where the woman uncompromisingly refused and spat at the ‘enemy.’

The issue was that Jiang Se had received no acting instruction at all. She had no prior acting experience, not even from plays in school or other similar events. Gao Rong, on the other hand, had the experience despite not being particularly well-known in the group. He had worked on numerous production crews, taken on a number of small roles, and even spent a considerable amount of time as background extras. Acting-wise he was up to par. Otherwise, the production team of ‘Operation Rescue’ would not have chosen him to play as an antagonist.

With good reason, Zhang JingAn’s brows furrowed in worry. There was a good chance that Jiang Se would be intimidated and suppressed by Gao Rong’s momentum, just like what happened to the previous woman. The woman who had acted before her could hardly even respond, much less convey the appropriate feelings and actions.

Zhang JingAn hinted at Jiang Se to move towards the designated spot and then instructed the script supervisor to assist her with the upcoming scene.

With a copy of the script in his hands, the script supervisor immediately moved forward. He gave Jiang Se a brief run-down of the scene and described to her the character she was auditioning for. The “lines” were actually very short—just one word. Just like the previous woman, she was to look back at Gao Rong and say, ‘Pei!’

However, it was clear that attempting to get the all-clear from Zhang JingAn was more difficult than it appeared. Otherwise, the previous woman would not have had to repeatedly go through her scene numerous times and still not receive his approval.

Jiang Se closed her eyes and thought in silence about ‘Feng Nan,’ the leased weapons, her grandfather, and all the challenges she had to overcome in this unfamiliar environment. She also thought about her current situation and what she needed to do. When Jiang Se next opened her eyes, she no longer covered up the burning rage she felt, and her eyes immediately reflected it.

She was not from any orthodox acting school. In all honesty, she was far, far removed from it, but at that moment, it did not seem to matter.

Zhang JingAn looked at the young girl on the monitor, who looked as if she was enduring a fiery rage inside of her. Unabashedly, in front of him, Liu Ye, and the dozens of onlookers, she neither showed the least bit of stage fright nor awkwardness at having to perform in front of a crowd; she only studiously went over the script in her hands.

Zhang JingAn cocked his head to the side and thought of his earlier evaluation of her—he might have been too hasty in his judgment. He had unfairly deemed her unremarkable, but now, to him, Jiang Se was beginning to look like an unpolished gem—rough edges and all.

When Liu Ye’s proposal was first made, he had some reservations, including the possibility that her acting would be stiff and fall short of the minimum requirements. He had put a lot of sweat, blood, and tears into this film and did not want to ruin it by allowing subpar acting in a crucial scene just to appease Liu Ye. That was why he had declined right away.

However, her surprising display gave him pause and made him reconsider the proposal. Just as he was about to say something, at the last second, he held himself back. It would not be too late to make the decision after watching her perform. He wanted to see how she would do when facing Gao Rong.

Everyone started returning to their positions. There was a restrained wave of noise as the crew began to reposition their equipment and as the extras were tied up once more. The whole time, several of the group actors kept glancing at Jiang Se, envious of her luck and chance.

Lu BaoBao and her group had spent the majority of the day being tied to and off of the wooden pillars and were already starting to feel a little dehydrated and sunburned. They stood there listlessly as they waited for the scene to start, and finally, when the clapperboard sounded its familiar clack, they all sighed inwardly, unanimously.

Contrarily, Gao Rong displayed neither the slightest signs of fatigue nor impatience in response to the clapperboard. Gao Rong only displayed the highest level of professionalism and patience, despite the fact that he had previously been required to repeat his actions and lines numerous times. Furthermore, he was instructed to do the same with another newcomer.

Gao Rong took position and began: A malevolent look came over his face as he waved his hand assertively in the air, his brows furrowing together, making him appear even more sinister.

“If,” he bellowed, then paused, sweeping his gaze at the captives and stopping at Jiang Se, intimidating her with his voice and eyes. “Zhou MingChong does not hand over that thing, all of you will die!”

When Jiang Se had only been an observer to this scene from the sides before, she never gave it much thought.

But now that she was the one confronting Gao Rong, she could feel that threatening and murderous aura, as if Gao Rong really did intend to kill her.

She stared defiantly back at Gao Rong, her face hard and the corners of her eyes turning red.

A camera drew nearer and slowly panned in a circle around her, capturing every nuance of the expression on her face.

With her teeth clenched and her cheeks slightly quivering, Jiang Se maintained her gaze on Gao Rong. She remained silent and did not do anything else except stare back, but even then her unwillingness to surrender was palpable and the contempt in her eyes was unmistakable.

“Pei!”

When she was still Feng Nan, she had never been exposed to such things, nor had she ever uttered similar words, especially in that tone of voice.

But when she spoke her lines, she leaned her upper body forward, with her arms and torso straining against the ropes. Her body language was able to convey a sense of coercion and sudden excitement.

The circumstances might be different, but she drew inspiration from the time when she and Jiang Hua Corporation’s ‘crown prince’ were having dinner. She had noticed that he had a very strong, inexplicable desire for control. Whenever he spoke to her, he would habitually lean forward and give off a subtle kind of pressure, trying to guide the conversation his way.

Zhang JingAn gave an almost imperceptible nod. It was clear that he was pleased with Jiang Se’s improv.

He sat behind the camera and closely scrutinized Jiang Se, from her eyes and jaw all the way down to her arms and legs, then he gave a small smile.

Gao Rong cursorily wiped his face with his hand before placing it on his bayonet. He then took two steps back and grimly commanded, “Kill them all!”

Once he finished speaking his lines, Zhang JingAn immediately gestured ‘OK’, declaring his approval. With just one take, the scene was given a pass.

The hair and makeup people swiftly rushed forward and touched-up Jiang Se’s makeup. The weapons master also made a move and diligently inspected each firearm. The props staff double-checked the exploding blood bags, making sure they would work as intended, before retreating to the side.

Bang!

Jiang Se yelled out in pain and then slowly fell to the ground.

This time she did not immediately get the ‘OK.’ Her voice lacked the previous tenacity, and Director Zhang was clearly not happy with it.

The script supervisor jogged over and relayed the Director’s instructions, saying, “Once the bag detonates, you don’t need to rush when falling down; your posture is as important as your expression and voice.”

He took out the rolled-up script and turned to a page, pointing at a section: “See here? This is the character you’re playing. You are one of the Zhou family’s servants, and you personally feel indebted to them. You are intensely loyal because of this, and so you would rather die than give up any information about Zhou MingChong.”

Time did not permit him to expound more on Jiang Se’s character, so he merely gave her a brief explanation. He then tapped the script on his knee twice and gave her a nod, saying, “Do it well. Let’s do another take.”

Jiang Se nodded back in response and closed her eyes.

Even though she had already been acting as ‘Jiang Se,’ Jiang Se found it incredibly difficult to pretend to be anyone other than herself, so she could only do it in the clumsiest manner. Jiang Se tried to put herself in the situation: She was a servant who owed the Zhou family, and was taken prisoner by the enemy while they were looking for Zhou MingChong. Despite the fact that she was not responsible for whatever ‘crime’ Zhou MingChong committed and was captured by association, she adamantly refused to divulge his whereabouts or any other information. She was just a young girl facing the terrible oppression and cruelty of the enemy as well as the threat of death, but her determination and unyielding nature did not lose to anyone else.

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Jiang Se took a moment to immerse herself in the feeling, and although she could not completely grasp it, she vaguely felt the emotions. She opened her eyes and nodded at the script supervisor.

Clack.

Bang!

Jiang Se received another shot to the chest. She then swayed a little on her feet as she tried to look down at her chest. In that moment, ‘blood’ dripped down her chin and cheek, making the scene look strikingly poignant. 

Footnotes

Area where the Director usually sits behind several monitors along with producers, screenwriters, and other staff in the production crew. There are usually several director’s chairs arranged here.