Chapter 51: Join the group

A week later, it was time to join the crew as scheduled.  

This time, Old Wang was the one to take them there.

Xie Xiaobao carried the Cat-Shaped Paper Doll, while the Shelter Director brought Xiao Hei and Da Zhuang.

The three set off for the Film Base.  

The crew had already started filming.

Luo Qin was busy beyond belief, so naturally, he had no time to arrange things for them.

Instead, he assigned the assistant director to handle their accommodations and help them get familiar with the surroundings.  

The Film Base in Shen City was quite large, and since it was newly built, the surrounding facilities were pretty good.

After arriving, Xie Xiaobao and the others followed the assistant director to the hotel to drop off their luggage.  

The assistant director was Zhang Fengnian, a plump middle-aged man with a kind-looking face.

As he led Xie Xiaobao’s group upstairs, he explained the progress of the production and some important notes.  

“Filming started half a month ago. Right now, they’re shooting the female lead’s scenes. The actress playing the female lead is Xie Feifei, and the male lead is Yang Qifei. Xie Feifei is quite easy to get along with, but Yang Qifei… well…”  

‘Pet Fate’ was produced by Feng Sheng Entertainment to promote newcomers.

Both Xie Feifei and Yang Qifei were Feng Sheng’s recently promoted rising stars.  

Though Xie Feifei followed the aloof goddess image publicly, she was relatively easygoing off-camera.

The real trouble was Yang Qifei.  

To the public, Yang Qifei had a gentle, god-like persona, but his temper behind the scenes was notoriously bad.

Before filming even began, he acted like a big star and was ten days late joining the crew.

On top of that, his pet cat was rejected by Director Luo Qin, which bruised his ego.

These past few days since joining, he had been like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.  

Zhang Fengnian hesitated before subtly hinting, “Before you arrived, Yang Qifei also brought his cat for an audition, but it was rejected by Director Luo. He hasn’t been in a good mood lately…”  

The wise knew what he meant without him finishing.

Old Wang, walking beside him, immediately caught on.

He smiled sincerely and thanked him, “Thanks for the heads-up, Director Zhang.”  

Zhang Fengnian shook his head, his face jiggling with laughter, “No problem, no problem. You’re coming late, so Director Luo has already instructed to take good care of you.”  

Their rooms were on the eighth floor.

Xie Xiaobao and Old Wang shared a double room, while the Shelter Director stayed with Xiao Hei and Da Zhuang.  

After dropping off their luggage and having a quick lunch break, they headed to the set in the afternoon.  

When they arrived, they were filming the female lead’s scenes.

The set was busy but orderly.

Non-essential personnel quietly observed from the sidelines.  

Zhang Fengnian gave them a quick tour to familiarize them with the place, handed them the script to read, and then hurried off.

Though not as busy as Luo Qin, the assistant director had plenty on his plate.  

Except for Old Wang, it was the first time for the others to enter a film crew.

Xie Xiaobao curiously watched the actors in the crowd.

Xie Feifei was filming a scene searching for her cat.  

In the scene, the female lead’s cat had been frightened and ran away.

The female lead searched from morning till late afternoon, but couldn’t find it.

Just then, rain began to fall softly, and the anxious female lead, unconcerned about getting wet, continued calling out in the place where the cat was lost.  

Xie Feifei was quite popular among the new generation of actresses.

Xie Xiaobao had seen her a few times on Weibo and had the impression she was a very aloof person.

But now, soaked under the artificial rain, looking disheveled and anxious, there was no trace of that cold goddess image.  

“Cut.” Luo Qin’s voice came through the loudspeaker.  

The sprinkler truck stopped immediately.

Xie Feifei brushed her wet hair back, and her assistant hurried over with a towel, wrapping her up and taking her to the side to rest.  

“Acting is really not easy,” Xie Xiaobao remarked with a sigh.  

Old Wang chuckled, “Not everyone can be this dedicated.”  

“Not dedicated?” Xie Xiaobao looked puzzled.  

Old Wang lifted his chin to the right.

Xie Xiaobao followed his gaze and saw Yang Qifei arriving late.  

Yang Qifei walked over with two assistants.

He was late today and had only just finished getting his makeup and styling done.  

Luo Qin’s mood darkened at the sight of him.

He lowered his expression and shouted into the loudspeaker, “Next scene, prepare!”  

Xie Feifei, wrapped in a towel on the sidelines, set down the half-finished ginger tea and rubbed her hands before heading back to prepare.  

Yang Qifei frowned.

Once his assistants were in position, Luo Qin shouted, “Action!”  

The drizzle resumed.

Yang Qifei gathered his emotions and began reciting his lines from the script.  

“Cut!” Luo Qin raised the loudspeaker, his voice cold, “Not enough feeling, do it again.”  

Yang Qifei frowned, took a deep breath, and started over.  

After three consecutive cuts, the scene finally progressed to the moment the male and female leads met.  

The camera shifted to Xie Feifei.

Her lips were blue-tinged, her body trembling slightly, but she persisted in searching.

The male lead, who was searching separately, grew worried about her and returned, just in time to see the female lead screaming in the heavy rain.  

As the rain intensified, the male lead, worried she might catch a cold, tried to forcibly take her back.

They argued in the rain, and in the end, the female lead, now feverish from the cold, was carried home on the male lead’s back.  

This scene was emotionally intense and required strong acting.

Luo Qin, being a perfectionist, cut the take thirteen times before accepting it.  

Xie Feifei had been soaked in the rain for a long time and was in poor condition.

The assistant, worried she’d get sick, hurriedly wrapped her in a towel and took her back to the hotel.  

Luo Qin put down what he was holding and came over to greet Xie Xiaobao and the others.

Not far off, Yang Qifei wiped his face, shot them a sullen glare, and was quickly escorted away by his assistants.  

“How’s it going? Have you gotten familiar with things?” After filming, Luo Qin’s tone softened.  

Xie Xiaobao nodded, “Director Zhang gave us a tour. We roughly understand everything.”  

“When will Orange Bao and the others start filming their scenes?”  

“Tomorrow,” Luo Qin already had a plan.

“There’s a scene tomorrow where the male and female leads meet in the park.”  

He glanced at the orange cat in Xie Xiaobao’s arms and smiled, “We’ll shoot one scene first to see how it goes.”  

Xie Xiaobao petted the cat and agreed.  

With the filming done for the day, they returned to the hotel to rest.  

***

The next morning, they brought the animals to the set bright and early.  

Before filming, Xie Feifei needed to get familiar with Orange Bao, so they arrived especially early.

At that time, only a few crew members were cleaning the set and preparing for the day’s shoot.  

They expected to wait a long time, but no sooner had they arrived than Xie Feifei came over with her assistant.  

Xie Feifei was momentarily surprised to see them so early—she probably hadn’t expected that.  

“Good morning, Teacher Xie,” Xie Xiaobao greeted first.

“You’re here early too?”  

“Morning.”   Xie Feifei pursed her lips and gave a brief reply.  

“Feifei’s trying to get a feel for things early. Didn’t expect you guys would be this early too,” her assistant smiled and said, “That’s good—it gives you time to get to know the cat.”  

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Xie Xiaobao said as he smoothed Orange Bao’s back and whispered to him, “Be good. Don’t be naughty.”  

“Go on.”  

Xie Xiaobao put the Cat-Shaped Paper Doll down on the ground and gently patted its back.  

The Paper Doll tilted its head, raised its right paw faintly, and looked curiously at Xie Feifei.  

Xie Feifei’s expression softened a little as she squatted and beckoned to it, “Come here.”  

The Paper Doll let out a soft meow, twitched its ears, and trotted over to her.  

Xie Feifei held out the back of her hand, letting it sniff her scent.

The Paper Doll stretched its neck to smell, then gently tapped her hand with its paw.  

Seeing it didn’t reject her, Xie Feifei tentatively reached out and softly stroked its head.  

The Paper Doll’s ears folded back, its round eyes narrowed slightly, and it nuzzled her palm with its head.  

“It’s really cute.” A rare smile appeared on Xie Feifei’s face as she looked at Xie Xiaobao and spoke a few more words than usual.