Literary Master: Starting with Refusing to Be a Child Star

Chapter 72, "The Hidden Corner," begins filming.

In fact, it was impossible for "The Hidden Corner" not to be a hit. Its complete structure made the story full of ups and downs, and its explosive opening left people speechless.

When Director Mo saw the script, he became jealous. He was jealous of Director Qin; no director wouldn't be jealous of such a good script.

But he also knew that this was what his friend deserved. He had helped a child when he was going through the most difficult time in his life, and in the end, the boy repaid him with all his might. This was a heartwarming story.

Luo Jinnian studied diligently at school, and then devoted himself to writing when he returned to his rented apartment.

Days passed by, and soon filming for "The Hidden Corner" officially began.

Everyone in the crew was full of energy, and it was clear to everyone that the script they were about to join was a perfect work.

The opening scene was filmed without any cuts. Director Qin looked at the camera and nodded, "It should be you. You have a natural talent for playing bad kids."

"Thank you for the compliment, although it's a bit strange."

"I'm not just saying this to be perfunctory. It's very important for an actor to have their own comfort zone. In reality, there is no actor who can play all roles simply because of their appearance and temperament."

"You should know that, in my opinion, you are the most authoritative authority in the world when it comes to child stars who are considered 'bad kids'."

Qin Chuan had just heard that Director Mo had packaged up several of Luo Jinnian's films and sold them in Europe and America, and soon those places would be able to see the young man's superb acting skills in cinemas.

Director Mo also said, "The reason we were able to sell it so easily is because it did a really good job in East and Southeast Asia. Many of them want to remake several of the films, especially 'Summer Fireworks, My Corpse'."

Luo Jinnian has at least gained influence in the East Asian film industry. In the future, when his films are released, his face will be implicitly associated with the bad kids in the movies.

Luo Jinnian found it increasingly strange. Shouldn't he be starring in "Home with Kids" next to change the audience's impression of him?

Hearing his concern, Gu Yanxi's serious expression crumbled, and she couldn't help but burst into laughter. "You're really getting the better end of the deal and still acting innocent. I've been a child star for so long and only just started to gain some influence overseas. It's already pretty good that you've become known to the audience so quickly."

That's what he said, but Luo Jinnian still hid his novel "Silenced," which dealt with the trauma of the Korean Peninsula incident, and decided to write something more positive next time.

He doesn't want to be typecast, since he'll be playing a wide variety of roles in the future.

"What are you whispering about here?"

The actor Lao Yan, who played the scoundrel in "The Hidden Corner" and uttered the classic line "Do you think I still have a chance?", has emerged.

Lao Yan has been working in the entertainment industry for many years, but this is the first time he has played the second male lead. He was extremely dedicated to the role, and it is said that he wrote three scripts for the character's script.

"The director asked me to call you to the next scene."

The next scene is the first meeting between Zhu Chaoyang, played by Luo Jinnian, and Pu Pu, a little girl played by Gu Yanxi. Gu Yanxi has to portray Pu Pu as timid and hesitant, but actually using a strategy of retreat to advance and grasp Zhu Chaoyang's precociousness.

If Zhu Chaoyang's later badness was due to his innate talent—a bad kid's talent becomes thoroughly evil once it's awakened—then Pupu was born bad.

Director Qin sat behind the monitor, holding a walkie-talkie in his left hand and tapping his right index finger unconsciously on his knee.

"Everyone to your positions," Director Qin's voice came through the walkie-talkie, deep and calm.

The Pu Pu in the TV series is several years younger than in the original novel. The original actress, Wang Shengdi, portrayed a heartbreakingly precocious character: she always spoke with her head slightly lowered, but her eyes rolled upwards to look at people, like a wary yet dependent little animal. Gu Yanxi started losing weight a month in advance for this role, practicing that "I didn't do anything wrong, but you have to feel sorry for me" look in front of the mirror every day.

"You absolutely can't portray Pu Pu as too mature." Before filming began, Director Qin called Gu Yanxi to the monitor and showed her an audition clip of Wang Shengdi. "Look at this look—when she's begging for help, her lips are trembling slightly, but there are no tears in her eyes. If tears come out, it will look fake. She's using 'holding back tears' to make you cry."

Gu Yanxi nodded; she had already watched the audition video in her mind at least fifty times.

Their first scene together is when Pu Pu and Zhu Chaoyang have their first formal encounter downstairs at Zhu Chaoyang's house.

Xiao Pang, who plays Ding Hao, has already been cast. He plays Yan Liang—the TV series changed Ding Hao to Yan Liang, and his personality also changed. He's no longer the coward from the original novel, but a loyal and impulsive young man. But Pu Pu hasn't changed; she remains the quietest and most dangerous member of the trio.

"Action!"

Zhu Chaoyang returned from his tutoring class with his schoolbag on his back and saw a thin girl squatting on the steps at the entrance of the building. She was wearing an old dress with a patch of dust on her knees, and her hair was braided into two braids, but a strand of hair had fallen down and stuck to her forehead.

Pu Pu looked up, saw Zhu Chaoyang, and didn't speak immediately. She paused for a moment, then slowly stood up and took half a step back—a gesture added by Gu Yanxi herself, not in the script. Director Qin squinted behind the monitor but didn't call "cut."

"Are you...Brother Chaoyang?" Pu Pu's voice was so soft as if she was afraid of disturbing something. Her pronunciation was very clear, but the last syllable dropped, carrying an overly cautious attempt to please.

Zhu Chaoyang frowned. "Who are you?"

Yan Liang popped out from behind and patted Zhu Chaoyang on the shoulder in a casual manner. "Chaoyang, it's me! Don't you remember? We used to play together when we were kids!"

Zhu Chaoyang recognized Yan Liang, and his expression changed from wary to surprised. But his gaze quickly returned to Pu Pu.

"Next scene, the one where we spend the night at Zhu Chaoyang's house," the production assistant called out.

The staging of this scene was very meticulous. Zhu Chaoyang's mother wasn't home, so Yan Liang and Pu Pu stayed overnight. Pu Pu slept on the sofa, and Zhu Chaoyang covered her with his blanket. The script stated that Pu Pu said "Thank you, Brother Chaoyang," and that was the end. But Director Qin felt it wasn't enough.

"Yanxi, think about it, Pupu probably has another little trick up her sleeve here." Director Qin gestured. "She might not be able to sleep, so she's secretly peeking into Zhu Chaoyang's room."

Gu Yanxi thought for a moment and said, "I can add one more thing—she pulled the blanket up to her nose, leaving only her eyes exposed, then stared at Zhu Chaoyang's door for three seconds before closing her eyes."

Why?

"She's confirming her safety while also memorizing what this home looks like," Gu Yanxi said. "Pu Pu ran away from the orphanage, so she has no concept of 'home.' She needs to remember 'what a normal person's home looks like' so that she can learn how to imitate it later."

Director Qin gave a thumbs up and said, "Clap!"

As a result, this scene was filmed twice. In the first take, Gu Yanxi's act of looking at the door seemed deliberate; in the second take, she only looked for two seconds before closing her eyes. When Director Qin yelled "Cut," he said, "Your eye-closing motion was wrong. You closed your eyes slowly, like you were falling asleep."

After filming a few more everyday scenes, the tension between Zhu Chaoyang and Pu Pu gradually increased. In one scene, Pu Pu got up early to polish Zhu Chaoyang's shoes. Gu Yanxi squatted on the ground, picked up Luo Jinnian's white sneakers, wiped them with a wet wipe first, and then carefully wiped them with a dry tissue.

Old Yan watched in amazement, thinking that the young actors in the crew were all monsters.