Superstar's Development Diary-Chapter 793 - 795: Ceasefire, Wrap Up!

Luo You stepped forward, handed her a bottle of water, and pressed her shoulders, soothing the overstrained muscles from filming.

After resting for roughly three to four minutes, and barely drinking a few sips, the assistant director called them to start shooting the next scene.

This was He Jinxia’s daily routine in the crew: tense, busy yet fulfilling.

Director Wilson wanted to continue watching, but when he felt someone tugging at him, he walked out with Stanlanca.

Once they were at a distance with no one nearby, Wilson asked eagerly, "So, the actress I recommended, she’s reliable, right?"

Stanlanca was older than Wilson by a generation, his hair salt-and-pepper, exuding an air of having been through many battles.

With a stern face and deep furrows on his brow, he pondered for a while then slowly nodded, "Yes, her emotional outbursts during performances are intense, and she has good physical health."

Wilson smirked, "Of course, who do you think picked the actress?"

"Have you made up your mind?" he said to Stanlanca, winking and gesturing.

Stanlanca didn’t agree right away but took a cigarette from his pocket and said cautiously, "I need to watch a bit more. After all, the female lead of ’Mist Jungle’ is a warrior from ’Elf Forest’. She has to learn to wield a whip since vines are her weapon."

Wilson slapped his shoulder, excited, "You know why I recommended her to you, right?"

Stanlanca: "Because she’s spirited and knows Chinese Martial Arts?"

Wilson: "Wrong, wrong, wrong. But you could say that, given that whipping is also a form of Chinese Martial Arts."

It took a while for Stanlanca to realize, "When you say she knows how to whip, do you mean the kind that I’m thinking of?"

He gestured the action with his hand.

Wilson looked at him somewhat speechless, "When I first approached you, didn’t I ask you to watch a video?"

It took a while for Stanlanca to remember, "Oh, I forgot. I was busy fixing minor flaws in the script at that time and didn’t have time to entertain you. You left after sitting for a while, and I tossed that USB you gave me somewhere not knowing where it went."

Wilson held his forehead, "The Chinese Martial Arts He Jinxia knows includes whipping. She’s very good at it. If you choose her as the lead, she probably won’t even need training; she can start directly."

Seeing that Stanlanca was somewhat skeptical, Wilson simply took out his phone and showed him a video.

He didn’t have the whipping video from the filming set saved on his phone, but when ’High School Musical’ was released, and He Jinxia came for a road show, she had demonstrated her whipping skills.

Someone in the crew had recorded it and shared it to the crew’s chat group. Wilson had seen it after he got back and casually saved it.

After watching this video, Stanlanca felt even more convinced in his heart.

However, he still needed to think it over carefully, as after the last flop in reviews, he dared not rashly choose an actor for the performance.

The major reason the last movie flopped was that the female lead he selected was too inadequate, performed poorly, and many viewers disliked her performance.

...

In the blink of an eye, December arrived, and on December 25, the people of L country celebrated, with a week-long ceasefire nationwide.

"Special Action" film crew, seizing the moment to shoot non-stop, perhaps didn’t hear any gunfire, seemed more relaxed than usual, influenced by the festive atmosphere around, everyone’s face filled with smiles.

Originally, Director Qian had planned to shoot for one day and then give the crew a break to enjoy their free time.

However, the recent progress in filming was very pleasing; unexpectedly they had reached the final scenes and only needed to film a few more to wrap up, which was a month ahead of the scheduled completion date, allowing him more time to spend on post-production.

Indeed, despite the nerve-racking atmosphere of war and gunpowder smoke, it seemed to help people focus more, and the crew’s efficiency improved significantly.

Therefore, the original plan of shooting for one day extended to three days. Everyone worked overtime vigorously and finally completed the last scene on December 28!

On the day of the wrap-up scene, the streets of L country were exceptionally lively, a stark contrast to their usual emptiness.

People wandered around the streets carefree, without worrying about their safety.

This made many crew members feel somewhat surreal, as if the sounds of gunfire they usually heard were just an illusion.

But after the fleeting delusion, everyone came back to reality, understanding that no matter how long a beautiful dream lasts, it is still just a dream.

Director Qian originally suggested finding a nearby restaurant for the wrap party, but everyone unanimously rejected that idea.

Rather than in a foreign land, they missed China more, and soon, China was also about to celebrate the New Year.

Seeing their eagerness to return, Director Qian did not insist and decided to hold the wrap party in China instead. The group booked their flights to China that very day.

Due to the holiday season, local airports had hiked the ticket prices, making them about twice as expensive as usual. Although Director Qian felt the pinch, he paid up promptly.

If he couldn’t get back today, he feared the crew might wish to chop him up into pieces!

A few hours later, they arrived in China, and the film crew dispersed, each going their separate way to their homes and families.

He Jinxia received a warm welcome from Mrs. He and Aunt Rui upon her return home—oh, and Sheng Yan was there too.

Seeing Sheng Yan sitting on the sofa, giving her a slight smile, made He Jinxia itch to run over and hug him.

But with the two aging mothers present, she had to contain her excitement and just exchanged glances with him, their eyes communicating years of longing in a single look.

However, the warm and affectionate atmosphere was soon disrupted by the two aging mothers.

Mrs. He and Aunt Rui each held one of He Jinxia’s hands, as concerned as ever about her health, asking if she had suffered or encountered any danger in L country.

He Jinxia smiled shyly and denied everything.

Mrs. He, "Don’t lie to me; I’ve seen on the news that the fighting there is quite intense!"

Aunt Rui, "Yes, Jinxia, was the bodyguard team we hired for you helpful, did they protect you?"

Mrs. He sighed, "Ah, my child, if I had known earlier that you were going to that place to film, I would never have let you take that job. By the time I found out, you were already about to leave, and it was too late for me to stop you."

He Jinxia laughed, "Mother, look into my sincere eyes, I really didn’t lie to you. The place we filmed is a safe zone, not a war zone. The war doesn’t reach there, and the people live safely."

Sometimes, when she handled a gun, she felt a bit of excitement, hoping a few enemies would pop up for her to shoot.