Huayu93: From Selling Magnetic Cards to Entertainment Tycoon

Chapter 72 Advertisement Shooting, Gao Yuanyuan and Tang Yun

The day of the shoot was August 28th, and it was still hot.

The No. 2 soundstage at Beijing Film Studio is located at the very back of the courtyard. It is an old red brick building with a layer of light yellow paint on the walls. After being exposed to the sun for a long time, the color has faded to white.

Two bread carts were parked at the entrance, and several workers were unloading equipment. When they saw Li Si'an and Tang Yun coming over, they called out to them.

"Director Chen, they've arrived!"

Chen Hanwen leaned halfway out of the photography studio, holding a walkie-talkie. He was wearing a black T-shirt and a baseball cap today, looking a few years younger than when I last saw him in the office.

"You're here? Come in." He nodded to Li Si'an. "You come in too, you can lend a hand."

The studio was larger than Li Si'an had imagined. The ceiling was very high, with a steel frame structure, and several rows of lights hung from it, some on and some off.

The ground was covered with cement and marked with several lines, presumably for positioning. In the corner were a pile of tracks, a camera crane, several reflectors, and a camera mounted on a tripod.

The most eye-catching thing is the backdrop in the middle—a ski resort backdrop with a white slope and pine trees and snow-capped mountains painted in the distance.

Nearby is the counter of an ice cream shop, with a wooden countertop and several boxes of Midea ice cream on it.

Next to the counter stood a sign that read, "Meidegao, Cool Summer".

The lighting technician was squatting on a ladder, tightening the light bulbs; the cameraman was squatting behind the camera, adjusting the focus; and the stagehands were carrying things back and forth.

There was a hot, humid smell in the air, from the heat of those HIS lamps, mixed with the smell of film and dust.

"The dressing room is over there." Chen Hanwen pointed to a small area in the corner separated by a black cloth. "Get your makeup done first, then you can audition."

Tang Yun was led away by the makeup artist. Li Si'an stood by the set, watching the stagehands busy at work. Someone handed him a case of bottled water, which he helped carry to the folding table in the corner.

About half an hour later, Tang Yun came out.

She changed into a white dress, let her hair down with the ends slightly curled, and wore light makeup, a little heavier than usual, but not over the top.

The makeup artist followed behind, holding a powder compact, and applied a couple more touches to her face.

"How is it?" Tang Yun walked over and tugged at her skirt.

Li Si'an looked her up and down. "Beautiful."

Tang Yun rolled her eyes at him, her face tense.

Chen Hanwen stood up from behind the monitor, looked at Tang Yun, and nodded. "Okay. Stand in that position and try two lines first."

Tang Yun walked over and stood behind the ice cream counter as instructed by Chen Hanwen. The lighting technician adjusted the lights, and the cameraman pushed the camera over. Chen Hanwen squatted behind the monitor, holding a walkie-talkie.

"Okay, hands up, holding the ice cream—yes, look at the camera—smile—be natural, don't grin—okay, one more—"

While they were filming, two people walked in through the studio entrance.

Li Si'an turned her head and saw Zhou Kangyu, followed by Gao Yuanyuan.

Gao Yuanyuan has changed quite a bit today.

The last time I saw her in the hallway, she had long hair tied in a ponytail. Now she's cut it to ear length, with the ends slightly curled inwards, like a bob.

With her face, she looked much more energetic and capable than last time.

She was wearing a white short-sleeved T-shirt, a blue pleated skirt, and mid-heeled sandals, and carrying a handbag.

Zhou Kangyu saw Li Si'an and nodded to him. "You've arrived?"

"Manager Zhou," Li Si'an nodded.

Zhou Kangyu led Gao Yuanyuan toward the dressing room. As Gao Yuanyuan passed Li Si'an, her gaze lingered on his face for a moment before shifting away.

Twenty minutes later, Gao Yuanyuan came out after finishing her makeup.

She also changed into a white dress, similar in style to Tang Yun's, but with a V-neck and a shorter skirt.

The newly cut bob was styled a bit by the makeup artist, with the ends tucked into the sides of the face, revealing the ears and part of the neck.

Li Si'an glanced at her. After the girl cut her hair short, her whole demeanor changed. She had toned down her gentle and soft-spoken nature and gained a more capable and elegant air.

"Come on, stand here." Chen Hanwen pointed to the spot next to Tang Yun. "You two stand side by side, holding ice cream—yes, just like that—look at the camera—smile—"

Two girls stood side by side behind the ice cream counter, both wearing white dresses and holding small spoons. They scooped a spoonful of ice cream from the box, put it in their mouths, and then smiled at the camera.

After filming seven or eight takes, Chen Hanwen called for a stop.

"Ten-minute break! Your expression is still too stiff, relax a bit."

Tang Yun emerged from the scene, a thin layer of sweat on her forehead and her makeup slightly smudged. She fanned herself with her hand and walked to Li Si'an's side.

"It's so hot," she said. "Those lights are making my forehead feel like it's cooking."

Li Si'an took a bottle of mineral water from the table and handed it to her. "What about the ice cream? Is it good?"

"Don't even mention it." Tang Yun unscrewed the cap and took a sip of water. "Guess what it's made of?"

"Isn't it ice cream?"

"It's mashed potatoes." Tang Yun wrinkled her nose. "Mashed potatoes with food coloring, it's salty, unbearably cloying."

Li Si'an chuckled. "You seem to be enjoying your meal."

"It's what the director asked us to do," Tang Yun laughed. "Even if it doesn't taste good, we have to act like it tastes really good, otherwise we'll have to do it all over again."

As the two were talking, someone walked over from the side.

Li Si'an turned her head and saw Gao Yuanyuan. She had also come out of the scene, holding a bottle of mineral water in her hand, and her makeup was a little smudged.

"Hello." Gao Yuanyuan smiled at Tang Yun, then glanced at Li Si'an. "We met in the hallway last time, remember?"

"I remember." Tang Yun smiled as well. "You're the one Manager Zhou recommended, right?"

"Yes." Gao Yuanyuan nodded. "My name is Gao Yuanyuan."

"Tang Rhyme".

Gao Yuanyuan looked at Tang Yun, then at Li Si'an. "Are you both from the Affiliated High School of Beijing Dance Academy?"

"Yes." Tang Yun nodded. "I'm in the folk dance class, and he's in the music class."

"A music and music major?" Gao Yuanyuan asked curiously.

"It's a class where you learn all sorts of random things," Li Si'an said casually, leaning against a pillar.

Actually, he was a little excited. This was Gao Yuanyuan, and she was 17 years old.

In her past life, Li Si'an had even voted for her on Hupu (a popular Chinese sports forum).

Gao Yuanyuan smiled. "What are you learning?"

"Dance, vocals, instrumental music, acting," Li Si'an counted on her fingers, "basically anything related to the stage has to be a little bit."

"So, which one are you best at?"

"Write a song," Li Si'an said.

Gao Yuanyuan glanced at him but didn't ask any further questions. However, the curiosity in her eyes was obvious and different from when she looked at him earlier.

"Is it particularly difficult to get into the Affiliated High School of Beijing Dance Academy?" Gao Yuanyuan asked Tang Yun.

"It's alright," Tang Yun thought for a moment. "I've been dancing ballet since I was little, and later switched to folk dance. What do you study?"

"Me? I don't have much education." Gao Yuanyuan smiled a little shyly. "I'm just an ordinary high school student at Ganjiakou Middle School. Brother Zhou saw me on the street and told me to give it a try, so I came."

"You're really impressive," Tang Yun said. "You got selected on your first interview."

Gao Yuanyuan smiled but didn't reply. She lowered her head, unscrewed the cap of her mineral water bottle, took a sip, and then looked up at the lights and equipment in the photography studio.

"I've never been to a place like this before," she said, her tone filled with curiosity and not at all timid. "After filming this, will I be able to see it on TV?"

"It should be possible," Tang Yun said. "Director Chen didn't say when it would air."

"It'll definitely air soon," Li Si'an interjected. "You can't air an ice cream guy's movie in the winter, can you?"

Tang Yun and Gao Yuanyuan both laughed. "That's true."

"Have you two filmed together before?" Gao Yuanyuan looked at Li Si'an, then at Tang Yun, and asked.

"I've filmed music videos," Tang Yun said, "in his albums."

"An album?" Gao Yuanyuan looked at Li Si'an, a hint of surprise in her eyes. "You're a singer, and you've released an album?"

"Um."

"What song?"

"It hasn't been sent yet," Li Si'an said. "It'll be soon."

Gao Yuanyuan nodded, still curious and wanting to ask more questions.

Chen Hanwen shouted from the other end, "Let's get to work! Everyone, come over here!"

The two girls put down their water bottles, wiped their hands, and walked back to the scenic area.

After filming five or six more takes, Chen Hanwen stared at the monitor for several seconds before finally nodding.

"Okay, passed."

A collective sigh of relief swept through the room. The crew began turning off the lights and packing up the equipment; the makeup artists gathered their powder boxes and brushes; and the photographer took the camera off its stand.

Tang Yun walked out of the scenic spot, and Li Si'an handed her a bottle of mineral water.

Gao Yuanyuan also came over, still holding the prop ice cream in her hand, and took another spoonful.

"Still not enough to eat?" Tang Yun smiled.

"The mashed potatoes are quite delicious." Gao Yuanyuan swallowed the mouthful and placed the box on the table next to her.

The three of them walked towards the entrance of the studio. The stagehands were carrying equipment in and out. Zhou Kangyu said a few words to Chen Hanwen at the door, waved, and left first.

Gao Yuanyuan took two steps, then suddenly stopped. "Tang Yun, let's exchange contact information, shall we?"

She took a small notebook and a pen out of her handbag and handed them to her, saying, "I'll come visit you sometime."

Tang Yun took the pen, wrote down the store's phone number and address in the notebook, and handed it back. Gao Yuanyuan took it, glanced at it, put it back in her handbag, and then glanced at Li Si'an.

"Then I'm off too. Remember to let me know when the album is released."

"Okay," Li Si'an said.

Gao Yuanyuan waved her hand, turned around, and walked towards the entrance of the photography studio. The ends of her bob hair swayed gently by her ears, and her white canvas shoes clicked on the terrazzo floor as she walked at a leisurely pace.

Li Si'an and Tang Yun stood at the entrance of the photography studio. The wind at the end of August blew in from the courtyard, carrying a slightly bitter smell of locust leaves.

"Let's go." Li Si'an put his arm around Tang Yun's waist. "I'll treat you to real ice cream when we get back."

Tang Yun leaned on his shoulder and smiled.