Top Chinese celebrity: Debuted from Running Man

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——Wuxi MixC
On the set of "Psychological Crime".

Dusk, like a cup of tea gradually cooling, dyes the horizon a mottled mix of amber and rust red.

On the outskirts of Wuxi, beneath a long-abandoned concrete bridge arch, time seems to stand still, with wild grass stubbornly growing from the cracks.

Where the plaster has peeled off, dark red bricks are exposed, and mottled water stains outline strange patterns on the bridge piers.

The film crew is shooting today's main scene here.

The area marked by the cordon acts as an invisible dividing line, separating the desolate and dilapidated area under the bridge from the outside world.

The air was filled with the smell of damp earth, rust, and a kind of indescribable oppression.

The set was unusually quiet; even breathing was deliberately kept to a minimum. The staff moved props on tiptoe and communicated with each other using only eye contact and gestures, as if any loud noise would disturb something.

This is a film that delves into the darkest depths of human nature, with a somber and heavy tone.

Today's scenes represent the lowest point emotionally in the entire film.

There's still half an hour before filming officially begins.

The male protagonist, Deng Chao, was already sitting on a folding chair outside the police cordon, having entered Fang Mu's state.

He sported a head of specially dyed gray-white hair, not the fashionable silver-gray, but the withered gray-white that had lost its luster after being completely crushed by life.

The makeup artist deepened the bluish-black shadows under his eyes, deliberately emphasizing his nasolabial folds and fine lines at the corners of his eyes, giving his entire face a haggard look as if it had been hollowed out.

What's most chilling is his eyes.

The depths of his pupils were a deathly stillness and numbness. Occasionally, when his gaze swept across the area, even the staff setting up the blood pack props couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines and hastily quicken their pace.

That didn't seem like a performance; it was a temporary departure of some kind of soul, with Fang Mu taking up residence in his body.

At the innermost part of the cordon,

Near the unclosed body bag prop, Liu Shishi was holding a young girl.

The policewoman Mi Nan, whom she plays, has shed her professional toughness and is gently stroking the short hair of the girl in her arms with almost maternal tenderness.

"Sister Mi Nan, I...I'm still scared."

The girl in his arms raised her timid face.

It was a face full of contradictions.

The thirteen-year-old girl had a clear jawline, a high nose bridge, and a pair of narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes that should have revealed a cold, sharp edge.

But at this moment,
But his eyes were filled with a childlike, pure fear.

A strange coexistence of sharpness and vulnerability on this face is heartbreaking to look at.

Wenqi's gaze involuntarily drifted to the yellow body bag a few steps away.

The bag was half-open, and the silver coating on the inside gleamed coldly in the dim light.

Just yesterday during the audition,
She lay down for no more than three seconds, the zipper pulled up to her neck, and a wave of darkness and suffocation washed over her.

She screamed and struggled to get out, her face pale and her whole body trembling.

"Yafan, don't be afraid."

Liu Shishi spoke softly, “Look, the prop master specially punched two rows of ventilation holes on the side of the bag. They are very fine, so the air can circulate.”

She reached out and gently squeezed the girl's slender shoulder. "And I'll be right next to you. As soon as the director yells 'cut,' I'll be the first to pull the zipper and bring you out, okay?"

She could feel the petite body in her arms still trembling slightly.

The girl is only thirteen years old.

A wave of bittersweet pity washed over Liu Shishi.

But how well did she herself fare?
The character of Mi Nan also carries a heavy past. In the drama, she must play the role of a strong and reliable pillar in front of everyone, and even her breakdown must be timed perfectly.

A bitter smile appeared on Liu Shishi's lips.

She also wanted to find a corner to cry her heart out and release the gloomy emotions that had been building up for days.

But in this film crew shrouded in darkness, who could she turn to?
Liu Shishi suddenly regretted taking on this role.

If I were on the set of an idol drama right now, acting opposite Qi Yu, the atmosphere would probably be completely different.

A bright and sunny campus corridor, instead of this cold, dark bridge arch, body bags, and pervasive oppression.

My thoughts drifted away uncontrollably, like a kite with a broken string.

A handsome, smiling face suddenly popped into my mind.

"What is my younger brother doing right now?"

Liu Shishi lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath them. "The news a while ago said he was bullied while filming, but I don't know if it's true or not. If it's false..."

A pang of sadness welled up inside her. "He's probably having a great time with that actress right now, isn't he? She's even taking food from his chopsticks..."

Thinking of Gu Qing's helpless expression when Jing Tian teased him in that entertainment news article, Liu Shishi unconsciously pursed her lips.

"Stinky boy."

She muttered to herself, "He said he was coming to visit the set, but I haven't seen him at all. He's probably forgotten all about me and is probably chatting and laughing with some actress."

This thought clouded her eyes with even deeper sorrow.

Outside the bridge arch, the last rays of sunlight were being swallowed by the twilight.

"Yafan, come here for a second."

Director Xu Jizhou's voice came from beside the monitor. Unlike his usual seriousness, his tone carried an unusual gentle smile.

Liu Shishi and Wen Qi looked up at the same time.

Is the director laughing?

This is so unusual.

For a week straight, no one in the entire crew had seen Director Xu smile—he always had a furrowed brow, meticulously scrutinizing every shot, pushing everyone to their emotional breaking point.

The curve of his lips at that moment seemed particularly out of place, even somewhat... eerie, in the oppressive atmosphere of the film set.

"Director, I'm coming right away!"

Wenqi took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing her fear.

Although she is young, she is already a "veteran actress" with four years of experience in the industry and is well-versed in the rules of filming.

She gently broke free from Liu Shishi's embrace, straightened her clothes, and jogged over.

When they ran to the monitor,
She then noticed that there was another person standing next to Director Xu.

He was a tall young man, dressed in a simple black hoodie and cargo pants, wearing a black baseball cap and a matching mask, revealing only his eyes.

He was slightly bowing, intently watching the playback of the test shot on the monitor, his slender fingers occasionally tapping the buttons on the device.

Despite being bundled up tightly, he stood out from the busy staff around him.

It wasn't a difference in clothing or height, but a silent quality, like a refreshing breeze that had wandered into a dull cave.

Seemingly noticing the gaze, the young man suddenly looked up.

Wenqi met a pair of eyes.

Wenqi's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.

"Such...beautiful eyes."

This was the first thought that popped into her mind.

Wenqi didn't know how to describe it.
Those eyes were so clear, like a pool in the deep mountains after the rainy season, reflecting the light of the sky and the shadows of the clouds. The pupils were a light amber color, and the corners of the eyes drooped slightly, giving them a natural gentleness when they looked at people.

now,

The older boy smiled slightly and nodded gently to her.

Wenqi lowered her head in a panic, her face flushed red.

“Avan,”

Director Xu's voice pulled her back to reality, "When filming starts later, just think of it as taking a nap with your eyes closed. We've tested the breathability of the bag, and it's perfectly fine."

If you're really uncomfortable—"

He softened his tone, “Just tap the inside of the bag twice with your right hand, and I’ll stop immediately.”

"Yes, director, I will try my best!"

Wenqi nodded vigorously, but her eyes couldn't help but drift towards the stranger wearing a mask.

He had lowered his head again, the brim of his hat covering most of his face.

"Go ahead, let the makeup artist touch up your makeup."

Director Xu pointed to her face with a gentle smile, "Make your face a bit more yellow. You don't look like a dead person at all. It's so red. Is it that hot?"

"Yes, a little..."

Wenqi stammered and ran back to the makeup truck as if fleeing.

Only after the small figure disappeared around the corner of the bridge arch did Xu Jizhou's face break into an undisguised, radiant smile.

He raised his hand and patted the young man next to him heavily on the shoulder.

"A top-tier celebrity!"

He lowered his voice, his tone full of surprise, "This is such a surprise! When the stagehand said you were looking for me, I thought I misheard. I've been talking about you so much these past few days!"

The young man beside him was Gu Qing.

"Director Xu, please don't call me that."

Gu Qing said with a clear and gentle voice, "I just happened to be passing by and came to see Brother Chao and Sister Shi. I was afraid of disturbing everyone, so I came here secretly."

As he spoke, his gaze returned to the monitor screen.

The image freezes on Deng Chao's lifeless eyes and Liu Shishi's gentle yet sorrowful profile.

Heartache, that's the most direct feeling.

After filming "Nirvana in Fire" and "Love O2O",

He finally understood why Brother Chao became like a mischievous child on variety shows, unleashing his true nature.

For someone like Deng Chao, who is an experiential thinker.

Xin Xiaofeng from "The Dead End," Fang Mu from "Psychological Crime"... one after another, souls crushed by fate inhabit the same body.

Without the balance of the other extreme emotions, a person would truly suffer from personality splits, with emotions fluctuating wildly, and getting depression would be considered a good outcome.

Gu Qing had recently experienced being possessed by the personalities of Mei Changsu and Xiao Nai, and often couldn't tell which one was her. It took her a long time to recover.

"A top star..." "Director Xu,"

Gu Qing turned her head and said, "You and Brother Chao are friends, so just call me Gu Qing. Or else,"

He smiled and said, "Calling me 'little brother' is fine too, anyway, it's almost become my stage name."

Upon hearing this, Xu Jizhou smiled even more broadly: "Alright, then call him little brother, it sounds more intimate."

He rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming.

No director could remain unmoved upon meeting Gu Qing.

This young man is practically a walking box office guarantee and a quality brand; who wouldn't love such a golden talent?

"Little brother, how about we... add each other on WeChat?"

Director Xu asked tentatively.

"of course can."

Gu Qing readily pulled out her phone. "Director, if you have any good scripts in the future, please think of me more often."

"Oh, that's settled then. I was worried you wouldn't like it."

Xu Jizhou beamed, knowing it was just polite talk, but he still felt very pleased.

"Xu Jizhou..."

Gu Qing paused slightly as she typed the note.

This name... seems familiar.

He pondered intently, his brain like a high-speed retrieval machine, searching through a vast sea of ​​fragmented memories.

"Xu Jizhou...'The Storm'?"

Gu Qing suddenly realized.

Yes.

No wonder it looked familiar.

In his past life, the last TV series he stayed up all night watching was his own teacher Zhang's "Raging Storm".

The grand occasion at that time,

But in the entire internet cafe, a group of internet-addicted teenagers stopped playing games and instead spent most of their time watching TV series.

The director's name also appeared in the opening and closing credits of the series.

If it weren't for his incredible memory, Gu Qing would have completely overlooked it.

Is the entertainment industry really that small?

Gu Qing couldn't help but marvel at the wonder of fate.

It's amazing that I could run into an 'acquaintance' just by visiting the set.

Gu Qing looked up and re-examined the middle-aged man beside her, who was wearing a windbreaker and had somewhat disheveled hair.

Today, Director Xu is still struggling with the shots in "Psychological Crime," his brow furrowed, a far cry from the later image of the confident and successful director who swept awards with "The Storm."

……

"All departments, prepare!"

Once everything was ready, Xu Jizhou picked up the walkie-talkie, his voice regaining its directorial authority.

The atmosphere on set instantly became tense.

Gu Qing collected his thoughts and looked towards the center of the bridge arch.

The makeup artist has already redone the little girl's face.

The base makeup makes the skin look sallow and dull, the lip color is covered with a special paint to make it bluish-purple, and the shadows around the eyes are deepened.

The little girl closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling violently. After taking a few deep breaths, she closed her eyes again and crawled into the yellow fruit bag.

The zipper was slowly pulled up from her ankles to her chest, until her entire face was submerged, but the bag remained motionless.

"Dedicated".

Gu Qing admired him sincerely.

A teenage girl, without seeking a stand-in, willingly allowed herself to be locked in a bag, without uttering a sound.

With this kind of professional attitude,

They can already easily outperform a bunch of teenagers in their twenties and thirties.

He suddenly remembered Zhang Zifeng from when he was filming "Detective Chinatown".

That young girl too, her acting skills are terrifyingly mature for her age.

The shock and pressure Gu Qing felt at the time indirectly spurred his later decision to pursue further studies at school.

at the same time,

The script supervisor pressed the clapperboard.

This scene tells the story of Fang Mu (Deng Chao), who considers Liao Yafan (Wen Qi), his biological daughter, being tortured and murdered by a killer.
He rushed to the scene, opened the body bag, and saw his daughter in a state of collapse.

Gu Qing was also eager to see how her brother Chao would perform.

……

The sky was a dusky yellow, and the withered leaves rustled softly in the wind.

The sirens of police cars blared, and outside the police cordon, a black sedan slammed on its brakes, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Bang—"

The car door was pushed open forcefully, and Fang Mu and Xie Nan, dressed in worn clothes, got out of the car at the same time.

While Xie Nan was still subconsciously turning her head to look at her partner.

Even from a distance, Deng Chao could already sense the somber atmosphere and bowed heads of his colleagues inside the cordon.

Looking further in, at the center of the cordon, lay a humanoid figure wrapped in a yellow bag on the ground.

In an instant,
His chapped lips trembled, his eyes were vacant, as if all his energy had been drained away, and he staggered as he walked inside.

Deng Chao opened and closed his throat as if trying to speak, but no sound came out.

When they reached the body bag,

His knees buckled and he knelt on the ground. His withered hands did not immediately reach for the zipper, but instead touched the outline of the corpse's face.

His fingers trembled uncontrollably as he gripped the chain and pulled it outwards.
"Tear~"

A pale, youthful face came into view.

"what--"

The voice, short yet hoarse, finally escaped from Deng Chao's throat.

Since then,

His throat was completely silent; his mouth was agape, his fingers curled into claws, saliva dripping from his mouth, and he was hunched over, his chest heaving with a sound like a bellows sucking in air.

Colleagues who were watching,

Some were too painful to look at, some had reddened eyes, and it was heartbreaking to watch.

Xu Jizhou was also taking deep breaths to calm himself down.

This drama,
He is both the director and the screenwriter; no one understands the characters' emotions and Fang Mu's grief better than him.

He glanced at Gu Qing beside him out of the corner of his eye.

The young man stood motionless, his eyes under his hat brim fixed on the monitor, his pupils slightly dilated, and his jawline taut.

He was clearly shocked by Deng Chao.

Time ticked by in a suffocating atmosphere; about 30 seconds had passed.

"Crack!"

A hoarse, deep voice came through the loudspeaker and echoed in the bridge arch.

However, the film set did not immediately come to life.

The heavy atmosphere was like a sticky glue, enveloping everyone.

Deng Chao remained kneeling on the ground, holding Liao Yafan's body, his face buried in the girl's cold shoulder, his shoulder trembling violently.

"Avan...Avan..."

Mi Nan, played by Liu Shishi, couldn't contain her emotions either. She knelt down on the other side, tears streaming down her face, but she didn't dare to cry out loud. She just bit her lower lip tightly and reached out to wipe the dust off the girl's forehead again and again.

Wenqi, caught between the two, is experiencing a different kind of torment.

"What should I do... should I open my eyes?"

At this moment, Wenqi kept her eyes tightly closed, feeling helpless and panicked.

You can do it without opening your eyes.
She was suffocating!
"Woo~~"

Liu Shishi was still crying when suddenly the dim light was obscured by shadows, and warm fingers wiped away the tears from her cheeks.

Deng Chao also felt someone gently patting his shoulder.

"Brother Chao,"

His voice was very soft, as if he was afraid of disturbing something, "Senior Sister."

Aside from his name, he didn't say anything else.

Dusk fell completely into darkness, and the streetlights outside the bridge arch lit up one after another, casting warm yellow spots of light on the concrete ground.

Wenqi finally couldn't resist and quietly opened her eyes a crack.

She saw that the stranger wearing a mask had taken it off at some point.

His skin appeared pale and cold in the twilight, his nose was high and straight, and his lips were very pale.

What's most captivating are still those eyes—amber eyes, like firewood in winter, radiating warmth.

The two lead actors seemed to have been put on pause; both Deng Chao and Liu Shishi stared blankly at Gu Qing.

At this moment, the boundary between drama and reality becomes completely blurred.

"Little brother?"

……

...(End of chapter)