The waiting time was really torturous. From 6 a.m. when preparations began, it wasn’t until 4 p.m. that shooting for Li Younan’s scene finally started.
The first shot naturally went very smoothly, passing with just one take.
The second shot was a bit more troublesome. Everyone, including the director, was mentally prepared to shoot many takes before getting it right. After all, they were ready for the actress who had joined the cast with backing, not expecting her to pass in one take—thinking that, as long as she was willing to continue, four or five tries would definitely succeed.
Li Younan saw a prop on set that he often saw on TV. It was a black-and-white clapperboard, which made a "clap" sound when pressed. He realized this thing was called a clapperboard, with black number pads that could be flipped to record takes and scenes.
During filming, the clapperboard would be held in front of the camera, and then the board would be pressed down, making a crisp sound, while someone would shout "action," signaling the start of filming, which also helped synchronize audio and visuals in post-production.
Li Younan always thought this thing was cool; the logo for the tenth screening room on Central Channel 10 during his childhood was just this thing.
Just as he was daydreaming, the clapperboard in front of the camera was already pressed down, "Action!"
Li Younan immediately snapped back to attention.
During lunch, he had already communicated with the lead actress about how to embrace her and how to spin around. Although the director had explained before, the lead actress’s explanation was obviously clearer. The actress said, "We need to show intimacy. We’re filming here. Don’t overthink it; it’s just work."
Li Younan had previously heard many people complaining privately, saying that the lead actress was difficult to deal with, but at this moment, he felt that she was a very professional actor.
After the camera started rolling, the actress adhered precisely to Li Younan’s body and even thoughtfully reminded, "Hug the waist."
Li Younan hurriedly put his arms around her waist.
The horse beside them snorted, and as per the pre-designed actions, Li Younan swiftly turned around, making the lead actress’s skirt flare up with a spin. After spinning around, the actress suddenly clung tightly to his chest.
This scene made the director’s eyes light up: "Camera, zoom in and give a close-up!"
They stopped, the camera zoomed in, and the lead actress slightly tilted her head, gazing at Li Younan, her face showing a shy, surprised, and innocent expression.
Watching the real-time footage, the director excitedly clapped his hands: "Beautiful! That’s the effect we wanted, cut!"
Everyone on set cheered. No one expected today’s hardest scene to pass in just one take.
This close-up was of the actress. Later, they would just need to reshoot a close-up of the male actor in post-production, and it would be seamless when aired on TV.
After hearing the director shout "cut," Li Younan quickly removed his hand from the actress’s waist.
When he saw the actress’s gaze earlier, he was utterly baffled, knowing that his facial expressions were a mess. Fortunately, the camera wasn’t focused on his face anyway.
Seeing the actress’s expression, one word came to his mind — professional!
This is why she could make a living in this field. With many on-site people displeased with her, he could hardly imagine the astonishing skills of those top-notch actresses. How stressful would it be to act alongside them?
Indeed, no outsider should challenge another’s professional craft with mere hobbyist intentions.
Just look at the actress’s expression; it looked so real.
At this moment, the actress’s hand was still hooked around his neck, and Li Younan coughed, "Uh, it’s already a wrap, right?"
The actress slowly removed her hand, lowered her head, and gently flicked her hair.
But when she looked up, Li Younan had already run over to the lighting guy asking, "Did you capture it? Did you capture it?"
The lighting guy nodded repeatedly, "Captured it, captured it." He handed the phone back to Li Younan.
The actress watched Li Younan leave, pouting.
Then, she turned to the director, "Was it really a wrap? I think it could have been better. I feel my expression wasn’t quite right..."
Everyone on site groaned.
The director frowned, "I think it was already great."
The actress reluctantly gave up.
Li Younan’s last scene was one of deep merit and repute, leaving only a back view. He just needed to provide a glimpse of his back, and the actress would exclaim from behind, "Will we meet again?" At this moment, Li Younan’s task was to stop, slightly lower his head but not turn around, and softly recite, "It depends on fate." Of course, someone else would dub this line later, but for the scene’s atmosphere, he had to say it on set.
This scene was obviously much simpler, and thinking about wrapping up soon, Li Younan was quite excited. Overall, today’s experience was quite satisfying, except for the hot weather; otherwise, the day would’ve been perfect.
The official take began, the clapperboard in front of the camera made a "clap" sound, and Li Younan immediately got into character, standing still. The camera was behind the actress and Li Younan, and the actress softly called, "Wait a minute."
Li Younan followed the director’s instructions, slightly lowering his head.
The actress asked, "Will we meet again?" One could feel the emotion in her voice from the tone. Li Younan was full of admiration, and he dryly muttered his line, "It depends on fate."
He felt a little embarrassed after saying it. Deadpan! Deadpan! Emotion, where’s the emotion?
Next, he should have walked away according to the script. But at this moment, the actress suddenly said, "Wait a minute."
Li Younan was stunned, his heart racing. What’s this about? What does "wait a minute" mean? What should I do now? Then he heard the sound of quick footsteps behind him, and the next moment, the actress suddenly threw herself onto his back, fiercely hugging him, her cheek pressed tightly against his back.
Seeing this scene, the director stood up and immediately instructed other staff members, "Don’t mess up! Keep going!"
With the principle that no one stops unless someone yells "cut," everyone held their breath, watching the actress.
Among those present, only Li Younan was bewildered and flustered. Uh, what should I do now? The script wasn’t written like this!
No one was giving him cues, so Li Younan dared not move, allowing the actress to quietly embrace him for about fifteen to twenty seconds.
Only when the actress let go and slowly retreated a few steps did she say, "Goodbye."
At this moment, Li Younan surprisingly felt a slight touch of emotion. Wow, is this what they call getting into character? Professional actors are different; they can even draw someone like me into such a vibe.
Li Younan was dazed for a moment, then gave a slight nod and strode out of the shot.
He was absolutely satisfied with his performance in this segment.
After a brief silence, the director was the first to applaud, "Great! Great! Great! One take! One take! Wrap for today!"
Upon hearing the director wrap so early, the entire crew of staff cheered and started briskly packing everything up.
As the staff passed by the actress, they praised her, "Yiyi, you were in great form today!" The actress proudly replied, "I’m always in great form."
Amidst the weaving crowd, when she turned back to search for the former substitute, his figure was already nowhere to be seen amongst the masses.
She gently flicked her hair and softly murmured, "Fate..."
When Li Younan heard the wrap call from the director, he immediately went to find the person managing the extras, asking whether he could leave. After getting a positive response, he promptly went to return his clothes and took off his costume accessories, feeling refreshed instantly.
He took his phone out and took a selfie, "Hey everyone, the first day as an extra has ended. But, due to confidentiality rules, some in-scene footage can’t be shown in the video."
His phone already contained twenty to thirty recorded segments from today. Later, Li Younan planned to edit together today’s experiences when he got home.

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