142: The 142nd day of being popular
The person who recruited them into the crew mentioned they would receive the script later. However, they all thought that even if there was a script, it would only be a small portion of the plot.
But now, it turned out that it wasn't just a small portion at all. It was a crucial role that spanned the entire drama and played an important role!
"This doesn't make sense..." one person's voice sounded dry. "Could there be a mistake somewhere?"
"Um, should I ask the screenwriter?" Long Guoqing's fingers trembled as he cautiously began typing.
The others stood behind Long Guoqing, their heads leaning close to look at Long Guoqing's phone screen. They stared intently, increasingly nervous every time Long Guoqing made a typo.
Fortunately, one minute later, the message was successfully sent.
"Hello, screenwriter. I wanted to ask, is there a mistake with this script? Are our roles really this important?"
An Xincheng also seemed surprised and took a while before replying.
"Hmm, you are all significant supporting roles in this drama. Didn't Yao Laoshi (Teacher Yao) tell you?"
Long Guoqing and the others looked at each other in confusion.
Of course, no one told them anything. They didn't even know who the screenwriter called "Yao Laoshi" and had no idea about their role significance.
They assumed they would only play minor background roles with a few lines from the beginning!
Long Guoqing couldn't help but ask, "Who is Yao Laoshi?"
An Xincheng's mouth twitched. After all this time, they didn't even know this.
"Yao Laoshi is our leading actor in the drama, Yao Bianliang. She is also one of the investors," he explained. "You were recruited by her to join the cast. You will be acting alongside her."
Everyone: "!!"
The name Yao Bianliang sounded familiar, but they couldn't immediately connect the dots.
However, as the most popular variety show of the moment, [Good Drama PK Competition] these people naturally had some understanding of it!
"That's such a great script..." The hearts of the group started to race.
It meant that the drama they would act in wasn't some small short play from a no-name workshop. It was a genuine, formal script that wouldn't lack an audience.
If they could perform their roles well, did that mean they might have a chance to move on from being nameless extras without lines and have the opportunity to act as supporting characters?
The thought of this possibility made Long Guoqing and the others unable to remain calm.
It was like winning the lottery!
"Guys, should we go to the temple and light some incense?" Xiao Hu scratched his head and couldn't help but suggest.
Long Guoqing's expression became somewhat dazed, and upon hearing this, his mouth twitched. Then he saw the serious expression on his friend's face beside him and said, "Makes sense, take me with you."
Long Guoqing: "..."
Could you all be a little more composed?
Well, come to think of it, he couldn't maintain his composure either.
During their conversation, in the chat group, the screenwriter continued to send messages.
An Xincheng: "I created a small group. If you have any questions about your roles and the plot, you can ask me in the group."
"Also, I've invited the director as well. You can ask him about acting-related questions."
The eyes of the group lit up. Long Guoqing immediately replied, "Okay, thank you!"
They indeed had a lot of questions. After all, since entering the industry, they had relied on their own efforts and self-study to learn acting. There were many things they didn't understand.
Now, having a renowned teacher willing to guide them was undoubtedly a great opportunity.
Everyone became more enthusiastic and motivated.
Especially, Xiao Hu's mouth stretched from ear to ear, and he was so excited that he couldn't contain himself.
Seeing his eagerness, he seemed to want to live in the hospital and study the script intensely for twenty-four hours.
At that moment, one person looked at the phone screen and suddenly exclaimed softly, "Strange, why does this person look so familiar..."
Long Guoqing turned his head in confusion and asked, "What's wrong?"
That person scratched their head, slightly unsure, looked at the screen again for two more glances, and then handed the phone to Long Guoqing.
"I heard from Screenwriter An that the lead actress in our drama is Yao Bianliang, so I got curious and searched for her photos online," they paused, hesitating a little, "but her appearance seems quite familiar..."
Another person beside them twitched their mouth corner, utterly speechless. "Isn't that obvious? She's a big star, of course, she looks familiar."
Stars often appear on TV, in posters, and in advertisements, so they might have seen each other's photos somewhere. So, even if they seemed familiar, it wasn't surprising at all.
"That's not what I mean," the person who spoke earlier became a little anxious. "Don't you feel like we've seen her somewhere before?"
Hmm, seen her before?
The group blinked in confusion and, along with Long Guoqing, directed their gaze toward the photo on the phone screen.
In the picture, a girl was dressed casually, wearing a duckbill cap, sitting cross-legged on a set of steps, and eating a boxed meal with great focus.
There was a string of text next to it, stating, [Yao Bianliang spotted at the Film and Television City, suspected new drama to be released soon.]
Indeed, she looked quite familiar, and this scene seemed strangely reminiscent of something.
"Wait a minute, isn't this..." Long Guoqing was stunned.
Wasn't this the extra girl they had encountered the day before while eating boxed meals?
*****
Monday, the weather was sunny. It was suitable for outings, business openings, and filming. The final of the [Good Drama PK Competition] officially started on this day.
Monday, the weather was sunny. It was suitable for outings, business openings, and filming.
Long Guoqing and his companions arrived early at the filming location and, under the guidance of the crew, changed into white coats belonging to doctors.
The surroundings were relatively quiet, with only a few crew members walking back and forth occasionally. They sat somewhat restrained on the benches in the corridor, waiting.
"Long brother, why do you have dark circles under your eyes? Didn't you sleep well yesterday?" someone asked softly.
Long Guoqing glanced around and responded in a low voice, "What do you know? Today we're shooting scenes of staying up all night for surgery. I intentionally stayed up later last night to portray this authentic state."
The person asking suddenly realized and regretted, "If I had known, I would have stayed up too."
"But don't stay up too late either, otherwise, you'll be tired and can't even remember your lines," Long Guoqing said. "I heard that our acting will be broadcast live throughout. If we can't remember the lines, it'll be disastrous."
The others suddenly realized this point upon hearing his words.
Indeed, this is a live variety show. They almost thought it would be like the film and television city, where it wouldn't matter even if they performed multiple times.
"Oh no, should we practice some more?"
"I feel like I haven't fully grasped the character's understanding..."
"Heaven is watching, we haven't even acted decent roles, and suddenly we're fast-forwarding to a live broadcast."
While they were talking, chatting sounds and footsteps came from nearby.
Long Guoqing and the others stopped talking and quickly adjusted their state, fully immersing themselves in the appearance of doctors.
Previously, they had imitated second-rate actors for several days to portray extras. Now that they were playing doctors, they had to constantly embody the roles of doctors.
As they turned their heads, they saw Yao Bianliang and her group getting off the car and walking toward them.
The screenwriter and director followed her, accompanied by several photographers, lighting technicians, makeup artists, and other crew members.
Yao Bianliang turned sideways, talking to the director, who nodded in agreement. The atmosphere was harmonious.
"Hey, Long Guoqing? So you guys are here," An Xincheng was the first to notice Long Guoqing and his group and waved at them.
Upon hearing An Xincheng's voice, Yao Bianliang followed his gaze and looked over.
"You guys, arrived here so early?"
Yao Bianliang still remembered the appearance of those people when she was in the film and television city. They were ordinary extras who were sly, unproductive, and spent their days idly. They were the type of people who couldn't be found in the crowd.
These were the talents she carefully selected.
A smile formed at the corner of Yao Bianliang's lips as she looked expectantly toward the not-too-distant group.
Then, the smile on her lips slightly froze.
She saw several men wearing white coats, with sparse hair, looking composed and reliable, stand up and walk towards them.
Especially the one leading the group, with a square face, when his gaze swept over, Yao Bianliang almost thought she was seeing the head of a specialized department in a hospital.
Yao Bianliang: "...?"
Who are these guys?
Are they really the extras she brought in?!
Yao Bianliang's footsteps paused slightly, her expression confused. For a moment, she doubted whether she had mistaken them for someone else.
This... seems wrong.
Apart from their appearance and physique, there was absolutely no resemblance at all!
Not only had their clothing changed, their temperament had changed, and even their skin had become fairer.
Just by standing there, they gave off an illusion of being refined, experienced, and knowledgeable.
Fortunately, when they approached and spoke, Yao Bianliang finally felt the familiar feeling from their previous conversations.
"Hello, miss... Oh no, Sister Liang... Uh, Teacher Yao, hello," Long Guoqing tried to remain calm but felt his tongue tied, struggling to speak.
He scratched his head, glanced at An Xincheng, the screenwriter beside him, and then gathered the courage to look at Yao Bianliang. "I didn't recognize you earlier. I thought you were an extra from the film and television city... Thank you for bringing us in and giving us this opportunity!"
After learning Yao Bianliang's identity, Long Guoqing and his companions also understood.
They thought it was unbelievable that they were selected through the audition, but now it seemed that Yao Bianliang had seen something in them from the beginning and directly invited them to join the cast.
They had naively believed that Yao Bianliang was simply pointing them in the right direction and letting them try their luck.
However, there was one thing that Long Guoqing still couldn't fully understand. What exactly did Yao Bianliang see in them?
After all, when they initially portrayed the role, they intentionally imitated the mannerisms of street loafers. They appeared to be lacking in posture and completely incompatible with the role of a doctor.
For anyone else, choosing such a group of people to play doctors would be impossible. But after a single encounter, Yao Bianliang immediately saw their talent and ability, inviting them to audition.
Could it be that she truly recognized their portrayal of the characters and saw through everything, thus developing an appreciation for their talent? That would require an incredibly sharp eye.
Yao Bianliang felt a mix of gratitude and admiration when she met Long Guoqing's appreciative gaze, but she herself felt a bit disheartened.
Appearances can indeed be deceiving!
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