Chapter 14

Chapter 14

For a moment, He Wei thought the “benefactor” the system mentioned was a character in the drama.

“The Imperial Princess Ascends Naturally” was a female-lead-centered drama, so there were many female roles used to highlight the protagonist’s pure and flawless image. A whole lineup of Talents, Noble Ladies, and Beauties standing together was truly imposing.

He Wei felt she had immersed herself too deeply in the role. After a few seconds, she reacted and asked in confusion, “What benefactor?”

Having loaded the file so many times, the only benefactor she had basically encountered was Cheng Nuo.

He Wei glanced at Cheng Nuo, who was still focused on adjusting the carved golden buyao in her hair, and asked the system, “Nuo Nuo?”

The system’s answer was very formulaic: “Host, heavenly secrets cannot be revealed.”

He Wei: “……”

She realized that ever since this silly sweet system upgraded, it had become less chatty than before.

System: “However, host, although there is a benefactor today, whether the other party will actually help mainly depends on the host’s performance.”

It was as good as saying nothing.

He Wei felt her heart hanging in midair, beating violently. All she could hear now was her own heartbeat in her ears.

Thump, thump, thump.

Cheng Nuo had just finished and withdrew her hand, giving a light clap. “Beautiful!”

He Wei absentmindedly raised her eyes, casually glanced at the face in the mirror, and her brows furrowed even deeper.

Cheng Nuo was almost frightened by her expression, quickly bending down to carefully examine her makeup. “What’s wrong, Weiwei? Does it not look good?”

He Wei shook her head.

On the contrary, it was too beautiful.

Being too beautiful wasn’t a good thing, especially for a peculiar woman like the original host who came with built-in torment points.

It easily attracted others’ attention and just as easily drew their jealousy.

He Wei couldn’t relax her brows and silently sighed in her heart.

The hair and gold hairpins on her head were all real and heavy, giving a strong sense of pressure. She sat upright and straight, her shoulder curve rounded, most suited for wearing this kind of consort ancient costume.

Cheng Nuo helped her stand up. “Is your foot better?”

He Wei nodded. “In a few days it should basically be fine.”

“What about your cold?”

“Almost better.”

Hearing her voice had basically returned to normal, Cheng Nuo finally felt a bit relieved. “You’ve really been through a lot these past few days… By the way, how’s it been with Yan Chen?”

“Just the same.”

In fact, He Wei hadn’t properly paid attention to Yan Chen for two days.

She was afraid being too eager would backfire, so she deliberately controlled the degree.

On the contrary, the colder she had been these two days, the more enthusiastic Yan Chen became, as if afraid he had done something wrong, reporting to her morning, noon, and night where he was and who he was with.

A living, breathing model twenty-four-filial standard good boyfriend.

A hypocritical and promiscuous dog of a man.

He Wei tugged at the corner of her lips.

Cheng Nuo didn’t ask further. Before leaving the makeup room, she carefully checked the seams and fabric of He Wei’s clothes again, reminding her softly while doing so: “Weiwei, be careful of Mu Sheng.”

Of course He Wei knew this person.

She was the female lead of this drama the system had reminded her about just a few minutes ago. He Wei raised her eyebrows and lowered her voice as well. “What about her?”

This was the downside of the plot resetting.

In previous lives, not only was there no drama “The Imperial Princess Ascends Naturally”, there hadn’t even been a person named Mu Sheng.

Cheng Nuo had been in this circle longer than her and had gossip sources, so she knew a bit about Mu Sheng. She let out a light snort. “Didn’t she get famous from that campus web drama? She’s got quite the temper. Once when she was on a variety show, my senior and I were doing styling for that episode. The program had already been recording for half an hour before she arrived, and when she got there she bossed the staff around.”

“And she really likes bullying newcomers. That time there was a girl who had just debuted not long ago, pretty and with good stage presence. When the show aired, that girl’s screen time was cut to less than three minutes.”

Cheng Nuo wanted to pinch her face, but was afraid of smudging the makeup she had worked hard on, so her hand stopped halfway and withdrew. She sighed. “Weiwei, especially a little cutie like you with a face full of collagen, you’re the easiest for her to target. If she bullies you, tell me. I’ll definitely help you get this back!”

He Wei felt both moved and helpless.

She was moved that she now had someone backing her, and helpless because she was about to be tormented by Mu Sheng, yet had no way to tell this backing.

He Wei curled her lips, about to speak, when the makeup room door was knocked. “He Wei, are you ready?”

It was a staff member calling her.

He Wei gathered her sleeves, gave Cheng Nuo a look, then opened the door and walked out.

The female lead Mu Sheng also happened to come out from another makeup room. Compared to He Wei, her palace consort outfit was light and somewhat plain.

Mu Sheng’s gaze fell on her, then she gave her a big eye-roll.

Obviously, she didn’t like He Wei.

Most of the filming locations for “Imperial Princess” used real sets. Outside the makeup rooms were palace buildings similar to the Forbidden City. He Wei hadn’t had time to look carefully earlier; now she finally glanced around.

It was already past ten in the morning. After the start of spring, the sun at this time was gradually stronger, casting warm light.

A script supervisor assistant came over and told her some precautions, then added, “Sister He Wei, your scene with Sister Mu Sheng is around twelve.”

He Wei raised her eyebrows.

The assistant scratched his hair and explained, “Because there’s a falling-into-water scene… the sun is strong after twelve noon, so Sister Mu Sheng…”

He Wei nodded in understanding.

As expected of a big-name star, she had forcibly pushed the first scene back by two hours.

The script supervisor assistant was an intern, a young man in his early twenties who was still somewhat shy. When speaking to her, his gaze shifted around, and after a while settled on her face as he said softly, “Sister He Wei, you’re really pretty.”

He Wei almost couldn’t hold it in. She pressed her lips and smiled reservedly. “Thank you.”

“I started buying ‘Freeze Frame’ magazine since my sophomore year. As long as you were on the cover, I bought it every time.”

He Wei kept smiling, then thanked him.

“You look even better in person than in the magazine.”

“Thank you.”

“Sister He Wei, you will definitely become popular!”

He Wei couldn’t help laughing out loud.

Sure enough, he was young, thinking that as long as someone was good-looking they would become popular.

The entertainment industry wasn’t as simple and clean as he imagined.

He Wei didn’t dampen his enthusiasm. After thanking him again, she found a place to sit down, pulled up the script on her phone, and went over the first scene several more times.

In the blink of an eye it was twelve. Staff handed out boxed lunches to the actors filming the first scene.

He Wei sat together with several extras playing palace maids. While eating, she listened to them casually discussing the director of this drama.

Cheng Yan was young and handsome. With close contact, he quickly became the topic of conversation for these young girls after meals.

He Wei listened half-heartedly and occasionally joined in the gossip with a few remarks.

After lunch, she turned her head to glance in Cheng Yan’s direction.

Under the sunshade umbrella, Cheng Yan leaned back in his chair, a cigarette in his mouth, legs crossed, talking on the phone.

He Wei withdrew her gaze.

Could the benefactor the system mentioned… be Cheng Yan?

She was mostly certain in her heart. Her fingers tightened around her phone. After several seconds, she stared at the date on the screen and suddenly remembered something important.

Today was April 3.

Yan Chen’s twenty-fourth birthday.

An opportunity to increase favorability that couldn’t be missed.

He Wei’s lips curved, and she sent Yan Chen a WeChat message: 【Are you free tonight?】 After waiting a few minutes, Yan Chen didn’t reply.

He Wei wasn’t anxious. Seeing the script supervisor calling people again, she put away her phone and got up.

The first falling-into-water scene failed three times.

In the drama, the female lead was set as a weak girl who couldn’t swim, but once Mu Sheng was pushed into the water, it was as if she forgot her character and flailed about trying to swim ashore.

Cheng Yan watched her flail three times expressionlessly behind the monitor. Before the fourth take, he slapped the script in front of Mu Sheng. “If you don’t read the script, what scene are you filming?”

Mu Sheng had just climbed out of the water, lips pressed together. She glanced at him weakly and didn’t dare retort.

By the fourth time, she finally remembered not to flail, and passed in one go.

This scene lasted until nearly four o’clock. During the half-hour break in the middle, staff delivered boxed lunches again.

He Wei wasn’t very hungry, but she knew the evening would be a tough battle and she wouldn’t be spared. After casually taking a few bites, before filming resumed, she went to the makeup room and stuck several hand warmers inside her clothes.

The latter half of the first scene started filming after five.

From dusk until night, He Wei knelt outside Liufang Pavilion, filming with intervals of kneeling and resting for three hours.

After eight, for plot requirements, artificial rain began.

Although it was spring, the nighttime temperature wasn’t high. Especially when the water truck sprayed down, it instantly drenched her from head to toe.

Cheng Yan stood outside the camera watching her, just starting to frown when an assistant beside him called out, “Director Cheng, President Yan is looking for you.”

He called the assistant director over to watch this scene, then turned and walked over. “I thought you weren’t coming.”

Yan Huai didn’t speak. His gaze shifted, seemingly casually glancing at the woman kneeling in the rain.

She was thin, curled into a small bundle in the rain. Just looking at her back made her seem pitiful.

Cheng Yan also followed his gaze. “If nothing unexpected happens, it should pass in one take.”

Just as he finished speaking, the assistant director in the distance called out, “Cut! Mu Sheng, your moaning sounds too fake, like you’re being forced.”

He made a gesture. “Take a few minutes’ break, we’ll do it again later.”

He Wei knelt there, her expression stiff, eyes unblinking. Only when a staff member came to help her did she stand up.

“Sister He Wei, I just bought milk tea. Drink some to warm up.”

He Wei thanked her, took the milk tea in both hands, but didn’t drink it.

The second take began ten minutes later.

He Wei still knelt on the icy ground, the cold rain pouring over her head, making her shiver.

The door of Liufang Pavilion wasn’t closed. On the dark-red embroidered bed inside, a woman’s fragrant shoulders half exposed, she was pressed beneath a tall, sturdy man—an extremely sensual scene.

Then the woman began softly moaning. Before even a minute had passed, the assistant director slapped the script on the table again. “Cut! Cut, cut, cut!”

Mu Sheng immediately stopped.

“You’re a proper young lady from a respectable family—don’t sound like a brothel girl!”

Mu Sheng curled her lips, replying carelessly, “Got it.”

He Wei squeezed her fingers. This time, before the director could call for a break, she spoke up: “Sister Mu Sheng.”

The woman pulled her collar back into place and walked out of the resplendent Liufang Pavilion. “What?”

“If you really can’t get into the state to film this bed scene, I can film it for you.”

Her figure was similar to Mu Sheng’s. If her hair were let down, showing only shoulders and a bit of chest, then edited later in post-production, it probably wouldn’t be noticeable that they were two different people.

It wasn’t full nudity. He Wei was going all out.

She really couldn’t die again.

As soon as she said this, not only did Mu Sheng freeze, even Cheng Yan was stunned. The hand holding his cigarette trembled slightly, and he subconsciously turned to look at Yan Huai’s expression.

Even if Yan Huai weren’t here, Cheng Yan wouldn’t have let He Wei film such revealing scenes.

Cheng Nuo had gone home and didn’t know—if she knew, she’d probably flip the set.

Cheng Yan coughed, about to speak, when the man beside him spoke first. His voice was low, faintly carrying restrained pressure: “You want to film a bed scene?”

He Wei was startled.

She stood with her back to him. Even without seeing his expression, she was genuinely frightened by the voice.

He Wei’s fingertips trembled even more.

Before she could speak, she heard him say in a low voice, biting out two more words: “You dare.”