Chapter 50
After a full half hour in the makeup room, Shen Tiantian finally put on his clothes and wig and walked out, holding the makeup artist’s hand.
At this moment, the assistant director was sitting in front of the camera, watching the male lead go through his scene.
Just as this part was finished, the assistant director saw Shen Tiantian’s obedient appearance under the eaves and couldn’t help but smile.
“Lu Wei, come and see. This is the little actor Tiantian who is playing you as a child.”
Lu Wei was the male lead of this drama and was also a somewhat famous celebrity. His face was clear and handsome, and he had the elegant demeanor of an ancient person.
However, Lu Wei was very lively in private. He ran over with a smile and carefully sized up Shen Tiantian from top to bottom.
The little one was wearing a light brown ancient costume with black and gold patterns, a simple bun on the back of his head, and small black boots. His lips were red and his teeth were white, and he looked extremely delicate.
He had the noble air of a little prince who had run out of the palace, and he was a surprisingly good match for the role.
Lu Wei couldn’t help but sigh:
“Director, how did you find such a beautiful child to play me as a child? I’m not worthy!”
The female lead next to him also squatted down and pinched Tiantian’s cheek with a giggle.
“That’s right. You’re done for, Lu Wei. When this drama airs, the whole internet will be full of comparison pictures of you and Tiantian!”
Lu Wei slapped his forehead dramatically and shouted, “No! My life is over!”
The atmosphere on the set instantly became light and cheerful. Many people laughed and teased Lu Wei.
Tiantian had a piece of candy given by the female lead in his mouth. With his baby-fat cheeks puffed out, he followed the assistant director’s arrangement and sat on the side to observe and learn.
He was young and didn’t even know many words, and his concept of acting was also very vague.
The assistant director thought that since Tiantian had no acting experience, it would be best for him to watch on the set for two or three days to get some understanding before he started filming.
Shen Tiantian’s attitude towards being a little star was very proper and serious.
For two days in a row, he moved a small stool to a corner of the set, and with his dark, grape-like, watery eyes, he stared at the older brothers and sisters on the set filming without blinking.
The male lead, Lu Wei, was so sweaty from being stared at that he came to pinch his little face as soon as he was off the set.
“Ancestor, you’re staring so hard. You’re putting so much pressure on me.”
Shen Tiantian’s little mouth was pulled into a pouting duck’s mouth, and he shouted indistinctly:
“Don’t pinch my face!”
Lu Wei also liked to imitate his speech, thinking that his milky little appearance was very cute and particularly likable.
“I’m just going to pinch your face~”
After Lu Wei finished shouting in a strange, high-pitched voice, he was disgusted with himself.
“Ew, Lu Wei, get away. Don’t scare Tiantian.”
The female lead, Song Xinxue, pushed him aside with disgust, then turned her head and showed an aunt-like smile, handing Shen Tiantian a small snack.
“Come on, Tiantian. Let’s ignore him and eat some snacks.”
Before the two of them could finish teasing Tiantian, they were scolded by the assistant director and scurried off to film, holding their skirts.
Shen Tiantian let out a big sigh of relief, rubbed his pinched red little face, and continued to prop up his little head to study hard.
In the afternoon, it was time for the variety show live stream again.
To avoid revealing the content of the film crew’s filming, the live camera could only be fixed on one side, filming only Shen Tiantian.
The netizens had no idea that Tiantian had gone to film so quickly, and a series of exclamations flashed across the comment section.
[Oh my god, our Tiantian has made it!]
[Aww, aww, aww, finally a director with a discerning eye has discovered our Tiantian’s cuteness.]
[It’s a historical drama too. I wonder which drama it is. I’ll definitely be watching it on TV when it airs.]
Halfway through the live stream, the male lead, Lu Wei, changed into his modern clothes and ran over to lift Tiantian, who was sitting on a small stool.
Tiantian didn’t even realize what was happening before he was held by Lu Wei and had his face rubbed.
“Tiantian, I’m going to be transferred to Group B later, so I won’t be able to see you.”
The assistant director and Director Lin Chen’an had different roles. For the later scenes, Lu Wei had to follow the assistant director to film on location.
Tiantian’s little face was pressed, and his baby-fat cheeks were squeezed into a soft lump. He quickly and disgustedly stretched his little neck, trying his best to get away from this strange big brother.
“Let go of me!”
Lu Wei was in the middle of being sad and heartbroken. He shouted that he wouldn’t let go, continued to hold the little one, and frantically rubbed his little face, wailing like a crybaby.
“Tiantian, I’m you when you grow up. Why don’t you feel sorry for yourself at all?”
Tiantian’s little head was almost spun into a daze by him.
The comment section also started to scroll:
[Aww, aww, my son is interacting with my husband!]
[Lu Wei, put that Tiantian down and let me do it!]
[Tiantian is actually playing Lu Wei as a child. My god, Lu Wei is such a prankster and drama queen. I hope he doesn’t lead Tiantian astray.]
Lu Wei’s manager came over, gave Lu Wei a tap, and successfully dragged this funny man away.
Tiantian’s little feet touched the ground again. He let out a long sigh and quickly tidied up his robes.
This afternoon, Shen Tiantian was going to film his first scene.
It was a very simple scene. The assistant director had already explained the scene to Shen Tiantian in advance, and the only two lines were firmly remembered in Shen Tiantian’s little brain.
After a big scene was finished, the assistant director beckoned to Tiantian.
“Come on, Tiantian. It’s just sunset now.”
This scene was set to take place at dusk, and they needed to use the sunset as a background.
Tiantian ran on his short little legs, away from the live camera, leaving a group of netizens in the live stream chat staring at the empty air.
[Tiantian, Tiantian, where are you going? You’ve left your mommy behind!]
Countless netizens wailed in the comment section.
The scene of the little male lead filming was not allowed to be live-streamed. The little assistant brother who was in charge of maintaining Shen Tiantian’s live stream discussed with the cameraman and simply carried the camera outside to film a few of the film city’s special attractions.
Here, the assistant director shouted “action,” and Shen Tiantian got into character. His little face was filled with panic as he ran out of the room.
Behind him, several eunuchs were cursing and calling him a little brat.
Although the character Shen Tiantian was playing was a prince, he was not favored and was almost a transparent existence in the palace. Even eunuchs and palace maids with a little power could step on him.
Tiantian’s short little legs still couldn’t outrun a group of eunuchs. He was so anxious that his little boots even fell off. He could only hold his head on the spot and take a beating.
He squatted on the ground, holding his head and curling up miserably.
The light of dusk finally completely dissipated. Shen Tiantian lifted his little head, his face dusty, but his eyes were bright. After the panic dissipated, a hint of a cunning smile appeared.
“Hehe, it’s a good thing I got the osmanthus cake.”
He took out the already flattened osmanthus cake from his clothes and wolfed it down.
“So delicious.”
After saying that, the scene ended.
The assistant director sat behind the camera, watching Shen Tiantian’s scene, and was a little surprised.
“Not bad, you acted very well. Although you didn’t find the right position for the final shot, we don’t need to reshoot. We can just add a shot.”
The assistant director had thought that since it was the child’s first time filming, they would have to shoot it several times.
He hadn’t expected the little one’s eyes to be so lively and his emotional expression to be so on point. This scene was actually done in one take.
The assistant director couldn’t help but sigh and shouted at Shen Tiantian:
“This take is good!”
Shen Tiantian rubbed his little nose, dragged his wide robes, stood up from the ground, and put his little boots back on his feet.
He was still chewing on the unfinished osmanthus cake in his mouth, reluctant to waste it, and stood there to finish the rest.
The assistant director behind the camera, seeing his little gluttonous appearance, laughed several times.
“Little Gao, did you film that? We can use it as a behind-the-scenes clip after it airs.”
The cameraman, who was in charge of several cameras, poked his head out from behind a machine and gave an “ok” sign.
On the empty ground, Shen Tiantian finished the not-so-delicious osmanthus cake, turned his head, and quickly ran over. He stood next to the assistant director uncle, looked up with his little face, and stared at the several screens in front of him.
The assistant director smiled knowingly and asked:
“Does Tiantian want to see how you did?”
Shen Tiantian nodded vigorously, his cat-like, round eyes filled with anticipation.
It was his first time acting, and Tiantian was very curious about what he would look like on the screen.
The assistant director fast-forwarded the progress bar and showed him the clip that had just been filmed.
Shen Tiantian looked up and stared at the screen, at himself inside, with a very novel feeling.
It was a little unlike himself, but it was indeed himself.
It was as if it were a Tiantian from another time and space, living a difficult but optimistic and cheerful life in the cold palace, where he didn’t have enough to eat.
The assistant director said to him:
“The contrast between you and your character is not too great. Some very amazing actors can play roles that are very different from themselves. For example, Teacher Wu Ke, who previously played a ruthless rebel who killed without blinking, but in reality, he is very timid and even has a fear of blood.”
Shen Tiantian was completely fascinated by the assistant director’s story, his little heart pounding.
It felt as if something had taken root in his heart, and with time, it would one day grow into a towering tree.
After filming, Shen Tiantian took off his wig, changed into his small cotton-padded jacket, and followed the butler uncle back to the hotel.
C City was too far from the Shen family home, so Tiantian couldn’t go home every day and could only temporarily stay in a hotel next to the film city.
Fortunately, the Shen family had shares in this hotel, so it was not a problem to get a room.
The butler uncle was in charge of taking care of Tiantian during this period. As soon as he entered the room, he helped Tiantian prepare his pajamas and run a hot bath.
Tiantian was a very independent little child. Besides the difficult task of bathing himself, he didn’t need help with other small matters.
The butler uncle was also very ceremonial. He specially ordered a small cake to celebrate the successful completion of Tiantian’s first scene.
He inserted a small candle, and the butler uncle said with emotion:
“From now on, Tiantian can be considered to have officially entered the ranks of little actors.”
Tiantian was wearing his pink little pig pajamas. When he smiled, his cheeks were also pink, and he was a little embarrassed.
He sat obediently on the sofa, took the first bite of the small cake, and the tablet beside him rang.
He answered the call, and Shen Xiuze’s handsome and cold face appeared on the screen. His cold expression softened for a moment when he saw Tiantian on the other end of the screen, and he said:
“Butler uncle said that Tiantian filmed his first scene today?”
At this moment, Tiantian’s excitement had not yet dissipated. His eyes were round and moist, shining with a captivating light.
“That’s right. I did a super good job. The director uncle said it was done in one take.”
Shen Xiuze pressed his lips into a smile. Before he could say more, a head squeezed in from behind.
Shen Jinfeng leaned in to the screen, a smile on his lips, his tone a little annoying and asking for a beating.
“Shen Tiantian, you’re still eating a small cake at night? Other actors are very self-disciplined and only eat vegetables and fruits to maintain their figure. Look at you, your little belly is a handful of meat.”
