Chapter Sixty-Two: This Scene Truly Has Passed

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Because there was a scene involving a car crashing into a rock, today's filming carried a certain level of risk. Fortunately, the production team had prepared by bringing in professionals, so there was little cause for concern.

Still, that particular scene had to be shot four times. The first time, Lin Zhiling couldn't help but break into laughter. The second time, she managed to keep a straight face but her acting fell short, so they had to redo it.

By the third take, there were basically no issues, but to be on the safe side, Chen Ling decided to shoot it once more. Only then was the scene where the long-legged beauty sprays Chen Ling and Xu Zheng with pepper spray after crashing into the rock finally completed.

The group then gathered around the monitor, watching their performance with delighted faces. One had to admit, the set of a well-made comedy could sometimes be even funnier than watching it in a theater.

Seeing everyone crowding around the monitor, Chen Ling called out to Lin Zhiling, who was standing at the edge of the group, not trying to squeeze in. “Zhiling, come with me for a moment.”

“Alright.”

Lin Zhiling obediently followed Chen Ling to the back of the monitor. The equipment beside the monitor happened to block her famously long legs from view, and Chen Ling took the opportunity to switch off the monitor screen.

He then clapped his hands a few times.

With the monitor suddenly off, everyone’s attention shifted to Chen Ling, puzzled about what he was up to and why he had turned off the display.

Meeting their bewildered gazes, Chen Ling smiled and posed a question. “Let me ask you all something: who here can tell me what color high heels Lin Zhiling is wearing?”

“No peeking, you can only rely on your memory!”

When Xu Zheng tried to circle around the monitor to sneak a look at Lin Zhiling’s shoes, Chen Ling immediately stopped him, pulling the smiling Lin Zhiling behind him.

“Black!” Xu Zheng, unable to see the correct answer, simply guessed based on memory.

“I choose black too,” chimed in Shen Teng. In his opinion, aren’t all women’s high heels black? As for why he hadn’t noticed before, he would never admit it was because he was too focused on her legs.

“Ladies don’t need to answer.” When Liu Yifei was about to speak, Chen Ling promptly stopped her. Women might not have been as distracted, but being excluded from the game left Liu Yifei pouting in dissatisfaction.

After listening to a few more guesses, and seeing that none of the remaining men had answered correctly, Chen Ling was ready to reveal the truth.

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“Hearing your answers, I’m sure we've got the take. Zhiling, why not reveal the correct answer for everyone?”

Seeing that none of the men had guessed right, Chen Ling laughed in satisfaction. This scene was definitely in the bag.

Having gotten what he wanted, Chen Ling didn’t tease them any longer and gestured for Lin Zhiling to step out from behind the monitor to reveal the truth.

From the moment Chen Ling began his line of questioning, Lin Zhiling had been covering her mouth to stifle her laughter, fully aware of the point he was making.

As a supermodel, Lin Zhiling’s long legs were certainly her greatest asset, and the moment she stepped out from behind the equipment, that fact was evident to all, especially from Chen Ling’s vantage point.

True to form, as soon as she emerged, the men’s gazes were first drawn to her legs before finally landing on her shoes.

“Green heels with red soles? That’s way too seductive!”

Xu Zheng, who uttered this, seemed almost to be drooling—fitting for someone with his notorious reputation in the industry.

Under the scrutiny of so many, Lin Zhiling didn’t seem the least bit embarrassed; she was used to it. At the same time, she understood what Chen Ling meant yesterday when he said no one else could play this role but her.

Unable to resist, she even shot a glance at Liu Yan—a testament to the deadly competitiveness among women.

……

The filming soon hit a bottleneck. A single long shot took them from morning into the afternoon without producing a version that satisfied Chen Ling.

At the airport, Chen Ling’s crying scene had to be shot several times. As a pivotal moment in the film, serving both as a cathartic climax and a transition to the next stage of the story, this crying scene was crucial.

Crying scenes have always been a benchmark for actors, reflecting their upper limits as performers. Many legends in film history have won major awards for their mastery of such moments.

Naturally, Chen Ling aspired to join that illustrious company. With the original performance by Huang Bo etched in his mind, he had a clear standard to measure himself against. If not to surpass it, he at least hoped to come within reach.

“You’ve done very well already—why not just move on?” You could call Xu Zheng flirtatious, stingy, or self-serving, but you could never say he wasn’t talented.

From Xu Zheng’s perspective, Chen Ling’s performance was already excellent, especially for someone his age. He admitted to himself that at the same age, he couldn’t have managed this. Even now, he might do a slightly better job, but not by much.

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“I’ll try again after getting into the right mood,” Chen Ling replied, unwilling to give up. “Lost in Love” had quite a few long takes, each a real test of an actor’s skill. This scene, in particular, was among the most difficult. Although Chen Ling had mentally prepared himself, the challenge still exceeded his expectations.

The others who weren’t needed for this scene stayed by the monitor at a distance, careful not to disturb Chen Ling. Only the makeup artist, Xu Zheng, and Lin Zhiling remained nearby.

Once this crying scene was done, there’d be one more shot outside the airport, and then Lin Zhiling’s work would be wrapped up. There was also a flowerpot scene outside that promised to be especially memorable.

“Director, you wrote the script, but you haven’t lived the experiences within it. Trying to fully immerse yourself can be tough—you might want to approach it from a different angle.” Lin Zhiling, while not renowned for her acting, had far more life experience than Chen Ling. At this moment, she tried to offer a new perspective that might help him.

“You have a point,” Chen Ling agreed. Up till now, he’d been channeling his own feelings after the breakup with Jing Tian, but he hadn’t been satisfied with the results. Perhaps it was time to try preparing his emotions from another direction.

“Don’t give up—you’re already doing great!” When a stunning woman stands close by, her breath light and fragrant, her eyes full of admiration as she encourages you, it’s hard to back down.

Having lived two lifetimes, if his feelings in this one weren’t deep enough, he could always draw from memories of the last. He refused to believe he couldn’t do it.

“Brother Zheng, let’s go one more time.”

“Alright, you’ve got this!” Xu Zheng gave Chen Ling a fist bump, truly admiring his dedication.

When Chen Ling had finished preparing, the next take of the crying scene began. From the monitor, the distant group could clearly see every nuance of Chen Ling’s expression.

It was obvious to all the professionals watching that this performance was markedly better than the previous attempts.

“Zhiling, what did you just say to the director? His improvement was so obvious this time.”

Lin Zhiling was several years older than Liu Yan, so it was natural for Liu Yan to address her as “sister.” At this point, Liu Yan was no longer interested in competing over whose legs were longer—she only wanted to know what advice Lin Zhiling had given Chen Ling that had so visibly elevated his acting.