Caught in Affairs with Superstar-Chapter 254 - 216: Rising Phase: 52

"You think why He Yun imagines her boyfriend is still around? She doesn’t have a mental illness, and she knows full well her boyfriend has long been gone, but she still acts as if her boyfriend is still there, performing for herself."

Zhou Yun said, "Because He Yun needs self-comfort."

"Self-comfort?" Wen Bing’s eyes finally lifted, his gaze falling on Zhou Yun, "You think it’s just self-comfort?"

"She needs a fulcrum." Zhou Yun said, "Although it’s not explicitly mentioned in the script, He Yun’s life is basically solitary, no one contacts her, and no one intersects with her life; she probably doesn’t have a job either and is penny-pinching, otherwise she wouldn’t be comparing all the products when buying toilet paper."

"Then why do you think her imagining her ex-boyfriend still being around her is a form of self-comfort?"

"When a person is drowning, they will flail subconsciously, trying to grab onto a life-saving log."

"After reading the script, my feeling is that He Yun wants to grab onto a life-saving log, but there isn’t one around her, so she created one for herself."

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Zhou Yun is not from a background in literature, philosophy, or history.

But she loves to read, especially novels. The characters in the novels are diverse and reflect against those in real life. A child growing up in an unhappy home is, good or bad, more sensitive. To some extent, her understanding of people’s multifaceted nature far surpasses that of her peers.

Zhou Yun and Wen Bing sat together for about an hour.

From understanding the script to understanding the character He Yun.

Suddenly, Wen Bing stood up and left.

Zhou Yun did not know what he was doing.

She suddenly saw Wen Bing coming over with a camera.

"What are you doing? Shooting now?" Zhou Yun, holding a glass of wine, asked.

Wen Bing said, "Just shooting, trying it out, try filming you."

"How’s the lighting?" Zhou Yun looked back at the window, "Isn’t it too dark?"

Wen Bing: "No, it’s just right."

Zhou Yun crossed one leg, sitting cross-legged on the chair, said, "Then try shooting."

Wen Bing asked, "How’s your alcohol tolerance?"

Zhou Yun said, "It’s okay, I can drink a bit, but I usually don’t drink much outside, only with friends, those kind of drinking sessions, I often pretend I can’t drink."

She suddenly blinked, put up a finger to her lips, and said, "You better not spread this around."

Wen Bing had been slowly moving around Zhou Yun with the camera, but upon her words, he suddenly froze.

One second, two seconds.

A puzzled expression appeared on Zhou Yun’s face, not understanding why Wen Bing suddenly stopped moving.

"What’s wrong?" she asked.

Wen Bing said, "She said exactly the same thing."

"Who?" she asked, "Who is she?"

Wen Bing didn’t speak.

One second, two seconds, Zhou Yun suddenly realized.

Wen Bing was talking about his ex-girlfriend.

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At noon, Zhou Yun went with everyone to another apartment for lunch.

Everyone gathered around a large table, some standing, some sitting, a table full of dishes, very sumptuous.

There are few people in the crew, not so many professions, some knew each other, most were strangers.

"Why hasn’t the director arrived yet?" someone asked.

Everyone shook their heads.

"I’ll go find him, you guys go ahead and eat," Xu Mingyu said.

Xu Mingyu is Wen Bing’s assistant. She joined his studio when Wen Bing was making commercials, and the two have been working together for several years.

Xu Mingyu acts as the housekeeper for the film "Life," handling a variety of things, but everyone knows she’s the go-to person for any issues.

Zheng Xiaojue is more liked by the men in the crew than Zhou Yun. Zhou Yun is a popular celebrity, and even when sitting at the same table to eat with everyone, there still seems to be a distance. Zheng Xiaojue is different; she’s naturally young and cute, without any pretense.

After a while, Xu Mingyu came back and said, "He’s editing the clips, let’s go ahead and eat."

"Do we need to wait for him?" someone asked.

"No need, I will just bring him a bowl of noodles later; he gets caught up in his work and forgets everything else, it’s an old habit," Xu Mingyu said with a smile, urging everyone, "Let’s eat, we have more shooting to do this afternoon."

Zhou Yun didn’t eat any main dishes, just drank a bowl of soup and had some vegetables.

After eating, she went to find Wen Bing. Wen Bing was sitting in front of a computer, wearing headphones. The computer screen showed a video of Zhou Yun drinking in the morning.

Wen Bing suddenly took off his headphones, turned his head, saw Zhou Yun, and said, "Just in time, come take a look."

Zhou Yun walked over.

Wen Bing stood up, let Zhou Yun sit, and had her put on the headphones.

He replayed the video.

In the footage, Zhou Yun was sitting with one leg crossed on the stool, curiously looking at the camera.

"What are you doing?"

Wen Bing’s voice: "Just trying to film you."

"How’s the lighting? Isn’t it too dark?" Zhou Yun turned to look outside.

Wen Bing’s voice: "No, it’s just right."

Zhou Yun turned back, her posture somewhat lazy, casual.

At the time, Zhou Yun knew this wasn’t an official shoot, so she was very relaxed.

Wen Bing, with the camera, captured that relaxed, natural, everyday state perfectly, like a mini-documentary.

This video had many close-ups.

Zhou Yun’s face, her eyes filled a third, even two-thirds of the screen. Every subtle expression on her face was captured crystal clear.

The short video of just a few seconds was quickly over.

What to say?

If one had to describe Zhou Yun’s feelings with a sentence, it would surely be: This is the reason she chose Wen Bing.

In this age where everyone has a cell phone, anyone can make a short video.

Especially for everyday recording.

But what differentiates a movie from mere recording is that it isn’t just a record; it possesses a personal style and rhythm.

A few seconds of footage yet it felt like a morning where you’re still in bed, someone whispering in your ear.

Wen Bing said, "This is exactly what I want to capture."

Zhou Yun had a moment of clarity.

She said, "I understand now."

Wen Bing said, "When I wrote this script, it was because my girlfriend wanted to be an actor, but she couldn’t act; she had never performed. Then I revised the script, the earlier version’s character He Yun was a girl who loved to be pampered, this version’s He Yun is not. Let me know your thoughts about this character directly."

Zhou Yun nodded and said, "You really are talented."

Wen Bing gave a modest smile and said, "Let’s not talk about talent, I hope we can finish this film successfully."

A film making do with a tight budget, even the production company didn’t expect Zhou Yun would agree to star in it.

A film with a budget of only three million, Zhou Yun’s nod meant that even if it didn’t show in theaters, selling it to a streaming site would be enough to break even.

Zhou Yun believed that the film could not only be completed but could also be done well.

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