frightfiction Chapter 276 Childhood
Chapter 276 Childhood
As the last note faded into the night sky, Yu Xinglan completed her closing action.
Her chest rose and fell slightly, and although her face was red from the cold, she still maintained a smile.
"Click! Perfect! Excellent!"
This time, Yu Xinglan finally finished filming.
The elevator slowly descended, making a metallic scraping sound. Bai Li's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, gradually settled back to its original position as the height decreased.
Yu Xinglan finally returned to the safe ground.
Bai Li breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness.
No accidents occurred.
Indeed, if something unexpected had happened, given the height they were at, the consequences would have been unimaginable, and Bai Li might never have seen Yu Xinglan again.
……
After Yu Xinglan recorded a few more close-up shots, the filming finally came to an end.
Bai Li followed Yu Xinglan back into the warm car.
The interior was spacious. Although Bai Li couldn't recognize the specific brand, judging from the model, it should be a mid-to-high-end SUV.
Back then, even mid-to-high-end SUVs cost around several hundred thousand yuan.
Inside the car, warm yellow lights shone softly.
The woman draped a thick blanket over Yu Xinglan and poured ginger soup, which she had prepared beforehand, from a thermos. The steam rose gently, creating a hazy atmosphere under the lamplight.
Bai Li recognized the woman at a glance; she was Yu Xinglan's mother.
Compared to a few years ago, her face is more refined, showing no signs of aging, and she even looks younger.
Although Bai Li couldn't recognize the car brand, she was very familiar with the clothing brand.
Yu Xinglan's mother was wearing clothes from the accessible luxury brand ICICLE. This brand will be considered mid-to-high-end in the future, and its prices are not cheap, ranging from over a thousand yuan.
The man in the driver's seat was Yu Xinglan's father.
Bai Li couldn't recognize the clothes he was wearing; she wasn't familiar with men's clothing, but judging from the fabric, they were clearly not cheap.
In just a few years, this ordinary working-class couple not only bought a mid-to-high-end SUV, but also changed their clothes and appearance. They no longer looked like working-class people, but rather like owners of some small businesses.
The reasons for such a dramatic change are self-evident.
Judging from the set design tonight, the filming was definitely on a grand scale.
In the previous memory fragment, the director randomly and temporarily found an unknown child to participate in the filming.
This is clearly unrealistic for large-scale filming events.
Children participating in the filming not only need a background in dance, but also rich filming experience, and even more importantly, the courage to overcome heights. Very few children can do all three of these things at the same time.
But Yu Xinglan insisted on filming it.
Bai Li speculated that his appearance fee would definitely not be low.
How many similar shoots have Yu Xinglan participated in over the years? How much suffering has she endured?
Despite her small size, she shouldered heavy responsibilities and improved the family's quality of life.
Bai Li's gaze involuntarily fell on Yu Xinglan.
Although he was wrapped in a thick blanket, he was still not warm enough because he was dressed in thin clothes and had been jumping in the cold wind for too long. His lips were white from the cold, and he looked rather pitiful.
Yu Xinglan's mother handed him the ginger soup and said gently, "Quickly, drink it while it's hot."
The piping hot ginger soup was steaming in the bowl.
Yu Xinglan frowned as she took the ginger soup from her mother's hands, sniffed, and looked utterly rejected.
But under his mother's stern expression, he still forced himself to take a sip.
The spicy taste exploded in his mouth instantly, and his little face immediately scrunched up as he couldn't help but gag.
Bai Li understood Yu Xinglan very well; she also didn't like drinking ginger soup.
Moreover, children's taste buds are naturally more sensitive than adults'.
Some people disliked bitter melon when they were young, but grew up to love it – that's the point.
The ginger soup, which is extremely spicy even for some adults, is absolutely awful to a child like Yu Xinglan.
Yu Xinglan blinked, trying to escape, and asked in a coquettish tone, "It's so spicy, Mom, can I not drink it?"
"No, you have to drink it, or you'll catch a cold." Faced with such a cute little thing's pleading, Yu Xinglan's mother remained unmoved, her face stern as she continued, her tone leaving no room for argument, "There's another shoot tomorrow, you can't get sick."
Upon hearing the last sentence, Yu Xinglan's eyes flickered slightly, and she asked in confusion, "Isn't tomorrow Monday?"
The father, driving, interjected, "I've already asked the school teacher for leave."
Yu Xinglan's voice carried a barely perceptible hint of disappointment: "Okay."
Actually, he would rather go to school than take photos.
Although I don't have many friends at school.
Because he often has to participate in advertising shoots and guest appearances in TV dramas, Yu Xinglan doesn't go to school often, so he naturally doesn't make any close friends.
But going to school is much easier than filming.
The mother glared at him and urged, "Alright, stop talking and drink it quickly, the ginger soup will be useless if it gets cold."
She was calculating in her mind that the filming tomorrow was under contract, and the penalty for breach of contract was considerable. If her child got sick and the filming couldn't be done, the losses would be huge.
Under her mother's watchful eye, Yu Xinglan could only close her eyes, hold her breath, and forcefully drink the ginger soup in one gulp.
The spicy taste brought tears to his eyes, but he forced himself not to let them fall.
"Good boy." His mother patted his head and rewarded him with a piece of candy.
……
Yu Xinglan's body temperature gradually returned to normal, and the warm air from the air conditioner made him drowsy.
After hesitating for a long time, before she woke up from her nap, Yu Xinglan finally decided to ask the question that was on her mind: "Can...can I not go to the filming?"
His mother looked at him with some surprise, her eyes filled with disbelief, as if this was the first time in years that Yu Xinglan had said such a thing.
The father, who was driving in the front seat, also heard it and was equally incredulous: "What are you saying? Isn't filming something you like?"
The mother patted her child's head and explained, "Many filming contracts have already been signed. Xingxing must be a trustworthy child and not be willful. Be good."
Although she felt sorry for the children being tired from filming, she heard from the teachers at that institution that the golden age for child stars is from 3 to 6 years old.
After the age of 6, the value of child stars will begin to decline slowly.
Their prime time as stars is almost over, so they must make the most of this time to film as much as possible. At worst, they can rest after this busy period.
She will make it up to the child.
Upon hearing this, Yu Xinglan nodded and turned her little head to the other side.
He didn't have high hopes to begin with.
A pair of slightly tired eyes were reflected in the car window.
Bai Li finds it hard to believe that such eyes belong to a six or seven-year-old child.
On the other side, after comforting her child, Yu Xinglan's mother picked up her phone and began communicating with the filming crew about the details.
The phone kept ringing.
It's clear that the communication involved more than just one shoot.
Moreover, the scheduled times all seem to be for upcoming work.
Bai Li frowned and pondered: Is this kind of shooting schedule too intensive for a child?
The schedule of young Yu Xinglan was more demanding than that of some adult celebrities who entertained day and night.
She finally understood why Yu Xinglan was able to preserve so many images from her childhood as a child star—it was because she filmed a lot back then.
Yu Xinglan's fragmented memories kept flashing back, and his childhood life was fast-forwarding before Bai Li's eyes.
One scene after another.
Spring, summer, autumn, and winter—it's all about shooting, shooting.
Running in a single layer of clothing under the artificial rain shelter, even though I've never been to a waterfall, I still got to experience the exhilarating feeling of being hit in the face by a torrent.
Wearing a school uniform that wasn't their own, attending classes in a school that wasn't their own, with a classroom on one side and a dense array of camera crews on the other.
I walked on the scorching asphalt roads of midsummer and rode on the desolate backs of horses in late autumn.
My knees are often bruised, and my skin is always peeling from sun exposure.
……
They lived a nomadic life, eating in the wind and sleeping in the open, without a fixed abode.
Live while filming, and film while living.
Filming spanned almost the entirety of Yu Xinglan's childhood.
Even on New Year's Eve, I spent it in the dressing room, memorizing lines while eating cold dumplings.
During any rare free period, Yu Xinglan would spend it training at a training institution.
Practicing dance, vocal training, rehearsing lines...
Yu Xinglan's life is severely out of sync with her peers. Her only two or three friends of the same age are other child stars she met during filming.
He didn't have much in common with other people his age.
The fragments of memory will only show the most unforgettable moments.
For Yu Xinglan, filming from childhood to adulthood has become a monotonous daily routine.
Facing the camera and showing your most perfect smile is as simple as eating and drinking.
These everyday filming experiences didn't provide him with any particularly memorable experiences.
Therefore, in Bai Li's current view, the flow of memory fragments is like being fast-forwarded, constantly jumping back and forth.
As the fragments of memory fast-forwarded, the childishness on Yu Xinglan's face gradually faded, and her features became increasingly clear.
He finally entered the growth spurt of puberty.
Although he is still a child star at the age of fifteen, his appearance has already shed its childlike innocence and is full of youthful charm, which is why he rarely receives commercial advertisements aimed at child stars.
He needs to make a change.
At this point in time, the scene finally stabilized.
Bai Li knew that a crucial moment was approaching, so she quickly surveyed her surroundings.
The cramped living room contained some simple furniture, and a few cardboard boxes from express delivery were scattered on the cheap composite floor. Apart from that, there were no signs of long-term habitation.
This doesn't feel like home; it's more like a temporary apartment.
Yu Xinglan's parents are both present.
They have changed even more since last time.
Her clothes and accessories were extremely expensive, almost all from top-tier luxury brands, and she exuded an aura completely different from before.
If it weren't for Yu Xinglan's weary "Mom and Dad," Bai Li would hardly have recognized the couple who had once worn simple work clothes.
Perhaps it was the effect of wealth, but even their simple faces had subtly changed, not just in terms of getting older, but also in their expressions.
After all, ten years have passed since the last fragment of memory.
Family members spend so much time together that they may not notice any obvious changes.
But for Bai Li, all of this happened in the blink of an eye, and in comparison, her feelings were particularly profound.
"Xingxing, come here, these are clothes the brand sent you." Yu Xinglan's mother waved to her son as he returned. "Remember to pick out these to wear in the next few days, okay?"
Her tone was more like giving work instructions than a mother giving advice to her child.
The elderly couple had already quit their jobs to wholeheartedly accompany Yu Xinglan during filming.
She is a parent, an agent, and a life assistant.
Yu Xinglan was exhausted after a day of filming and simply responded with a "yes".
He endorses too many brands, and every now and then, brands will send him some products, sometimes clothes, sometimes various daily necessities and snacks.
He can't even remember how many commercials he's filmed.
It's only when I suddenly see my name on the packaging of certain products that I realize I've actually endorsed that brand.
Recently, he has had far fewer endorsements than before.
But Yu Xinglan did not feel relieved because his mother got him several new guest roles.
Acting is not his forte, and the filming process is often not smooth.
While tidying up the clothes on the floor, the mother explained the next steps to Yu Xinglan:
"Xingxing, do you still remember Senior Zhou, whom you met three months ago on the set of 'Five Flowers'?"
"He said there's a role for a young imperial guard in the next production, an important supporting role, and he can introduce you to the past."
Yu Xinglan was stunned.
From childhood to adulthood, because he was not good at acting, he could only make cameo appearances in film and television dramas.
The cameo appearance didn't have many lines.
Sometimes, it might only take reading two or three lines of dialogue.
Moreover, cameo roles do not require high acting skills from the actors.
Therefore, Yu Xinglan was able to barely hold on.
But the supporting roles have much more screen time than the cameo roles.
He had never tried it and didn't think he could do it well.
Yu Xinglan instinctively wanted to refuse.
But his mother didn't give him a chance to refuse, saying to herself, "Most child stars go on to become actors. We'll start with supporting roles to get used to it, and then slowly take on other roles..."
Bai Li sighed.
In her view, the mother was not seeking her child's opinion; she was simply unilaterally expressing her own thoughts.
This is perhaps her usual practice.
The child never resisted.
So, naturally, she once again took it upon herself to decide Yu Xinglan's future path.
As for Yu Xinglan's own wishes and thoughts, they were not within her consideration.
"I do not want to go."
Yu Xinglan interrupted her mother's long-winded career planning.
At fifteen, his maturity is evident not only in his appearance but also in his growing mind.
Yu Xinglan knew perfectly well that acting was not her forte.
Although most child stars choose to become actors after growing up, Yu Xinglan knew that she was not suited for it.
Shouldn't we be able to decide our own future path?
Having obeyed her parents for so many years, Yu Xinglan felt she shouldn't continue like this.
After Yu Xinglan refused, her mother didn't react for a moment and was still saying something: "Several child stars from your generation have already started taking on acting roles..."
It wasn't until she realized what her son had said that she asked in surprise, "What did you say?"
Yu Xinglan answered decisively: "I said, I don't want to go, acting is not suitable for me."