Chapter 82 - Chapter 82: Chapter Eighty-Two: Story (2/2)

“Will we have to re-film all the scenes from the previous week if we recast?” Annie—one of the scriptwriters—asked tentatively. Yun Nan nodded and didn’t say anything.

“How about we use Al face-swapping software? That way, we can reduce our losses,” an editor suggested.

“Face-changing isn’t the problem here. The problem is: where are we going to find a suitable lead actress so we can film the rest of the movie,” Fang Xi uttered as she tapped her fingers on the table. Silence descended once more as none of them had a solution. Whether it was a face-swap or reshooting the scenes, they could deal with it, but they had no suitable candidate to play the lead role.

Someone knocked on the conference room’s door. “Come in!” the person closest to the door called out, but the door stayed closed. The man got up to open the door and muttered impatiently, “Whose delivery is it this time—”

He abruptly stopped talking when he saw the person at the door. “Excuse me, are you still hiring? I-I’m a competent worker. A-and you don’t have to pay me wages; I just want some food,” said a timid voice from the doorway.

Everyone—including Yun Nan and Fang Xi—looked toward the door. That was a line from ‘4:30 P.M.’ It was what Xiao He, the female lead, said to the male lead, Ah Feng, at the door of his shop after she had escaped and starved for three days.

Hong Can, the actor who played Ah Feng, was the first to react. He stood up, walked towards the door, and responded with the next line of the scene, “I’m not hiring, but I can offer you some food.”

The girl standing at the door in tattered clothes knelt and sobbed, “Thank you! Thank you!” Under her frayed headscarf, tears welled in her clear doe-like eyes and streamed down her face.

“Shi Xiu!” Mika exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. “What are you doing?” Yun Nan and Fang Xi also stood up in shock; they wouldn’t have recognized Shi Xiu —currently dressed like Xiao He in the movie—if Mika hadn’t pointed it out. Hong Can was likewise speechless as he helped Shi Xiu to her feet.

Shi Xiu took off her headscarf and smiled brightly at everyone. “How did I do? Was that okay?” she asked. Mika took a deep breath while Yun Nan and Fang Xi looked at each other, stunned.

Shi Xiu’s expression fell at their reaction. “Still no good, huh? Give me a chance! I’ll study the script again.. I think I can take on the lead role!”