Chapter 34: Big killer whale & little sea otter (1)
Ling Na came to the dormitory early the next morning to pick up Qiao Dai and head over to the recording venue. Today’s shooting location was in an open-air swimming pool in the North Island and by the time they arrived, a lot of staff was already installing the equipment and the director was standing on the side, talking to the Marketing department.
“You’re here?”
The director was a short, chubby, middle-aged man, either in his forties or fifties. He had a notoriously good personality and he smiled at Qiao Dai right away, as if to dispel the anxiety of their first meeting.
“Don’t be nervous, I watched your shooting from last time on the plane and it was very beautiful. Although it will be a little harder to film, I believe you can do it.”
He then looked around and whispered: “My daughter really likes you. Can I bother you with an autograph once we’re done? I don’t quite understand the words of little girls, nowadays.”
Qiao Dai had no reason to not agree. She immediately asked for his daughter’s name, wrote words of blessing on the signature board, and handed it back to the director.
“Thank you. Now let me tell you about today’s content and then we can start.” The director’s tone had become more gentle and after giving a rough draft of what he wanted to achieve with today’s filming, he let the stylist take Qiao Dai to dress.
After a while, Qiao Dai walked back to the scene. She had put on a white slit dress that looked a little exotic. The thin veil vaguely outlined her slender and straight legs, which were faintly visible under the breeze. Her exposed shoulders were slightly hidden, neither modest nor frivolous, and looked very seductive, making the viewer’s mind undulate with the movements of the fabric.
On her waist was a string of colorful gemstones, which reflected the delicate brilliance of the sun, and gentle tassels of pearls were hung from her white tube top. Her belly button had also been adorned, just like her whole body, with shiny jewels that made her look like a fairy who had just descended on the mortal world.
Ling Na had originally been worried that such exposing clothes would be harmful to a trainee but when Qiao Dai walked out of the dressing room, all thoughts instantly disappeared. She looked perfect and Ling Na thought in a trance Qiao Dai had been born to wear such light and mysterious attire; Qiao Dai was the creation of the ocean and any obscene thoughts against her were blasphemy against the world. A girl like Qiao Dai was made to be dressed in such gorgeous clothes and play freely in the endless blue sea.
The director’s eyes suddenly lit up and the other staff members were in a daze for a moment, only coming back to their senses when the director’s excited voice sounded again.
“Good, good! It’s no wonder Mr. Cheng chose you at a glance! You are simply born for the sea!”
The director looked very eager. In their line of work, even if talent was important, it was all about emotions. As long as the emotions were right, everything else was!
Qiao Dai heard the unfamiliar name from the director’s mouth and couldn’t help but ask: “Mr. Cheng?”
Ling Na was a little surprised when she heard it too; she knew the North Island had chosen Qiao Dai to make the video but had not known the appointment had come from the president himself. She couldn’t help but be a little stunned and slightly frightened.
“It turns out it was President Cheng who selected our Qiao Dai. This is really a great honor, I will take her to thank him in person when the opportunity arises.” Ling Na was a little scared but the director smiled.
“That’s true but it doesn’t have to be the case. Mr. Cheng seldom cares about things in the circle and he doesn’t like being disturbed by others. If you really want to thank him anyway, he might be at tonight’s banquet. I will take you there.”
A small banquet would be held tonight to celebrate the outstanding achievements of the North Island and many celebrities who had participated in the attraction’s publicity would also attend.
“Then I must thank President Cheng properly.” Qiao Dai suddenly became serious when she heard the dialogue between Ling Na and the director. Nobody knew what she was thinking but her eyes brightened.
If she had a good relationship with this Mr. Cheng, would she get invited to shoot in the big swimming pool often? Qiao Dai, who soaked in her pitiful children’s pool every day, had instantly been very excited when she had seen the huge outdoor pool at the shooting location.
She carefully moved to the pool and put her hand in the cold water. The familiar feeling made her relax at once and she even had the urge to jump in and start swimming happily.
However, the next second, a passing staff member dragged her away in a panic, saying with worry: “The water here is deep and dangerous. Sister Qiao Dai, let’s go over there.”
Before she had time to explain she knew how to swim, the employees had surrounded her and led her a few meters away. After that, they sent lifeguards to the four sides of the pool, in order to ensure nobody would fall in the water, and Qiao Dai could only sit on the chair honestly. She held a glass of juice in both hands and stared at the undulating pool in front of her, silently waiting for the recording to begin.
Being forced to stand next to the pool and not be allowed to jump in was too sad! The life of the little sea otter was not easy and she sighed until the director finally came to inform her she could start filming.
“Don’t be anxious, you already had some underwater shooting experience before. However, last time was a flat surface and today we will shoot dynamics. The objective is lightness and agility but you don’t have to worry too much about it. Take your time in the water, it’s also okay to explore. We will help you to adjust faster in the later stage. The photographer and security personnel will be beside you all along and if you have any problem, you can signal us and we will suspend the shooting.”
The director patiently told Qiao Dai about the relevant recording precautions and the girl listened to him very seriously, without interrupting. The director felt very satisfied and wanted to help her take excellent pictures today.
“Three, two, one, action!”
The director stared intently at the monitor in front of him. Within seconds, the sound of splashing was heard and the slender figure of a girl falling in the water appeared on the screen in countless floating bubbles. Qiao Dai shook her snow-white arm and it looked like she was fiddling with the light in the water.
Everyone held their breath and the next moment—
The girl swam forward as fast as an arrow, her white skirt floating gently in the blue water, just like a gentle cloud. People could only catch a snowy shadow but by the time they recovered, there was only blue on the screen.
Qiao Dai swam to the surface, smiled, and looked at the people on the shore: “How is it?”
Everyone was speechless for a moment and before they could answer, there was another splash and the cameraman poked his head out of the water and said with some embarrassment: “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch up.”
Except for the first shot when she had entered the water, people had just stared dazedly at the water, trying to imagine the picture. No one had expected that a professional underwater photographer would be left behind by an 18 or 19 years old girl and it took a while for all of them to snap out of their trances.
This was too amazing!
For ordinary people, carrying tens of kilograms of equipment already required considerable physical strength, not to mention underwater, when every action was difficult to control. Today’s young cameraman was a former swimming team’s captain; he had joined the provincial team before retiring and specializing as an underwater photographer. Shan Huai had to admit that while he had not paid careful attention at first, he had indeed been left behind by Qiao Dai!
The director was stunned. He had never expected that Qiao Dai not only performed perfectly in the still water shooting, but even dynamic ones had no dead ends. This agile figure that had both speed and beauty… This was his ideal picture!
“Director, should we adjust the speed?”
The director shook his hand, picked up the loudspeaker, and shouted: “Just shoot! But Qiao Dai, can you swim a little slower so that Shan Huai can follow?”
Shan Huai’s expression changed slightly after hearing this; this was the first time he had ever worried about being able to keep up with a model. But the truth was that he wasn’t angry at all.
Just thinking of Qiao Dai’s swimming, the impulse of competing against her spread in his heart. He hadn’t experienced this feeling in so many years and he couldn’t help but think about his school days when he still felt passionate about competing for first place against opponents from all over the country.
After some discussion, in order to ensure the director could see the picture on the monitor clearly, he asked Qiao Dai and Shan Huai to slow down a little. When Qiao Dai jumped out of the water for the last time, drops scattered in the air like sparkling pearls, and the picture froze on this scene.
“Good! Cut!”
The director slapped his thigh with excitement and stood up. As soon as his voice fell, the staff who had been immersed in Qiao Dai’s whole performance came back to their senses; everybody began to adjust the filming equipment and Ling Na ran towards the pool with a large and fluffy towel.
Qiao Dai turned around to look at the pool some more before reluctantly walking away and taking the towel that was handed to her. She had obviously gone through several hours of filming but her face didn’t have the slightest trace of fatigue. On the contrary, her eyes were even more bright and her whole body looked full of vitality, and the staff couldn’t help but sigh with amazement.
After Qiao Dai changed her clothes, she walked to the director’s side. The man stood up with a big smile on his face, obviously very satisfied with her performance.
“Thank you for today. I haven’t made such a good commercial in so long.” The director paused and looked at the monitor; the girl on the screen was both innocent and mysterious, her body light and agile, just like the creation of the ocean.
“I have some friends from the circle who will come to tonight’s banquet. I will introduce you at that time.”
Although the director wanted to keep singing Qiao Dai’s praises, he guessed that if the girl wanted to attend the banquet later, she needed some time to rest and get ready.
“Thank you for today, Director.”
Qiao Dai bowed very seriously. She was indeed a little tired now; not because the shooting had gone too long but because she had felt this way lately. She had thought she would feel more energetic after playing in the pool today and would be able to relax after the short swim, who would have known she would actually feel even more sleepy? It seemed that she really needed to rest for the next few days.
Taking a look at the girl who was dozing off, Ling Na shook her head with a smile; she was still so young, about to attend such an important banquet yet too sleepy to keep her eyes open. But as she thought about her performance these days, Ling Na made up her mind that she would fight to get her more resources with the company.
Chapter 34: Big killer whale & little sea otter (1)
Ling Na came to the dormitory early the next morning to pick up Qiao Dai and head over to the recording venue. Today’s shooting location was in an open-air swimming pool in the North Island and by the time they arrived, a lot of staff was already installing the equipment and the director was standing on the side, talking to the Marketing department.
“You’re here?”
The director was a short, chubby, middle-aged man, either in his forties or fifties. He had a notoriously good personality and he smiled at Qiao Dai right away, as if to dispel the anxiety of their first meeting.
“Don’t be nervous, I watched your shooting from last time on the plane and it was very beautiful. Although it will be a little harder to film, I believe you can do it.”
He then looked around and whispered: “My daughter really likes you. Can I bother you with an autograph once we’re done? I don’t quite understand the words of little girls, nowadays.”
Qiao Dai had no reason to not agree. She immediately asked for his daughter’s name, wrote words of blessing on the signature board, and handed it back to the director.
“Thank you. Now let me tell you about today’s content and then we can start.” The director’s tone had become more gentle and after giving a rough draft of what he wanted to achieve with today’s filming, he let the stylist take Qiao Dai to dress.
After a while, Qiao Dai walked back to the scene. She had put on a white slit dress that looked a little exotic. The thin veil vaguely outlined her slender and straight legs, which were faintly visible under the breeze. Her exposed shoulders were slightly hidden, neither modest nor frivolous, and looked very seductive, making the viewer’s mind undulate with the movements of the fabric.
On her waist was a string of colorful gemstones, which reflected the delicate brilliance of the sun, and gentle tassels of pearls were hung from her white tube top. Her belly button had also been adorned, just like her whole body, with shiny jewels that made her look like a fairy who had just descended on the mortal world.
Ling Na had originally been worried that such exposing clothes would be harmful to a trainee but when Qiao Dai walked out of the dressing room, all thoughts instantly disappeared. She looked perfect and Ling Na thought in a trance Qiao Dai had been born to wear such light and mysterious attire; Qiao Dai was the creation of the ocean and any obscene thoughts against her were blasphemy against the world. A girl like Qiao Dai was made to be dressed in such gorgeous clothes and play freely in the endless blue sea.
The director’s eyes suddenly lit up and the other staff members were in a daze for a moment, only coming back to their senses when the director’s excited voice sounded again.
“Good, good! It’s no wonder Mr. Cheng chose you at a glance! You are simply born for the sea!”
The director looked very eager. In their line of work, even if talent was important, it was all about emotions. As long as the emotions were right, everything else was!
Qiao Dai heard the unfamiliar name from the director’s mouth and couldn’t help but ask: “Mr. Cheng?”
Ling Na was a little surprised when she heard it too; she knew the North Island had chosen Qiao Dai to make the video but had not known the appointment had come from the president himself. She couldn’t help but be a little stunned and slightly frightened.
“It turns out it was President Cheng who selected our Qiao Dai. This is really a great honor, I will take her to thank him in person when the opportunity arises.” Ling Na was a little scared but the director smiled.
“That’s true but it doesn’t have to be the case. Mr. Cheng seldom cares about things in the circle and he doesn’t like being disturbed by others. If you really want to thank him anyway, he might be at tonight’s banquet. I will take you there.”
A small banquet would be held tonight to celebrate the outstanding achievements of the North Island and many celebrities who had participated in the attraction’s publicity would also attend.
“Then I must thank President Cheng properly.” Qiao Dai suddenly became serious when she heard the dialogue between Ling Na and the director. Nobody knew what she was thinking but her eyes brightened.
If she had a good relationship with this Mr. Cheng, would she get invited to shoot in the big swimming pool often? Qiao Dai, who soaked in her pitiful children’s pool every day, had instantly been very excited when she had seen the huge outdoor pool at the shooting location.
She carefully moved to the pool and put her hand in the cold water. The familiar feeling made her relax at once and she even had the urge to jump in and start swimming happily.
However, the next second, a passing staff member dragged her away in a panic, saying with worry: “The water here is deep and dangerous. Sister Qiao Dai, let’s go over there.”
Before she had time to explain she knew how to swim, the employees had surrounded her and led her a few meters away. After that, they sent lifeguards to the four sides of the pool, in order to ensure nobody would fall in the water, and Qiao Dai could only sit on the chair honestly. She held a glass of juice in both hands and stared at the undulating pool in front of her, silently waiting for the recording to begin.
Being forced to stand next to the pool and not be allowed to jump in was too sad! The life of the little sea otter was not easy and she sighed until the director finally came to inform her she could start filming.
“Don’t be anxious, you already had some underwater shooting experience before. However, last time was a flat surface and today we will shoot dynamics. The objective is lightness and agility but you don’t have to worry too much about it. Take your time in the water, it’s also okay to explore. We will help you to adjust faster in the later stage. The photographer and security personnel will be beside you all along and if you have any problem, you can signal us and we will suspend the shooting.”
The director patiently told Qiao Dai about the relevant recording precautions and the girl listened to him very seriously, without interrupting. The director felt very satisfied and wanted to help her take excellent pictures today.
“Three, two, one, action!”
The director stared intently at the monitor in front of him. Within seconds, the sound of splashing was heard and the slender figure of a girl falling in the water appeared on the screen in countless floating bubbles. Qiao Dai shook her snow-white arm and it looked like she was fiddling with the light in the water.
Everyone held their breath and the next moment—
The girl swam forward as fast as an arrow, her white skirt floating gently in the blue water, just like a gentle cloud. People could only catch a snowy shadow but by the time they recovered, there was only blue on the screen.
Qiao Dai swam to the surface, smiled, and looked at the people on the shore: “How is it?”
Everyone was speechless for a moment and before they could answer, there was another splash and the cameraman poked his head out of the water and said with some embarrassment: “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch up.”
Except for the first shot when she had entered the water, people had just stared dazedly at the water, trying to imagine the picture. No one had expected that a professional underwater photographer would be left behind by an 18 or 19 years old girl and it took a while for all of them to snap out of their trances.
This was too amazing!
For ordinary people, carrying tens of kilograms of equipment already required considerable physical strength, not to mention underwater, when every action was difficult to control. Today’s young cameraman was a former swimming team’s captain; he had joined the provincial team before retiring and specializing as an underwater photographer. Shan Huai had to admit that while he had not paid careful attention at first, he had indeed been left behind by Qiao Dai!
The director was stunned. He had never expected that Qiao Dai not only performed perfectly in the still water shooting, but even dynamic ones had no dead ends. This agile figure that had both speed and beauty… This was his ideal picture!
“Director, should we adjust the speed?”
The director shook his hand, picked up the loudspeaker, and shouted: “Just shoot! But Qiao Dai, can you swim a little slower so that Shan Huai can follow?”
Shan Huai’s expression changed slightly after hearing this; this was the first time he had ever worried about being able to keep up with a model. But the truth was that he wasn’t angry at all.
Just thinking of Qiao Dai’s swimming, the impulse of competing against her spread in his heart. He hadn’t experienced this feeling in so many years and he couldn’t help but think about his school days when he still felt passionate about competing for first place against opponents from all over the country.
After some discussion, in order to ensure the director could see the picture on the monitor clearly, he asked Qiao Dai and Shan Huai to slow down a little. When Qiao Dai jumped out of the water for the last time, drops scattered in the air like sparkling pearls, and the picture froze on this scene.
“Good! Cut!”
The director slapped his thigh with excitement and stood up. As soon as his voice fell, the staff who had been immersed in Qiao Dai’s whole performance came back to their senses; everybody began to adjust the filming equipment and Ling Na ran towards the pool with a large and fluffy towel.
Qiao Dai turned around to look at the pool some more before reluctantly walking away and taking the towel that was handed to her. She had obviously gone through several hours of filming but her face didn’t have the slightest trace of fatigue. On the contrary, her eyes were even more bright and her whole body looked full of vitality, and the staff couldn’t help but sigh with amazement.
After Qiao Dai changed her clothes, she walked to the director’s side. The man stood up with a big smile on his face, obviously very satisfied with her performance.
“Thank you for today. I haven’t made such a good commercial in so long.” The director paused and looked at the monitor; the girl on the screen was both innocent and mysterious, her body light and agile, just like the creation of the ocean.
“I have some friends from the circle who will come to tonight’s banquet. I will introduce you at that time.”
Although the director wanted to keep singing Qiao Dai’s praises, he guessed that if the girl wanted to attend the banquet later, she needed some time to rest and get ready.
“Thank you for today, Director.”
Qiao Dai bowed very seriously. She was indeed a little tired now; not because the shooting had gone too long but because she had felt this way lately. She had thought she would feel more energetic after playing in the pool today and would be able to relax after the short swim, who would have known she would actually feel even more sleepy? It seemed that she really needed to rest for the next few days.
Taking a look at the girl who was dozing off, Ling Na shook her head with a smile; she was still so young, about to attend such an important banquet yet too sleepy to keep her eyes open. But as she thought about her performance these days, Ling Na made up her mind that she would fight to get her more resources with the company.
