Chapter 152 - Nice Disposition
Chapter 152: Nice Disposition
As this happened too abruptly, no one knew how to react.
Everyone: “…”
Everyone looked at Bai Muchuan.
It was common knowledge that the filming set would only contain prop guns.
What is this detective trying to do?
In the silence, Xiang Wan suddenly felt numb as she looked at the stern expression on Bai Muchuan’s face. She finally understood the reason he was sitting here to watch the filming…
He had already known the content that would be filmed beforehand.
According to the script, the male lead and the antagonist would fire at the same time–
Both male lead and the antagonist would fire at each other.
However, as the female lead was taken hostage and blocked in front of the antagonist, she was shot instead together with the male lead. Hence, the antagonist managed to escape…
As a matter of fact, Xiang Wan did not really like the plot here. She had read the book mainly due to the mystery murder cases and the twists in there. She felt that her idol had not managed the romance portion appropriately. She thought the romantic relationships of the characters were strange and uncomfortable. It was lucky that there were hardly such scenes. Otherwise, she might have dropped the book…
“Boss—” Tang Yuanchu seemed shocked. “It’s authentic!”
“Hm.” Bai Muchuan was as though prepared for such a result.
Tang Yuanchu did not seem to believe that the prop gun turned out to be real. So he sounded unsure about it. He paused for a moment and decided to unload the gun when he got another shock.
“Boss, the bullet is real. It has a projectile.”
The word “real” stunned everyone.
“How can this be?”
“Where’s the props master! Get him now!”
In order to achieve realistic effects, television dramas would try to make their shooting scene seem as real as possible. They would use highly-detailed replica guns made accordingly to mimic the real guns. There were even film crews that use modified real guns, also known as blank-fire guns, to achieve better results. However, the management of such guns were very strict. Every time it was used, it must be registered and later maintained by professionals.
The blank-fire guns could shoot like a real gun. During filming, it could fire and emit white smoke just like the real one.
By right, only blanks would be loaded onto such guns. Sometimes, the film crew would even block the barrel to prevent the blanks from going out of the gun when fired.
After Tang Yuanchu’s inspection, Yu Ning’s gun contained blanks, while Ye Lin’s gun contained… a real bullet.
The Director paced around frantically that he broke out in cold sweat, clamoring why the props master was still not there. The Assistant Director hurriedly rushed over to him and told him something. But before he could finish his sentence, the Director gave him a kick.
“Where is he? Where is the props master that takes care of the guns?”
The Assistant Director couldn’t stand straight for a moment due to the kick. He rubbed his leg and shook his head while panting.
“He’s missing. Director Chen, I went to look for him but no one there saw him.”
There were quite a lot of people in the props team but only one person took care of guns.
His name was called Jia An, who had been taking care of firearms in the team. He was also a part-time martial arts master.
The film crew of “The Grey List” put in a lot of effort in order to film the drama to the best of their ability. In order to achieve better and realistic results, the film crew had gone through a tedious process for the application of the license to use blank-fire guns for their shooting scenes. In the end, a real bullet actually appeared—what would happen to the rest of the filming?
The production team, the planning team, the Director and Assistant Director, the actors and actresses, and all of the crew… they were all agitated.
Everyone had put in a lot of effort for the drama. All these couldn’t be ruined just because of a bullet, right?
“Captain Bai—” The Executive Producer’s eyes were as though beseeching him. “Is it possible to talk this over?… We’ll cooperate with police investigation. You see, we have such a big filming set here, every minute costs money. We can’t delay the filming any longer, please don’t make this into a big issue…”
Bai Muchuan took a look at the flustered filming crew before he took the real gun and weighed it.
“We’ll act according to rules.”
…
The Executive Producer and the Director looked at each other, looking all dejected.
Even Xiang Wan could not help but wonder if the film crew had forgotten to perform a prayer ceremony prior to the commencement of filming? Otherwise, why were they so unlucky?
Ever since they commenced the filming, how many incidents had involved the film crew of “The Grey List”? It seemed that the film crew did not have it smooth from the start.
Most of the people present on the set looked gloomy and distressed.
Yet Ye Lun was sitting leisurely aside, raising his eyebrows with interest as though he was just a spectator.
Tang Yuanchu walked to him. “Well, I need to trouble you to come with us to the police station again.” After that, he contemplated for a while and scoffed at him. “I really wonder why you have to be involved in everything? Why is the other gun fine when yours is not?”
“I’m also very curious about that as well! Why is that so?” Ye Lun grinned, revealing a row of white teeth. “Detective comrade, maybe you can tell me, which atrocious person wanted to frame me?”
Tang Yuanchu was so peeved that he laughed.
However, he had lost interest to engage in any petty bickering with Ye Lun.
“We’ll get to the bottom of it. We’ll never let a criminal slip away—”
He had said the later sentence very slowly while staring at Ye Lun’s eyes.
Ye Lun looked back at him fearlessly with a smile.
“I’m looking forward to it!”
…
Within minutes, the atmosphere at set changed dramatically.
Xiang Wan noticed that besides Ye Lun, Xie Wanwan and Yu Ning were amongst those who were calmer.
Probably because they were the A-List celebrities, they had to maintain an image. These two were accompanied by their assistants and were waiting to see how things would turn out. Xie Wanwan tooks sips of water from time to time with an emotionless expression. Yu Ning, on the other hand, was talking to his assistant, frowning as he discussed the gun incident with his assistant…
None of these people look like suspects.
But all of these people seemed to have great acting skills.
“Little Xiang Wan, actually, you have a nice disposition—” Xie Wanwan’s sudden remarks startled Xiang Wan.
She felt a little uncomfortable as Xie Wanwan used a more intimate form of address.
Moreover, most people used the words “nice disposition”, which was a more polite form of adjective, on women who were not beautiful enough.
“Miss Xie, please don’t say that,” laughed Xiang Wan. “Who dared to talk about disposition in front of you? And—I’m 26 years old, not young anymore…”
“I know!” Xie Wanwan raised an eyebrow. “I’m 29, older than you.”
She’s 29 already?
Xie Wanwan had a pure, lovely girl image. Xiang Wan really could not tell her age if she did not reveal that fact.
“You thought I’m just being polite to you?” Xie Wanwan looked at her without much expression. “Hur, do you think I look like those women who only say nice things to others? In the past when I saw you, I did not think much of you and felt that you’re not a match to Little Bai. However, the more I see you, the more I think that you’re pretty good looking as well. The only thing lacking is perhaps your dressing and make-up…”
“…”
Xiang Wan felt her head starting to ache.
“Thank you for saying that… But I don’t think this is a good time to be talking about this? Please excuse me, I need to do my work now!”
Such a big incident happened in the set, yet Xie Wanwan did not seem concerned at all.
The Executive Producer and the Director looked as though they were about to fly into a rage, while she totally looked like someone who was a complete outsider to their plight…
Xiang Wan found her attitude strange while Xie Wanwan totally did not mind her dubious look. “I get paid according to my contract and do what I need to do…” said Xie Wanwan coldly, “as for other matters, it has nothing to do with me at all?”
“…”
To put it seriously, what she said did make some sense.
But this incident happened in the filming set that she was paid to be the female lead, how could she stay out of their affairs like this?
Thinking back on the scene earlier, Xiang Wan couldn’t help but frown.
“That gun had real bullets in it. You almost got killed. You sure it’s really okay?”
“That gun is not aiming at me. If someone were to die, then it would be Yu Ning!” Xie Wanwan’s beautiful face was expressionless.
Xiang Wan felt a chill in her spine.
The environment one grows up in has a lot of influence on one’s character.
Xiang Wan thought of what Xie Wanwan had been through and the environment she grew up in. “But that gun, it was pointed at your temple… ” she blurted, “if Bai Muchuan had not shouted, nobody will know if Ye Lun might misfire…”
Xie Wanwan was stunned.
After a moment of silence, she suddenly laughed again.
“Even if I’m the one who died, so what? Humans will die anyway.”
Fine! She saw through life and death.
Xiang Wan was someone who treasured her life. It was impossible to continue chatting with her.
Xiang Wan gave her a smile and wanted to leave when she suddenly said something.
“Little Xiang Wan, you’re jealous? Did you think that Little Bai had come here specially… to save me?”
“…”
Xiang Wan really did not think of it that way!
Nonetheless, a woman’s nerves couldn’t stand being “scratched”.
Once scratched, even when it had not itched, would start to itch.
“Please excuse us. We’re here for work.”
Xiang Wan smiled at her tactfully, “And—I did not like others calling me that.”
After that, she left walking with her head held high.
Xie Wanwan looked at her and smiled.
…
The Municipal Bureau quickly sent out police reinforcements. Even the SWAT team was being activated.
The props storage was cordoned off and the police took all the guns and related props for a thorough investigation. In the end, besides the real gun which Ye Lun had held and the only real bullet found in it, all other replica guns and blanks were normal.
Moreover, the Inspection Team felt that the management, storage, and use of firearms and ammunition by the film crew had fully conformed with relevant laws and regulations.
When the gun was taken out from the warehouse, it had undergone registration and inspection by the professional firearms expert, Jia An, who did the final appraisal and inspection before it got given to Ye Lun.
That meant that Ye Lun might not have known about the gun whereas Jia An must have known about it.
Till now, Jia An had remained uncontactable.
The last person in the props team who saw Jia An was a member of the props team as well. Her name was Zhao Ruirui.
The young woman said she was holding on to a bunch of things while she met Jia An along the corridor and even greeted him. However, Jia An never responded to her. He seemed especially brooding and walked past her as he smoked away. It was as if he had not seen her at all.
When he reached the end of the corridor and left the storage, he had disappeared from the set.
…