After Bai Jinyan shared his location, Qiao Huaiyao opened it and glanced at it.
He got up and said, “I’ll go out for a moment.”
Qiu Shufeng, chewing on a lollipop and halfway through his notes, turned his head and said, “We need to line up from seven to ten tonight. Remember the time.”
Being late or absent on the first day of military training was not allowed; it would definitely be caught.
Also, the queue was arranged on the first day, and not showing up would cause many problems.
“Okay,” Qiao Huaiyao opened the door, “Let’s go.”
After autumn, the weather became colder, and the leaves that remained on the trees were few. It was Qiao Huaiyao’s first time coming to Nineteenth Middle School.
The gate looked old, and the “九” character was crooked. It seemed like a place where suspenseful cases frequently occurred. The walls of the school were slightly damaged, but they were sturdy and thick, probably covered in lush leaves during the summer. Now, the ground was covered with ignored fallen leaves.
As Qiao Huaiyao went inside, Bai Jinyan was standing in front of the teaching building, looking at something.
Workers beside him were busy setting up scenes for shooting, making a lot of noise.
Qiao Huaiyao approached Bai Jinyan with a smile, but the dry leaves made a noticeable sound when stepped on.
Bai Jinyan didn’t turn around, probably due to the noisy construction, not hearing him coming.
Qiao Huaiyao chuckled and approached quietly, then suddenly pounced on him, shouting, “Brother!”
As if he had expected it, Bai Jinyan calmly handed him a drink. “What’s this?”
Qiao Huaiyao didn’t take the plastic bag, directly taking the drink from Bai Jinyan’s hand. “Kumquat lemon tea?”
“Low sugar,” Bai Jinyan said after a pause. “Kumquat lemon with low sugar, it has a subtle sweetness that complements the original fruity flavor.”
Qiao Huaiyao took a few sips. The drink was still warm, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Did you notice that I came?”
“Yes,” Bai Jinyan smiled and pinched his cheek. “There’s a seat over there, go and sit.”
As military training required them to stand in formation at night, Qiao Huaiyao had been on the bus all day and now sitting felt uncomfortable.
He said, “Brother, we should start shooting this movie soon. How long do you think it will take?”
“Not sure, it depends on the progress,” Bai Jinyan flipped through the script in his hand and pointed at the dates on it. “Maybe one or two months, focusing on group scenes first. When I have to return to school, they’ll shoot individual scenes to avoid delays.”
Qiao Huaiyao nodded.
Bai Jinyan’s time management was meticulous, allowing him to balance his studies and work perfectly.
Except for taking a break before the college entrance exam, Bai Jinyan hadn’t had any other time off.
Recording variety shows was considered a kind of vacation for him—a relatively relaxed job.
Bai Jinyan took the equipment to the teaching building, measuring the distance and marking the needed adjustments.
While Qiao Huaiyao was thinking about coordinating the schedule with the variety show director, Bai Jinyan’s assistant approached with a handheld camera.
Qiao Huaiyao asked curiously, “What are you shooting?”
“A vlog about our work,” the assistant adjusted the lens in front. “As an investor in the drama, we need to promote it properly. After shooting this vlog, we’ll edit it and release it online to generate some buzz.”
Although Bai Jinyan already had a significant fanbase, this vlog would further promote the drama.
Qiao Huaiyao watched the assistant moving around Bai Jinyan without focusing, shooting the scene monotonously.
It looked more like a simple video rather than a vlog.
Qiao Huaiyao thought for a moment and offered, “Let me handle it.”
“Huh?” The assistant was still struggling with the lens.
Qiao Huaiyao took the camera from the assistant’s hand. “I have some experience shooting vlogs, and I’m not busy at the moment.”
“That’s fine, but this camera’s image quality is blurry. I wonder if it’s damaged from a knock,” the assistant said, rubbing the lens. “Isn’t shooting a vlog supposed to be in steps? First, shoot the scenery, then the route, and so on.”
“We don’t need that,” Qiao Huaiyao carefully inspected the camera.
The casing seemed new and undamaged; it probably hadn’t suffered severe knocks. “I want to film a vlog about my brother’s daily work, no need to be so complicated.”
The assistant nodded, “Is there a first step then?”
Qiao Huaiyao pointed to a protrusion and slowly removed the semi-three-dimensional mesh from the lens cover. “The first step is to remove the dust-proof mesh.”
The assistant was speechless. The dust-proof mesh was hidden like gold.
Qiao Huaiyao coughed lightly and asked, “Have you shot this type of vlog before?”
“I have,” the assistant said, looking at the dust-proof mesh, “I didn’t bring the old camera; I just bought this one from the brand store.”
“In the past, I did workday vlogs where I could shoot as I liked without specific requirements,” Qiao Huaiyao explained.
The assistant thought, how could there be requirements? No matter how bad the shooting is, Brother Bai would praise it like a masterpiece.
“Alright,” Qiao Huaiyao took a photo and then switched to video mode after everything was in order.
He waved towards Bai Jinyan and called out, “Brother, look at the camera!”
Then, he pressed the record button, capturing the moment when Bai Jinyan turned around.
Qiao Huaiyao smiled and made a ‘thumbs up’ gesture.
Bai Jinyan glanced at the assistant who was leaving and raised his eyebrows. Although he didn’t hear what they said just now, he could guess it.
Qiao Huaiyao continued filming, adjusting the angle and height while ensuring the frame didn’t have sudden changes.
Bai Jinyan’s hand at his side was slightly clenched.
Qiao Huaiyao shot from a side angle, capturing Bai Jinyan’s face outlined by the setting sun’s rays. It was stunning, making one’s heart race.
The surroundings were noisy, and most likely the sound would be muted in post-production, and background music would be added before it’s released.
Watching Qiao Huaiyao, who was carefully adjusting the angle, Bai Jinyan’s fingers unconsciously curled.
As they walked forward, they passed by the stairs.
The stairs had a thick layer of dust on them, with temporary repairs on the outside but no treatment on the inside yet.
Qiao Huaiyao walked lightly, afraid of stirring up the dirt, as there was no place to hide once it flew up.
The vlog wasn’t a continuous shot; it became a not-so-short video. Qiao Huaiyao watched the video and asked, “Will your studio’s team edit this vlog?”
“The company has a dedicated editing department,” Bai Jinyan said.
“Then I’ll export the video later and keep a copy for myself,” Qiao Huaiyao said. Bai JiJinyannyin naturally agreed to such a small request.
The upstairs had some tables and stools, but most were missing a wooden plank or part of the chair. Although not perfect, they were good enough for temporary use, and there was no need to leave notes for repairs. They walked around the second floor and shot a lot of footage.
As they were heading downstairs, Qiao Huaiyao was trying to connect the camera to his phone via Bluetooth.
Bai Jinyan supported him, taking a step back, rubbing his head, and casually said, “Are you hungry? Let’s eat outside before going back.”