"What's going on?"
"Oh no, the rigging system is stuck!"
"What should we do? The actor is still on the rigging. You guys keep a close eye on the machine, don't let the rope slip, I'll go find someone to fix it right now."
The rigger controlling the rigging system handed over the control of the malfunctioning machine to two production assistants and hurriedly called the maintenance technician.
This was a scene of jumping off a building. The director demanded that the actors really jump from the fourth-floor rooftop to make the effect more realistic.
Although they had safety equipment, it still required a lot of courage to actually jump from the rooftop.
After finally psychologically preparing herself, the actress jumped, but the safety rigging that was supposed to safeguard her life got stuck.
Watching the rigging swaying in the air, several meters above, everyone broke out in a cold sweat.
If she fell from this height, she would either die or be paralyzed. This was very serious.
"Quick, call 119!"
"Where are the air cushions? If not, use the bedding, saving a life is more important than anything else."
The director anxiously directed everyone to place whatever could be used underneath the actress to prevent a sudden drop if the rigging failed.
Today's scenes were all shot outdoors, and all unnecessary objects had been cleared from the set. For a while, they couldn't even find a mattress, let alone a large enough cushion.
While seeking help and holding their breaths, they prayed fervently that the rigging wouldn't fail.
But reality often brings what you fear.
Just as a "crack" sounded, the actress hanging in the air suddenly plummeted.
Before the astonishment could be expressed, the actress, about to touch the ground, suddenly performed a sideways somersault.
The posture, which should have been head down, was changed to the hips and back touching the ground first.
Nevertheless, everyone on the scene was stunned speechless, with blank minds. It took them two seconds to react and gather around, only to find a ground covered in blood.
They couldn't believe what they had seen with their own eyes. The director was so scared that his legs went weak and he fell to the ground.
This scene was originally supposed to be shot in the studio, just a jump in front of a green screen for the actors, and the rest of the scene would be done using post-production special effects.
However, the leading actress, Song Weiwei, insisted that this was not realistic enough, disrespected the audience, and should be more rigorous.
Song Weiwei was forced in by the investors and had some connections with the broadcasting Bureau. The approval of the drama would depend on Song Weiwei.
So the director couldn't refuse Song Weiwei's demands at all. Besides, Song Weiwei's demands were also for presenting better dramatic effects, which made sense.
Who knew that this happened, it's really bad luck.
Someone shouted, "Quick, call 120 for an ambulance-"
The startled crowd then reacted, taking out their phones to dial for emergency assistance.
Wen Yao struggled to sit up from the blood pool, looking at the crowd that surrounded her. She noticed that everyone was dressed very strangely, which made her immediately cautious.
After observing, she found that they had no malicious intent, but were actually very concerned about her condition.
Only one woman in the corner, upon noticing her gaze, nervously avoided eye contact, feeling very flustered.
Wen Yao's intuition told her that this woman must have a problem, but before she could think further, she suddenly felt a headache.
Then, everything went black, and she fainted.
When Wen Yao woke up again, she found herself in a pure white room on all sides.
When she tried to move, she found that her injured left arm was tightly wrapped in a white, hard object, completely immobilizing her.
Though uncertain about what this was, Wen Yao was reassured that it was beneficial for her injuries. So, she began sorting through the memories in her mind that didn't originally belong to her.
Or rather, to be more precise, it wasn't her who originally belonged in this body.
Her original identity had the same name, born into an extremely poor family with a twin sister named Wen Rou.
Despite her name, her sister Wen Rou was a ruthless character, not only bullying and oppressing her since childhood, but also snatching the opportunity that originally belonged to her three years ago, successfully entering the entertainment industry as an actress.
"Actress" is synonymous with "performer," but in this era, the status of "actress" is highly esteemed.
But not in the Great Xing Dynasty, where "actresses" were considered lowly and looked down upon.
Acting might bring fame and fortune on stage, but offstage it required hard work and suffering.
Wen Rou wanted fame and fortune without the hard work, so she blackmailed Wen Yao, using their critically ill parents, forcing Wen Yao to become her body double.
Wen Rou made Wen Yao do all the work she didn't want to do, threatening to cut off their parents' expensive medical expenses if Wen Yao refused.
This time, Wen Rou didn't want to perform the aerial act, so she sent Wen Yao to the film crew as her replacement, resulting in Wen Yao's accidental death.
Realizing this, Wen Yao suddenly became aware of a problem.
Her soul had crossed into the body of her original self, essentially a reincarnation, but did that mean she had also met her demise?
She had led the Great Xing troops in a three-year battle on the border, finally defeating the invaders, and returned triumphant.
She had solved a great problem for the Emperor and, coupled with her remarkable contributions in battle, she was awarded the position of General and entrusted with the command of the military.
Wen Yao carefully thought, her last memory was at a celebratory banquet.
The banquet was hosted by the Emperor inside the palace, surrounded by layers of soldiers for protection. Given her own martial arts skills, it was impossible for anyone to approach her, so how could she have died so unexpectedly?
Wen Yao furrowed her brows in confusion, but soon she understood.
Apart from the revered sovereign, who would dare harm her in any way? It was simply because she was a threat due to her great achievements.
Wen Yao felt a chill in her heart, squeezing her hands tightly, then laughing self-deprecatingly and releasing her grip.
Just then, the room's door was pushed open, and two people quickly approached her.
Wen Yao didn't rush to speak, but rather matched the people in front of her with her memories one by one.
It was director Zhang Yun and assistant director Luo Bing.
Seeing Wen Yao sitting on the sickbed, in good spirits, with only a broken left arm, Zhang Yun felt it was inconceivable. Falling from over ten meters high, it couldn't have been just a small fracture, especially with the blood spatter at the scene.
But later, they found out that the blood was just fake blood prepared in advance, so it was all a false alarm.
Zhang Yun was relieved, and he asked with concern, "Ms. Wen, how do you feel now? Is there anything uncomfortable with your body? It's all my fault for not checking the aerial act properly, such a huge negligence."
Zhang Yun's apology was sincere, and yet in Wen Yao's mind, the image of the woman she had seen before she fainted appeared.
After leading troops for over a decade, Wen Yao had encountered countless people.
She firmly believed that she hadn't mistaken that woman; she definitely had a problem.
But until there was evidence, she couldn't act hastily.
"Director Zhang, this is not your fault, there's no need to blame yourself. My injuries are nothing serious; I'll be fine after a few days of rest," Wen Yao replied.
Seeing Wen Yao's understanding, Zhang Yun was moved. Only he knew how scared he was when the incident happened. If anything had happened, he as a small director would have been finished.
"Ms. Wen, just rest and recuperate over the next few days. You don't need to worry about the filming; we have arranged a stand-in actor for the aerial scene. You don't need to perform personally anymore," Zhang Yun assured her.
Once again, not to mention Wen Yao, even he would be overshadowed.
Wen Yao nodded at the words, "Thank you, Director Zhang."
Zhang Yun once again showed concern for Wen Yao's injuries. After giving some instructions, he said, "I have already informed your agent, Yuan Min. She said she will come immediately."
As soon as Zhang Yun finished speaking, the door of the ward was pushed open once again. A middle-aged woman hurriedly walked in and headed straight towards Wen Yao with great concern. She anxiously asked, "Yao Yao, how are you?"
Without waiting for Wen Yao's response, the middle-aged woman stood up and interrogated Zhang Yun on how he, as the director, could let such a thing happen.
Zhang Yun apologized sincerely, and Yuan Min was not unforgiving either. After they talked for a while, Yuan Min smiled and sent the two away.
After the two left, Yuan Min's expression instantly changed, looking displeased as she glanced at Wen Yao lying on the bed, and then made a call.
Within two minutes of the call ending, a woman, who covered herself thoroughly, entered the ward, and then the door was locked.
Wen Yao calmly assessed this woman, whose figure was exactly like her own.
The woman removed her mask, revealing a face that was identical to Wen Yao's.
This was Wen Rou, the twin sister of the original owner.
Seeing her sister Wen Yao lying on the sickbed, with a furrowed brow and a displeased expression, Wen Rou disdainfully asked, "Yao Yao, tell me, what use are you? How could you not even perform a simple jump from a ten-meter height well, and end up causing such a big problem?"
"Falling from such a height, how were you not killed?"
"You only got a little arm injury? I think you did it on purpose, didn't you? You deliberately got injured to avoid work, didn't you?"
"I know you have some sneaky ideas, Yao Yao. You better not play any tricks, or you'll regret it."
...
After her sister had such a big accident, almost lost her life, the concern of her sister was not for her safety but for accusation and scolding.
But did her sister ever consider that if it weren't for her sister taking her place, then the person lying on the sickbed at this moment would be her!
It was clear that her sister had taken the disaster for her, yet she was ungrateful.
Wen Yao looked at Wen Rou.
They had the same face, but they were completely different people.
To expect Wen Rou to understand gratitude would be like waiting for the sun to rise in the west.
After understanding the situation of the original owner, Wen Yao had already felt indignant for her.
Seeing her sister's attitude at this moment, she felt that she couldn't tolerate having such a sister, let alone being used by her as a tool.
Even after Wen Rou had scolded for a long time, she still felt unsatisfied. Now that Wen Yao was injured, it was as if she was the one injured, and the work that had been arranged for the next few days couldn't be carried out anymore.
The previously scheduled announcements would incur a penalty for each day they were postponed.
Thinking of this, Wen Rou became even more furious.
She said, "Yao Yao, you better understand that it's your good karma from your past life that allows you to be my stand-in. Don't be ungrateful!"
Before Wen Rou could finish speaking, she heard Wen Yao burst into laughter.
The mocking laughter made Wen Rou feel as if she had been slapped in the face.
She immediately wanted to criticize Wen Yao again, but then heard Wen Yao say firmly, "In that case, I won't be your stand-in anymore!"