CHAPTER 37

The filming location of "Zui Xiaoyao" is in the "Qingming Shanghe Tu [Also known as "Along the River During the Qingming Festival," is a famous Chinese painting attributed to the artist Zhang Zeduan from the Song Dynasty (960–1279).]" scenic area in Hengdian. The crew has been shooting here for over a month, and they have basically gotten on the right track.

The challenge of this major IP is balancing between dramatic scenes and action scenes. Unlike the rigid fighting styles seen in earlier martial arts films, Liu Qin's requirement is to incorporate special effects, stunt doubles, and everything else that can be coordinated, ensuring the fights look both impressive and graceful.

The actors have also put in a lot of effort, rehearsing movements and becoming proficient with weapons every day. When filming officially began, they had to experience everything from wirework to climbing roofs, jumping from rooftops, climbing down to the ground, and even scaling walls or trees.

To be honest, it's not easy, especially for the new generation of actors who haven't endured much hardship. Liu Qin is pleased that these three young actors are all diligent, obedient, and hardworking. Those who can perform their stunts do so without using a double, and they strive to execute their movements to the best of their abilities.

During filming, multiple cameras are used. Camera 1 captures side profiles and background shots, pulling long shots. Camera 2 focuses on close-ups of actions, hand and foot movements, whip techniques, fist styles, sword techniques, footwork, and body movements. Camera 3 mainly captures facial expressions of characters, close-ups, and extreme close-ups...

These different camera angles facilitate the breakdown of action scenes, the incorporation of stunt doubles midway, and make it easier to add editing and special effects later on. The final result presented to the audience is action scenes that are both elegant and realistic.

While the action scenes are going smoothly, the issues lie more with the dramatic scenes, particularly those involving the male and female lead.

In the script, the male lead starts as a warm-hearted character. After being injured, he forgets events that occurred before his injury, a condition known as retrograde amnesia in modern terms.

He remembers his master and mistress who raised him, as well as his junior sister, but lacks the previous emotional connections. Conversely, he has only fleeting memories of his parents being killed before he was adopted.

After losing his memory, he becomes taciturn and somber, a stark contrast to his previous personality. The original novel contains extensive psychological monologues and stream-of-consciousness descriptions, which were naturally cut in the adaptation, making the role more challenging to portray.

This is Fang Hao's first time playing such a layered character, and it's difficult for him to grasp the precise rhythm.

On the other hand, Zou Yirui has her own issues—her character's positioning is off, with too much inconsistency.

Fang Hao and Zou Yirui also differ in their ability to handle setbacks. Fang Hao isn't afraid of NGs (no good takes), if one take doesn't work, he'll try again, and his emotions remain relatively stable. Zou Yirui, however, gets frustrated with each NG, if there are more than three, she becomes overwhelmed, and once that happens, it takes her all day to regain her composure.

Currently, the standout is the second female lead, Xiaoyuan, who excels in both dramatic and martial aspects, often getting her scenes right in one take, which pleases Liu Qin greatly.

Liu Qin is a director who enjoys working with her actors, but everyone prefers smart students who catch on quickly. Unfortunately, the male lead is hard-working but just a bit off in delivery, while the female lead struggles to absorb feedback and complains about being tired.

When Liu Qin becomes frustrated with this situation, her mood worsens, as her mood sours, her voice grows louder, and she becomes impatient with everything, affecting the atmosphere of the crew. Everyone becomes cautious, fearing to offend her, and the laughter disappears.

The one who suffers the most is actually Zou Yirui. Everyone in the crew knows it's the female lead who has upset the director. Although everyone pretends everything is normal, she feels sensitive to the whispers and side glances directed at her.

Her assistant tries to comfort her, suggesting she's being too sensitive.

Zou Yirui doesn't listen, becoming increasingly restless, with dark circles under her eyes that even the makeup artist can't hide. Her assistant advises her to rest well and stay hydrated.

"Oh my gosh, I'm breaking out! What should I do?!" Zou Yirui exclaimed one night when she looked in the mirror.

Her assistant brought over some ointment for her and then applied an anti-inflammatory mask "It's a minor issue, you just need to rest well and relax."

"I'm so annoyed!" Zou Yirui said, her face covered in green ointment, speaking with pursed lips.

The assistant reassured her, "You probably just haven't gotten into the right mindset, you'll be fine with time!"

Zou Yirui pursed her lips. Her face was already quite sharp and small, lacking any flesh, making this gesture caused her cheeks to slightly sink in. "Look at how infuriating Xiaoyuan is. The director praises her the most, acting like she's something special."

The assistant girl remained silent.

Zou Yirui continued to grumble, "So annoying, so annoying..."

At that moment, a knock sounded on her room's door. "Miss Zou, Miss Zou." It was Xiang Xiaoyuan's voice.

Zou Yirui sat up abruptly. "What is she here for?"

"Open the door. It's still early, let's rehearse tomorrow's scene together." Xiang Xiaoyuan said.

Rehearse together? Has the sun risen from the west? Isn't she usually the most arrogant and likes to overshadow others? Oh, that was during "Choices." In this production, she's been okay, even when she and Zou Yirui both NG'd, she didn't show any signs of displeasure. But Zou Yirui's shadow loomed too large, she always felt Xiaoyuan had ulterior motives.

"Should I open the door?" The assistant had taken a few steps away but stopped when she noticed Zou Yirui's expression.

"Should I open it or not?" Zou Yirui's face, already "green," was a mix of conflicted "wrinkles."

The assistant made a decision for her. "Then I'll go open the door?"

"Fine, go ahead. Let's see what she wants!" Zou Yirui braced herself against the chair and suddenly exclaimed, "Wait, wait, I'll wash my face first. Open it a bit later." She sprang up and dashed to the bathroom.

The assistant waited for several seconds, thinking she couldn't let Xiaoyuan wait too long. If news got out that "Zou Yirui" was acting unprofessionally, that would be bad. She couldn't gauge Xiaoyuan's intentions either.

She opened the door and saw Xiang Xiaoyuan standing there, holding a script, with a faint smile. "Is Miss Zou here? I'd like to rehearse with her."

The assistant girl nodded. "Please come in, Teacher Xiang."

In the crew, the main actors were of similar ages and didn't address each other as "teacher." Xiaoyuan had always called others "teacher," so being called "Teacher Xiang" felt quite novel. She smiled at the assistant, "Hello!"

With her bare face and clear, translucent skin, her smile made it hard for people not to be mesmerized.

She truly had a few more advantages over their own artist...

The assistant smiled back.

"It's so late, do you need something?" Zou Yirui came out from the bathroom, her tone neutral.

"Is it late? It's only nine o'clock." Xiaoyuan replied, glancing at Zou Yirui's face, noticing a patch of green that hadn't been completely washed off. The assistant girl hesitated, giving Zou Yirui a meaningful look.

Thinking the assistant was advising her, Zou Yirui paused, then said, "Do we really need to rehearse?"

"Of course, why not?" Xiang Xiaoyuan made herself comfortable in her room. "If you perform well, it benefits me too. If you struggle, we're all stuck, and the progress won't move forward."

Zou Yirui stared at her for a moment, her gaze revealing some scrutiny. She took the script from her assistant and sat down. "Then I'll trust you this once."

"Then let me ask you, how do you understand the character of Song Yunshan?"

"Proud, a delicate beauty, hasn't faced many setbacks," Zou Yirui had done her homework seriously and was composed when asked, "and she loves her senior brother very much."

"Not bad!" Xiang Xiaoyuan praised.

'Of course!' Zou Yirui didn't expect Xiang Xiaoyuan to praise herself, feeling a bit proud inside, a smile appearing on her face, only to freeze the next second.

This was because Xiaoyuan followed up with, "So why does your performance seem off?"

Zou Yirui pursed her lips, the assistant girl giving her a meaningful look again. She stiffly responded, "If you're so good, how should I act then?"

Xiang Xiaoyuan leaned closer to her, her eyelashes fluttering as she looked at her with a teasing smile, "Am I putting too much pressure on you? I think your acting with Fang Hao wasn't too bad."

Zou Yirui nearly choked on her breath. "Not too bad," meaning she was still bad? This woman was as arrogant as ever.

"Actually, your understanding isn't the problem. I think it's more about your expressions and lines. Let's not talk about expressions for now, if we practice the lines, we'll see improvements quickly." Xiang Xiaoyuan continued despite Zou Yirui's displeasure. Zou Yirui, holding back her anger, asked, "How should we practice?"

"For example, this line. Why don't you try saying it first?"

In the script, after Jiang Xiaoyao gave Song Yunshan the medicine, he left before she fully recovered. He remembered his junior sister but had no emotional attachment to her. He descended the mountain alone, seeking the truth and tracking down the real culprit behind his parents' deaths.

Ling Yao had been following him secretly, experiencing several dangers together. Finally, Jiang Xiaoyao accepted her company. Soon after, once Song Yunshan recovered, she caught up with him, wanting to accompany him in finding the truth.

"Senior brother, we've grown up together, and there's no distinction between us. My feelings for you will never change.. Let me stay with you..?"

Zou Yirui read the line and asked, "How was that?"

Xiang Xiaoyuan scratched her chin, "Be a bit gentler in the first half, firmer in the second half, emphasize 'feelings' and 'together' more. Try it again."

Zou Yirui repeated the line according to her suggestions, trying to capture the essence. It did seem like it improved slightly.

"The next line, it's my turn," Xiaoyuan instantly transformed into Ling Yao, "Brother Jiang no longer remembers his feelings for you, you should return to your father's side. It's safer that way."

"I'm speaking with my senior brother, please don't interrupt."

Zou Yirui immediately interjected.

"Wait," Xiaoyuan looked at her. "Why do you get so restless every time we rehearse together?"

Inside, Zou Yirui wanted to shout, 'How can you ask me why? Don't you have a clue?'

Seeing her just glaring, with the green mask on her face seeming to amplify her anger, Xiaoyuan tilted her head, reflecting for a moment, and then couldn't help but smile.

Zou Yirui sat across from her, noticing the curve of her lips, the shimmering of her eyes under the light, a small mole on her nose,—a tiny brown freckle, lively and charming.

Even her mole is so well-placed!

So adorable!

"I know you don't like me. Song Yunshan doesn't like Ling Yao either, at least not at first to the midpoint. So, it should be easy for you to immerse yourself in those emotions." Xiang Xiaoyuan said.

'Hmph,' Zou Yirui thought internally, 'I don't just dislike you.'

"Song Yunshan doesn't like Ling Yao. To be with Jiang Xiaoyao, she has to accept Ling Yao being by his side. So, she's been indifferent towards Ling Yao until they face danger together, developing a bit of camaraderie through hardships."

"She initially looked down on Ling Yao and didn't like her. Whenever they spoke, she was always cold, avoiding conversation whenever possible. It wasn't until they faced life-and-death situations together that her impression slowly changed. However, she couldn't lower her pride, her dislike had become too ingrained to maintain. So, she remained awkward around Ling Yao. Not to mention, after finding out that they were half-sisters, her feelings toward Ling Yao became even more complicated. Therefore, her attitude toward Ling Yao has been staged."

"Here, we are still in the late first stage. The fighting scenes are almost done, we just need to work on the dialogue scenes. When you try speaking to me, don't rush to speak. Wait a second or two before starting. Lower the volume and intensity of the first word 'I'm' with a somewhat disdainful attitude."

"The three words 'my senior brother' should be softer, while the latter part 'please don't interrupt' should be emphasized more. Speak quickly, but don't let too much anger show. Song Yunshan is quite proud and maintains her fairy-like image, especially in front of her senior brother. Even when she's angry, she keeps it in check."

"Also, when you say this, don't look at me throughout. Just look at Fang Hao, gaze at him affectionately with a bit of grievance."

As Xiaoyuan spoke, she started acting it out, fluttering her eyelashes slowly, looking at Zou Yirui, her eyes clear and filled with affection, softly expressing emotions that spread in the air, lips slightly pursed, carrying a hint of grievance and loss, "Senior Brother~"

Zou Yirui felt her scalp tingle, goosebumps rising all over her body, startled and unable to sit still. "You... just speak normally!"

Just stick to the script, no need to act!

For some reason, she felt embarrassed, muttering, "Okay, okay, stop getting into character, I'm losing my focus!"

Xiaoyuan responded with an "Oh," her face instantly returning to normal, "Then you try it."

Zou Yirui looked at her for two seconds, then turned away, "I can't do it, you're not Fang Hao."

Xiaoyuan: "..."

The assistant, who had been watching the whole scene, really wanted to facepalm and quickly gave Zou Yirui a look.

'Come on, she's really giving you acting advice, teaching you!'

Xiaoyuan, feeling helpless yet amused, picked up her phone, "I'll call Fang Hao over, why don't the three of us go through tomorrow's scene together, how about that?"

Zou Yirui turned to her with a complex look in her eyes.

"Not opposed anymore? Alright, then I'll text him to come down." Xiaoyuan slid open her phone, her eyelashes slightly lowered, curled and long, catching the light with a hint of golden shimmer.

Zou Yirui watched her and said, "It's not good to have him come here. Let's go to the small lounge outside instead."

It was late at night, even though it wasn't just a man and a woman alone, she didn't want any rumors swirling around.

"Oh, okay." Xiaoyuan hadn't considered that. She sent the message, and after a minute or two, Fang Hao's voice message came through, cheerfully saying, "I'll be right there. Wait for me!"

"Alright, let's head out then." Xiaoyuan walked ahead, and Zou Yirui grabbed her script, following behind. The assistant finally couldn't help but say "Um."

Zou Yirui turned back, "What's wrong?"

Xiaoyuan glanced back at her, smiling, "Look in the mirror."

The assistant pointed at her forehead.

Zou Yirui hurried a few steps, bent down to look in the mirror, and the next second screamed, "Ahhhh!"

'Why didn't you tell me! I've been sitting here with a green forehead for ages!'

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