Ye Cang looked at the camera. He could have said something ambiguous to tease Shen Huai as usual, but at this moment, he couldn't say anything. He just smiled again and said, "It's nothing. I'll wait for you to come back."
After he finished speaking, he hung up the phone.
Shen Huai stared blankly at the screen that was gradually turning black, not coming back to his senses for a long time, until he was startled awake by the sound of the car door being opened.
Chu Meibo sat down, raising an eyebrow: "Was that Xiao Ye who called just now?"
Shen Huai: "..."
Chu Meibo smiled and said, "Don't be shy. Just be open and honest about dating. It's no big deal."
Shen Huai: "..."
He didn't want to argue with Chu Meibo about this anymore. He coughed lightly and straightened his expression: "Sister Mei, my assistant came over this afternoon. I'll explain everything to her tonight. I'll go back after you finish filming that scene tomorrow."
Chu Meibo waved her hand: "Don't worry, I'm not as delicate as Xiao Ye."
Shen Huai: "..."
-
The scene on the second day was Chu Meibo's first major scene. Before that, Chu Meibo had almost been filming dialogue scenes. This was her first real action scene, and it was very difficult.
This scene is a duel between the male lead Chang Yu and Kui Ji.
Chang Yu was tricked by Kui Ji into going mad with his cultivation, but was fortunately saved by the female lead. Later, when the demonic sect attacked, they fought hard to defend themselves, and their junior sister Jiang Jiang sacrificed herself to protect the sect. In grief and anger, Chang Yu broke through his cultivation barrier and fought his way to the leader of the demonic sect to seek revenge, but was stopped by Kui Ji. With old and new grudges combined, this scene will be extremely intense.
Moreover, this scene is also the last scene for Aoi-hime in the script.
In the original story, Kui Ji was killed by Chang Yu with a single blow, only glancing towards the Demonic Sect before she died.
Many book fans are speculating about what Kui Ji was looking at before she died. Did such a cold and ruthless female demon have something she was attached to?
In the script, the screenwriter added a scene where Kui Ji has a secret crush on the leader of the Demonic Sect.
This is a very common practice in Chinese TV dramas, but it is very difficult to portray the character of Kui Ji. It cannot be too heavy or too light. If it is even slightly off, the character of Kui Ji will completely fall apart.
Director Gao also attached great importance to this scene, as it was a very important climax in the entire series.
He wasn't worried about Chu Meibo's control over emotional scenes. Recently, Chu Meibo had fully demonstrated her talent in acting. She not only performed well herself, but she could even motivate actors who didn't perform as well as her to get into character.
The only concern is the action scenes, especially this part which requires being suspended by wires for the entire scene.
Many actors can perform impressive fighting moves on land, but when suspended in mid-air with their feet off the ground and no support, they not only have to overcome the fear of heights but also rely entirely on the strength of their backs and waists to make the fight scenes look good. This is many times more difficult than on land.
The actor who plays Chang Yu is named Chai Junfeng. He started as a child star and has been popular all the way up to adulthood. He has a lot of fans, and what's rare is that he has a proper attitude towards acting and has always had a good reputation.
He had a lively personality and was well-liked on set. After changing into his costume and arriving on set, he even gave Chu Meibo a proper bow, saying, "Sister Mei, please give me your guidance later!"
In terms of age, Chu Meibo was the youngest in the crew, but she was also the best actress. At first, it was just some actors who were acting with her joking around, and Chu Meibo didn't hesitate at all. Whenever someone called out to her, she would respond.
So, the whole crew started calling her that, and sometimes even Director Gao would jokingly call her Sister Mei.
Chu Meibo also changed into her costume, raised an eyebrow slightly, and made a sound through her nose: "Hmm."
Chai Junfeng knew she had gotten into character, and his expression turned serious. The two briefly rehearsed their lines before starting the actual filming.
As the script supervisor clapped the clapperboard, Chang Yu slowly walked up the steps.
His body was covered in wounds and blood, yet his eyes burned with a deep-seated hatred. His master, his junior sister, and so many fellow disciples had all died in this battle—no, not a battle, but a massacre.
One painful memory after another flashed through Chang Yu's mind, until only two words remained—revenge!
However, when he finally stood before the demonic army with his sword in hand, he saw the ranks spread out and a woman in a gorgeous red dress walk out from among them. She was beautiful, but her heart was as cruel and heartless as iron.
Upon seeing her, Chang Yu's hatred deepened.
He brandished his sword at Kui Ji: "Witch! Prepare to die!"
Kui Ji merely curled her lips and nimbly dodged Chang Yu's knife.
She seemed to fly into the air without any restraint, her upper body motionless, her toes pointed, as if she were gently touching a blue stick. With the addition of special effects in post-production, this stick would transform into her signature longsword.
Director Gao looked at the monitor with some surprise. Kui Ji in the shot looked as light as a swallow, ethereal and otherworldly, but he knew how difficult it was to achieve this. Because she couldn't use her toes for leverage at all; instead, she needed to tense all the muscles in her body to maintain this state. It would be difficult for a normal person to maintain such a movement for more than ten seconds, but Chu Meibo not only had to maintain this movement the whole time, but also deliver her lines with emotion.
The martial arts instructor murmured in admiration, "This little girl is something else. She's been practicing since the first day she joined the group. Not only does she practice on her own, but she also often seeks my advice. She's talented and hardworking; she's sure to achieve great things in the future."
Director Gao nodded affirmatively.
However, Shen Huai, who was standing to the side, knew better than them that Chu Meibo did not start working hard after joining the crew. Rather, she had already been preparing for it before that she accepted the role and knew that there would be action scenes.
Shen Huai heard from the cleaning lady that she changes her clothes twice a day when they are completely soaked with sweat. Because of this, Shen Huai had to find her a nutritionist and a fitness coach, just in case she ruins her health.
Shen Huai remembered that Gu Mei had once acted as an actress. That play could no longer be found, but the story behind it was still circulating.
It is said that the role she played at the time was a female warrior. Peking Opera emphasizes singing, recitation, acting, and fighting. At that time, there was no such thing as post-production dubbing or stunt doubles. She had to do everything herself.
Gu Mei trained with her master in the opera troupe for a whole year. No one knows how much hardship she endured, but when she finally went on stage to perform, even the most discerning opera fans had nothing to say.
Her achievements were not solely due to her talent.
-
In the play, Chang Yu and Kui Ji have a fight. If Kui Ji was originally playing cat and mouse with Chang Yu, now their situations are completely reversed.
Blood trickled from the corner of Aoi's lips, and her hair was disheveled; she had never looked so disheveled.
However, there was no fear in her eyes. Her gaze was fixed on Chang Yu as she licked the blood off the back of her hand. This action was not erotic at all; on the contrary, the contempt in her eyes only inspired a desire to fight.