CH 27

Pan Xiaocheng, who was hard at work, suddenly received a WeChat message from Xie Luyu.

His whole body jolted. This tall, northeastern man trembled as he picked up his phone. He carefully opened one eye and peeked at his screen. 1dLVqh

Then, he discovered that Xie Luyu sent him ¥8.80. He also sent him a message—the role you picked is pretty good.

Pretty good, my ass! As Pan Xiaocheng silently muttered in his heart, he suddenly realized something. Didn’t you pick this role yourself…

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Pan Xiaocheng complained in his heart, but he still accepted the ¥8.80 that Xie Luyu sent him.

Pan Xiaocheng continued to type and organize schedules. Slowly, he started to feel uneasy again. 3OgbJd

He opened up Weibo’s trending list—nothing out of the ordinary. As Xie Luyu’s agent, Pan Xiaocheng usually learned about what Xie Luyu was up to through the trending list.

Very good. There wasn’t a single hashtag about Xie Luyu..

No news was the best news.

Only then did Pan Xiaocheng finally put his phone down.

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Xie Luyu was rather reliable when it came to filming at least.

The reliable Xie Luyu was currently urging Wang Haisheng to start filming as soon as possible, preferably this afternoon.

“It’s all the same whether you start filming today or tomorrow, so why can’t we just start filming now?”

Wang Haisheng was busy scribbling away in his notebook. qt76Og

“It doesn’t really matter to me. The sooner we start, the more time we have to get things ready. However, the investors want to find a good date.”

He closed the notebook and looked up at Xie Luyu.

“Hold on. Since when were you so proactive?”

He wondered aloud. jVKdGJ

“You even arrived on set several days in advance. In the past, you would always get here as late as you possibly could. Now, you’re actually worrying about others.”

The assistant next to him silently muttered to himself, “Obviously, it’s because he got kicked out by Pan ge.”

Judging from his years of experience, Xie ge probably felt that it was unfair he was the only one on set. He wanted to drag everyone else down with him, so he was trying to trick the director into pushing the schedule forward.

The assistant didn’t get it right this time. TowFZQ

This was no longer an issue of fairness. Xie Luyu’s entire heart felt like it was off-balance.

Gu Qingchi’s name was sitting there on the list of actors. Xie Luyu would go look at it at least seven or eight times a day.

Chrysanthemum Garden.

Right now, he was like a domesticated fox.

The little prince who had tamed the fox would come back at four o’clock. The fox started feeling happy at three o’clock. As four o’clock got closer and closer, the fox started getting restless. xw2DA0

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Before anyone else could speak, he cut in first. s9UXL

“I’ve made a lot of progress, and I’ve finally seen the light! Working hard is the best! I think everyone else need to come to see the light as well—”

“Hey, stop. If you want to talk, then talk properly! Don’t just shut me out of the conversation!”

Fox Xie tried his best, but it was all in vain. In the end, he sadly wagged his tail and sat miserably in a corner, waiting.

Despite how hard the wait was, four o’clock still ended up arriving. XPHn87

Gu Qingchi was playing a supporting role. He didn’t have many scenes, but they were dispersed throughout the whole movie. Plus, his schedule was very empty. He was like some of the other actors who needed to empty out their schedules to squeeze in a bit of time.

That’s why he arrived on set on the very first day of filming. If nothing unexpected happened, he would be following along for the entire duration.

This time, Ye Li didn’t come with him. It was just Xiao Ke and Gu Qingchi.

Xiao Ke was very low-key. Gu Qingchi was a newcomer. He didn’t have any popularity, any words, or any qualifications, yet he already had an assistant. If they didn’t play it safe, he may easily end up getting targeted. g4FQlm

Shu quickly started getting to know the other staff members and chumming it up with them. There was even a supervisor asking about which department Xiao Ke belonged to. He wanted to recruit Xiao Ke over to his side.

There wasn’t any filming on the first day. They needed to prepare a few miscellaneous items, and they also needed to take a few promotional shots.

Gu Qingchi’s role wasn’t particularly important, but, since his role was rather unique, he also needed to take a promotional photo.

The makeup artist looked at him for a long time. kt2JzP

Finally, she trimmed his eyebrows, styled his hair, and trimmed the hair by his temples. Gu Qingchi instantly took on a bit of a heroic air.

This was what they usually did for historical dramas.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

However, when it was applied to Gu Qingchi, it was simply stunning.

At first, the makeup artist thought that her skills had improved, but, when she looked at Gu Qingchi’s face, she had to admit to herself. Gu Qingchi was just that good-looking. RcxWK

It was the same with clothes. Gu Qingchi looked good in whatever he wore. This was because the person himself was just that attractive. It had nothing to do with the clothes.

In the script, Ke Mu read books and practiced martial arts as a child. Later, he wasn’t able to read anymore, but he had never abandoned the sword. Children who were raised by the sword always possessed a unique temperament, no matter how delicate they looked.

He wasn’t a docile character at all. In fact, Ke Mu was even fiercer and wilder than the others because his mind wasn’t all there.

He was like a small beast. He didn’t know reason, didn’t know love. There was a wildness in his bones. 8ygQE0

The costume that the crew prepared for Gu Qingchi was a black combat robe and a long saber.

While they were taking pictures, Wang Haisheng was watching from the side. Every now and then, he would give the actors some pointers and explain what kind of effect he wanted.

With him watching from the side, everyone moved much faster.

Wang Haisheng didn’t talk much in his day-to-day life, but he was the complete opposite while filming. He talked a lot. He would prattle on and on about every minute detail until you knew exactly what it was he wanted. 8jGtS4

It didn’t matter if the actor was a newbie or an old hand. They could all gain something from acting under his direction.

The only issue with him was that he had a bad temper. He would only say things once. If you made the same mistake a second time, he would give you a cold stare and degrade you as concisely as humanly possible.

That was why, as soon as he opened his mouth to give pointers, everyone would perk up and give him their fullest attention.

When Gu Qingchi walked over, he raised an eyebrow. S0LVPb

Gu Qingchi was very good-looking. He was attractive enough to make the princess fall in love at first sight, and he was attractive enough to win the heart of every girl in the capital. The only issue was that Gu Qingchi tended to carry a dejected air about him.

Now, that melancholy aura of his had been diluted by a lot. It was much more in line with the image of Ke Mu he had in his mind.

Wang Haisheng very rarely handed out praise.

“Not bad.” uQpm91

This was Gu Qingchi’s first time filming. Wang Haisheng was a bit more generous with his words.

“You should’ve read the script already. Ke Mu’s promotional photo is going to be a single-person shot. I want to portray Ke Mu from the latter half of the script. By then, he’s already been through the battlefield a few times. He’s tempered himself into a mad dog, someone the enemy will fear on the battlefield.”

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Wang Haisheng became more and more excited as he spoke.

“There should be a strong sense of contrast here. Look, is Ke Mu attractive? Yes. He’s so attractive that, when the army returns to the capital in triumph, every girl in the city throws their flowers and handkerchiefs at him. Wherever he goes, the flowers and handkerchiefs follow. The very road he walked on became a flowery path.” nLYlC2

“However, this beautiful person is actually a very tough and strong person. He always wears black boots, and his pants are always tightly tucked away. He keeps a dagger hidden in his boots. The very mention of his name is enough to strike fear into the enemy. Even his own people fear him.”

Wang Haisheng pulled Gu Qingchi aside to chatter on and on and on. Gu Qingchi listened quietly and attentively, which gave Wang Haisheng a sense of accomplishment.

Xie Luyu, on the other hand, couldn’t do it. Back then, Xie Luyu had always disliked him for talking too much. Wang Haisheng had held back his anger and wanted to see just what he’d be able to do. Later, that movie won an international movie award for best actor.

Xie Luyu was that very actor. OyfHu4

Wang Haisheng became more and more high-spirited. He didn’t pay the photographer beside him any mind. He just kept talking and talking with Gu Qingchi.

“This character is full of charm at the beginning. For audiences, the most unacceptable thing is for such a beautiful and strong person to become mentally handicapped because of a fever. Plus, he’s Ke Chengqi’s companion, so he is entirely loyal to him. He doesn’t have any sense of self at all. It’s the same as when a hero reaches the end of his road. It gives the audience a sense of regret.”

At this time, Xie Luyu had just finished taking his photos and was changing his clothes. Several staff members surrounded him to help him out of the complicated outfit. The clothes were all custom-made. They had hired a seamstress to hand-sew each one. Each outfit was super expensive.

He needed to take a lot of photos. He had already changed outfits several times. Sil4Aw

When he finished with his photos, he saw Wang Haisheng chatting away with Gu Qingchi. Wang Haisheng was highlighting key points and grabbing Gu Qingchi’s hand. Without even thinking, Xie Luyu immediately interrupted them.

“Hey, Blabbermouth Wang, I’ve been watching you for a while now. Can you stop harassing our actors? If you have something to say, just say it. Can’t you keep your hands to yourself?”

Xie Luyu spread his arms open to make it easier for the staff to fasten his clothes. He also needed to make sure he didn’t ruin his makeup, yet that didn’t stop him from running his mouth.

“Blabbermouth Wang, it’s not that I’m trying to tell you off. Can’t you do something more productive with your time? If you really have nothing to do, you can go make us some tea or something. You’re affecting our work here.” diKZts

The Unproductive Director Wang: …

Director Wang finally stopped talking. Gu Qingchi, who was finally spared from his chatter, also started filming.

Gu Qingchi actually listened very earnestly. Although he was always lazy and didn’t like to work, he still put his all into the tasks he was assigned.

He never did anything half-heartedly, and he always diligently completed the job he was given. Once he took something on, he felt a sense of responsibility for it. MdzxHU

Gu Qingchi read the script beforehand. He had a good memory. After reading through it a couple of times, he was able to memorize a good majority of it.

After reading it, Ke Mu’s character naturally started to take shape within his mind.

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Plus, he just naturally seemed to be more sensitive towards emotions. He was actually able to understand a lot of what Wang Haisheng said, and he had a good idea of what kind of Ke Mu Wang Haisheng wanted.

Then, Gu Qingchi started thinking about how to give him that kind of Ke Mu. BRldoP

Gu Qingchi had never taken an acting class. Ye Li had never arranged it for him, and he had never been exposed to anything like it before. He was a complete stranger to acting.

He couldn’t control his expressions, and he couldn’t express a character through minute details.

Gu Qingchi couldn’t cry when he was happy. He couldn’t laugh when he was sad. His facial control was a mess. Even if he tried to do it, his expression would be stiff.

When it came to this aspect, Gu Qingchi wasn’t very suited to being an actor. ydFtRW

To put it bluntly, actors needed to disguise their emotions.

If the actor was happy but the character needed to be sad, then it was necessary for the actor to put on a sad face by micromanaging their expressions.

However, Gu Qingchi didn’t understand this at all.

He didn’t fake any of his emotions. He only knew how to express his emotions. Every one of his expressions was real. The character’s sadness was his sadness, and the character’s happiness was his happiness. Z8tVN9

Gu Qingchi was a method actor through and through.

Gu Qingchi only knew that he needed to act how the character would act. Then, he would have succeeded.

Compared to his horrible facial control, he found it much easier to capture the character’s emotions and immerse himself in them. He was a genius in this regard.

He had already had an image in mind for Ke Mu. With Wang Haisheng’s explanation, Gu Qingchi quickly figured out Ke Mu’s characterization. 8TZXx2

Gu Qingchi stood on the stage. He naturally pointed the long saber behind him and firmly grasped the handle of the blade. His pants were tightly tucked into his boots. The belt outlined his thin waist. When he turned his head, his eyes and face were full of murderous intent.

He was like a gorgeous flower growing from the bones of an animal. He naturally carries a mysterious sense of beauty and danger.

Any one would have believed that the one on the stage was the real Ke Mu.

He had that liveliness and that recklessness. He didn’t think about anything, and he didn’t need to think about anything. He just kept walking forward and lived a simple life. pxKt0R

The surroundings gradually became quiet. The only noise left on set was the sound of the camera shutter.