Chapter 35: Getting into Character
“Cut!” Liu Qichang yelled.
Yan Huihua’s expression remained serious, his eyes red-rimmed. The staff quickly opened the iron gate and went in to unlock the iron rings on Jin Yanliu’s limbs. Jin Yanliu shook his arms and came out of the dungeon. Xiao Pangzi immediately handed him a small fan.
The weather was hot, and the dungeon was even more stifling. Jin Yanliu blew the small fan at his face and asked Xiao Pangzi, “Has the trailer been released?”
“Almost.”
As Xiao Pangzi spoke, he handed him his phone.
Jin Yanliu checked the time; it was already 9:50.
He returned the phone to Xiao Pangzi and glanced at Yan Huihua. Yan Huihua seemed to be still immersed in the scene, standing quietly with his back to everyone. As Jin Yanliu passed by him, he touched his shoulder. Yan Huihua slightly turned his head, and he saw tear streaks on his face.
Jin Yanliu paused and stopped beside him.
Yan Huihua turned around and finally spoke, “I didn’t control my emotions well.”
The scene was emotionally intense, but Jin Yanliu was still shocked by Yan Huihua’s depth of feeling. While filming, he had briefly snapped out of character, feeling that the lines were too similar to their relationship in reality.
Yan Huihua should know what kind of person he was. The first time they met, he had sent a text message, wanting to use his power to sleep with him.
But despite this, Yan Huihua still fell for him. He had never told Yan Huihua a single lie, yet it felt like he had deceived him.
Jin Yanliu patted his shoulder again and said, “The trailer will be released soon, and you’re in it. Remember to watch it.”
Yan Huihua pursed his lips and nodded. He wanted to touch Jin Yanliu’s hand, but Jin Yanliu had already withdrawn it and left with Xiao Pangzi.
He turned his head and watched Jin Yanliu walk away.
The weather was hot, and with so many lights on set, it was even hotter. He took off his cloak, draped it over his arm, and nodded to Teacher Song Hua, who played Ye Qingdu.
The next scene to be filmed was between Ye Hengyang and his father, Ye Qingdu.
At 10:00 am, the preview trailer for “Into The Abyss” was officially released online, and it immediately took the internet by storm. The one-and-a-half-minute trailer dedicated one minute and twenty seconds to introducing the production team and showcasing the costumes and props. The high-quality production and excellent quality of “Into The Abyss” once again amazed everyone.
But the most attractive part was the last ten seconds, where the faces of the leading actors, Jin Yanliu, Zhou Beiyang, Lu Yao, Yan Huihua, and others, flashed across the screen. The end of the trailer was particularly stunning, showing dozens of large ships, thousands of devout men and women, making a pilgrimage to the Immortal Sect’s Sifangzhou. The Taoist immortals of Sifangzhou, dressed in colorful robes, stood at the ferry to welcome them. It was truly a gathering of beautiful men, each one looking like a god or immortal.
[Oh my god, oh my god.]
[I just want to know when this drama will air!]
[The trailer has only been out for a few minutes, and the views have already exceeded ten million. This is destined to be a hit of the year.]
[It’s already trending on all major forums. Finally, a Xianxia drama without any shortcomings in costumes, acting, or visuals. Now it depends on the plot.]
[The plot definitely doesn’t need to be worried about, it’s so dramatic. Baby swapping, patricide, incest, any of these elements is enough to create a huge buzz.]
[I originally wanted to say that the original novel had such a rich storyline for the master-disciple pairing, why did they choose to film the supporting characters instead? Now, seeing that the crew chose this pair of brothers for the first season, it’s really brilliant.]
[A villain like Mu Huaying, if portrayed well, is much more captivating. A typical tragic beauty. The woman who raised him is the enemy who killed his biological mother. The biggest purpose of his life is to kill his biological father. Success or failure is a tragedy. The only one who treats him well is Ye Hengyang, the son of his mother’s killer.]
[The comment above is so confusing, but I like this plot! So dramatic!]
[You forgot to add that his biological father also wants to kill him.]
[Why does Ye Qingdu want to kill Mu Huaying? Doesn’t he know this is his biological son?]
[Because of the prophecy. I read this novel a long time ago, I can’t remember clearly, it seems that Ye Qingdu has a prophecy on him, saying that one day he will die at the hands of his biological son.]
The plot of “Into The Abyss” was very dramatic, with intense love and hate, and controversial characters. Any point could be discussed endlessly.
Jin Yanliu was very satisfied with the online popularity of the drama. Everyone was optimistic about it. The TV station had already started promoting it online and even bought the broadcasting rights to his previous two modern dramas to warm up the audience, broadcasting them in a loop during the day.
The enthusiastic response online boosted the morale of the entire crew. The high expectations also meant greater pressure. Liu Qichang became even stricter in the subsequent filming process, and the filming progress slowed down. But the deadline was set, and the entire crew began working overtime.
They filmed until the early hours of the morning again. Jin Yanliu had been filming all day and was exhausted when he returned to the hotel. But he had even more scenes tomorrow, so after showering, he lay on the bed memorizing his lines.
Zhou Beiyang said, “I didn’t expect filming to be so tiring.”
He got onto the bed, reached out his left hand, and massaged Jin Yanliu’s shoulders. Jin Yanliu looked back at him and asked, “Does your arm still hurt?”
“It’s much better, just my right hand is a little inconvenient. Otherwise, I could give you a proper massage.”
Jin Yanliu turned back, smiled, and continued reading the script.
“Liu Qichang’s script is really well-written,” he couldn’t help but sigh again.
Zhou Beiyang said, “His script is good. I regret not fighting for the role of Ye Hengyang.”
Jin Yanliu turned to look at him and said, “Yan Huihua acts very well. If you were to play it, you might not be as good as him.”
“He’s been acting for so many years. I’m still a newbie with no acting experience,” Zhou Beiyang said.
Zhou Beiyang basically never looked back at his own performances, finding it awkward. He was a person who was very good at hiding his inner feelings and liked to conceal his emotions, which was the opposite of what was required for acting.
Perhaps because he was too tired, Jin Yanliu fell asleep while memorizing his lines. On the other hand, Zhou Beiyang, having rested all day, was full of energy. Taking advantage of Jin Yanliu’s sleep, he secretly hugged him.
Perhaps because he wasn’t used to being hugged while sleeping, or maybe because the weather was hot, just two minutes after he snuggled up, Jin Yanliu pushed him away in his sleep.
Zhou Beiyang was as cautious as a thief. He quickly moved back, lay quietly in the darkness for two minutes, then got up, found the remote control, and lowered the temperature by two degrees.
The room became noticeably colder. Once he felt cool enough, he snuggled up again. This time, Jin Yanliu felt his body heat and leaned in.
A rather scheming Zhou Beiyang couldn’t help but smile. He gently held Jin Yanliu and rested his head on his shoulder, holding his breath.
He particularly liked the smell of Jin Yanliu, it warmed his heart and gave him an extremely strong sense of happiness.
Because he had even more scenes to film the next day, Jin Yanliu had to get up before dawn. It was still Zhou Beiyang who woke him up. He groggily washed up and prepared to go to the set. Xiao Pangzi had already come to pick him up. He said to Zhou Beiyang, “It’s still early, you can sleep a little longer.”
Zhou Beiyang hummed in agreement, this time not tagging along.
To be honest, he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time. His heart had been up and down these past few days, and he hadn’t slept soundly.
“I’ll bring breakfast over later. What do you want to eat?”
“Just buy anything, I don’t have much of an appetite,” Jin Yanliu said as he went out.
He had been under a lot of pressure recently, coupled with the hot weather, he had been eating less.
Jin Yanliu originally wanted to ask Yan Huihua to go with him, but after thinking about it, he decided against it. He went to the set, and after finishing his makeup, he realized that Yan Huihua still hadn’t arrived. The crew members said he wasn’t in the makeup room either.
In their crew, Yan Huihua was considered a relatively junior actor. He was also very dedicated and conscientious, always arriving early at the set to wait. Today, he was suddenly late. Liu Qichang said, “Did he oversleep?”
“Filming has been a bit tiring these past two days,” Jin Yanliu yawned and said to the staff, “Call him and ask where he is.”
Just two minutes after the call, Yan Huihua arrived in a hurry, panting, “Sorry, I’m late.”
“Hurry up and get your makeup done,” Liu Qichang said.
Jin Yanliu sat down and waited for him. Liu Qichang showed him a rough cut of the first episode, which made Jin Yanliu extremely excited.
Their drama was truly different from all previous Xianxia dramas. It looked expensive and beautiful.
“You can’t drag on like this when you film tomorrow,” Jin Yanliu said. “Lin Jianlu only has one day available.”
Lin Jianlu was a popular actress he met while filming his previous drama. This time, for “Into The Abyss,” he invited Lin Jianlu to play the guest role of A Ruan. Lin Jianlu was very busy, and her willingness to guest star was purely due to their friendship. He had looked at the script yesterday and, based on Liu Qichang’s filming efficiency, felt that one day might be a bit tight.
Liu Qichang said with a smile, “I’ll try my best.”
“I can finally rest for a day tomorrow,” Jin Yanliu said.
Yan Huihua hurriedly walked over, accompanied by a staff member. Jin Yanliu got up, “Let’s start.”
Today they were filming a scene between Ye Hengyang and Mu Huaying at the private residence. The plot was simple but actually difficult to act, requiring subtle changes in Mu Huaying’s emotions.
【”Who are you?” Mu Huaying asked.
“My name is Ye Hengyang. What’s your name?”
Mu Huaying frowned upon hearing this. He knew the name Ye Hengyang.
Ye Hengyang said gently, “Were you the one who tried to assassinate my father last night?”
“Since you know I want to kill him, why did you save me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?”
Ye Hengyang said, “Your meridians are damaged, you can’t even lift a sword, how could you kill me?”
Mu Huaying pursed his lips, his body trembling slightly.
“Why did you try to assassinate my father? Were you instructed by someone, or do you have a grudge against him?”
Mu Huaying remained silent, slightly extending his palm, trying to circulate his spiritual energy, but only let out a weak moan.
He hadn’t expected Ye Qingdu’s power to be so profound. Just one palm strike almost killed him.
However, Mu Huaying wasn’t afraid at all. If he died at the hands of Ye Qingdu, it would be a relief. Before dying, he would tell Ye Qingdu about their father-son relationship. He, the son who had been abandoned since childhood, would finally be etched in Ye Qingdu’s heart, never to be forgotten.
Ye Hengyang quickly helped him up and fed him a bowl of medicine. Mu Huaying kept his eyes on him, his beautiful yet fierce eyes, as ferocious as a small beast.
All of this seemed predestined. There had always been a prophecy about Ye Qingdu, saying that one day he would die at the hands of his biological son.
This prophecy was made by an enlightened master. Because of this prophecy, even though Ye Qingdu was the Sect Master, he raised his only son, Ye Hengyang, as an ordinary person, not cultivating immortality, not practicing martial arts, spending his days reading. He raised him to be so kind that he wouldn’t even hurt an ant, almost saintly.
Mu Huaying had a very strange feeling. Ye Hengyang smelled good, and with his white robes and handsome appearance, he looked like a celestial being. This was his half-brother, sharing the same blood as him. They were both Ye Qingdu’s sons, yet their fates were so different. One became an immortal, the other a demon.
After taking the medicine, he fell into a deep sleep, nightmares still haunting him. He dreamed he was back in the Shura Realm, his young self running in the wailing hell, shouting, “Mother, Mother, don’t leave me here, I’ll listen to you from now on.”
“You don’t even dare to kill a dog, how will you kill a person in the future?” Mu Wushuang’s tone was cold and contemptuous. “Just like that woman, weak and incompetent. You stay here, when you kill this dog, I’ll come and get you out.”
Then another scene appeared. Mu Wushuang came through the black mist. Amongst the piles of skulls, she saw Mu Huaying, dressed in rags, kneeling on the ground, his hands and face covered in blood, his small figure in a sacrificial posture, looking up. His expression was blurry, only his eyes were bright, filled with fear and excitement.
Mu Huaying abruptly sat up from the bed.
The surroundings were clear, sandalwood incense lingering, soothing the heart. Ye Hengyang was lying beside him, seemingly asleep.
Everything was so peaceful and beautiful. Ye Hengyang seemed to be the only person in the world who wouldn’t hurt him.
He thought, if he killed Ye Hengyang now, how heartbroken Ye Qingdu would be. The death of his cherished son would be even more painful than his own death.
He looked down at Ye Hengyang’s face. Ye Hengyang’s sleeping face was almost innocently handsome, unguarded to the point of foolishness. The difference between the two brothers was almost ironic.
Ye Hengyang suddenly opened his eyes and sat up: “You’re awake.”
“I haven’t told you my name yet,” Mu Huaying said indifferently, his eyes showing no emotion. “My name is Mu Huaying.”】
The camera slowly panned from between them to the distance. Mu Huaying was wearing Ye Hengyang’s white robes, his long hair loose. A demon, dressed like this, could look almost gentle and sorrowful.
“Cut!”
Liu Qichang said, “This take is good!”
Jin Yanliu slowly exhaled and smiled at Yan Huihua. Yan Huihua’s face was a little flushed. He sat there and closed his eyes slightly.
“What’s wrong?” Jin Yanliu asked.
Yan Huihua shook his head and stood up, his lips pursed. But before he could steady himself, he swayed and collapsed. Jin Yanliu, who was sitting behind him, hurriedly knelt up to catch him, and the two fell to the floor together.
“Huihua!” Jin Yanliu cried out.
Yan Huihua clutched his clothes, then suddenly let go. Jin Yanliu touched his forehead; it was burning hot.
_______________
