With Chu Feiliang, go into the room, and discuss the script…
With Chu Feiliang, go into the room.
Go into the room!
Rong Guang’s breath hitched for a moment.
Up until now, she and Chu Feiliang had never truly been alone in a room together.
Not just in private, even their official business was always conducted in public.
Even earlier in the RV, Chacha and Ye Zi were there.
It was late at night, no one else was around, just the two of them…
Rong Guang’s mind went into a frenzy, her thoughts spontaneously veering into indecent territory.
“What are you spacing out for?” Chu Feiliang turned her head and saw the kid still standing there foolishly, her eyes unfocused, and her expression a bit… giddy?
Like a young girl of her age, looking like she was nursing a crush.
Rong Guang snapped back to reality. Due to the angle, her gaze subconsciously lingered on Chu Feiliang’s collarbone for a moment. She quickly came to her senses, blushing furiously, and said shyly, “C-Coming…”
“Teacher Chu, are we the only two discussing the script? It’s getting late, are you hungry?” Rong Guang trotted along behind Chu Feiliang, so nervous she didn’t know what to say.
If the situation allowed, she would have even wanted to jump up and down on the spot to relieve her tension and suppressed excitement.
Chu Feiliang didn’t answer the question directly, instead asking, “You’re hungry?”
“I’m… I’m okay.” Rong Guang hesitated for a moment, then answered honestly, “I am a little hungry.”
She had eaten her afternoon meal just after five, and now… she glanced at the time, it was almost nine at night.
If she wasn’t working tonight and just went to sleep, it would be fine not to eat anything. She could just have breakfast when she woke up.
But she had to work overtime tonight. If she didn’t eat something to tide her over, her stamina wouldn’t hold up.
Chu Feiliang was always serious about scripts. In the past, when the two of them rehearsed lines in private, they would often stay up until midnight. Without some late-night snacks, it was indeed hard to keep going.
“Hungry?” The corners of Chu Feiliang’s lips curved up. “That’s perfect. I’ll be able to fill you up later.”
Rong Guang nodded blankly and subconsciously said, ‘Okay.’
Only after she said it did she realize that the phrase ‘fill you up,’ in most situations, had a usage that was a bit… embarrassing.
If it had been anyone other than Chu Feiliang saying this to her, Rong Guang would have probably kicked them long ago.
But with Chu Feiliang saying it… Rong Guang’s face started to show signs of flushing again, and her mind began to wander.
She didn’t know what Chu Feiliang really meant by ‘filling her up’.
How wonderful would it be if it meant what she was thinking?
She just didn’t know how long this comrade would have to work before she could be filled up.
At the door to the room, Rong Guang looked at Chu Feiliang’s room number and silently swallowed.
There was no one around. The top floor was generally where the important crew members stayed, and there was a dedicated front desk at the elevator entrance with 24-hour security. Anyone not from this floor was not allowed in without a pass.
N-No one…
Rong Guang mustered her courage and cautiously moved a little closer to Chu Feiliang.
Then she gently sniffed the air and secretly glanced at Chu Feiliang’s back as she entered the passcode.
On the carpet, their two shadows merged into one, as if they were embracing in an intimate kiss.
The door opened.
A clamor of voices from inside the room instantly flooded Rong Guang’s ears.
Rong Guang’s body reacted faster than her mind. In a split second, swish! she stood at attention, holding her script, and found herself staring eye-to-eye with the director, who was craning his neck to look out from inside.
Zhang Nanchuan and a group of people were gathered around a table in the living room.
The table was laden with food. It looked like they hadn’t started eating yet and were still arranging the dishes. It was a lavish spread with a huge amount of food.
Seeing Chu Feiliang and Rong Guang arrive, Zhang Nanchuan waved them over. “Just getting here? Come on in—we’ll eat and talk. Don’t be so nervous. Oh, you brought the newcomer too? That’s great, saves us the trouble of calling for her. Everyone relax. We’re not doing any serious work tonight, just helping you guys get into character.”
Rong Guang’s gaze shifted to a corner.
Because they were young, Chacha and Ye Zi were given special treatment, monopolizing the only two large chicken drumsticks. But neither had taken a bite yet; both were staring with greedy eyes at the big chicken wings on the plump chicken, plotting to claim those as well.
When they saw Rong Guang looking at them, Chacha and Ye Zi both raised their large drumsticks and waved at her, as if to say hello.
Rong Guang: “…”
Suppressing the disappointment in her heart, Rong Guang followed behind Chu Feiliang with the determination of a meditating monk and found a place to sit.
“Here, don’t be shy, eat up.” Zhang Nanchuan picked up some food with his chopsticks, glanced over, and directed the second half of his sentence at Chu Feiliang. “The opening scene is a confrontation between you two—the one where Ji Ying finds Wen Mou. How about it? Any other ideas?”
“A few.” Chu Feiliang nodded. “We can try them out later.” Zhang Nanchuan’s eyes lit up. “You already have some so soon?”
Chu Feiliang hummed in agreement but didn’t say much more, instead placing a piece of food in Rong Guang’s bowl.
Only then did Rong Guang realize that many of the dishes on the table were her favorites. Although she wasn’t a picky eater and was easy to feed, there were still a few foods she was particularly fond of.
Flattered, Rong Guang nodded and said in a low voice, “Thank you, Teacher Chu.”
After that, she lowered her head and started eating. Throughout the meal, Chu Feiliang often served her food, taking great care of her.
Zhang Nanchuan even laughed, saying it was rare to see her so attentive to a junior, and it seemed she truly had high hopes for Rong Guang.
Rong Guang could only nod nervously and say that she would definitely work hard.
After the meal, everyone cleared everything from the center of the living room, leaving a large open space.
Although it was about finding the right state of mind, the final effect still had to be found through repeated takes.
The lighting and camera crews had also been notified and had arrived in the middle of the night with their equipment. They were all sleepy-eyed, but their spirits were still decent.
“Why not film outside?” Chacha and Ye Zi, having eaten their fill, were now slowly munching on a plate of edamame in the corner. There were also peanuts and sunflower seeds nearby, little snacks to pass the time.
She didn’t quite understand why they would choose to film inside the room instead of using the perfectly good existing sets.
Ye Zi wagged a finger. Watching the group set up a simple scene, she said, “You don’t get it. Going outside would be a huge production. At night, you need light sources and all sorts of props. It’s better to do it here. For this scene, turn off the lights, light a small candle, throw in some tattered cloth strips, and get the camera right up in their faces—the effect comes out instantly!”
“Oh.” Chacha nodded, getting straight to the point. “So they’re broke?”
“You could say that.” Ye Zi sighed dramatically. “So poor.”
But Rong Guang had clearly told her the production was very wealthy.
Chacha chewed her edamame slowly, lost in confusion.
After a while, her jaw started to ache from chewing, so she decided to take a break. Wiping her hands, she propped her chin up and became a spectator.
The set dressing over there was finished. Rong Guang glanced at the scene they were going to rehearse today. She remembered the lines clearly; it was a relatively simple scene.
After falling off a cliff and being seriously injured, Jiang Wenmou was dazedly picked up by traffickers and was eventually sold and transported to the imperial city.
When she woke up again, she had complete amnesia. The traffickers learned from her jumbled words that she had a name that sounded like ‘Wenmou.’ And since their line of work always tried to affect elegance by giving people nice-sounding and pretty names, they simply gave her the elegant name Wen Mou.
The first scene was the public auction part.
Although she was exceptionally beautiful, Wen Mou had just lost her memory and was still a bit dazed and foolish. She couldn’t fetch a good price, so like the others with average looks, she was thrown onto a platform to wait for the onlookers below to bid. The highest bidder would get her.
One by one, people were taken away. Only Wen Mou remained on the platform, sitting foolishly. She didn’t laugh or cry, just foolishly played with a sachet.
Initially, many were moved by her beauty, but after discovering she was a simpleton, they gave up the idea. After all, no one wanted to spend money on a fool. What fun could she be in bed? And when they got tired of her, she couldn’t even serve as a maid, nor could she be resold for a good price.
“Let’s start from here—” Zhang Nanchuan gestured for Rong Guang to stand where the living room table had been. He snatched a small steamed bun from Ye Zi’s hand and stuffed it into Rong Guang’s, saying, “You’ve wasted the madam’s money on clothes and the cost of raising you all these days. She’s about to sell you off to the houseboys to recoup her losses and win their favor at the same time.”
“While those houseboys are in the backyard fighting over who gets you, you regain a bit of consciousness and start to resist. Just then, Ji Ying returns to the city to report on her duties, the city gates are opened at night for her, and she stumbles upon this scene. Seeing the injustice, she saves you.”
It was more or less the same as in the script. In fact, with the narration and scene descriptions, the script version seemed even more exciting and visually evocative.
Rong Guang frowned.
But hearing Zhang Nanchuan describe it so plainly, she felt that while the plot sounded fine at first… it was too bland.
So bland that it was like the appearance of any general in any drama—seeing injustice and drawing their sword to help.
If you took away the inherent highlight of her being a female general, the character would have no distinguishing features.
She would even be drowned in the halo of the title ‘general,’ making the audience feel like the story started strong but ended weak.
“This part won’t work.” Chu Feiliang’s cool voice rang out. “The rescue plot is fine, but the execution is too flat.”
Rong Guang’s eyes sparkled as she looked up at Chu Feiliang.
“We’ve discussed this before. The character of Ji Ying is too perfect—saving someone at the beginning, taking Wen Mou to her side, discovering Wen Mou’s abilities… all of this is logical, but there’s no ‘why’.” Chu Feiliang frowned, sketching out her line of thought as a triangular diagram on a blank piece of paper.
A few people gathered around to look. She continued, “Ji Ying is the Eldest Princess, and more than that, she’s a decisive general who has spent a long time on the battlefield. She shouldn’t have sentimental compassion, especially since she’s having the city gates opened at night because she’s on official military business. In this situation, for her to have a fit of kindness and personally save some random person who has fallen into a brothel is clearly illogical. It would delay her official duties, which is not something Ji Ying would do.”
Right! That’s it!
Rong Guang gazed at Chu Feiliang with eyes full of admiration that bordered on obsession.
Whenever Chu Feiliang got serious, her expression would become incredibly stern.
That sense of seriousness didn’t make those involved feel uncomfortable; instead, it drew them in, guiding them along her train of thought and prompting them to think along with her.
This was also what had moved Rong Guang the most and made her the most infatuated with Chu Feiliang when they were alone together in her past life.
Zhang Nanchuan slapped his forehead in sudden realization. “On this point, I’ve discussed it with the screenwriting team, but we could never reach a consensus. Li Yan, your view overlaps with Xiao Chu’s on this. From a female perspective, what do you two think should be done to fully connect Ji Ying’s character from beginning to end and truly bring her to life?”
Big data statistics have shown that the people who follow dramas and generate more discussion points for a film are mostly female.
A good film certainly needs a broad audience and shouldn’t be gender-specific, but he couldn’t ignore the facts.
“That’s easy enough to explain.” Li Yan discussed it with Chu Feiliang for a moment, then drew a circle around Ji Ying’s name and emphatically marked two points. “Looking at the emperor played by Teacher Zhao, he’s in a high position and has many worries and suspicions about his heirs. The reason he dotes on Ji Ying so much, besides her exceptional abilities, is for another, bigger reason.”
Zhang Nanchuan nodded and added, “Right. Ji Ying is a woman, and more than that, she loves beautiful women.”
“Doesn’t that solve it?” Chu Feiliang smiled. “Because she loves beautiful women, and only beautiful women, the emperor is less suspicious of her. Because she will never have a prince consort in the future, the emperor, though he often scolds her, has never punished her. A person like that is destined to never harbor any thoughts of rebellion.”
“And because she loves beautiful women, that becomes her motive for saving Wen Mou. Taking her back to her residence then becomes much more logical.”
Zhang Nanchuan slapped his thigh, enlightened by Chu Feiliang’s point. “Brilliant!” Li Yan’s eyes also lit up. “This is a new direction—this was exactly what the director and I were worried about before. Your explanation has reminded us.”
Chu Feiliang smiled faintly. “I’m just offering a general idea based on my thoughts. Since the director has established this basic point, my suggestion is to see it through to the end without any hesitation. Otherwise, just delete it from the script entirely. Leaving it ambiguous will only tease the audience and make them feel like they’ve been played.”
Zhang Nanchuan nodded gravely.
The point he had been hesitating on was Ji Ying’s sexual orientation.
In this day and age, with the same-sex marriage law having just been passed not long ago, countless films on the same theme have begun to emerge. But with too much quantity, the quality has suffered.
Films that use homosexuality as a selling point have, in recent years, become a major source of ridicule.
Any film that queerbaits with this theme to gain popularity and attention often ends up being crowned the worst film of the year.
Before the film even airs, it’s already labeled as chasing clout.
All ideas must be put into practice first to know if they are feasible.
Zhang Nanchuan was not a timid person. Since he had decided to film such a character in the first place, he must have had the courage to burn his bridges.
With that thought, everything was ready, and they were about to start filming.
Rong Guang flexed her knuckles, making a soft ‘crack’ sound.
The room wasn’t exactly quiet, but the space was too small.
When the sound came out, Rong Guang paused and subconsciously glanced at Chu Feiliang, afraid she might have startled her.
She saw Chu Feiliang also tentatively extend her hand and crack her knuckles, just like she had.
The same ‘crack’ sound was heard.
“Don’t be so surprised, little one.” Chu Feiliang chuckled, amused by Rong Guang’s startled reaction. “It’s not a bad thing for a girl to be strong. Although I haven’t studied martial arts, I have filmed many more action scenes than you over the years. The foundation is still there.”
Rong Guang blushed, feeling a little embarrassed.
She wasn’t worried about Chu Feiliang’s skills; she was worried that if she fought too fiercely later, it might scare Chu Feiliang… and that, that wouldn’t be good, would it?
“So, do we still need to film the fight at the beginning?” Rong Guang tried to change the subject. “Or do we start directly from when I’m injured and lying on the ground?”
According to the plot, Wen Mou had recovered some memory fragments and subconsciously began to struggle, ending up exhausted after dealing with several houseboys.
It wasn’t easy to portray Wen Mou’s weakness after her memory became disordered while also ensuring the baseline of her strength was evident.
Zhang Nanchuan waved his hand. “No need. We’ll start filming from when you’ve already fallen. The earlier part isn’t a big issue. I’ve seen your previous fight scenes; you’ll have no problem with that. The focus this time is on sorting out the relationship between you and Ji Ying, and adding more depth to the character conflicts.”
Rong Guang nodded and found a spot to lie down.
It was almost autumn, and the floor was very cold.
Chu Feiliang frowned. “Lie on the carpet. This isn’t an actual take, you’re just helping me walk through the scene. No need to endure it.”
Zhang Nanchuan also nodded and had the crew move the original carpet back.
Rong Guang nodded her thanks to Chu Feiliang. “Thank you, Teacher Chu.”
Chu Feiliang waved her hand.
Rong Guang lay down again as instructed. Sure enough, the chill that seemed to seep through her skin and into her bones was gone.
She tried her best to relax her body, slowed her breathing to its lowest rate, and slowly closed her eyes.
“Right, just lie there. No need to deliberately try to feel dizzy.” Chu Feiliang’s voice came from far to near. Rong Guang’s eyelids fluttered, and she opened her eyes.
Chu Feiliang had already crouched down beside her. She looked down at her and said, “But I need to get into character by using you—my apologies.”
Rong Guang had a questioning look on her face.
Then she watched, wide-eyed, as Chu Feiliang looked at her clothes and then… pulled off the decorative sash at her waist.
“Arch your waist.” Chu Feiliang reached out and patted the side of her waist.
Rong Guang subconsciously arched her waist, and Chu Feiliang smoothly pulled the sash off, folded it a couple of times, and tossed it onto the sofa that had been moved to the corner.
Chacha tiptoed over and picked up the sash.
Then she squatted down next to Ye Zi and whispered, “Should we cover our eyes?”
“N-No, I don’t think so?” Ye Zi whispered back, trying not to be noticed. If they were kicked out, they wouldn’t be able to see anything.
Then she took a deep breath, subconsciously touched her nose, and said, “I didn’t hear my brother say they were filming an R-rated scene. If they were really filming something R-rated, he wouldn’t have dared to bring me to the set. My sister-in-law would skin him alive.”
“Then…” Chacha blinked, used two fingers to widen her eyes, and craned her neck. “Then let’s watch carefully and learn something!”
“Learn something!” Ye Zi copied her exact motion.
The two little ones’ faces were flushed with excitement!
Rong Guang’s face was also flushed with embarrassment, but she didn’t refuse Chu Feiliang’s actions, only calling out softly, “Teacher Chu…”
“Shy?” Chu Feiliang took a moment to look up at her.
Her gaze lingered on Rong Guang’s face for a moment, then her eyes suddenly narrowed, as if she had noticed something.
Being stared at by her, Rong Guang felt like her heart was about to leap out of her chest. Worried that Chu Feiliang might doubt her professionalism, she quickly shook her head and said, “N-No… I just don’t know what you want to do, so I can cooperate with you.”
“I’m adjusting your look so I can get into character faster.” Chu Feiliang pinched her cheek and smiled. “It’s not just you. I also need to find the feeling of being captivated by beauty.”
C-Captivated by beauty?
Does ‘beauty’ refer to her?
Doesn’t that mean, captivated by her beauty?
Rong Guang’s eyes were watery, her face full of disbelief.
“Don’t doubt it.” Chu Feiliang said, amused. “Have some confidence in yourself. You’re very beautiful, and you’re definitely my type.”
After saying that, Chu Feiliang tilted her head and studied Rong Guang. After a moment, she finally made a decision, stood up, and said to her makeup artist, who was standing to the side, “Sister Shi, could you come over for a moment? Do her makeup to look like she’s drunk. Smudge the corners of her eyes a bit, accentuate her teardrop mole. For suggestive areas like her neck and collarbones, extend the makeup outward if you can. Make it as seductive as possible.”
With that said, Chu Feiliang repeated the actions she had performed on Rong Guang that afternoon.
As she undid Rong Guang’s buttons, she let out a laugh and said, “I remember you singer-dancers wear very revealing outfits on stage. Are you all this conservative in private?”
“I…” Rong Guang’s breath came in soft pants. Whenever Chu Feiliang’s skin accidentally brushed against hers, she felt a searing heat. “I don’t wear very revealing clothes. I wear close-fitting undergarments, secured tightly with skin-colored tape. Usually… usually my clothes are chosen for comfort first.”
Chu Feiliang didn’t stop moving. She continued to chat with Rong Guang while watching Shi Xiaoyun apply her makeup. “Quite well-behaved.”
Around the same time, she had more or less finished what she was doing. She adjusted Rong Guang’s collar and said, “Alright, don’t be nervous. There are no scenes today that would let me get carried away.”
G-Get carried away…
Why did she feel like Chu Feiliang sounded a little regretful when she said that…?
Rong Guang’s face flushed red again. Fortunately, the makeup concealed it, but it made the blush at the corners of her eyes seem even deeper.
The teardrop mole, which had been deliberately darkened, perfectly highlighted her contradictory image of being both seductive and innocent at that moment.
Chu Feiliang stared at her, and after a short while, her eyes slowly narrowed.
As luck would have it, Rong Guang chose that moment to look up at her and whisper something.
The room was noisy, but Chu Feiliang still heard it.
Rong Guang said: “You can get as carried away as you want then. I’ll try my best not to be nervous, and I’ll definitely try my best to cooperate with you.”
After speaking, Rong Guang gave her a cautious yet longing look, pursed her lips, and then lay back down.
Chu Feiliang paused before slowly standing up from beside Rong Guang.
She was a bit stunned and only snapped out of it when the director called her from behind the camera.
Unconsciously clenching and unclenching her hands a couple of times, Chu Feiliang walked to her mark, stood still, and officially entered her filming state.
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