Chapter 95 Hard Work [VIP]

Chapter Summary: The "journey" has finally come to an end.

Namtso, one of the three holy lakes of Tibet, at an altitude of 4,718 meters, was the highest altitude location where the crew of "Countdown" stopped to film, and also the final stop for the crew and the male and female leads on this part of their journey.

After the car descended over the high-altitude mountain, the beautiful Namtso Lake came into view.

After getting off the bus, Mu Zhi, Min Min, and the others climbed a small hill to enjoy the scenery by the lake.

It's a bit of a shame that the film crew didn't come here as originally planned. It's October now, and the once boundless green grassland is now dressed in golden hues. If they had come any later, the lake would have frozen over, and the lakeshore would have been covered in a blanket of snow.

The lake I saw today was still a dreamy blue, with a few yaks on its shore.

Across the lake, the continuous peaks of the Nyainqêntanglha Mountains are covered with snow all year round, presenting a sacred and pristine scene.

"Sister Zhizhi, are we staying there tonight?"

I looked in the direction Minmin was pointing.

They had seen it on their way here; not far from the lake, there was an accommodation area: prefab-style hotels, cabins, and tents, which looked... a bit too casually set up.

I heard that the accommodations here are relatively poor.

Some members of the film crew will stay in the county town.

Because there are scenes to film here tonight and early tomorrow morning, the main production team has to stay here for the night.

Mu Zhi: "Yes, I'll stay for one night."

If the filming goes smoothly, we'll only stay one night.

After enjoying the scenery for a while, we rejoined the film crew.

The film crew split into several groups and arrived at Namtso Lake. Some staff members arrived much earlier than the actors to set up a series of filming equipment and set up the scenery.

There was a sunset scene to film before the sun went down in the evening.

Mu Zhi, Tai Feng, and the others arrived in the afternoon. After enjoying the scenery for a few minutes, they had to hurry up and get ready.

In October, the average daytime temperature at Namtso Lake reaches a high of 10°C, while the nighttime temperature drops to -2°C to -3°C.

The first costume Mu Zhi wore was a long-sleeved shirt with a fleece lining, and a light pink windbreaker over it. It was alright; it wasn't too cold.

In the evening, the crew prepared a bonfire party.

The scene depicted is Asang and Youqu attending a bonfire party held by local Tibetans by Namtso Lake, dancing the Guozhuang dance with them. The scene is lively, and they have a great time.

Next, we moved to the two tents where we set up to take photos.

Asang and Youqu stayed in a tent and slept in sleeping bags at night.

In the play, the male and female protagonists encountered all sorts of people and experienced some unexpected situations along the way, stopping and starting frequently, but they still arrived at Namtso Lake in just over a month.

In other words, it's still summer weather.

In reality, the film crew was already in late autumn, almost winter.

During the filming, Mu Zhi and Tai Feng sat and talked in front of a campfire next to the tent.

Compared to the evening, Mu Zhi had added a thick crew neck sweater under her windbreaker, on top of the long-sleeved fleece-lined undershirt she was originally wearing.

However, during the audition, he couldn't withstand the -2 degree weather. Sitting next to the fire, he was so cold that he was shivering and couldn't even deliver his lines properly.

I put a lot of heat packs on my body.

Asang and Youqu arrived at Namtso Lake and confirmed their feelings for each other. After the trip, they faced real-world problems that needed to be addressed.

Asang knew he had no future.

That night, Asang tossed and turned in his tent, unable to fall asleep...

When Mu Zhi was filming this scene, her insomnia wasn't acting; it was genuine—it was too cold!

The most profound impression Mu Zhi had on her first night at Namtso was the cold.

The nighttime shoot has ended.

Everyone quickly went to the hotel arranged by the film crew to rest, and slept for less than 3 hours.

I have to get up again; there's a sunrise scene to film early this morning.

Mu Zhi changed into a Tibetan outfit, different from the one she wore in Lhasa. This outfit was a gift from a Tibetan girl she met during her travels in the film.

When Asang arrived at Namtso, the last stop on his trip, he put on this outfit.

They dance gracefully by the lake as the sun rises.

The sunrise at Namtso Lake is breathtaking, earning it the nickname "Golden Mountain Under the Sun." The rising sun casts golden rays upon the Nyainqêntanglha Mountains across the lake, creating a dazzling spectacle that transforms the snow-capped peaks into "golden mountains," which are then reflected on the lake's surface.

During breaks in filming, the crew members took out their phones and snapped photos to capture this magnificent scenery.

In the afternoon, the actress who plays the male lead's sister joined the crew.

Mu Zhi had previously learned that a young, popular actress was the intended invitee, but it seems there has been a change later.

Since I didn't have any scenes with her, I didn't deliberately try to find out who was ultimately cast.

As soon as the actor arrived, he got out of the car and walked straight towards Mu Zhi.

She took off her mask and gave Mu Zhi a bright smile: "Sister Mu Zhi, long time no see! Are you surprised?"

It was You Chan, which was a pleasant surprise.

I recall receiving a message from You Chan a month ago, saying that she had seen Mu Zhi's WeChat Moments and thought the scenery in Tibet was beautiful. She asked about some precautions for traveling to Tibet, and what things to bring.

Mu Zhi only realized this now; it seemed that You Chan had already been cast in the role back then.

You Chan took the initiative to talk about how she had been invited by the production team to participate in the filming.

"It's reasonable to suspect that Director Wan asked me to make a cameo appearance in this role because my surname is You."

The male lead is named You Qu, and You Chan also has the surname You, which is just right for the characters' ages.

It truly is fate, Mu Zhi thought.

Well, even a small cameo role in a big director's movie is highly sought after, with many people vying to get the part.

But for the actors, making a cameo appearance in "Countdown" is quite tough.

For example, You Chan, who played the male lead's sister, only filmed scenes for two days.

I only spent one day taking photos at Namtso Lake.

To film this day's scenes, we flew from the north to Lhasa, then transferred to Ali Kunsha, and then rushed to Namtso Lake, spending at least a week on the road.

You Chan hugged Mu Zhi's arm and whispered in Mu Zhi's ear, "I didn't ask for any payment."

With a sly smile, he said, "I asked the film crew to reimburse me and the two staff members who accompanied me for our trip to Tibet."

The normal travel time for a trip from Lhasa to Namtso via the Ali Great Northern Route is about half a month.

Two weeks ago, You Chan set off for Tibet and has been traveling all the way.

I treated this trip to the film crew like a vacation. The main reason I took this role was to work with director Wan Zhou and build a connection.

"I played the role well and left a good impression on the director. I hope he can come to me again if there are suitable roles in the future. Maybe one day I can play the leading lady in a famous director's film, hehe."

In front of Mu Zhi, You Chan made no attempt to hide her ambition.

Mu Zhi encouraged her, "You'll definitely have a chance, keep going!"

Inside the makeshift makeup tent set up by the film crew.

You Chan and Mu Zhi worked together on the character's makeup and styling.

Looking at herself in the mirror, You Chan was very annoyed: "I've gotten so tanned, I'm two shades darker than before."

Turning his head, he carefully examined Mu Zhi's skin: "Sister Mu Zhi, you've been filming in Tibet for four months, and you're even fairer than me?"

Is this reasonable?

Mu Zhi: "...I've also gotten two shades darker."

You Chan: "......" Both of them were two shades darker than her, but Mu Zhi was originally fairer than her, and even after darkening her skin, she was still fairer than her. She felt heartbroken.

Looking at the staff around Mu Zhi, I felt a little better; the ultraviolet rays were fair.

Minmin, her assistant, and the makeup artist: Stop cutting us!

I realized I've gotten more than two shades darker...

Under the intense ultraviolet radiation, the three of them not only got tanned but also had rough skin, making them look almost 10 years older, sob sob sob.

The ultraviolet radiation here is too strong, and the weather is too dry.

I've used so many sunscreens, sunscreen sprays, face creams, and lip balms.

Over the past four months, Mu Zhi has often been filming under the sun, while the others usually use umbrellas or stand under tents. They're just a bit lazy, and occasionally when they sweat or their makeup comes off, they don't reapply sunscreen in time.

I don't apply sunscreen spray frequently enough.

Mu Zhi makes the most of her spare time, such as when rehearsing, reading scripts, or watching playbacks, and applies sunscreen or sprays it many, many times every day without getting tired of it. She has a very strong sense of self-discipline.

I wonder if it's true that there are no ugly women, only lazy women?

After their makeup and styling were done, Mu Zhi and You Chan sat under the tent to wait for their turn, and Tai Feng was also there.

Before rehearsing, You Chan asked what kind of story "Countdown" was about. She said that she only knew that she played a blind girl who later regained her sight and came to Namtso Lake with her brother.

Mu Zhi and Tai Feng: "..."

I was surprised that You Chan accepted the role without even knowing the overall story of the script.

In fact, the focus of the story of "Countdown" is the road trip from Lhasa to Namtso. Along the way, various dramatic conflicts occur, and the male and female protagonists eventually find new insights into life and discover new selves.

But this is not an artistic fairy tale; both the male and female protagonists have secrets.

Asang's secret is that she has a terminal illness.

The secret of Youqu: His encounter with Asang was actually a carefully planned scheme. Youqu had a younger sister who studied painting and lost her sight in a car accident. Unable to continue painting, she became depressed and had suicidal thoughts, which were stopped in time several times.

Youqu worried that his younger sister wouldn't live to see her corneal transplant surgery and might commit suicide one day when he wasn't looking; she was his only family. One day, he saw a post on Weibo from an account where a girl said that a friend of hers planned to donate her organs after death.

He saw that the girl had plans to travel to Tibet, just a few days later.

He flew to Lhasa ahead of time and, on the day the girl arrived in Lhasa, deliberately staged a chance encounter at the airport, which was actually a deliberate attempt to get close to her.

In the process of spending time with Asang, he gradually fell in love with the girl, but he despised himself for deceiving and scheming against Asang.

Upon returning to Lhasa from Namtso Lake, Youqu confessed everything to Asang, expressing that his feelings for her were genuine and that he did not want his love for her to be mixed with deception, as that would be a desecration to her.

But he didn't know that the friend Asang was talking about was herself.

Asang left without saying goodbye and disappeared.

Youqu wanted to find Asang again, but couldn't.

More than a month later, someone contacted him and said that someone had donated a cornea to his sister.

Youqu then learned the whole truth.

At the end of the story, a year later, he brought his sister, whose sight had been restored, to Namtso Lake...

When filming the scenes between Tai Feng and You Chan, Mu Zhi sat next to the director and watched the monitor together.

You Chan is usually boisterous and a bit of a show-off, but when she stands in front of the camera, she becomes completely calm and blends in perfectly with the character.

She's quite talented at acting and has a promising future in the film industry.

The final scene depicted a devout local believer circumambulating Namtso Lake, holding a prayer wheel and prostrating himself with each step, a practice known as "turning around the lake," where people pray for good fortune.

In addition to the beautiful natural scenery, the film "Countdown" also invited many Tibetans to play themselves during its production, showcasing the local customs and culture.

This is a well-made film, worth savoring. Mu Zhi believes it will bring surprises to audiences after its release...

The altitude of Namtso Lake is too high, and the entire crew was working almost non-stop at a high intensity. Even after several months of hardship, many people couldn't take it anymore and experienced altitude sickness.

So all the filming here has been completed.

Half of the crew (most of whom suffered from altitude sickness) drove through the night, crossing the high-altitude Nagqu La Mountain, and returned to the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, traveling overnight back to Lhasa, the starting point four months earlier.

You Chan and Mu Zhi returned to Lhasa together. Looking at the tired and weathered faces of the crew members, they couldn't help but sigh, "Oh my, I, as a tourist, traveled for 15 days, while you spent 4 months making such a big detour. It's really not easy."

Mu Zhi sighed inwardly, "The journey is finally over."

If it snows heavily for another two weeks and closes the mountain pass, vehicles will be unable to pass.

[Author's Note]

Next chapter wraps up filming! Making this drama, Zhibao, was incredibly difficult!