Chapter 293: So beautiful it glows! No, no, no, I don't believe it...

After finally finalizing the casting of the "dead husbands" for "Seven Marriages of a Beautiful Woman," Li Sishi continued with her own work. As for the details such as coordinating schedules and negotiating salaries, those were left to Lu Yiting, the capable and hardworking agent.

In order to play the scene where the second female lead leaves the stage in "Big City, Small Love", she picked up her dance foundation again early on and also took the time to strengthen her training in her daily life. Only in this way could she convey the old dreams of Tianjin hidden in the subplot of the story without the "help" of a dance stunt double.

In the movie's storyline, the reason why the male protagonist, Wei Shaojun, became infatuated with the second female lead, Fang Ning, was because he was amazed by her dance when he was growing up in Tianjin.

But the amazing memories couldn't withstand the trials and tribulations that followed.

Realizing that the person he truly wanted to keep was now Lü Yao, the female protagonist with whom he had shared joys and sorrows, Wei Shaojun took the initiative to file for divorce.

Unfortunately, Lu Yao, who also wanted to break up, happened to encounter Tiger when he was in trouble and running away. Tiger's generous letting go made it even harder for the sentimental Lu Yao to let go, so she stayed by Tiger's side and fled Hong Kong with him, leaving Wei Shaojun, who had not been able to wait for the person he was supposed to meet, to be "abandoned" once again.

When Wei Shaojun gradually adjusted his mindset, before leaving Hong Kong to start anew at Citibank, he made a special trip to visit Fang Ning, who had come for him but did not choose to leave with him.

At this time, Fang Ning is learning to live on her own. Although she lost her beloved husband and her close best friend, the money and job opportunities they left her as "compensation" have allowed her to rediscover her former peace of mind in this city that, despite having been there for a long time, still feels unfamiliar.

The dance skills she learned in the first half of her life have not let her down, allowing her to continue as a dance teacher in this bustling city that has cost her a lot but also given her a lot.

It seems that Fang Ning, who can now calmly tell Wei Shaojun, "I am learning to live on my own now, so please don't come looking for me anymore," will one day have her name written into the memory of this city.

Fang Ning's dignified yet not stereotypically kind "forgive" exit is precisely the future that director Cheng Hesheng wanted to see in those "innocent victims" like Fang Ning.

It is precisely because I loved you so much that I cannot forgive you.

But because I truly loved him deeply, I am unable to feel hatred.

So they preferred to remain familiar strangers who would never see each other again, each with their own future and life.

Although Li Sishi's character's lines only end with the line, "Don't come looking for me again,"

However, there is still a dance practice scene in the play that seems to be a solo performance: Wei Shaojun follows Fang Ning, who has become his ex-wife, forward in a daze until they are separated from the outside by the floor-to-ceiling glass of the dance studio.

Through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, Wei Shaojun could see Fang Ning, dressed in a dance costume, stretching her arms and dancing with exquisite beauty amidst the light and shadow.

It seems like she hasn't danced this proud, swan-like dance in a long time.

Whether it was because he had already shifted his attention elsewhere, or because she was bound by various factors and could no longer find that aloof and proud spirit she once possessed, she was no longer able to recapture that sense of solitude and independence.

He left the swan on the ground with love, but he didn't know how to cherish it. So the swan, having rediscovered itself, once again spread its wings and flew high in front of him, returning to the sky he could no longer reach.

But he was happy—because through this dance after so many years, he could see that even though he was no longer by his side, the swan could still spread its wings and fly properly, and he no longer had to worry that his less-than-pleasant interlude would cause the swan in his dream to break its wings and become a regretful bubble.

Ling Chen's performance in this film is very restrained, just like the simplicity in the character of this young man from the mainland. As director Cheng Hesheng described the character and himself, "He has a kind of alienation that does not belong to this era and only exists in the warm atmosphere of the southern metropolis; rather, he seems to always be wrapped in the wind and snow of the north."

Unlike the female protagonist, Lü Yao, who was eager to transform herself into a Hong Kong local, he remained true to himself regardless of whether he came to Hong Kong or went to Citibank.

Therefore, when filming this scene, Cheng Hesheng repeatedly reminded Ling Chen about this issue, telling him to restrain his facial expressions as much as possible and to convey emotions more through his eyes. To help Ling Chen relax a bit, he even joked, "Watching a beautiful woman dance is certainly exciting, especially a beautiful woman like Ah May, but you have to remember that this is the 'ex-wife' you are about to let go of, so you must remain calm..."

It's no wonder he was worried. The male lead, Ling Chen, had the heaviest responsibility in the film, but his character was rather bland and unpredictable, which was extremely challenging. Even though Ling Chen was handsome and had decent acting skills, he still had a hard time getting the credit.

This kind of "receiving performance"

"Interpreting" is often more challenging than "releasing," especially since many viewers prefer characters and plots with strong explosive power and high tension, and then mistakenly believe that those who are responsible for "restraining" and "balancing" are "wooden" and "dull."

The same applies to Ling Chen's character, and also to Li Sishi's character.

Unlike her rebirth and pursuit of light in "Beauty on the High Platform," where the visuals and music are filled with a powerful infectiousness that bursts forth from silence, ultimately setting the stage for her transformation into a butterfly; the silent solo dance in "Big City, Small Love" is an extremely subtle expression of her state of mind from beginning to end, yet it runs through the entire story in such a straightforward manner, perfectly completing the plot's twists and turns.

Therefore, Li Sishi filmed this scene starting in the afternoon when the light was suitable and continuing until sunset—not because the two actors didn't perform well, but because Cheng Hesheng wanted to pick the "best" from a bunch of "very good" ones.

After finally getting the scene right, Li Sishi's tense mind relaxed, and the long-suppressed soreness in her limbs surged forth like a tidal wave.

She stopped caring about her image altogether. After holding onto the ballet barre for a while, she was helped by her assistant and staff to a chair to rest while waiting to have her makeup removed.

Although Ling Chen had only stood for an afternoon, he also had to perform, and the mental strain he expended was probably only slightly less than that of Li Sishi, who had to dance. After slowly walking over to Li Sishi and wishing her a successful wrap-up, he casually asked, "Are you still going to the recording studio next?"

"Yes, the songs for the new album haven't been recorded yet. Apart from the title track which uses footage from the movie, the music videos for the other songs also need to be filmed separately..." Li Sishi started calculating with her fingers.

Although the workload is heavy, it is a kind of workload that many people can only envy: every song on the entire album has a music video, and it is not the kind of repetitive footage that is just edited together, but every song is actually filmed. Even "the most beloved daughters" do not receive this kind of treatment.

Even the Four Heavenly Kings, because they release so many albums every year, often use footage from corresponding movies and TV shows as their music videos, interspersed with some of their own footage. Of course, now that their status is gradually becoming more secure, they have begun to explore their own musical paths, reducing output and increasing quality, shifting from quantity to quality.

As for Li Sishi, she has always focused on quality from the beginning because Zhuang Menghua and Lu Yiting both wanted her to concentrate on film and television. If it weren't for her strong musical talent and the current trend of multi-talented artists, Li Sishi might have been pushed to become just a movie star.

Follow that route.

After all, Hong Kong films are selling quite well in Asia, while songs, although they also have a certain sales volume, are always limited by language factors and thus find it difficult to cross boundaries and achieve mainstream success.

Nowadays, most Cantonese and Mandarin songs that can transcend the boundaries of Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China require the support of film and television works.

Just like the Hong Kong film and television soundtracks that resonated throughout the streets and alleys of Korea, after the golden oldies of the 1980s were played, the movie theme songs of the 1990s that once stirred up a box office storm, such as "Dream Chaser" and "Blue Streetlight".

When they heard the song "Blue Streetlights" playing, several female students immediately became excited: "It's Leo's song!"

"He's so handsome! Our reporter interviewed him at the beginning of the year, and his white shirt and suit look was absolutely stunning!" The girls nodded and laughed as they recalled the broadcast they had managed to record.

"I heard our local TV station is going to import a drama starring Leo, so we can see more of his work!" A girl, who considered herself well-informed, immediately shared this news she'd overheard at the video store yesterday with her friends. "The owner of the video store at the street corner has already heard the news and is asking someone to help him retrieve the videotapes of this drama..."

"Then let's go rent it together!" the others exclaimed excitedly.

Girls of this age love to gather together to watch dramas. When the day finally arrived that "Mr. Morning" would be broadcast on TV, they immediately brought snacks such as potato chips, popcorn, and soda to the house of the girl who was the most informed.

Full of anticipation, I waited to meet my handsome idol again, but the opening scene was a haggard housewife confiding in her white-collar best friend about her husband's suspected infidelity, and then a tired office worker, dressed in his work clothes, also went home in the early morning...

"Leo's image is alright, but the actress he's paired with isn't very pretty..." The group discussed while eating potato chips.

What they didn't know was that, to create a stronger contrast later on, Li Sishi's makeup as a housewife was applied to make her complexion look exceptionally bad. Coupled with her deliberately acted haggard expression, even her 99.9 points of beauty would be reduced by more than half...

So the group of girls unanimously concluded that, compared to their female co-stars who had the added visual appeal of movie lighting and shadows before midnight, this one was the least attractive.

"No wonder she's facing a marital crisis..." a girl who's obsessed with good looks couldn't help but complain, "Compared to this co-star, I still prefer Yin Jiali from 'Earthly Angels'."

That's the beauty of a Miss Hong Kong winner..."

“That’s right, that’s right. Judging from appearances, Leo is a better match for Yin Jiali…” Most Koreans are attracted to good looks, and once one person started complaining, the others who were also attracted to good looks began to express their disapproval of the marriage.

However, this "ordinary" female lead makes the audience feel more connected to her than before. So, after lamenting the significant drop in the looks of the female co-star in the early morning episode, fans who appreciate good looks started to find merits in Li Sishi, who has an ordinary appearance: "This actress has a pretty nice voice. Maybe she's a talented singer who's transitioning to acting, like Shang Hanyou from Hong Kong..."

The Hong Kong films and television dramas broadcast in Hanguo are all in their original language with subtitles, so they can still hear the actors' original Cantonese lines.

"Oh—it's probably a story of 'talented woman and handsome man'..." Considering the difference in the female lead's appearance and voice, the girls who are obsessed with looks all made the same connection.

But the story took an unexpected turn, heading in a completely different direction.

The heroine's scream shattered the morning silence. As her beautiful reflection in the mirror went from blurry to clear, it not only shocked the woman outside the mirror into screaming, but also sent a series of wails and howls of horror through the female viewers outside the theater.

"My God! She, she, she seems to be glowing!"

"No, no, no, I don't believe that this is beauty that a person can grow!"

"Waaaaah, I was wrong, I'm so sorry, sister! You're my favorite female celebrity of my life! Please forgive my disrespect just now..."

"What's this lady's name? From now on, I'm her most loyal Korean fan!"