Chapter 93: The Screen Storm

Faced with those clear and captivating eyes, Zhou Shengyi found himself unable to utter a word of refusal.

Moreover, no matter what, what Li Sishi said was too tempting—if he could find a like-minded person to walk hand in hand with him on this difficult road, wouldn't he be able to take back the choices he had to give up in order to achieve his goal?

From the time he rose to prominence to gradually gaining control over the narrative of a production, the crew believed that he, who could make changes on set, was more of a director than the director himself… But in reality, without understanding him, those perceptions were mostly one-sided.

As the lead actor, he had the power to make changes, but there were many things he didn't know or understand. It wasn't until he took over the role of "producer" and came into contact with the behind-the-scenes rules and regulations that he realized that the effort put into making a movie is no less than that of the actors on screen.

Even more, more trivial, more annoying, yet necessary tasks.

Recalling his past experiences of demanding multiple takes for the best effect during filming, Zhou Shengyi was often scolded by directors for wasting film and manpower. He would then retort that he would simply pay for the remaining film himself. However, after truly engaging with behind-the-scenes work, Zhou Shengyi realized that he had also become the kind of person who would yell "waste film" at actors.

If it weren't for budget constraints, he might have made Li Sishi, who had already performed quite well, do dozens more takes—although he has toned it down quite a bit now, the current budget and time constraints still seem to be exceeding the original plan.

Should he still accept her "invitation"?

Noticing the wavering in Zhou Shengyi's expression, Li Sishi's heart tightened, and she grabbed his hand: "Do you still want the ending of that year to repeat itself?"

"Reality isn't a movie. Once you miss it, when you look back and regret it, 'Adi' might not be waiting for you in that old-fashioned doorman's room anymore..."

In that very realistic film, "Human Gate," starring Zhou Shengyi and Hu Junyi, Hu Junyi's character was named "Adi," a name that carries the atmosphere of the old era and the appearance of the new era, intertwining the vast and sparse memories of the times.

In the film's ending, the male protagonist, played by Zhou Shengyi, achieves great success but separates from his wife. He rejects the advances of a wealthy businessman's daughter and buries himself in his busy work, until one day he suddenly recalls his early days in the city. It is then that he returns alone to the doorman's stall in the old low-rent housing complex...

Amidst the desolate smoke and dust, we reminisce about our departed loved ones.

Then he met Ah-di, who had become as fashionable and beautiful as the city people, and chased after her, giving this hopeful ending a conclusion to this story that had always hidden helplessness and sadness, without being too regrettable.

But in Li Sishi's view, the reason why this ending can still have hope is because the rustic and dull "Adi" has become fashionable and beautiful "Lili" and has caught up with the male protagonist's pace, so there is still hope for them to continue their relationship after they meet again.

If "Adi" remains unchanged and doesn't move forward, even if the male protagonist is moved and chases after her, their meeting will only be fleeting, ending in another unfinished affair.

“I’ve read this script many times. The character ‘Lili’ seems like a perfect goddess with a touch of humor, but in fact, you’ve subtly imbued her with a kind heart and the courage to fight back…” Li Sishi stared intently into the man’s eyes, giving him no chance to dodge. “Even if we need to make changes, we don’t need to change too much. Just add about ten minutes of screen time and make the acting style more natural, allowing what you originally wanted to give her to shine through.”

That's enough.

It wasn't easy for her to add more screen time to her character!

She has a wide variety of singing, recitation, acting, and acrobatics skills, and she has considered every aspect to the point of perfection. She has even given the reason for "adding scenes" a layer of "perfecting the script and character design". If this is still not enough... she will find an opportunity to go to her father's law firm for a second round of training!

It's impossible to inherit Li Jinhao's talent—the ability to help divorced wives extract large sums of money from capitalists—completely by genetics; but one can at least learn seven or eight parts of it through exposure.

As long as Zhou Shengyi isn't a money-grubbing, opportunistic person, she can always find a way to persuade him to gradually make up for what he "compromised"...

Just as Li Sishi was gritting her teeth and waiting for a response, Zhou Shengyi, who had been in a daze for a long time, finally asked softly, "What... do you plan to do?"

In an instant, the oppressive heat of late summer seemed to be dispelled by this light, feather-like remark, leaving behind a feeling of comfort rising from the bottom of one's heart, making one feel exceptionally pleasant and extremely excited.

“You see, really, we only need to change a little bit…” Having obtained permission from this tyrannical figure on set, Li Sishi took the script from Qu Dexiao, the easygoing and portly screenwriter, and flipped to the page where their disagreement had arisen. “This is where I…”

A few words beforehand—of course, these are just lines I improvised; if possible, I'd appreciate it if Vi could help polish them a bit more…”

Qu Dexiao's English name is Vi. Li Sishi's words were clearly meant to make amends for him as the screenwriter, so as to avoid any conflict with the screenwriter due to changes in the script. Although Qu Dexiao had no objection to this, and Li Sishi's own additions were already quite good, basically no major changes were needed, and he could just assist from the side.

Ultimately, this was his first time writing a complete script, and the story itself was a mix of old-fashioned tropes and various popular comic book elements. Therefore, the portrayal of the female lead followed the current conventions of movies and comics, treating her as a "concept" that provides motivation for the male lead.

When Zhou Shengyi first read the script, he had some opinions about the characterization of the female lead, feeling that the character "Lili" was somewhat out of place in the whole movie. The reason he later accepted this arrangement was that some of the female lead "Lili's" story time was moved to the male lead "Yiwen", which could better show the male lead's journey from an ordinary person to a successful adult.

To put it bluntly, Zhou Shengyi is indeed an undisputed tyrant on set.

If the story doesn't become overly unbalanced and can better suit the aesthetics of the lower-tier market, while also giving him more screen time to develop his ideas, then such a "compromise" is certainly acceptable.

It was for this reason that Zhou Shengyi allowed Zhao to give the film a "decorative" female lead actress. She could be a newcomer, and her acting skills didn't have to be great. The only requirement was that she be beautiful enough. In recent years, a lot of newly signed Miss Hong Kong and Miss Chinese International contestants have been missing such an opportunity that doesn't have high requirements but allows them to get a foothold in the film industry.

Unexpectedly, after he compromised, Zhuang Menghua sent him Li Sishi, a seemingly decorative but actually shrewd and domineering actress who knew how to stand on the side of "justice," using sophistry about "perfecting the script and character design" and an irresistible cameo appearance to forcibly steal the spotlight from him...

What's most terrifying is that Li Sishi, this little tyrant on set, naturally has the looks to steal the show.

If her acting skills and experience were a little better, Zhou Shengyi would feel as if he wasn't acting opposite a newcomer, but rather experiencing the immense pressure of acting opposite Pei Yansang during the filming of his last Qing Dynasty period drama.

Does Li Sishi have a chance to become the next Pei Yansang?

It's actually possible—talent, appearance, ability, stage presence... and most importantly, the resources to nurture them.

Backed by Zhao's and TBL

Even a piece of rotten wood can be forged into a piece of tough steel by the combined efforts of these two. Moreover, Li Sishi herself is not rotten wood, but a "beauty pageant legend" who is overly suited for the screen.

Born with excellent potential, it's not impossible for it to become whatever type of steel it is, after being forged and refined, to become the most dazzling and brilliant gold.

Watching Li Sishi and Qu Dexiao discuss how to revise the scene and polish the new lines, Zhou Shengyi felt a little calmer: it was still night shooting time, and since they had decided to revise the script, it would be best to reshoot the improvisation just now... so what if they wasted film? They had already exceeded the budget anyway.

Just as Zhou Shengyi was helping to revise the storyboard while thinking about how to make up for the crew's funding, a van suddenly arrived nearby and made two beeps as if signaling.

then

Zhou Shengyi watched as Li Sishi, with a sweet yet troubled expression, said "sorry" and then jogged over to speak a few words with the old lady in the luxury car following behind the van. She then came over with several people carrying food insulated boxes.

When filming is tiring, it's customary for the lead actors to invite the entire crew to eat. Li Sishi bringing a late-night snack isn't a big deal. Zhou Shengyi waved his hand, and the people who had been busy all night immediately beamed and went over to collect their snacks.

With this generously portioned late-night dessert, the staff instantly forgot their dissatisfaction with Li Sishi's last-minute script changes. As Li Sishi saw off Old Madam Li and walked back, she was greeted and smiled by people all the way while eating.

Looking at the glittering gold mark on the box in his hand, Zhou Shengyi suddenly remembered something he seemed to have completely overlooked: Li Sishi was not only Zhuang Menghua's "new favorite" but also a new heiress who was temporarily promoted after her mother married into a wealthy family!

This hidden identity is the real reason why she can thrive in this glamorous and chaotic circle!

Finally realizing that he hadn't encountered a tough nut to crack this time, but rather had stumbled upon a great opportunity, Zhou Shengyi quickly finished his sugar water, signaling to the crew to prepare to resume filming.

Upon hearing this news, Li Sishi quickly handed the thermos she was still drinking to her assistant, and after the makeup artist quickly touched up her makeup, she went up to the room on the second floor again.

To ensure authenticity, the production team actually filmed this outdoor night scene at a country club near Qingshuitan. So Zhou Shengyi really climbed the telephone pole – and of course, safety measures were taken.

Zhou Shengyi, who was about to climb the utility pole again, looked up as if by some strange twist of fate and saw Li Sishi smiling and waving at him as she walked towards him.

That beautiful, unforgettable smile, set against the pale, yellowish-white background, seemed like the calm before a cinematic storm.