Xiao Fengque is a female knight-errant who disguises herself as a man, and her male disguise is of particular importance.

When Shang Yechu was taking her costume photos, she tried on men's clothing. The makeup team at CTS (China Television System) was no ordinary team; their techniques were highly professional. From eyebrow shaping and shoulder padding to chest binding, the entire process resulted in a remarkably convincing appearance for Shang Yechu.

But once you start moving around, it doesn't taste the same at all.

Shang Yechu looked at herself in the mirror and realized that no matter how flawless her makeup was, as soon as she moved, her feminine charm would be revealed, making her instantly recognizable.

This problem once troubled Shang Yechu greatly. Although he had mastered various manners and gaits, it seemed that none of them were useful to Xiao Fengque.

Shang Yechu consulted many people about this issue, humbly seeking advice from every actor she knew. She even asked around on Zhihu (a Chinese Q&A website), but unfortunately, no one could give her a satisfactory answer.

In the end, it was Li Yi who provided some theoretical guidance.

During the Chinese New Year holiday, Shang Yechu and Li Yi met twice, both times to discuss acting. When the topic came up in casual conversation, Li Yi seemed quite experienced.

"There are significant differences between men and women in their movements. Everything else is relatively easy to change, but gait is not."

Shang Yechu recalled some business etiquette books she had read and frowned disapprovingly: "Is it because of etiquette? Or is it a habit formed by long-term discipline?"

“It’s somewhat related to etiquette and discipline, but it’s mostly due to physiological factors.” Li Yi’s expression was focused, unusually devoid of a smile.

The two were in a restaurant when Li Yi simply dipped his finger in water and started drawing stick figures on the table.

“Men have long and wide feet and narrow pelvis,” Li Yi drew a small rectangular figure, “with a hip circumference smaller than a shoulder circumference, and a higher center of gravity when walking.”

Li Yi then drew a pear-shaped figure, explaining that "women have slightly narrower feet, wider pelvises, and hip circumferences larger than shoulder circumferences, and will unconsciously shift their center of gravity to the inside of their legs when walking."

Shang Yechu looked at the two little figures on the table, and her brows relaxed.

"It's less about etiquette or personality, and more about the body's adaptive selection." Li Yi rested his chin on his hand, seemingly lost in thought. "Even if someone tries to act differently, an expert can still spot it immediately."

"Are you an expert?" Shang Yechu raised her eyebrows and looked at Li Yi.

Li Yi smiled brightly: "I'm an expert, but don't worry, Xie An isn't. So even if you act a little vaguely, he won't be able to tell."

Shang Yechu lowered her eyelids and remained silent. Li Yi assumed that everyone had a good grandmother and could act "vaguely." But Shang Yechu knew that she couldn't be at all.

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After getting the crux of the problem from Li Yi, Shang Yechu went to ask Jiang Erjing. Jiang Erjing's ancient attire and demeanor were always praised, so learning from him was essential. After all, Shang Yechu needed to do more than just "walk like a man," he needed to "walk like a dashing man."

Jiang Erjing didn't hold back either, explaining everything in detail to Shang Yechu on WeChat.

“I once had a period drama where I played a cripple,” Jiang Erjing recalled. “He was a special kind of cripple. One of his legs was shorter than the other, and out of self-esteem, he tried his best to learn how to walk like a normal person.”

"Therefore, I have to play the role of a 'crippled person pretending to be normal,' who can't be too lame, nor too normal."

"This drove me crazy at the time. What does it mean to be both lame and not lame? Can a person be pregnant and not pregnant at the same time, and dead and not dead at the same time?"

“But the competition was fierce back then—” Jiang Erjing and the wealthy screenwriter were somewhat alike, both fond of reminiscing about the past. “If I couldn’t do it, someone else would have to step in. I was anxious, and in the end, I came up with a terrible idea…”

Jiang Erjing said to Shang Yechu, "In the script, I put a screw in the shoe of the lame foot!"

"As a result, my foot would hurt a lot when I walked, but for the sake of appearances on camera, I had to endure it and pretend that nothing was wrong."

"The final cut was excellent!" Jiang Erjing said proudly. "If you search for 'Jiang Erjing's acting compilation' online, you'll definitely find it."

Jiang Erjing's words gave Shang Yechu an idea. Before filming began, Shang Yechu had a detailed discussion with Yi Tianzhao and the props team.

When Shang Ye first opened her eyes, she looked completely different in the mirror: her sword-like eyebrows slanted sharply towards her temples, and her eyes shone like bright stars. Her fair skin had been given a touch of color. The shadows on her features were more defined, and her contours were more angular.

Her jet-black hair was meticulously tied within a net, forming an elegant bun on top of her head, with only a few stray strands hanging loosely beside her forehead. Shang Yechu's sharp chin and slender neck were exposed, both adorned with makeup.

In order to save time, Yang Huanyi claimed that Xiao Fengque did not need heavy makeup and directly sacrificed the male makeup. The makeup artist then revealed this trick on Shang Yechu's face.