Chapter 243
On a Weibo account, Chen Si and Li Zhouye, stars of the drama "Cang Hai," each released a promotional photo. Unlike the in-drama looks released on the official Weibo account, their stylish, Chinese-inspired looks stand out among the other materials.
The strong Chinese style, coupled with the unexpected presence of Chen Si and Li Zhouye in the photos, evokes a certain verve of the original characters. Fans of both groups were treated to a treasure trove, their earlier dissatisfaction with the official promotional photos instantly dissipating.
Needless to say, Chen Si is a leader in both fighting and acting. "Cang Hai" is adapted from an original novel, and the anime has already been released before the series.
While there's a significant difference in appearance between Chen Si and the heroine in the comic adaptation, fans of both the book and comic were merely surprised. Those fans who were open to the idea of a drama were more concerned with the lead's ability to capture the core of the character than with physical appearance.
When Zhou Xiao accepted Chen Si's invitation to film this new Chinese style series, she witnessed her reputation shift from being considered unsuitable to a reversal after leaked footage and behind-the-scenes footage emerged. Besides the actress's own efforts, the director's direction also played a significant role.
As for Li Zhouye, even after filming wrapped, no videos or photos were released that showed any resemblance between him and the character he was playing. However, while filming him, Zhou Xiao could discern that while he wasn't as close to the character as Chen Si, he wasn't entirely without merit.
Fang Xi's costumed martial arts drama "Cang Hai" has garnered significant attention since its initial production. Zhou Xiao speculates that this may be intended to dampen audience expectations for Li Zhouye. In the current domestic entertainment landscape, fans are genuinely complaining about a lack of fresh blood. Even among the short guys, one can still find a Li Zhouye.
Thinking about it this way, the director's method of suppressing the first character was particularly brilliant. The leading female character was stronger than the second, and even the second, no matter how ordinary, could still be carried to the top. Zhou Xiao felt that he had learned a lot from watching this operation.
…
Zhou Xiao wasn't surprised by the show's release date. When she sent the edited images, Chen Si's agent, Qin Wan, had told her that, barring any setbacks, the show would air around May or June. After all, the most challenging satellite TV approval process had already been completed, and the main focus was on securing a prime-time slot.
Handing the phone back, Zhou Xiao nodded. This wasn't a secret worth keeping. He said, "I took the photo." Just as he finished speaking, he saw a glint in the other person's eyes.
Lu Mengqi happily asked her assistant to take the phone and said, "Then take a group of photos of Jiang Linhe and me according to this standard! We are both in the group, so we can spare half a day. You can take as many photos as you want!"
Zhou Xiao's eyes were filled with doubt. After thinking for a moment, she finally couldn't help but ask, "Excuse me, is this what you two both mean?"
You know, she even had a message on her second account from Jiang Linhe's agent inviting her to film. But judging by Lu Mengqi's behavior, it seemed like there hadn't been any communication between the two sides?
"Yes, Brother Jiang asked Meng Qi to stop by and tell you," the assistant who had put his phone in his pocket answered first.
Seeing Lu Mengqi's apparent approval, Zhou Xiao mentally questioned Jiang Linhe, whom he had yet to meet. He continued to smile, but his tone was somewhat indifferent. "I don't take photos casually, but Mr. Lu, you can find anyone else to take them."
"Ah? But I came to you because you take beautiful photos." Lu Mengqi, who seemed to have not heard the hidden meaning of Zhou Xiao, continued seriously.
"Hiss" Zhou Xiao felt that there was a lot of naivety in this sister's character. Then he moved his gaze to the assistant next to her who looked exactly the same. He could only say that the other party's agency was really powerful and careless.
She was able to snag Director Fang's drama from among a host of actors, but without the shrewd agent who could control the overall situation. Zhou Xiao really didn't know what the other party was trying to do. The "silly beauty" setting was not practical on the crew. In fact, this personality was too easy to offend people silently.
"Sister Zhou! One of the HMI lamps on the set is not working. Can you help me find a light bulb?" A staff member's voice was heard from a distance. His voice was not too loud and a little hoarse.
"No problem!" Zhou Xiao had previously observed the general layout of the props in the prop room, so he didn't think about how to find a light bulb at this time. He turned around to look at Lu Mengqi and her assistant and said politely, "I have something to do here, so I'll go help first."
Without paying any attention to the two people's reactions, Zhou Xiao turned around and went back to the prop room, only to see a girl from the art team lying on the open wooden window.
Seeing Zhou Xiao come in, she didn't mention the DIY lantern again. The girl pointed to the lunch box on the small table and told her to eat quickly. She glanced at the two people who had already turned around and were about to leave. With a smirk on her lips, she whispered to Zhou Xiao, "Don't be too kind on set. Some people are good at playing dumb, especially those in the entertainment industry."
Zhou Xiao was a little curious, but he knew the other party wouldn't say anything if he asked again. He smiled and thanked the other party for helping him out. "Thanks, I'll bring you something delicious next time!"
…
"You're still on Director Fang's set?" Zhang Hongyu sounded a bit surprised on the other end of the line. The new Chinese style that Zhou Xiao had filmed for Chen Si and Li Zhouye had been incredibly popular recently, and many people had come to him to ask if he was taking any productions.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Xiao didn't even notice this overwhelming wealth. Thinking of this, Zhang Hongyu, who answered the phone, couldn't help but burst into tears. He should take this opportunity!
Zhou Xiao heard the sourness in Zhang Hongyu's words and couldn't help laughing. He held back his smile and replied to him that he was indeed still in Director Fang's crew.
Zhang Hongyu immediately became excited when gossip was brought up. His earlier sour feelings were completely forgotten, and he couldn't wait to roll up his sleeves and tell Zhou Xiao all the gossip he had accumulated about the industry.
Speaking of this, it's a bit too small to say that Zhang Hongyu's comfort zone is his territory. This is clearly his territory. Thinking of this, Zhang Hongyu couldn't help but sigh. So what if Zhou Xiao takes good photos? When it comes to gossip, you still have to rely on yourself~
"Hey, you understood it correctly," Zhang Hongyu said enthusiastically. "She's a big star, so how could she take us staff members seriously? But don't listen to the entertainment gossip that her family is rich, or that she's some wealthy princess trying her luck in the entertainment industry, so she's unfamiliar with the ways of the world. Lu Mengqi just can't be bothered to be nice to people like us."
Zhou Xiao nodded, and based on their previous interactions, he crossed out Lu Mengqi's name. He then asked Zhang Hongyu, "What about Jiang Linhe? I think he has some ulterior motives, what do you think?"
Before Zhou Xiao could tell Zhang Hongyu on the other side that the other party's assistant had found him privately, he heard Zhang Hongyu on the other side make several "tsk tsk tsk" sounds in succession, with a look of extreme disgust.
"He's a shrewd man! And don't be fooled by the way he often looks like he's been wronged and is cleaning up his partner's mess. Believe it or not, it was him who ordered Lu Mengqi to ask you to take the same photo for them!" Zhang Hongyu said with some disdain, "A man who always hides behind women will eventually fall from grace. When he first became famous, he asked my friend to do his makeup and styling. He was almost done, but he said he wasn't satisfied! He hasn't even received the balance yet!"
Zhang Hongyu's friend was also optimistic about Jiang Linhe's potential, hoping to leverage his popularity to boost his own fame. Instead, he showed up, put on his makeup, and didn't get the final payment. Seeing Jiang Linhe's critical comments about her makeup during the livestream and the curses and insults from fans in the square, he didn't dare to come forward to ask for his salary.
"But he's just a popular artist, so what?" Zhang Hongyu rolled his eyes. The more he chatted with Zhou Xiao about gossip, the more excited he became. He even checked the official Weibo account for "Flower Journey" to see who the actors were following, and then he told Zhou Xiao gossip about each one he remembered. He only reluctantly stopped talking when his phone prompted him to charge.
Zhou Xiao admired Zhang Hongyu's memory, which was so detailed that it felt as if he were there. He knew there would be exaggerations, but gossip was certainly fascinating. Plus, with Zhang Hongyu's prior disclaimer, he could just treat the gossip he'd picked up on set as entertainment.
He checked his phone's battery level and saw it was running low. After greeting Zhang Hongyu, Zhou Xiao was about to hang up when he heard Zhang Hongyu's hesitant tone, "By the way, Zhou Xiao, when are you leaving the film and television city?"
Zhou Xiao thought about it. If everything goes smoothly with Director Fang's filming... "It will be around the end of June. Then we can take a wrap-up photo of all the crew members, as well as some photos of the on-stage and behind-the-scenes scenes."
The crew of "Flower Walk" has been wrapping up filming one after another, with three of the main characters already having finished filming. Zhou Xiao has read the script, and aside from the finale and a major scene, it's basically the same. Actually, the finale is more complicated than the major scene.
"June, happy June!" Zhang Hongyu said these six words and didn't reveal anything else. He chuckled, told Zhou Xiao that he was going to charge his phone, and then hung up.
Zhou Xiao raised his eyebrows, suddenly remembering that Qin Wan had said something similar to him. He couldn't help but find it a little funny. Did everyone like to reveal the topic like this?
…
On the set of "Flower Walk," Zhou Xiao hadn't received any offers from either side since rejecting Lu Mengqi last time. Standing next to the director, camera in hand, she recorded each actor holding a bouquet of flowers, tears welling in her eyes as she watched the crowds coming and going.
Many actors left the production today, and the mood was even more melancholic than before. Fang Xi was strict, but it was a wonderful experience to be able to train under her.
Seeing so many people coming over to hug Director Fang, many even crying as they spoke, Zhou Xiao felt a little embarrassed. If everyone hadn't specifically faced their agent's camera while crying, perhaps it would have seemed more sincere.
Zhou Xiao watched Fang Xi beaming from the sidelines, and couldn't help but admire him. He must have become immune to these issues after so many years of directing. He even actively cooperated with everyone's performances. He seemed like a very good director, both on and off screen.
"I'm going to give everyone a day off tomorrow," Fang Xi, who seemed especially gentle once she was off the intercom, said to Zhou Xiao with a cheerful smile. "Thanks to you, the pre-production for the new drama is pretty good."
The show's publicity department initially ignored Zhou Xiao's photoshoot, though they were somewhat surprised that the lead actor would pay for a photoshoot out of his own pocket. However, since the money wasn't included in the publicity costs, they were naturally quite happy with it.
Unexpectedly, it also sparked a number of bloggers to spontaneously cosplay, sparking interest in the drama among netizens on short video platforms and saving a lot of money. To say that it was all thanks to Zhou Xiao is not an exaggeration.
The new drama "Cang Hai" was launched on May 20. After the intensive marketing in the first half of the month, anyone who usually slacks off and looks at their phone knows when and on what platform the drama will be broadcast.
Not only did "Cang Hai" qualify for satellite television, it also partnered with the domestic video platform Blueberry Video for simultaneous online streaming. Everyone in the group was wondering if they'd be organized to watch the show together that evening, but the director unexpectedly gave everyone the day off. Some of the more active ones began to wonder if they should write a review.
But Zhou Xiao, who had been observing the filming for a while, understood why Fang Xi didn't let everyone watch the show together. Since both "Cang Hai" and "Fang Hua Xing" are period dramas, it's easy for one to be compared.
Furthermore, despite being directed by the same director, the former focuses on the career storyline with the romance as a secondary focus, while the latter is the opposite. Public opinion is also more interested in the former. Forcing the "Flower Walk" crew to watch this, what else could it be but a nuisance?
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