Fans have made various speculations, but unfortunately, no details have been revealed yet regarding which actors will be involved in the so-called big-budget overseas production; all that has been given is an English title.
Things are different now. In the past, it meant honor for celebrities to participate in overseas blockbusters. Just appearing in a big production and walking the red carpet to outshine everyone else would earn them the title of "international star."
However, with the development of the domestic film market, the appeal of foreign blockbusters has disappeared. Not only are celebrities less enthusiastic, but fans are also indifferent.
Fortunately, DW Entertainment responded promptly, stating that Ji Yan did not go abroad to film and had remained in China.
Now that it's confirmed that Ji Yan didn't go abroad, fans have lost interest in the Ji who's filming overseas. With the popularity of "At 23" still going strong, fans thought the "Wings" group would have more activities, but Ji Yan actually went to film a movie.
"So, is Teacher Ji in seclusion on set, honing his skills?"
"Teacher Ji, who is focused on filming, please say hello. It feels like the group variety show is even more distant now."
"Ji Yan's new film seems very mysterious. Could it be a work by a famous director?"
"He Tang is still a god in my heart, and I hope his new movie will be even better."
"+1+1, I have a feeling that Teacher Ji is trying to hold back something big."
With the huge success of "Wings" at 23, Ji Yan and the others have been gaining popularity. This confidence, which comes from their work, is different from others. Even the fans have stood up straight. Fans who have followed "Wings" from "Idol Century" to now never thought that this day would come.
Besides being genuinely happy for "Wings," they also felt a sense of joy at the discovery of a treasure they had been protecting.
...
Ji Yan remained obediently on set for "Young Love Poems," and as the plot progressed, he began to feel the pressure.
Firstly, because the character Gu Shan has a love story – although his wife eventually leaves him in the script, they had happy times together, otherwise they wouldn't have started a family.
Ji Yan is stuck on the hurdle of finding a romantic partner.
He had read the script carefully, and filming had been going on for nearly a month. Under the guidance of Zhu Shuguang and Qin Zhen, he had basically grasped the psychology of the character Gu Shan. After the female lead You Kesi joined the crew, the filming of Gu Shan's romantic scenes basically began, but Ji Yan had not yet found the right state of mind.
What should Gu Shan's psychology be like? What are the feelings of this character when he is in love? Before reading the complete script, Ji Yan felt that Gu Shan was an image with only stars in his heart and no emotions. In addition, he himself had never been in love, so Ji Yan did not spend too much energy on the part of the romance.
However, acting opposite You Kesi made Ji Yan feel pressured.
"Are you still reading the script?" He Qing had already gone out for a walk and returned. When he went out, Ji Yan was reading the script, and when he came back, Ji Yan was still reading it.
He Qing couldn't help but admire Ji Yan's diligence.
Even among professionally trained actors, He Qing had rarely seen anyone more willing to put in the effort for filming than Ji Yan. Even in harsh filming conditions, Ji Yan was able to maintain a composure beyond that of ordinary people.
He Qing was also aware that Ji Yan had recently encountered a bottleneck. The female lead, You Kesi, was a great actress, and she could usually get her scenes right in one take. However, Ji Yan was constantly being criticized by Zhu Shuguang. Whenever his scenes were cut, You Kesi had to reshoot them. You Kesi's expression had also been gloomy these past two days.
Although the other party didn't say anything, no matter who was tired from reshooting again and again, they couldn't possibly be in a good mood.
"Let's take a look first." Ji Yan said to He Qing, but his attention was still focused on the script.
He had marked this part of the story beforehand, but it was later confirmed that his understanding of it was flawed.
Ji Yan scrolled through his phone's text messages. Since WeChat stopped working, he and Qin Zhen would communicate during the day on set and then text each other at night to discuss the plot. He had written down Qin Zhen's words in the script, but Ji Yan knew that how to portray the character Gu Shan still depended on his own understanding.
"Brother He, have you ever been in a relationship?"
Ji Yan's sudden question made He Qing look puzzled: "...We talked about it."
"I didn't." Ji Yan ran his fingers through his hair. "My head is spinning."
What should Gu Shan be like in a relationship?
After thinking it over, Ji Yan felt that his understanding of the character Gu Shan was too simplistic. He had only constructed the relationship between this character and Xingxing, but he had not gained a deep understanding of other aspects of Gu Shan.
He Qing simply sat down and chatted with Ji Yan about his romantic history.
After they finished talking, Ji Yan said, "...Brother He, you're such a womanizer."
“I’m telling you about my own romantic history out of kindness,” He Qing patted Ji Yan on the back, “to help you understand the character.”
"I'll look into it some more."
Ji Yan sighed softly.
He has never been so conflicted since filming "Young Love Poems".
Ji Yan turned to He Qing: "Brother He, do you have Sister Ke Si's number?"
"Yes...you plan to discuss the plot with Yukos?"
"First, I want to apologize. After all, I've been holding her back. If possible, I'd like to discuss this with her."
He Qing is a bit older than You Kesi and is her senior at Beijing Film Academy. Students at Beijing Film Academy are known for their unity in the entertainment industry. Although You Kesi is currently more popular and famous than He Qing, she still respects He Qing as her senior.
"Then I'll let you know first," He Qing reminded Ji Yan, "but don't stay up too late, remember to get some rest."
"Mm." Ji Yan nodded.
He Qing helped Ji Yan get in touch with You Kesi. At first, You Kesi was quite indifferent, but after Ji Yan expressed his thoughts on the role, she gradually became more patient and started talking to him.
By the time Ji Yan noticed, it was already past 11 o'clock.
He Qing was already asleep.
Ji Yan yawned, took a sip of tea, and continued.
Yu Kesi was the person he was acting opposite, and Yu Kesi's understanding of the character was also helpful to Ji Yan. Right now, it was quiet outside, and tomorrow was a day off, so he had plenty of time to understand the character.
—Although Ji Yan was not sure whether he could fully understand the character before filming.
He seemed to have returned to the time when he was filming "I, Nameless" overnight.
but--
At this moment, he can only rely on himself.
The night was deep. While He Qing was asleep, Ji Yan kept the light on. After getting tired of reading the script, he closed his eyes and lay on the bed simulating the interaction between Gu Shan and Wei Jin. Perhaps it was the strong tea that had worked, but Ji Yan's mind was particularly clear. He sorted through everything he had been taught that day: what Zhu Shuguang had said, what Qin Zhen had said, and what You Kesi had said...
Unable to sleep, Ji Yan got up again.
He had never been so engrossed in anything before, but besides the exhaustion, he felt a great sense of satisfaction from immersion.
...
When He Qing woke up, Ji Yan was already asleep, and sleeping very soundly. He carefully put on his shoes and walked out without disturbing Ji Yan.
Today was a day off for everyone on the set, but when He Qing arrived, Director Zhu Shuguang was there. Producer Lu Yu was also there today. The two were chatting under the shade of a tree. When they saw He Qing, Zhu Shuguang asked him, "Where's Ji Yan? Don't you two usually hang out together?"
“He’s still sleeping,” He Qing said. “He was reading the script until 3 a.m. last night, and when I woke up in the middle of the night, he was still working on it.”
"Are you oppressing someone else's child again?" Lu Yu glanced at Zhu Shuguang. "Don't be so harsh. Xiao Ji has already tried her best."
“I didn’t say he wasn’t working hard,” Zhu Shuguang said. “But he has this talent, how can he not make good use of it?”
Objectively speaking, Ji Yan's performance a few days ago was definitely not bad, but because he showed his talent as an actor, Zhu Shuguang felt that Ji Yan could have done even better.
He didn't want Ji Yan's talent to be buried because of mediocrity. Actors must raise their standards for themselves. Zhu Shuguang had seen too many talented actors who were perfunctory in their performances. These people may have already won Best Actor and Best Actress awards, but from Zhu Shuguang's perspective, if they pushed themselves a little harder, they might be able to achieve even greater success.
The path of acting is endless.
Zhu Shuguang was drawn to directing by the images on the big screen when he was young. He still remembers the charm of those actors. Back then, many films were still in black and white, and the technology and environment were not good enough, but Zhu Shuguang could see the actors' love for acting.
Actors like that are rare nowadays because actors face different desires, and their environment is different from that era. Zhu Shuguang has seen too many actors who are obsessed with making money, investing, speculating in stocks, or flaunting their so-called international superstar status.
He can't say he disapproves of them, after all, actors have different pursuits, and he can't correct their outlook on life and values based on his own thoughts. But when he encounters an actor who is truly willing to devote himself to filming, he will always be stricter with them.
...
Ji Yan woke up around noon. He Qing wasn't there. He rubbed his aching head and went for a walk outside.
He Qing probably went down the mountain to play. This is something that actors and staff do on their days off. Although filming here is regular and relaxing, the days are too boring, even though there's not much to do in the town down the mountain.
He Qing has recently become obsessed with fishing. He would take his fishing rod and circle around in the nearby stream. He even found a lobster hole and brought his fish and lobsters back for a meal one day.
Ji Yan: "..."
He was genuinely shocked, feeling that the "Young Love Poems" crew had now entered a state of savagery.
The mountain environment was indeed pleasant; being there seemed to calm even the most restless mind. The temperature had recently dropped from its peak when filming began, and Ji Yan ran slowly, feeling more and more relaxed as he ran.
After several days of hitting a roadblock and several days of reorganizing, he thought he knew how to film it.
"Ji Yan, aren't you going down to have some fun?" Lu Yu waved to Ji Yan with a smile. "He Qing and the others drove down together, why don't you come and take a look around too?"
Lu Yu felt that Zhu Shuguang was putting too much pressure on Ji Yan. He thought Zhu Shuguang's attitude towards Ji Yan was too old-fashioned. After all, Ji Yan was still a young man, and his previous performance had been quite good. Lu Yu was worried that keeping him on edge would break Ji Yan. Although Zhu Shuguang said that Ji Yan didn't need to worry about this, Lu Yu still wanted to help Ji Yan relax as much as possible.
He also had expectations for Ji Yan.
However, as a producer, his expectations were not as pure as Zhu Shuguang's; he was more looking forward to... the moment when the character Gu Shan would shock the entire film industry.
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