The morning shooting task was completed smoothly.
Before filming began in the afternoon, director Li Mingzhou finished explaining the scene to Wen Xingze and Chi Yan, walked around the camera equipment twice, and suddenly sighed: "Alas..."
No one in the entire crew paid any attention to him.
The prop and set crew were busy checking details, the actors were reading the script and rehearsing their lines, and the makeup artists who had some free time were curled up their fingers and checking Weibo.
Li Mingzhou: “…”
Li Mingzhou felt extremely frustrated, yet unwilling to accept this. After two seconds, he calmed down and sighed again in a rhythmic manner: "Ah - ah - ah -"
Under the urging gazes of the entire crew, the assistant director had no choice but to step forward and interrupt the spell: "Director Li, what's wrong?"
"I'm worried," Li Mingzhou said, his mustache curling up proudly after finally getting some support. He acted like a sage and said worriedly, "Xiao Wen will be acting opposite Mr. Chi for the first time this afternoon."
Although Wen Xingze must have acted with Chi Yan when he was learning acting from him, and the two of them even had a scene together during the audition for "Dust Planet", those were still a far cry from the actual filming.
——In the industry, more than 90% of actors will experience "Chi Yan syndrome" when they act opposite Chi Yan for the first time.
There's a saying that a good actor can inspire the entire crew. Chi Yan is undoubtedly the best actor in the industry, but acting opposite him is no easy task: he's simply too perfect, and actors with less solid acting skills can easily be led by the nose and be completely unable to keep up with Chi Yan's pace.
Moreover, Chi Yan is like a magic mirror, magnifying even the slightest flaw of his co-stars. This is the "Chi Yan syndrome."
Even many of the top actresses and actors in the industry have experienced this situation, let alone the newcomer Wen Xingze?
"After working with Award Winner Chi, my acting skills have skyrocketed. It's fair to say that without these two months, I wouldn't have the trophy I hold right now," one actress said at the awards ceremony. "Do you hope to work with Award Winner Chi again? ... Uh, honestly, not really."
If acting is compared to a mountain, then Chi Yan is the Mount Everest that every actor wants to cross but cannot, and he will still appear as the protagonist of a nightmare many years later.
In fact, when the actual shooting started in the afternoon, the situation was much better than Li Mingzhou had expected.
"……Card!"
Li Mingzhou watched the playback together with the assistant director and the screenwriter of the group.
This section tells the story of the protagonist Xia Huai and the bionic man, who were suspicious of each other at first, became dull, and then became increasingly close as they got along day and night. One day, Xia Huai came home drunk after collecting junk and threw a bottle of wine to the bionic man.
In that short and intense moment, for the first time in history, the two people put aside their grudges, put aside their national and species identities, and chatted freely.
This is a relatively important scene in the early stage of "Dust Planet", and it also paves the way for the climax in the early stage - shortly after this scene is the highlight of the entire first half, which has to be shot in one shot. It can be said to be the soul of the entire movie.
Chi Yan's performance was impeccable.
Wen Xingze's performance was actually very good. If the actor he was acting opposite was not Chi Yan, Li Mingzhou would have given him a pass.
but……
"Why not just...pass it?" Li Mingzhou hesitated for a moment and said, "It's not bad actually."
He did this not to cover up or let Wen Xingze off, but out of a mentality problem. Many actors have been devastated by the Chi Yan syndrome in the past. If Wen Xingze is not given confidence in the early stages, he may lose his mentality later.
And this part is not badly shot either. The assistant director and screenwriter can't find any flaws at all.
"I don't think it's passable," a voice suddenly interrupted, commenting, "Xia Huai's emotions here are completely off-kilter, especially those few seconds of eye contact in the middle. It's completely out of character. It's terrible. Reshoot it."
Assistant Director: “???”
Who said something so outrageous?! The screenwriter turned around in shock and saw it was Wen Xingze... Oh, that's all right.
Wen Xingze was holding the script, and at some point, he had leaned over to the viewfinder to watch the playback.
Wen Xingze was indeed merciless in his criticism of himself, and he actually argued with Li Mingzhou for half a minute. Then Li Mingzhou finally let go and laughed heartily: "Okay, reshoot, don't regret it later!"
Li Mingzhou went to discuss the details with the photographer. After a while, he couldn't help but look at Chi Yan.
Chi Yan was holding a cup of hot water, lowering his eyes and chatting with Wen Xingze about the plot. He reached out to help him smooth his hair, and then he suddenly realized something and looked at Li Mingzhou.
Among all the years that Li Mingzhou has been filming, Wen Xingze is the second actor who personally requested a reshoot.
Chi Yan, many years ago, was the first one.
Even their expressions when they asked for a retake were the same, showing a spirit of unwillingness to admit defeat and unwillingness to give in.
Wen Xingze wanted to climb over the mountain of Chi Yan.
Chi Yan and Li Mingzhou exchanged glances before continuing to talk to Wen Xingze. The more Li Mingzhou watched, the more he felt... Chi Yan seemed quite proud.
...Chi Yan was very proud, even a little complacent, but he just didn't know who to show off to.
Anyone who can teach a student like Wen Xingze would feel proud, let alone Chi Yan.
The sharp look in Wen Xingze's eyes when he looked at him, that light, every time Chi Yan thought of it, his blood would be deprived of oxygen and his heartbeat would slow down, so slow that he could clearly hear every vibration echo.
“…”
There's a reason why Chi Yan's peak has remained unreachable for so many years. It's a chasm carved by talent, time, and dedication, and it's not something that can be easily bridged.
"Card!"
"……Card."
"Take a break for now, Ka."
They spent the next two hours reshooting this scene. Either Director Li was not satisfied, or Wen Xingze was not satisfied, or Chi Yan was not satisfied. This scene successfully broke the record of reshoots since the filming of "Dust Planet" started.
"Xiao Wen, your basic skills are actually fine," Li Mingzhou rewatched the latest replay and finally said, "Maybe you're still a little short of feeling... Well, tonight happens to be Christmas Eve, so I'll give you a day off."
The crew was bustling with activity, and even though they were tired, they still had to continue with the necessary preparations.
When they heard the word "holiday", everyone pricked up their ears.
Li Baopi even knows how to give people a day off?!
But Wen Xingze was not so happy, even a little depressed, feeling that he was holding everyone back.
"I'm not giving you special treatment," Li Mingzhou said, not wanting Wen Xingze to misunderstand or get upset. He patted his shoulder and said, "Our previous filming efficiency was much higher than expected, which saved us a lot of time. I'm giving you a break so you can get used to it. In my experience, it's better than forcing yourself to shoot... By the way."
Li Mingzhou recalled something: "A friend of mine held a Christmas Eve party at Linshui Mansion. There were no media present. It was just a gathering of old friends and young people. He told me before that he wanted to invite you..."
It was not known how Ji Meng knew about Wen Xingze, but at that time Li Mingzhou considered that they were filming and probably had no time, so he helped Wen Xingze to refuse.
At a time like this, Wen Xingze was in no mood to go out and celebrate Christmas Eve. "Thank you, Director Li, but I want to go back and read the script myself. The banquet will be--"
"Her name is Ji Meng, Xiao Wen, do you know her?" Li Mingzhou completed the sentence.
"——That's pretty good. I'm willing. What time tonight?" Wen Xingze immediately changed his words.
Everyone: “…”
Grass.
Many actors present almost fell to their knees.
A living fossil-level goddess and actress, she was already a legendary figure in Chinese film history 20 years ago. How could I not recognize her?!
Although Ji Meng, who is in her fifties this year, has retired and moved behind the scenes for many years, her influence is still there. Moreover, Chi Yan was also instructed by Ji Meng when he first started filming, and like Li Mingzhou, he can be regarded as an enlightenment figure.
Wen Xingze wasn't trying to curry favor with the powerful, nor did he want to use the banquet to expand his network or gain any fame, but he did want to meet Ji Meng. He had a feeling that this would be the key to breaking through his current predicament!
Li Mingzhou: "Okay, then I'll tell her... By the way, it starts at 7 o'clock."
Their filming base is located in the suburbs of the capital, and it takes more than an hour to get back by car, so Wen Xingze has to set off now.
So that was decided.
Chi Yan wordlessly went to get a scarf for Wen Xingze and put it on him. The driver was waiting not far away. The crew became even quieter, and everyone looked at each other...
Although there have been speculations before, the atmosphere and interaction between Film Emperor Chi and Wen Xingze, huh?!
Although there are overwhelming reports of a deep bond between master and disciple and a friendship that transcends age difference, when you actually look at how they get along, those who don’t understand are either single or blind.
Wen Xingze said goodbye to the director and everyone else, and just as Chi Yan was about to get in the car, Li Mingzhou stepped forward and stopped him.
Chi Yan's eyes were confused: "?"
Li Mingzhou's eyes were equally confused: "???"
"I gave Xiao Wen the day off, but I didn't give anyone else the day off?!" Li Mingzhou was shocked that Chi Yan could be so shameless and openly skip class. "You still have a show tonight."
Chi Yan's eyes were still confused: "But..."
Li Mingzhou whistled at the car: "Go! Go!!!"
The Maybach carrying Wen Xingze disappeared at the end of the road, spraying exhaust fumes all over the crew members' faces.
Chi Yan: “…”
Seven o'clock in the evening, Linshui Mansion.
There was a luxurious fountain at the entrance, doormen stood on either side, and luxury cars lined up in two rows on the parking lot. But there was no atmosphere of grandeur or extravagance; the guests seemed quite casual, and the ladies didn't wear evening gowns.
Just as Li Mingzhou had said, this was a private party. In her early years as a Hollywood actress, Ji Mengji had made a number of close friends both inside and outside the industry, most of whom were now prominent figures in their respective fields. On holidays, they would still set aside their status and sit down happily for a drink with their old friends.
Of course, in addition to good friends, there were also some younger people whom Ji Meng had coached or had high hopes for, as well as sons and daughters brought by various families. According to Queen Ji, a banquet would always be boring without young people.
There is a cool motorcycle parked at the door.
"So cool..." Next to Wen Xingze, a boy who had just gotten out of a Lamborghini circled the motorcycle twice, drooling, "AJS!"
Wen Xingze hadn't seen it clearly just now, but when he turned the corner, his eyes also showed hearts: "AJS!!!"
Ding, the code matches.
Wen Xingze and the boy looked at each other and established a very deep friendship in just half a minute.
Motorcycles are the ultimate romance and life ideal of every man and boy. The two-wheeled supercar in front of us once symbolized an era, with an open frame and twin engines... It was sold for more than 50 million yuan and has long been a distinguished guest of the museum.
Why is it stopped here? Whose boss does it belong to?
Besides the two of them, there were quite a few other men around, either secretly watching or taking pictures with their phones. It seemed everyone was doing the same thing.
Wen Xingze dared to bet that all the men at the party would not be able to help but look at the door a few more times, and it was possible that they would be absent-minded the whole night.
"You are Wen Xingze!" The boy chatted with Wen Xingze about motorcycles for ten minutes. After introducing themselves, the two happened to walk into the light and the boy shouted again.
Wen Xingze: “Ah?”
"I've wanted to meet you for a long time, haha," the boy said as he pushed open the door. "You're going to be surrounded soon, so be careful."
Wen Xingze: "Ah???"
Before I could ask any more questions, the door was pushed open - there were quite a few people on the first floor, and everywhere I looked were top actors, popular screenwriters, and supermodels.
The first person to notice the commotion here was actually an old acquaintance.
"Aze!"
Fang Ruxue was chatting with someone, and when she saw Wen Xingze, she was very surprised and walked over: "I didn't hear that my aunt invited you, it's really..."
The last time I saw Fang Ruxue was probably during the recording of "Fantasy Cruise." It's been over half a year, and she's still wearing that jade hairpin. I didn't expect to run into her here. What a fate!
Moreover, Fang Ruxue is actually Ji Meng's niece? !
Wen Xingze: “!”
Wen Xingze was equally delighted. Just as he was about to chat with her for a few more words, he suddenly realized that many eyes on the first floor were focused on him. Then, the entire first floor gradually became quiet.
The next second, the crowd moved again.
Just like a zombie siege, many guests, holding champagne, politely and happily approached Wen Xingze:
"I've heard so much about you! He's even more handsome in person than in his photos!"
"I've wanted to meet you for a long time, haha... Xiao Wen, I heard that you and Actor Chi are master and apprentice?"
"Those paparazzi from Pineapple News were completely subdued by you—"
Everyone present was invited by Ji Meng. They had decent personalities, and the circle wasn't full of intrigue and intrigue as depicted in novels and TV dramas—at least not here.
A star like Wen Xingze, who is good-looking, talented, and has a magical relationship with Actor Chi, to the point that even the Pineapple Newspaper doesn't dare to make up any negative news about him, of course everyone likes and is happy to make friends with him. After all, there are only benefits and no disadvantages.
It’s just because of Wen Xingze’s personality, and he’s busy, so we rarely see him in any social occasions. This is the first time!
Everyone was so enthusiastic that Wen Xingze was a little overwhelmed for a moment.
Fang Ruxue was standing nearby, equally delighted to see an old friend. She suggested to Wen Xingze, "Aze, why don't you play the suona for everyone to liven things up!"
Everyone was delighted: "Yes, yes!"
Wen Xingze: “…”
Wen Xingze: “?”
Christmas Eve? Suona?
Is there something wrong with him or with this group of people?
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