Chapter 37
The filming days passed quickly and fulfillingly, and it was soon mid-September.
He Tong and Ye Yuze asked for three days off from the crew and flew to Xiangcheng to participate in the recording of a program.
The show, "The Actors Are Here," is a popular variety show promoting film and television dramas. Hunan TV has been running it for years, and its ratings have consistently been high. They participated this time to promote "Tian Yao," which will air during the National Day holiday.
"Tian Yao" has been scheduled to be broadcasted in prime time on the evening of October 2nd. The recorded "The Characters Are Coming" will be broadcasted on September 30th as a strong promotion before the broadcast.
In fact, promotion for "Tian Yao" had intensified since August. However, He Tong and Ye Yuze's original contract stipulated that they would only participate in one variety show promotion and would not participate in any roadshows. They had only participated in a few online promotional events before that.
Fang Chen, He Tong, and Ye Yuze arrived in Xiangcheng a day early. After a good night's rest, they headed to the TV station's studio building the next morning.
There were many guests from the crew of "Tian Yao", including the leading female star Liu Qing, the second female star Feng Yingjun, the leading male star Yang Hedong, and the second male star Huang Ye.
Since the show is called "Here Come the Characters", the guests are required to look as close to the characters in the play as possible. Although they don't need to do a full set of makeup, they must at least change into the costumes.
The program team allocated a dressing room to Ye He and his partner, and the other two dressing rooms were allocated according to gender.
As soon as the two of them put on their clothes, the hosts Da Ding and Xiao Ding knocked on the door and came in to check the process.
Although they share the same surname, they are not relatives, though they still address each other as brother and sister on the show. Today, they also wore Hanfu (Chinese traditional clothing) to suit the occasion, and they looked not much different from the other guests.
As soon as Xiao Ding entered, he smiled and asked for an autograph: "Please, two male gods, please sign one for me first, so I can show off on WeChat Moments. Many of my friends are fans of yours."
He Tong also responded with a smile: "Then let's sign a few more copies for Sister Ding so that you can give them to others."
Xiao Ding shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, I just want them to be jealous of me, humph."
Da Ding sighed beside him, "Oh, I'm always worried that this silly little sister might get put in a sack and beaten with a club one day."
This sentence made everyone laugh.
The next step is to confirm the entire program flow and the questions that will be asked.
After the conversation ended, Da Ding asked, "Are there any questions we need to ask about other dramas?"
Although the main focus of the promotion is on the drama that will be on the show, the actors can also say a few words about other dramas that they will be on or are currently participating in, so he asked this.
He Tong shook his head: "Just mention the name of 'Edgeless Blade', no need to say anything specific."
Xiao Ding also asked, "What about Mr. Ye? Even now, many people are still wondering whether the best actor will appear in 'Bladeless Blade'."
He Tong raised his index finger and pressed it to his lips: "We have to keep this a secret."
Upon hearing this, Da Ding and Xiao Ding smiled knowingly.
Then the two of them said goodbye and went to other guests.
More than an hour later, the staff came to inform them that they could go on stage and led He Tong and Ye Yuze to the prepared venue. They also met four other guests on the way.
Fang Chen took his team to the reserved seats in the audience.
As a variety show to promote film and television dramas, "The Actors Are Here" does not entertain the audience by pranking guests like many variety shows that appeared later. Instead, it focuses on promoting the dramas first and then promoting the actors.
The program is divided into two parts.
The first part is mainly a conversation, aiming to introduce the upcoming TV series to the audience. It will also play some behind-the-scenes footage that has not been made public and talk about some interesting things during the filming.
Liu Qing and Yang Hedong, two top stars, are both seasoned variety show veterans and are adept at showcasing themselves. He Tong, while not actively stealing the spotlight, never lets himself be overshadowed when it's his turn. Ye Yuze, though quiet, possesses a powerful presence, coupled with his stunning looks that captivate the audience. He makes a powerful presence simply by sitting there.
In the end, the two newcomers, Feng Yingjun and Huang Ye, were subtly overshadowed, and it took several attempts by Da Ding and Xiao Ding to speak up for them so that they were not excluded.
This part was shot for an hour and a half and will be edited into about 40 minutes later.
After the intermission, the second part of the filming will continue with the guests' talent show.
Although it is called a talent show, it is actually necessary to stick to the drama being promoted. Of course, the guests have made sufficient preparations for this part in advance, and this part is to show the charm of each guest.
The editing time of this part is 30 minutes, so when there are a lot of people, they cannot perform one by one and must be divided into groups.
Xiao Ding said with a smile: "I haven't seen a duet performance for a long time. I'm really looking forward to it."
Da Ding started to jeer: "How are we going to divide this? How about we just randomly match them up?"
Liu Qing immediately raised her hand: "I request to be in the same group with Master!"
He Tong glanced at her and said with a deliberately stern face, "You have a family, you have to take good care of your family."
Yang Hedong also showed a bitter face: "My wife, please don't abandon me."
The audience burst into laughter.
Xiao Ding jumped up to Ye Yuze and pretended to hold the microphone forward. "Come on, I'd like to ask Master for his opinion. Master, who would you like to be in a group with?"
Ye Yuze chuckled: "My eldest disciple is a sword fanatic. He can't do anything except practice sword. I have no choice but to take care of him."
As soon as these words fell, the laughter in the audience rose again.
So, the three groups were naturally divided - of course, this grouping was agreed upon in advance.
The first to go on stage were Liu Qing and Yang Hedong.
The staff brought up the table, spread out the rice paper, and then placed the pen holder, pen washer, inkstone, ink stick and clean water.
Yang Hedong rolled up his sleeves, poured some water into the inkstone, picked up the ink stick and started grinding it.
Da Ding was surprised and said, "He Dong is very skilled."
Yang Hedong nodded and said, "I've been practicing calligraphy with my grandfather since I was little, so I'm used to it."
Xiao Ding asked, "So what are you guys planning to perform today? Writing?"
Liu Qing answered while picking up a pen from the pen holder: "I draw and he writes, we collaborate on a painting and calligraphy."
Da Ding was surprised: "I've heard that Hedong can write calligraphy, but I didn't know Qingqing can also paint Chinese paintings."
Liu Qing chuckled and said modestly, "I practiced freehand brushwork for a while when I was a kid, but I'm not very good at it, and I don't have any other talents, so I'll just show off my ugliness today."
Afterwards, she mixed some ink herself and began to paint. In just ten minutes, she had created a small-scale freehand landscape painting, which was exactly the Chongxin Sect's Wenxin Peak, where the heroine Tianyao grew up.
Yang Hedong then picked up his pen and wrote a poem written by the original author for the Chongxin School in the blank space beside it.
Xiao Ding jokingly said, "Qingqing, you can do that! Could this also be one of the subjects that Senior Brother has been teaching us since we were little?"
He Tong replied tactfully, "Of course this was taught by Master. I taught her how to fight."
Liu Qing laughed heartily and said to Ye Yuze, "Master, can you please give me some guidance?"
Ye Yuze didn't hesitate to walk up and take a look. Then he rolled up his sleeves, took out a pen, dipped it in ink, and added a few strokes to the painting.
Liu Qing was a little surprised - this was not discussed in advance.
After he put down his pen, everyone came over to take a look and discovered that he had added three figures on the Wenxin Peak, who looked exactly like the three of them, the master and his disciples.
Xiao Ding pressed a hand to his heart: "Oh my god, brother, this actor is incredible! Let's touch him secretly and see if we can get some of his aura!"
Da Ding pushed her away in disgust: "Go away, I don't have a sister as embarrassing as you."
He carefully picked up the calligraphy and painting on the table and showed them to the camera and the audience.
The enlarged calligraphy and painting were immediately displayed on the screen at the scene, and exclamations and applause were heard from the audience.
After everything was cleared away, Feng Yingjun and Huang Ye were the next to perform.
Compared to the distinctive performances of the two seniors, the two newcomers seemed rather underwhelming. They sang a duet of a theme song from the drama's wedding, the lyrics of which were written specifically for the show. Both were singers who had won talent shows, and their voices and singing styles were quite impressive.
The last to perform were He Tong and Ye Yuze.
Ye Yuze was holding a flute in his hand, while He Tong was holding a sword in one hand and a wine jug in the other.
The book fans in the audience couldn't help but whisper when they saw what they were holding - the original author had written a small extra story for the master and the eldest brother. The content was that on the night of the heroine's wedding, the happy master returned to Wenxin Peak and improvised a cheerful tune, while the eldest brother, who had drunk a little too much, performed a drunken sword dance to the sound of the flute.
The lights in the venue dimmed, leaving only the spotlight on Ye Yuze.
He raised his hand, placed the flute across his lips, and the clear sound of the flute began to sound.
The sound of the flute was melodious at first, and then gradually became cheerful, as if someone sighed and then couldn't help but smile.
Another ray of light shone down, illuminating He Tong's figure.
He Tong first raised his hand to "drink" a sip of wine, then shook the sword, swaying his body and stepping forward. Then, with a flash of sword light, the sword tip swiftly drew several arcs. He squatted and swept his legs, then jumped sideways, his slender body fully stretched out, his movements agile and slightly drunken. Soon, the sword light danced in a circle around Ye Yuze.
The sound of the flute was sometimes high, sometimes low, and He Tong's movements became faster and slower accordingly.
Finally, the flute sound abruptly stopped at a high note. He Tong suddenly threw the wine jug, leaped up, turned around and stabbed, and rolled on the ground, lying sprawled on the ground as if he were truly drunk.
The lights dimmed and then came back on, and the two men were already standing on the sidelines bowing.
The audience finally woke up from their dream and burst into thunderous applause.
Xiao Ding came over while clapping his hands. "I know, I know. This is the extra chapter in the book! The music is so beautiful!"
Ye Yuze: "It's an interlude in the drama, you can pay attention to it when watching the drama."
Da Ding pulled He Tong aside and asked, "This Drunken Sword is so cool! I want to learn a few moves from it. Did you learn it on the set, Xiao Tong?"
He Tong: "I learned from Master Yang, the martial arts director of the filming of 'Bladeless Blade'. He saw that I had a unique talent and wanted to take me in as his apprentice. Unfortunately, I had no interest in martial arts, so I only learned a little bit."
The audience burst into laughter again.
Other guests also followed onto the stage and the show came to an end.
Xiao Ding: "Today I watched hilarious behind-the-scenes footage, heard interesting filming stories, and witnessed wonderful performances. I really want to see "Tian Yao" soon."
Da Ding: "It's almost there, you can watch it the day after tomorrow. It will premiere on Hunan TV at 8pm on October 2nd, with two episodes every night. Everyone remember to watch it on time!"
After the recording was over, the audience left the auditorium in an orderly manner and collected their mobile phones.
Less than a minute after the fans at the scene got their phones back, the news exploded in the group.
[Oh my god! This aura! It makes my hair stand on end!]
As a fan of the book "Tian Yao," Jian Zhu, and Tong Ze, my life is worth it! [I can't share specifics due to a confidentiality agreement. But I want to tell you: You absolutely must watch "The People in the Play Are Coming," which airs on September 30th!]
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