Chapter 51
News of K-BOX's filming of "Stripped" broke a long time ago, and fans of the book have been eagerly awaiting the TV adaptation. Film buffs are also eagerly anticipating K-BOX's impressive post-production team. Now, when the staff has been released, everyone is stunned.
First, the AI Dream series has been a global bestseller for several years, boasting a massive fan base and a foreseeable future for a major IP. It's surprising that Kexing wouldn't capitalize on such a valuable resource themselves, instead allowing Xingchen to get involved.
Secondly, it was normal that the director invited Bei Jiaxiang, after all, he is an internationally renowned director and the subject matter he is good at is also consistent, but the fact that the leading actor was He Tong was a surprise to many people.
The original novel doesn't explicitly state the protagonist Harvey Don's ancestry, but based on his appearance and name, fans generally assume he's Chinese. Even so, no one expected the film's creators to cast a legitimate Chinese actor, especially one who'd never starred in a film and only had a single Best Newcomer Award.
This isn't to say that people don't trust He Tong's acting skills, but rather that American companies tend to prefer using their own people in films. Furthermore, as a nation of immigrants, America has no shortage of well-known Asian actors.
After the surprise, the happy book fans and netizens who were looking forward to the movie acted like tap water and created another wave of popularity for He Tong, pushing Xingchen to the front of the hot search list #He Tong starring in the stripping# to the first place.
[Although it's a joint venture, we Chinese finally have an actor who can star in a blockbuster American film directed by an internationally renowned director. What a honor! [Thumbs up]] [I heard He Tong was losing weight for his new film, but I didn't expect it to be "Stripping." Well, at least he's showing his commitment. Given his original figure, he'll have to lose at least 20 pounds to match Tang's.] [Actor Ye is also on the list. Who will he play? Tang's friend? His younger brother?] [Probably not his younger brother. Tang's siblings are twins, so they're obviously the Hesen siblings in the back.] [The name is second, so I'm just going to blindly bet on AI.]
The other actors are all quite famous, too. Christina, who won Best Actress, will definitely play Tang's mother. Uncle Charlie, who probably plays his stepfather, has won Best Supporting Actor two or three times. The Hessen siblings also won two Best Newcomer yolks at last year's Golden Rose Awards in the US. Tris was also nominated for Best Actor. [Surrounded by strong opponents, I hope He Tong can stand up and not be overshadowed.] Of course, there are also haters who are jumping on the bandwagon.
[Xingchen has invested, and He Tong and Ye Yuze have both brought in money to the cast again, confirming their resourcefulness!] [This disgusting guy who only knows how to sell homosexuality every day dares to act in an American blockbuster. Just wait for the American people to boycott him!] [At such an old age of 20, he still plays a 16-year-old high school student. It's definitely unbearable to watch.] However, these brainless negative comments were quickly and spontaneously retorted by netizens.
It's 2020, and people are still using homosexuality as a marketing tool? They didn't hold a knife to your necks and ask you to be their fan. [A film by Kexing, produced by Director Bei, and they're getting a starring role with nothing but credit? Do Kexing and Director Bei realize how they're being underestimated?] [In my opinion, Kexing's concession to Xingchen clearly shows they're eyeing the Chinese market. Joint ventures aren't considered foreign, so the release policies aren't as strict.] [A 20-year-old playing a 16-year-old can still be mocked? What a disrespect for the amazing makeup artistry.] [Please, when you're bashing people, use some brains. Such stupidity makes rebutting them seem demeaning.] After learning about the situation, Tongze fans relived the initial buzz they felt when the news of "The Painter" first broke. They didn't go out to praise their idol, but instead vented their excitement by sharing the reposts in the Tongze chat room.
[Tongtong, you can do it! Work hard and catch up with Master Ze as soon as possible!]
Young Master Ze mentioned earlier that Tongtong was stressed out from memorizing lines, and I sighed. Turns out I was naive! Tongtong was actually memorizing English lines this time! [I saw comments saying Tongzi needs to lose over 20 pounds! If I had his perseverance, I'd probably be fair, beautiful, and well-off by now—and this is coming from a chubby girl who struggles to lose even 5 pounds.] [+1 to the above. And, based on my base, losing 20 pounds is reasonable. But Tongzi has a typical clothes hanger build; losing 20 pounds is incredibly difficult for him.] [No wonder they were stressed out before. They'll have to film in lockdown for several months. Pray for everything to go smoothly, and for the shoot to wrap up quickly so he can recover!] [+10,086 to pray for everything to go smoothly!]
◆◇◆
At this time, He Tong and Ye Yuze were preparing to start shooting.
He Tong wore a baggy T-shirt and jeans—according to the book, these were his stepfather's old clothes. A gust of wind would even cause the baggy clothes to flutter a bit, further highlighting his thinness.
Ye Yuze's look is futuristic, with long silver hair, star-shaped contact lenses, and light gold lips, creating an inorganic aura. His outfit is a black bodysuit with gold patterns. While not clinging to the body, it still beautifully outlines his form. His slender figure, seemingly unassuming, now resembles a delicate, cold mechanical puppet.
He Tong's heart raced at the sight of this unrealistic look. He quietly grabbed Ye Yuze's hand and gently scratched it, then leaned in and whispered, "I really want you to go back with your makeup on..."
Ye Yuze's silver eyelashes trembled, and she turned around and said expressionlessly, "How about I make you a custom silicone doll?"
He Tong chuckled and said, "Then forget it. I like flesh-and-blood people who can respond."
Then he stroked his chin and looked up at his brother Ye: "However, we can make a BJD doll... Well, we can also make the old characters..."
Fang Chen, who was waiting on the side, couldn't help but walk over and knock He Tong on the head.
"What kid? Hurry up and get to work. Cheer up and act well. The people playing your supporting roles this time are all big names, don't let them outshine you!"
He Tong smiled confidently: "Don't worry, I won't embarrass the Chinese people."
Bei Jiaxiang still gave He Tong some special care. The first scene was a duet between him and Ye Yuze, just to let him show his strength first.
Seeing He Tong and Ye Yuze coming to the shooting location, Bei Jiaxiang waved and called them over.
"How's your line?" He patted He Tong's arm and asked, "You read well during the reading. Is the live recording okay?"
He Tong was not modest and said with a smile: "Don't worry, I've been memorizing it for two months and I know it by heart."
Bei Jiaxiang nodded with satisfaction, explained the play to the two of them, and after seeing that the adjustments on the field were complete, he personally led the two of them into the field and explained each camera position.
Seeing that the director attached so much importance to the two Chinese leading actors, the crew members, no matter what they thought in their hearts, at least everyone behaved a little more politely on the surface.
The first scene features a brief confrontation between Tang and a shadowy AI. Upon meeting the AI, Tang attempts to tell others about it, but for some reason, he becomes speechless when the subject is brought up, leading others to suspect he's ill. As the group splits up to explore the castle, Tang deliberately remains alone, retreating into a room to confront the AI.
All parties are ready and the clapperboard starts.
◆
The door of the room was opened and Tang poked his head in to look around.
This is a dim storage room with some things scattered around.
He pushed the door open carefully, walked in sideways, and then turned around and closed the door.
He gripped the door handle, his head lowered, his shoulders hunched slightly, and a few deep breaths brought his shoulders up and down.
Then, he turned around abruptly, glared at the shadow in front of him, and growled, "Who the hell are you? Are you the one who brought us here?"
The shadowy figure stared back at Tang without a trace of expression on his face, and said calmly, "If you leave the others now, you can still walk out of the castle, through the forest, and back to reality."
Tang frowned, suppressed his anger, and said in a low voice: "You know this is impossible."
The shadow said in a dull voice without any intonation, "They will keep pestering you, dragging you down, until you can no longer move."
Tang's brows were twisted into a knot. He clenched his fists and wanted to refute, but when he opened his mouth, no words came out.
Shadow: "Your heart makes it impossible for you to refute me."
Tang pursed his lips, biting his lower lip hard with his teeth, and the muscles on both sides of his cheeks trembled slightly. After a while, he finally let go of his lips, and the words he uttered were a little muffled: "This is impossible... We... can definitely all go back..."
The shadow just looked at him calmly.
Tang's eyes flickered, as if he didn't dare to look at the phantom. He turned his head to the side and stared at the ground for a moment before turning back.
"I don't care who you are or why you brought us here. Now I just want to ask you, what can we do to open the castle gate and get out?"
"This is your heart, you can go out when you want to."
Tang took a deep breath, controlled his emotions and continued, "Speak something I can understand!"
The shadow didn't speak again.
The two of them just stood there facing each other.
After a while, the shadow suddenly raised his hand.
Tang clenched his fists defensively to his chest.
Shadow: "Stretch out your hands."
Tang stared at him for a few seconds, then hesitantly loosened his fist and changed it to a palm-up position, but his body remained tense.
Then, the two of them maintained this posture motionless for half a minute.
During this time, He Tong's gaze gradually shifted from Ye Yuze's face to his hands. His eyes kept widening, and finally a shocked expression formed on his face.
The clapperboard rang at this moment, and a staff member ran in, put an ancient-looking bow in He Tong's hands, and then quickly ran out.
The clapperboard rang again.
Tang looked at the bow in his hand that had just been woven from countless rays of light in shock.
Shadow: "It can protect you. When you encounter danger, remember you still have a bow."
Tang opened and closed his mouth, uttering a dry voice: "What...what...mean..."
Then, his eyes widened again.
The clapperboard rang for the fourth time.
Ye Yuze picked up the bow from He Tong's hand and walked out of the camera range.
The clapperboard sounded again and the filming continued.
Tang stared blankly at his empty hands - just now, the bow turned into light particles and entered his body.
He clenched his hands, suddenly looked up and around, but could no longer find any trace of the shadow.
"Hey! Where are you!"
"Hello--"
He walked around the room in vain a few times, finally looking down at his hands again.
Then he hugged himself and slowly squatted down in the middle of the room.
After a long time, a low sob was heard in the room.
◆
"Card!"
Bei Jiaxiang, who was sitting behind several monitors, stood up and gave a thumbs-up: "Pass."
The next scene was the group scene at the beginning of the film. The other actors had just come over and stood in a row behind Bei Jiaxiang, watching the monitor together. Now they all gave He Tong friendly applause. Charlie also blew a loud whistle and gave He Tong a thumbs up.
He Tong stood up, walked back with a smile, and when he passed by Ye Yuze, he naturally put his arm around his shoulders.
As he came closer, He Tong politely greeted everyone, bumped fists with Charlie, and at the same time quietly hugged Ye Yuze tighter.
Bei Jiaxiang urged with a smile, "Alright, let's go downstairs to the lobby for the next scene. You two should hurry up and touch up your makeup."
He Tong nodded, apologized to the others, and took Ye Yuze to the dressing room.
After walking a distance, Ye Yuze suddenly grabbed his hand and pushed down his shoulders.
"Heavy."
He Tong changed his arm from hugging his shoulders to hugging his waist, and whispered in his brother Ye's ear, "I'm definitely not wrong this time. Telles is interested in you!"
Ye Yuze raised the corners of his lips slightly: "So what?"
He Tong snorted: "Just wait and see. If he wants to make a move on someone else's man, he will be suppressed!"
The author has something to say: Thanks to the little angel "Shinto Noh" for the grenade~~
Thanks to the little angel "aug" for the mine~~
Thanks to the little angel "Jiufang Chenyue" for the nutrient solution~~
Thanks to the little angel "Yao Xiang" for the nutrient solution~~
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