lcionline Chapter 82 is a bit strange.
Chapter 82 is a bit strange.
Upon hearing this, Qi Yue smiled noncommittally.
Wang Jinsong was able to make a guest appearance in "Nirvana in Fire" with an important role thanks to director Zhang Li's connections.
It is indeed a gratifying thing to receive recognition from such a senior.
"Teacher Wang is a senior, and his presence is a great honor for our production team."
Guo Fan nodded in agreement, but then the excitement on his face subsided slightly, replaced by a hint of hesitation.
He rubbed his hands together and looked at Qi Yue: "Um... Qi Yue, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."
"Hmm? Go ahead." Qi Yue gestured to the makeup artist that she could take a break first.
"Jing Tian is here. I just met with her and her agent," Guo Fan said.
"Hmm, what's wrong?"
Guo Fan licked his lips. "Well... Qi Yue, to be honest, after confirming her casting, I looked up clips from some of her previous films and studied them."
Qi Yue didn't speak, but just looked at him quietly, waiting for him to continue.
He knew Guo Fan's unspoken message—Jing Tian's acting skills might be a "problem" that needed special attention.
Guo Fan sighed: "Well... his image and temperament are undeniably top-notch, and I believe he'll look great in period costume. But as for his acting... as the outside world has commented, it's a bit... formulaic."
"The character of Princess Nihuang is gentle on the outside but strong on the inside, with rich emotional layers regarding her country and Mei Changsu. I'm a little worried that she might not be able to carry the role, or that her performance might be too 'flat,' which would lower the overall quality of the drama, especially in some of the key scenes where she acts opposite Mei Changsu."
"Brother Fan wants me to mentor her?"
"Yes, there's no need to be particularly deliberate. Just use your methods during rehearsals to influence her, guide her into the role, and help her find a more accurate state. After all, you're the male lead now, so your methods might be more direct and effective than the director giving instructions."
Qi Yue remained silent for a moment, then unconsciously ran his finger across the makeup remover pad.
Bring Jing Tian? That's an unexpected request.
He could understand Guo Fan's thinking; considering the overall quality of the production, it was indeed necessary. A good performance in "Princess Nihuang" would be a highlight; a bad one would be a fatal flaw.
After all, Jing Tian's "reputation" is right in front of us. Anyone would worry that such a big production might be ruined by one person.
Maintaining a good relationship with this so-called Starlight Group is also something that Qi Yue is interested in.
"Okay, I understand." Qi Yue finally nodded. "I'll give it a try. But Fan, you also need to communicate with her agent. We can't just be doing something one-sided."
Upon hearing this, Guo Fan immediately breathed a sigh of relief and a smile appeared on his face:
"Understood! Understood! That's enough! Her agent seems quite pragmatic; they should cooperate. Well then... thank you for your help, Boss Qi!"
He knew that Qi Yue would do what he promised seriously, and it often had remarkable effects.
"Come on, Director Guo," Qi Yue said with a laugh.
.......
Overall, Jing Tian's first few days on set went quite smoothly.
Considering that she needed time to adjust after joining the crew, she was given relatively simple roles.
Whether it's a scene of practicing swordsmanship alone, a scene of patrolling the military camp, or a peaceful conversation with other female characters in the drama.
These scenes don't demand much in terms of acting skills; they focus more on demeanor, temperament, and camera presence.
Although Jing Tian's reputation has never been great, she is, after all, a professionally trained actress who has been working on screen for several years. She has long since shed her initial awkwardness in front of the camera and has developed her own set of experiences in dealing with different directors and scenes.
She felt she handled these small situations with ease, and after several takes, there were very few NGs.
Guo Fan didn't offer any sharp criticisms, and occasionally he would even affirm that "you're in good shape."
However, despite the smooth progress, a strange doubt began to creep into Jing Tian's mind.
She's been on set for several days now and has filmed quite a few scenes, but when I think about it carefully, she hasn't had a single scene with the male lead, Mei Changsu!
This is not right.
Princess Nihuang and Mei Changsu form one of the most important emotional threads throughout the entire series. Logically, a large portion of her screen time should revolve around Mei Changsu.
Why haven't we seen Qi Yue on set during our scenes after filming for several days?
Don't they need to rehearse and practice beforehand?
During a break in filming, Jing Tian approached Guo Fan, who was watching the monitor playback, and raised her questions.
Guo Fan looked up from behind the monitor, adjusted his glasses, and smiled amicably.
"Oh, that. The filming schedule is arranged by the production manager well in advance. Sometimes, for efficiency, they'll film scenes from the same location or with the same group of actors all at once. Most of your scenes with Qi Yue are indoors, so they might be scheduled later. It's normal not to have any scenes together right now, don't worry, I'm sure you'll be able to get them arranged soon."
This explanation was reasonable, and Jing Tian nodded without asking any further questions.
However, the doubts in her heart did not completely disappear. On the contrary, because of Guo Fan's seemingly ordinary smile, she vaguely felt that... something was not right.
After a day of filming, Jing Tian returned to the hotel room arranged by the crew, feeling completely exhausted.
Today there was a horseback riding scene. Although she mostly posed on a quiet "prop horse," she actually sat on the horse for most of the day for a few close-up shots from specific angles.
At this moment, I only feel soreness in my lower back and a dull ache in my inner thighs.
She threw herself onto the soft bed, sprawling out her limbs without any regard for her image, her two long legs swinging unconsciously.
Agent Wang Xiaoxiao followed her in, carrying a thermos and a massage gun.
Seeing Jing Tian like this, he sat down on the edge of the bed and skillfully began to massage her shoulders and lower back.
"Are you feeling better now?"
"Hmm... much better, thank you, Sister Xiaoxiao." Jing Tian squinted her eyes comfortably, like a lazy cat.
After massaging for a while, Wang Xiaoxiao moved her hand to her calf, gently kneaded it, and suddenly laughed:
"Sweetie, you seem... a little chubby."
"What?!"
Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Jing Tian sprang up from the bed, nervously looking down at her legs.
"Where have you gained weight? No, I haven't eaten much today..."
Wang Xiaoxiao suppressed a laugh and pointed to her soft calves:
"Isn't the meat a little loose here? Did you sneak some last night?"
Jing Tian's face immediately fell, and she muttered dejectedly:
"I just... I got a little hungry while reading the script last night, so I ate a tiny bit of potato chips... really just a tiny bit!"
"Really?" Wang Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow, giving off an expression that said, "I know you too well."
"...Okay, there's also a small piece of chocolate and two cookies." Jing Tian gave up, adding softly, "I hid them very well, how did you find them?"
Wang Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes at her, annoyed: "Miss, you don't even know to throw the wrappers far away after you finish eating. You think you've hidden them well by stuffing them under the bed? Fine, I know you want to eat something when you're stressed. You don't have to hide from me like a thief every time. But you have to do it in moderation, you know? You look three times fatter on camera, and period dramas have even stricter requirements for body shape."
"I know, I know, I knew Sister Xiaoxiao was the best!"
Jing Tian immediately seized the opportunity, a fawning smile on her face, while her hand secretly reached for the bedside table, where there seemed to be half a bag of "surviving" potato chips hidden.
The moment her fingertips touched the packaging bag, Wang Xiaoxiao swiftly snatched it away.
"Not tonight, you already ate too much braised pork for dinner!"
"Ah..." Jing Tian pouted in disappointment.
Wang Xiaoxiao carefully put away the potato chips along with the other "evidence" she found under the bed, sat down next to Jing Tian, and casually asked about another matter:
"By the way, Tian Tian, I think I saw you walking quite close to a girl today, and you even chatted for a while on set. What's her name? She looks pretty."
"Oh, you mean her?" Jing Tian thought for a moment, "Her name is Nazha, Gulnazar. She's an actress from Tangren Media, and she's in our group too. I think she plays a girl named Gong Yu? She's really... so beautiful!"
Even though they are both stunningly beautiful actresses, Jing Tian couldn't help but sincerely admire Nazha's exquisite beauty with its exotic charm, which stood out on set.
However, when Wang Xiaoxiao heard the name Nazha, the smile on her face faded, and her expression became somewhat subtle.
"Tian Tian, you should...it's best to have less contact with her in the future."
"Why?" Jing Tian asked, puzzled. "I think Nazha is a really nice person, quite innocent, and she even gave me food."
Wang Xiaoxiao looked at her gluttonous family member and sighed.
"This Princess Nihuang... was originally prepared for her."