After Lin Xiao was dragged away, the atmosphere finally returned to harmony.
This time, Director Li took the initiative to speak before Jing Li could, “This is indeed a negligence on the crew’s part. We didn’t expect that person’s personal character to be so low. Don’t worry, I will handle this properly.”
“Thank you for your trouble,” Jing Li smiled and said humbly, “I’m sorry to have caused this unpleasantness right after joining the crew.”
“Bah, how can we blame you for this! You can’t expect others to have the same moral standards as you, right?” Seeing his kind attitude, Director Li smiled so hard that the wrinkles on his face came out and continued where he left off, “Let’s not dwell on these mood-killing things. Now that it’s settled, why don’t we go to the lounge first to take a look at the contract?”
Jing Li had no objections and nodded in agreement. The group happily went to the lounge to continue the discussion.
Since this was Jing Li’s first time acting, the treatment offered by the crew was good but not extravagant. It was apparent that they had carefully considered and offered the best terms they could afford.
Although Jing Li did not lack money, he was deeply touched by their sincerity. After letting his team’s lawyer review it and confirm no modifications were needed, he signed his name directly.
“Welcome to the Immortal Road crew. If you have any questions in the future, feel free to communicate with the assistant director or me directly,” Director Li said with a smile as he stood up and extended his hand to Jing Li, “I hope we have a pleasant cooperation.”
“Likewise, I look forward to our cooperation,” Jing Li politely shook his hand lightly.
And so, Jing Li successfully signed with the crew and became an official member.
After signing the contract, he would start shooting. But considering this was Jing Li’s first time acting, Director Li still gave him a day to rest and prepare. However, due to the confidentiality of the filming, he could only stay in the room arranged by the crew during that time.
Jing Li had no objection to this. After everything was settled, he followed the staff to the arranged room.
The room was not far behind the set. It was not very spacious but was tidy and clean. Pushing open the window, he could see the busy figures on the set, but the distance ensured no noise could be heard at all.
After seeing off the staff, Jing Li’s entourage immediately began redecorating the room entirely.
All the original items in the room were removed and replaced with things brought from home.
Jing Li knew this was Jing Yu’s intention, so he did not stop them. He only asked them to clear out a comfortable space for him first before sitting down on a single sofa and starting to read the script, leaving them to do as they pleased.
He sat there the whole afternoon until he felt the daylight fading and looked up from the script.
The entire room had been completely transformed. The FLOU1Flou is a luxury Italian furniture brand that specializes in high-end beds and bedding, as well as other furniture and accessories for the sleeping and living areas. The name Flou comes from the French word for “blurry” or “hazy”, which reflects the softness and comfort of their products. A Flou double bed can cost from $3,000 to $10,000, while a Flou sofa can range from $2,000 to $8,000. knit king bed, silk rug, pear wood coffee table…almost everything in the room had been replaced. Compared to the previous simplicity, it could be described as extremely luxurious.
What surprised Jing Li the most was that the layout of the room was exactly the same as his room in the Jing family villa. Even the pillows on the bed were the same style as his.
It was evident they had spent considerable thought and effort.
And thinking about how Jing Yu’s deep care for him lay behind all this, Jing Li’s expression instantly softened.
It seemed Senior Brother was still the same. No matter where they were, the care and love he had for Jing Li had not decreased one bit.
Just as he was thinking this, his phone on the coffee table suddenly rang. Jing Li glanced down and couldn’t help laughing softly when he saw who it was. Speak of the devil!
In high spirits, he picked up the phone and answered it before the other could speak first, “How are you adjusting to the crew?” Jing Yu asked directly.
“Very good,” Jing Li smiled and responded, then teased, “You brought the whole house here for me, if I still can’t adapt then I really should go up to heaven?”
The other end was silent for a few seconds before Jing Yu’s light laughter came through, “Then should I set up a bridal chamber for you too?” He actually joked with his younger brother, something he rarely did.
Jing Li also couldn’t help laughing at being teased. The two brothers laughed together for a while before asking about each other’s situation.
“Over there you…”
“At home you…”
They both spoke at the same time, then paused and laughed again upon hearing the other.
“Take care of yourself over there. If you need anything, just tell Assistant Wu to handle it. Don’t neglect yourself,” Jing Yu said with a laugh, finishing what he wanted to say earlier. Then he added, “I heard you’ll be staying with the crew for over a month this time?”
“Mmh, I don’t have many scenes, but it will take a long time because they’re spread out,” Jing Li explained.
“Will you be able to come home in between?” Jing Yu asked.
“Probably not. Unless there’s an emergency, I can ask for leave, otherwise I’ll have to stay with the crew.”
“Can people from outside come in?”
“They can’t come in either unless it’s a pre-arranged interview or something by the crew.”
“…I heard it’s popular for fans to visit the set nowadays.” Jing Yu suddenly said.
“Yes, there is that, but… Ge, don’t tell me you want to visit the set?” Jing Li suddenly realized and couldn’t help laughing, “Don’t even think about it. With your face being so recognizable, as soon as you show up, it’ll be all over the internet.”
Jing Yu didn’t say anything this time.
Sensing the low air pressure from the other end of the phone, Jing Li smiled helplessly and gently reassured, “I know you’re worried about me, but it’ll only be a month or so. When it ends, I’ll come straight home to accompany you, okay?”
Jing Yu still didn’t speak.
“How about I video chat with you whenever I have time?”
“Every day!”
“Alright.” Jing Li agreed with a smile. He found Jing Yu’s petty attitude extremely cute but didn’t say it out, considering the other’s face.
The two brothers chatted idly for a while longer before hanging up.
After talking with his brother, Jing Li’s mood improved significantly. After dinner, he read over the script again, then washed up and went to bed to sleep.
*
The next morning, Jing Li got up early and went to the dressing room with his assistant to get ready.
It was still early, with only a few people in the dressing room. The makeup artist who had worked on him yesterday was also there. Jing Li greeted him, then sat to the side, eating the breakfast he brought while waiting for them to prepare the makeup tools.
The makeup artist also came over to chat with him. Jing Li invited him to eat together, and the two ate and chatted casually and comfortably.
When they were halfway through the meal, the door of the dressing room was suddenly pushed open from outside, and a figure walked in.
Jing Li instinctively glanced up and recognized it was the young man who had spoken up for him yesterday in the lounge, Wang Lele. He smiled and nodded in greeting, “Mr. Wang, have you had breakfast yet? I brought a lot, please help yourself if you don’t mind.”
Hearing this, Wang Lele looked at him expressionlessly and nodded slightly, “Thanks, I’ve eaten.” He then walked over to sit on the sofa on the other side, took out his phone, and started playing with it.
They weren’t familiar with each other and far from close enough to eat breakfast together. Jing Li had probably invited him because he appreciated Wang Lele speaking up for him yesterday.
But he had only spoken up because he couldn’t stand those people gossiping maliciously behind another’s back. It had nothing to do with who the person was.
Moreover, just because he had said those words didn’t mean he actually approved of anything. The people he hated most in his life were precisely those talentless rich kids who relied on their family background and status to bully others and ruin their careers!
Wang Lele tightened his grip on the phone, fingers turning white from force. His lowered eyes shone with a coldness that kept others thousands of miles away.
“Don’t take it to heart. That’s just his personality,” the makeup artist patted Jing Li’s shoulder comfortingly and said, “He interacts minimally with everyone in the crew no matter who it is, unless necessary. So, we’re all used to it already.”
Jing Li just smiled without responding.
Of course, he wouldn’t take the other’s attitude to heart. Everyone had different personalities, it was impossible for them to be perfect. He had taken the initiative to ask out of appreciation for Wang Lele speaking up fairly for him yesterday.
But he didn’t expect that Wang Lele’s straightforward personality actually left a good impression on these people. What the makeup artist just said seemed to be comforting him, but he also spoke on Wang Lele’s behalf.
But these were all other people’s matters, he could just observe without needing to find out everything.
*
It took two hours for the makeup to be completed.
Jing Li was still wearing the moon-white robe from the audition. He and his assistant left the room and went to the set to wait.
Director Li had arranged for Jing Li’s scene to be second, partly to let him get a feel for the formal shooting first and watch how others acted to find his sense of it.
Coincidentally, the first scene was with Wang Lele, whom he had gotten makeup done together with earlier.
It was a fight scene taking place on a rooftop. The actors needed to be harnessed and fly through the air, demonstrating the agile and graceful movements of cultivators. It was quite a challenging action scene.
In Jing Li’s eyes, with his true cultivator identity in the Spiritual Realm, such flying scenes were commonplace. But in this spiritually deficient world, it appeared especially novel and interesting.
Especially seeing that rig they called a harness that could make people fly, he was filled with great curiosity.
So, before the staff had finished preparing, he couldn’t help walking over to the harness rig, watching them fiddle with this and that. Finally, he walked to the side and reached out to grab a steel wire hanging down and gave it a tug.
“Excuse me, we need to get ready to start filming,” Wang Lele suddenly said from the side.
Jing Li turned his head and saw that Wang Lele had come over at some point without him noticing.
“Oh, alright,” Jing Li responded, letting go of the wire and moving to walk away.
But then there was a screeching sound from above. Looking up, he saw the thin steel wire had gotten tangled around a withered tree branch after snapping back. By coincidence, the staff member over there was doing final checks on the harness. When it retracted, the section of the tree branch tangled with the wire was pulled with great force, slowly breaking off from the tree trunk bit by bit. In just a few seconds, the tree branch was completely torn off and came crashing down right above them.
The whole process happened in just a few seconds.
And where they were standing was right below the falling tree branch.
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