Early the next morning, Jing Li headed to the set as usual.
There were scenes between the male lead and several veteran actors this morning. It was a rare learning opportunity, and he would not miss it.
It had to be said that watching masters of acting showcase their skills was truly exciting, especially for the veterans whose every pore exuded character, leaving them with profound insights. Before he knew it, the morning had slipped by.
The first scene in the afternoon was between Jing Li and the male lead Fu Yan, so during the lunch break, Fu Yan came over to ask how his preparations were going.
“If you have time, shall we do a read-through first to get a feel for each other?” Fu Yan suggested with a smile. “A friend is coming to watch this afternoon, so I want to get in sync first.”
Fu Yan’s attitude was very sincere, showing no arrogance despite his status as a film emperor1“视帝” (shì dì) directly translates to “Emperor of Viewership.” This title is colloquially used to refer to a male actor who has achieved significant recognition for his acting skills, usually by winning major awards.. Naturally, Jing Li had no objections, especially since a chance to rehearse beforehand could only benefit him. So, he readily agreed.
The two found a quiet spot and ran lines, with the blistering noon sun beating down on them. Even the cicadas were chirping in irritation, but the actors were oblivious, totally immersed in the scene, with sweat dripping down their faces that they didn’t even bother wiping away.
Many people passing by couldn’t help but pause to watch this dedication, some even sneakily snapped photos of them intensely focused on rehearsing to post online later.
Soon, it was time to start filming. The two wrapped up rehearsal, had their makeup touched up, and entered the set.
This scene was about the male lead’s early days after joining the sect.
As a newly admitted disciple, the male lead had passed numerous trials and climbed the Stairway to Heaven, but right before stepping into the grand hall, exhaustion caused him to miss a step and nearly fall into the abyss. At this perilous moment, he was spotted by the young master who happened to be sightseeing there, who reached out at the critical second to save him.
After enduring tribulations and narrowly escaping a plunge into the abyss, the young master’s appearance was no doubt a ray of light for the male lead and is the source of motivation to continue down the path of cultivation. Although this one assist on the stairway led to him being criticized and envied by others, it could not erase the young master’s kindness in his heart.
This scene aimed to present such a beautiful, hopeful vision to the audience. To fully convey the feeling of light in deepest despair, it placed extremely stringent demands on both actors’ emotional states.
Moreover, since this scene relied almost solely on facial expressions to convey emotion and inner states, and the effect must be applied in post-production, the current set was simply a green screen. This posed an even greater test of acting skill.
“Action!”
Jing Li stood at the edge of the green screen, imagining himself standing on a cliff, looking down with interest as if he’d spotted something fascinating below. In an instant, his face took on an expression of novelty.
Powerful winds from the fan blowing in his face nearly dried out the moisture in his eyes, but he appeared oblivious, gaze still fixed below with utmost concentration.
Led by him, the crew seemed to truly enter the world of the scene, unconsciously holding their breaths as they watched his expressions.
The raging winds around him continued to blow across his face, flapping his robes noisily and blowing his long hair back and forth. But the man in front seemed entirely unaffected, not showing a hint of pain. On the contrary, he looked down the cliff with an expression of ease as if something novel and amusing below had captivated him.
After a moment, someone suddenly called out “Young Master” from behind. He turned to reveal an exquisitely beautiful face.
In that instant, everything around fell silent. All that existed was that mesmerizing visual before them. Even the clouds in the sky lost their color next to him.
But the man didn’t notice it at all.
Jing Li turned his head back to gaze at the empty space behind him, paused briefly, then moved to turn toward Fu Yan.
Unexpectedly, through the gap in the green screen, he caught sight of someone.
But after just a pause, he withdrew his gaze unconcernedly and looked down at Fu Yan, who was lying on the ground, and continued his unfinished performance.
It was as if that brief hesitation had been only a figment of imagination.
Gu Tingshen watched the figure beyond the screen, somewhat surprised by the change in him.
In the past, his impression of Jing Li was mostly based on rumors from the outside world and Jing Yu’s nagging. In his memory, he was just a playboy with a bad temper and nothing to do. He didn’t expect that now he would see a dedicated professional actor fully absorbed in his craft.
This was another change in his view of the other party after the last banquet.
Originally, he came here to visit his friend Fu Yan. The two hadn’t seen each other for a long time. It happened that this time, the filming location of his friend was not far from the capital. There were some details of a cooperation project in hand that needed to be discussed further, so he came over.
It was only when Jing Yu called that morning, right before he left, to ask him to bring some things over that he found out Jing Li was also part of this crew. At the time, he thought nothing much of it.
When he came here, he happened to catch up with Fu Yan, who was filming. He had nothing to do, so he came over to take a look. Unexpectedly, he unexpectedly saw Jing Li, and it was a different side of him.
Dressed in a moon-white ancient costume, the man stood before the aesthetically displeasing green screen. He was surrounded by filming equipment, with a fan blowing right at him.
Originally there was nothing to watch, even somewhat absurd, but that person was performing in a serious manner. Someone shouted something, and the other person suddenly turned around, allowing him to see clearly what Jing Li looked like now.
It was the same face, but it looked even more refined and attractive than usual. The outline of the facial features was deepened and coupled with the long hair with a feather crown, he looked just like an elegant young master stepped out from ancient times, yet with an air unlike any nobleman’s. He had a somewhat different temperament. If one were to describe it, it would probably be an immortal as others call it.
Gu Tingshen actually rarely watched TV dramas and such, but the moment he saw Jing Li, he couldn’t help but be amazed by Jing Li’s appearance. He stood there rooted and staring at that face for several seconds before Jing Li was called again and turned away, jolting him from his daze.
This was a scene that had almost never appeared in his twenty-odd years of life, leaving him somewhat a little stunned as he came to his senses.
“I didn’t expect that Jing…Li would look so good in ancient costume!” The assistant beside him couldn’t help but praise in a low voice, “If this is posted online, it will definitely set off a craze!”
“No, Jing Li-laoshi was born to be in the entertainment industry. He is good-looking and has good acting skills.”
“That’s right,” a crew member nearby readily agreed upon hearing the praise for Jing Li. “Even I, who normally don’t follow celebrities, can’t help but be captivated by Jing Li-laoshi. I’m now one of his most loyal fans.”
“Me too,” another person chimed in. “In all my years in this industry, I’ve rarely seen an actor as outstanding as Jing Li-laoshi. And he’s so friendly and courteous to us staff too.”
…….
More and more people joined in singing Jing Li’s praises, each with genuine enthusiasm and admiration. It was clear they truly liked Jing Li from the bottom of their hearts.
Gu Tingshen observed this scene with slightly raised brows, completely surprised by Jing Li’s good reputation among them.
Recalling how his friend had boasted about his younger brother in an irritatingly proud manner these past days, Gu Tingshen glanced again at the young man at the center of the screen.
He had to admit, the other had become even more dazzling than before. As if born to be surrounded and adored, he became the most eye-catching presence wherever he went.
It seemed that after the last setback, he had changed a lot.
Gu Tingshen looked intently for a moment, then hooked his lips in interest, deciding to take the opportunity to reconnect with this junior later.
But before he could approach Jing Li, the other took the initiative to find him and come to him.
*
This scene finished smoothly in one take, to everyone’s delight.
Director Li kept patting Jing Li’s shoulder and praising him for a good long while before finally letting him leave.
After bidding farewell to everyone, Jing Li instinctively glanced in Gu Tingshen’s previous direction, only to find he had slipped away unnoticed.
After thinking about it, Jing Li messaged Gu Tingshen to meet in the backyard and then headed over to wait.
He didn’t plan on asking the other to his room. Firstly, he didn’t want to be too high-profile and cause unnecessary trouble. Secondly, he felt that he didn’t have much interaction with the other person, so it was not suitable for him to make an appointment to talk in such a private space.
On the way to the backyard, he imagined countless possibilities for Gu Tingshen’s presence here, but after thinking about it, apart from his brother Jing Yu, he couldn’t think of any other reason why Gu Tingshen would come to the set.
Moreover, just last night he had declined his brother’s offer to visit.
But…
Were his brother and Gu Tingshen really close enough for this?
Did he go through all this trouble for something like that?
Jing Li rubbed his temples, already feeling a headache coming on.
Soon he arrived at the meeting spot and took a moment to calm himself before Gu Tingshen showed up. He had decided to properly discuss this matter when the other arrived.
Several minutes later, Gu Tingshen came alone as promised. Upon seeing Jing Li, he immediately raised a brow and asked, “You wanted to see me about something?” His manner was as if he were an innocent bystander suddenly summoned.
Still pretending!
Jing Li silently complained but kept an obedient smile on his face. “Tingshen-ge, long time no see.”
Gu Tingshen stood before him and looked him over for a while. Then he chuckled lightly and said, “Is this how you usually coax your brother?”
He paused, then continued, “Unfortunately, that doesn’t work on me. Just say whatever you want directly.”
Jing Li was slightly taken aback, then couldn’t help cursing inwardly at this old fox. Outwardly though, his smile remained as he replied, “No, I was just surprised that you would suddenly show up, that’s all.”
“Oh?” Gu Tingshen nodded with mock seriousness, then gave him an amused, scrutinizing look. “Are you sure it wasn’t shock?”
Jing Li: “…”
Seeing the subtle change in Jing Li’s expression, Gu Tingshen let out the softest chuckle. “What if I was sent by your brother to ambush you?”
Jing Li: “…”
Jing Li was rendered speechless, not having expected such an opening act from the other at all.
Fortunately, Gu Tingshen wasn’t so bored as to keep teasing him. With a laugh, he said, “Kidding, I’m just teasing you.”
He looked the young man up and down and earnestly added, “You have changed quite a bit, though, and become more interesting than before.”
Jing Li watched him woodenly, barely keeping himself from broadcasting ‘How long do you plan on keeping this act up?’ across his face.
Gu Tingshen was clearly entertained. He couldn’t help laughing again, but this time didn’t continue teasing. Instead, he directly said, “I really didn’t come just to catch you red-handed. Though your brother does know I’m here. He had me bring you some things, which my assistant has already delivered to your room. You can go check when you return.”
Jing Li was stunned, unsure for a moment whether he was telling the truth.
Just then, Gu Tingshen suddenly paused before seriously continuing, “By the way, I would like to remind you that your brother has been at odds with the Wang family recently because of you. You should also stay away from that boy from the Wang family. Don’t make him anxious.”
Having said that, he gave Jing Li a meaningful look before turning to leave, leaving Jing Li still dazed in place.
In a not too far corner, another figure had been standing but also quietly slipped away.
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