This actor has something

Chapter 393 The End of Filming and Gifts

Vivian Chow's eyes seemed to well up with tears, filled with despair and emptiness, a feeling of utter despair.

Her full head of white hair, coupled with her eerily pale complexion made up to be bloodless, made her appear both beautiful and mysterious.

Zhou Xun, who was acting opposite her, was cursing her in his heart. Taking advantage of the fact that the camera wasn't on him, he quickly thought about how to respond to the scene later.

I'd never heard of Vivian Chow being such a good actress before! How did I end up working with her?! Or...

Thinking of this, Zhou Xun glanced at He Daqi without making a sound.

Or perhaps it was He Daqi who taught well?

That's all she could think of. Zhou Xun couldn't imagine anyone other than He Daqi who could have raised Zhou Huimin to this level.

After all, Ho Tai-kei has won several Best Actor awards, and his level of skill is recognized as top-notch in the industry.

"Crack!"

At Zhang Yimou's prompting, Lu Yang shouted.

The makeup artist immediately approached Vivian Chow and carefully began to look for any smudges or imperfections in her makeup.

This is He Daqi's personal makeup artist, whose skills are quite impressive. He Daqi even brought her back from South Korea. Because she was not valued in South Korea, and after He Daqi gave her a few words of insightful analysis of her future prospects, she soon came to China from South Korea to become his personal makeup artist.

Because of the high level of difficulty in her makeup and styling today, He Daqi specially arranged for a young lady to come and do Zhou Huimin's makeup.

"Zhou Xun, come here for a moment."

Zhang Yimou got up, lit a cigarette, waved to Zhou Xun, and then walked to an open space on the film set to wait for Zhou Xun.

Zhou Xun frowned slightly, called his assistant over to help lift his long ancient-style dress, and walked slowly to Zhang Yimou's side.

"Did you see Vivian Chow's performance just now?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xun immediately understood why Zhang Yimou had called him, clicked his tongue and nodded: "I saw it."

“I’m not worried about Daqi. He’s not like the usual actors. He can connect with anyone’s scenes. But with you… I’m a little worried that you won’t be able to connect later. Zhou Huimin’s scene just now was too intense. I estimate that even if she did it again now, she would have a hard time doing it the same way. So I’m going to design some physical movements and expressions for you. Have you thought about how to connect to it? We can discuss it.”

As filming neared its end, Zhang Yimou's demands became increasingly stringent. He was getting tired of watching the three geniuses show off their skills every day. Now, he wasn't approaching Painted Skin with the standards of a commercial film; instead, he was aiming for the feel of an art film.

As filming progressed, Zhang Yimou noticed that among the three gifted individuals, Zhou Huimin was becoming increasingly adept at her role, even performing better than before, while He Daqi remained consistently nonchalant, seemingly not putting in much effort and appearing as if he were just playing around.

Only Zhou Xun, as Zhou Huimin's condition became increasingly outrageous, was struggling to keep up. He was barely managing before, but with Zhou Huimin's sudden outburst today, things became much more difficult.

Zhou Xun didn't rush to answer Zhang Yimou. She watched He Daqi and Zhou Huimin chatting and laughing in front of the camera, watched Lu Yang directing the staff to rearrange the camera positions, and watched the logistics staff busily moving props and checking the set.

My gaze lingered, but my heart gradually calmed down.

"Helplessness, despair, disbelief."

She suddenly said four words, then turned to look at Zhang Yimou.

Zhang Yimou took a drag of his cigarette and smiled: "Not bad, you've got the mindset right. Now I'll tell you about some of the key points of the movements later..."

He spoke while gesturing, and Zhou Xun watched and imitated him, quickly learning almost everything.

Zhang Yimou was completely at ease giving Zhou Xun special lessons, not worried at all that He Daqi would be unable to keep up with the performance later.

In Zhang Yimou and Zhou Xun's eyes, He Daqi was a bit too exaggerated. It wasn't like they hadn't worked with good actors before. But it was clear that He Daqi's level was now quite inhuman.

Sure enough, when filming resumed a dozen minutes later, no matter how much Zhou Xun lashed out, He Daqi handled it with ease. This guy was also very shrewd, following Zhou Xun's rhythm when acting; when Zhou Xun was in a high mood, he was in a high mood too, and when Zhou Xun was in a low mood, he was in a low mood too.

Zhang Yimou, watching from behind the camera, grinned, genuinely finding it outrageous.

How did this kid develop such acting skills?

Now is a critical moment, and Zhang Yimou did not get distracted for long. His mind wandered for a moment, and his attention returned to the monitor.

A moment later, as another shot was filmed, a group of people rushed over to style Zhou Xun.

The final episode has finally been filmed, and it's time for the fox spirit to reveal her true form and wreak havoc on everyone.

Everyone on the crew was visibly tense and extremely cautious. Old Zhang was very strict about the schedule; he said he would film the ending in one take, and that meant filming it in one take. Even if the filming progress wasn't ideal, they probably wouldn't stop until tomorrow morning.

So the staff are now terrified of making a mess and delaying the production schedule, which would make them hated.

"The final scene of Painted Skin, the penultimate shot, begin!"

As soon as Lu Yang finished clapping the clapperboard, the actors in front of the camera immediately began to adjust their expressions.

At this moment, He Daqi lay dead on the ground, a dagger still stuck in his chest.

"Save...save...Peirong!"

Hearing that his beloved didn't forget his wife even on his deathbed, Zhou Xun was truly immersed in the role. His lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a thousand words. When he heard the lizard demon's heart-wrenching cry of "Xiao Wei" behind him, Zhou Xun suddenly turned around, as if he had suddenly realized something, and completely let go of his obsession.

"Crack!"

Zhang Yimou stood expressionless in front of the monitor. Everyone around him dared not breathe, afraid that he would say "do it again." They all stared at Zhang Yimou's expression, waiting for the result.

After watching the replay several times, Zhang Yimou finally smiled. Those watching him felt much more at ease upon seeing this.

"That's all, congratulations everyone, filming for Painted Skin has wrapped up." Zhang Yimou said calmly, his voice not loud, but it was very clear in the quiet film crew.

“It’s done!!!”

"Oh!!! Filming wrapped!!!"

These past few months have been tough. The announcement of the wrap party made everyone feel like it was New Year's Day, and they were almost moved to tears.

He Daqi quickly took off his armor, and without doing anything else, he went to get a bottle of ice mineral water, took a swig, and then poured the rest onto a towel and rubbed it on his face for a while.

"I will never work with Lao Zhang again."

He muttered to himself, which confused Chen Shuangxi, who was carrying a large bag.

"Mr. He, what did you just say to me?"

"Nothing, I just mean it's too hot today, it's making me uncomfortable. Hey? Shuangxi, what are you carrying?" He Daqi noticed the bag Chen Shuangxi was carrying.

"Sister Liu just asked me to pick this up from the company. She said it's a gift from Cheng Long. He doesn't know your address, so he had someone deliver it to the company." Chen Shuangxi shook her head, indicating that she didn't know what was in the bag. From Cheng Long? Is it because he felt stood up for her during the last recording session, so he's sending a gift to make up for it?
He Daqi took the bag and weighed it in his hand; it was quite heavy.

The bag contained a white cardboard box, which was neat and tidy, much like the boxes used to store computer LCD screens.

He casually tore open a gap and pulled the cardboard box open along the gap. At this moment, Zhou Huimin curiously came over, wanting to see what He Daqi was fiddling with.

Seeing the neatly stacked square boxes inside the cardboard box, He Daqi suddenly remembered the casual promise Jackie Chan made to him during his last trip to Hollywood.

"Qi-zai, when this phone is released, I'll give you a dozen or so!"

He Daqi can still vaguely recall Cheng Long's smile at that moment.

Brother Jackie Chan is still thinking about even this little thing...

Regardless, Cheng Long's gift truly warmed He Daqi's heart.

"Daqi, what are you laughing at? What's in here?" Zhou Huimin saw that He Daqi had only torn a hole in the cardboard box and then stopped opening it, so she curiously poked He Daqi and asked softly.

"A mobile phone, the kind of smartphone I told you about."

"The kind that's operated with your fingers?"

"Correct!"

Now is not the time to study this. He Daqi gestured to Chen Shuangxi, asking him to put the box of cell phones in the nanny van.

Zhou Huimin was clearly not satisfied with her curiosity, but seeing that He Daqi had made arrangements, she didn't press the matter further. After watching Chen Shuangxi leave with her things, she happily took He Daqi's arm: "Daqi, I want to go to the wrap party tonight too!"

It's rare to see this; it seems that Vivian Chow really felt that filming was tough and wanted to relax and have some fun.

He Daqi chuckled, pulled his arm out of Zhou Huimin's arms, and instead of saying whether it was good or bad, asked with disdain, "Aren't you hot? Can't you feel that I'm covered in sweat? Why are you holding my arm in this hot weather?"

"Sister is willing!!!"

That bastard, you can't give him a nice look!
Zhou Huimin punched He Daqi in the waist, then glared fiercely with her almond-shaped eyes, grabbed He Daqi's arm, and pulled him back into her arms.

She hadn't removed her makeup yet; her white lips were pouting, and at first glance, it was quite funny.

He Daqi was a troublemaker; he couldn't help but laugh, which resulted in him getting a beating from Zhou Huimin.

……

……

"Come on! Let Daqi get you a drink!"

Han Shanping was laughing so hard his eyes were almost closed. He was the happiest person at the table, even more so than the other actors who had just finished filming.

As the producer, Han Shanping only made a brief appearance at the start of filming and hadn't been seen since. Now, he suddenly showed up at the wrap party.

He came by himself, but he also brought a bunch of film company bosses with him, so much so that He Daqi had to add another table.

Amidst cheers, He Daqi gulped down a full glass of draft beer, the icy coolness making him feel comfortable from his throat to his heels, and he couldn't help but shiver.

With him taking the lead, the others also started toasting and drinking, and the atmosphere became increasingly lively.

While the others were drinking and chatting, He Daqi leaned close to Han Shanping's ear and whispered, "Chairman Han, what are you up to today?"

"What's going on? I brought the investors here for dinner, what's going on?" Clearly, He Daqi's question reminded Han Shanping of something painful, and his smile became much stiffer.

"So much? How much of China Film Group's share is left? Half?"

"...less than half." Old Han's smile had completely vanished.

He Daqi clicked his tongue. He really didn't care who participated in the investment, since he was getting a share of the profits without any investment. He was a little curious about why China Film Group had given up so much of its share, but seeing Han Shanping's pathetic state, he didn't press the matter. So he changed the subject and started urging him to drink.

The timing of the toast was perfect; Han Shanping kept drinking, one cup after another, clearly trying to drown his sorrows.

The more you drink, the louder your voice becomes. He Daqi was with Han Shanping and a group of film and television company bosses, while Zhang Yimou, Lu Yang, and a group of actors were at the next table.

Lu Yang was clearly too young, and Zhang Yimou persuaded him to drink several cups in just a few moves. Right now, he was shamelessly hugging Zhang Yimou's shoulder and crying.

His words implied that he was complaining about how hard it was to work with Lao Zhang, and everyone was laughing as they watched him make a fool of himself.

He Daqi was also a man of ill intentions. Seeing that there was something to do, he wanted to join in, so he echoed Lu Yang's words across the crowd.

"No problem! Junior brother, I understand you. Old Zhang really went a bit too far!"

"Right! Right! I wasn't wrong! Look, even my senior brother said he understands me!" Having found a source of emotional support, Lu Yang immediately got into the zone.

He Daqi laughed heartily, then, seeing Zhang Yimou's darkened face, he added a cricket-like comment.

"Anyway, I'm never working with Lao Zhang again. I feel like the number of times we yelled 'cut' during the filming of Painted Skin was more than all the other movies I've ever made combined. When we're filming Painted Skin 2, let whoever wants to come, come!"

As soon as He Daqi finished speaking, the lively atmosphere suddenly froze. Everyone at the nearby tables turned to look at him, except for Lu Yang, who was still shouting with a lisp, "Senior brother is right!"

He Daqi sensed that something was off and raised his eyebrows.

Looking around, He Daqi met Han Shanping's bright eyes and his heart skipped a beat.

"Is there a sequel to Painted Skin?" Han Shanping grabbed He Daqi's arm.

"……Have."

Damn it! I blurted out something and forgot who was in the room!
He Daqi hesitated for a moment and nodded, then subtly sized up the film company bosses at his table. Sure enough, the group of people who had been chatting enthusiastically just now seemed to be drunk and started acting foolish.

It's obvious they're not planning to drink anymore; they want to hear about He Daqi's plans for the second part.

Han Shanping certainly couldn't keep asking about this. Now, Old Han had regained his cheerful demeanor, stood up, and raised his glass with a smile: "Come on, why did everyone stop? Keep drinking!"

He Daqi was somewhat amused and exasperated, and immediately followed with a glass in hand: "Come on, Chairman Han, let me toast with you. And all the other executives, let's have one too."

The dinner table became lively again, but this time the group was clearly more cautious, and one by one they started asking about the second part of Painted Skin.

He Daqi was adept at playing the game of Tai Chi; his words flowed smoothly and effortlessly, going on and on without revealing any unnecessary information.

(End of this chapter)