Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 132 You still don't believe me!

Time flies so fast; a week has passed since Gu Jingyi joined the crew.

"Jingyi, the media will be coming to interview you this afternoon."

"Okay," Gu Jingyi said, sitting in the pavilion with the small fan blowing on him. It was June, and the heat was intense.

The crew mainly filmed outdoor scenes, and the actors were all wearing heavy costumes.

Gu Jingyi's outfit today was somewhat better; he was wearing a casual dress with gold-trimmed phoenix elements.

Tomorrow, during Xu Feng's wedding abduction scene, Jin Mi stabbing Xu Feng in the back will be the real torture. He'll have to wear dozens of kilograms of armor to complete the filming in the sweltering summer heat.

"Jingyi, why are you on your phone as soon as you finish filming? That scene is quite important later, don't you want to calm down?"

Yang Zi walked over, wearing a pink shirt and a headpiece.

Today they're filming a spiritual cultivation scene, after their journey through the mortal realm. Xu Feng, having regained his memories, is preoccupied. Before hearing that Jin Mi is to be engaged to Run Yu, he uses his spiritual power to send a note to Jin Mi, arranging a meeting.

This is also a famous scene that fans have been talking about ever since Ashes of Love aired. The couple name of the male and female leads, "Lingxiu Couple," comes from this scene.

"Our male and female leads are both here. It seems you two have gotten along quite well in private these past few days."

Zhu Ruibing, speaking in a Hong Kong-accented Mandarin, walked over.

After a few lighthearted banter, he began to talk about today's performance.

"Jingyi, you need to be more emotionally expressive in today's scene. Zimei, you need to be more shy. This is one of the few sweet moments we have, so we need to make the filming as dramatic as possible. After Jinmi stabs Xufeng, the audience can also find sweetness amidst the shards of glass."

"Jingyi, don't look away. Let your eyes peek out a bit, like a peacock spreading its tail feathers."

Zhu Ruibing then talked about the ingenious filming techniques, until his throat became dry.

Just then, the set crew finished setting up the scene, with a tree nestled in the courtyard. Green screens were laid out all around, and special effects would be used later to create a natural landscape of mountains surrounding the trees.

"Wow, this tree is quite beautiful."

Yang Zi saw it and reached out to touch it.

Gu Jingyi slapped it open with his hand, "Don't touch it, the flower buds on it are fake."

"Really, how do you know so much?"

Yang Zi took a few steps closer, and it really was just as he had said.

The production team of "Ashes of Love" had a very high-end production value, importing all the props from all over the country. They used over 6000 different types of items, and sourced the props from more than 30 cities across China.

This tree is a camphor tree from Jiangxi Province, but the film crew specially decorated it with red flower buds.

As the two meditate, the flower buds on the camphor wood will be made into blooming effects. After the phoenix takes flight, they will fill the room with blossoms.

"Ready, 3, 2, 1"

"start!"

As filming officially began, Gu Jingyi, dressed in a magnificent brocade robe, stepped into the hall.

Yang Zi seemed to sense something, and the two met eyes.

"You promised to marry me when you were alive, does that still stand?"

Love can make even those in high positions bow their heads. Xu Feng, known as the "God of War," looked at Jin Mi with some unease in his eyes.

Throughout their time in the mortal realm, Runyu was not an obstacle in their relationship. Xu Feng loved her without hesitation.

After successfully overcoming his tribulation, Xu Feng returned to the Heavenly Realm with his memories intact and became a High God, but he did not feel happy. He even felt that life in the Heavenly Realm was not as joyful as when he had Jin Mi by his side in the mortal world.

The marriage between Jinmi and Runyu was something that could not be avoided. Xufeng decided to confront his true feelings and fight for himself.

Gu Jingyi had long eyelashes, and he stood there, head down, staring intently at Yang Zi. Under the lamplight, the scattered light in his dark eyes gave them a somewhat broken appearance.

At this moment, he was no longer the "God of War" but a shy young man who was nervously confessing his love to his beloved.

Yang Zi blushed as well, avoiding Gu Jingyi's gaze. She looked away hastily, as if burned.

"But…"

Gu Jingyi sensed something was amiss and quickly interrupted. He looked at Yang Zi with some urgency, "But what is it?"

"But I'm still engaged to the Little Fish Immortal!"

Yang Ziming was clearly saying something that implied a refusal, seemingly afraid that Gu Jingyi would misunderstand. Even her eyes were vying for his attention, and Gu Jingyi quickly grasped her meaning.

"What if there were no such engagement?" Gu Jingyi lingered on Yang Zi's face for a moment. To reassure her, he said tenderly, "Would you still be willing?"

Yang Zi refused, only looking at him shyly and furtively.

The staff manipulated the camera, switching to a wide shot.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment, a beautiful sight that brought a smile to everyone's face.

"Cut! Let's cut to a different angle and then a wide shot. Get ready, let's do it again!"

This is the downside of filming these kinds of intimate scenes; it takes actors a lot of effort to get into character.

To present a better effect to the audience, these kinds of scenes are often filmed from various angles.

Finally, in post-production, the pieces are stitched together to create an immersive experience.

Gu Jingyi and Yang Zi quickly changed their angle and continued to gaze at each other affectionately.

"Cut! One more take!"

After all the angles had been filmed, Gu Jingyi also moved.

Xu Feng sensed Jin Mi's tacit consent, and he pressed himself against the camphor tree, forcing Jin Mi back a few steps. This continued until her entire lower back was pinned against the tree trunk, leaving her with nowhere to retreat.

Gu Jingyi lowered his head and kissed him.

"Cut, let's try a different angle."

The procedure was the same as before; Zhu Ruibing nodded to indicate that the take was done. Gu Jingyi's face was a little sore; for male actors, filming kissing scenes wasn't all a perk.

Being surrounded by so many people from the film crew and having to move around in different positions like a puppet on strings is really not an easy task.

During the filming process, Zhu Ruibing would sometimes make new adjustments after reviewing the footage.

Gu Jingyi and Yang Zi remained standing still in the camera's position until Zhu Ruibing spoke.

"Great shot, that's a good take!"

Zhu Ruibing nodded in satisfaction and, while the actors were still in good spirits, had them continue filming the crucial "spiritual meditation" scene.

"Let's rest for 10 minutes first, then we'll go to set C to prepare for filming the rest of the scenes."

After Zhu Ruibing finished speaking, he went to the other side.

The makeup artist was also in place, touching up their makeup.

After the arrangements were finalized, Yang Zi couldn't help but chat with Gu Jingyi.

"Gu Jingyi, is this your first time filming a scene like this? How are you feeling? Are you nervous for a bit?"

Yang Zi and Gu Jingyi have now developed a brotherly relationship. Although her appearance is indeed average in the industry, she has no shortage of suitors because of her good personality.

Even in Ashes of Love, Yang Zi, who joined the production early, invested a small amount of her own savings.

It's just that Gu Jingyi is being rude.

"This will be my first time, so Sister Zi, you have to teach me!"

Gu Jingyi pretended to be a newbie and gave Yang Zi a little push.

Sure enough, she fell for it instantly.

Yang Zi patted his chest and promised casually, "Don't worry, I'll take you with me in a bit. Actually, this kind of boat isn't difficult to film. As long as you can get over the mental hurdle, it's easier than those dramatic scenes."

"It's just that the actors are a little awkward because it's their first time filming this. They'll only show their chest and below their calves. That's how they'll pass censorship. The rest is up to the audience's imagination. Sigh, I hope they won't blame the production team."

Yang Zi spoke with such seriousness that Gu Jingyi was both amused and exasperated.

"Why are the audience criticizing the production team? There's a saying that you should leave room for imagination. The special effects will also provide various hints later on, so it's easy to understand."

Gu Jingyi added, "Today's audiences are different from before. They don't like overt romance. The more subtle the romance, the more they like it. Don't worry, the more subtle this scene is, the more the audience will dig into it, piecing together the complete picture of the ship from the details."

"You seem to know a lot. I really thought you were clueless. How dare you! Take this!"

Yang Zi stretched out two fingers and stuck them into Gu Jingyi's nostrils.

During the intermission, the crew's cameras were also pointed in this direction, recording footage.

There will be both public and private behind-the-scenes footage. The public footage will be released simultaneously with the drama's broadcast. This will continuously boost the drama's popularity and also be a treat for fans.

However, Yang Zi's actions will definitely draw criticism when they are broadcast.

If Gu Jingyi hadn't known that Yang Zi had acted this way in his previous life, he would have kept a dark face.

"Teachers, the interior is all set up."

The production assistants started urging them on, and the two returned to the interior set.

The area has been cleared; only the director and the filming crew remain.

Gu Jingyi had experienced a similar situation when shooting a double issue of Harper's Bazaar with Dilraba Dilmurat, but this time when he was shooting with Yang Zi, there was no ripple effect.

Just as Yang Zi had described, the two of them were covered with a blanket, only their chests and legs were exposed.

The rest depends entirely on the fans' imagination and special effects.

After filming for an unknown amount of time, Gu Jingyi's back was soaked with sweat.

As soon as the filming ended, he quickly emerged from the blanket with a "Cut!"

Male actors are fine; they just need to wear underwear and expose the rest of their body.

Yang Zi was a little embarrassed. If the male actor is not gentlemanly when filming on a boat, it is easy for the female actor to accidentally expose herself.

Fortunately, Gu Jingyi was considerate enough to hold onto both ends of the blanket with both hands, carefully emerging from under it, ensuring that Yang Zi was not exposed at all.

Gu Jingyi wiped the sweat from his brow; he was exhausted after filming this scene.

"Jingyi, not bad. It seems you're a method actor; your eyes convey the emotions very well."

After glancing at his acting, Zhu Ruibing began to comment.

"No, I'm actually a combination of method and experiential approaches. Experiential approaches require firsthand experience, which makes it easier for actors to get into character. Method approaches only require finding an object to observe and summarizing techniques to replicate. I want both, and I have a little bit of both."

Just kidding, the camera is still pointed at him. If he doesn't deny it now, wouldn't that prove that Gu Jingyi has feelings for Yang Zi, which is why the filming went so well?

To be honest, he was only holding on with his acting skills in this scene.

Even though the filming time for this scene was shorter than the one with Dilraba, Gu Jingyi didn't need to worry about any reactions like he did last time. He just had to wait for the reactions to subside before coming out.

One theory is that it's an "experiential" approach, and when "Ashes of Love" airs, this behind-the-scenes footage will be unearthed by fans of the main couple, who will only disregard Gu Jingyi's feelings and say things like, "I'm shipping them! Gu Jingyi has had feelings for Yang Zi for a long time. Look, he even said that this scene of him and Yang Zi practicing together was an experiential approach. What else could this be but liking her? KDL!"

Don't underestimate these kinds of comments; even drama fans can have this kind of erratic thinking. Things will get complicated once they all get too caught up in the pairings.

This is the turning point in the "spiritual cultivation couple's" relationship. Jinmi did not marry Xu Feng after their spiritual cultivation.

During their spiritual practice, Runyu witnessed the entire process through the Nightmare Beast.

He sensed something was wrong and, after Xu Feng left, sneaked back into Jin Mi's room to repair her Meteorite Pill.

This is why Jinmi suddenly changed her mind and then coldly saw Xu Feng off when he came to propose again.

Runyu was still uneasy, and wanted to cut off all possibilities between Jinmi and Xufeng.

After setting a trap to eliminate the Water God and the Wind God, he then framed Xu Feng.

This led to the infamous scene on their wedding day when Xu Feng appeared and was stabbed in the back by Jin Mi, whose Meteorite Pill had been repaired. Xu Feng fell into demonic possession, and Run Yu poisoned the Heavenly Emperor's wine, intending to usurp the throne on their wedding day. When the Heavenly Emperor saw his son Xu Feng about to be destroyed, he could no longer sit idly by. He transformed into his golden dragon form, collected the fragments of Xu Feng's soul, and protected a wisp of Xu Feng's essence.

However, this time, it's difficult for Runyu's character to stand out.

The most criticized aspect of the previous installment of Ashes of Love was the Demon Fall arc, where the romance between the secondary demon couple was deemed too weak. Many viewers said they watched it for Xu Feng and fast-forwarded through the scenes featuring the secondary couple.

Fortunately, Gu Jingyi was there, and he directly changed the Demon Realm instance into the path of Xu Feng's ascension to the top.

This time, Xu Feng's personal charm and character development will be greatly enhanced.

Gu Jingyi's goal is simple: he wants to drain most of the audience's attention with "Ashes of Love".

The afternoon interview went smoothly, with mostly formal questions, such as "How do you understand the character of Xu Feng?" and "Do you prefer the God of War Xu Feng or the Demon Lord Xu Feng?" However, when asked, "If you were Xu Feng, would you choose Sui He or Jin Mi?"...

Gu Jingyi, deviating from the expected approach, answered, "I would choose Suihe."

The reason is that "he doesn't know how to take the initiative in relationships, and Suihe is more suitable for his personality in private."

Yang Zi wasn't angry. "Jingyi, actually, I'm just like Suihe in private."

No wonder they're child stars; they're already promoting a romantic pairing even before the show has aired.

Gu Jingyi will also cooperate somewhat, since they'll be working together again. He won't act as undignified as Lunzi; he'll still consider their friendship to some extent.

That evening, reports from various media outlets rushed to be published.

The news headlines varied, but everyone tacitly used photos of the main cast and crew.

Gu Jingyi, dressed in a brocade robe, won praise from book fans and passersby alike.

"The casting of Gu Jingyi is the biggest advantage of this drama; he looks so handsome even in brocade robes. I can't imagine how handsome he will be in armor!"

"Xu Feng is so handsome, a spirited young war god."

"In my opinion, Gu Jingyi looks even more handsome in this outfit than the Four Beauties of Tianya."

"After seeing this handsome face, I'll imagine myself as Gu Jingyi in any novel I read from now on. He truly deserves to be called the male lead of the Green River fugitive; he's top-tier!"

"Although the male actor next to him is also handsome, he is completely overshadowed by Gu Jingyi. He is not as tall, has the same temperament and demeanor as Gu Jingyi. He is so thin that he looks unrecognizable. Male actors really don't need to serve in the beauty pageant. They can learn from Gu Jingyi how to manage their physique."

Gu Jingyi, who had worked all day, felt the same way seeing this as if he had been hit by the truth while lying in bed and saw "Trump," who was supported by his hometown.

"That's right, that's how you'll promote me from now on."

After watching the video sent by Liu Haojian, he replied as follows.

"Tch, so vain. You're being narcissistic again."

But as time passed, five minutes had gone by and Gu Jingyi still hadn't replied.

Liu Haojian panicked a little and made a voice call.

Gu Jingyi, who was editing the Weibo post, accidentally mistyped a punctuation mark. He didn't rush to speak after the call was connected.

Gu Jingyi is a man of strong execution skills and dislikes being interrupted. However, since it was Jianzi calling, he answered the call anyway.

However, he didn't like being distracted, and his fingers were still editing the text.

"brush"

As soon as the Weibo post was published, Liu Haojian asked somewhat cautiously, "Gu Jingyi, what are you doing?"

"I'm just chatting with you, what else could it be?"

After Gu Jingyi posted on Weibo, they started chatting.

"Were you angry just now? Okay, I admit it, Gu Jingyi is really, really handsome. Please don't be angry, okay?"

"What are you talking about? When did I get angry?" Gu Jingyi was genuinely puzzled; he didn't think he had such a bad temper.

Why would Liu Haojian have this idea?

"Hmph, stop pretending. You're clearly angry, but you're still faking it."

Gu Jingyi was silent for two seconds, then said, "Liu Haojian, have you not followed me on Weibo?"

"No, I've followed it. Why are you asking this all of a sudden? That's strange."

Liu Haojian's voice came through the receiver somewhat distorted, but Gu Jingyi soon heard a "snap" sound.

"what happened?"

"Ugh, I hate Apple! The signal is so bad! I've been following your Weibo account closely, but I didn't get any notifications. I have to click on it to see it!"

Liu Haojian was somewhat devastated; she had only been indulging in her narcissism for a short while before seeing the truth. So embarrassed she was practically digging her toes into the ground, she made up an excuse and hung up the phone.

Gu Jingyi's Weibo post was a photo of him and Yang Zi, captioned "Making a tree branch with Xiao Hou Zi."

The accompanying picture is from a previous scene with Yang Zi, showing the two of them dressed close together and moving in sync.

Yang Zi replied to him as soon as he sent the message.

"Handsome, Jingyi!"

Every TV series production implicitly includes the task of creating a romantic pairing (CP).

Generally, viewers can't distinguish between actors and characters. During the broadcast, they transfer some of their feelings for the characters onto the actors.

If an actor has already publicly announced a relationship or marriage, they can't use the "couple pairing" approach.

The audience just wants to see some sweet moments; they're not really stupid.

Shipping couples is just a form of emotional support, a way to project one's beautiful fantasies about love onto them.

Shipping male actors who are already in relationships with their female co-stars is considered immoral...

Therefore, most married male actors experience a decline in opportunities after announcing their relationships. They can only rely on the quality of their work to speak for themselves, and can no longer rely on marketing.

Time flew by, and after a few more days of filming, Gu Jingyi found that more and more of his fans were waiting for him on his "off-get off work route" with his support signs when he went to the set.

"Hello"

"Ahhh, Jingyi is out."

Gu Jingyi only said one sentence, and it was reported to the authorities.

The street was quickly taken over by Gu Jingyi's fans, who shouted, "Jingyi, look here!"

"Ahhh, Jingyi, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thank you for your concern."

Gu Jingyi stood at the railing, said hello, and left.

Back on set, Gu Jingyi, unusually, started reading the script again.

Today's scene has finally reached its climax, with Xu Feng being stabbed.

There's not much to say about the beginning; Gu Jingyi optimized the script.

Xu Feng arrived with his army, and on the day of Jin Mi and Run Yu's wedding, he exposed all of Run Yu's schemes.

The Heavenly Emperor on the platform was somewhat horrified to discover that he had lost his spiritual power.

"Runyu, you actually poisoned me!"

Runyu's most famous verbal sparring scenes have also been simplified because the optimized script does not include Runyu recognizing his birth mother or saving the Dongting tribe.

Just after Runyu confronted the Heavenly Emperor, Jinmi took advantage of the chaos to act.

She went around to Xu Feng's back, and Xu Feng thought Jin Mi had come to leave with him.

Unexpectedly, she stabbed him in the back.

When Yang Zi's knife pierced his chest with a whooshing sound, Gu Jingyi's first reaction was not anger but bewilderment.

Xu Feng never expected that Jin Mi would betray him.

Gu Jingyi's gaze froze, his pupils dilating slightly. He seemed unable to comprehend what was happening before him, then his gaze shifted to Yang Zi.

His eyes held a complex mix of emotions, progressing from shock to pain.

Gu Jingyi didn't choose to fall backward in an exaggerated way; instead, he put himself in Xu Feng's shoes.

Everyone was so frightened by Xu Feng being stabbed that they kept their distance, fearing that the pinnacle of combat power would drag them down with them.

Gu Jingyi leaned forward as if in pain, yet he didn't want to be easily defeated and still maintained Xu Feng's pride.

He placed his right hand lightly on the hilt of the knife, but did not actually touch it.

Even at this moment, Xu Feng couldn't bring himself to harm Jin Mi.

"You lied to me..." Blood and foam dripped from the corner of the young man's mouth, who was dressed in magnificent golden armor.

"You...in the end..."

Gu Jingyi's breathing weakened as he recited his lines, but he still managed to speak clearly.

He seemed to have thought of something, and a look of pain crossed his face.

Her voice trembled slightly as she said, "I don't believe you... I..."

Even though he knew it was true that Jinmi didn't trust Xufeng, the pain in his chest when he said it was far greater than the dagger in his back.

Gu Jingyi's eyes, seemingly filled with romantic luck, were brimming with sorrow, yet he delivered his lines with remarkable composure.

Yang Zi was also drawn into his emotions, and a tear fell from her eye.

The Meteorite Pill was also teetering on the brink of collapse, about to break its seal.

"No, you are the murderer who hurt Father Water God and Wind God!"

Yang Zi gritted his teeth and pulled the knife out of his chest.

It wasn't until the moment he pulled out the knife that his body truly lost its support and slowly slid down.

His eyes were still half-open when he fell, and they only closed when the camera cut away.

"Cut! One take! Jingyi, your acting skills are undoubtedly top-tier among the new generation!"

Zhu Ruibing was very excited and patted Gu Jingyi to signal him to get up.

Yang Zi was still caught up in the drama when she saw Gu Jingyi, and she immediately perked up.

She ran over, her voice trembling with tears.

"Gu Jingyi, you just scared me!"

"Sister Zi, I'm sorry. I lost control and accidentally stepped on her."

"Director, should we do another take?"

Gu Jingyi said this, but his expression showed no intention of starting over.

"No need, the focus of this scene is on Xu Feng. Jingyi, you should go and get some rest. You've really worked hard today."

Although Xu Feng, due to his phoenix-like nature, will definitely undergo a rebirth.

But since it's such an unlucky scene, there are still some taboos in the entertainment industry.

The production crew gave him a red envelope as a gesture of good luck.

For someone of Gu Jingyi's stature, this amount of money was nothing. However, he accepted it nonetheless, got into the van, and went back to rest.

(End of this chapter)