Huayu Entertainment: The Birth of a Succubus Top Star

In the following days, Gu Zhiyan and his group appeared on several variety shows. During these days, he naturally did not slack off on his baby-making project with Sister Zhao.

After finishing this promotional trip, Gu Zhiyan immediately rushed back to the "Better Days" film crew.

As soon as he entered the film set, Liu Haochun and Zhou Ye immediately surrounded him.

"Brother Xiaoyan, you must be tired these past few days. Let me massage your shoulders."

Before Gu Zhiyan could respond, Liu Haochun had already placed his hands on his shoulders and started massaging them.

"Brother Xiaoyan, you've worked hard. Let me massage your legs."

Seeing Liu Haochun's sycophantic actions, Zhou Ye was not to be outdone and took action as well.

Gu Zhiyan couldn't refuse the two girls' kind offer.

I must say, it's really great.

In the following days, this scene became the norm for the film crew.

During breaks in filming, Liu Haochun and Zhou Ye would rush over to massage Gu Zhiyan, each trying to give the other a massage first.

They are like two concubines vying for the emperor's favor in the imperial harem.

This scene must have made countless people in the film crew envious.

Director Derek Tsang was envious, but he dared not have any improper thoughts about Gu Zhiyan's woman.

If the little yellow duck were here...

Forget it, forget it, I can't think about it, I need to focus on filming.

Gu Zhiyan, let alone him, even his father is someone you can't afford to offend.

When Zhang Yimou entered the film crew of "Better Days", he was stunned and rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

Was the person massaging Gu Zhiyan's shoulders Liu Haochun?

Were you bullied by the film crew?

However, judging from her beaming smile and seemingly willing demeanor, it doesn't seem like it!

Why does this look of hers smell so sweet and sour like she's in love?

Could it be...?

As he approached, the two of them still hadn't noticed him, so he couldn't help but cough twice.

"Cough cough."

"Ah, Director, you... what brings you here?"

Liu Haochun blushed instantly upon seeing who it was.

I'm sure they saw me giving Xiaoyan a shoulder massage earlier.

director?

Liu Haochun shouldn't be reacting like this when the director arrives!

Gu Zhiyan, who was resting with her eyes closed and enjoying a shoulder massage, opened her eyes in confusion.

Oh, Zhang Yimou is here.

He and Zhang Yimou are old acquaintances; they've met and chatted at various events.

Gu Zhiyan quickly stood up: "Director Zhang, what brings you here?"

He still held the Imperial Advisor in high esteem.

However, Zhang Yimou's expression was rather subtle.

It's like an old father watching his carefully raised baby cabbage get eaten by a pig.

Pshaw, that's not a good analogy. He's not a pig.

Actually, he didn't do anything. She was just unhappy that he wouldn't let Junko massage her shoulders.

He would never deprive the girls of their source of happiness.

"I happened to be here on business, so I just stopped by to take a look." Zhang Yimou smiled.

It's going to rain, and my mother is going to get married.

His daughter is grown up now, and he can't stop her from doing this anymore.

Actually, Zhang Yimou was just casually checking out the artists in his own studio; his main purpose was to see Gu Zhiyan.

He has a new movie to shoot next year and wants to invite Gu Zhiyan to star in it.

Who wouldn't want to use an actor who has both popularity and acting skills?

Although all the directors who have worked with Gu Zhiyan have praised him, Zhang Yimou has very high standards for actors, so he stopped by to conduct on-site research.

Only on set can you truly see how good an actor's acting skills are.

As for whether Gu Zhiyan will accept his role, Zhang Yimou is unsure, but that's a matter for later; he'll see if it's suitable first.

So Zhang Yimou didn't mention the new film for the time being, but instead chatted casually.

Soon after, the director, producer, and other senior members of the production team gathered around.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, as the next scene was about to be filmed, Zeng Guoxiang said to Zhang Yimou, "Director Zhang, could you please give me some guidance on the next scene?"

Even if the imperial advisor comes, the play will still be filmed as it was supposed to be.

Zhang Yimou waved his hand: "Don't worry about me, I'll just take a look. You guys keep filming."

They were just being polite; you'd be a fool to take it seriously.

The worst thing a director can do is have outsiders interfere.

How could Zhang Yimou not understand these principles?

The next scene takes place in the interrogation room.

After Chen Nian accidentally caused Wei Lai's death, Xiao Bei planned to take the blame for her. In the interrogation room, he had to play the role of a cold-blooded rapist and murderer who hated Chen Nian out of love and wanted to take revenge.

As an aside, film shooting is usually not done in chronological order, but rather adjusted based on factors such as location availability, actor availability, and special effects production.

Therefore, although Wei Lai has died in this part of the story, Zhou Ye's scenes are not finished.

As soon as the director yelled "Action!", Gu Zhiyan instantly got into character.

As the police closed in, his emotions progressed in layers, from mockery and resistance to a final outburst, with veins bulging and tears mixed with laughter, fully expressing Xiao Bei's despair, anger, and protectiveness towards Chen Nian.

In the two separate interrogation rooms, Gu Zhiyan and Liu Haochun did not communicate with each other physically or verbally, relying entirely on eye contact and micro-expressions to establish a connection.

Gu Zhiyan's gaze shifted from initial worry and encouragement to the heartache of seeing each other in tears, and finally evolved into a kind of unwavering and comforting resolve that transcended pain and was almost sacred.

He tried to force a smile, but the smile was more heartbreaking than tears.

In this shot, his eyes spoke volumes: farewell, promises, and the vow, "I will never regret it."

In this short period of time, Gu Zhiyan demonstrated a complete psychological process from pretense and provocation to wavering, collapse, despair, and rebuilding of beliefs, with extremely high emotional intensity and natural transitions.

Moreover, he perfectly balanced "restraint" and "release." In the breakdown scenes, his outbursts were not an unrestrained screaming, but a performance full of control that could accurately convey specific emotions.

Through this scene, Xiao Bei is transformed from a "young man who took the blame for love" into a character with tragic and philosophical implications.

Gu Zhiyan's performance made this sublimation believable, relatable, and moving.

This powerful control and explosive force over extreme emotional range even shocked the well-traveled Zhang Yimou.

Is this the acting skill that actors of this age should have?

What's even more outrageous is that the entire performance was completed in one go.

This guy is absolutely a genius at acting!

The Chinese film industry owes Gu Zhiyan a Best Actor award!

We must take him down; he has to take him down.

Zhang Yimou rubbed his hands excitedly, eager to talk to Gu Zhiyan immediately.

Standing to the side, Zhou Ye glanced at Zhang Yimou in surprise. "What's Director Zhang shaking about?"

She was genuinely worried that the elderly director Zhang might suddenly collapse and never recover.

Having weathered many storms, Zhang Yimou quickly calmed down and continued watching Gu Zhiyan's performance without showing any emotion.

Watching an actor perform like this is truly exhilarating and refreshing, both physically and mentally.

This trip was worthwhile!