Huayu Entertainment: The Birth of a Succubus Top Star

The next morning, before the morning mist had completely dissipated in Hengdian, the film crew started shooting on time.

The lively celebration banquet last night seemed like a fleeting dream. When Gu Zhiyan arrived at the film set, she was already all ready.

Inside the dressing room, the makeup artist tied up his long hair, put on a heavy jade crown, and layered on a dark-patterned marquis's robe. In less than half an hour, the Golden Rooster Award-winning actor, who was basking in glory, was completely gone. In his place was Xie Zheng, the Marquis of Wu'an, who was taciturn and had a heavy past to hide in his heart.

Today we're filming a pivotal scene: Xie Zheng and the female lead confront each other late at night. Beneath his gentle exterior, Xie Zheng's hatred, struggles, and helplessness surge forth, yet he must suppress them fiercely, unable to let them out freely.

Emotional turmoil is extremely difficult to control; too much makes it seem overly aggressive, while too little fails to support the character's years of pent-up pain.

Tian Xiwei was waiting at the filming location early, holding the script and going over the lines several times. When she saw Gu Zhiyan coming over, the two briefly went over the lines together.

"Today's scene is quite stressful," Tian Xiwei said in a low voice.

"Just keep the pace and follow the characters," Gu Zhiyan said calmly.

The clapperboard falls, and the camera starts rolling.

The lanterns swayed in the corridor, casting a dim yellow light on the two faces. Xie Zheng's expression was calm, and his words were even, but the pain surging deep in his eyes was almost overflowing.

He didn't yell or clench his fists; he merely tightened his jaw slightly, his gaze fixed intently on the person opposite him. Each line of dialogue was delivered slowly, as if each word was wrapped in a thin layer of ice.

After the conversation, a tense atmosphere enveloped the entire filming area, and the staff on set unconsciously held their breath.

Tian Xixiwei caught the overwhelming emotion and delivered a complete response from her opponent, creating a natural tension between them.

After one take, the director didn't immediately yell "Cut!"

"Your emotional foundation is very good." The director said from behind the monitor, "Teacher Gu, your restraint is on point, but you could add another layer of powerlessness. He hates fate, but he can't break free from it at all."

Gu Zhiyan nodded slightly; it always complies with the director's reasonable requests.

A moment later, the second take began.

At this point, a faint weariness appeared in Gu Zhiyan's eyes. When talking about the deep-seated hatred, her fingertips trembled slightly, but she quickly calmed down.

It was just a subtle movement, but the character instantly became complete and vivid. The entire confrontation was full of undercurrents. Without any intense conflict, the audience could feel the torment of being trapped in one's past.

"Cut!" The director's voice fell, and the set instantly breathed a sigh of relief.

The monitor played back the footage, and the main cast gathered around to watch the clip. Even Kong Xueer, who was waiting for her scene, came over to look at the screen.

The assistant director murmured with admiration, "Having just won the Golden Rooster Award, he can immediately shed the glory and immerse himself in the role. That kind of composure is truly rare."

The director nodded, looking at the footage on the playback: "Knowing when to hold back is the hardest thing to do."

Filming continued, with midday sunlight streaming through the studio roof.

No one talked about yesterday's awards; everyone on set was focused on making the film.

The glory of winning five Golden Rooster Awards lingers in the nights of Xiamen. Here, Gu Zhiyan is merely an actor, the Marquis of Wu'an, Xie Zheng.

A behind-the-scenes clip of a standoff under a corridor on set was casually captured by crew members and uploaded directly to social media without any retouching.

In the video, the corridor lights are dim, and Gu Zhiyan is dressed in the ancient costume of the Marquis of Wu'an, with a jade crown and long robe. His eyebrows and eyes are gloomy, and he is surrounded by an unyielding sense of oppression. The restrained helplessness in the late-night confrontation scene is completely preserved in the shot.

This Reuters post quickly went viral shortly after its release, and soon two related topics trended on the hot search list.

[Having just received five Golden Rooster seals, he turned into Xie Zheng.]

[The contrast in Gu Zhiyan's character]

The comments section quickly became lively.

"Just a few days ago, he was calmly speaking on the Xiamen stage while holding the Golden Rooster Award trophy, and now he's transformed into a sorrowful lord in Hengdian Langxia. The speed of his transformation is astonishing."

"Others need some time to adjust after winning an award, but Gu Zhiyan seems to switch modes with one click and directly enter another person's life."

"He was gentle and radiant when accepting the award, while Xie Zheng was full of melancholy. The same person, two completely different temperaments."

"That's probably the real skill of an actor: glory is glory, and a role is a role, and they don't interfere with each other."

"After watching the photo studio owner in 'Nanjing Photo Studio' and then seeing Xie Zheng, I couldn't tell that it was the same actor at all. His versatility is just too strong."

"It's confirmed that the Best Actor rushed back to Hengdian overnight to clock in for work."

"Xiamen shines brightly all night, Hengdian is a daily grind."

"The celebration banquet lasted all night, but the next day he was back on set to suffer. Thus began the Marquis's arduous journey."

Many film critics shared this Reuters photo and offered brief comments.

"Awards give actors confidence. Truly great actors are not confined by trophies. Five Golden Rooster Awards are not the end of his performance, but just the beginning of a new journey."

Inside the Hengdian film set, after filming this confrontation scene, Gu Zhiyan was sitting on a rest chair to relax.

Kong Xueer and Tian Xiwei stood together scrolling through the trending topic, quietly discussing the emotional nuances of their scene together in the video.

Despite the rising popularity online, the filming at Hengdian World Studios remained undisturbed by the outside noise, and the production proceeded smoothly.

……

Wang Churan's "Mingyue Lu" and Bao Shang's "Di Mou" have recently started filming in Hengdian. The filming areas of several period drama crews in Hengdian are not far apart, and the two of them would run over to see Xiao Yan Ge almost every night.

Gu Zhiyan would often take the young ladies out for a better meal.

Tonight, we booked a quiet private room for a small gathering of a few people.

Warm lights bathed the private room. Gu Zhiyan sat in the middle, with Tian Xiwei, Wang Churan, Kong Xueer, Amy, and Bao Shangen seated on either side. The girls chatted and laughed, creating a relaxed atmosphere.

Wang Churan picked up her phone and scrolled through the trending topics page, unable to help but laugh out loud: "There are just one scandal after another in the entertainment circle lately, I can't even keep up with them all."

Kong Xueer glanced at the screen and smiled as she continued, "The most exciting story this week has to be the one about Hu Yanbin and Yi Mengling. At first, the woman directly said that the beach video was generated by AI, but a few days later they were photographed holding hands at the airport, which was solid proof. The reversal came too fast."

Tian Xiwei smiled, resting her chin on her hand: "At the time, the whole internet was guessing whether it was true or false. The clarification was only released three days ago, and it was immediately proven wrong. Netizens played with the meme for two whole days."

"There's no need to deny it outright," Gu Zhiyan said with a smile. "Private matters are ultimately the choice of the two people involved. Public opinion can rise and fall quickly."

This old Hu changes girlfriends pretty quickly.

The guests chatted and laughed during the meal, while dusk deepened outside the window.

After chatting about gossip, everyone naturally moved on to the challenges of filming period dramas, the coordination of action scenes, and the trivial matters of keeping warm while filming in Hengdian during winter. The group chatted leisurely and relaxed.

After finishing their meal, Gu Zhiyan first took Aimi back home, and then immediately returned to the hotel.

Several young ladies are still waiting for him.

Nothing more was said that night!