This director only directs blockbusters.

July 20th, 5 AM.

The sky was still dark. Johannesburg's old town lay there like a wild beast that hadn't yet woken up, gray and lifeless. The streets were deserted, except for a few stray dogs rummaging through garbage heaps, glancing up at the sound of a car before lowering their heads again.

Three bread carts were parked at the street corner. The film crew got off one after another, some carrying equipment, others setting up lights. No one spoke, only the clanging of metal and the occasional suppressed cough.

Yang Ning stood on the street, holding a cold cup of coffee. He had woken up at four o'clock and couldn't fall back asleep, his mind replaying the day's shooting schedule.

The first scene—the Dragon Shield team's debut—is a street chase of a target. Four minutes long, seven shots, involving three vehicles, twelve actors, and two explosions.

"Director Yang." Chen Qiming walked over, holding a light meter. "It's almost dawn. From this angle, the best light will probably come in about twenty minutes."

"Is there enough time to set up the lighting?"

"That's enough." Chen Qiming pointed behind him. "The lighting team is already working on it; they should be done in fifteen minutes."

Yang Ning nodded and glanced at the monitor. Old Xu was squatting there adjusting it, the screen lit up, its bluish light shining on his face.

Nicholas Tse got out of the car, wearing the black jacket from the movie, his hair disheveled. He walked over to Yang Ning, didn't say anything, and just stood there.

"Nervous?" Yang Ning asked.

"A little." Nicholas Tse looked at the sky gradually brightening in the distance. "I get nervous every time it's the first scene of filming."

"normal."

Chen Wei also got out of the car, holding a small notebook, and walked to Nicholas Tse's side: "Brother Feng, I've tried the drift later, the road is a bit slippery, you have to turn the steering wheel half a second in advance."

Nicholas Tse nodded: "Understood."

Li Binbin was the last to come down. She was wearing a gray suit today, her hair was tied up, revealing her entire face. As she walked over, her high heels made a crisp sound on the concrete floor.

"Good morning, Director Yang." She smiled. "I overslept and almost got late."

"It's okay, it hasn't started yet."

Gao Yuanyuan followed behind her, wearing overalls and a T-shirt, her face clean and without makeup. She nodded to Yang Ning, said nothing, and stood to the side.

Hu Jun got out of another car, his loud voice piercing the dawn: "Brothers! Time to get to work!"

Deng Chao followed behind him, holding a walkie-talkie, looking excited: "Director Yang, can I carry this?"

"What are you doing with that?"

"Looks very professional!" Deng Chao clipped the walkie-talkie to his waist. "I'm playing an equipment expert later, so I need to get into character first."

Yang Ning ignored him.

---

At exactly six o'clock, it was completely light.

Sunlight streamed in from the end of the street, casting long shadows on the dilapidated building walls. The lighting crew had been removed, and Chen Qiming stood behind the monitor, staring at the screen.

Yang Ning picked up the walkie-talkie.

"Attention everyone, scene one, shot one, filming in three minutes."

Reports came from various departments one after another.

"The film crew is in position."

"Lighting crew in position."

"Actors in position."

Yang Ning glanced at the monitor. In the footage, Nicholas Tse was leaning against the wall, Li Binbin was standing next to him, and Hu Jun was squatting on the other side. None of the three spoke, but the atmosphere was already tense.

"Action!"

Nicholas Tse was the first to act.

He emerged from behind the wall, his movements swift yet his footsteps light. Li Binbin followed behind, a gun in his hand, his eyes sharp. Hu Jun flanked from the other side, his footsteps echoing through the empty street.

The camera followed them as they moved, from the street corner to the middle of the road, and then from the middle of the road to the building across the street.

"Cut!"

Yang Ning stared at the monitor replay.

Seven seconds of footage: Nicholas Tse's gaze, Li Binbin's positioning, Hu Jun's rhythm—all perfect.

"Pass!"

A sigh of relief was heard on the scene.

Deng Chao cheered quietly from the side, "A great start! A great start!"

Nicholas Tse's lips twitched, but he didn't smile; however, he was clearly relaxed.

---

The first shoot went smoothly, and the second shoot was filmed back-to-back.

Then came the third and fourth matches.

By noon, six takes had been filmed, and all were approved.

Old Xu handed over a boxed lunch: "Director Yang, eat first. There are still four shows this afternoon, a little extra time won't make a difference."

Yang Ning took the boxed lunch and squatted down by the roadside to eat it. The lunchbox was delivered by a local Chinese restaurant; it contained braised pork with rice, the pork was stewed until tender, and the taste was alright.

Nicholas Tse sat next to him, also eating. He ate very little, just a few bites.

"Not to your liking?" Yang Ning asked.

"No." Nicholas Tse put down his chopsticks. "I need to be on an empty stomach for the drifting competition this afternoon. Eating too much might slow down my reaction time."

Yang Ning nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Li Binbin walked over with a lunchbox and squatted down on the other side of Yang Ning.

"Director Yang, for the scene this afternoon, can I just scream while sitting in the car?"

"Yes. But don't fake it."

What does "fake screaming" mean?

"It's the kind of acting that you can tell right away," Yang Ning said. "When you're really scared, you can't hold back your scream; it comes out of your throat."

Li Binbin thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll give it a try."

Gao Yuanyuan also came over, holding an apple in her hand; she hadn't eaten.

"Why aren't you eating?" Yang Ning asked.

"I'm nervous," she said honestly. "I have a scene this afternoon, and I'm afraid I'll feel nauseous if I eat too much."

Yang Ning looked at her. In the sunlight, her face was slightly flushed, and her eyes were bright, like a startled fawn.

"Don't be nervous," he said. "You've trained for three months; you're qualified."

Gao Yuanyuan nodded and took a bite of the apple.

Deng Chao and Hu Jun were sitting on the other side, bickering. Deng Chao said Hu Jun acted too fiercely, while Hu Jun said Deng Chao acted too cowardly, and then he laughed first.

Xue Kaiqi was squatting in the corner, holding a script and muttering to herself. When she saw Yang Ning looking at her, she quickly lowered her head.

---

The main event will begin at 2 PM.

Nicholas Tse had to perform a 180-degree drift and then squeeze through the gap between two cars. The road was less than three meters wide, with walls on both sides.

Chen Wei conducted a final inspection of the road surface, stepping on it and then crouching down to feel it. He stood up and nodded to Nicholas Tse.

Nicholas Tse got into the car and fastened his seatbelt. Li Binbin sat in the passenger seat, his face a little pale.

"Are you scared?" Nicholas Tse asked.

"I'm scared," Li Binbin said honestly.

"That's right, you should be afraid." Nicholas Tse started the car. "I'm afraid too."

The engine roared.

Yang Ning stared at the monitor.

"Action!"

The car sped off.

As they approached the obstacle, Nicholas Tse jerked the steering wheel. The rear of the car swung out, tires screeched, and white smoke billowed. Li Binbin's scream followed—it wasn't acting; it was real.

The car passed between two other cars, less than ten centimeters from the walls on either side.

"Cut!"

There was a two-second silence.

Then applause broke out.

Nicholas Tse got out of the car, his legs a little weak, but his face remained expressionless. Li Binbin got out of the passenger seat, leaning against the car door and panting heavily.

"Director Yang," her voice trembled, "I...I was so scared just now..."

Yang Ning walked over and patted her on the shoulder: "Well done."

"I wasn't acting..."

"That would be even better," Yang Ning said, "The audience won't be able to tell the difference."

Li Binbin paused for a moment, then laughed. As she laughed, tears streamed down her face.

"Damn it..." she wiped her face, "That scared me to death..."

Deng Chao ran over, his face full of admiration: "Brother Feng is awesome! Sister Bingbing is awesome!"

Nicholas Tse ignored him and walked over to Chen Wei, where the two whispered something to each other.

---

At six o'clock in the evening, the sun began to sink.

The seventh, the eighth, the ninth – one by one.

By the time they reached the tenth scene, it was getting dark. Chen Qiming glanced at the lighting and shook his head at Yang Ning.

"Director Yang, the lighting's gone out, we need to wrap up."

Yang Ning glanced at the monitor. Eleven takes were filmed today, ten were approved, and one was reshot. Two more than planned.

"knock off!"

Cheers erupted from the crowd. Deng Chao was the first to drop his things and run, but Hu Jun grabbed him back: "Aren't you going to pack up the equipment?"

"Yes, yes, pack up the equipment..."

Old Xu walked over and handed him a bottle of water: "Yangzi, have a good day."

"Okay." Yang Ning took a sip of water. "Let's continue tomorrow."

---

8 PM, hotel restaurant.

The long table was pushed together again, and a table full of dishes was laid out. The chef had prepared a few extra dishes today, saying it was to celebrate the successful start of filming.

Deng Chao had already started eating, his mouth stuffed full. Hu Jun was playfully wrestling with him over the meat. Nicholas Tse sat in a corner, slowly drinking water. Chen Wei was whispering to him beside him.

Li Binbin changed into loose clothes, her hair was down, and she still had makeup on her face. She held a glass of red wine, leaned back in her chair, and looked at the boisterous Deng Chao and Hu Jun with a smile on her lips.

Gao Yuanyuan sat next to her, also smiling.

Xue Kaiqi held a cup, sipping his juice, his eyes bright as he looked around.

Han Duoduo and Liu Yong were still discussing special effects, with Liu Yong holding a chicken leg as a prop.

Yang Ning stood by the window, watching all of this.

Old Xu came over and offered me a cigarette.

"Yang Zi, do you think our film will be successful?"

Yang Ning took the cigarette and lit it.

"able."

"Are you so sure?"

"Because everyone's here." Yang Ning looked at the group of people in the room. "The soldiers are trained, the guns are polished, all that's left is to do the work."

Old Xu nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Outside the window, the night in Johannesburg is very quiet.

The room was filled with laughter.

After finishing his cigarette, Yang Ning turned and went inside.

"Meet at 5 a.m. tomorrow, don't be late."

A wail erupted.

But nobody really complained.

Because they know—this movie is worth the effort.