Huayu: Starting with Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Western Chu

After the dinner scene, the film crew entered a delicate state.

Leung Kwan-wah has officially moved into the residence, but his scenes will not start filming for another three days.

What did he do during those three days?

The answer is, he doesn't do anything, he just wanders around.

This is standard procedure for veteran actors joining a production team.

Arrive early to check out the venue, the procedures, and how the other actors perform.

The night before, Luo Yifeng had specifically instructed the assistant director: "If Teacher Liang wants to watch it, let him watch it. There's no need to entertain him. Just treat him as a member of the filming crew."

The assistant director felt a chill run down his spine.

"A member of the photography team" means treating Mr. Liang as family.

The next morning, the crew was to reshoot a short scene.

The play itself is short, depicting a scene from Zhu Zhanji's life when he was fourteen years old: Zhu Zhanji is studying in the study of the Eastern Palace, and an old eunuch is serving him tea.

The dialogue consists of three lines, and the scene lasts for two minutes.

These kinds of scenes are considered "minor scenes" in the production schedule, and are usually filmed during a break in the filming, and then the shoot is over.

The first part of today's show is scheduled for 9:00 AM.

Chen Mo arrived at the dressing room at 8:20.

He knew the play wasn't big, but his standards never had anything to do with the size of the play.

The makeup artist was the same old acquaintance. While applying makeup to his eyebrows, I asked him a question.

"Teacher Chen, I heard Teacher Liang came yesterday?"

"Um."

"You saw it?"

We had dinner together last night.

"So... how is Teacher Liang?"

Chen Mo thought for a moment and said, "That's good."

The makeup artist stared at him: "That's it?"

"Um."

The makeup artist sighed and carefully applied a piece of his eyebrow. She had been working with Teacher Chen for two months and already knew that he was a man of few words.

Chen Mo closed his eyes and let her apply the mask, but his mind wasn't on Teacher Liang; it was on this scene.

In the study of the Eastern Palace, Zhu Zhanji, at the age of fourteen, was reading the Zizhi Tongjian (Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government).

Where have we gotten to in our reading?

What kind of tea was the old eunuch serving?

How did the old eunuch get in?

These weren't written in the script; he had to come up with them himself.

He thought for a moment, then opened his eyes.

I said something to myself in the mirror.

"I read about Li Shiqi today."

Makeup artist: "Huh?"

"fine."

At 9:00 AM sharp, the computer was turned on.

The setting of the East Palace study was very elegant.

A rosewood desk, a copper oil lamp, and an antique-style copy of the Zizhi Tongjian (Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government) lying open on the desk.

Chen Mo, dressed in a moon-white youth's casual clothes, sat behind his desk.

Luo Yifeng sat behind the monitor, with the assistant director beside him.

When everyone was in their seats, no one noticed that there was someone sitting behind the curtain in the private room.

Liang Guanhua.

He was wearing the same gray Tang suit he wore last night, holding a cup of tea, and quietly sat down on the folding chair at the very back of the surveillance booth.

He didn't have his assistant come along, nor did he greet Luo Yifeng.

He just sat there.

Luo Yifeng glanced around, saw him, and nodded to him.

Liang Guanhua didn't say anything, but waved his hand at Luo Yifeng, meaning, "You go about your business."

Luo Yifeng turned around and pressed the intercom button.

"Action".

In the study of the Eastern Palace.

Chen Mo sat behind his desk.

He looked down at the Zizhi Tongjian, his fingers pressing on the pages.

He was reading the passage about Li Shiqi.

Li Shiqi was a strategist in the early Han Dynasty who was eventually boiled to death by the King of Qi. What was Zhu Zhanji's reaction when he read this passage at the age of fourteen?

It's not pity.

The fourteen-year-old imperial grandson didn't have much compassion.

It's curiosity.

When a fourteen-year-old reads about being "boiled to death," his first reaction is curiosity: How does someone die from being boiled? How long is the boiling?

For a fleeting moment, the corner of Chen Mo's mouth twitched slightly.

He blinked.

It's not a laugh.

It's a subtle expression that says, "Hey, that's interesting."

Just this once.

Take it back immediately.

Inside the monitoring shed.

Liang Guanhua paused for a moment, his hand holding the teacup still.

He squinted, staring at the screen.

At that moment, the old eunuch pushed open the door and came in.

The actor playing the old eunuch was a veteran extra from the crew, surnamed Sun, in his fifties. He had played supporting roles his whole life, specializing in these kinds of roles where he served tea and water.

The old eunuch carried a porcelain teacup and slowly walked to the desk.

He bowed his head: "Your Highness, tea."

Chen Mo did not look up immediately.

He glanced at the pages of the book a couple more times before looking up.

When she looked up, her eyes still held the lingering feeling of "Hey, that's interesting" from earlier.

The lingering feeling vanished the moment he saw the old eunuch.

Chen Mo nodded to the old eunuch.

He picked up his teacup.

He took a sip.

According to the script, he is supposed to say one line here: "Eunuch Sun, what time is it today?"

Chen read it aloud.

But the way he read it was different from what was written in the script.

The script describes a grandson of the emperor asking for the time in a standard tone.

Chen Mo read it out in the tone of a young man engrossed in a book, detached from his reading, asking for the time.

His "几" was slightly hooked at the end.

This is completely connected to the state of reading.

Inside the monitoring shed.

Liang Guanhua hadn't drunk the tea in his hand.

The old eunuch replied, "Your Highness, it is 3:45 AM."

Chen Mo said "Oh" and lowered his head to continue reading.

After he finished his tea, he gently put the teacup down.

There's an action here that wasn't written in the script.

When Chen Mo placed the teacup down, the bottom of the teacup was not completely touching the desk. He pinched the bottom of the teacup with his thumb and forefinger, making the teacup about half a centimeter higher than normal, and then slowly lowered it down.

The meaning of this action is that he was thinking about the next paragraph when he put down the teacup, and his hand did not exert full force.

He wasn't putting the teacup down; he just casually placed it there.

This kind of "distracted" action is a small habit that only a fourteen-year-old Zhu Zhanji, who had developed a habit of reading from a young age, would have.

Inside the monitoring shed.

Liang Guanhua placed the teacup on the table next to the chair.

He leaned forward slightly.

In the final scene of the play, the old eunuch retires.

Chen Mo continued his studies.

Luo Yifeng pressed the intercom.

"Pass."

This scene is two minutes long and was filmed in one take.

The entire audience breathed a sigh of relief; these minor scenes usually only take one or two takes, so it wasn't a big deal.

Just as the assistant director was about to tell everyone to pack up and prepare to film the next scene, the person who hadn't spoken in the monitoring booth suddenly spoke up.

"Old Luo".

Luo Yifeng turned his head.

"Old Liang, please speak."

"Show me the replay of that last one."

Luo Yifeng was stunned for a moment.

For such a minor scene, Teacher Liang actually wants to watch the replay?

He immediately pressed the replay button.

The screen showed Chen Mo looking down at a book, looking up to drink tea, and putting down the teacup.

Liang Guanhua stared at the screen.

Seeing Chen Mo's "Hey, that's interesting" micro-expression, he paused the screen.

He zoomed in on that frame.

He looked at it for about ten seconds.

Then he pressed continue.

Seeing Chen Mo's distracted action of putting down the teacup, he paused again.

He looked at it for about ten more seconds.

Then he put his hand down.

He turned to Luo Yifeng and said something.

"Old Luo".

"Um."

"This kid really studied when he was in school."

Luo Yifeng looked at him without saying a word.

Liang Guanhua continued.

"When actors act as if they are reading, they pretend to read, glancing at the book with their face and glancing at it with their eyes. The audience can tell at a glance that it's fake."

"This kid was really reading Li Shiqi just now."

"He knew about Li Shiqi's passage. After reading it, there was a fleeting look in his eyes that said, 'Hey, that's quite interesting.' That expression wasn't an act; it was the genuine expression of a fourteen-year-old boy reading a new story."

"He's not playing a fourteen-year-old in this play."

"He shrunk himself down to the age of fourteen."

Luo Yifeng listened quietly.

Liang Guanhua concluded by saying, "Old Luo, you've struck gold in this production crew."

Luo Yifeng smiled.

"Teacher Liang, I've already heard Teacher Wang say this once."

Liang Guanhua: "That's what Lao Wang said, and I'm saying it again myself now."

Luo Yifeng: "Thank you, Teacher Liang."

Liang Guanhua waved his hand, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

The tea has gone cold.

He didn't pay attention.

Here.

Chen Mo walked out of the study set and to the door of the surveillance shed. He originally wanted to ask Luo Yifeng if he wanted another insurance policy.

He walked to the door, lifted the curtain, and found that there was more than just Luo Yifeng inside.

Liang Guanhua sat in the folding chair at the very back.

Chen Mo was stunned for a moment.

"Teacher Liang? You're here."

Liang Guanhua looked up: "Xiao Chen, come here."

Chen Mo went inside.

Liang Guanhua pointed to the screen: "The way you put the teacup down just now."

Chen Mo: "Mm."

What are you thinking?

Chen Mo thought for a moment.

"I think he was thinking about where to read the next passage, and his hand wasn't on the teacup, so he didn't put the teacup down steadily."

Liang Guanhua stared at him.

"Did you think about it before you acted, or did it just happen naturally while you were doing it?"

Chen Mo thought for a few seconds.

"Teacher Liang, I did think about it beforehand, but it was natural when I did it."

"What do you mean?"

"I did my homework beforehand. I thought about all the possible little actions of the character Zhu Zhanji and knew when each action should appear. But when I was actually acting, I didn't think about which one to use now."

"I let my body choose for itself."

"Whichever one my body chooses, that's the right one."

Liang Guanhua looked at him.

I watched it for about five seconds.

He smiled.

"Old Luo".

"Um."

I have a suggestion for you.

Luo Yifeng: "Please go ahead."

"We'll need to rehearse several more scenes together."

Luo Yifeng was stunned: "Why?"

Liang Guanhua: "There's a lot to discover from this kid's body. I need to examine his body closely to see what I can find before I can take action."

Luo Yifeng: "Okay."

Liang Guanhua turned to Chen Mo.

"Xiao Chen."

"Teacher Liang."

"Our play is going to be very interesting."

Chen Mo nodded at him.

He didn't say "Thank you, Teacher Liang" or "I will try my best." He just said one sentence.

"Um."

Liang Guanhua laughed heartily, picked up the cup of cold tea, and downed it in one gulp.