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

Inside the monitoring shed.

Chen Mo looked up.

Jingming also looked up.

Jingming watched Chen Mo walk out of the surveillance booth.

His heart skipped a beat.

This scene was added on the spot.

Chen Mo was unprepared.

How did he act?

Chen Mo walked up to Luo Yifeng.

Luo Yifeng explained his thoughts to him.

After listening, Chen Mo asked a question.

"Director Luo, how old is Zhu Zhanji in this scene?"

Luo Yifeng thought for a moment: "He's twenty-four or twenty-five years old. His father has only recently ascended the throne, and he's the crown prince at that time."

Chen Mo nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

He turned and went to the dressing room.

Makeup artist Sister Lin had already caught up with him, changed him into a casual outfit, and simply tied up his hair.

The makeup artist only took seven minutes to change the outfit.

Seven minutes later, Chen Mo walked back to the set.

He hasn't officially acted in this scene with Leung Kwan-wah yet.

There was no script for this play; Luo Yifeng came up with it on the spot. Chen Mo only had one piece of information. He pushed open the door, saw his father holding the imperial seal, made eye contact for a second, and then bowed his head and left.

That's it.

Inside the monitoring shed.

Jingming stared at the screen.

He was thinking quickly in his mind how Chen Mo should act in this play.

If he were in that situation, how would he act?

He thought for a moment.

He would push open the door and go in. When he saw his father, his eyes would first show surprise, then he would realize that his father was holding the imperial seal. He would then immediately suppress his surprise, lower his head, and leave.

This is a standard, qualified performance that won't get you criticized.

However, Jingming himself was not satisfied with this performance.

This performance is too "standard".

Jingming knew the tone of Liang Lao's performance just now.

What he needed was not a "standard" son, but a son who could catch up with Zhu Gaochi's feeling of "finally being able to relax after twenty years".

Could Chen Mo act out this kind of scene?

Jingming was unsure of himself.

She felt a chill run down her spine for Chen Mo, and was also relieved that she wasn't the one adding drama at this moment.

Acting alongside a veteran actor like Leung Kwan-wah is the most stressful thing.

Whether psychologically or mentally.

They can spot even the slightest mistake immediately.

But looking at Chen Mo, who was already in position, his face was full of composure, ready to start at any moment.

Luo Yifeng pressed the intercom.

"A reshoot of Zhu Zhanji entering the room, the first time."

"Action."

The door to the East Palace study was pushed open.

Chen Mo went inside.

He was dressed in casual clothes, without armor or a crown, and his footsteps were light, the kind of footsteps a son should have in his father's study.

He looked up.

He saw his father.

His father was holding the imperial seal.

Chen Mo did not react immediately.

He was stunned.

This moment of surprise wasn't an act.

This moment of surprise was Chen Mo's own reaction; he hadn't prepared for this scene, and he genuinely didn't react at that instant.

But this moment of surprise was exactly the same as the reaction of a son who suddenly pushes open the door and sees his father holding the imperial seal.

Chen Mo was stunned for about two seconds.

Within two seconds, the things in his eyes popped out on their own.

It wasn't surprise, but rather a feeling of "I knew this day would come sooner or later, but I didn't expect it to come today."

This look connects to the "bright, concealed, and hidden" quality in Leung Kwan-wah's performance in the previous scene.

After Chen Mo finished being stunned, the thing in his eyes disappeared.

He lowered his head.

He didn't say anything.

He took a step back and turned to leave.

Just as he turned around, Liang Guanhua spoke.

Liang Guanhua read a line that wasn't in the script.

"Zhan'er."

Just two words.

Chen Mo stopped.

He didn't turn around.

His shoulder twitched slightly.

This movement is the physical reaction of a son when his father calls him back.

Liang Guanhua did not continue speaking.

He only uttered those two words.

Chen Mo didn't turn around. He took a step back, then another, until he reached the doorway, then turned and walked out.

The door closed.

Luo Yifeng pressed the intercom.

"Pass."

This scene lasts for 25 seconds from beginning to end.

One take.

Inside the monitoring shed.

No one moved.

After about ten seconds, Old Zheng let out a long hiss.

Martial Arts Director Zhao: "This is fucking ridiculous."

He didn't finish speaking.

He didn't know how to describe it.

Makeup artist Sister Lin turned to look at Jingming.

She had always thought that Jingming was quite knowledgeable about acting, and she wanted to see his reaction to the scene they had just filmed.

Jingming sat on a folding chair.

He was still holding the cup of cold tea in his hand. He didn't say anything, his eyes were fixed on the screen, which had already gone black, but he was still watching.

He mentally reviewed the scene he had just seen.

The "stunned" look on Chen Mo's face when he pushed open the door was something he couldn't fake.

He had just thought about how he would act out this scene in the monitoring studio. His version was "surprise, understanding, composure, bowing head and backing out." This version was acceptable, but it was based on analysis.

Chen Mo's version wasn't something that could be analyzed; Chen Mo genuinely didn't know how to react at that moment.

He delivered the most accurate response by saying "I don't know how to react."

This isn't a technology; it's the body's reaction preceding the brain's.

For the past ten years or so, Jingming has been practicing "thinking things through before acting," but he has never practiced this.

He had just been thinking that Chen Mo's ability to act as a young boy didn't necessarily mean he would act as an adult; he had just been wondering if Chen Mo could handle the role played by Master Liang.

As a result, Chen Mo was called on to the stage right under his nose, without a script or rehearsal, and he nailed it in one take. And the transitions were seamless.

Jingming cursed inwardly.

This wasn't a curse, it was an expression of utter defeat.

The next day.

Before the main filming began.

Jingming turned to the third page of the script, then back to the first page.

He has read the script for this scene at least twenty times since last night.

The play is short, only three pages.

The scene is a side hall of the Eastern Palace. Zhu Gaoxu has returned to the capital from his northern vassal state to report on his duties. According to custom, he must first visit his nephew, the Crown Prince.

When the uncle and nephew met, according to the script, they exchanged polite words. Zhu Gaoxu was courteous, and Zhu Zhanji was also polite.

That's all there is to it.

But Jingming dared not underestimate it.

He went through the scene in his mind at least eight times, carefully considering how he would pronounce each line, the tone, pauses, and expressions in his eyes.

By the eighth time, he had a better understanding of the process.

He couldn't portray the same "brightness, restraint, and concealment" as Liang Lao in this scene.

But he was able to portray the character to a respectable level—a seemingly ambitious vassal king who speaks in official jargon to his crown prince nephew, appearing respectful on the surface but harboring scheming underneath.

He can do it at this level.

This is what he has been practicing for the past ten years or so.

Once you've thoroughly understood every line in the script and thought through every expression, you can go on stage and act it out.

This is his safe zone.

In today's scene, he plans to walk steadily and calmly through this safe zone.

Being steady is nothing to be ashamed of.

Furthermore, this was his first scene with Chen Mo.

From his observations over the past two days and the subtle hints from the veteran crew members, he could tell that Chen Mo was no pushover.

He can be considered a drama fanatic among today's younger generation.

Even though he started acting a few years earlier than Chen Mo, he wouldn't dare say that his acting skills were on par with Chen Mo's and that he could definitely outshine Chen Mo.

Thinking of this, Jingming couldn't help but give a helpless, bitter smile.

This was the first time he had felt pressure from someone younger than himself.

If this show is well-acted, it will definitely receive good reviews when it airs.

He's going to botch it... His terrible acting skills will probably make him the second "foundation general" on the internet, dragged out for repeated comparisons.

Filming hasn't even started yet, and this 'nephew' is already putting me under immense pressure.