She debuted after having a child with a celestial being.

Filming has begun in earnest.

On this day, the famous scene of "Can I make you penniless?" was captured.

When the Zhao sisters' teahouse had just opened, Gu Qianfan did not support them showing their faces in public and personally went to persuade them.

Zhao Pan'er said she needed to start a business to support herself, and Gu Qianfan blurted out that classic line.

Liu Yifei and Xiao He, with their makeup done and costumes on, stood on the set.

Yang Yang sat behind the monitor, holding a script and a walkie-talkie in his hand.

"Come on, let's go through it once. Same as always, improvise, I'll watch on the monitor." She put the script aside.

Liu Yifei stood in the middle of the teahouse set, her hands clasped in front of her lower abdomen, her chin slightly raised.

"Sister Pan'er." He looked at her.

"Gu Qianfan, what brings you to the teahouse today? Aren't the Imperial City Guards busy?"

Liu Yifei's gaze shifted from the ledger to his face, her eyes holding a hint of mockery, yet also a knowing look.

"I came to check out your teahouse. It's only been open for a few days, yet you dare to do business in one of Tokyo's best locations."

Xiao He walked up to her, lowering his voice slightly.

"Sister Pan'er, it's not that I don't approve of you opening a shop, it's just that you three sisters are all alone out there, and it's inevitable that you'll attract attention if you show your faces in public. What am I supposed to do if someone with ulterior motives targets you?"

"We need to have our own business. I built this teahouse from scratch, and every penny I earned was by myself. How can we survive on the few coins you give us if we just sit around doing nothing?" Liu Yifei turned her face slightly away, her eyelashes drooping.

Xiao He took a step forward: "Do you think I'd leave you penniless?"

Liu Yifei looked up at him and said, "Of course I'm grateful if you help me once or twice. But what about ten or a hundred times? Would you still be willing?"

Without a second thought, Xiao He blurted out, "I'd do it a thousand times, ten thousand times, a billion times!"

Behind the monitor, Yang Yang put down his teacup and picked up the megaphone.

"Wait a minute. Xiao He, your line just now was too domineering. You're right, but it didn't feel right. In the original script, Gu Qianfan was the same age as Pan'er, and he used his domineering manner to reassure her, as a protective stance. But we've revised it now. In the context of a May-December romance, Gu Qianfan's feelings for Pan'er are admiration, following, and wanting to protect her with all his might, but he won't express it with a domineering attitude. He'll use a more sincere and direct approach. Your tone just now still seemed a bit too authoritative towards her."

Xiao He stood there, head bowed in thought. He looked up at Yang Yang: "Director Yang, I have an idea. Since Gu Qianfan, in this sibling-like relationship, looks up to Pan'er, his tone shouldn't be like an order for me not to worry, but rather like a younger brother acting entitled and spoiled in front of his older sister. So the dialogue should be changed to, 'How could I let my adopted sister run out of money? What use am I as her younger brother then?'"

Yang Yang was silent for a moment. Then she slowly nodded, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Let's try again. One more time."

The teahouse decor has been rearranged. Liu Yifei stands behind the cashier, holding an account book in her hand.

Xiao He stood opposite her. The clapperboard slammed down.

"Sister Pan'er, I've come to visit your teahouse."

He walked up to her, his voice still a few decibels lower, but his steps were lighter than the first time.

"Sister Pan'er, I have to keep an eye on you three sisters while you're out and about. This teahouse is located in the most bustling area of ​​Tokyo. What if some thugs come looking for trouble?"

"We need to have our own livelihood. I built this teahouse from scratch, and every penny I earned was by myself. How can we survive on the few coins you give us if we just sit around and do nothing?"

"Then can I make sure my adopted sister has no money to spend?"

Xiao He raised his chin slightly, his tone carrying a hint of youthful defiance.

He took another step forward, a step closer than the first, the distance at which the younger brother leaned in to talk to his older sister.

"If my sister still needs to show her face in public, what use am I as her younger brother?"

He looked at her with bright eyes, as if waiting for praise.

Liu Yifei stood in front of him, looking at his "see how sensible I am" expression, and couldn't help but laugh.

She turned her head away, unable to suppress the smile that spread from the corner of her mouth to the corner of her eyes.

Liu Yan was standing next to her, dressed in the costume of Sun San Niang. She was waiting to be in the shot when she burst out laughing and quickly covered her face with her script.

Sun San Niang, who plays a fierce character in the play, couldn't help but laugh off-screen as well.

"I'm sorry, Director, I didn't mean to, but Xiao He, your expression was so cute." Liu Yan laughed so hard her shoulders shook.

Yang Yang watched the playback on the monitor, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

"That's it." Yang Yang put down the megaphone, glanced at Xiao He, and said, "A knowing smile, a little flirtatious—that's the effect I wanted. Not just sweet, but also with a sense of power struggle. This kind of sweetness in a May-December romance is just right."

The afternoon shoot featured another classic scene, "Sun San Niang Beats People," a satisfying moment.

This scene is one of the most satisfying parts for the audience in "The Dream of Splendor".

Liu Yan was already dressed in Sun San Niang's costume, standing in the center of the courtyard with her hands on her hips.

The actor playing Du Changfeng is Dai Xu. He wears a blue scholar's robe, strokes a non-existent goatee, and makes the typical pedantic scholar's face.

He raised his chin and spoke in a tone that implied superiority, as if saying, "I'm educated, so I'm superior to everyone else": "Sun San Niang, don't take offense at what I'm about to say. The 'Admonitions for Women' states: 'Women should not be involved in external affairs; they should manage their households, support their husbands, and raise their children.' You women, instead of staying home to support your husbands and raise your children, are out here running a shop in public—what kind of behavior is that!"

Yang Yang watched from behind the monitor and nodded slightly. Dai Xu had captured Du Changfeng's snobbishness and arrogance, which stemmed from his knowledge of classical texts.

Liu Yan took a deep breath, stepped forward, and pointed her finger at his nose: "I, Sun San Niang, slaughtered pigs for two years, and my son is already seven or eight years old. You're talking to me about 'Admonitions for Women'? Let me tell you, this teahouse was built by the three of us sisters from scratch. Every penny was earned by ourselves. You say I can't open a shop? What gives you the right!"

She grew angrier as she spoke, took a step forward, raised her hand, and slapped him on the chest. Du Changfeng staggered back two steps and fell into the pool with a splash, water rising half a person's height.

"Cut!" Yang Yang stood up from behind the monitor. "Third Sister's part was great. Pan'er, get ready to enter."

Next is the scene of Zhao Pan'er rushing in.

Liu Yifei changed into Zhao Pan'er's costume and went into the courtyard.

Yang Yang put the megaphone aside and walked up to her to personally explain the play.

Yang Yang said the scene was very simple: Pan'er rushed in and saw San Niang knocking Du Changfeng into the water. She should be angry but restrained. Her character is clever and witty, not a shrew.

There must be restraint in anger; this is the difference between Zhao Pan'er and San Niang.

Liu Yifei walked back to the center of the courtyard, took a deep breath, raised her hand, and then froze, her hand hovering in mid-air. She bit her lip, looking at Yang Yang somewhat embarrassedly: "Director Yang, I...I really want to do it?"

Yang Yang looked at her and said in a very soft voice, "You've never slapped anyone before?"

"No. My mom never let me get into conflicts with anyone since I was little. I've never fought on set. Even if there were fight scenes in my previous films, I never slapped anyone."

She didn't say the second half of her sentence. Slapping someone was an instinctive blind spot for her; she genuinely couldn't bring herself to do it.

Several takes were filmed like this, but Liu Yifei was still not satisfied and didn't feel good about hitting him.

Xiao He walked over and stood next to her, helping her to re-organize the direction Zhao Pan'er rushed in during the scene. Then, he lowered his voice and spoke in a volume only she could hear: "Sister Qianqian, just think about how those marketing accounts have been smearing you lately. They called you box office poison. Treat them like those people who are smearing you, and get revenge. Besides, if you can't bring yourself to do it, the teacher will get beaten up even more."

Liu Yifei raised her hand—slap! The first slap landed solidly on the air.

"Yes. That's it, just think to yourself that you're spitting out a spray." Xiao He encouraged.

"You're calling me a 'resourced' actress?" Liu Yifei grew angrier as she spoke, her initial shyness replaced by anger.

*Slap!* The second slap was even harder than the first.

"You're saying I have zero acting skills?" Liu Yifei gritted her teeth, her eyes slightly reddening.

*Slap!* The third slap was so loud that even the stagehands nearby couldn't help but look over.

"You're saying my singing isn't good?" Liu Yifei's breathing became more and more rapid.

*Slap!* Another slap, and she could almost feel the burning heat coming from her palm.

"Saying I'm washed up?" This time, the voice trembled slightly.

*Slap!* With her last slap, she used all her strength.

"Cut!"

Yang Yang stood up and clapped, his voice filled with a hint of unexpected surprise.

"Found it! This is good. The anger is internal, but the force in her hands is real. Pan'er isn't a shrew, but she's not weak either. She has her own bottom line, and she'll fight back if it's crossed. Yifei, your look just now, from shyness to anger, from anger to determination, was very complete. This version is very much Zhao Pan'er."