In the entertainment industry, the silly system claims it's the immortal realm.

Chapter 95 Cleaned inside and out

Mid-April.

Hehuan Company officially obtained the filming permit for "Detective Chinatown" and officially started the production team.

Late April.

Wei Yi opened a small film and television company in Thailand, taking full responsibility for the preparation work during the filming of "Detective Chinatown" in Bangkok, and Chen Acai served as the general manager of this small company.

The company was established for one purpose only: to facilitate obtaining tax refunds and subsidies, and to make filming overseas easier for the production crew.

This is considered common practice in the industry.

In early May, at a hotel in the capital.

The cast and crew of "Detective Chinatown" met for the first time and began a script reading session.

In fact, script readings are a particularly important step for film crews.

For actors, script reading sessions like this allow them to quickly immerse themselves in their roles and increase interaction with their co-stars through the script reading process, facilitating mutual understanding and collaboration.

For directors, this allows them to promptly identify problems and adjust the actors' focus.

In short, there are many benefits.

However, in this day and age, many actors are too busy.

Anyone with even a little bit of fame has several film contracts on their hands.

They really wished they could finish filming on one set and immediately rush to another.

For actors, time truly is money.

So for many film crews, it's not that they don't want to hold script reading sessions.

It's simply impossible to afford it. Let alone big-name actors, you probably can't even get anyone who's even slightly famous to come.

How can we start if we can't even get everyone together?

However, the production team of "Detective Chinatown" was alright; they didn't use many popular actors.

Among the main cast, the two most popular are probably Leung Ka-fai and Fan Xiaopang.

But Fan Xiaopang is one of our own, and Liang Jiahui has high hopes for this film and also has extremely high professional ethics.

Several big names are just making guest appearances; it doesn't matter if they come or not.

But Chow Yun-fat and Carina Lau were very accommodating, saying they would come on whichever day the report was scheduled.

They actually showed up for the three consecutive days of reading sessions, even if it was just a few lines.

All I can say is that the allure of VOGUE is immense, and the prestige of the Beijing Film Academy's heir is undeniable.

Mid-May.

The entire crew of "Detective Chinatown" traveled to Thailand for final acclimatization before filming.

May 20th.

Filming for "Detective Chinatown" has officially begun in Thailand.

Bangkok, Thailand.

Chinatown.

Back alley of Yaohuali Road.

Bangkok at the end of May is so hot it feels like you're being steamed alive.

The alley was piled with prop boxes and cables. Several stagehands squatted against the wall drinking iced Thai milk tea, sweat dripping down their necks and leaving a dark stain on their T-shirt collars.

Wei Yi stood in the middle of the alley, still wearing that faded "Yanjing Film Academy" T-shirt.

"Director Wei, this lighting is unusable." Cinematographer Lao Zhou squatted beside the monitor, his brows furrowed. "The top light is too harsh; the actors' faces are covered in shadows. How about we move to the afternoon?"

Contrary to what audiences see, most scenes in movies filmed at noon are actually shot in the afternoon.

The intense, bright midday sun is a disaster for many photographers and their equipment.

Wei Yi didn't speak. He silently uttered "System" in his mind.

[Command confirmed. The "Instantaneous Creation and Annihilation Light and Shadow Technique" is now activated. Spiritual energy consumption: 2 points/hour. Current spiritual energy value:]

587.

The world in my field of vision instantly faded, leaving only the flowing layers of black, white, and gray light and shadow.

Where can the light be scattered, where can the shadows be utilized, and which window can borrow diffuse reflection?

Everything unfolded in Wei Yi's mind, as clear as if he had cheated on the entire map in a game.

Ok.

Actually, he was cheating all along.

"No need to move it."

Wei Yi pointed to the second-floor window of the old building at the alley entrance, "Put the reflector in that position, angle it down a bit. Put the black flag on the left to block the reflection from that white wall."

Old Zhou paused for a moment, followed the hand's gaze, opened his mouth, then swallowed his words.

He was a student of Mu Deyuan and a graduate student in the Department of Photography at Beijing Film Academy.

At first, he was unconvinced, but after filming "One Shot" with Wei Yi, he realized that when the young man said "no need to move," he had basically found a solution.

Beside him, Wang Baoqiang squatted on a plastic stool, his face already made up to resemble Tang Ren's makeup.

Her skin was two shades darker, her eyebrows were drawn thick and crooked, and she wore a flashy Hawaiian shirt with the collar closed, revealing half of a gold chain.

He was practicing Tang Ren's heavily accented Mandarin in front of a small mirror, muttering to himself, "It wasn't me, it really wasn't me—"

"Baoqiang, stop reading."

Wei Yi didn't even turn his head. "In that scene later, you'll have to run from the other end of the alley, step into that puddle, slip and fall, and then get up and keep running. Got it?"

"Got it, got it!" Wang Baoqiang closed the mirror, stood up and jumped twice, like a monkey that had been untied.

Liang Jiahui sat on a folding chair at the other end, a cigarette dangling from his fingers.

He plays Qin Feng, a handsome middle-aged criminal police officer in his early forties who is forced to resign. His hair has been dyed gray by the makeup artist, making him look upright, handsome, and a bit weathered.

Someone offered him water, but he waved it off, his eyes never leaving the script.

Wei Yi walked over and squatted down next to him.

"Teacher Liang, in the scene to come, Qin Feng will meet Tang Ren for the first time. Your character is that you actually look down on this distant cousin, finding him slippery, unreliable, and full of empty talk."

"But he is, after all, your cousin's son. Your cousin was kind to you when you were a child, so your old detective instincts tell you that something is wrong with this guy, but you can't really ignore him."

Liang Jiahui tucked the cigarette behind his ear, remained silent for a few seconds, and then spoke: "So, the way Qin Feng looked at Tang Ren was three parts disdain, three parts suspicion, and a little helplessness?"

"Yes. And you have a slight stutter when you speak."

Wei Yi said, "It's not that exaggerated, comedic stutter; it's just an occasional pause on key words. For example, when he says 'you,' or 'tell me the truth,' he'll pause on the word 'you.' That's Qin Feng's character; it's more noticeable when he's nervous or impatient."

Liang Jiahui nodded, took the cigarette off his ear, smelled it under his nose, and then put it back on his ear.

"Understood."

If someone else said they understood...

Wei Yi might still be a little worried.

But this person said they understood.

Wei Yi believed it immediately.

Wei Yi stood up, dusted off his trousers, turned around, walked to the monitor, sat down, and picked up the megaphone.

"All on! Scene 1, Shot 1 of 'Detective Chinatown,' get ready!"

The clapperboard snapped shut.

"Scene 1, Shot 1 of 'Detective Chinatown,' Action!"

On the monitor, Wang Baoqiang stumbled and ran from the other end of the alley, stepped into a puddle, and fell face-first into the dirt.

He scrambled to his feet, his floral shirt covered in mud, his gold chain dangling from his back, still shouting, "It wasn't me! I didn't do it!"

Liang Jiahui walked into the scene from the alley entrance, stood by the puddle, and looked down at the disheveled young man on the ground.

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but then he swallowed it back.

Then he reached out and pulled Wang Baoqiang out of the puddle.

"Tell me the truth." His voice wasn't loud, but every word was delivered firmly. "Did you kill him?"

""

Wang Baoqiang wiped the mud off his face, his expression a mixture of injustice and grievance: "Uncle! How could I possibly kill someone! I wouldn't even dare kill a chicken!"

"Click!"

Wei Yi stood up from behind the monitor, a forced smile creeping onto his lips.

"That's good. Let's do one more take. Baoqiang, your fall was a bit fake just now, try to make it more natural this time. Teacher Liang, your stuttering rhythm for the 'you' was particularly good, keep it up."

Wang Baoqiang got up from the ground, patted the mud off his knees, and grinned, "Teacher Liang is indeed Teacher Liang, amazing!"

"You're pretty good too," Liang Jiahui replied with a smile.

The production crew quickly came over, checked the makeup, restored the shooting location, and began filming the next scene.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Chen Acai slipped in from the alleyway with two cups of iced coffee and greeted Wei Yi in Chaoshan dialect: "Director Wei, the Chinatown police station has taken care of things. Starting tomorrow, they'll send two officers every day to help maintain order. The owner of the gold shop next door has also agreed to keep their neon lights on during night shoots. He's also from Chaoshan. His mother heard you're from Chaoshan and wanted to invite you over for some sweet soup."

"Please thank the boss and his mother for me. I'll just have the sugar water."

Wei Yi took the coffee and took a sip. It was sickeningly sweet. That's what Thai iced coffee tastes like—you have to add sugar like crazy.

He placed the cup next to the monitor and was about to call for another take when his phone vibrated in his pocket.

When I took it out, it was a text message from Li Hua.

"Boss, preparations for 'Palace Lock' are going smoothly. Mimi has already started recording the theme song. Also—"

The second message came in shortly after.

This is Gao Yuanyuan's photo. She said she was so bored and wanted to come to Bangkok.

After Wei Yi finished reading, he quickly turned off his phone screen and stuffed it back into his pocket.

Fan Binbin appeared behind him at some point, wearing a sleeveless white tank top, denim shorts, and her hair was casually tied in a ponytail.

She wasn't scheduled to film today, and she was supposed to rest at the hotel, but she still came by car.

"Is she the third sister or the second sister? Why did she hang up as soon as she saw me coming?"

"No." Wei Yi said without changing his expression, picking up his iced coffee and taking another sip.

Fan Binbin snorted and didn't ask any further questions.

She glanced at the other end of the alley and saw Wang Baoqiang rehearsing his lines with Liang Jiahui.

The two people, one gesticulating wildly and the other standing motionless, created a scene so jarringly different it was as if two different movies had been forcibly edited together.

"Teacher Liang acted so well," Fan Binbin suddenly said, with a hint of envy in his voice. "When will I be able to act opposite an actor of this caliber?"

"Isn't this an opportunity? You're the female lead."

"My scenes won't be filmed for several more days."

Fan Binbin pursed his lips, "Besides, I only have two scenes with Teacher Liang. As for the new character you mentioned, the antique shop owner played by Gao Yuanyuan, we do have one scene together."

After she finished speaking, she paused deliberately and glanced at Wei Yi.

Wei Yi flipped through the storyboard with a blank expression: "I changed that scene. You meet her in the antique shop. You're just passing by, and she owns the shop. On the surface, you're very polite, but in reality, neither of you trusts the other."

"I know. I've read the script." Fan Binbin pursed her lips. "I just feel—it's so sudden that you added this role."

"Commercial films need beautiful women. If one isn't enough, add another."

Wei Yi spoke with complete confidence, without the slightest hint of guilt, "You're in charge of the bright and beautiful type, and she's in charge of the aloof type. These two different types of female characters will appeal to a wider audience."

"So you admit she's good-looking?"

Wei Yi finally looked up at her and replied quickly, "You're prettier."

Fan Binbin stared at him for several seconds, then burst out laughing.

"Fine, at least you know how to talk." She picked up the iced coffee he'd placed beside her, took a sip, and then frowned in disgust. "Too sweet. Do Thais not care about sugar?"

You'll get used to it.

"Who wants to get used to this?"

In the distance, the script supervisor had already begun urging preparations for the next scene.

Wang Baoqiang waved to Wei Yi from afar: "Director Wei! I'm going to make this fall look real, watch closely!"

Wei Yichong gave an OK sign.

"Baoqiang is still the best." Fan Binbin watched Wang Baoqiang run back to the other end of the alley to start over, and said with emotion, "He's simple, honest, and single-mindedly focused on acting. Unlike some people, who are full of tricks."

Wei Yi didn't respond to that. He stood up, picked up the megaphone, and shouted, "Everyone, one more take!"

[System Notification: Your Daoist partner Fan Binbin's jealousy level has risen to 65. It is recommended that you soothe him appropriately to prevent the situation from escalating. Friendly Reminder: This system does not provide services to appease your Daoist partner.]

Wei Yi cursed "nonsense" in his mind, then turned his attention back to the monitor.

Wang Baoqiang ran over from the other end of the alley again, this time falling hard. His knee hit the concrete with a dull thud, and even Fan Binbin, who was next to the monitor, gasped.

But when he got up, he still had that same cheeky expression that Tang Ren had when he was panicked, and he kept saying, "It's not me," without even changing his tone.

Wei Yi stared at the monitor, mentally making a fuss about Bao Qiang.

There's a reason this guy became famous.

"Click! Passed!"

When we finished work in the afternoon, the setting sun bathed the entire Chinatown in a golden-red hue.

Chen Acai and several local staff members began packing up the equipment.

Liang Jiahui changed back into his own clothes and sat on a folding chair, slowly sipping a cup of hot tea.

Wang Baoqiang squatted down beside him, drinking tea with him, his face still covered in mud.

Wei Yi stood at the alley entrance, lit a cigarette, and exhaled a puff of smoke while looking towards the Chao Phraya River.

"Oh, right, Director Wei," Chen Acai suddenly remembered something and took out several documents from his briefcase, "I submitted the tax refund application to the Thai Film Bureau, and it has passed the initial review. If it's approved, we can get at least 50% of the taxes back. As for subsidies, they should cover about 3% to 5% of the filming costs."

"The subsidy is so low?" Wei Yi took the document and flipped through it. "Wasn't it supposed to be around 10%?"

"That's a purely Thai film. And there are overseas box office requirements. The highest for foreign co-productions is 8%, 3%-5% is the normal range."

Chen Acai smiled and revealed his gold teeth, "But I have a good relationship with the people on the approval committee, so I should be able to get 5% approved in the end."

"Okay." Wei Yi handed the document back to Chen Acai. "Thank you for your hard work."

Back to the hotel.

Wei Yi finished showering and lay down on the bed, just turning on his laptop.

Fan Xiaopang was right in front of him, completely naked.

But before Wei Yi could reach her, she slapped him away and said irritably, "Get lost! This weather in Bangkok is unbearably hot!"

I sweated so much today, I smell terrible! Don't touch me! Let me take a shower first!

Wei Yi could only watch her go to the restroom, swaying her large hips and wasp waist.

Wei Yi smiled and shook his head, then checked the work emails sent by Li Hua.

The title is "Palace Lock Heart Jade Progress Report (May 20)".

He opened the attachment and flipped through the pages.

Mu Tingting's official photos are displayed at the very front.

In the photo, she is wearing an elegant Hanfu, her hair is tied up in a high bun, and there is a faint trace of sorrow between her brows and eyes.

Overall, it's not bad.

Although she doesn't have the same charm as Yang Mi in "Palace", Mu Tingting's advantage lies in her hard work.

The key is this Hanfu; it looks much better than the Tungusic clothing with centipede buttons!

Yang Mi's situation went more smoothly.

Three versions of "The Power of Love" were recorded, and the sweetest version was chosen in the end.

In the email, Li Hua said that after listening to the demo, the post-production team swore on the spot that the song would definitely be a hit.

The theme song alone brought in at least 300,000 yuan.

The copyrights to the theme song and incidental music of "Palace" are held by Hehuan Film and Television. Every time the songs are performed publicly or used commercially, money must be paid to the company.

At the end of the email, Li Hua added: "Boss, the product placement for 'Palace Lock' has been finalized with two companies, one a skincare brand and the other a beverage brand, totaling six million. I've sent you the placement proposals; please take a look and see if they're suitable."

Wei Yi typed two words in the reply box: "Read." Then he shut down his computer.

He leaned against the headboard and stared at the ceiling for a while.

The sand sculpture system suddenly popped up a window.

[Mid-term Report on Sect Development]

[Sect Level: Lv.2]

[Inner Disciples: Li Hua, Mu Tingting, Wang Baoqiang, Yang Mi ————]

He swiped through the system panel and discovered that the number of members in the sect had unknowingly reached double digits.

You're just a few experience points away from unlocking the next level of features.

[New Feature Preview: After a sect reaches Lv.3, the "Protective Mountain Array" function will be unlocked. It can automatically generate an aura suppression effect within a one-kilometer radius of the sect's training ground (Hehuan Film and Television Office Building). All competitors entering the range will unconsciously feel intimidated and be more likely to make concessions during negotiations.]

"What kind of crooked and evil methods are these?" he couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"This formation is not some heretical or evil method, but a legitimate Daoist protective formation. Everyone in the cultivation world uses it," the silly system corrected righteously.

Oh well. As long as it works, that's fine.

Just as he finished processing his work report, he noticed that Fan Xiaopang hadn't come out of the restroom yet.

Thinking about going in to take another bath, to have a romantic bath together, to help Fan Xiaopang take a bath, and to wash her inside and out until she was spotless.

On my phone, Gao Yuanyuan sent me a text message.

"Are you off work? Have you had dinner? What did you film today?"

Wei Yi leaned back in his chair, picked up his phone, and typed: "Filmed a few scenes with Qin Feng and Tang Ren. Just got off work a little while ago, just finished dinner, and I'm about to take a shower. It's so hot in Bangkok, I'll call you later!"

It wouldn't be good to let her call now, since Fan Xiaopang is still in the room!

So he lied and said he hadn't taken a shower yet, because he was planning to take a bath with Fan Xiaopang right now.

Gao Yuanyuan sent back a smiley face emoji.

In this day and age, sending this requires several keystrokes—colon, bar, and right parenthesis.

"Are you going to take a shower? What if I want to watch you shower?"

Behind the text, there is a colorful emoji made up of symbols.

You wouldn't know until you've tried dating Yuan Yuan, and once you have, you'll be shocked!

As Wei Yi spent more time with her, he discovered that this girl was a little flirtatious in private!

Even Fan Binbin isn't as alluring as her, despite her having the appearance of an artistic goddess.

"I'll move my laptop to the bathroom, we'll video chat, I'll show you how I shower, and you'll show me how you shower too?"

"No, you're such a pervert!"

"Damn it, you were the one who said you wanted to watch me shower first! I'm ignoring you now, I'm going to shower, I'll call you later!"

Actually, Wei Yi noticed that Fan Xiaopang in the bathroom was about to come out.

Wei Yi, who was eager to take a bath together with his wife, was not about to let her out.

Wei Yi turned off his phone screen and began to take off his clothes as he walked towards the bathroom.

As he walked to the bathroom door, Fan Xiaopang was just putting on his bathrobe and preparing to walk out.

"What are you doing? Didn't you just shower?"

"Let's do it."

"What?"

"You ask me why, and this is my answer—to do it."

"Ah!" Fan Xiaopang screamed, then giggled, "Be gentle, you might fall! I made too many bubbles!"

That's perfect for lubrication.

2

"Hmph, you really are... ah, um—"

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