Just because I wrote "Zhu Xian," the school beauty sent me razor blades.

Vehicle preparations are proceeding simultaneously.

The special vehicle task force sourced four core racing cars from Japan: two Toyota AE86s (one as the main car and one as a backup), two Mazda RX-7 FC3Ss, two Nissan GT-R R32s, and three Mitsubishi EVO IIIs (one of which was to be scrapped for a crash test).

All models were tuned by a Japanese tuning team according to the script requirements—the AE86 was fitted with a racing engine and micro-gear, the RX-7 had its turbo pressure increased, the GT-R had its four-wheel drive system and brakes enhanced, and the EVO III was fitted with a roll cage. All the modified parts were sourced directly from the Japanese manufacturer, and the parts list alone was fourteen pages long.

Looking at the list, Du Lei remarked, "I've filmed two racing web series, and the combined parts don't even amount to this one page."

The location scouting team flew to Gunma Prefecture, Japan.

Haruna Mountain. The prototype of Akinayama.

Du Lei, along with his photography team and safety consultant, spent five days traversing the entire mountain road, marking every shooting location—the hairpin bend entry point, the drainage ditch location, the acceleration zone on the straightaway, and the camera setup point at the bend exit. Road closure reports were submitted to the local police and road management departments simultaneously; Du Lei began the approval process two months in advance.

"Road closures for filming in Japan are more complicated than in China," Du Lei told Lin Yuan on the phone. "But they're efficient and have a clear process. The permits have already been issued; the roads will be closed from 9 PM to 3 AM every night—a six-hour window."

"That's enough. All the racing scenes will be filmed at night."

How many takes do you plan to shoot each night?

"Check the road conditions. Safety first. If one route isn't feasible, try two; if two aren't feasible, try three. Don't rush."

"...When did you become so patient?"

"When filming 'Secret,' I played a wrong note on the piano and had to start over, until my fingers bled."

"So this time, are we going to keep driving until the tires start smoking?"

"almost."

July. The film crew arrived in Gunma Prefecture, Japan.

The entire crew of over eighty people, plus twelve members of the Japanese special effects team and six local coordinators, made up a nearly one-hundred-person international production crew, who stayed at a hot spring hotel at the foot of the mountain.

Du Lei posted a shooting schedule in the hotel lobby, marking the racing scenes in red and the transition and alternative days in green.

Red makes up two-thirds of the color.

"We finished filming all the big mountain road racing scenes in Japan two months ago," Lin Yuan said to the entire crew, standing in front of the schedule. "The dialogue scenes will be reshot back in China."

"Why prioritize racing games?" someone asked.

"Because racing scenes are all dependent on the weather. The weather, road temperature, wind direction—each factor will affect the filming results. Indoor scenes can be filmed anytime, but racing scenes can't." He paused for a moment, "Moreover, if the racing scenes are poorly filmed, there's no point in the movie existing."

Day 1. Mount Akina.

The road closure began at 9 p.m.

Four core race cars were parked at the starting line, their engines humming softly, tires making a soft crunching sound on the asphalt. The panoramic camera position on the mountaintop was in place, the fixed high-speed camera position on the curve was locked, the onboard camera position was secured, and the low-altitude aerial camera position hovered in the air, ready to be deployed.

Four camera positions simultaneously capture the scene.

Du Lei stood in front of the walkie-talkie, his voice pouring into everyone's ears through the earpiece—"Attention all departments, first rule: AE86 going downhill, normal speed and positioning, no drifting. Have the camera positions run through first to confirm the framing."

"Positioning complete. All units confirm camera coverage."

"AE86, ready."

The stunt driver, Kenichiro Tanaka, a professional mountain road driver from Japan, sat in the driver's seat of the AE86, fastened his four-point seatbelt, put on his helmet, and flipped down his goggles.

"engine."

The engine roared to life, rolling twice in the valley before dissipating.

"Set off."

The AE86 shot off, its taillights leaving two red lines.

Lin Yuan stood in front of the monitoring wall, watching four images switch simultaneously—a bird's-eye view from the mountaintop, a low-slung view of the curve, a view of the car from above, and an aerial view from above. The AE86 glided through the first hairpin bend in the video, its tires squeaking slightly and the car sliding outwards a little.

"Your positioning is fine," he told Du Lei. "Next, drift."

"Roger that. AE86, prepare to drift."

Tanaka lightly applied the brakes before the apex of the bend, then swung the steering wheel sharply, sending the rear of the car flying out—white smoke billowed from the rear wheels, drawing an arc in the night.

In the aerial footage, the AE86 looks like a white pen, drawing an arc on the black mountain road.

"Okay," Lin Yuan said, "Keep this on file. Now for the official part."

For the next two months, this was the routine every day.

We entered the location in the evening, filming was closed late at night, and we finished at 3 a.m. After dawn, we returned to the hotel, slept until noon, held a storyboard meeting in the afternoon to confirm the filming plan for that night, and went up the mountain again in the evening.

The racing sequence progresses step by step according to the stunt script.

First battle on Mount Akina: Takumi overtakes GTR on the downhill section with his AE86. Four cameras recorded simultaneously, capturing everything from tire smoke and tire tracks to the light and shadow effects on the mountain road at night.

Cornering through a drainage ditch: Focusing on the extreme posture of the car body hugging the edge of the ditch. Tanaka drove it six times before finding the best angle—the moment the front wheel cuts into the ditch, the car body tilts to the limit, the right rear wheel is almost suspended in the air, and the exhaust outlet is less than five centimeters from the ground.

After watching the replay for the sixth time, Lin Yuan said one word: "Pass."

The ultimate team battle at the five consecutive hairpin bends: three cars racing simultaneously—AE86, RX-7, and EVO III. Each car had a stunt driver, four camera positions plus two aerial drones, recording six streams of footage simultaneously. They filmed all night, running the course fourteen times, and Du Lei's voice became hoarse from shouting into the walkie-talkie.

EVO III crash: entirely composed of live-action shots and physically based CG composites. The production team collected terrain data from the actual cliff face of Mount Haruna, and the CG team used this data to recreate the entire process of the vehicle losing control, scraping against the guardrail, rolling over, and crashing to its final pieces. Zhao Duo (Kyoichi Sudo) only filmed close-ups of his expression while inside the car in a state of loss of control; the rest was handled by post-production.

"Over 95% of the racing scenes were filmed entirely on location," Lin Yuan wrote in his shooting log. "Only the scene where the EVO crashes down the mountain was CG-assisted. The boundaries between actors and stunt doubles were clearly defined throughout the shoot, ensuring zero-risk, real-life filming. Real engine sounds, tire screech, and wind noise were recorded simultaneously to lay the foundation for post-production sound effects."

two months.

Filming on location in Japan has been completed.

All the major mountain road racing scenes have been filmed – the first battle on Mount Akina, the downhill showdown, the drainage ditch corner, the final team battle with five consecutive hairpin bends, and the EVO crash – not one is missing.

At 3 a.m. on the day filming wrapped, the entire crew set off fireworks at the foot of the mountain (in an area permitted by Japan). Du Lei drank three cans of beer, grabbed Lin Yuan's hand, and said, "Director Lin, I've been making movies for twenty years, and this is the most enjoyable time I've ever had."

Lin Yuan didn't drink, but he nodded.

"After returning to China, the film studio set up sets for reshooting indoor scenes," he said. "A tofu shop, classrooms, dormitories, a restaurant—the whole set was built. It took a month."

Is one month enough?

"That's enough. The racing scenes are all filmed; the rest are dialogue scenes. I have experience with dialogue scenes."

"What experience?"

"The experience of 'Secret'," Lin Yuan said, "is about creating a sense of breathing space in indoor scenes. Give the actors space, and they'll find their own rhythm."

Du Lei drank another can.

Returning home. (At the film studio.)

The tofu shop, classrooms, dormitories, and restaurant were all recreated as sets, with the Japanese art director overseeing the quality to ensure seamless integration with the actual Japanese locations. Filming of the dialogue scenes officially began.

Takumi and Natsuki's outdoor date scene: The two walk hand in hand along the riverbank. Natsuki turns to look at Takumi and says, "I once heard someone say that the most important thing for a person is to find their own world. Only by finding your own world can life have meaning. Takumi, I think racing is the world that truly belongs to you."

"No filters," Lin Yuan told the photography crew. "We want the most natural light. The Japanese style isn't about filters, it's about the light itself."

Lin Yuan himself acted out the scene where Ryosuke Takahashi invited Takumi to race. Ryosuke leaned against the 86 and cut to the chase: "Did you forget I said I wanted to race you?" Takumi looked down at the 86: "I haven't agreed yet." Ryosuke smiled, unhurried, and changed the subject, talking about the shock absorbers, engine boost, and chassis tuning, circling the 86 as if discussing his own car. Finally, he stopped, looked at Takumi, and said seriously: "Your dad is really amazing. The balance of this 86 is perfectly tuned, almost flawless. But this car will soon fall behind your level; perhaps you should get a different one."

Takumi was silent for a moment, then said, "I still want to drive my AE86."

Ryosuke's lips twitched slightly, as if he already knew the answer: "So, you agreed to the competition?"

Takumi nodded.

Watching Lin Yuan finish his scene on the monitor, Du Lei whispered to the production assistant, "He's not acting as Ryosuke. He *is* Ryosuke."

One scene was enough to establish his character: clear goals, calm and composed, using professionalism to communicate effectively; he immediately understood the limits of 86, and a quick check revealed his profound knowledge.

A Tofu Shop Routine: After the AE86 was scrapped, Natsuki said she wanted to go back to the countryside. Takumi sat alone in his room, lost in thought, staring blankly out the window. In the hallway, Bunta (played by Teacher Huang) passed by his son's room, slowed his pace, and glanced inside—Takumi was facing away from the door, his shoulders slumped, motionless. Bunta said nothing, looked for a few seconds, and then continued walking.

"Let's get this one through," Lin Yuan said after watching the replay.

Du Lei stood behind the monitor, silent for two seconds, before speaking: "This scene was indeed well-shot. It portrays the boy's simultaneous loss of his beloved object and his budding romance, his confusion, and the deep, reserved father's understanding yet choice to protect him through silence—using a silent loneliness to complete the protagonist's growing pains from boy to race car driver."

One month. All the indoor scenes were completed.

Lin Yuan stood in the studio, watching the workers dismantle the set.

Du Lei walked over and handed him a cup of hot tea.

What about later?

"Two months. Editing, color grading, sound effects, CG compositing." Lin Yuan took the bottle, took a sip, and said, "It'll be released during the Spring Festival."

"The Spring Festival film season?"

"right."

"The Spring Festival film season is all family-friendly movies, comedies, and big-budget productions. How can you cram a racing film into that?"

"Are racing movies not family-friendly?"

"...You win."

Lin Yuan looked at the lights on the ceiling and recalled the first day on Mount Akina when the engine started for the first time, and the roar rolled twice in the valley before dissipating.

"Director Du."

"Um?"

What do you think the audience will want to do after watching this movie?

Du Lei thought for a moment.

"I want to race."

"That's enough."