Huayu: Starting from retirement, sweeping across the domestic entertainment industry

March 9th, Xiangshan Film and Television City.

The morning sunlight shines through the eaves of the antique-style building, casting dappled light and shadow on the bluestone pavement.

The opening ceremony for the first season of "The Sword and the Brocade" was held here.

Three days ago, the main actors had just finished a script reading.

Li Ran, Lu Yuxiao, Wang Churan, Tian Xiwei, Zhou Ye, Hu Jun... a group of people sat around in the conference room, going through the script page by page and scrutinizing the lines line by line.

Li Ran was surprised to find that Lu Yuxiao, who seemed a bit dull, was surprisingly witty when reading Jiang Ni's lines.

At the end of the reading session, director Zhang Li looked at Li Ran and smiled, "This girl has something."

Li Ran nodded without saying anything.

……

The opening ceremony venue has been decorated in a solemn and festive manner.

The red backdrop read "Wishing the filming of 'The Snow Sword' auspicious start," and flower baskets were placed on both sides.

The camera was covered with a red cloth, quietly waiting for the moment to be unveiled.

Staff members were busy moving around, and actors arrived one after another.

Li Ran didn't arrive early; when he got out of the car, a number of media reporters had already gathered around him.

Long lenses and short lenses were pointed at the red carpet, and flashes went off one after another.

His trending topic on Weibo Night had no impact on the start of filming today.

Instead, it brought the production team even greater exposure, with a third more reporters on site than originally planned, all there for the "Li Ran's rumored girlfriend group".

Tian Xiwei and Zhou Ye were both there.

Zhang Jingyi and Zhang Ruonan, who have few scenes, did not attend the opening ceremony.

Hu Lianxin has no scenes yet and hasn't appeared.

But just seeing these two together was enough to excite the reporters.

Li Ran glanced at Tian Xiwei, who was standing not far away. She was wearing a light-colored casual outfit and talking to Wang Churan.

Zhou Ye was chatting with Meng Ziyi, whom he had only recently gotten to know, and seemed to be in a good mood.

He turned his gaze away and walked towards the main creative team.

Today's cast is truly impressive.

The male lead, Xu Fengnian, is played by Li Ran.

The female lead, Jiang Ni, is played by Lu Yuxiao.

Wang Churan, the White Fox-Faced Nangong Pu She.

Milk turtle juvenile Wei - Tian Xiwei.

The Death Soldier Bluebird – Zhou Ye.

The head maid, Hongshu, is named Meng Ziyi.

Also present was Hu Jun, who played Xu Xiao, standing upright in the front row, chatting with director Zhang Li.

Li Ran walked over and greeted Hu Jun.

Hu Jun patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Li Ran, I saw your trending topic. Not bad, you're more popular than I was back then."

Li Ran chuckled awkwardly, "Teacher Hu, please don't make fun of me."

While the two exchanged pleasantries, the staff had already begun preparing for the subsequent incense offering and prayers.

The procedure is the same as always.

The main cast members stepped forward one by one, lit incense, and bowed to the heavens and the four directions, praying for a smooth filming process.

Then the director and producer together lifted the red cloth covering the camera, firecrackers went off, and filming officially began.

Just as Li Ran was about to step forward, he caught a glimpse of Lu Yuxiao beside him out of the corner of his eye.

She was fiddling with the incense in her hand, her clumsy movements drawing his attention.

She grabbed the entire bundle of incense, her brows furrowed slightly, as if she were pondering how to proceed.

Li Ran burst out laughing.

The sound wasn't loud, but it reached Lu Yuxiao's ears clearly.

She tilted her head and looked at Li Ran, her eyes wide open, filled with a mix of confusion, innocence, and bewilderment as if asking, "What did I do wrong?"

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked, stunned.

Li Ran smiled helplessly: "Who holds a handful of incense sticks when offering it? And what's the point of you holding a handful?"

He pointed to the incense sticks in her hand: "Three sticks are enough, look at my gesture."

Lu Yuxiao looked down at the bundle of incense in her hand, then at the three lonely sticks of incense in Li Ran's hand, and exclaimed "Oh!" in sudden realization.

She quickly put down the bundle of incense, took three more sticks, and looked at Li Ran with expectant eyes.

Li Ran demonstrated it to her.

Lu Yuxiao stared at his hand for a few seconds, then frowned: "Hey, Li Ran, slow down, I didn't see it clearly."

"Can we do it again?" she asked, staring at him with bewildered eyes.

Li Ran smiled, slowed down his movements, and explained as he demonstrated: "Pinch the middle of the incense stick with your thumbs and forefingers, keeping the incense stick vertical."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Also, if there's a flame after you light the incense, don't blow it out with your mouth."

Lu Yuxiao tilted her head: "If we don't blow with our mouths, what do we use to blow?"

"Why don't you just shake it and it'll go out?"

"What if it can't be destroyed?"

"It can be destroyed."

"What if?"

Li Ran was silent for a second.

Looking at Lu Yuxiao's serious face, he suddenly felt like laughing.

Is this girl genuinely naive, or is she deliberately teasing him?

"Then just fan it out with your hand," he replied helplessly.

"What if the fan breaks?" Lu Yuxiao blinked, her eyes revealing the innocent naiveté of a college student.

Li Ran twitched the corner of his mouth: "That'll be difficult then."

Lu Yuxiao looked at him with some annoyance: "Huh? You told me you were nervous."

Li Ran shook his head helplessly: "When it's our turn, just watch what I do and follow along."

"Oh." Lu Yuxiao nodded. "Then slow down, I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up."

Li Ran shook his head and chuckled.

This girl would definitely be perfect for playing a fool.

Not far away, Wang Churan took in the whole scene.

Li Ran shook his head and chuckled.

This girl would definitely be perfect for playing a fool.

Not far away, Wang Churan took in the whole scene.

She nudged Tian Xiwei beside her with her elbow and said in a low voice, "Look at that Lu Yuxiao, she looks like an idiot."

Tian Xiwei followed her gaze.

Li Ran was leading Lu Yuxiao toward the incense offering spot. The two walked one in front of the other, with Lu Yuxiao following closely behind, her eyes as focused as a primary school student following a teacher.

Tian Xiwei pursed her lips: "It could also be a case of feigning ignorance while possessing great wisdom."

Wang Churan raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean?"

"Didn't you notice?"

Tian Xiwei explained, "Although Li Ran seemed speechless, he was actually kind of enjoying it."

Wang Churan thought about it and realized it was true.

"Who cares!"

Wang Churan withdrew his gaze and looked at Tian Xiwei, reminding her, "You should think about how to face the media's questions later. There are quite a few reporters here today."

Tian Xiwei snorted: "What do I have to worry about? Li Ran should be the one who's worried."

Wang Churan reminded her, "Don't forget what your aunt said, don't have too much contact with Li Ran today."

Tian Xiwei glanced at her and said, "Mind your own business! Don't get caught rolling your eyes."

After what happened that day, the alliance between the two was effectively dead.

Although they were still working together to deal with other people, they were bickering more and more often in private.

The incense offering ceremony proceeded smoothly.

Lu Yuxiao followed behind Li Ran, imitating him, and thankfully did not make any mistakes.

She imitated Li Ran, holding incense sticks in both hands and bowing. Although her movements were still a bit awkward, they were barely acceptable.

Afterwards, Li Ran looked at her and smiled: "You're not that stupid!"

Lu Yuxiao immediately pursed her lips, her eyes widening, and retorted, "I'm very smart, okay!"

Li Ran didn't argue with her, but just smiled meaningfully and turned to walk towards the interview area.

Lu Yuxiao stared at that smile for a second, stunned.

Then she quickly followed, saying, "No, Li Ran, what does that smile mean? I feel like you're insulting me!"

Li Ran didn't turn around, he just waved his hand.

Behind them, Zhou Ye was holding Meng Ziyi's arm.

The two will both be participating in a variety show called "Peach Blossom Village" on Tencent Video. After spending the last few days together, they have become good friends.

Zhou Ye watched Lu Yuxiao walk and whispered in Meng Ziyi's ear, "Look at how Lu Yuxiao walks, it's so funny! She looks like a penguin."

Meng Ziyi nodded and observed carefully: "It's probably because he's a little pigeon-toed."

She paused, then suddenly asked, "Xiao Ye, are you and Li Ran really not in a romantic relationship?"

Zhou Ye shook his head, answering perfectly: "We're just college classmates; netizens are just shipping us as a couple."

Meng Ziyi then asked, "Do you know if his on-screen couple is real?"

Zhou Ye looked at her with some suspicion: "It's all fake, Sister Meng, why are you asking this?"

Meng Ziyi said bluntly, "Of course I'm curious! Aren't you curious about a handsome guy like Li Ran?"

Zhou Ye frowned slightly.

Looking at Meng Ziyi's serious face, she suddenly became alert.

"Sister Meng, do you like Li Ran?" she asked tentatively.

Meng Ziyi thought for a moment, then nodded honestly: "I kind of like him... he really is handsome!"

Zhou Ye quickly said, "Then don't even think about it. He's not in the mood for dating right now."

Meng Ziyi said with some disappointment, "Oh, I see... That's a pity."

Zhou Ye thought to himself: You're really interested in Li Ran?

I'll have to be careful around you from now on.

After Hu Lianxin's betrayal, Zhou Ye is no longer the carefree little dog she once was.

Now she's going to be a cunning wolf.

The reporters are ready in the interview area.

Li Ran stood in front of the crowd, facing rows of cameras, her expression calm.

Beside him were director Zhang Li and several lead actors. Lu Yuxiao stood next to him, looking a little nervous.

The first question cut straight to the point: "Li Ran, what are your thoughts on the recent trending topics?"

Li Ran smiled, already prepared: "Today is the opening ceremony of 'The Snow Sword,' I hope everyone will pay more attention to our work."

Director Zhang Li chimed in: "Li Ran is a very dedicated actor, and I believe he will portray the character of Xu Fengnian very well."

"As for their private lives, that's the actors' own business. Our production team only cares about how well the filming goes."

The reporter wanted to ask more questions, but the staff had already started guiding the reporter to the next one.

Tian Xiwei stood at the edge of the crowd, watching Li Ran from a distance. Remembering Long Danni's instructions, she did not get too close.

Wang Churan stood next to her, and the two occasionally exchanged glances, but neither of them spoke.

Zhou Ye and Meng Ziyi also stood on the other side, maintaining an appropriate distance.

The interview session continued.

A reporter stood up, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Zhou Ye and Tian Xiwei.

He raised the microphone, his questions sharp as knives: "Zhou Ye and Tian Xiwei are both rumored to be romantic partners of Li Ran. Both have worked with Li Ran before, and this is their second collaboration..."

"What exactly is the relationship between the three of you? Who is the third party?"

The staff exchanged a glance, preparing to step in and intervene.

But Zhou Ye had already picked up the microphone.

Her expression was calm, with even a polite smile on her lips: "We're just colleagues."

She paused, looking directly at the reporter: "As for the third party you mentioned... I don't know what your intentions are."

The tone wasn't harsh, but every word was like a nail driven into the ground.

But in her heart she was thinking: everyone else is a third party except for me.

But she remembered Li Shuangbing's advice: now was not the time to show affection to Li Ran, as that would only cause him trouble.

Everything was for Li Ran.

Tian Xiwei took the microphone, her tone even more decisive: "Li Ran and Director Zhang have already answered."

"Focus on the actors' work, and don't pry into their private lives."

She put down the microphone and didn't say another word.

The reporter wanted to ask more questions, but staff members had already stepped forward and gestured for the next question.

In subsequent interviews, several reporters still tried to steer the conversation toward Li Ran's love life.

Someone asked, "Li Ran, what do you think of the recent online rankings of couples?"

Li Ran smiled and said, "I'm not too sure. I haven't had time to pay attention to that."

Someone asked, "What are your relationships like with the actresses in private?"

Li Ran remained calm: "They are all very good colleagues, and it's been a pleasure working with them."

After several attempts, the staff stopped being polite.

A reporter had barely opened his mouth to ask, "Regarding the claim that you're juggling multiple relationships..." when he was immediately asked to leave the scene.

The remaining reporters wisely toned down their sharp questions and began asking more moderate ones.

Li Ran skillfully steered each question back to the novel itself, "The Snow Sword".

He talked about the complexity of the character Xu Fengnian, the preparation for the action scenes, and the respect and understanding of the original work.

The atmosphere gradually eased.

Finally, a reporter stood up and asked a question related to the play.

"Director Zhang Li, why was such an important lead role, even the female lead, played by a newcomer?"

Director Zhang Li took the microphone and said calmly, "Our directing team has also discussed this issue..."

"In the end, we all wanted to give newcomers a chance, and Lu Yuxiao herself was also very suitable for the role of Jiang Ni."

The reporter was clearly prepared: "But now many netizens believe that there are other actresses in the crew who are more suitable than Lu Yuxiao."

Zhang Li smiled and said, "The casting was a unanimous decision made by our directing team after the auditions. Every actor is a good fit for the role."

At this moment, Li Ran picked up the microphone.

He glanced at Lu Yuxiao standing beside him. The girl was looking down, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes, and she looked a little nervous.

"Everyone can look forward to it."

Li Ran slowly said, "Afterwards, the actors will change into their costumes, and we can see the effect."

He paused, then said in a relaxed tone, "Besides the issue of 'newcomers,' aren't I a newcomer too? Zhou Ye, Tian Xiwei, Wang Churan—aren't they all newcomers?"

In one sentence, everyone was brought to the same side.

Lu Yuxiao looked up and glanced at him.

There was a hint of gratitude in those eyes.

After the interview, we moved on to the next step: taking official photos.

The dressing room was bustling with activity, with costume designers, makeup artists, and stylists moving back and forth.

The lead actors changed into their costumes, ready to make their first impression on the camera.

Li Ran changed into the specially prepared robes of the Crown Prince of Northern Liang.

He wore a long black robe with dark gold patterns, a jade belt around his waist, and his hair was styled in a high bun.

He stood in front of the mirror, adjusted his gaze, and his eyes became sharp and resolute, carrying a hint of the languor of a noble family and the edge of a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person from the martial arts world).

The makeup artist next to him couldn't help but exclaim, "This is Xu Fengnian himself!"

Li Ran smiled but didn't say anything.

Lu Yuxiao was dressed in white mourning clothes.

That was the costume for beating drums in Jubei City, and it won't appear in the first season.

The production team specially arranged this outfit for the purpose of taking the costume fitting photos.

She stood there in a white dress, with a clean and simple face, her eyes filled with a stubbornness that was completely different from her usual self.

Li Ran walked over, glanced at it, and nodded: "Not bad."

Lu Yuxiao tilted her head to look at him: "Really? Or are you just trying to fool me?"

Li Ran chuckled: "Really, when you get serious, you can actually make it quite convincing."

Lu Yuxiao pursed her lips, wanting to laugh but holding it back, her expression quite strange.

The costumes of the other characters are also very faithful to the original work.

Wang Churan changed into Nangong Pushe's white fox fur robe, his brows exuding a commanding presence.

She twirled in front of the mirror, a satisfied smile on her lips. She really liked this look.

Tian Xiwei plays Yu Youwei, the top courtesan of Beiliang. Her attire is relatively glamorous, her makeup is exquisite, and she exudes a charming and alluring style.

Meng Ziyi's sweet potato appeared in a red outfit, with a white silk skirt underneath and a semi-transparent red gauze over it, the red and white colors were striking and elegant.

But the most eye-catching one is Zhou Ye.

She changed into the Bluebird's outfit, a blue dress, with her hair tied up in a high bun.

When she has no expression, she stands there and is the Bluebird herself—aloof, distant, and with a touch of aloofness that keeps people at arm's length.

Hu Jun walked over, glanced at her, and nodded: "Xiao Ye, this outfit is great! You have that feeling of a female general."

She remembered Li Shuangbing's words: keep your distance when you're out in public.

But that one glance was enough.

The photo shoot begins.

The photographer directed the positioning, and the lights came on again and again.

Li Ran stood in the center, next to Lu Yuxiao, and then to the other main actors.

The sound of camera shutters clicking incessantly.

"Okay, one more."

"Li Ran, look this way."

"The actresses, come closer."

After taking the group photo, they started taking individual photos and couple photos.

When Li Ran and Lu Yuxiao stood together, the photographer asked them to look at each other.

The two stared at each other for a second.

Lu Yuxiao suddenly laughed: "The way you're looking at me, it's like you're glaring at me."

Li Ran said helplessly, "That was Xu Fengnian's gaze, not his glare at you."

Lu Yuxiao said "Oh," but the smile on her lips didn't fade.

……

In the afternoon, the first scene officially began filming.

The set quieted down, and everyone got into work mode.

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