While they were chatting happily, a film crew member came over to remind them that filming was about to start and they should prepare. Their pleasant chat time ended there, and they all stood up and walked towards the filming location.
As they walked, they adjusted their states, quickly getting into their respective roles. Yi Xing and Meng Ziyi re-ascended the martial arts stage, striking their final poses from before the "Cut!" was called, with the male embracing the female's waist.
Yang Xuwen, Li Yitong, and the other extras standing below the stage were also ready, but there were slight differences from their positions before the cut. To avoid continuity errors, Director Jiang adjusted everyone's position frame by frame according to the monitor. Only after restoring them to be exactly the same did he sit back in front of the monitor and say,
"Alright, departments, prepare, Action!"
The camera circled Yang Kang and Mu Nianci on the stage several times. Mu Yi, standing nearby, finally couldn't watch any longer and interrupted the ambiguous atmosphere, "Young Master has won; please release my daughter quickly."
Hearing her father's voice, Mu Nianci finally came back to her senses and tried to break free from his embrace, frowning slightly, "Let go of me quickly!"
Yang Kang seemed not to have heard her, maintaining that slight smile as he looked at the beauty in his arms. Noticing she was trying to kick him with her leg, he firmly grasped her foot with his free hand, then took off her shoe, and then there was no "then."
"Cut, cut, cut! Yi Xing, what are you doing? Why did you suddenly stop!" The hot-tempered Director Jiang was back online and about to start scolding him, but Yi Xing's attitude of admitting his mistake was too quick.
"Sorry, Director, I need to prepare myself mentally. I can't quite do the action written in the script."
"Alright, I'll give you one minute. If you still can't do it, then just stand aside!"
This was Director Jiang's ultimatum to Yi Xing. The film crew didn't need actors who couldn't perform. The main reason was that he couldn't get past his own mental hurdle. After taking off the shoe, he had to bring it to his nose and sniff it. He had been disgusted when he first saw the script, and now it was even harder for him to act it out.
However, these were all plot requirements, allowing no room for discussion. He took a deep breath, completely let go of his inhibitions, his eyes filled with determination, and strode back to the center of the martial arts stage, casting a "I'm ready" look at Director Jiang.
The scene on the monitor returned to Yang Kang holding a shoe, bringing it to his nose and sniffing it lightly, observing the reaction of the beauty in his arms. Seeing her somewhat flustered expression, the smile on his face became increasingly playful.
Mu Nianci forcefully pushed Yang Kang away, casually taking the jade pendant hanging from his waist. She retreated in circles back to her father's side, hiding the jade pendant behind her back, standing on one foot.
Yang Kang tucked the shoe into his embrace and prepared to walk off the stage, but Mu Yi called out to him, "Young Master, wait."
He turned around to look, wanting to hear what else the other person had to say.
"Young Master has won. Since you know the rules of the martial arts contest for marriage, my daughter should rightfully be betrothed to you."
He smiled slightly without speaking, because he had his own people below the stage who would speak for him.
Sure enough, one of the guards he brought had already spoken his mind. He just thought this girl had good martial arts and came to play a bit, never intending to marry her: "How noble is our Young Prince? How could he marry a rustic girl like you?"
"Young Prince? Are you a Jin person?"
Yang Kang was about to respond, but the guard who spoke first beat him to it.
"Stop pretending, you street performers just want a few measly coins." After saying that, he took out a few taels of silver from his embrace and threw them onto the stage.
The smile on his face disappeared, and he glanced at the stage below with an unfriendly expression. A subordinate should know his place; he actually dared to make decisions for him. If it weren't for the crowd outside, publicly reprimanding him would damage his family's reputation, otherwise he would have already made a move.
"It seems you deliberately came to make fun of us. Give back my daughter's shoe." Mu Yi extended his hand.
Yang Kang gave him a disdainful look, then turned his head and continued to walk off the stage.
"Cut! Good, that take passed. Let's get another one."
With the experience from the previous take, Yi Xing was more at ease. His movements when sniffing the shoe were also more natural. After having a precedent, the subsequent takes became much simpler.
Time at the film crew passed too quickly. From Yi Xing's perspective, they hadn't even filmed a few scenes when the sky gradually darkened, perfect for night scenes. The evening's plot didn't include any scenes for Yang Kang, so he could return to the hotel to rest early like Meng Ziyi.
But he still chose to stay on set, watching others' performances. Who told him he was a late bloomer? If he didn't work hard now, when would he?
He moved a stool from the props area and quietly sat next to Director Jiang, watching the scenes on the monitor. However, the other party would occasionally ask him questions, which greatly annoyed him.
"Yi Xing, from an audience's perspective, do you think there's anything Xuwen could improve in this performance? Feel free to speak your mind."
"I think it's very good; I completely immersed myself in it." How could Yi Xing dare to speak the truth? With his mediocre acting skills, he couldn't comment on others.
"Just say what you think; don't try to fool me." Director Jiang put his hand on his shoulder. He genuinely wanted to hear opinions from different perspectives.
"Uh, Xuwen's performance is a bit too obvious, too deliberately trying to portray Guo Jing's character. It's like he's acting for the sake of acting, not very natural. This is just my opinion, though."
After hearing Yi Xing's assessment, Director Jiang nodded, acknowledging his statement. He then stood up, walked to the filming area, and discussed some existing issues with Yang Xuwen, as well as how to improve them.
Finally, after filming one scene, Director Jiang picked up the megaphone and loudly said, "Everyone, you've worked hard! That's all for today's filming. Go back and get some good rest. We'll gather here at 9 AM tomorrow."
He deeply understood the principle of balancing work and rest. Moreover, some of the actors on set were not in very good condition. If they insisted on continuing to film, it would only waste film and they would have to reshoot later. There was still a long time ahead, so there was no need to rush.
Yi Xing, who was sitting nearby, stood up and stretched comfortably, feeling certain parts of his body crack. He had been sitting on the chair for too long. As he moved his body, he watched the staff pack up the equipment. He wanted to help, but he was afraid he would only get in the way.
When he didn't know exactly how to pack things, quietly watching was also a good choice. At this moment, Yang Xuwen and Li Yitong, who had finished filming, walked over. The former's costume hadn't changed at all, while the latter's change was truly significant.
In the morning, she was wearing a little beggar's outfit with dirt on her face, but by evening, she had transformed into a beautiful woman in a long green dress. It must be said that Director Jiang was very skilled in casting; she indeed fit the image of Huang Rong.
"A Xing, you've been here all night?" Yang Xuwen was a bit surprised to see someone who shouldn't have been there. Since Yi Xing had no scenes, he wondered why he was there and asked curiously.
"Yes, I've been admiring your and Yitong's performances. Oh, by the way, Yitong, this outfit really suits you!"
"Hahaha, thank you, Brother Jing, let's go change quickly." Li Yitong pulled Yang Xuwen towards the dressing room, leaving a certain person behind.
It was because Yi Xing wasn't wearing a costume. When he heard he had no scenes at night, he quickly changed his clothes, went back to the hotel for a shower, and then rushed to the set.
One must know that it was late August, and the temperature basically exceeded 30 degrees Celsius every day. Coupled with that costume, not getting heatstroke meant he had a good physique. It was best to take it off as early as possible.
