I Rely on My Versatility to Reach the Top of the Entertainment Industry [Ancient Times to Modern] - Chapter 26

Forget it, it’s good that the little guy has figured things out.

Lu Yuzhi suppressed the slight displeasure in his heart.

After lunch, work resumed.

Jing Yi sat in front of the monitor, continuing to learn.

Lu Yuzhi’s camera presence was truly exceptional. Every step he took was perfectly positioned, with his posture and demeanor complementing each other, making his portrayal of Hua Xiangrong incredibly captivating.

Jing Yi had initially intended to observe if Wang Yiyue had any shining qualities, but as he watched, he couldn’t help but let his gaze drift back to Lu Yuzhi.

Even the idle crew members on set during filming felt the same way.

In his previous roles, whether heroic or villainous, Lu Yuzhi had always portrayed strong, masculine characters. He had never taken on a role as seductive and delicate as this antagonist.

Truly worthy of being an award-winning actor! Even in a role completely different from his usual ones, he could master it effortlessly!

In contrast, Wang Yiyue’s performance fell short. Though her expressions and movements were well-executed, she lacked presence.

After a smooth take, Gu Guochang couldn’t help but click his tongue in admiration.

This was the difference in skill between actors!

When Gu Guochang first received the script from the National Film Channel, he had wanted Lu Yuzhi to play Hua Xiangrong and had fought to reserve the role for him.

After filming began, he had been racking his brains on how to bring Lu Yuzhi on board.

Now that Lu Yuzhi was here, the problem was that Gu Guochang disliked Wang Yiyue and didn’t want to work with her…

But there was no way around it.

Wang Yiyue had earned the role through auditions and was strongly recommended by the head of the National Film Channel.

The contract was already signed, and replacing her now would waste too much of the budget.

After much deliberation, Gu Guochang’s gaze fell on Jing Yi.

According to the events in the first volume of the original work, the swordsman Xie Qiyun, the folk prince Li Ran, the female assassin Ling Xuan, and the antagonist Hua Xiangrong were the main characters driving the entire story. Although Yan Zi appeared frequently, in this film, he was merely a supporting character assisting Xie Qiyun.

As for the romantic subplot, Xie Qiyun was the male lead, and Ling Xuan was the female lead.

But there was actually a hidden thread in the original work.

Hua Xiangrong, despite being the antagonist, had always harbored deep feelings for Xie Qiyun. And Xie Qiyun, in modern terms, was a perfect gentleman who never intentionally hurt anyone’s feelings.

Moreover, due to their first meeting leaving a good impression, Xie Qiyun praised Hua Xiangrong as comparable to a cunning hero in turbulent times.

Thinking about it, shifting the focus beyond the romantic subplot could bring many highlights to the film.

Wang Yiyue’s performance was too weak. Making her the female lead and centering the story around her would be inappropriate and would lower the overall quality of the film.

Gu Guochang had an idea in mind, but for now, he needed to finish filming the current scenes before moving to another location.

He patted Jing Yi on the shoulder and told him to get ready for his scene. Picking up the megaphone, he specifically asked Wang Yiyue how she was holding up after filming for most of the day and whether she could continue.

Wang Yiyue had been worried that Lu Yuzhi would continue to embarrass her in the afternoon, but since the filming had gone smoothly, she felt much more at ease.

“Director, I can do it,” she said, glancing at Jing Yi standing outside the door.

Her agent had warned her not to provoke Jing Yi again, especially since Jing Yi had Lu Yuzhi backing him.

But hadn’t Lu Yuzhi done nothing so far?

If Lu Yuzhi were truly going against his nature to protect Jing Yi by suppressing others, he would have continued doing so in the afternoon!

It must be that Award-Winning Actor Lu was also observing Jing Yi’s performance!

She had her methods, and she had her acting skills!

Wang Yiyue was confident she could make Jing Yi unable to keep up with her acting.

The clapperboard snapped, and the morning scenes between Jing Yi and Wang Yiyue were being reshot.

This scene depicted Xie Qiyun’s obsessive pursuit of Ling Xuan.

The colder Ling Xuan’s attitude, the more fervent Xie Qiyun became—in the original novel, it was described with a somewhat “simp-like” undertone.

But even as Xie Qiyun fawned, he noticed that Ling Xuan’s private residence seemed to have hidden mechanisms, sparking even greater curiosity about her.

In the first act, Xie Qiyun was supposed to use witty lines to try and make Ling Xuan smile.

Wang Yiyue was determined to use her acting skills to overwhelm Jing Yi, so when she heard him deliver his lines, she fully embodied the persona of the ice-cold beauty Ling Xuan, responding with an extremely aloof smile.

At the same time, she repeated her earlier trick, taking an extra step toward Jing Yi.

She expected Jing Yi to step aside to avoid her, just as he had that morning. To her surprise, Jing Yi suddenly quickened his pace and moved right in front of her.

“You smiled!” His cool, youthful voice carried a hint of delight. “Xuan’er, you look truly beautiful when you smile. You should smile more often.”

Whether in expression or tone, the young man before her flawlessly embodied Xie Qiyun’s character.

Wang Yiyue froze, but Jing Yi continued with his lines: “Don’t look so surprised, as if I’m deceiving you. I, Xie Qiyun, never lie.”

As he spoke, Jing Yi snapped his folding fan open with a crisp sound.

Why did Xie Qiyun get along so well with Yan Zihuan? It was because, unless absolutely necessary, he would even entrust his sword to Yan Zihuan for safekeeping.

The white-robed young master, holding a fan, wore a gentle smile on his lips, his eyes brimming with deep affection. His face was so strikingly handsome it seemed almost ethereal—a beauty that transcended gender.

Jing Yi, fully immersed in his role, perfectly captured Xie Qiyun’s personal charm.

Wang Yiyue hadn’t expected Jing Yi’s acting to be so compelling once he found his position in front of the camera. Struck by both admiration and shock, she momentarily forgot her lines.

A flicker of appreciation passed through Lu Yuzhi’s eyes.

Jing Yi truly had remarkable talent!

Gu Guochang, watching through the monitor, smiled and was about to call for Wang Yiyue to redo the take when Jing Yi unexpectedly spoke again: “Hmm? Why is Xuan’er silent? Could it be that you’re too moved to speak?”

Jing Yi shifted slightly to the side, revealing a sorrowful expression for the camera.

This improvised line, not in the script, left Wang Yiyue completely stunned.

Recalling the earlier context, she mechanically delivered her line: “Smooth talk.”

“Cut! NG!” Gu Guochang finally called out what he had been waiting to say. “Wang Yiyue, what’s going on? Not only were you slow with your lines, but when Jing Yi covered for you, you didn’t even adjust your expression or delivery? You’ve wasted time again. Let’s do this take over.”

The crew members around them stifled laughter.

Wang Yiyue had initially risen to fame through a period drama where she played a pure and virtuous female role, earning her a Best Actress award domestically.

As a veteran in the acting industry, she actually needed a newcomer to save her scene? How laughable!

Wang Yiyue was well aware of what everyone was thinking. Furious, she glared at Jing Yi and whispered coldly, “Who asked you to play the good guy? You did that on purpose, didn’t you? Trying to show off that your acting is better than mine?”

“No.”

In response to Wang Yiyue’s accusation, Jing Yi offered only that brief reply.

He knew Wang Yiyue harbored ill intentions toward him, but he didn’t want to delve too deeply into the reasons. When you can’t change others’ thoughts, it’s best to stay true to yourself.

The scene resumed filming.

This time, Wang Yiyue gave it her absolute all in her scenes with Jing Yi. Her performance was solid, and they passed the take smoothly.

Gu Guochang directed the crew to move to the next location and, using a loudspeaker, said to Wang Yiyue, whose expression was far from pleased, “Wang Yiyue, you’ve been filming for most of the day. Your scenes end here for today—go and rest.”

Hearing the director’s words, Wang Yiyue felt a pang of frustration.

She knew Gu Guochang had a reputation in the directing world for being ruthless—actors who didn’t meet expectations could be replaced. However, the main investor for this film was the National Film Network. With her skills and internal recommendation, she doubted Gu Guochang would dare to replace her.

Reassured by this thought, Wang Yiyue relaxed. As soon as she returned to her dressing room, she eagerly contacted Fang Zexuan.

“Zexuan, I’ve finished filming for today. Can I come to the hospital to see you?”

In the hospital, Fang Zexuan read Wang Yiyue’s message and smirked coldly before replying, “Sure, Yueyue, you’ve worked hard. I heard Senior Lu and Jing Yi joined the crew today, right? How did Jing Yi perform? Do you think he might tarnish Galaxy’s reputation in the future?”

Seeing her boyfriend’s message, Wang Yiyue bit her lip, an inexplicable anger rising within her.

“You’re still worried about Galaxy’s reputation? Jing Yi made me NG this afternoon!” Wang Yiyue typed furiously. “Just wait—I’ll definitely expose that hypocritical white lotus for who he really is.”

“Don’t be like that, Yueyue. I really don’t mind any of this.”

Wang Yiyue grew even angrier at his response. “You might not mind, but I do! We originally planned to announce our relationship through this film, but now that opportunity is gone, and you’re injured.”

“If Galaxy signs Jing Yi, your position will be completely overshadowed. I won’t let my boyfriend end up in such a miserable state!”

Fang Zexuan feigned a few more words of consolation, playing the victim, then opened Weibo to browse through the online hate directed at Jing Yi.

Somehow, it made the pain in his foot feel a little more bearable.

Jing Yi had to fail—if he didn’t, Fang Zexuan would be the one to fall! Galaxy could only have one successor to the title of Film Emperor!

On set.

The filming location shifted to the streets.

Gu Guochang decided to first shoot the solo scenes between Hua Xiangrong and Xie Qiyun to gauge the chemistry.

Hua Xiangrong and Xie Qiyun first met in a brothel.

The capital was the most prosperous city, and the courtesans in the brothels were all stunningly beautiful. How could the dashing swordsman Xie Qiyun resist?

After failing to persuade his friend Yan Zihuan to join him, Xie Qiyun ventured into a capital brothel alone to experience its allure.

Unexpectedly, he encountered royal assassins there, targeting Hua Xiangrong.

At first, Xie Qiyun didn’t know Hua Xiangrong’s identity and was somewhat intoxicated. Drawn by the commotion, he approached and got caught up in the assassination attempt.

During the struggle, Hua Xiangrong’s headpiece fell off, her long hair cascading down.

Xie Qiyun was mesmerized by her disheveled beauty, instantly sobering up. Together, they fought off the assassins.

Afterward, the two “hit it off immediately” and stayed up late talking by candlelight.

The plot could remain unchanged, but the focus could shift.

The action director, having witnessed the fight scene between Jing Yi and Lu Yuzhi, demonstrated the choreography with his disciples, who played the assassins, and the two actors.

“If you’re not confident about catching the wine flask, we can split it into separate shots,” the action director kindly suggested.

In this scene, Xie Qiyun fights while protecting a wine jug and continues drinking. One particularly difficult move involves bending backward to catch the wine jug.

“It’s fine, I can do it. No need for split shots, just film it in sequence,” Jing Yi replied seriously.

The action director gave a thumbs-up. “I thought you could handle it too. You even recreated the Flowing Cloud Return move. Go for it.”

Everything was set, and the scene began filming.

Xie Qiyun, holding a folding fan, sauntered into the brothel at the beckoning of a beautiful woman.

Fine wine and lovely companions mingled together—the wine was intoxicating, and the beauties were equally mesmerizing.

Xie Qiyun soon appeared half-drunk, his peach-blossom eyes hazy with intoxication. The girls around him giggled coquettishly, their cheeks flushed.

The first shot wrapped, and the camera shifted to Hua Xiangrong’s side.

Lu Yuzhi was naturally skilled in action scenes, dodging and flipping within the room before breaking through the door.

Extras scattered in panic. The bleary-eyed Xie Qiyun glanced at the commotion next door, then staggered over to Hua Xiangrong, chastising the intruders for ruining his mood.

The assassins, eager to kill, slashed at anyone in their path without a word.

Xie Qiyun positioned himself between Hua Xiangrong and the assassins, tossing his white jade wine jug into the air as he exchanged blows with both sides.

On camera, Jing Yi’s eyes were dazed, his folding fan tucked at his waist. Using both hands and feet, he twisted and turned to evade attacks from both directions before an assassin swung a blade at him.

With a roguish grin, he arched his upper body backward. At that moment, the falling wine jug landed perfectly in his hand.

Jing Yi used the momentum to pour the liquid from the jug into his mouth, then spun upright and leaned against the wall as if overcome by drunkenness.

The white-robed swordsman, sleeves fluttering, moved with effortless grace, his form as light as a cloud.

Incredible core strength!

The action director nearly applauded.

Bending backward empty-handed already tested abdominal strength, but Jing Yi had managed to take a sip mid-air with both hands free before executing a flip.

Even he couldn’t have performed it so flawlessly!

Lu Yuzhi was also astonished by Jing Yi’s performance.

During rehearsals, Jing Yi had only demonstrated a backflip without perfecting this particular sequence.

Yet just now, as a close observer, Lu Yuzhi witnessed firsthand how Jing Yi’s slender waist exemplified both suppleness and power.

Following the script, Lu Yuzhi sent an assassin tumbling downstairs with a palm strike, then glanced sideways at the white-robed swordsman leaning against the wall.

Their eyes met. Lu Yuzhi, with his hair disheveled, exuded a delicate beauty, while Jing Yi, eyes hazy with drink, stumbled forward as if about to collapse into his arms.

In that instant, Lu Yuzhi almost forgot they were acting.

He longed to embrace his blushing beloved and once again grasp that slender waist that seemed too delicate to hold.