Chapter 29: 029 Shooting

Chapter 29: 029 Shooting

Chen Ye hadn't anticipated being seen as the guilty party for bailing on *The Supreme* set. A smarter move would have been to lay low and take the heat or just wait for things to blow over. It was rare in the entire entertainment industry to find someone who would actively jump out to show off their presence like he did.

As soon as Lu Xu posted on Weibo, many onlookers who had been secretly eating the watermelon (gossip) also joined in mocking Chen Ye.

The *Nine Turns Decree* crew was also dragged into the controversy, and ended up having to close the comments section due to the overwhelming mockery from netizens.

Chen Ye's fans wanted to defend their idol, but the original *The Supreme* fans wielded a powerful weapon—the official, meticulously retouched publicity shots of Chen Ye, alongside a casual snapshot of actors Zheng Xiao, Wei Yi, and Lu Xu taken by a photographer.

Even though Lu Xu's makeup was far less refined than Chen Ye's and the details of his costume appeared somewhat shoddy when zoomed in, his face was strikingly handsome in comparison.

Without the comparison, it might have been fine, but now, Chen Ye's appearance, which had always been praised by his fans, suddenly seemed inferior. His facial features, while seemingly flawless individually, appeared lackluster when combined.

Even if Chen Ye's fans shouted "rely on looks," in an entertainment circle where beauty reigns supreme, no one could ignore the impact of a stunning face.

Especially since Ji Xiuya's styling suited Lu Xu perfectly.

People say that period dramas are great for hiding an actor's imperfections. A strand of hair or accessories like pearl earrings and silk ribbons can turn any face shape into a melon-seed face. If the actor is naturally good-looking, the combination of period costumes and camera work highlights only their advantages.

Chen Ye's fans fell silent in front of this comparative photo.

Moreover, Lu Xu’s comment about 'there always being someone higher' really highlighted Chen Ye’s cowardice—whether fans scolded Lu Xu for "relying on his face" or called *The Supreme* a "low-end drama," or praised *Nine Turns Decree* for its potential, Chen Ye was still just a runaway.

"*The Supreme* crew has spoken. Lu Xu came to save the day."

"As a Zheng Xiao fan, I'm really speechless. Because Chen Ye ran away, all of Zheng Xiao's scenes with him need to be reshot. He even had to miss a major year-end event. And yet Chen Ye has the nerve to talk about standing on high ground? Why didn't he fall on his butt?"

"He’s moved up in the world, so now he’s too good for smaller productions, right? I’m curious to see how well *Nine Turns Decree* will do. Let’s not end up with another *Watchmen*, okay?"

"And stop blindly worshipping those so-called A-listers. I admit they've had great achievements in the film industry, but in the TV drama circle, they haven't proven themselves!"

As the discussion continued, data-savvy netizens took the opportunity to educate others on the recent box office achievements of top actresses and actors in the film industry. Typically, movie stars wouldn’t stoop to doing TV shows. A single movie can rake in billions at the box office, with returns far exceeding those of TV dramas. If they can comfortably make money in the film industry, why would they dirty themselves in the TV drama circle? It's a loss of prestige, okay?

Naturally, the box office achievements of the two leads of *Nine Turns Decree* in recent years were... quite dismal.

The onlookers had a collective 'aha' moment. To avoid making things worse, the official Weibo account of *Nine Turns Decree* quickly deleted the post that had spoken up for Chen Ye, to prevent netizens from digging up all the skeletons of their main actors.

The *Nine Turns Decree* crew was very clear about who was more important—Chen Ye or their two main leads.

After the *Nine Turns Decree* crew deleted the post and went silent, Chen Ye also swiftly deleted his Weibo post about "standing on high ground" with his fans.

Only Lu Xu’s post remained, a lonely reminder that no one could match him.

"Another achievement added to Lu Xu's record."

"I really want to hire Lu Xu to help me argue. I need his sharp mouth."

"Dying of laughter, so you insisted on standing on high ground, huh? Why aren't you standing there now?"

...

Zheng Xiao and Wei Yi watched the entire process of Lu Xu clashing with Chen Ye, and inwardly expressed sincere admiration for this new member of the crew.

Wei Yi mentioned that she had witnessed Lu Xu arguing with others several times before. It seemed that whenever Lu Xu got involved, things would rapidly spiral out of control in unexpected directions, and the ending... was usually quite bleak.

Maybe Lu Xu just thrives on drama.

He naturally draws attention and generates buzz, even though he hardly does anything, creating so much buzz that even stars who market themselves relentlessly are envious of his strong presence.

When it comes to generating discussion, Lu Xu is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with.

Unfortunately, Lu Xu still lacks standout works. If he had one or two standout performances under his belt, along with decent acting chops...

After shooting Lu Xu’s first scene, Wei Yi remarked, 'We need to strike out the phrase "decent acting skills."'

Is this what you call decent acting?

His acting is phenomenal!

To say she was impressed would be an understatement; after their first scene together, Wei Yi's mind went blank, and she forgot all the lines she had memorized. Or rather, as an actor, she was overwhelmed by Lu Xu’s presence.

*The Supreme* is a xianxia drama that tells the story of young He Ziqing on his journey to becoming the supreme ruler. Along the way, he meets Yun Hui, and despite overcoming numerous difficulties together, they end up with a tragic conclusion, unable to save each other.

Back when xianxia dramas were all the rage, *The Supreme* wasn't particularly well-known.

However, the presence of the antagonist Ji Xiuya in the drama is quite strong. First, the author spent a lot of ink describing how handsome Ji Xiuya is, making readers wonder if the author was actually a fan. Second, after the male lead He Ziqing’s death, whether Ji Xiuya lives or dies remains a mystery, hinted at by the cryptic phrase: 'After ten thousand years, darkness will return.'

Ji Xiuya was raised by his father’s admirer, who, to exact revenge, treated him like a girl, subjected him to threats and abuse, and ultimately shaped his twisted personality.

No one had ever treated him with such kindness before—except for Yun Hui.

Ji Xiuya never leaves Yun Hui’s side. Even though He Ziqing warned Yun Hui about Ji Xiuya’s suspicious background and his identical name with the great demon Ji Xiuya, advising her not to save him, Yun Hui still shows kindness to him.

This scene isn’t long, and what Lu Xu needs to do is keep showing a foolish smile to Yun Hui, and then—after his souls return to their place—transform back into the terrifying Ji Xiuya who can make children stop crying.

"Action!"

In this scene, Wei Yi, Zheng Xiao, and Lu Xu all appear.

Wei Yi and Zheng Xiao have been filming in the crew for a long time, but this scene is primarily an assessment of Lu Xu’s acting skills.

As Ji Wangshu announces the start of the shoot, and the actors take their positions, the moment Lu Xu’s figure appears on the monitor, everyone present realizes—the Ji Xiuya on camera and the demonic Ji Xiuya are clearly two different people.

This Ji Xiuya has an innocent, naive look on his face.

After all, he is a simple-minded person.

He follows Yun Hui step by step, his eyes clear and bright, expressing curiosity about everything he sees.

Seeing this, Ji Wangshu can’t help but sigh at how excellent Lu Xu’s eye acting is.

At this moment, there is not a single trace of evil in Ji Xiuya. Although he is an adult, his expression belongs to that of a young child.

He is like a pure white paper.

When He Ziqing suggests that Yun Hui ignore Ji Xiuya, he hides behind Yun Hui, his face showing a look of confusion and innocence.

If Yun Hui walks faster, he jogs to keep up; if she walks slower, he shows a bright smile. When he sleeps, he calls for his mother in his dreams. No one could associate him with the great demon Ji Xiuya.

In the peaceful village, Ji Xiuya experiences an unforgettable period.

Others call him a fool, but Yun Hui never mentions his "simple-mindedness." If life continued peacefully like this, it would benefit both the righteous and the demonic factions.

But ultimately, Ji Xiuya is still Ji Xiuya.

One late night, his soul returned to his body.

It is worth mentioning that in this particular scene, Ji Xiuya didn’t have much dialogue. He only made the simplest sounds, indicating what he wanted to eat or drink, or occasionally called out for his mother.

Thus, this scene was a real test for the actor’s skills.

The demeanor of a young child is not easy to portray. Overdo it, and the character comes off as too foolish and unlikable, making the role seem insincere.

However, during Ji Xiuya’s appearance, Lu Xu perfectly balanced the nuances. Jiang Wangshu even wondered if Lu Xu had played a similar role before.

Then came the moment when Ji Xiuya’s true self returned.

This scene lasted only a few dozen seconds. Chen Ye had filmed it before and had to do it over ten times due to NG takes.

The difficulty of this scene lay in the actor’s need to display the transformation from innocence to evil. When portraying the evil version of Ji Xiuya, Chen Ye relied more on makeup, which added a lot of presence to the character.

But in this take, there was no heavy makeup.

Jiang Wangshu held his breath.

In the shot, Ji Xiuya opened his eyes.

With just that one glance, Jiang Wangshu felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.

The eyes were the same, and Lu Xu didn’t rely on exaggerated gestures like a crooked smile or licking his lips to convey Ji Xiuya’s evilness—the Ji Xiuya from this night seemed no different from before.

The only thing that changed was his gaze.

The innocence in his eyes vanished at that moment, leaving only eyes that were deep and dark, like a frigid, bottomless pool.

These were the eyes of a demon.

When Yun Hui went to check on Ji Xiuya’s sleep, she was met with those eyes.

She instantly understood everything.

The next moment, Ji Xiuya smiled. Though dressed in the simplest clothes, his slight forward lean and the gesture of holding his forehead, combined with the aura he exuded, left Yun Hui feeling slightly breathless.

In this scene, Wei Yi was supposed to deliver a line of dialogue, but her heart suddenly raced, and the line, which had been spinning in her mind for a while, slipped away, forgotten.

Even from a distance, Wei Yi could still hear the director’s sigh.

This scene was difficult to shoot. Since Chen Ye had NG’d so many times before, everyone expected Lu Xu to get it right in one take. However, since Wei Yi missed her cue, they had to reshoot the scene.

Jiang Wangshu wasn’t sure if Lu Xu’s performance would be just as impressive this time.

Though feeling helpless, the shooting had to start again.

Then, Jiang Wangshu discovered—

Lu Xu’s performance was as if measured with a ruler, nearly identical to the previous take, if not more polished, with an even more refined grasp of the character’s aura.

Jiang Wangshu: “……”

All Jiang Wangshu wanted to know was, where on earth had Liu Chunfeng found this gem, who acted so well, as if he’d been in the industry for decades.

Why did he have to end up with someone like Chen Ye?

Was it because he wasn’t ugly enough?