Chapter 72 Chen Zi’s First Scene

Chapter 72 Qing He's First Scene

Qing He, true to his name, was clad in green robes and adorned with a jade crown.

In Wen Yuchen's words, the ensemble made him look like a bamboo spirit.

Blessed with natural good looks, Wen Yuchen was specifically instructed by Director Zhang to receive only light makeup.

After makeup and wig, Wen Yuchen gazed in fascination at his reflection.

"Whoa, look at this ancient-style heartthrob!" he thought.

Zhang Chunhui was very pleased with his appearance and arranged for him to take costume test photos.

Wen Yuchen struck every pose the photographer requested, his deadpan expression perfectly suiting the character.

Just as he finished one set of poses, Wen Yuchen watched wide-eyed as the photographer’s assistant carried over a massive blade.

His jaw dropped at the sight.

He had read the script and knew Qing He’s weapon was a broadsword, but he hadn’t imagined it would be *this* kind of blade—a colossal *guandao*.

The assistant handed the blade to Wen Yuchen, wiped sweat from his forehead, and chuckled, "It’s a bit heavy."

Wen Yuchen took the blade, and his arm noticeably dropped. "A *bit* heavy??"

He swung the blade a few times, gradually adapting to its weight.

The photographer, camera raised, called out, "Make it look cool! Yes, yes, just like that. Now, another one! Beautiful!"

In just an hour, the costume test photos were done.

Wen Yuchen’s scene for the day was a fight sequence.

The assistant director, surprised, asked Zhang Chunhui, "Is he starting with a fight scene right away? He handled the blade quite deftly during the test shoot, but I’m worried he might not control his strength."

Zhang Chunhui took a sip of tea from his thermos. "Let the action director practice with him a few rounds first to see how it goes."

The action director was a hulking alpha male, nearly two meters tall, with a muscular and powerful build.

Following the director’s instructions, Wen Yuchen sparred back and forth with the action director.

Wen Yuchen pulled his punches and exchanged a few more moves with the action director.

The action director deflected his blade. "Your strength is too weak again. It won’t look good on camera.

When you film with others later, you need to control your strength properly. Too much or too little could easily lead to accidental injuries with this blade.

This blade is no lightweight."

Wen Yuchen nodded. "Got it. Controlling strength, I can do that. Let’s try one more move."

Wen Yuchen understood the action director’s point perfectly.

He had worked as a motion-capture performer, and a highly paid senior one at that. Excellent body control was a must.

Wen Yuchen swung the *guandao* and brought it down hard on the action director.

The action director was startled and quickly raised his weapon to block, but the force of the blow was much lighter than expected—a mere feint.

The action director gave him a thumbs-up and laughed, "Hahaha, just like that! You’ve got skills, kid."

Zhang Chunhui and the assistant director, watching from the side, exchanged smiles, their eyes full of appreciation.

The assistant director chuckled, "Mr. Zhang, your son has a good eye."

Zhang Chunhui replied proudly, "Of course—look who his father is!"

Wen Yuchen's first scene officially began.

The first actor to officially perform with Wen Yuchen was the beautiful and popular rising starlet, Yang Mobai.

Yang Mobai wore a light pink outfit, resembling a lovely little peach blossom.

In the drama, Yang Mobai played the second female lead—a pure and kind-hearted character, but not a self-righteous or overly forgiving type.

Her character was abandoned by her parents as a child and was found and raised by her master.

Unfortunately, her sect sold out to the antagonist for benefits. When the second female lead returned from her training and couldn't accept this reality, she left the sect.

She traveled on her own and eventually met the protagonists' group, traveling with them onward.

The script also mentioned that Qing He (Wen Yuchen's character) was accustomed to acting alone—not a righteous character, nor a villain, but more like an NPC. Every time he encountered the main group, it was either to deliver information or to test their skills.

The background of this scene was based on this plot: Qing He meets the main group in a certain secret realm and, while delivering information, says a few negative things about the second female lead's former sect.

Although she had left the sect and severed ties, it was still the place where she was raised since childhood. She was bothered by Qing He's critical remarks.

So, she fought with Qing He, both to vent her frustration and to force herself to completely cut all emotional ties to her former sect.

Wen Yuchen had few lines, just a few sentences.

He delivered them according to his character's setting.

Zhang Chunhui shook his head, called "Cut," and said to Wen Yuchen, "Da Chen, you're playing a deadpan character, not an AI. Mix up your tone a bit."

Wen Yuchen's cheeks flushed slightly. He nodded in agreement and started another take.

On the second try, Wen Yuchen was cut off again. There was variation, but it was too stiff.

Zhang Chunhui was frustrated but, considering Wen Yuchen was a newcomer, he patiently coached him through it.

Finally, on the fourth take, they got the shot.

There were no more lines after that—they jumped right into the action.

Yang Mobai, with an angry expression, shouted loudly, drew the long sword from her waist, and lunged at Wen Yuchen.

Wen Yuchen twisted his slender waist and sidestepped to avoid the sword.

That twist really amped up Yang Mobai, and as she fought with Wen Yuchen, her performance kept improving.

Until Wen Yuchen's *guandao* swept toward her menacingly, startling her.

In the script, this was the second female lead's first-round defeat—she was sent flying by Qing He's blade.

Seeing the heavy blade about to hit her waist with Wen Yuchen showing no sign of pulling his strength, Yang Mobai couldn't help but let out a startled cry.

However, the blade only lightly brushed against her waist.

The one-shot scene was going smoothly but fell apart at the last moment.

After calling "cut," Yang Mobai said apologetically, "Sorry, everyone."

Zhang Chunhui and the assistant director smiled, comforting the young actress, "It's no big deal. We can always do another take. You're in great form today, Mobai. That fight scene had us on the edge of our seats."

Yang Mobai smiled sweetly and said, "Really? It's mostly because Wen Yuchen's fighting was so good, which really pulled me into the moment. Though... Wen Yuchen could use some practice with his lines."

Her playful teasing was cute and carried no malice, making Wen Yuchen like her even more.

Wen Yuchen nodded with a smile and replied earnestly, "Thanks for the guidance, Yang Mobai. I'll work hard on my line delivery."

After saying this, both of them couldn't help but chuckle, lightening the mood.

Now mellowed with age and less strict than in his youth, Zhang Chunhui said kindly, "Take a break, wipe off the sweat, touch up your makeup, and we'll reshoot later. For now, let's film the other actors' scenes."

The crew provided cold drinks, but Yang Mobai, watching her figure, only took a bottle of room-temperature mineral water.

Wen Yuchen wiped the sweat from his forehead with a tissue and pulled out a bottle of cold electrolyte drink, asking, "Not grabbing something cold to cool off?"

Yang Mobai shook her mineral water bottle and said, "I'm a health-conscious girl. Too much cold water affects my performance."

Wen Yuchen took a big gulp of his drink and nodded.

As the saying goes, "No discord, no concord." After the intense scene, Wen Yuchen and Yang Mobai quickly hit it off.

By the time Wen Yuchen and Yang Mobai had rested enough, the other actors' scene still wasn't finished.

Yang Mobai, bored as she read her script with a small fan in hand, asked Wen Yuchen, "You wield that *guandao* so well. Can you teach me?"

Wen Yuchen was checking a message from Lu Chenghe, who was updating him on Zheng Zheng's situation.

Hearing her, Wen Yuchen looked up, paused for a moment, and said, "Sure, let's give it a try. Just be careful not to get hurt."

With that, Wen Yuchen began instructing Yang Mobai on how to swing the *guandao*.

Yang Mobai was no frail "queen"—she let out a spirited shout and lifted the blade.

The two peers soon found themselves happily playing around with the weapon.

Watching them, Yang Mobai's assistant grew anxious, worried she might accidentally hurt herself.