Chapter 114: The God of Gamblers' Prince Begins Filming

A huge banner reading "The God of Gamblers' Prince Begins Filming" crackled loudly in the morning breeze.

"Xiang Shao, is it okay to place the incense burner here?" Floor manager Old Chen ran over, sweating profusely, to ask for instructions.

Xiang Fei was directing workers to adjust the camera position: "Half a meter further left... yes, right there!"

Xiang Sheng and Xiang Qiang walked side by side, looking at the bustling scene on the set.

"Ah Fei is making quite a stir this time," Xiang Huasheng stroked his chin, "just building this casino set cost two million."

Xiang Qiang counted the stars coming and going: "Ng Man-tat, Yuen Kui, Li Jiaxin... this kid has managed to recruit them all."

Suddenly, a commotion arose. Zhou Xingxing, wearing a wrinkled suit, walked onto the set with his hands and feet moving in unison, followed by a makeup artist chasing him to touch up his powder.

"Di... Director!" Zhou Xingxing stuttered nervously, "I memorized the lines all night last night..."

Xiang Fei patted his shoulder: "Relax, today is just the kickoff ceremony."

At nine in the morning, the lead actors arrived one after another.

Ng Man-tat swaggered in with a toothpick in his mouth: "Ah Fei! How does my Third Uncle's look?" He wore an afro, a floral shirt, and slippers, looking exactly like a street thug.

"Perfect!" Xiang Fei gave a thumbs up.

Li Jiaxin appeared in a cheongsam, immediately drawing a round of whistles from the set. She walked elegantly to the incense table: "Xiang Sheng, does my outfit fit the character?"

Before Xiang Fei could answer, Eric Tsang "slid" over in a wheelchair: "Big Shot Hung Kwong has arrived!" He deliberately spoke in a gloomy voice, making everyone burst into laughter.

"Everyone!" Xiang Fei clapped his hands, "The kickoff ceremony starts in ten minutes, please get ready."

At nine-thirty, in front of the camera covered with red silk, the incense table held a roast suckling pig and fruit.

Xiang Fei held three sticks of incense, standing at the very front: "Thank you all for attending the kickoff ceremony of 'The God of Gamblers' Prince'..."

Amidst the laughter of the crowd, the deity worship ceremony officially began. Through the swirling incense smoke, Xiang Fei led the entire crew in three bows.

"Bless 'The God of Gamblers' Prince' with a smooth shoot! May the box office be a huge success!"

"Huge success!" the crowd shouted in unison.

Xiang Qiang timely brought out red envelopes: "Come, a red packet for everyone, to seek good luck!"

At two in the afternoon, inside the casino set.

"All departments ready!" the assistant director shouted, "'The God of Gamblers' Prince', Scene One, Take One, Action!"

Zhou Xingxing stood before the gambling table and suddenly froze facing the camera.

"Cut!" Xiang Fei frowned, "Xingxing, be natural, you are currently a naive country boy."

Zhou Xingxing made a crying face: "Director, I... I'm nervous..."

Ng Man-tat walked over and suddenly slapped the back of Zhou Xingxing's head: "Brat! When are you going to pay me back the money you owe?"

"Huh?" Zhou Xingxing reacted instinctively, "Third Uncle, when did I..."

"Perfect!" Xiang Fei shouted, "That's exactly the state! Continue!"

It turned out this was the "method to get into character" designed by Ng Man-tat. Zhou Xingxing suddenly realized, and his subsequent performance was indeed natural and smooth.

During a break in filming at dusk, an argument suddenly erupted at the side of the set.

"The slit in my cheongsam must be raised two inches higher!" Li Jiaxin insisted, "Qi Meng must be sexy but not vulgar!"

The costume designer was sweating with anxiety: "But Miss Li, if it's any higher it will..."

Xiang Fei hurried over to mediate: "Here's the deal, change it according to Ah Xin's idea first, we'll see the effect after shooting."

On the other side, Eric Tsang was arguing with Yuen Kui about how to use the wheelchair.

"Hung Kwong is a big shot, he should be more domineering!" Eric Tsang gestured.

Yuen Kui countered: "But when Sell-Fish Sheng gets scared, there needs to be a contrast..."

Xiang Fei got a headache listening to them and quickly called Wang Jing: "You go steady them down, I'll go check on Zhou Xingxing."

At ten at night, filming the climax scene in the casino.

"Make the lighting a bit darker!" Xiang Fei directed, "I want that feeling of indulgence in gold and wine."

Suddenly, Zhou Xingxing stumbled and knocked over the gambling table. Prop chips scattered all over the floor.

"S-sorry!" Zhou Xingxing was on the verge of tears.

Xiang Fei's eyes lit up: "Wait! This accident is great! Brother Da, improvise!"

Ng Man-tat understood immediately and instantly grabbed Zhou Xingxing's ear: "Good-for-nothing! You've knocked away my luck!"

Zhou Xingxing instinctively begged for mercy: "Third Uncle, I was wrong..." His comical expression made the whole crowd hold back their laughter.

"Perfect!" Xiang Fei shouted, "Keep this take!"

At one in the morning, Xiang Fei finally shouted: "Wrap up!"

Li Jiaxin passed by with a coat draped over her: "Xiang Sheng, about the cheongsam..."

"Do it your way," Xiang Fei said cheerfully, "I trust your aesthetic."

Eric Tsang wheeled his chair over: "Ah Fei, I have an idea, shouldn't Hung Kwong..."

"Talk about it tomorrow," Xiang Fei interrupted him, "Everyone go back and rest first."

At two in the morning, the lights were on in the Yongsheng office.

"The first day's expenses exceeded the budget by 15%," the accountant reported, "mainly because the lighting for the casino set went over budget."

Xiang Sheng frowned: "Ah Fei, spending money like this..."

"It's worth it," Xiang Fei flipped through the dailies, "look at Zhou Xingxing's performance, he will definitely explode onto the scene."

Xiang Qiang suddenly pointed at the screen: "Wait! Isn't that extra actor a continuity error?"

Everyone leaned in to look, and sure enough, there was a bit player in the background making a "V" sign.

"Reshoot this take tomorrow," Xiang Fei rubbed his temples, "tell the script supervisor to keep a closer eye."

At three in the morning, Xiang Fei returned to the villa in Repulse Bay. Zhou Huimin was actually still awake, watching the script in the living room.

"So late?" She came forward to take his coat.

Xiang Fei slumped onto the sofa: "On the first day of launch, a thousand threads and ten thousand matters..."

Zhou Huimin massaged his shoulders: "Did it go smoothly?"

"Better than expected," Xiang Fei closed his eyes to rest, "Zhou Xingxing did not disappoint me."