Chapter 172: Funny Incidents on Set

Sanya, Hainan, the set of "The Meg." At six in the morning, all actors and crew were summoned to the main soundstage.

Xiang Fei stood on a temporarily erected platform, holding a satellite phone in his hand. He scanned the crowd below, who looked sleepy-eyed; his voice was not loud, yet every word was clear:

"Starting today, closed-set filming."

Instantly, a murmur of protest rose from below.

"All communication devices—" Xiang Fei waved the phone in his hand, "must be handed over now."

Jing-wen whispered to Wang Qianyuan beside her, "These rules are too strict..."

Before Wang Qianyuan could answer, Zhou Xun in the front row suddenly turned around and made a throat-slitting gesture: "I heard that for the previous production of Director Xiang, a stagehand secretly sent a text message and was fired immediately."

A stagehand pushed two large plastic crates over.

Wang Zhiwen was the first to step forward, cheerfully tossing his mobile phone into the crate: "Anyway, I don't use these new gadgets much."

Jackie Chan followed as the second, but pulled three mobile phones from his pocket, causing a burst of laughter.

"Brother Long, are you opening a mobile phone shop?" Zhou Xun teased.

Jackie Chan looked innocent: "One for work, one for private use, and one specifically for playing games!"

When it was Wang Qianyuan's turn, he hesitated: "Director Xiang, my girlfriend..."

"You can contact her via the production office phone every Saturday." Xiang Fei interrupted him, "This is the final ultimatum."

Jing-wen watched Wang Qianyuan's flustered look and secretly smiled.

At nine in the morning, the first scene began filming—Jackie Chan's underwater battle with the Meg.

"Action!"

Jackie Chan dove headfirst into the ten-meter-deep pool; a specially made mechanical shark lunged with its bloody maw wide open. He turned nimbly in the water, and a beautiful spinning kick struck the shark's nose right on target.

"Beautiful!" the cinematographer couldn't help but shout.

Xiang Fei, in front of the monitor, curled the corner of his mouth slightly. This scene took exactly eight takes; each time Jackie Chan surfaced to breathe, it took no more than thirty seconds.

"Cut! Perfect!"

Warm applause rang out across the set. Soaked to the skin, Jackie Chan climbed ashore, and Jing-wen quickly handed him a Mao Jin: "Brother Long, you are amazing!"

Jackie Chan panted heavily: "Getting old... if it were ten years ago, I could fight this fake fish all day!"

At lunchtime, Xiang Fei specifically sat next to Jackie Chan.

"Brother Long, that scene just now..."

"Stop!" Jackie Chan waved his hand, "I know what you want to say—that last turn wasn't crisp enough, right?"

Xiang Fei smiled: "Indeed, I couldn't hide it from you. But it was already perfect; I just wanted to ask about the secret to holding your breath underwater."

Jackie Chan lowered his voice mysteriously: "Let me tell you a secret—I actually hid a miniature oxygen tank in my mouth."

Seeing Xiang Fei's shocked expression, Jackie Chan laughed heartily: "Just kidding! It's just a skill I developed during my training at Shaw Brothers in my youth."

In the afternoon, the scene between Wang Qianyuan and Jing-wen was filmed.

"Cut!" Xiang Fei suddenly called out, "Qianyuan, your expression is wrong. It's not fear; it's the determination to go on even when you know you will die."

Wang Qianyuan wiped his sweat: "Sorry, I'll try again."

After the eighteenth take, Jing-wen was already exhausted. Xiang Fei was still unsatisfied: "Jing-wen, your fear is too superficial; I need to see the feeling of the soul trembling."

Zhou Xun quietly slipped a chocolate into Jing-wen's hand: "Don't lose heart; he was even harsher on me. Yesterday, one scene took over thirty takes."

Late at night, on the balcony of the actors' dormitory.

Wang Qianyuan and Jing-wen sneaked out for some fresh air.

"Do you miss home?" Jing-wen asked, gazing at the moon.

Wang Qianyuan smiled bitterly: "Yes, especially thinking that my girlfriend might misunderstand my loss of contact..."

"At least you still have a girlfriend to miss." Jing-wen sighed, "I even miss my pet cat—I don't know if the nanny fed it on time."

The two looked at each other and smiled, gently clinking their cola cans together.

On the third morning, a stagehand ran over in a panic to report: "Director Xiang! Teacher Zhou Xun secretly hid a mobile phone!"

Xiang Fei frowned: "Bring her to see me."

When Zhou Xun was "escorted" over, she held up the phone with an innocent look: "I was just using it to... check marine biology data?"

Xiang Fei took the phone and swiped open the screen—the album was full of secretly taken behind-the-scenes photos of the production, and the top one was a photo of Jackie Chan secretly eating a prop donut.

"Fine of five thousand, confiscate the photos." Xiang Fei announced while holding back a laugh, "But... send me a copy of that photo of Brother Long."