Chapter 86: Titanic Wraps

At 5:30 in the morning, the east flushed with the pale grey of dawn. Xiang Fei stared at the footage just shot on the monitor, his brow tightly furrowed. "Still not desperate enough! I want to see a real near-death state!" He turned and roared at the crew: "Drop the water temperature another half a degree!"

The props-team leader wiped the cold sweat from his brow: "Director, we're already close to the limits of the human body..."

"Then that's exactly right!" Xiang Fei cut him off. "The Titanic's victims went through the very limits!"

Cheng Long suddenly burst from the water, grabbing a floating rope: "Director! Let me add an action bit!" Without waiting for a reply, he had already performed a set of high-difficulty rope stunts on the water's surface. The impromptu performance left the entire set dumbstruck; even Xiang Fei couldn't help but applaud.

"Cut! Perfect!" Xiang Fei, rarely, showed a smile. "But A-Long, you stole the lead's scene — this take can't be used."

Zhao Yazi was wrapped in a blanket by the medics, her lips purple. Her assistant urged her to rest, but she shook her head: "One more take... I can do better..." On the thirteenth take, she suddenly improvised a move of pressing the necklace into the child's hands — a detail that made Xiang Fei's eyes light up.

"Zee-jie," Xiang Fei personally handed over hot ginger tea, "that move you just did is worth a million at the box office."

Zhang Guorong was filming the shot of the violin sinking to the bottom when every string on the instrument suddenly snapped. The accident, however, produced an iconic image — the strings drifting slowly through the water, like a final dance of life. Xiang Fei leapt up in excitement: "That's it! This is the accidental sense of reality I want!"

Mei Yanfang swam over and gently took hold of Zhang Guorong's ice-cold hand: "Leslie, your music... is forever..."

Lin Zhengying was filming the descent to the seabed when he suddenly pulled a yellow talisman from his Daoist robe and lit it in the freezing water. The unrehearsed move caused an uproar across the set. "Director, this is what you call 'water and fire in perfect balance'..." he said with a weak smile. Xiang Fei immediately ordered the cameraman: "Close-up! Quick, close-up!"

Qian Xiaohao was filming the shot of sinking to the bottom when he suddenly went into a severe convulsion. The medics were about to rush in, but Xiang Fei stopped them: "Wait another three seconds... just three..." The camera captured Qian Xiaohao's most genuine near-death expression — an image that later became the film's poster.

When Qian Xiaohao was pulled ashore, Xiang Fei gripped his hand and said: "That expression you just gave is worth a Golden Statue Award."

Zhang Min was filming the rescue scene when the cramp in her right leg worsened. But she refused a stand-in: "The audience will be able to tell..." When Xiang Fei finally called "Cut!", she could no longer stand, and had to be carried out of the water by two crew members.

At 7 a. m., the sun had already fully risen. Yet Xiang Fei ordered the lighting crew: "Block out all the sunlight! I want the darkness before dawn!" The crew had no choice but to rig up enormous black sheets, shrouding the entire pool once more in darkness.

"Last take!" Xiang Fei shouted through the megaphone. "I want to see real despair in every one of your eyes! Remember, this isn't acting — this is life and death!"

All the actors were submerged once more in the near-freezing water. This time, no one complained, no one held back. Cheng Long and Hong Jinbao exchanged a smile and sank beneath the surface together; Zhao Yazi held the child high above her head; Zhang Guorong released the violin and let himself sink into the abyss...

"Cut! Perfect! That's a wrap!" For the first time, Xiang Fei's voice trembled. He took off his glasses and wiped the corner of his eye.

When Li Guoming of Shaw Brothers Studio received the latest on-set photos, the teacup in his hand dropped to the floor. "They... really did the impossible..." he muttered to himself.

Fang Yihua looked at the actors' purple lips and bloodshot eyes in the photos and said softly: "This isn't a film — this is art forged with life itself."

In the medical tent, Zhang Guorong was rubbing the stiffness out of Mei Yanfang's frozen fingers; Cheng Long and Hong Jinbao had fallen asleep leaning against each other; Zhao Yazi was still gently comforting the frightened child actor...

In the distance, Xiang Fei stood alone at the edge of the pool, gazing at the now-still water. The assistant director walked over: "Director, shall we start striking the set?"

Xiang Fei shook his head: "Wait a little longer... let this moment linger a while..."