Chapter 60: Shoot the Exterior

The set inside the cave is being hastily dismantled.

Next, we’ll move to the Shisanling Reservoir to shoot the exterior scenes there.

The shooting budget is limited; all exterior scenes for the entire drama are shot around Beijing, so don’t even think of taking the Ice and Fire Island scenes to the seaside—we’ll have to make do with the reservoir.

We’ll supplement this with a few small tricks and specific camera angles.

To create the feeling of being by the sea.

In a few more years, this kind of shortcut won’t even be possible—they won’t allow filming at the reservoir at all.

Just after five in the morning.

The crew’s convoy had already departed from the hotel, bumping along toward Changping.

“I’m not short on money, you keep it~”

“I’m so tired.”

“I have to rush to the seaside to shoot too—I’ve gotten so tan lately!!!”

As Li Luo read each incoming text message, he kept tapping his Nokia, chatting idly with Xu Qing, who also had to wake up early.

After filming started, he quickly received his second installment of payment.

He took home 180,000 yuan.

This greatly eased his financial strain; yesterday, he finally found time to immediately wire 100,000 yuan to Xu Qing—this kind of thing must be settled clearly, debts can’t be left unpaid.

As more and more text messages were sent.

Nearly an hour later, the convoy finally slowed to a stop.

“We can’t drive any further.”

The assistant director stepped onto the minibus and called out: “There’s still some distance to the location—get up and stretch your legs.”

Li Luo put away his phone.

Picked up his things and hurried off the bus.

The sky had already brightened; lush trees surrounded him, the morning air crisp and refreshing—he couldn’t help taking a deep breath, watching birds hop among the branches.

“Where’s your little sidekick?”

Guo Feili followed closely behind, stretching her arms out comfortably.

Her tight jeans clearly outlined her hips, revealing two sexy dimples at her waist.

“He’s a friend, busy with his own matters.” Li Luo twisted his torso, his gaze lingering on her waist: “Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve ever seen you dressed properly.”

He wouldn’t call Baoqiang for every little thing.

Everyone has their own path—he only offers convenience to make life easier for them.

As for career matters.

He lets them follow their own rhythm.

“That’s not what I meant.”

Seeing Guo Feili’s puzzled expression, he quickly explained: “I mean, this is the first time I’ve seen you dressed properly.”

“What?”

Xu Jinjiang jumped off the bus and added the final blow: “Xiao Luo, did you think Feili’s usual clothes weren’t proper?”

Danger was about to strike.

Li Luo bolted off.

Guo Feili, gritting her teeth, chased after him relentlessly.

Seeing this, Jinmao Shiwang Xie Xun’s laughter shattered the morning mist.

Rather than filming.

Li Luo felt more like the crew had gone on a spring outing—after wandering through the hills for over ten minutes, the view suddenly opened up.

Before them, rippling blue waters stretched out, with birds skimming across the surface.

The scenery was breathtaking.

The Shisanling Reservoir was about the size of a small lake.

Crew members who had arrived early were already active in the shooting area, erecting large tents.

Not only did the crew need rest.

The filming equipment also had to be sorted and stored properly.

To avoid delaying the upcoming shoot, several actors immediately got into character, entering the tents to begin makeup—they all had heavy scenes and needed meticulous makeup.

By the time Li Luo stepped out of the tent wearing a white robe, everything outside was nearly ready.

“Xu Brother?”

Seeing Jinmao Shiwang’s head bobbing nearby, he strode over, arms swinging: “What are you doing?”

“Rolling my eyes.”

Xu Jinjiang shook his head, then strained his eyeballs upward as far as they could go.

“Huh?”

Li Luo was confused.

What kind of acting was this?

“Didn’t Yin Susu blind me with silver needles?” Xu Jinjiang stood up still in that pose, feeling his way forward with his hands: “If I don’t roll my eyes, how will it look like I’m blind?”

Li Luo didn’t know how to refute that.

He tried rolling his eyes for a while, then quickly gave up—it was unbearably uncomfortable.

For that level of dedication.

He gave Xu Jinjiang, stumbling as he walked, a thumbs-up.

“Go over the lines?”

As soon as he opened the script, Guo Feili sat down beside him.

“No problem.”

After skimming today’s shooting content, Li Luo looked seriously to the side: “I expect you to take responsibility.”

“Huh?”

Guo Feili flipped through the script—there was no such line.

“My first on-screen kiss is going to you.” Li Luo shrugged, wearing a look of tragic indignation: “So tell me—do you take responsibility? Think of me, twenty years old, young and beautiful.”

“And now I’m being so cruelly bullied.”

The anger from earlier hadn’t faded, and now he was teasing her again.

Guo Feili clenched her teeth and shot out her hand like lightning.

“Ow!!!”

As her fingers twisted his waist’s soft flesh, Li Luo nearly jumped off the chair.

By the Shisanling Reservoir.

A crane rose high, and over a dozen crew members bustled around.

Under everyone’s watch, Li Luo led Guo Feili to a large rock, where they waited for the cinematographer to get into position.

Due to costume considerations.

They could only film the wedding ceremony scene first.

Facing the morning breeze, Li Luo looked at Guo Feili beside him.

For a moment.

It felt as if he were truly looking at Yin Susu.

“Focus.”

Guo Feili, caught under his steady gaze, felt her heart pound wildly.

With the microphone for sound recording on her body, everyone watching the monitor could hear them—they dared not laugh or joke as before. Li Luo also calmed himself and slipped into character.

When the crew was in place.

They both knelt toward the rising sun.

After reciting line after line, Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu exchanged a smile and slowly bowed to heaven and earth.

Scene shifted.

Li Luo leapt into the water.

Took the prop wooden fork from the props team and jabbed wildly at the bottom.

After a few staged shots.

With help from the props team, a live, wriggling red carp was impaled on the fork.

“Brother Luo.”

The props team member, seeing his strange expression, stammered in fear he’d get angry: “It’s really hard to get fresh sea fish at this time—could you just make do with this?”

“Mm.”

Li Luo nodded, saying nothing.

It was a budget issue.

Not the props team’s lack of effort.

He couldn’t say anything—though it was hard to explain why he’d speared a freshwater fish in seawater.

Thanks to Shui Qing, the quick-shooter, the scenes of their life on the island were quickly filmed; crew members then surrounded Li Luo and Guo Feili, spraying them with water hoses.

To create the illusion of having just survived a shipwreck.

"Put some sand on my head."

Li Luo chewed his gum, not forgetting to add a remark.

Thinking of the kiss scene coming up, he couldn’t help feeling a little excited, and chewed harder.