Chapter 115: Liu Xiaoli's Vigilance and Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Thanks to the actors' acting skills being basically on point, the dramatic scenes were filmed very smoothly; next up were the tough action scenes.

The set had been arranged in order, and the camera positions and props were all prepared properly.

"All departments, prepare!"

Wei Jin watched the monitor and shouted through a megaphone.

Seeing that all departments of the crew were ready and standing by, Wei Jin nodded and said, "Action."

This scene filmed Lu Jianxing angrily moving against Shen Lian, and when Jin Yichuan tried to break up the fight, he was kicked away by Lu Jianxing; the result was that this fight scene, which used too much force, not only featured brilliant combat but also contained suspicion between brothers, and it also related to the direction of the subsequent plot.

"Not bad, the movements were crisp, the expressions were on point, very good, this take is a wrap."

This film had quite a lot of night scenes, and many scenarios took place at night, which was no small challenge for the entire crew.

"We'll wrap up here for tonight; everyone will have hot pot together in a bit. You can drink, but don't get drunk."

The October night already had a hint of chill, so Wei Jin decided to organize a hot pot meal for everyone to liven things up.

"Yay!" The crew members cheered.

Chen Xi was a bit helpless about this; she managed the crew very strictly, and under normal circumstances, drinking was not allowed, but since the boss had rarely spoken up, she could only let him be willful.

Because there were many night scenes during this shoot, they often finished work very late, so the crew had arranged for a chef and prepared a simple canteen.

Soon, the steaming hot pot was ready, and everyone took their seats one after another.

"Everyone has worked hard during this period; I'll toast everyone first."

Wei Jin poured himself a glass and toasted everyone.

The action scenes were truly difficult to film, and the test for the actors was extremely great; a single fight scene often took several days to film, and the risks were also high—one careless move and someone would be injured.

"You're too polite, Director. If we're talking about hard work, you're the one who's truly working hard. We can still rest, but you're filming all day long."

The one who spoke was Hu Jun; as the big brother of the main cast, he had a lot of prestige in the crew, and his words drew agreement from everyone.

However, this was no lie; Wei Jin was the director and the absolute core of the crew. He had to personally handle many things, and he still had to watch the footage at night. It was only because he relied on his good health that he could pull through on five hours of sleep a day; if it were anyone else, they absolutely wouldn't have this kind of progress.

"Boss Wei, I toast you."

Although Bai Bin's scenes had already wrapped, she quickly switched roles and began serving as Wei Jin's assistant on set, and it must be said, she was doing a decent job of it.

As for Liu Yan, she had already wrapped and returned; the company's variety show team had already launched *I Love Remembering Lyrics*, and the subsequent broadcast platform was still Beijing Satellite TV.

Before leaving, Liu Yan had also imparted a lot of experience to Bai Bin, and she believed she would be able to make use of it.

The hot pot late-night snack left everyone very satisfied, and the atmosphere on site was very lively.

After the gathering ended, Bai Bin naturally helped Wei Jin back to his room; a great battle was about to erupt. At the end of October, the Golden Eagle Festival began, and Wei Jin was naturally invited as well. The organizers knew he was busy with the film, so in order to get him to attend, they even hinted obscurely that *Lurking* had a high probability of winning an award.

Considering that there had been many action scenes filmed during this period and the actors were also very tired, Wei Jin simply agreed to attend the awards ceremony, which also happened to give everyone two days off.

The Golden Eagle Television Art Festival, referred to as the Golden Eagle Festival, has the selection and awarding of the China TV Golden Eagle Award as its main activity content; it is a national comprehensive television art award generated primarily through audience voting, and it is also the first television art festival event in the country to take domestic television art works as the object of evaluation and exchange.

This year's Golden Eagle Festival was co-hosted by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the Hunan Provincial Government, the China Television Artists Association, and the Hunan Radio and Television Bureau.

From the opening ceremony on the 27th, all of Changsha was filled with starlight; Mango TV was truly doing quite well in the entertainment sector.

By the time Wei Jin arrived, it was already the evening of the 27th; the opening ceremony had already ended, but the excitement had not dissipated.

Arriving at the entrance of the hotel arranged by the officials, Wei Jin also saw many fans and moviegoers lingering there, as well as many reporters.

He didn't know what was going on, but this year the Golden Eagle Television Festival and the Hundred Flowers Film Festival were squeezed into the same time; nearly half of the domestic media was here, and the other half was in Hangzhou, the host location for the Hundred Flowers.

Entering the hotel, Wei Jin saw quite a few Hong Kong and Taiwan artists, all of whom were familiar names from *Those Years*.

But that was normal; compared to film festivals, television festivals had this advantage: the audience was larger, so more stars came.

He also ran into Liu Yifei and her mother; this girl had previously called specifically to ask Wei Jin if he would be attending.

"Yifei, are you preparing to go to the Hundred Flowers?"

Liu Yifei had been too busy these past two days, being selected as the Golden Eagle Goddess and also serving as an award presenter for the Hundred Flowers.

At the opening ceremony that had just ended, Liu Yifei had even sung "Warmth," which Wei Jin had given her.

For the Golden Eagle Goddess selection, candidates are first chosen from a group of female stars who have performed excellently in the television drama field in recent years and have high popularity, and then they go through a PK via audience voting. Whoever gets the most votes in the end becomes the Golden Eagle Goddess.

Originally, according to the speed of Ceng Li's rise and her popularity, she was the undisputed candidate for this year's Golden Eagle Goddess, but unfortunately, Ceng Li was already a Cannes Best Actress, and the organizers didn't have the nerve to include her as a candidate.

Coupled with the fact that Mango TV focused on a young audience and preferred younger female stars, this title fell to Liu Yifei, who had equally high national recognition but was younger. "Hmm, Brother Wei Jin, why did you only just arrive? You didn't see my Golden Eagle Goddess gown; it's really super beautiful, glittering with gold. Also, let me tell you, you don't know..."

The young girl hadn't seen Wei Jin for a while; she held his arm and shared interesting things from the opening ceremony.

"Ahem, Director Wei, long time no see."

Seeing Liu Yifei chatting with Wei Jin as if no one else was around, Liu Xiaoli was a bit afraid they wouldn't make their schedule.

"Hello, Auntie. Long time no see; Auntie is even more beautiful now."

Wei Jin was very respectful this time, which made Liu Xiaoli a bit puzzled—how did this kid become so polite?

"Xixi, we are in a hurry; let's catch up with Director Wei another time."

Hearing this, Liu Yifei was a bit reluctant, as they had just met, but time was indeed very tight, so she had to say unwillingly:

"Alright then, Brother Wei Jin, I'm leaving now. I'll be wearing this gown again tomorrow; remember to watch the live broadcast, okay?"

It seemed this girl's aesthetic still had some problems; in his past life, Wei Jin had seen the costumes of the various goddesses of the Golden Eagle Festival on the internet, and those styles were truly hard to describe.

"Ahem, Yifei, I think you should change into something else, or let your mother help you coordinate it."

"You're doing it again, Brother Wei Jin. It's really beautiful this time; you'll know tomorrow night."

The young girl acted a bit spoiled; ever since her self-indoctrination, she was more at ease when getting along with Wei Jin.

"Alright, Xixi, we have to go. Director Wei, we'll take our leave first."

Seeing that the two were still dawdling, Liu Xiaoli was a bit impatient.

"Then, Brother Wei Jin, goodbye. Remember to watch the live broadcast, you must watch it."

The young girl followed her mother, looking back every few steps, her eyes filled with anticipation as she looked at Wei Jin.

"Okay, I will definitely watch it."

On the way to the airport, Liu Xiaoli vaguely felt that something was wrong.

"Xixi, since when did your relationship with Wei Jin become so good?"

"Mom, wasn't it you who told me to build a good relationship with Brother Wei Jin? Isn't it good like this now?"

Liu Yifei certainly knew that her behavior was slightly out of line, so she brought up Liu Xiaoli's original instructions, attempting to gloss over it, though her little face was full of sincerity.

"That's good then. Wei Jin is fine as a friend, but you must absolutely not fall for him; he has quite a lot of scandals."

Seeing that her daughter didn't seem to have anything unusual, Liu Xiaoli stopped dwelling on it and just gave a word of advice: "Oh, Mom, you said it yourself, they're just scandals. Brother Wei Jin is so outstanding, surely many people are thinking of him."

Liu Yifei didn't believe Wei Jin was that kind of person; how long had she known him, and he had never done anything out of line.

"There's no smoke without fire; in any case, you must be careful when you are with him."

"Alright, alright, alright, I know, I'll listen to you."

Seeing that her mother was about to nag again, Liu Yifei became a bit impatient. How old was she now? Was this really necessary? Liu Yifei didn't even realize herself that she seemed to have entered a rebellious phase. On the other side, Wei Jin, who had waved goodbye to the mother and daughter, came to the front desk and checked in.

After settling his luggage, a knock on the door sounded, and Wei Jin had some guesses in his heart.

Opening the door, it was indeed Li Jie, whom he hadn't seen for a long time. Wei Jin hurriedly pulled Li Jie into the room and closed the door properly.

As a hot favorite for awards at this Golden Eagle Festival, the crew of Lurking naturally arrived early, and even drew huge cheers on the red carpet at the opening ceremony in the evening.

And as the female lead of the TV series, Ceng Li naturally came over with the crew as well.

At this moment, Ceng Li looked like a beauty fresh from the bath; it seemed she had just finished showering.

Before Wei Jin could even speak, he saw Li Jie throw herself straight at him, hugging him very tightly, to the point where her chest was somewhat pressed out of shape.

Smelling the fragrance of the beauty in his arms, Wei Jin felt a bit distracted for a moment; he cupped Li Jie's pretty face and kissed her fiercely.

Ceng Li naturally responded passionately as well, as if she wanted to release all the longing that had built up over a long time.

As the saying goes, a short separation is better than a new marriage; soon, a rhythmic hymn of praise rang out in the room. I worked my fingers to the bone today, the fourth update is presented. I beg the big bosses to subscribe to the latest chapter; the editor needs to look at the follow-up reading data to give recommendations. Nineteen bows in thanks. Ten thousand words updated, making up for the missed update from Saturday!

(End of this chapter)