Chapter 428: Master-Servant

May 5th, Start of Summer.

The 15th day of the fourth lunar month, auspicious for weddings, travel, and starting work; all matters will be highly fortunate.

Wei Jin led the crew in holding a simple commencement ceremony, offering the three sacrificial animals and six livestock to Guan Erye.

Before the official start of filming, the Executive Director was discussing the scenes and blocking with the actors.

The camera crew and lighting crew were all busy, setting up equipment, laying tracks, adjusting lights, and adjusting lighting ratios.

This film is a crime movie, and one with a bit of a comedic style similar to Cheng Long's, so it doesn't need to be too oppressive; Wei Jin chose a warm color palette.

In addition, the props department and set design department were also methodically arranging the scene; the entire crew was a hive of activity.

Generally speaking, whether for a movie or a TV series, the first scene filmed is chosen for its lower difficulty to ensure a smooth start and to bring good luck.

Wei Jin also formulated the shooting schedule in order from easiest to hardest.

More than an hour later, everything was ready, and the various teams gave their signals one after another; the Executive Director, Wen Muye, turned his head to look at Wei Jin, who was sitting behind the monitor, and the latter reached out to pick up the megaphone on the ground, giving it a full sense of ritual.

"Attention all departments, 30-second countdown."

The floor manager instantly arrived in front of the camera lens and picked up the clapperboard.

"《Big Shot》, Scene 1, Take 1, action!"

Today's filming mainly involved the scenes where the honest man Kou Zhanwen gets bullied; although this character doesn't have many scenes, he is quite crucial.

Although Kou Zhanwen looks burly and the image he presents on screen is mostly that of a villain, his facial features are actually very likable, such as the character Da Niu (Hou Yi) in 《Spring Bright Pig Bajie》.

And with the help of the crew's makeup artist, after Kou Zhanwen put on the wig, that feeling of being simple and honest became even stronger.

It is precisely because a simple and honest person is being bullied that the villain's arrogant and domineering character design can be made fuller, and the motivation for Sun Dasheng's actions can be made more reasonable.

The core conflict of the entire film begins with him being bullied; it can be said that Kou Zhanwen shoulders the heavy responsibility of driving the audience's emotions.

The previous few scenes were filmed very smoothly, mainly to establish the relationship with Sun Dasheng in order to lead into the subsequent conflicts.

A whole day passed quickly, and filming continued as usual in the evening.

This scene is after Chen Yongqiang's house is forcibly demolished by people from the demolition company under Zhao Tai; he stands by the street with his child, haggard and helpless, watching his home turn into ruins.

On the monitor, tears welled up in Kou Zhanwen's eyes, and his daughter beside him cried out loudly; it was as miserable as it could possibly be, and the emotions were instantly maxed out.

"Cut, this take is good."

Sitting behind the monitor, Wei Jin nodded with satisfaction, "Brother Kou, that was a great performance."

After this night scene was finished, the day's filming was over, so at this moment, Kou Zhanwen took the towel handed over by the floor manager, wiped his face, and while changing his clothes, he smiled and replied: "Hehe, Director Wei is too kind."

"Brother Kou, I'm not flattering you; that 《Fist of Hero》 you did with Zhao Wenzhuo back in the day, the Lightning Blade really left a deep impression on me."

"Oh? That was filmed in '99, Director Wei has seen it too?"

"Of course, back then there were few domestic TV series, and Hong Kong dramas were truly popular."

Taking advantage of the time while the crew was wrapping up, Wei Jin also started chatting with Kou Zhanwen.

"I remember back then, I was still in high school, and every night I would just wait for this show to relax."

Wei Jin wasn't lying; the most memorable part of that show was the funny couple played by Zhao Wenzhuo and Joey Wong, Joey Wong was truly beautiful back then, unfortunately, time flies and beauty fades easily.

"Director brother, then... what about me..."

Watching the two chatting enthusiastically, Zhang Zifeng, who had finished changing her clothes, walked over with some social anxiety, her eyes filled with expectation.

In the original movie, Chen Yongqiang was with his son, but Wei Jin felt that a little girl could evoke more emotional resonance from the audience, so he changed it when writing the script.

And the one playing this role was none other than Zhang Zifeng, born in '01; this girl grew slowly, and at this moment she was no different from Little Fang Deng in 《Aftershock》, small in stature and endearing.

Wei Jin reached out and patted her head, smiling as he said: "Zifeng performed very well, keep working hard, you will definitely be very famous in the future."

"Really?"

"Mm, I promise."

Wei Jin was absolutely not exaggerating; among those born after 2000, Zhang Zifeng's acting skills are beyond doubt, and her likability among the public is explosive; she is known as the "National Daughter," and at her peak, she was truly famous throughout the country.

"Director Wei, sorry to bother you, Zifeng, come here quickly..."

Wei Jin looked up and saw that the person speaking was none other than Zhang Zifeng's mother.

The little girl is a minor, so Mother Zhang has been following the crew, and at this moment she looked a bit embarrassed.

"It's fine, Zifeng is quite cute."

Wei Jin smiled and gave a compliment, then rubbed the little girl's head again, "Go back and rest with your mother."

"Mm, Director brother, goodbye."

"Director Wei, see you tomorrow."

Hong Kong, the set of 《Kung Fu Jungle》.

"Cut."

Lu Yang watched the footage on the monitor with a focused expression, nodded, and took out his walkie-talkie: "This take is good, ten-minute break, prepare for the next take."

As soon as he finished speaking, the crew, led by the Executive Director, began to methodically arrange the next scene. The actors also rested, hydrated, and smoked.

"Director Lu, the filming these past few days has been going smoothly, right?"

As the Producer of the film, Huo Wenxi, although she didn't follow the crew the whole time, would still come to the set to look around every few days.

"It's quite good, Director Huo, and I have to thank you all; those media outlets have finally calmed down."

Lu Yang's tone was very sincere.

Perhaps because of the previous "Zhen-Zhao Dispute," 《Kung Fu Jungle》 faced quite a lot of targeting in the first few days of filming; a large number of reporters came to sneak photos, and then it was the traditional routine—fabricating stories and disparaging others.

Almost every day there were different reports coming out; one moment it was that the filming of 《Kung Fu Jungle》 was sloppy and unprofessional; the next moment it was the crew pushing, driving away, and cursing reporters... A blurry photo could actually be used to fabricate hundreds or thousands of words of negative reports; this wasn't even nonsense anymore, but blatant smearing. By contrast, the reports about 《Special Identity》 were completely different; professional and tacit, clean and neat fight scenes, wonderful drama, and online acting skills—the flowery praise was almost jumping off the page, as if this could prove that the Hong Kong team was more professional.

Although the media's orchestration didn't affect anything, it was just annoying, and Lu Yang was also extremely bothered by it.

Fortunately, Emperor as the local snake in Hong Kong handled it very promptly, directly suing these media outlets and putting them all in the defendant's seat, which finally made them quiet down.

"Director Lu is too polite, it's only right."

A smile appeared on Huo Wenxi's face; her boss attached immense importance to this film, so how could she tolerate those people smearing it at will? "Director Lu, how is the current filming progress?"

"Not bad. It's estimated that in two more weeks, the major scenes will be wrapped up, and the remaining transition scenes will be much more relaxed."

Lu Yang had already made arrangements; once the major scenes were finished, he would begin the promotion for *Saving Mr. Wu* until the film's release.

However, the days delayed would not cause the crew to stop; the assistant director could fully handle some of the simpler scenes.

After a brief chat, the set was ready, and Lu Yang began the new scenes in Shanghai, on the set of *Big Shot*.

Sitting behind the monitor, Wei Jin quietly appreciated the actors' performances.

Today's scene was between Sun Dasheng and his wife.

In the shot, Mei Ting was sitting on the sofa, chatting with Sun Dasheng about the lottery for school district housing, while the latter had forgotten about it due to long-term mission assignments.

Mei Ting looked annoyed and threw a pillow at Sun Dasheng, expressing her little mood without making people feel annoyed.

"Cut, this take is good."

Whether it was Mei Ting or Hu Jun, both were considered veteran actors; this kind of scene was truly simple for them, and even for a child actor, this scene would be a natural performance with zero difficulty.

"Take a half-hour break, prepare for the next scene."

Taking advantage of the break, Wei Jin walked toward Mei Ting and teased her with a smile.

"Sister Mei, it's been so long, your dark circles are still the same, haha."

Because of Ceng Li, Mei Ting and Wei Jin were already very familiar with each other; she had been to their home many times. Hearing this, she rolled her eyes at him and didn't take the bait, instead asking about Ceng Li's situation.

"Li Zi should have joined her crew by now, right?"

"Yeah, she started filming around the same time as us. Right now, Li Jie is probably drinking wind in the Great Northwest with a sallow face."

Seeming to think of the character makeup photo sent by Zhang Yimou, Wei Jin shook his head and chuckled, "Sister Mei, when the movie is released, you probably won't recognize her."

"Is it really that exaggerated? But Li Zi is quite serious about movies."

Mei Ting nodded, then thought of something, leaned in a little closer, and asked in a low voice, "By the way, since both of you aren't home, what about Dudu?"

"Her aunt and grandmother are looking after her; she doesn't know how much fun she's having every day."

Ceng Li had a younger sister three years her junior who had been living abroad for years and occasionally returned to visit relatives. This time, hearing that Ceng Li would be on set for two or three months, she had returned specifically for this.

It must be said, little Dudu, despite not seeing her aunt Ceng Yu often, was especially close to her; perhaps it was because Ceng Li was too strict, while Ceng Yu indulged her in everything.

"That's quite good, I was just worried the child would be clingy, but..."

As Mei Ting spoke, she suddenly stopped. She thought of the relationship between Wei Jin and Ceng Li, wanting to advise them, but not knowing how to bring it up.

Mei Ting took marriage very seriously, but having already experienced a failed marriage, what right did she have to interfere in someone else's life? She simply smiled and offered her blessings, "Wei Jin, you and Li Zi must be well."

Wei Jin was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then smiled, "Don't worry, Sister Mei, we definitely will."

Zhang Li didn't expect that after only a few good days, someone would come to snatch the food again.

Looking at Yang Mi, who used to be subservient in front of her and was now a popular young actress second only to the Four Dan Double Bing, Zhang Li's mood was incredibly complex.

But even though she was already red-hot, Yang Mi was still constantly pursuing progress. Even though her cameo scenes were still a long way off, she had joined the crew early, following her boss around, being attentive and considerate, even more so than the assistant Huang Mengying.

Compared to her own "salted fish" personality, Yang Mi's determination to improve was truly great; it was only right that she was popular.

"Senior brother, have some water."

"Mm, thanks."

Wei Jin took the rock sugar and pear drink handed over by Yang Mi, "Are you done with your schedule? Why are you here so early?"

"There's still some left, but I pushed them all away."

Yang Mi sat down beside Wei Jin, her voice delicate and gentle, "Senior brother, this is my first time filming your movie, I want to follow and learn more."

Wei Jin took a sip of the drink, hmm, it was a bit too sweet.

Ever since the capital injection last time, Yang Mi's attitude toward him seemed to have changed; although she was still as respectful, it carried a bit of flirtatiousness.

"Mm, suit yourself."

Wei Jin glanced at her with a half-smile. This little enchantress was wearing a black silk skirt, her white shirt was almost bursting, and her eyes seemed to have hooks in them; it was clear she wanted to sleep with him.

Yang Mi reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, revealing her fair ear, and the faint scent of her perfume kept drifting into Wei Jin's nose.

Wei Jin didn't remember who said it, but a woman's ear is extremely similar to certain other parts, but according to his observation, Yang Mi's should fit this rule; hmm, let's verify it tonight.

Throughout the whole day of filming, Yang Mi just followed Wei Jin around, doing the work of an assistant and mingling with the crew, which made Huang Mengying feel a bit jealous.

As Wei Jin's personal assistant, Huang Mengying felt a lot of pressure.

The Yang Mi pressing down on her had too many advantages, second only to Liu Yan, and could even rival Wang Zixuan.

"Mengying, don't just stand there."

Wei Jin stood by the bed, one hand covering Yang Mi's perky buttocks wrapped in black silk, while the other hand wandered along the inner sides of her two slender, beautiful legs.

Quietly appreciating the two snow-white, delicate bodies, Wei Jin was not in a hurry at all.

"Oh, oh... okay, boss."

(End of this chapter)