Chapter 339: One Glance, and the Dao of Love Vanishes

Fang Hong agreed to help review the shooting materials for "Bound by Love," though he couldn't really find much— he was just comparing them to the original version to fill gaps and correct omissions.

Fang Hong wasn't the only one reviewing the materials; Xue Xiaolu, the assistant director, the cinematographer, the editor, and the screenwriter were all there.

When Fang Hong used to do this, he worked alone; now, the film's production setup was far more luxurious than what he had back then.

Nothing else matters— every single detail must be controlled!

Of course, Liu Tianxian was there too; she came to keep Fang Hong company through the night, not to review the footage— that wasn't in her expertise; she only needed to perform her role well.

Late at night, a editing room glowed brightly— this was on-set editing, conducting preliminary cuts of the day's shooting materials.

Ensure continuity and completeness of the filmed content!

Xue Xiaolu played a clip and said, "Don't you think this shot is redundant?"

The screen showed the male and female leads waiting in line at a restaurant, then abandoning their meal to catch the subway.

"Not redundant— this scene sets up what comes later, showing the couple's lack of communication."

Fang Hong said, "You could add a scene where the male lead eats with his boss at this same restaurant. After they break up, they sit together again, and he says he's been here before, and she replies she's eaten here too."

"Think about it— they were together five years, and only mention this place after breaking up. Doesn't that indirectly confirm their lack of communication?"

"Makes sense," Xue Xiaolu agreed.

With this kind of analysis and metaphor, viewers won't catch these details and allusions on one or two viewings— they need to watch multiple times to grasp the film's depth.

Only then can they interpret the film from different angles.

Liu Tianxian propped her chin on one hand, watching Fang Hong work intently. Though she often saw him working, every time she saw him so focused, she thought he looked incredibly handsome.

Fang Hong turned his head and bumped his forehead against hers.

Liu Tianxian tapped his head, then affectionately draped her arm over his shoulder.

The others pretended not to notice— these two were ridiculous.

"This shot's good. This should be when the couple first meet and talk about an author who hasn't written anything new in a long time," Fang Hong said as another clip played on the screen.

"Right. There's another scene where the male lead waits for the female lead after work, reading the author's new book."

Xue Xiaolu explained, "It's a metaphor— the author has released a new work, so the male lead must change his life, meaning their lives must change too."

It also foreshadows the transition of this artsy youth into a salary slave.

It's good— Xue Xiaolu pays attention to details; the filming has no issues.

Actually, the film has many such details— for example, the male lead asks the female lead the name of a plant, and she doesn't tell him.

Also, the day the male lead gets the job offer, the female lead is at a social gathering— this shows that even during his job hunt, the two had already grown distant.

In the original version, one was in the bedroom, the other in the living room, preparing for the job— visually, they were separated.

The male lead's job-hunting process took too long; the female lead had already started working while he was still stuck in job-hunting. So this scene highlights how their relationship began to feel off— their life rhythms were disrupted, and they could never return to how things were.

There are many such details, and many criticisms too— people say the romance feels superficial, the plot logic is flawed, and the character transformations are too abrupt.

For example, the male lead's shift from artsy youth to a 996 workaholic lacks narrative transition— people think it's illogical.

That's normal— any artistic work will face criticism over character shifts and plot logic; nothing is perfect.

Take Fang Hong himself— his status has grown, his age has grown, his role has changed; he's changed too. At his current position, he can't possibly face the world as he did at the start.

He's a General Manager now— his identity has changed. Can you still expect him to spend every day watching and shooting films? That would be ridiculous.

Who's ever seen a General Manager go out and do manual labor?

Ning Hao, Chen Sicheng, Guo Fan all know to become Producers or Supervising Producers— many of them no longer shoot films themselves; they've moved into investment.

At this level, Fang Hong should only take on films others can't or won't risk— this is how he raises Yutu's overall production quality; that's what he should be doing.

He shouldn't be like a machine, endlessly shooting films.

And at his current status, the view he sees is completely different from what he saw in his past life— he never reached this height before, so anxiety and confusion are natural.

Overthinking and cautious responses are perfectly normal.

His only advantage lies in content— he knows what kind of content makes money and where the trends are heading. Everything else is foreign to him; someone who's never touched finance in his life can't be expected to handle it without fear.

And he came from poverty— he empathizes with the common people, the underclass; it's natural he doesn't empathize with capitalists.

Just like the male lead in the film, struggling financially, forced to do things he hates to support his girlfriend and their household.

This is a transformation of the male lead's character— he's no longer just himself; he now carries responsibility.

He must support his girlfriend and hold up this family.

Fang Hong is changing roles too— he's no longer alone; he has someone he cares for, someone he must marry. His role has changed, so his behavioral logic must change too.

Reviewing and discussing the footage clip by clip is a tedious, boring process; Liu Tianxian couldn't help feeling sleepy and yawned.

"Tianxian, go rest. You have to shoot early tomorrow," Xue Xiaolu said, looking at her.

"It's fine. Listening to you talk about plot, composition, metaphors— I'm learning a lot," Liu Tianxian said.

"Is it because your man's keeping you awake? Sorry about that," Xue Xiaolu joked.

Everyone here was familiar— they collaborated often; a little teasing was harmless.

"You say that? I'm afraid you'll tire out my man," Liu Tianxian said, then hugged Fang Hong's shoulder close, like a tomboy.

"Hehe!" The others chuckled.

"Go rest. Get some sleep. Shoot well tomorrow," Fang Hong patted her leg.

The director can let the assistant director or others substitute; the cinematographer only guides and has assistants to shoot; actors must be present to perform.

Can an actor really be replaced by a stunt double?

Technically yes, but not for this film— there are no dangerous action scenes.

And acting requires good energy in front of the camera— no slacking off, no zoning out— you must be alert.

"Alright, I'll go sleep. You should rest early too— don't stay up too late."

Liu Tianxian obeyed, then told the others, "You all rest early too." "Okay, go!" Xue Xiaolu said.

After Liu Tianxian left, the group continued reviewing the shooting materials, determined to watch every clip from the past month-plus of filming.

The workload is still very large.

However, not long after, Liu Tianxian returned.

Xue Xiaolu frowned: "Why are you back again?"

"This is the late-night snack your Assistant just bought for you—eat it while it's hot." Liu Tianxian placed a large bag on the table in front of them.

"Oh my, how thoughtful, so considerate—Principal really has luck." Xue Xiaolu laughed.

"What luck? This is just buying people's favor." Fang Hong dismissed it.

Xue Xiaolu and the others chuckled, assuming the Principal was just putting on a show.

Liu Tianxian slapped Fang Hong's back in protest—of course, not hard—and then said to the others: "Eat slowly, I'm leaving."

"Alright, hurry back!" Xue Xiaolu waved.

Liu Tianxian waved to the others, then walked out.

They continued reviewing the footage until past midnight, then dispersed to rest.

Shooting a film is tiring enough; actors have it easy—just perform, then it's done. If you're good, it's your skill; if you're bad, blame the crew.

Early the next morning, the production of "The Binding Love" continued shooting; Fang Hong still sat beside Xue Xiaolu watching her perform.

A professional teacher filming really is different—you feel like you've learned her techniques and methods.

After finishing her scene, Liu Tianxian still unconsciously stayed near Fang Hong—mainly out of habit; whenever she saw him, she'd naturally go to his side.

"What time did you finish last night?"

"Around three or four in the morning," Fang Hong said.

"So late?" Liu Tianxian's tone rose several notches.

"It's normal—didn't we always work like this when shooting before?" Fang Hong spoke casually.

"That's still very tiring," Liu Tianxian said.

"All work is tiring. Don't you actors work from morning till night? Besides, this film isn't like those commercial ones—commercial films just need to tell a coherent story to be considered good; artistic films require so much more. Every detail must be polished, it's not easy to shoot." Fang Hong said.

Liu Tianxian nodded, knowing how difficult it truly was.

"Even so, if one point isn't handled right, the whole plot collapses. Can Lao Mouzi and Chen Daren just casually shoot masterpieces? Look at Fan Xiaopang—he's been constantly shooting artistic films with Li Yu, working so hard, even went to a lesbian bar—and still didn't make a splash." Fang Hong added.

Liu Tianxian listened carefully, understanding how hard it was to make a good artistic film—it required the entire team's cooperation and wisdom.

She also knew Fan Xiaopang had been trying artistic films all along—"Apple," "Guanyin Mountain," "Double Exposure"—he had ambition.

She also knew Lao Mouzi and Chen Daren found it hard to make masterpieces; chasing depth often led to incomprehensibility.

"Feifei, you can't lose to them—you must surpass them, outdo Fan Xiaopang and Guoji Zhang, stand shoulder to shoulder with Gong Huang and Man Shen, and reach the peak of Liu Xian. Then, when people mention those two, they'll think of you, Liu Xian—only then will what I've done have meaning."

Fang Hong grew more enthusiastic: "How goes that saying again? At the summit of performance, who stands tallest? One glimpse of Yifei—and all paths to enlightenment vanish."

"Hehe, don't tease me, okay?" Liu Tianxian had been listening seriously, even feeling the weight on her shoulders—but after hearing those last two lines, she couldn't help laughing.

Honestly, those two lines were pretty catchy.

She held Fang Hong's hand: "Hey, I have a question for you."

"What question?"

"Xue Laoshi said you're very 'xi.' I saw someone laugh at you strangely—what does that mean?" Liu Tianxian said.

"It means nothing. Don't ask," Fang Hong lost interest. It was meant as praise, but now people were spreading nonsense about it, ruining his reputation.

"Come on, tell me!" Liu Tianxian refused to give up.

"You're better off not knowing. Knowing won't help you," Fang Hong didn't want to say.

"I really want to know—I'm so curious. Tell me," Liu Tianxian insisted.

"No," Fang Hong refused.

"Then I'll tell others you're very 'xi.'"

"Damn it, you're going to destroy my lifelong reputation!"

Fang Hong clapped his hand over Liu Tianxian's mouth and glanced warily around: "Anyone else can say it—you can't."

"Then tell me!" Liu Tianxian pulled his hand away.

Fang Hong had no choice—he whispered a few words into her ear.

Anyone else saying that would be a joke—but if she said it, even jumping into the Yellow River wouldn't wash it clean.

Liu Tianxian listened, her phoenix eyes slowly widening, her face flushing with inexplicable redness; after hearing it, she involuntarily glanced down at his lower body.

"Pfft! Hahaha!" She covered her mouth and burst into laughter.

"No love left," Fang Hong immediately stood up, looking utterly defeated.

"Oh no, sorry sorry, I didn't mean to laugh at you—I still love you, I do!" Liu Tianxian quickly grabbed him to comfort him, barely holding back her laughter.

"You can't say it randomly," Fang Hong pointed.

"How could I say it randomly? If I say it, I'll say…" Liu Tianxian leaned close, whispering softly into his ear: "You're 'cu.'"

(End of Chapter)