Chapter 119: Kung Fu Begins Shooting

Album sales continued to climb steadily, and Wang Tianxiao of Tianhai Records now woke up smiling every day.

Cheng Chen's ability as a money tree had fully exploded after this battle.

Although he was not yet as deeply rooted in people's hearts as veteran Heavenly King Superstars like the Four Heavenly Kings or Tan-Zhang-Wang-Xu.

But Cheng Chen was still young, with plenty of time ahead to build his presence—surpassing them was merely a matter of time.

Yet right now, Cheng Chen wasn't paying much attention to these hollow matters.

He was currently buried in studying the script, because July had arrived.

The crew of the movie Kung Fu had begun arriving in Modu…

…

Most of the filming locations for Kung Fu were completed at Modu Film and Television Park.

When Cheng Chen previously filmed The Great Dyeing Factory, some scenes had also been shot here.

This place had hosted many popular blockbusters, such as Lust Caution, Kung Fu, Sparrow, and The Crossing.

Today's Modu Film and Television City was nowhere near as bustling as it would become in the future when opened as a tourist attraction.

But walking through it, seeing the buildings from last century or familiar landmarks from films and TV dramas,

still inevitably gave one a sense of temporal dislocation.

"Director Zhou, you've had a long journey."

Cheng Chen had arrived in Modu at the end of June and was now greeting Zhou Xingchi and his crew at the hotel.

"Cheng Zai, I've listened to your songs—excellent!"

Zhou Xingchi shook Cheng Chen's hand and smiled.

Cheng Chen smiled slightly, then got to know the rest of the crew through Zhou Xingchi's introductions.

Beside him stood a stout man, known in the industry as Hong Ye, the martial arts director Hong Jinbao.

Many rumors circulated about this big name, the most scandalous being his affair with Bingbing.

The story was told in vivid detail, with some accounts so specific they made listeners feel they'd been on set—though the truth, of course, was a matter of perspective.

As for the movie Kung Fu itself, Zhou Xingchi and Hong Jinbao eventually parted ways because of it.

Before the film was even finished,

they split up completely.

Outside speculation about their falling-out was rampant.

Some claimed Hong Jinbao leaked behind-the-scenes details during a journalist interview, angering Zhou Xingchi.

Zhou believed Hong had violated professional ethics and fired him.

Others claimed that during one interview, Hong Jinbao said that due to harsh shooting conditions,

after directing a few shots, he was covered in bites from mosquitoes and insects, so he took leave to see a doctor.

While at the hospital, Hong Jinbao received a message from Zhou Xingchi telling him not to return to the set.

The reason given: the schedule was extremely tight; the crew did not permit leave.

That's how Yuan Baye later took over and continued as the martial arts director.

Of course, this rumor was a bit far-fetched…

With so many conflicting rumors, Cheng Chen had no intention of digging deeper.

Nor would he be so presumptuous as to think he could prevent these two from splitting before it happened.

Their tangled relationships were best left alone.

Next to Hong Jinbao stood the thin, monkey-like Yuanhua, who played the Landlord, and the burly Yuanqiu, who played the Landlady.

One had to admire Zhou Xingchi's casting eye—just standing together, these two radiated pure comedic energy.

Not to mention their famous nickname in the film:

The Divine Eagle Couple!

Hearing only the names Yuanhua and Yuanqiu, one might assume they were siblings or relatives.

In fact, they were merely senior-junior disciples, both students of the renowned martial artist Yu Zhanyuan.

In his youth, Yu Zhanyuan was a famous Peking Opera performer who later moved to Gang Sheng, performing both on stage and on screen.

His own achievements in film were modest, but his students—

many of whom remain pillars, even standouts, in Gang Sheng cinema to this day.

For example:

Including Yuan Long (Hong Jinbao), Yuan Lou (Cheng Long), Yuan Biao, Yuan Kui, Yuanhua, Yuan De, Yuan Wu, Yuan Qing (Yuan Baye), Yuanqiu, and others.

This was the embryonic form of what would later become the "Seven Little Fortunes," profoundly influencing Gang Sheng and even global cinema.

Next came Liang Xiaolong, who portrayed the main villain Huo Yun Xie Shen.

In the 1970s, he was known alongside Li Xiaolong, Cheng Long, and Di Long as one of Hong Kong's "Four Little Dragons."

His roles in The Legend of Huo Yuanjia and Chen Zhen swept the Mainland, making him one of Gang Sheng's most famous martial arts stars in the early 1980s.

Though his appearance was unremarkable, after going through a marriage,

he finally met, at age forty-six, a beautiful northern girl twenty years his junior.

They later had two children, and his life became happily fulfilled.

Then came Lin Zicong as Feizai Cong, He Wenhui as Jiang Bao,

Shi Xingyu as Ku Liqiang, and producer Liu Zhenyu, among other crew members.

Cheng Chen also spotted Huang Shengyi in the crowd, looking uneasy and rather shy.

She was like a delicate jasmine blossom standing among these "ferocious giants."

At this time, she was still in university, wearing a white shirt and jeans, appearing pure and gentle.

……

The group stormed into the hotel, followed immediately by the script reading.

The so-called script reading is also called script aloud reading.

Before a film or TV drama officially begins shooting, the director, screenwriter, lead actors, and other crew members gather for a meeting.

It is a creative process of reviewing the entire script from beginning to end.

For the actors, during the script reading, they must not only study the script on the spot.

They must also actively communicate and exchange ideas with the director and other crew members.

The story board for Kung Fu was densely covered with character relationship lines from the scriptwriting process.

Afterwards, everyone took turns speaking, explaining their understanding of the story and the problems they encountered in creation.

This process was also an opportunity for the actors to get to know and mesh with each other.

Everyone voicing their opinions was also the stage where individual demeanor and ability were most clearly displayed.

The atmosphere on the Kung Fu set was good—light and humorous.

Since most of the key creative personnel were from Gang Sheng, everyone communicated in Cantonese.

A group of big shots chatted and laughed freely; Cheng Chen occasionally spoke a few words, while the little white flower Huang Shengyi…

Remained silent, smiling as she watched everyone.

She played the female lead in the film, but was a mute character with no lines and relatively little screen time.

Thus, her presence during this script reading was extremely low.

"Cheng Zai, interested in holding a concert in Hung Hom, Gang Sheng? We'll all come to cheer you on live."

Yuanqiu said to Cheng Chen with a chuckle.

Through these days of script reading, everyone had grown much more familiar and often joked around.

Everyone knew Cheng Chen's identity as a singer, especially since his new album had been released recently, drawing all media attention.

As people in the Gang Sheng entertainment circle, how could they not know Cheng Chen's identity?

Without hesitation, apart from Zhou Xingchi, Cheng Chen was one of the most famous and most influential people present.

At the same time, Cheng Chen and Huang Shengyi were the two youngest among them, and thus received extra care from everyone.

Relatively speaking, Huang Shengyi was timid and shy, so everyone teased Cheng Chen instead.

"Sister Yuanqiu, when I hold my concert in Hung Hom, I'll definitely invite you as a guest singer."

Cheng Chen said with a smile.

"Sister doesn't sing—let her go up and do kung fu instead."

Yuanhua chuckled teasingly.

"You bastard, daring to joke with me? Watch out—I'll punch you!"

Yuanqiu said fiercely; among the fellow apprentices, Yuanqiu had Yuanhua firmly under her thumb.

Yuanhua shivered and quickly pulled his head back.

Seeing Yuanhua's comical expression as he surrendered, everyone burst into laughter.

The little white flower watched Cheng Chen chatting and laughing with the big shots, feeling somewhat dejected.

For this peer, who had become famous across all of Asia and had frequently appeared in news reports just recently,

She felt defeat for the first time.

With a privileged background and a sweet appearance, she had always been the center of attention wherever she went since childhood.

Yet after joining the group, she had been extremely cautious, walking on eggshells, afraid of offending anyone.

After all, Kung Fu was packed with big names; though everyone treated her kindly,

She still felt a wall and distance between herself and them.

Yet Cheng Chen, a peer from Mainland like herself, had blended in perfectly with them and integrated well into the crew.

No wonder he had achieved such remarkable success—when could she ever be like him…

Cheng Chen sensed a gaze fixed on him; he looked up and saw Huang Shengyi, the little white flower, resting her chin in her hand, staring at him absentmindedly.

He frowned, thinking:

What's this girl doing, zoning out during script reading?

……

About half a month after the script reading, the entire crew began to stir.

On July 14, the Kung Fu crew officially began shooting.

Following Gang Sheng's customs, the opening ceremony, though elaborate, did not attract media attention.

At this point, Cheng Chen was more inclined to believe that the conflict between Hong Jinbao and Zhou Xingchi originated from the former leaking details of the production.

Because Zhou Xingchi's secrecy measures were simply too good.

The crew had been in Mainland for nearly a month, yet not a single media outlet had discovered or come to visit the set.

Of course, it was also possible that reporters had come but were turned away by the crew.

"Alright, all departments ready—action!"

On set, after all departments were coordinated, Cheng Chen lay on a chair, holding his pipe, took a deep breath, and suddenly opened his eyes.

This was his first scene in Kung Fu.

The story began roughly like this:

Zhou Xingchi's character, A Xing, impersonated a member of the Axe Gang to extort money in Pig Cage Alley, but ended up encountering the real thing.

They met the Axe Gang's second-in-command, who, spurred on by Stephen Chow, immediately went on a rampage through Pig Cage Alley.

This enraged three hidden masters living in Pig Cage Alley, who were:

Ku Liqiang (Twelve-Way Tan Leg), Cai Fengsheng (Hung Ga Iron Wire Fist), You Zhagui (Five Pattern Eight Trigram Pole).

The three joined forces and drove back the Axe Gang members.

The Axe Gang had never suffered such humiliation, so what followed next was inevitable.

Upon hearing the call to roll camera, Cheng Chen immediately opened his eyes.

He lay on a chair, sucking hard on his pipe, while a servant beside him poured water.

At that moment, the secretary called out:

"Chen Ge, is this batch of goods any good?"

Just then, the servant knocked over the tea, and Cheng Chen, who had been deeply absorbed in smoking, suddenly glared at him.

"Sorry, Chen Ge."

The servant cried out in fright.

Cheng Chen's name was well known; he had loyal fans across the Mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and even all of Asia.

But that fame came from his singing career—acting?...

No one had ever seen it; no one knew how good he was.

So when it was announced that Cheng Chen would film his first scene, the area behind the monitor was packed with people.

Yuanhua, Sister Yuanqiu, Liang Xiaolong, Huang Shengyi, and others all stared intently at Cheng Chen's every move on the monitor.

Clearly, everyone was closely watching his performance.

In the first few seconds of filming, Cheng Chen's acting was ordinary—but the turning point came when the servant knocked over the tea, and Cheng Chen's glare at him...

Actors and directors who had worked with Cheng Chen had all experienced his eye acting.

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul—and for Cheng Chen, that was absolutely true.

At this moment, he was playing a gang boss, a capricious villain whose eyes carried pure malice.

The arrogance of "anger me and you die," mixed with condescending mockery.

After all, the events at Pig Cage Alley that day had already left him in a foul mood.

He'd just wanted to smoke a few puffs to calm himself, but this clueless servant dared to disturb him.

He deserved to die!

The people watching behind the monitor were instantly startled by that gaze.

Cold, murderous, like a venomous snake's tongue flicking out, ready to strike.

"That gaze... is terrifying!"

Yuanhua whispered.

"Exactly—it's like being locked onto by a venomous snake, about to bare its fangs at any second!"

Yuanqiu nodded, fully agreeing with his junior.

Beside them, Huang Shengyi rubbed her pale arms in horror and said:

"I'm getting goosebumps!"

But eye acting alone wasn't enough—measuring an actor required the four pillars: voice, diction, movement, and expression.

Among these people, only Huang Shengyi was a proper academy-trained actor; the others were all self-taught.

Asking them to recite a pile of theoretical knowledge was unrealistic—but each could express theory through practice.

So every move Cheng Chen made was scrutinized by them.

Cheng Chen lowered his gaze, slowly rose from his chair holding the pipe, and walked up to the servant fumbling with the tea set.

He even smiled at the servant, as if conveying:

It's fine—I won't hold this against you, don't worry.

The servant still looked up at Cheng Chen.

Cheng Chen smiled and said:

"Kids shouldn't watch—turn your head."

The servant obediently nodded, lowering his head to tidy the tea set.

Then, in the shot, Cheng Chen reversed his grip on the pipe and smashed it down hard onto the servant's head...

The servant collapsed to the ground. Cheng Chen casually brushed his hands and waved to his men, saying indifferently:

"Throw him out!"

The people watching behind the monitor were stunned by Cheng Chen's sudden shift.

If Cheng Chen hadn't first smiled at the servant, signaling forgiveness...

The audience wouldn't have felt such a powerful contrast.

But when the servant flew through the air, and Cheng Chen casually brushed his hands after killing him—

Chen Ge's image as a villain instantly came alive.

He was a cold-blooded monster who took pleasure in killing!

This was Cheng Chen's interpretation of Chen Ge, presented to the audience.

And after this brilliant performance, everyone finally understood why Zhou Xingchi had chosen a singer to play Chen Ge.

Xing Ye deserves his title—his casting was as sharp as ever!