Chapter 121: That Thing, I Have a Suggestion…

Since Zhou Xingchi had already spoken first, Cheng Chen naturally let loose in his performance.

He had already conveyed his ideas; now he waited to see how Zhou Xingchi would respond.

Zhou Xingchi glanced at Feizai Cong beside him, his fist clenched tightly, and said as if proving a point:

"So, can I go kill someone right now?"

Feizai Cong watched the two big shots act out their drama, feeling utterly helpless.

Come on, just stick to the script, okay? Don't cause trouble!

I—I can't keep up!

Cheng Chen regarded him without comment, still in that detached, mocking stance of an onlooker.

Just as Zhou Xingchi was about to raise his fist, Cheng Chen suddenly patted his shoulder and said:

"Hey, don't kill the wrong person. Go ahead."

The storyline was pulled back—this back-and-forth was both a test and a game.

His real intention was to keep both of them under his control.

Zhou Xingchi paused slightly; it had been that easy for Cheng Chen to correct the storyline.

And he had even embodied Chen Ge's arrogant, capricious, and unpredictable personality.

Zhou Xingchi and Feizai Cong slowly turned and walked out of the Axe Gang's territory.

Watching their retreating figures, he waved to the side, and someone immediately handed him a cigarette.

He exhaled a plume of smoke, the haze blurring his face as he said slowly to his secretary beside him:

"These minor players… one day they'll be useful."

"Good, cut!"

Zhou Xingchi called "cut," walked up to Cheng Chen, and patted his shoulder:

"You acted well just now. Keep it up."

Cheng Chen smiled and said:

"Thank you, Director Zhou, for the encouragement."

"Mm."

Zhou Xingchi nodded, and then the crew moved to shoot several preparatory shots.

Perhaps because of his fallout with Hong Jinbao, they finished work early today.

Cheng Chen saw Zhou Xingchi standing in a corner of the set, expressionless, on the phone.

His expression was serious, and he occasionally argued a few words with the other side.

It seemed the rift with Hong Jinbao had indeed put heavy pressure on Zhou Xingchi.

As Cheng Chen had predicted, the conflict between Zhou Xingchi and Hong Jinbao had affected the production's progress.

In his past life, Zhou Xingchi's feud with Hong Jinbao had halted production for months; rumors said the film nearly collapsed.

After that argument, Hong Jinbao never appeared on set again.

Due to the lack of a martial arts director, the past few days had only filmed trivial scenes and dialogue-heavy sequences.

On the surface, the crew operated normally, but beneath it, tensions simmered; the atmosphere grew heavier day by day, and rumors spread everywhere.

Everyone kept glancing toward Zhou Xingchi's office.

After Hong Jinbao left, many people came and went from Zhou Xingchi's office daily—mostly blond, blue-eyed foreigners.

Columbia was one of the distributors of Kung Fu; after such a major incident, they naturally sent representatives to supervise.

Finally, after negotiations and compromises, the Kung Fu crew welcomed Yuan Baye.

In a way, Cheng Chen preferred Yuan Baye's style.

He was exceptionally skilled at tailoring action to each actor's strengths and pushing their abilities to the extreme.

Compared to Hong, Yuan's choreography was more adaptable and more popular among both Eastern and Western audiences.

He designed action based on the film's overall style and the director's intent.

For example, in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, he accepted Director Li An's request for romantic, flowing action sequences.

Thus we saw the film's ethereal, graceful fighting style—purely delightful to watch.

In fact, the fight scenes in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Kung Fu clearly shared the same lineage.

But under Zhou Xingchi's direction, the action in Kung Fu was more exaggerated, leaning heavily into a "cartoonish" feel.

Yuan Baye won the 20th Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Action Choreography and the 37th Golden Horse Awards for Best Action Design thanks to these two films.

Kung Fu won Best Action Design at the 24th Hong Kong Film Awards, paving the way for his international career.

Only after Yuan Baye arrived did the entire crew truly come alive.

Just as Cheng Chen thought things had calmed down, Director Zhou started overthinking again…

It was mid-September; the entire production was progressing smoothly, and Yuan Baye and Zhou Xingchi's collaboration had grown increasingly refined.

"Master Yuan, this action doesn't work—it's too rigid.

I want action that feels real but isn't grounded in reality. Can you make it funnier?"

The final battle: Zhou Xingchi versus Huo Yun Xie Shen leading the Axe Gang.

As he sparred with the Axe Gang's thugs, he suddenly stopped and called "cut," summoning Yuan Baye over to say:

Yuan Baye frowned. You're speaking Chinese, but why can't I understand you?

Realistic—but not realistic!

That sounds completely contradictory!

But Yuan Baye didn't argue with him like Hong Jinbao had; he nodded and said:

"Let me think about it again."

"Good, time is tight, hurry up!"

Zhou Xingchi replied.

Zhou Xingchi only requested that specific action sequences be redesigned, without delaying anyone else's shooting, so the scene continued filming.

Yuan Baye picked up paper and pen and began sketching right on set.

Over two consecutive days, Yuan Baye presented eight pre-designed action sequences to Zhou Xingchi, all of which were rejected one by one.

Yuan Baye, however, had a good temper; even when rejected, he didn't get angry and remained undeterred, returning to his designs.

Eventually, when Yuan Baye, exhausted and with bloodshot eyes, brought his redesigned actions to Zhou Xingchi once more, he was again coldly rejected.

Even the best temper can't take this much abuse—Yuan Baye finally snapped and said:

"What kind of actions do you actually want? Please, give me some direction!"

Yuan Baye was truly pushed to his limit; otherwise, the famously good-natured man would never have become like this.

"I already said—I want actions that are realistic yet wildly imaginative, something that makes people smile when they see it."

Zhou Xingchi said, expressionless.

"I..."

Yuan Baye felt like spitting blood.

You might as well not have said anything at all!

Other people on set turned their gazes toward them, watching the spectacle; ever since Yuan Baye arrived, everyone had privately placed bets.

They bet on how long Yuan Baye could last under Zhou's direction—now, seeing the standoff, they all guessed internally that Yuan Baye was done for...

Seeing this, Cheng Chen was speechless. Why was it so hard just to act in a movie?

Hong Jinbao left, and the crew shut down for nearly half a month. Now, after only a month, Yuan Baye was about to be driven off by Zhou too?

But that doesn't make sense—later generations clearly list Yuan Baye as the martial arts director of Kung Fu.

Yet right now, the two were arguing more fiercely than ever—was this about to blow up?

Could it be that my presence triggered a butterfly effect, creating a variable?

Thinking this, Cheng Chen could no longer sit still—he shouted loudly:

"Director Zhou, Master Yuan, I have a suggestion..."

Although he had long decided to stay out of everything in the Kung Fu crew except acting.

But if he didn't speak up now, what if these two completely broke down?

The moment Cheng Chen spoke, every eye on set turned toward him.

Instantly, Cheng Chen became the center of attention.

"What's this guy doing? Director Zhou and Director Yuan are talking—why is he butting in?"

"That's the Mainland singer—thinks he's got some fame in music and dares to boss people around on set..."

"I think he's gotten swollen-headed. This isn't some fan club—he can't act however he wants here."

Those around him whispered among themselves; though Cheng Chen had already proven his acting ability over the past weeks,

still, as always—even if you're a Heavenly King of music, the superiority complex of Gang Sheng people toward Mainlanders never fades.

Now, with two big bosses at a critical moment, rushing in like this is asking for death.

Some even maliciously speculated that Cheng Chen's move was meant to grab attention and boost his fame.

Even Yuanhua and Yuanqiu, who had gotten along well with Cheng Chen on set, looked at him with concern.

The delicate Huang Shengyi fixed her eyes tightly on Cheng Chen's figure, astonished.

How could he—how could he go over there now!

Cheng Chen ignored everyone's reactions and walked straight to the side of Yuan and Zhou, saying:

"I have a suggestion regarding this fight scene..."

"You know action design too?"

Before Cheng Chen could finish, Yuan Baye cut him off.

He was already bursting with rage and had dared to argue with Zhou Xingchi—how could he let this nobody from nowhere get away with speaking up?

"Uh... I know a bit."

Cheng Chen wasn't intimidated by Yuan Baye's aura; he smiled slightly and said.

"Hmph."

Yuan Baye snorted, continuing to glare at Zhou Xingchi.

Zhou Xingchi, however, frowned slightly—since joining the crew, Cheng Chen had suited him in every way.

But now... was he trying to steal the spotlight?

"Master Yuan, you're an expert in action design—in a confrontation, stepping on the opponent's foot is actually a lock."

"Lock the lower body, then attack the upper body, forcing them to be unable to defend both ends—this expresses surprise, correct?"

"Hmm..."

Hearing Cheng Chen's words, Yuan Baye sneered—thinking he'd just parroted some phrase to show off.

Cheng Chen wasn't discouraged; he continued:

"Director Zhou wants humorous, unrealistic moves—if we change this action to stepping on the toes instead?"

"Step on the entire circle of attackers' toes, then crush them all flat? Here, stepping on toes isn't for locking—it's for surprise."

"It also conveys the feeling of a master casually brushing off a novice... what do you think?"

Hearing Cheng Chen's words, someone among the onlookers suddenly let out a "pfft" laugh.

Immediately, the person panicked and clapped a hand over their mouth.

Stepping on toes—could humans really come up with something like that?

Please, this is filming a movie, not kids playing house.

Can you please stop being so childish!

When Yuan Baye heard Cheng Chen's words, his previously dismissive expression froze, then shifted into thoughtful silence…

Zhou Xingchi's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed excitedly:

"Step on the toes! Crush them! Yes, excellent design—Yuan Wu Zhi?"

"Hmm, good. I've been thinking these past few days about how to make it realistic yet surreal—this idea is indeed solid."

The onlookers around them exchanged glances.

Uh…

After receiving affirmation from both senior figures, Cheng Chen immediately exhaled in relief:

Crisis averted—the movie could finally start shooting.

But Cheng Chen was too quick to celebrate; in the days that followed, Zhou Xingchi and Yuan Baye had no major clashes, but constant minor arguments.

The movie was titled Kung Fu, so "Kung Fu" permeated the entire film, especially demanding intricate action design.

Zhou Xingchi was also a man who obsessively cared about details, so he and Yuan Baye…

No, rather, the friction between them and the Martial Arts Director never ceased.

Whenever tension rose, Cheng Chen would step forward as the peacemaker.

There was no way to predict whether a minor argument might escalate into a major conflict.

So, in the later stages, Cheng Chen simply started working directly with Yuan Baye.

"You, Director Zhou, want to change the moves again? Fine—I'll consult with Ba Ye first!"

After all, I've got the entire film in my head—I can precisely lock down the movements for you.

After spending so much time with Yuan Baye, their relationship grew increasingly familiar.

He marveled at Cheng Chen's understanding of action design and asked him outright: "Who was your master?"

The role of Martial Arts Director differs from other film crew positions.

Those who can serve as Martial Arts Directors almost always possess genuine Kung Fu skills.

Take Yuan Baye—this towering figure in the Martial Arts Director field—his style is rugged, fierce, and focused on every single technique.

He trained in martial arts since childhood under his father, inheriting a family legacy of Kung Fu.

But merely possessing Kung Fu isn't enough—you must also understand film production.

In short, a Martial Arts Director in film isn't about real-life brawling; movements must emphasize beauty and rhythm.

You must understand things like scene blocking, cinematic aesthetics, and body positioning under the camera.

Yuan Baye had already mastered all these during his early years as a stuntman and extra in the Gang Sheng film industry.

"I never took a master. I just felt I could understand what Director Zhou needed—"

"Without you, Ba Ye, guiding me, I'd be lost!"

After spending so long with Yuan Baye, Cheng Chen had begun to grasp his temperament.

His tone was relaxed, his meaning layered, his personality steady—like an ancient swordsman.

So Cheng Chen no longer spoke with such restraint.

"Heh, looks like you and Director Zhou can pee in the same pot…"

"Sorry—learned that from working with those guys back in my stunt days."

Yuan Baye chuckled.

Cheng Chen paid it no mind and continued working with Yuan Baye to "recreate" the movements in his mind.

Most of their work followed this pattern: Cheng Chen provided the action outline, and Yuan Baye refined and polished it according to the requirements.

Cheng Chen served as the "translator" between Zhou Xingchi and Yuan Baye.

But sometimes this arrangement backfired, because Zhou Xingchi had too many ideas.

Even when Cheng Chen presented the "final cut" action designs, he still wasn't satisfied—and Cheng Chen had no solution.

Seeing that even his "firefighter" Cheng Chen couldn't help, Zhou Xingchi would tinker again himself.

Eventually, he realized his original ideas couldn't be realized—hmm, now that he thought about it…

Cheng Chen's set of movements... isn't bad either!

…

Days passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was late September.

At this time, another person joined the crew.

No—should say, another actor.

Feng Dapao, also from the Mainland, like Cheng Chen…