Chapter 17: Marriage

After the fighting incident, Cheng Chen found his relationship with the three lead actors, especially the other two, had deepened further.

After finishing her scenes, Jia Jingwen often watched Cheng Chen perform.

Sometimes she even gave him acting tips—don't be fooled by how carefree she seemed.

But she was truly a seasoned veteran.

Since appearing in the 1990 TV drama Family Happiness, she had received constant offers.

In the millennium year, her lead role in Flying Dragon in the Sky earned her considerable popularity and prestige in Tai Sheng.

The drama was also the top-rated TV series of the year in Tai Sheng.

Afterward, her lead role in the historical legend The Great Han Emperor instantly made many remember the gentle yet strong, wise and courageous martial heroine Niannujiao.

When she starred in Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, Jia Jingwen was already twenty-eight, but her superb acting and sweet appearance completely masked her age.

After days of acting alongside Jia Jingwen, asking questions, and absorbing vast practical experience and theoretical knowledge, Cheng Chen rapidly internalized what he learned, making his acting far more advanced than when he first reincarnated.

Prince Wu, Su Youpeng, also frequently came over to chat with Cheng Chen, and they even made plans to eat oyster omelets and sausage wrapped in rice cake together in Taibei when Cheng Chen went to Tai Sheng for the Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre promotional tour.

The shift in attitude from the three lead actors toward Cheng Chen drew sidelong glances from many on set.

After Yang Tao had offended him but was protected by Lai Shuiqing, everyone's attitude toward him grew even more respectful.

But behind his back, they secretly gave him a nickname.

Scene tyrant.

If he weren't a scene tyrant, how could Yang Tao have put up with him?

If he weren't a scene tyrant, why would the three lead actors treat him so well?

Worse still, rumors spread that Cheng Chen was Lai Shuiqing's illegitimate son.

That's why Cheng Chen could act so arrogantly on set, forcing Lai Dao to publicly plead for him before Jin Lao, risking his own reputation.

Of course, the rumors were merely seasoning for the dull routine of the set.

He didn't care how others saw him; his days on set were unusually fulfilling.

But the fact that Lai Shuiqing had asked Jin Lao to protect him was true.

Cheng Chen once approached Lai Shuiqing to confirm this, and Lai Shuiqing laughed heartily and said:

"I simply explained your situation to Jin Lao.

Of course, your later responses pleased him greatly—otherwise he wouldn't have revised Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre.

Jin Lao was generally quite satisfied with our production."

Cheng Chen knew perfectly well that Jin Daxia was satisfied with the 2003 version of Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre—after all, Jin Daxia, like Lai Shuiqing, loved handsome men and beautiful women.

He had publicly called the 2003 version the one that best matched his vision of the characters.

Otherwise, Lai Shuiqing could never have secured the film and TV adaptation rights to five of Jin Daxia's novels.

…

About a month after joining the cast, Cheng Chen had mostly finished shooting his scenes with supporting actors and all his solo scenes.

What remained were the scenes of love and conflict with Gao Yuanyuan.

Of course, mostly Cheng Chen "destroying" Gao Yuanyuan.

Acting, how to put it—if you work with a seasoned veteran, it's incredibly smooth.

It's like an adult fighting a child—the adult can easily handle the child's wild punches.

He can even teach you how to punch harder, how to strike from unexpected angles, how to achieve better effects.

That's called feeding lines.

Earlier, Gao Yuanyuan had been like that—few scenes with Jia Jingwen, but she performed comfortably; same with Su Youpeng.

And Su Youpeng was famously good-natured; when she struggled with a take, he'd often step forward to ease her pressure.

But with Cheng Chen, everything changed.

"Cut! Yuanyuan, your expression is wrong—you're meeting for the first time; your eyes and movements shouldn't be familiar."

Lai Shuiqing called out from the side.

Cheng Chen translated the words back to Gao Yuanyuan with a strange expression.

True enough—they called each other "big sister" and "little brother" off-camera, bringing their real-life relationship into the drama.

"Alright, adjust and start again."

"Cut! Yuanyuan, your lines here should be more urgent, matching Cheng Chen's performance…"

Gao Yuanyuan had been inexperienced before, but not excessively so—thanks to the seasoned veterans feeding her lines.

But Cheng Chen wasn't a seasoned veteran.

As mentioned earlier, if Gao Yuanyuan was a child, Cheng Chen was merely a teenager a few years older.

A teenager could beat a child, but couldn't control his strength—he punched too hard or too light, leaving Gao Yuanyuan deeply uncomfortable.

In acting terms, Cheng Chen's rhythm couldn't adjust to Gao Yuanyuan's.

Cheng Chen shone brilliantly, but Gao Yuanyuan suffered terribly.

This is what people call suppressing a scene.

Gao Yuanyuan clenched her teeth and glared fiercely at Cheng Chen's innocent face.

Though they clashed on set, Cheng Chen still diligently coached Gao Yuanyuan off-camera.

Perhaps spurred on by Cheng Chen, Gao Yuanyuan studied the role of Zhou Zhiruo even harder, aided by Cheng Chen's guidance.

As a result, Gao Yuanyuan's later scenes flowed smoothly, and Lai Shuiqing felt as if he'd finally married off his daughter, tears welling in his eyes.

As their opposing scenes neared completion, Cheng Chen finally faced his climactic scene with Gao Yuanyuan.

The wedding.

…

That day, the set was decorated with festive red silk and brocade, bustling with excitement.

Everyone on set who wasn't in scene and knew Cheng Chen had come over to watch the commotion.

Even Jia Jingwen, who played Zhao Min, rushed over exclaiming that since her best friend was getting married, she absolutely had to come drink some wedding wine.

Cheng Chen and Gao Yuanyuan had always been close on set; now that they were marrying in the drama, this spectacle couldn't be missed.

"What are you doing? This isn't a real wedding."

Cheng Chen looked helplessly at the crowded makeup room.

There were Jia Jingwen, Chen Shasha, Chen Touli who played Xiao Zhao, Chen Jing who played Ding Minjun, and Cheng Chen's old companions from his days as an extra.

"We don't know when we'll ever see a real wedding, but for a fake one, this party is definitely worth watching," Jia Jingwen laughed.

"You're probably thinking inside: if only this were real…" said Chen Shasha, standing nearby.

As Cheng Chen covered his forehead in silence, he spotted someone peering nervously from the doorway, and couldn't help but chuckle:

"Why are you here too? Aren't you supposed to come crash the wedding later?"

The newcomer was Su Youpeng, who played Zhang Wuji. He smiled and said, "I finished my makeup. Since your side's so lively, I came over to check it out. Heh, you look pretty handsome."

Cheng Chen's skin was naturally pale, his features clean and handsome, and now dressed in this crisp, elegant groom's outfit.

He exuded an air of grace and charm, living up to Song Qingshu's title of "Jade-Faced Gentleman" from the original novel.

"Has everyone finished makeup? We're ready to begin!"

……