Chapter 184: Visiting the Set of Liu Tianxian

Unable to resist Liu Tianxian's enthusiastic invitation, Cheng Chen went to Xiangshan to visit the set.

At this moment, she was filming The Legend of the Condor Heroes at Xiangshan.

Among TVB Jin Yong dramas, audiences today are still most familiar with those made after the 1990s.

For example, Andy Lau's The Legend of the Condor Heroes and Tony Leung's The Smiling Proud Wanderer.

Leon Lai's The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

Like the other bearded man Lai Shuiqing, Zhang Jizhong is a die-hard Jin Yong fan.

The Mainland Jin Yong dramas are represented by Zhang Jizhong's versions.

Namely, Li Yapeng's The Smiling Proud Wanderer and The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

Hu Jun's The Legend of the Condor Heroes and the current Huang Jiaozhu version of The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

From the cast lineup alone, the Mainland version of The Legend of the Condor Heroes is currently average at best.

Except for Huang Jiaozhu, Liu Tianxian, Yang Xiaomi, and Chen Zihan, who changed her name.

The others did not achieve smooth careers afterward.

Of course, Yang Xiaomi and Chen Zihan played supporting roles in it.

Liu Tianxian leveraged this version of Xiao Long Nu to break out strongly and became many people's white moonlight.

Among so many versions of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, only Li Ruo Tong's Xiao Long Nu and Liu Tianxian's version rank in viewers' hearts.

Both audiences and Jin Yong felt Liu Tianxian's portrayal of Xiao Long Nu was fully deserved.

Jin Yong even said that only Liu Tianxian's portrayal of Xiao Long Nu would not disappoint the audience's expectations or his own.

Of course, his words shouldn't be taken entirely seriously—there's a lot of water in them.

The Legend of the Condor Heroes was filmed at Xiangshan Film and Television City; when Cheng Chen arrived, the set was bustling.

The director of this drama was Yu Min, the same man who directed Hu Jun's 2003 version of The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

He was also the director of Huang Jiaozhu's 2008 version of The Smiling Proud Wanderer, and he had long been Zhang Jizhong's frequent collaborator.

The bearded Producer and this director teamed up to shoot many TV dramas.

When Cheng Chen arrived at the set of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, they were filming a group scene.

Over a hundred extras were deployed, and the scene was loud and spectacular.

"Teacher Cheng, you can rest here for now; Xixi will be off set soon."

The crew of The Legend of the Condor Heroes said respectfully.

"Alright, thanks, kid. Go ahead and work."

Cheng Chen smiled and said.

Cheng Chen waited in a simple shaded pavilion set up beside the set.

The drinks and other items he brought for this visit were placed nearby.

"Cheng Chen, why are you here?"

Before long, Cheng Chen suddenly heard a familiar voice; Chen Zihan stared at him in surprise.

Beside her stood a girl with large eyes, a pure and cute face, and a lively aura.

Is this Da Mimi?

No, she should be called Yang Xiaomi—after all, she hadn't yet grown into the future Madame Yang.

"Yeah, came to visit the set. You don't have a scene today?"

Cheng Chen smiled and said.

"Mimi, let me introduce you—Cheng Chen. You've probably heard of him?"

Yang Xiaomi looked at Cheng Chen, her eyes filled with excitement, and nodded:

"Of course I know him—he's a big star! I never expected Sister Zihan to be friends with Teacher Cheng."

"We met while filming. You should work hard too and try to surpass this guy soon!"

Chen Zihan pulled Yang Xiaomi's hand and said.

They played sisters in the drama—Chen Zihan portrayed Guo Fu as the elder sister, and Yang Xiaomi portrayed the younger sister, Guo Xiang.

They often hung out together on set and spoke very casually.

Clearly, Chen Zihan still held some "resentment" toward Cheng Chen.

It stemmed from a slight crush she'd had during the filming of Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, and the sadness she felt seeing him with her friend.

Of course, even Chen Zihan herself couldn't say which part dominated.

In short, these emotions were tangled together, very complex.

"Me?"

Yang Xiaomi pointed at herself and shook her head like a rattle, saying doubtfully:

"No way, no way, I could never do it.

Teacher Cheng is so talented—I'll never catch up to him in this lifetime."

"Pathetic."

Chen Zihan scolded with a laugh.

She not only played Yang Xiaomi's elder sister on set but also treated her like a sister in real life.

Yang Xiaomi grinned sheepishly, already faintly showing the seductive charm of her future self, Madame Yang.

"Hey, did you come here with nothing?"

Chen Zihan called out as Cheng Chen stood there dumbly.

"Alright then, I brought drinks for our Zihan sister to drink—your temper's gotten worse since filming started. You've really gotten into character."

Guo Fu in the drama was exactly like this—spoiled and domineering—and Chen Zihan portrayed the role with stunning depth.

"Mimi, you drink too."

Chen Zihan took the drink from Cheng Chen's hand and passed a cup to Yang Xiaomi beside him.

"Oh."

Yang Xiaomi's gaze shifted between Cheng Chen and Chen Zihan; the clever, mischievous girl speculated about their relationship in her mind.

It must be more than just friends!

Cheng Chen awkwardly rubbed his nose—he could see Chen Zihan still hadn't moved on from that incident.

The three sat together watching the crew act on set, with Yang Xiaomi constantly chiming in, so it never felt awkward.

After about half an hour, Liu Tianxian's scene finally finished shooting.

"Xiao… Cheng Chen brother, you're here! Zihan sister, Mimi, you're here too."

Liu Tianxian wore a white costume, looking as ethereal as her name suggested.

She smiled and greeted Cheng Chen and the others.

"How was it? Tired?"

Cheng Chen handed her a drink and asked with a smile.

"Not bad. When did you get here?"

Liu Tianxian replied with a smile.

It had been months since they last met—had Liu Tianxian grown taller?

Maybe it was Cheng Chen's imagination, but he always felt Liu Tianxian looked more beautiful than before.

Girls change a lot at eighteen, but not this dramatically, right?

Probably the costume's filter…

Speaking of costumes… what was he thinking!

"Guo Fu, Guo Xiang, get ready for your scene."

A crew member suddenly called out to them.

"Coming!"

"Alright."

The two girls stood up. Chen Zihan said to Cheng Chen:

"We'll go shoot now. Let's have dinner together tonight."

"Teacher Cheng, we're off now—don't you dare leave early! I still want to take a photo with you—I love your songs!"

"Got it."

Cheng Chen waved at them with a cheerful smile.

As Chen Zihan left, she glanced once at Liu Tianxian.

Then, as if remembering something, she shook her head and dismissed the absurd thought from her mind.

It couldn't be possible—he already had Chenchen, and Xixi isn't even eighteen yet…

After they left, Liu Tianxian relaxed. She took Cheng Chen's hand and said enthusiastically:

"Cheng Chen brother, let me show you around the film city. We'll eat seafood—this place is near the sea, so fun!"

Xiangshan is an island, famed as the most beautiful coastline along the 30th parallel north.

Every year, festivals are held here; being near the sea, seafood is never in short supply.

"Aren't you shooting later?"

Cheng Chen asked.

"Oh, I knew you were coming today, so I asked the director for time off."

Liu Tianxian grinned.

"Hmm… shouldn't you bring your mom?"

Whenever Liu Tianxian shot, her mother always accompanied her—it was practically a given.

"Mom knew you were coming today. She told me to take you around the county and have a good time."

"Cheng Chen brother… you don't want to go out with me, do you…?"

Liu Tianxian asked, sounding disappointed and hurt.

"Of course not."

Cheng Chen patted her head and smiled:

"Let's go. Show me around—I've never been here before."

"Great! Great!"

Liu Tianxian's face brightened. She pulled Cheng Chen along, beaming.

People found it novel to see Liu Tianxian walking out with a handsome guy.

Only when they got a clear look at his face did they realize who he was.

The promotional materials for Cheng Chen and Liu Tianxian's filming of Xianjian Qixia Zhuan had spread everywhere.

Though their ages were close, they interacted like brother and sister.

Others wouldn't think anything improper—after all, Liu Tianxian was only seventeen this year.

Of course, it wasn't impossible that someone thought otherwise…

"Hey, Xixi, going out with friends?"

A man called out to Liu Tianxian on the way.

Wasn't that Huang Jiaozhu?

This was Cheng Chen's first time seeing Huang Jiaozhu in person.

It's not as cloying as later generations say.

At twenty-seven this year, Huang Jiaozhu is truly in his prime.

But his face has always been the same, showing no change at all.

For Huang Jiaozhu, the first label people gave him in his early years was talent.

After all, soon after debuting, he acted alongside Chen Daoming, a seasoned actor.

He definitely has talent!

Second is cloyingness—this cloyingness can be divided into "reward yourself with a tyrant CEO drama after one great role" and "learning to meow~"

The former is easy to understand: after being nominated for major awards for The Message, he immediately took on the tyrant CEO drama Foam of Summer.

Later, he regained momentum with the film Chinese Partners.

He even won the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Best Actor awards; everyone expected to see more of his outstanding works.

But then he starred consecutively in He With Me and Brocade Destiny, two tyrant CEO dramas, and his reputation instantly returned to the pre-liberation era.

Wow, Best Actor buff stacking, double the fun!

As for the "learning to meow~" scenes, just imagining them makes your toes curl into a whole house.

Besides these, what people also paid attention to was his "century wedding," which cost 200 million.

At the time, half the entertainment industry showed up—it was truly unparalleled glory.

After that, his marriage life with Dabao Bei drew even more public attention.

News of marital trouble surfaced every few days, and of course, in the end, it did fall apart…

"Yes, Xiaoming Ge, I went out to play with Cheng Chen brother—did you just come back from outside?"

Liu Tianxian said with a smile.

"Hello, I'm Huang Xiaoming."

Huang Jiaozhu extended his hand.

Cheng Chen shook his hand and smiled:

"Cheng Chen."

In the early days, the two had clashed from afar; at the time, Cheng Chen's fame was surging and he was taking on many commercial appearances.

He took market share from fellow new-generation talented young actors Huang Xiaoming and Deng Chao.

Both had publicly and privately expressed dissatisfaction with Cheng Chen.

But then again, the entertainment industry is entertainment—there's no such thing as sworn enemies.

Besides, that was just youthful immaturity; looking back now, it was all just jokes.

Cheng Chen never pursued that matter, and Huang Xiaoming naturally wouldn't bring it up either.

After some small talk, Cheng Chen led Liu Tianxian toward the edge of the film city.

"Xixi, when you act with Xiaoming Ge, does it feel awkward when he calls you 'Auntie'?"

Twenty-seven-year-old Xiaoming Ge calls seventeen-year-old Liu Tianxian "Auntie."

When watching the drama, it didn't feel strange, but now, back in reality, it's unbearably awkward.

"It's fine during filming, but sometimes I slip and call him that off-camera—it gets a little… embarrassing."

Liu Tianxian stuck out her tongue, saying cutely.

"But Xiaoming Ge is really nice—he takes good care of us."

Liu Tianxian thought for a moment and said.

Cheng Chen nodded, agreeing with her words.

As an actor, Huang Xiaoming has played many classic roles.

Whether it's "Xiao Jian" in Huan Zhu Ge Ge or "Yang Guo" in The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

Or even "Xu Wen Qiang" in Shanghai Bund—he has great acting talent and is very serious.

As an artist, he has always been involved in public welfare, personally leading the charge on the front lines.

One thing: his eyesight isn't good—Dabao Bei is a trap!

Of course, all these are future events that haven't happened yet; Cheng Chen naturally wouldn't dwell on them.

Cheng Chen and Liu Tianxian walked around Xiangshan County; it was clear Liu Tianxian had skipped class many times to play here and knew the place well.

Finally, the two walked into a small restaurant.

"Cheng Chen brother, the barbecue here is super delicious—try some later."

Liu Tianxian excitedly introduced.

"Ah, you still eat barbecue here?"

Cheng Chen said in surprise.

"What's wrong? I'm not some immortal like you say—I still need to eat, you know."

Liu Tianxian placed chopsticks on Cheng Chen's bowl.

"Immortals usually drink dew—why would they eat meals?"

Cheng Chen teased with a smile.

"Stop it~"

Liu Tianxian blushed.

"I mean, doesn't your mom usually watch over you? Eating random stuff outside."

According to Cheng Chen's knowledge, Liu Xiaoli usually kept her tightly controlled.

"She does watch over me, of course—but sometimes she doesn't come to set, so I sneak out.

Or I get Xiaoming Ge to bring me some good food from outside—he often leaves the set."

At this time, Huang Jiaozhu was filming the second part of "The Prince of Han Dynasty," which was why he was often away.

"It's not good to keep troubling people."

Cheng Chen ordered a local delicacy called fried bean curd wrapped yellow croaker, which tasted unexpectedly good.

"I know, but I want to eat it too, and you never come to see me."

Liu Tianxian pouted her little lips and said huffily.

Heh, this girl was waiting for him right here.

"Alright, I'll come see you often when I'm free. When does your filming wrap up?"

Hearing Cheng Chen's reply, Liu Tianxian immediately spread her brows and said with a grin:

"The director said it won't wrap until the first half of next year."

"Tired?"

"Tired, not really. Filming is actually quite fun."

For others, filming was very bitter and tiring, especially when playing the lead.

But Liu Tianxian was different. Although she was very pretty and looked very delicate, in fact she wasn't.

Through the filming of "Chinese Paladin 1," Cheng Chen discovered that this little girl had great resilience and could really endure hardship.

No wonder she had refused the path Liu Xiaoli arranged for her back then, insisting on stepping into the threshold of being an actress.

"Brother Cheng Chen, next year can I... um, can I join your company?"

Liu Tianxian asked with bright, sparkling eyes.