Chapter 227: Love Reality Show

"Cut! Good!"

"The Langya Bang Crew."

Director Kong Sheng sat in the director's chair, holding a megaphone.

Upon hearing his words, the entire crew immediately sprang into action.

The makeup artists rushed over to touch up Cheng Chen's makeup, while other crew members hurried to move props and equipment.

"Good—Cheng Chen, your emotional shift just now was excellent. Next scene..."

"Langya Bang is filmed simultaneously in three groups: A, B, and C."

Kong Sheng, as the Dazongyan, oversees the entire crew, but is also the director of Group A, where Cheng Chen is based.

Although Langya Bang is a fantasy historical drama, it still anchors itself to a real dynasty for reference.

This allows adaptations of costumes, rituals, and official titles to follow established patterns.

At the very least, it prevents the audience from feeling jarringly out of place—costumes, for example, vary drastically across China's dynasties.

With a reference point, viewers won't lose immersion.

Props, rituals, and similar elements are handled by dedicated teams.

As director, Kong Sheng even hired domestic historians and specialists as consultants for the series.

Every stage was strictly monitored; perfection in detail came before filming began.

This is why Langya Bang took nearly half a year to prepare before shooting started.

Kong Sheng, this rugged man from Lu Sheng, possessed meticulousness and patience utterly unlike his coarse appearance.

This was precisely why Cheng Chen insisted on him and no one else.

After rehearsing with Cheng Chen, Kong Sheng announced a location change and led the crew toward the next set.

Shi Xiao Long, dressed in martial arts costume as Feiliu, let out a sigh of relief the moment Kong Sheng left.

"Big Brother Cheng, I think Director Kong is terrifying—when I'm filming, he doesn't even look at the monitor. He just stares at us, motionless."

Shi Xiao Long, just turned seventeen this year, no longer looks as cute as he did as a child, but is still quite refined.

He speaks without the usual adult hesitation—what he thinks, he says.

Of course, he doesn't blurt it out everywhere—he only shares it with Cheng Chen, the brother he knows well.

"You kid, Director Kong is just professional! Every director has their own style."

Cheng Chen laughed and patted Shi Xiao Long on the shoulder.

He thought of directors who sang while filming.

Directors who drank on set to direct.

In short, no matter what a director does on set, don't be shocked.

Yan Danchen, who played Nihuang Junzhu, walked over and said:

"What are you two chatting about? Time to move locations."

Yan Danchen was naturally suited for ancient costume roles, especially ones radiating noble elegance.

Her innate aristocratic aura immediately shone through, and Nihuang Junzhu's character was designed as a brilliant female general from Daliang's Nan Jing.

Intelligent, alert, courageous, strategic—she embodied the spirit of women surpassing men.

This fit Yan Danchen's on-screen image perfectly—at least better than "The Nation's Good Daughter-in-Law."

In his past life, when "The Nation's Good Daughter-in-Law" portrayed Nihuang Junzhu, there was online backlash.

In short, "The Nation's Good Daughter-in-Law" looked too old, and the public had fixed ideas about her.

It was hard to shake those stereotypes; viewers easily slipped out of immersion...

On the way to the new location, Cheng Chen encountered Guo Zhenni, who played Qin Bore.

In his past life, Qin Bore in Langya Bang was portrayed by Wang Ou.

The same woman accused by the entire internet of destroying Da Mimi's marriage and stealing the script for Nightlight.

To be honest, Wang Ou was attractive, with a seductive aura and a great figure.

She was the type of woman who instantly sparked a desire to conquer.

Getting off track...

For this life's Langya Bang, Kong Sheng chose Guo Zhenni, who had just starred in The Mute Bride last year.

Guo and Yan Danchen both belonged to the category of actresses with beauty, talent, and minimal negative publicity.

She portrayed roles that were innocent and pure, yet cunning and ruthless—performances of "one person, a thousand faces."

Of course, without negative news—or hype—her fate was the same as Yan Danchen's:

Obscurity.

A graduate of the Central Academy of Drama, though a Dong Bei girl, she carried the delicate gentleness of a Jiangnan woman.

Her acting brilliance lay in this: as a favorite concubine, she was alluring; as a demoness, she was enchanting; as an ordinary woman, she was charming.

With just the word "charming," she could conjure dozens of interpretations, praised by netizens as "born with seductive bones."

Unfortunately, Guo later withdrew from the industry due to certain reasons...

One could not help but admire Kong Sheng's vision—in the original novel, Qin Bore was the daughter of the last regent of the fallen Hua Kingdom.

The Hua Kingdom was destroyed by Daliang, leading to her family's downfall; she vowed revenge.

She also became a disciple of Xuanji, the last princess of Hua, aiming to avenge the Chi Yan Army and revive her clan.

Later, she allied with Prince Yu, becoming his chief strategist and accompanying him for decades.

A beautiful yet treacherous woman, Qin Bore in Langya Bang gave the protagonist countless obstacles.

Yet this very woman was, in reality, Cheng Chen's die-hard fan.

The moment she saw Cheng Chen, she forgot the set and her costume, insisting on taking a photo with him.

Good grief, Qin Bore dragged Mei Zhangsu for a photo—who could have imagined that?

When parting from Cheng Chen, the girl playfully waved at him—she was downright adorable.

……

After spending half a month on the set of Langya Bang, Su Qingya arrived at the filming location.

"General Cheng, here's the contract—please review it."

Cheng Chen flipped through the contract in his hands; it was a contract from the jewelry industry.

The flagship product was wedding rings, targeting the high-end luxury market.

The company had no shortage of money—it simply wanted to build brand recognition.

So they chose Cheng Chen, who had exceptional influence among young people, as their spokesperson.

The brand was also generous, offering Cheng Chen an eight-figure annual endorsement fee.

If this news were made public, it would surely make countless entertainers envious.

After all, it was 2005!

But when Cheng Chen saw the brand and its flagship product, a sudden idea struck him.

What if this brand launched a dating show?

Following this line of thought, Cheng Chen thought of We Are In Love, a celebrity dating reality show.

Originally, We Are In Love was positioned as a celebrity dating program.

The core concept the production team wanted to convey was "Believe in Love, Practice Love, Enjoy Love."

While letting audiences "dream" alongside the celebrities' beautiful romances,

they also encouraged viewers to practice the skills of love and understand its meaning.

Hmm, these were all lofty statements.

In truth, they simply satisfied the audience's gossip cravings—showing how celebrities fell in love.

Most importantly, with the development of the internet industry, the influence of variety shows was gradually growing.

Their earning power and impact were no less than those of a television drama.

Today, Xinghuo Entertainment, besides films and TV dramas, needed to strategically prepare for variety shows.

After all, after 2009, variety shows would experience a explosive boom.

If he partnered with this wedding ring jewelry brand to create a celebrity dating reality show…