Chapter 537

On the set of 《The Monkey King Returns》, Jiang Heng and Zhang Ruoxian both changed into ancient costumes.

The former had a beard, held a Sun Wukong doll, and teased the child in Zhang Ruoxian's arms, saying, "Don't worry, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven won't die; he's just... asleep!"

The child acting opposite him was only one year old, the daughter of a female employee of the group company, with a sturdy, tiger-headed appearance, extremely cute.

His biggest advantage was not being shy; he didn't cry even when held by Zhang Ruoxian, and upon hearing Jiang Heng say that, he even giggled.

An extra in the distance suddenly shouted, "It's getting dark soon, everyone hurry up!"

The camera switched to a long shot, yet it was a group of people in ancient costumes walking up and down the uneven "mountain road" built in front of the green screen.

The entire film was shot in the soundstage, with no outdoor scenes.

As for the scenes of the "mountain demon" ambush, they were even more done by motion-capture actors suspended on wires, wearing green clothing.

The sturdy man played by Jiang Heng was merely someone in the troop who knew a little martial arts; he drew his sword, fought the mountain demons a few times, then fell to the ground.

The character played by Zhang Ruoxian was holding Jiang Liuer, surrounded by several mountain demons in an open space.

Seeing her husband dead, she finally broke out of the encirclement, clutching the child and leaping off the cliff.

Such a dangerous scene certainly couldn't be done while holding the child; during filming it was replaced with a doll, and the camera only showed the back of the head.

Zhang Ruoxian, meanwhile, had wires attached to her; on the makeshift high platform, she resolutely broke out of the mountain demons' encirclement and heavily fell onto the sponge mat below.

"Cut!" the assistant director shouted beside the monitor.

The crew below rushed forward, helping the disheveled Zhang Ruoxian, who had fallen onto the sponge mat, to her feet.

"Are you all right?" asked the action director, Yuan De.

Zhang Ruoxian was still a bit dazed, and instinctively said, "I'm fine, I'm fine; can that take pass?"

Jiang Heng had already walked over to the monitor to watch her performance just now.

Zhang Ruoxian followed him over, seeing Jiang Heng's solemn expression, she quickly said, "If it's not okay, let's do another take; it's fine!"

Jiang Heng laughed, "Aren't you afraid of falling?"

Zhang Ruoxian furrowed her brows slightly, putting on a grimace as if about to cry, and forced a smile, saying, "It's okay, not that painful!"

To guarantee the filming effect, the cliff jump required a certain duration of hanging in midair.

Therefore, the height of the erected platform could not be too low.

The wire is merely a safety safeguard.

As long as Zhang Ruoxian's landing point remained within the mat area, the wire crew would not pull on it.

One can imagine that when a person jumps from a height and is suddenly caught by a rope, suspended in midair, the feeling is not necessarily much better than landing on the mat.

Moreover, some shots aren't cleared in one try; Zhang Ruoxian has already jumped three times, and she feels her face is about to be slapped swollen.

Just as she felt apprehensive, unsure whether she'd have to jump again, she finally heard the voice she wanted: "This time was well done, passed!"

"Yeah!"

Zhang Ruoxian happily clenched her fist, then immediately rubbed her face with both hands.

Seeing this, Jiang Heng couldn't help but laugh, "How was today's visit to the set? Leaving a deep impression, right?"

Zhang Ruoxian hurriedly nodded, with a bitter face, saying, "Too deep an impression; I'll never forget it in this lifetime!"

Jiang Heng laughed heartily, "All right, go rest first!"

"Oh oh!"

At the China Film Digital Base, Jiang Heng has a dedicated luxurious lounge, a bit farther from the soundstage; and on the set, there is also a very luxurious RV.

When he rests or receives visiting friends, he chooses where to go based on the importance of the matter and the duration of rest.

Zhang Ruoxian didn't want to go too far, so she boarded the RV parked not far away.

Seeing the dedicated equipment inside, she made herself a cup of hand-ground coffee.

When Jiang Heng entered, Zhang Ruoxian was in the process of extracting, saying, "Just wait a moment, it'll be ready soon!"

"I didn't realize you could do this."

Zhang Ruoxian smiled sweetly, "I learned it from friends when I had free time."

Jiang Heng sat down beside her, smiling, "Not bad; many skills never weigh you down."

Not long after, Zhang Ruowan brought over the brewed coffee; Jiang Heng took a sip and praised, "Your skill is not bad!"

Zhang Ruowan gave a goofy smile, "No, it's just that your coffee beans are better!"

At a glance, there's not a single mistake!

After chatting a bit, Jiang Heng began to critique Zhang Ruowan's performance, offered her a few suggestions, and then asked about her life at the Beijing Film Academy.

Zhang Ruowan said, "It's fine; the teachers and classmates are all very good to me!"

Jiang Heng laughed, thinking, "How could it not be good!" Anyone with eyes can see that she is the future leading lady of Outstanding Rising Film Company!

Compared to male entertainers, female stars have a fatal flaw: the age issue.

When they get older and their facial skin isn't as good, it becomes hard for them to play female leads or date fresh young men.

Thus, in any given period, there are popular female stars, but none can stay popular forever.

And at Outstanding Rising Film Company, the hottest Liu Yifei, Jing Tian, Yang Mi, Zhao Liying, etc., are collectively called the post-85 generation female stars.

Dilireba and Guli Nazha are younger, both born in 1992; Zhang Ruowan is even younger, born in 1996.

Liu Yifei, Jing Tian, etc., will eventually have a time when a new generation replaces the old.

And among the many post-90s female stars currently signed by Outstanding Rising Film Company, the one who has the best relationship with Jiang Heng turns out to be the latest arrival, Zhang Ruowan—her development potential is enormous, so it's no wonder so many people are trying to get in her good graces!

"That's how the entertainment industry is: when you're doing well, it seems like everyone around you is nice and you see smiles wherever you go; but once you go downhill, the bad people start to appear!"

"I understand, everyone is only being nice to me because of your face; I know who is truly good to me!" Zhang Ruowan said with a sweet expression.

Jiang Heng smiled upon hearing that, feeling somewhat relieved.

Afterwards, continuing with the shoot, Zhang Ruowan left the set directly and drove back to Jingcheng.

She had originally planned to have dinner with Jiang Heng, but because today's filming progress was delayed, wrapping up was estimated to be late at night, so she could only give up.

As for saying, the matter of bringing classmates along to visit the set.

Zhang Ruowei hesitated for a while but still didn't say it out; as for those girls' thoughts, she was fully aware.

Really afraid that bringing them to the set, after meeting Jiang Heng, would cause trouble! Introducing roommates and best friends to her big boss—what a mess that would turn into! After going home and having dinner, Zhang Ruowei lay on the bed playing with her phone.

In the dormitory WeChat group, several girls started asking about the visit, wondering if it was at a hotel? Zhang Ruowei frowned slightly; for ordinary college students, roommates not returning to the dorm at night, teasingly asking if they're staying at a hotel is just a joke.

They're all studying acting, after all, and this involves someone as famous as Jiang Heng.

No matter how she replies in the group, if someone takes a screenshot, it's easy to cause trouble.

Thinking of this, Zhang Ruowei hesitated for a few seconds, then quit the group chat! (End of chapter)