Chapter 126

【Daily Info X: In the trio of Dong Xuan, Jiang Xin, and Yang Xue, Jiang Xin—famous for her role in The Legend of the Condor Heroes—looked down on Yang Xue, thinking she had no fame and wasn't worthy of hanging out with them… Dong Xuan and Yang Xue, both graduates of the Beijing Film Academy, shared similar personalities and grew closer to each other…】

Set, makeup room

Jiang Xin affectionately fed a pastry to Yang Xue: "How is it? Delicious, right?"

Yang Xue nodded: "Should we save some for Dong Xuan?"

"We can buy more later—you love it, so eat it all, old thing."

Jiang Xin hugged Yang Xue and asked with a smile; Yang Xue pressed her cheek against Jiang Xin's: "Okay, okay, we're the best."

…

【Daily Info X: Hu Siyan secretly told Liu Xiaoqing bad things about Dong Xuan, causing the latter to form a poor impression of Dong Xuan; meanwhile, Hu Siyan still harbored designs on Seeing Yan Li, hoping to see how Dong Xuan would boast once she lost Seeing Yan Li…】

On set, during wait time

Seeing Yan Li, who had shot a night scene yesterday and risen early today for makeup and behind-the-scenes duties, stole a moment to nap in a corner.

Dong Xuan, fearing he might be cold, borrowed a military overcoat—temporarily unused—from someone and draped it over him.

Hu Siyan switched into praise mode: "Sister Dong is so virtuous—no wonder General Yan likes you so much."

Dong Xuan glanced at her, smiled politely: "You flatter me."

"What flattery? I truly believe you two are made for each other—we're all waiting to drink your wedding wine."

…

【Daily Info X: Fan Bingbing's role as the Fifth Fairy was designated as the most beautiful in Heaven; Seeing Yan Li added extra lines and plot points highlighting her beauty, causing subtle resentment among the other fairy actresses, who felt Seeing Yan Li exaggerated and was unfairly promoting Fan…】

【Daily Info X: Fan Bingbing, cast as the most beautiful fairy in Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies, originally felt some pressure—but after arriving on set and surveying the others, her confidence soared…】

Dance rehearsal room

Hu Siyan, admiring Fan Xiaopang's natural beauty despite her bare face, spoke with envy.

"Bingbing, how did you even grow up so gorgeous?"

Li Lin nodded: "Yeah, your skin and figure are amazing—if I were a man, I'd marry Bingbing in a heartbeat."

Dong Xuan smiled: "I've noticed Zhou Yi, Gao Xin, Wu Yue, and the others all sneak glances at you—they're completely smitten."

Yang Xue added: "What's your secret to skincare? Share it with us."

"It's just natural beauty."

Jiang Xin sighed: "That's why General Yan has such good taste—he cast you as the fifth sister, perfect fit."

"You're just teasing me."

Fan Xiaopang put on a pleading, exasperated look: "I'm not that beautiful—Third Sister (Dong Xuan) is fairer, First Sister (Li Lin) has better aura, and the fourth, sixth, and seventh sisters (Jiang, Yang, Hu) all have their own advantages. With you all around, I feel inferior."

…

Honestly, Seeing Yan Li, combining system data with watching the seven fairies constantly bonding and showing sisterly affection, found it more entertaining than palace intrigue dramas.

Three women make a drama; six women? Full-on theater!

Zhou Yi, Wu Yue, and the others kept trying to get closer—once they did, those women would surely gang up and treat them like fools.

Seeing Yan Li, who understood the situation, avoided getting near these women.

He called it avoiding suspicion—it gave Dong Xuan face and reassured her.

This made Dong Xuan secretly tender and indulgent toward him, giving him whatever he wanted.

Seeing Yan Li's open affection and favoritism toward Dong Xuan also raised his reputation among the other girls; some thought him an ideal boyfriend.

Some admired him purely, some developed mild affection, others grew more determined to steal him away and replace Dong Xuan.

Of course, some saw through Seeing Yan Li's true nature.

For instance, Fan Xiaopang—who had personally witnessed Seeing Yan Li's two silver locks and pile of embroidery in Yunnan—held deep prejudice against him; no matter how kind he was to Dong Xuan, Fan Xiaopang suspected it was all a scheming man's romantic trickery.

But these people's thoughts meant nothing to Seeing Yan Li.

No desire, then true strength!

With Dong Xuan here, he had resolved not to pursue anyone on the Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies set—aside from filming, his private interactions were limited to the "Double Bing" publicity stunt; he didn't care what they thought.

————

Outdoors

Seeing Yan Li was hoisted high by wires, flipped mid-air, eyes cold, spear thrusting downward with brutal force.

"Good."

Chen Yongge called out; Seeing Yan Li returned to normal posture and was slowly lowered by the wires—still attached—then immediately filmed another shot: rising from the ground with spear in hand.

Mythological and Wu Xia dramas always required high-flying scenes.

Current special effects technology was still immature; such shots could only be filmed practically with wire rigs, often requiring multiple takes, exhausting stamina, and carrying significant injury risk.

After being hoisted for over an hour, Seeing Yan Li finally finished his solo shots, then began hoisting Dong Xuan.

Today's scene: the Third Fairy steals the spirit stone guarded by Jin Zha; Jin Zha descends to earth to pursue and kill her; they battle.

Since they're immortals, the fight spans heaven and earth.

First, film their individual shots, then their synchronized dual-action shots; though brief, the filming was tiring and fragmented.

Dong Xuan's solo shots were even more complicated than Seeing Yan Li's: Seeing Yan Li played Jin Zha, wielding a spear—he could simply use choreographed moves.

But Dong Xuan's Third Fairy wielded a yellow silk ribbon.

A yellow silk cloth, choreographed like a soft whip, yet as a magical artifact, it could lengthen or shorten, harden or soften, flowing gracefully yet sharply, beautiful yet hiding lethal intent.

This was far harder to film than a spear, requiring multiple technical aids.

By lunch break, Dong Xuan hadn't finished her shots; her stamina was far inferior to Seeing Yan Li's, and exhaustion showed clearly.

My own wife—I feel for her!

Especially after privately checking the tender white skin on her waist, now bruised and purpling from the harness—Seeing Yan Li felt awful; he wouldn't even pull that tight on himself.

"I'll contact another female stunt double."

Dong Xuan has a stunt double for filming, and so does Seeing Yan Li; when certain moves can't be performed, the stunt double wears the costume and does them—these are martial arts doubles.

The female stunt double Seeing Yan Li mentioned serves more purposes than just a martial arts double.

For example, with wire work: except for some frontal shots, Dong Xuan must do it herself, but side, back, and combat shots can all be handled by her—these are role doubles.

"No way—everyone else does it themselves; if I use a double, what will people think of me?"

Dong Xuan shook her head like a rattle drum; modern actors aren't that precious and follow the rules better—they do it themselves if they can, and even take pride in not using doubles.

Using a martial arts double is unavoidable, but using a role double feels unprofessional and arrogant.

Especially in "Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies," with so many leads, even those hotter than her still hang on wires for hours; if she slacks off and uses a double, she'd be too ashamed to show her face.

Seeing Yan Li tried to persuade her a few times but failed, so he had to settle for a compromise.

"If you can't hold on, just say so—take a break, shoot slowly, no rush."

Dong Xuan agreed verbally, but whenever filming actually started, she never voluntarily called for a stop.

Everyone else was pushing hard; she felt too embarrassed to hold them back, and if she rested too long, it would delay progress and waste time.

Seeing Yan Li had no choice; after wrap, he had someone buy ointment, then went to Dong Xuan's room to apply it and massage her.

"Next time you get a role, I'll arrange a dialogue-heavy part for you—save yourself the suffering."

Seeing Yan Li gently rubbed Dong Xuan's slender waist; he loved her smooth white skin most—if any lasting marks remained, it would be a huge loss.

"It's just a little bruising; it'll be gone in two days."

Dong Xuan didn't take it seriously—when she trained in dance, she fell, bumped, and bruised herself constantly.

She actually enjoyed action scenes; besides being tiring, flying around on wires was kind of fun, and the edited footage looked gorgeous.

After applying the ointment and massaging her, Seeing Yan Li prepared to leave—he feared if he stayed, his desire might flare up and worsen her injuries.

But Dong Xuan stopped him: "Stay with me a while."

"Don't play with fire."

Seeing Yan Li didn't believe Dong Xuan hadn't noticed his current state—his erection stood tall, more aggressive than when he'd filmed Jin Zha chasing the Three Fairies that afternoon.

Dong Xuan blushed: "You hung on wires for so long—you must be tired too."

"Of course I'm tired."

Seeing Yan Li said matter-of-factly: "That's why I need to relax and unwind."

"Your skin's gotten thicker."

Dong Xuan teased him, but still reached out her small hand, subtly switching tactics, waiting to catch him off guard.

Seeing Yan Li watched this scene and remembered university days, when they'd just confirmed their relationship—he'd tried every day to take Dong Xuan to a cheap hotel, but she'd still been reserved.

Eventually, after relentless coaxing, in a small grove near Beijing Film Academy, Dong Xuan half-resisted, half-gave in, helping him through it.

After that, their relationship surged forward; within barely half a month, Seeing Yan Li had convinced Dong Xuan into a cheap hotel near Beijing Film Academy.

Recalling those days, Seeing Yan Li couldn't help feeling proud.

He still remembered once, returning to campus with Dong Xuan in the morning, they ran into a male classmate of hers—he looked heartbroken.

"By the way, what was that guy's name again?"

"Chen Yilin. Speaking of him—he was a retired PLA soldier who got into school; I was worried he'd beat you up."

Now Dong Xuan looked back, she understood why none of the guys in her class liked Seeing Yan Li.

Sometimes he was truly annoying—always provoking and showing off to the guys who liked her; he never got beaten only because he was tall, strong, and had lots of buddies.

After working hard for a while, Dong Xuan's hand ached, and finally Seeing Yan Li sheathed his weapon.

The two cuddled on the sofa, chatting about the set—mostly Dong Xuan talked, Seeing Yan Li listened.

Though Seeing Yan Li had his intelligence network, he didn't know everything; hearing Dong Xuan retell the story of the fairies from her own perspective added a different flavor.

After chatting a while, Dong Xuan remembered something, turned on the TV, and switched to Hunan TV.

"Why are you watching TV?"

"'Huan Zhu Gege 3' is on—lots of people on set are watching."

Their production had many connections with "Huan Zhu Gege 3."

For example, Fan Xiaopang had once played in the first two installments; Huang Yi's breakout role in "Shang Le Hua Jiao Jia Dui Lang," which made her famous, was alongside Li Lin.

Liu Tao, who appeared in "Huan Zhu Gege 3," previously played Azhu in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," and was also acquainted with Jiang Xin.

Plus, this drama was now wildly popular, dominating the top spot in January 2004, even crushing CCTV's New Year blockbuster.

So many people on set started binge-watching it.

Those with TVs watched in their rooms; those without went to others' rooms to watch; in their free time, everyone discussed the plot.

"Alright, you watch—I don't like this drama; I'm going back to sleep."

The moment Seeing Yan Li heard "Huan Zhu Gege 3," he felt guilty and tried to escape, but Dong Xuan grabbed him.

"It's not even late—stay and watch with me a bit."

Dong Xuan felt watching alone was boring; having someone there made it fun to discuss the plot—so she dragged Seeing Yan Li along; he had no choice but to stay.

Then they saw Qin Lan's familiar face—soft and fragile, protesting her innocence to the Fifth Prince and Xiao Yanzi, then turning to the Empress Dowager to stab them both in the back.

Tsk tsk~

Seeing Yan Li knew Qin Lan played Zhihua in "Huan Zhu Gege 3" as a villain, and had heard some plot points from her.

But watching Zhihua's outward kindness and inner ruthlessness, manipulating Xiao Yanzi into silent suffering and sowing discord with the Fifth Prince, he couldn't help sighing.

Playing it like this—she's going to get roasted!

Sure enough, Dong Xuan, immersed in the drama, delivered sharp criticism of Zhihua.

"Zhihua is so evil—worse than the previous Empress! Constantly scheming behind the scenes—if I were Xiao Yanzi, I'd tear her mouth apart—see how she keeps pretending!"

"..."

Seeing Yan Li stayed silent, picked up his water cup, and took a tactical sip.

Dong Xuan wouldn't let it go: "Look more closely, so you don't get tricked by a woman with such ulterior motives."

Seeing Yan Li nodded vaguely: "Mm."

After this episode ended and during the commercial break, Dong Xuan's emotions calmed slightly, and she began shifting her attention elsewhere.

"Neither Ziwei nor Xiao Yanzi are as beautiful as the original actresses. Qing'er is still the best. The actress playing Zhihua is quite pretty, and she acts well too—I never heard of her before."

Seeing Yan Li replied offhandedly: "Probably a newcomer."

"I think so too."

Dong Xuan still felt regretful: "If only I'd known her earlier, I could've gotten her to play a role in our crew. This drama 'Huan Zhu Gege 3' is so popular now—her fame would skyrocket, and our production would profit."

Seeing Yan Li: "..."

Whether we profit or not is another matter, but if Qin Lan really joined the 'Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies' crew, the Seven Fairies wouldn't be scheming against each other—they'd be like a meteor colliding with Earth...

————

'Huan Zhu Gege 3' was indeed wildly popular, sparking a viewing craze even within the 'Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies' crew.

Dong Xuan watched it whenever she had time; many other actors also followed it and chatted about it during breaks.

Fan Xiaopang, who had appeared in 'Huan Zhu Gege,' never joined their discussions.

This situation in the 'Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies' crew was merely a microcosm of 'Huan Zhu Gege 3's' nationwide explosion.

According to media reports, 'Huan Zhu Gege 3' achieved a 15.9% viewership rating in Hunan Province, with a market share of 33.4%; in the provincial capital Xingcheng, its viewership rating reached 11.9%, with a market share as high as 28.15%.

Nationally, its average viewership rating exceeded 10%, peaking at 19.2%, and its market share hit a peak of 41%.

In fact, before its satellite broadcast, 'Huan Zhu Gege 3' hadn't performed particularly well on terrestrial channels, repeatedly facing cold reception, and its plot drew heavy criticism.

Many media outlets even predicted its downfall, claiming the 'Huan Zhu Gege' series would suffer an unprecedented Waterloo.

Strictly speaking, that wasn't entirely wrong.

Even though its satellite broadcast performance stood out, it still fell far short of the super-phenomenal popularity of the first two installments.

But the accumulated influence of the first two installments made 'Huan Zhu Gege' immensely powerful.

So even though most of the lead actors had changed, even though the plot quality had declined and controversy was rampant, even though viewership had suffered a 'Waterloo,' even though a series of adverse factors weighed it down...

'Huan Zhu Gege 3' still swept the entire TV drama market, relying solely on its legacy, with virtually no rival.

As the drama surged in popularity, the lead actors naturally rose with it.

Huang Yi, who portrayed Xiao Yanzi, was widely criticized for not matching the original actress, yet her fame and exposure skyrocketed, propelling her to become a top rising star.

Ma Yili's situation was similar, though she wasn't as popular as Huang Yi, she still gained recognition.

Qin Lan, who portrayed the central villain Zhihua, also achieved the same success and became famous.

According to Qin Lan's phone call with Seeing Yan Li, these days when she went out, passersby and viewers often recognized her—she had to wear a mask just to feel somewhat safe.

Though famous, Qin Lan had her own troubles: the character Zhihua was hated intensely.

Many viewers clenched their teeth when mentioning her; online, insults flooded everywhere, extending from the character to Qin Lan herself—personal attacks abounded. In real life, people didn't physically assault her, but some older women seriously lectured her on how to be a decent person.

This was one reason many actors were reluctant to play villains at this stage.

A significant portion of the audience genuinely couldn't distinguish acting from reality—if you played a villain too well, it could disrupt your real life.

Take the example of Rong Jiaomiao from 'Huan Zhu Gege'—because the performance was so successful, people chased her down on the street to yell at her while she bought vegetables.

Qin Lan's Zhihua, in some ways, replaced the role of Rong Jiaomiao from the first two installments—equally brilliant, equally hated.

Actors are human, and Qin Lan, being a newcomer with little experience and an immature mindset, was especially vulnerable.

Moreover, the internet had just become widespread, and few people had ever experienced collective online attacks—facing it suddenly, the psychological pressure was immense.

When Qin Lan called Seeing Yan Li, she only slightly expressed her grievances and complaints, as if it weren't a big deal.

But Seeing Yan Li, through the system, learned she had privately cried multiple times after reading the online insults, and after encountering those strangers who lectured her in person, she was further triggered, reaching a point where she didn't want to leave home at all.

Seeing Yan Li understood Qin Lan fairly well.

Though she appeared carefree, cheerful, and lively, deep down she was a soft, delicate person—hence she was tolerant and accommodating, skilled at considering others' feelings.

In short, Qin Lan was outwardly tough but inwardly tender—strong on the surface, sensitive and fragile inside.

In contrast, Dong Xuan appeared gentle and meek, seemingly without ulterior motives or strong opinions, easy to get along with.

But in truth, she was outwardly soft but inwardly strong, with high psychological resilience, determination, and the ability to hold firm in critical moments.

So if Dong Xuan faced this, Seeing Yan Li wouldn't worry much—but Qin Lan, he truly couldn't help but feel concerned.

Jingcheng, Guanghua Li

Qin Lan slumped listlessly on the sofa, listening to her agent, Sister Lü, pitch her a new script.

After hearing half of it, Qin Lan couldn't help asking: "Why is this role another villain like Zhihua?"

"It means you played it well—they think of you whenever they see this kind of character."

Qin Lan: "..."

This was meant as praise, but it felt like an insult!

Then again, for actors—especially newcomers—the type of role that makes them famous creates a fixed public image; it's inevitable that roles offered to them will be similar.

Hence the emergence of "villain specialists," "soldier specialists," "emperor specialists," "police specialists," "mother-in-law specialists," "collaborator specialists," and so on.

There's no choice—actors without fame or connections have no say; to eat, they must take any role offered.

The more they take such roles, the deeper the fixed impression becomes, and fewer other roles come their way—they're forced down one path until the end.

Qin Lan entered acting midlife and didn't have high ambitions in the industry, so she didn't mind playing similar roles.

But she truly disliked roles like Zhihua—any "third party," any "manipulative woman"—she'd shake her head at the mere mention.

"I won't take it."

"You won't take it again?"

Sister Lü grew anxious—before the SARS outbreak, Qin Lan had been quite obedient, but since then, she'd started rejecting scripts and picking and choosing.

After SARS, the industry was affected; fewer productions and projects were launched, and suitable roles were indeed scarce, plus Qin Lan had to promote "Huanzhu Gege 3," which was extremely important to her, so Lü Jie let her be.

Now that Qin Lan had finally become famous because of "Huanzhu Gege 3," this was the time to push forward—but she was still acting the same way.

"Miss, if you don't take roles, what will you eat? The company won't accept this either. Lying around home every day—you think Prince Charming will ride in on a rainbow cloud to save you?"

Lü Jie glanced at the TV, where "A Chinese Odyssey" was playing, and her tone couldn't help but carry a hint of sarcasm.

Today, when she came to Guanghua Li and saw how the apartment was arranged, she guessed Qin Lan had fallen in love.

Lü Jie had sensed this before, but when she asked Qin Lan, the girl stubbornly denied it.

Lü Jie couldn't monitor her constantly; if she openly confronted her, it would hurt their relationship, and since Qin Lan wasn't famous yet, few people paid attention, so she turned a blind eye.

The company is the company; the agent is the agent.

Some agents always side with the company and prioritize its interests.

Others care for and cultivate their artists, putting the artists first—even breaking company rules if needed.

Lü Jie leaned toward the latter; she cared deeply for her artists, and nowadays, artists falling in love was so common that no one could stop it, so as long as no scandals broke out, she rarely interfered.

Of course, Qin Lan was no longer the same as before—she had fame, and more people were watching her.

This time, Lü Jie had come partly to have a talk with her.

She didn't want to break them up, but Qin Lan needed to be discreet and must not let her emotions interfere with her work.

But after this interaction, Lü Jie realized she'd been overly optimistic—Qin Lan's situation was worse than she imagined, bordering on wanting to terminate her contract and quit the industry.

Thinking of this, Lü Jie suppressed her inner anxiety and spoke patiently.

"Girl, I know what you're thinking, but I've been there—men are unreliable. Don't do anything stupid."

Qin Lan felt Lü Jie had misunderstood her; she hadn't thought of quitting—she was just down because Zhihua had been criticized, and she now resisted similar roles.

But before she could explain, she heard Lü Jie speaking ill of Seeing Yan Li, and she couldn't help but retort.

"Sis, he's different."

Oh no!

Lü Jie flinched at those words—she'd heard the same thing from one of her female artists before.

That artist had dreamed of living together forever, growing old side by side, but the man used her to climb up, then dumped her for a female producer.

Qin Lan was now exactly like that female artist—lost in love, unwilling to film; next, she'd be arranging resources for the man.

"…You have to listen to me. Don't rely on men, or you'll regret it."

Lü Jie pleaded earnestly, but Qin Lan remained unmoved, repeating the same line over and over.

Other men were unreliable—but her man was different.

Lü Jie looked at Qin Lan as if she were an idiot, deciding she'd go pray to the Buddha later—how come all her artists were such love-struck fools, completely controlled by men?

Just then, the door knocked. Qin Lan got up, puzzled, to open it.

Lü Jie sat on the sofa, sighing deeply, pondering how to persuade her, when suddenly she heard Qin Lan scream.

Thinking something had happened, Lü Jie jumped up to see—then watched Qin Lan throw herself into a man's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist, kissing him fiercely.

Tsk~

With Qin Lan blocking the view, Lü Jie couldn't see his face clearly, but from that muscular build, she could guess part of why Qin Lan was so obsessed…

————

ps: Ten-thousand-character update, requesting monthly tickets

(End of Chapter)