Chapter 270: The

On April 8, after years of preparation and promotion, the crew of "Red Cliff" finally began filming in Zhuozhou, Hebei Province.

Perhaps to avoid media disruption, the launch ceremony was low-key, with only Zhang Fengyi and other Cao Camp characters present; Fan Xiaopang also made an appearance, playing Sun Shangxiang, who belonged to the Jiangdong faction but had substantial scenes in the Cao Camp.

In the film, Sun Shangxiang disguises herself as a man to infiltrate the Cao Camp as a spy, gathering internal intelligence.

Who knows if all the men of Jiangdong have died.

Or is the Cao Camp full of useless fools who can't even detect a spy—let alone a female one?!

Don't assume ancient people were fools who didn't understand intelligence warfare; countless military texts emphasized its importance, and they were masters of it.

History records that Cao Cao had numerous secret agents specifically assigned to intelligence and espionage work.

In a war of this scale, one side infiltrating spies and the other hunting them down is perfectly normal.

But letting Sun Quan's sister infiltrate the Cao Camp is classic "artistic invention."

Thanks to Fan Xiaopang, Yan Li also read parts of the "Red Cliff" script, and it truly opened his eyes.

Honestly, Yan Li didn't know whether these big directors had been flattered into confusion or had climbed so high on their own hype they couldn't come down, so they just gave up.

How could they come up with such an insult to the audience's intelligence!

That film "The Promise," and now "Red Cliff," have seriously shattered Yan Li's illusion about those big directors.

He may still believe in their ability and skill, but no longer blindly.

Some problems with "Red Cliff" served as a wake-up call to Yan Li, making him pay closer attention to certain aspects of "Painted Skin."

As always, Yan Li doesn't understand creation, but he knows how to find flaws.

He can't raise the ceiling, but he can guarantee a minimum standard.

At least Yan Li considers his own thinking normal and relatively mainstream, able to empathize with most viewers; sometimes, he can prevent or avoid directors' ridiculous, nonsensical, low-intelligence antics.

Yan Li even organized a script workshop with some screenwriters, film critics, and controlled, confidential ordinary viewers.

To further discuss and study the "Painted Skin" script, refining it and removing the unnecessary.

Yan Li's requirements for the script were a clear story, smooth pacing, and proper commercial elements; on that foundation, some so-called depth could be added.

Put more bluntly: make it understandable, enjoyable, and ideally leave some aftertaste.

These three requirements sound easy, but achieving them is still difficult, especially the last two.

The "Painted Skin" script was revised again and again.

In addition to the version Yan Li demanded based on intelligence requirements, two other versions were written, nearly turning it into a full-blown human-demon final battle.

Since "Painted Skin" is expected to begin filming in the second half of the year, many preparations have already started, leaving some buffer room, so Yan Li has been pushing the script tightly, making several screenwriters fear any call from Yi'an.

But no matter how afraid they are, it's useless; whenever Yan Li has time, he reviews the script or meets with the screenwriters almost every ten days or week.

Liming Tea House

Yan Li held a small discussion meeting with the director and screenwriters in the largest private room.

Although the "Painted Skin" script has been revised frequently and pushed hard, Yan Li never treated the screenwriters as disposable tools.

Holding the meeting in a tea house was intentional: the office was too serious and oppressive, while a tea house was a relaxed setting—drinking tea, eating snacks, the atmosphere would be lighter.

Yan Li doesn't understand creation, but he deeply respects creative talent; he demands much, and pays well.

So although the "Painted Skin" screenwriters grumbled and complained, none quit.

After casual greetings, Yan Li reviewed the latest script draft while listening to the screenwriters' revision reports.

"Director Yan, regarding the overlapping character traits between Pang Yong and the Female Demon-Slayer, we've made certain adjustments."

"Painted Skin" has few main characters; besides the central love triangle, the most noteworthy are Pang Yong, the Female Demon-Slayer, and the Lizard Demon.

Among them, the Lizard Demon is the simplest: a subordinate and sycophant of the Fox Demon, a villain.

Pang Yong and the Female Demon-Slayer: the former is more complex—he's Wang Sheng's war comrade, entangled emotionally with Wang's wife Peirong, later leaves the army and wanders the martial world; the latter is simpler—she has a grudge against the Fox Demon.

Both arrive in the protagonist's city, discover the Fox Demon's trail, and join forces to subdue the demon.

These two characters overlap somewhat, yet each serves a distinct purpose, making deletion difficult.

First, Pang Yong is crucial—he supports Wang's wife at the critical moment, trusting her even when everyone believes she's a demon, creating contrast with the male lead; this setup makes his character irreplaceable.

Because the female lead needs an escape route; sacrifice and love only carry weight if there's a way out; without one, it's pure misery.

The Female Demon-Slayer is more of a burden than Pang Yong; she was once considered for deletion, but they decided to keep her.

Because the Fox Demon's side already has one sycophant; if Wang's wife also has only one, it becomes homogenized. Adding a Female Demon-Slayer, even subtly hinting at a romantic thread, weakens that feeling.

To reduce character overlap, the screenwriters revised the script, increasing the Female Demon-Slayer's importance.

Now, the Female Demon-Slayer handles all demon-slaying, detects demonic energy, and leads all battles against demons; Pang Yong becomes the assistant.

In the plot, Pang Yong's relationship with Wang Sheng and Wang's wife remains unchanged, but after leaving the army, he doesn't wander—he opens an inn in the city and occasionally takes on escorting jobs.

The Female Demon-Slayer arrives in the city, checks into Pang Yong's inn, they meet, then detect demonic energy.

The Female Demon-Slayer fights demons; Pang Yong, confident in his martial skill and determined to protect the locals, helps her; together they gradually uncover the Fox Demon, then enter the main plotline.

Later, it's because of the Female Demon-Slayer's past romance that Pang Yong comes to trust Wang's wife.

After the ending, the Female Demon-Slayer leaves; Pang Yong, who has feelings for her, pretends to escort a shipment and follows her away.

Yan Li nodded at the script—essentially, it's a shift in character weight.

Pang Yong, originally a fifth-tier role, steps down; the Female Demon-Slayer gets more screen time; both characters become more "tool-like."

This change preserves their original functions, reduces overlap, and makes the logic more reasonable.

The Female Demon-Slayer wanders, slaying demons and holding a grudge against the Fox Demon; she meets a retired soldier who protects his hometown and Wang's wife's loyal follower—their motivations and actions align perfectly.

One man, one woman; one martial, one magical; this enriches the character composition and fight scenes.

Meanwhile, reducing Pang Yong's screen time completely eliminates any possibility of the crew hiring a major martial arts star.

This idea was primarily pushed by director Chen Jia, who lacked confidence in the all-mainland cast and always wanted a heavyweight martial arts star to attract audiences through action elements.

Yan Li, however, believes "Painted Skin"'s core appeal lies in characters and plot, and special effects—not so-called action elements.

The "Two Generals Compete for Yan" gimmick wasn't his impulsive idea; feedback from all sides shows it can easily match or even surpass the impact of most Hong Kong/Taiwan big names.

If that's the case, why spend heavily on an element that isn't particularly crucial?

If Chen Jia insists action elements are important, he can hire a martial arts star—but no need for an expensive one.

There are plenty of skilled actors who won't demand high pay!

For example, Wu Jing, famous from "SPL: Sha Po Lang" and "The Warlords"; Zhao Wenzhuo, discovered in recent TV dramas; and Shi Xingyu, who played the laborer in "Kung Fu Hustle"—though the latter's dramatic acting is weak.

Chen Jia's reasoning is legitimate, and some investors support him.

For the sake of unity, Yan Li couldn't directly suppress the idea; instead, he circumvented it through the script.

A fifth- or sixth-tier character is hard to cast with a heavyweight martial arts star; even if they agree, how to pay them?

Pay too little, and the actor refuses; pay too much, and the crew and investors won't accept it.

Indeed, after approving this version, Chen Jia stopped mentioning any names for casting.

But casting is still necessary.

Especially since the Female Demon-Slayer's role has been strengthened, subtly becoming fourth-tier, just below the male lead and two female leads—choosing the right actress deserves careful thought.

Wang Ou has clearly said no—not because she doesn't want to, but because she's afraid to.

Similarly, Yang Rong, Jiang Xin, Hu Siyan, and others dare not get involved in this mess.

Dong Xuan and Qin Lan won't play second fiddle to "Two Generals"; their associates also have little desire to participate.

So despite being Yi'an's highest-budget project so far, "Painted Skin" has the quietest internal casting process.

Currently, two actresses clearly want and are close to the role: Sun Li and Yang Xue.

The former has spent the past two years trying to break into film and has connections with Deng Chao; "Painted Skin" offers her perfect timing, location, and connections, so she's aggressively pursuing it.

The latter is a versatile all-rounder; though close to Dong Xuan, she also maintains good relations with "Two Generals," and since she's close to Yi'an and has a clean reputation with Yan Li, she's the most likely among all the "rouge actresses" to land the role.

Of course, other actresses are also competing, but none match Sun or Yang in fame, status, or connections.

Yan Li originally favored Yang Xue, but hearing Sun Li was competing made him hesitate.

Sun Li is more popular, and Yi'an plans to cast Deng Chao in "Painted Skin"; a triple collaboration between the couple would benefit promotion.

If Sun Li plays the Female Demon-Slayer, Deng Chao could play the Lizard Demon.

"Painted Skin" already has "Two Generals Compete for Yan"; adding a real-life couple falling in love on-screen would be too much.

So if Deng Chao and Sun Li kill each other in the film, slashing wildly, it becomes more compelling and offers richer promotional angles. Yan Li's internal scale tilted slightly, but he hadn't decided yet; there's still time—perhaps another suitable candidate will emerge.

What Yan Li didn't know was that while he hesitated, someone had already begun acting.

…

A restaurant

Taking advantage of everyone being present, Qin Lan gathered her sisters for a gathering, also welcoming the new members, Gan Wei and Ying Cai'er.

Although they're newcomers, they weren't just suddenly added—they'd all previously crossed paths with the Teddy Sisters.

Especially Gan Wei, who came with a mission and funding; she was especially eager to join and willing to spend money.

So she'd interacted with every member of the Teddy Sisters, even bribing or courting them; though a few weren't swayed, at least all had met her.

Ying Cai'er wasn't as strong as Gan Wei, but through Liu Yun and Hu Siyan, she'd met most of them; her personality was cheerful, lively, and outgoing—no matter her true feelings, she was outwardly popular and well-liked.

"Come on, let's welcome the eighth and ninth members."

Hu Siyan stood up and proposed a toast; although Gan and Ying were still "probationary," their rankings were already set.

Coincidentally, these two new members were both quite young—or rather, this was one reason they could join.

As previously noted, senior members might not want to call newcomers "sister," which could disrupt internal harmony; thus, newcomers should be younger and placed at the bottom.

Ying Cai'er was born in June 1983, four months younger than the seventh-ranked Zhao Ke, placing her eighth; Gan Wei, born in 1984, ranked ninth.

After the welcome, everyone ate and chatted, and the conversation gradually turned to "Painted Skin."

There are no secrets in the circle; although the "Painted Skin" script was still being revised, some character details were already known within the industry—at least among those close to Yi'an.

Ma Yili touched her cup and asked Qin Lan if she had any new updates.

Qin Lan glanced at her: "You have an idea?"

"Me?"

Ma Yi shook her head. She wasn't without ideas, but she had reservations about Shuang Bing—afraid of getting dragged in and becoming cannon fodder.

Moreover, compared to herself, she preferred to recommend someone else.

"Wen Zhang?"

Qin Lan chuckled teasingly: "You're really good to your little boyfriend."

"Of course I am—he's my boyfriend, aren't I supposed to treat him well?"

Ma Yi replied firmly, then added: "Honestly, I wanted to bring this up with you before, but his name's too small, and you wouldn't have wanted to speak up for him."

"Now that 'Struggle' is about to air, his fame will definitely rise. If any suitable opportunity comes up, help him out—just slip a word to your man. I'll owe you one."

Qin Lan was surprised by Ma Yi's seriousness about Wen Zhang.

Since the Teddy Sisters' Group formed, every other sister had benefited from her in some way—but Ma Yi had never asked for a single favor.

She'd always assumed Ma Yi was doing fine on her own, hadn't seen a good opening, so she hadn't spoken up—never imagined Ma Yi was waiting for this moment.

Using her own favor to pave the way for her boyfriend—was Old Ma really that confident in Wen Zhang?

Still, despite her surprise, Qin Lan nodded in agreement.

The Teddy Sisters' Group was all women, and relevant resources were tight; Ma Yi sacrificing herself for her boyfriend actually made it easier for Qin Lan to maneuver.

But it was hard to say what resources could be secured—Yi'an had far more male artists, and while Qin Lan could carve out benefits for her sisters, she couldn't harm her own company's interests.

In contrast to Ma Yi's promotion of her boyfriend, Hu Siyan and Li Xiao were far more direct—they went straight for the role of the female demon-slayer in 'Painted Skin.'

Hu Siyan didn't dare seek death, and neither did anyone else; most lacked the fame to even compete.

Li Xiao had originally thought the same—but when she heard Yang Xue was pursuing the role, she assumed Dong Xuan had intervened, and began pushing Li Xiao to act.

Li Xiao, after all, was a rising star and a Golden Horse Award winner—she absolutely had the credentials to enter the competition.

As for Shuang Bing, although Li Xiao was a member of the Teddy Sisters' Group, she had no direct conflict with either of them.

Her family still held some status and connections in the industry; if she played it straight, Shuang Bing might not bother her.

Under Hu Siyan's persuasion, and with other motives in mind, Li Xiao decided she might as well give it a try.

But their combined influence wasn't enough—they needed Qin Lan to whisper a word in the right ear.

Qin Lan had originally wanted nothing to do with this.

She feared Li Xiao would clash with Shuang Bing—would she stand up for her sister or not?

And if Li Xiao got swayed by Shuang Bing, she'd feel even worse.

But Hu Siyan knew exactly how to press Qin Lan's buttons—she mentioned Dong Xuan and Yang Xue, triggering Qin Lan's alertness.

She didn't want Dong Xuan gaining an advantage, but Yang Xue rising wasn't entirely unacceptable to Qin Lan—what she truly feared was Dong Xuan and Fan Xiaopang teaming up with Yang Xue to target her.

Though the Seven Fairies were all plastic, they weren't without genuine friendships.

Who knew if Dong and Fan might reconcile and form a silent alliance? That wouldn't be good for her at all.

Hmm—she really couldn't just sit back and do nothing.

Coincidentally, while Li Xiao and Hu Siyan were convincing Qin Lan, Dong Xuan was also approached by a willing student: Yang Mi.

Though the teacher and student had once had a rift, the growing strength of the Teddy Sisters' Group put pressure on Dong Xuan.

Guan Yue was trustworthy but lacked career momentum; Yin Xu was the same.

Jiang Xin was distant and insincere; Yang Xue was too smooth and adaptable—Dong Xuan held no real hope for either, and couldn't consider them confidants.

Tong Yaya was a newcomer, and their acquaintance was too brief to rely on her yet.

That student, Yuan Shanshan, Dong Xuan had given a chance to—but her performance was underwhelming.

Because of her, Dong Xuan was reminded again of Yang Mi, her "favorite disciple."

As a Beijing Film Academy student and Dong Xuan's own protégée, Yang Mi was inherently loyal.

Even if she had some personal ambitions, they weren't matters of betrayal, espionage, or conspiracy—just a strong drive to advance, something understandable.

Besides, the more ambitious a person was, the greater their chance of success.

Guan Yue, Yang Xue, and others had decent personalities—but that very quality held them back; their career results were merely passable. Only someone like Yang Mi, with such fierce ambition, could compete with the Teddy Sisters.

Though Yang Mi's fame was still modest, her development was solid—she was already a recognizable face among the new generation.

Dong Xuan still held some hope for her; with a bit of investment and support, she might one day become a formidable ally.

But this girl had too big an appetite—she went straight for 'Painted Skin.'

Her foundation was too thin, and she still had to contend with Yang Xue—Dong Xuan didn't believe she could win the role.

Still, trying wouldn't hurt—it would show Yang Mi she was valued, and then Dong Xuan could arrange other resources.

"Mi Mi, when does your contract with Rongxinda expire?"

Yang Mi paused, then replied: "Around 2010."

"That's too long."

Dong Xuan fell into thought. Relying solely on her slow drip of resources, Yang Mi's rise was unpredictable—if she could join Yi'an, things would be different.

Yi'an currently had only two female artists—resources were clearly excessive.

If Yang Mi joined and became a true insider, even just eating the leftovers from Fan and Wang could launch her rapidly.

Of course, this obvious opportunity wasn't lost on others—but Yi'an had never added a new female artist; behind the scenes, someone was blocking it, and those who understood knew why.

Dong Xuan felt that if she pushed hard enough, she could break through this barrier and place Yang Mi inside.

But there were two difficulties: one, the Rongxinda contract; two, could Yang Mi withstand Fan Xiaopang and Wang Ou's suppression—or even targeted attacks?

A promising talent like this shouldn't die before even stepping onto the battlefield.

Dong Xuan decided to hold off—for now, let Yang Mi's career climb a little higher.

Joining a company as a newcomer versus as a rising star were two entirely different things; an artist's confidence and level of attention differed greatly. If Yang Mi showed enough potential, even if Fan and Wang caused trouble, Yan Li wouldn't stand idly by.

For their internal squabbles, Yan Li usually turned a blind eye—but when company interests were at stake, everyone had to behave.

Besides, waiting a year or two would bring the Rongxinda contract close to expiration, making it easier to resolve.

Besides Yang Mi, Tong Yaya was also a promising prospect—she might one day become a capable ally.

Hmph!

Dong Xuan muttered to herself: Let Qin and Fan enjoy their moment of triumph for now.

Once I've cultivated Yang and Tong, I'll turn the Teddy Sisters' Group into a dead-dog sisters' group—and make them hand over their Yi'an queen title…

(End of Chapter)