Chapter 290: Two Are Both Bingbing, That

After Li Bingbing joined the crew, he didn't rush into filming but first did makeup and costume tests.

For a big production like "Painted Skin," actors usually undergo makeup and costume tests before finalizing their roles, but Li Bingbing and Fan Bingbing were among those whose roles were confirmed beforehand, so they'd only done simple trials before.

Worried about any mismatches, they quickly made adjustments, so Li Bingbing had to try nearly identical makeup and costumes every day.

The normal looks were fine, but the "transformation into a demon" scenes required an eerie yet beautiful aesthetic, infused with personal flair—this gave the costume team considerable trouble.

The behind-the-scenes crew of "Painted Skin" consisted of three parts.

One part was Yi An's old core team; over the years they'd made many dramas, including several masterpieces, and Yi An still had plenty of talent under him.

But most of them primarily worked on TV dramas, rarely on films, and even less on big-budget movies.

Yan Li also intended this as training for his team—if they could successfully tackle "Painted Skin," many would gain valuable large-scale production experience and related improvements.

Another part consisted of some Xiangjiang personnel brought by director Chen Jiashang.

Any established director always has trusted teams or individuals he works with regularly.

This can't be avoided; otherwise, if the director came alone, he'd waste time just adapting to the rest of the crew, and the results wouldn't necessarily be good.

In the industry, there's a term called 【Xing Huo】, which translates to "mechanical, by-the-book work"—not terrible, but don't expect anything great.

Although these Xiangjiang directors have their flaws, if you don't give them authority or their own people, they can't even make good scenes—they'd just resort to Xing Huo to get by.

So, to let a director perform at a certain level, you must hire a package of his own people.

The third part consisted of industry elites hired from outside the first two groups, such as small independent teams or personnel from certain institutions.

The current film industry tends to idolize people from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

In costume design, Ye Jintian, Zhang Shuping, and a few others were fiercely sought after by every production team.

Not only did Xiangjiang directors favor them, but mainland directors and actors also idolized them.

One reason was their genuine talent and impressive resumes; another was a lack of confidence—they believed Hong Kong and Taiwan's film industries were more advanced and professional.

Yan Li was among the few who didn't idolize Xiangjiang behind-the-scenes teams; he even felt they were inferior in some aspects compared to mainland counterparts.

Especially in historical costumes: Xiangjiang's historical attire originally drew from opera and Ming-Qing styles; they didn't understand or bother studying authentic history, so their designs mixed in many original and Western or Japanese-Korean elements.

When inspiration struck, the costumes were breathtakingly exquisite; when it didn't, they looked absurd and jarring.

In contrast, the mainland, though lacking in production experience and perhaps less inspired or well-traveled, had vast archives and historical prototypes as a foundation.

Especially those old studio staff and state-run film and television units—many had spent most of their lives working on this; for each drama or film, they'd dig up materials from national institutions and spend months, even years, researching costumes.

These people's research and attention to historical accuracy in ancient costumes were incomparable to those costume designers who casually let characters run around with messy hair and wearing light-colored pajamas.

The costume and makeup of earlier works like "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" and "The Legend of Yang Yuhuan" received considerable recognition precisely because of this.

For this "Painted Skin," Yan Li specifically invited top experts to oversee it; since the plot was somewhat fantasy-based, strict historical accuracy wasn't necessary—the key was emphasizing beauty.

Although the film was less than two hours long, Li Bingbing had dozens of costume sets made, and over ten different hairstyles, covering states like young girl, young wife, casual home wear, formal attire, and demonic transformation.

This was only for Li Bingbing alone; Fan Xiaopang, as a demon, faced even greater complexity and difficulty in his costume design.

The simplest was Sun Li—she was a wandering demon hunter who didn't care about clothes or food, so she only had two or three outfits, all quite similar.

When Yan Li wrapped for the day, he came over to take a look at Li Bingbing.

White hair, white eyebrows, pale skin, faint bluish-black demonic markings, red contact lenses, a purple V-neck robe adorned with black and red patterns…

Yan Li studied her in the mirror for a few moments and thought the effect was acceptable; when filming, he could consider adding some blood tears or a pair of fangs.

That was all—after all, it was a commercial film; Li Bingbing could sacrifice her image, but it couldn't be made too horrifying.

There were other makeup test photos nearby; Yan Li flipped through them briefly.

Wang Shi, the general's lawful wife, was designed for a virtuous, gentle image, but considering Li Bingbing's appearance, a slight adjustment was made—she was from a military family and would practice swordplay with her husband, matching her heroic, spirited aura.

After Li Bingbing finished her makeup, they began shooting the makeup test photos; after finishing, Li Bingbing found a moment of free time and spoke in a seductive tone.

"How's it look? There aren't many outfits left—I'll talk to the makeup artist and get us off early. Can I wear this and go ask Director Yan for feedback?"

Yan Li: "..."

When filming "The Legend of Xue Rengui," he occasionally scolded Princess Zhao Yang outside of scenes, letting her know his preferences—now she was tempting him again.

Honestly, the white-haired demoness was kind of fresh.

But Yan Li had principles; to reduce the wig-like feel of the white hair, it was custom-made, and this outfit only had two sets—if she moved too much and damaged it, how would that affect filming?

So he'd just hold off for now; after filming ended, he'd keep the outfit and properly subdue the demon later.

Maybe, if lucky, he could convince Fan Xiaopang to join him in a scene called "General Yan Whips the Real and Fake Demonesses."

"Pfft, boring."

Li Bingbing sighed; this guy was fine normally, but once on set, he became visibly restrained, always worrying about his image and crew work and all that.

But this wasn't bad—normally she was the one getting scolded by this bastard; now, she could tease him a little, and it felt even more thrilling.

Yan Li shook his head; they say a woman at thirty is like a she-wolf, at forty like a tiger—Li Bingbing, the more familiar she became with him, the older she got, the more wolfish and tigerish she became.

"Your sister hasn't left yet—aren't you afraid she'll blow up?"

Yan Li instinctively targeted Li Bingbing's weakness, but she raised an eyebrow.

"Not afraid."

Yan Li was surprised: "You've come to terms with it?"

"Come to terms with your damn self!"

Li Bingbing hadn't realized at first, but then understood what he meant; she pinched him before saying:

"I recently set up my sister with someone—they're getting along well."

Li Bingbing had always felt guilty about trying to steal her sister's love; no matter how many excuses she made, it was still unethical, and it had remained her emotional wound.

So she'd constantly been trying to set her sister up with someone—once her sister found a partner, Li Bingbing could finally put her mind at ease.

Li Xue had initially resisted, but now, with time passing and her older sister in the picture, and Yan Li never making a move, she'd gradually given up.

"That's good."

Yan Li nodded upon hearing this; Li Bingbing glanced at him: "When my sister finds someone, aren't you jealous?"

"What am I jealous of?"

Yan Li was speechless—he had never been interested in Li Xue from the start; it was all Li Xue's one-sided infatuation.

Later, as their relationship grew closer, Li Xue cooperated with him, helped him out a bit, and since he was still thinking about the sister duo, he did entertain some fleeting romantic thoughts.

But as Li Bingbing fiercely resisted, he realized it was hopeless, didn't want the sisters to turn against each other or break ties with him, and gradually gave up.

His occasional mutterings were just jokes and ways to tease Li Bingbing.

It's not that Yan Li is bragging—far too many women have had feelings for him or confessed their love; should he sleep in a vat of vinegar every day?

"Heartless—thank goodness my sister didn't end up with you."

Unlike Yan Li's calmness, Li Bingbing knew just how much her sister loved Yan Li, so she felt a sense of righteous indignation.

Yan Li finally cracked: "You've got all the arguments—what are you implying? That I should win your sister back?"

"You dare!"

Li Bingbing grew anxious—no matter how confidently she spoke, she felt Li Xue had merely grown tired of being pressured and had reluctantly agreed to give it a try.

But no matter what, this was the beginning of Li Xue letting go of Yan Li and embracing a new life.

But if this bastard interfered, things could go badly.

Yan Li's eyes flickered slightly—he had just said Li Xue had found someone, and he'd been wondering how to manipulate Li Bingbing; now he knew exactly what to do.

"Sister Bingbing, you don't want your sister's relationship ruined, do you?"

Li Bingbing flipped him the middle finger: "Despicable."

"Sister, did you just meet me today?"

After a bout of laughter, Yan Li wasn't actually vile enough to destroy their relationship—he was just using an excuse. Li Bingbing wasn't blind to it, but sometimes people need a face-saving excuse.

Li Bingbing was older and prided herself on being a top actress; sometimes she cared about her image, so she needed Yan Li to give her a reason to compromise.

It wasn't that she wanted it this way—it was that this shameless bastard threatened her, and she was "forced" into it.

Even from his intelligence analysis, Yan Li sensed some special compensatory psychology and self-pity involved.

Li Bingbing felt guilty for trying to steal her sister's man; when Yan Li "blackmailed" her with Li Xue, she felt she was doing it for her sister, which lessened her guilt and made her feel she was "suffering for her sister"—utterly noble.

Yan Li didn't know how Li Xue felt, but he thought both Li Bingbing and himself were equally shameless.

…

Li Bingbing didn't bask in her triumph for two days, because Fan Xiaopang soon joined the cast.

On the day Fan Xiaopang's arrival was confirmed, the entire "Painted Skin" crew was shrouded in an eerie atmosphere.

Excitement, fear, agitation, turmoil, resistance, tension…

In short, every emotion imaginable—everyone treated this critical moment with solemnity.

Yan Li took half a day off, didn't film, and stayed on set to prevent unnecessary trouble.

Li Xue, who rarely appeared since joining, showed up on set today, standing beside her sister, surrounded by Li Bingbing's other team members.

Worried perhaps about a clash between the two Bingbing, Li Bingbing arrived with a huge entourage—eight people in total, including Li Xue.

Her agent Li Xue, one executive agent, two assistants, one personal makeup artist, one driver, two bodyguards.

Honestly, Yan Li's entourage wasn't this big.

He usually had just one driver and one assistant; when traveling or on urgent business, he'd bring two to four bodyguards.

Of course, Yan Li could flexibly mobilize the entire "Painted Skin" crew and Yi'an Branch personnel—he could easily summon a hundred or so people.

Li Bingbing's entourage was large, but Fan Xiaopang's was even bigger: one minivan, one RV, thirteen staff members.

One executive agent, one PR officer, one business manager, two assistants, two drivers, three bodyguards (including one female personal bodyguard), one personal makeup artist, one personal stylist, and damn it—he even brought a chef.

Yan Li laughed—he saw that aside from Jia Qian, who doubled as agent, Fan Xiaopang had moved his entire team onto the set and even hired an extra driver and chef.

Fan Xiaopang stepped out of the car wearing sunglasses, trailed by a long line of people—utterly imposing.

The producer, head in hand, asked Yan Li: "Yan Zong, how do we arrange for all these extra people?"

Dozens of them—Fan Xiaopang's people—and their treatment can't be poor; food, drink, lodging, transport—all extra expenses.

Yan Li asked: "How many were stipulated in the contract?"

"Five."

"Both of them?"

"Yes."

For big-name actors joining a set, the production usually has a dedicated budget for their teams.

Some big names bring even more outrageous entourages—not just large teams, but entire families: wives, children, even in-laws.

Who pays, how it's paid—all negotiated in the contract. If the actor is powerful, the production pays; if the production is powerful, the actor pays.

The "Painted Skin" contract with both Bingbing had stipulated a five-person team.

That meant: if the artist brought five or fewer staff, the production covered food, lodging, etc.; anything beyond that, they paid themselves.

"Then stick to the contract."

Yan Li set the tone—this had already been agreed upon; the production must treat everyone equally.

How many people each brought was their personal business; Yan Li couldn't guarantee fairness, but from the production's standpoint, no matter how many they brought, their treatment was identical.

"But what if someone comes to me…"

The producer was still hesitant—the plan was fine, but if those two goddesses complained, he couldn't hold them off.

"Whoever comes to you, tell them to come to me."

"Understood."

With Yan Li's word, the producer felt at ease—no matter how wild those two were, the "Painted Skin" crew still bore Yan's name.

In the corner, Deng Chao and Wu Jing, who had gotten familiar these past few days, stared in awe at Fan Xiaopang's grand entrance.

"No wonder she's Yi'an's top star—impressive."

Wu Jing sighed with emotion, and beside him, Deng Chao smirked: "The one from Huayi isn't bad either."

He felt Fan Xiaopang had simply benefited from striking later.

Deng Chao had joined Yi'an only recently, but he'd already met several acquaintances on set; Fan Xiaopang didn't need to try—she easily sized up Li Bingbing's strength and deliberately gave her a stern warning.

"I always heard about the Four Dan and Two Bing, but now I've seen them—damn impressive."

Wu Jing knew Fan Xiaopang; they'd acted together years ago, but later Wu Jing moved to Hong Kong's scene, while Fan Xiaopang hadn't yet risen.

Because of this, Wu Jing—who mostly developed in Xiangjiang—had no concrete sense of the two Bing and four Dan who'd exploded in the entertainment circle these past two years.

Only today, seeing the transformed Fan Xiaopang and recalling the girl with yellow hair from back then, Wu Jing barely recognized her.

"The Two Bing are impressive, but the most impressive is still Boss Yan."

Deng Chao countered: these two women were each more domineering than the last, yet Yan Li had completely subdued them—and even brought them together. How could anyone not admire and respect him?

"…"

Wu Jing couldn't help glancing at Deng Chao—he now understood why Yan Li signed him; he'd heard Yan Li was even pushing him to be Number One.

He's such a damn suck-up!

Just as Wu Jing was pondering whether to learn a thing or two, Deng Chao nudged him: "Hey hey, Li Bingbing's out—there she is, there she is."

"Keep your voice down."

Fan Xiaopang had made such a grand entrance specifically to show off to someone, so she hadn't gone to the hotel first—she came straight to the set to "report in."

As a core creator, Fan Xiaopang's arrival meant everyone with spare time had to come greet her.

Li Bingbing was no exception—otherwise it would be impolite, and worse, it would make people think she was afraid of Fan Xiaopang.

So Li Bingbing came over with her own team.

Though fewer in number, Li Xue had beforehand boosted morale with words and material incentives, and they were fresh and waiting, so their aura wasn't much weaker.

Ten people on one side, nearly ten on the other—the director, Chen Jiashang, felt miserable.

"Bingbing, Bingbing's here—you two chat."

After saying it, Chen Jiashang wanted to slap himself—why did he add fuel to the fire?

There was no way out: the Two Bing were too unique, sharing the same name. He'd stumbled into this—no matter how he addressed them, it was wrong.

Sure enough, as soon as Chen Jiashang spoke, Li Bingbing and Fan Xiaopang's gazes turned sharp.

Two Bingbing—who was the real Bingbing?!

They'd faced similar awkwardness before, like during "Huan Tian Xi Di Qi Xian Nu," when naming was confusing; Yan Li privately called them both Bingbing, but publicly one was Bingbing and the other was Xiao Fan.

That naming wasn't wrong back then—Fan Xiaopang hadn't risen yet, and the undisputed Bingbing was Li Bingbing.

But now it's different: Fan Xiaopang has risen, and she's fighting on home turf, subtly even more dominant—calling her Xiao Fan now would be unacceptable.

Xiao Fan won't do. Xiao Li won't do either. Calling both Bingbing sounds repetitive. Calling them by their full names feels too cold and formal.

Call Fan "Bingbing," and Li "Sister Bingbing"?