Chapter 47: The Snowflake Goddess Dragon and Teacher Yan, the Epitome of Pedagogy

Huailai County, under Zhangkou City in Hebei Province, was originally an ordinary small northern county.

But because it contained a unique landform known as the 【Tianmo】—a miniature desert—and was only about 100 kilometers from Jingcheng, its location was convenient.

Thus, it attracted many film and television crews and became a famous desert filming location.

For example, the crews of 【Huanzhu Gege】, 【Great Decisive Battle】, 【Romance of the Three Kingdoms】, and 【The Grain Treasury】 had all filmed here on this miniature desert.

The crew of 【Snowflake Goddess Dragon】, which had since changed its name, originally planned to shoot desert scenes in the northwest, but was recommended this 【Tianmo】 by Yan Li.

After Li Peng sent people to inspect, he decisively chose to switch locations.

【Snowflake Goddess Dragon】 had limited funding and low demands, so the easier and cheaper, the better—why go all the way to the northwest to eat sand when they could stay near the capital region?

This also eased Yan Li's mind considerably; if the crew had truly gone to the northwest, he would have been too far away to properly monitor Dong Xuan, and he might not have trusted her to stay there alone.

Now, with Jingcheng so close, if anything happened, a phone call and a one- or two-hour drive would get him there.

"Director Li, Director Zhang, Teacher Dong…"

Yan Li continued playing the agent, bringing the new recruit Dong Xuan to meet the crew's senior figures and several lead actors.

Before arriving, he had done his homework; no wonder 【Snowflake Goddess Dragon】 was willing to cast Dong Xuan, a newcomer—this crew was simply "unimpressive."

Director Zhang Jun had previously served only as assistant director and producer; this was his first time directing independently.

Screenwriter Dong Han was no famous writer; his only notable work prior was 【Jiaqing Jun You Taisheng】, a title that made it clear: a local Taiwanese drama, with extremely limited viewership on the mainland.

Male lead Ren Tianye was a newcomer, having appeared in only one or two dramas with zero fame.

Male third lead Qiao Zhenyu was also a young actor with barely two years in the industry and little recognition.

One thing worth noting: Qiao Zhenyu had previously starred in a drama called 【Date at the Aquarium】.

This drama was produced by Stone Boss of Baoshi Entertainment, with Lu Yi, Tong Dawei, and Ren Quan as the other three leads.

But Yan Li found no connection between Qiao and Stone Boss in the system; he figured it was normal—Qiao had only played a supporting role, so no major sacrifice was needed.

In contrast, Tong Dawei had immediately partnered with Xu Jinglei as the male lead in both film and Haiyan drama, while Huang Xiaoming had outmaneuvered the popular young star Lu Yi to land the lead in the "50-million-yuan blockbuster" 【Son of Heaven】, making suspicion inevitable.

With no fame among the director, screenwriter, male lead, or male third lead, the female lead was a complete newcomer—the most famous person in 【Snowflake Goddess Dragon】 was the male second lead, Sun Yaowei.

He was a singer by origin, once fairly successful in Hong Kong and Taiwan, even dubbed one of the Four Little Heavenly Kings of Xiangjiang.

Later, he tried to break into the Japanese market but was blacklisted after a falling-out with his company, then turned to acting, starring in dramas like 【Huaiyu Princess】, gradually climbing out of his career slump.

If Sun Yaowei's acting range hadn't been so unsuitable for the male lead Sima Changfeng, the lead role in 【Snowflake Goddess Dragon】 might never have gone to Ren Tianye.

As for the other actors, none were worth mentioning.

After all, anyone with real fame or talent wouldn't waste their time in such a minor crew.

But then again, the environment of a crew like 【Snowflake Goddess Dragon】 was very friendly to newcomers like Dong Xuan.

None were big stars with the status to act superior or cause trouble; as long as Dong Xuan worked hard, she'd rarely face any hassle as the female lead.

…

After touring around, Dong Xuan went for her costume and makeup, while Yan Li went to chat warmly with Li Peng.

It was both to further build connections and to signal to the rest of the crew that he had "backing," helping Dong Xuan secure a more relaxed and harmonious working atmosphere.

Yan Li knew this trick well!

In 【Heroes of Sui and Tang】, he befriended assistant director Wang Decai and Nie Yuan; in 【Conquest】, he recognized Jiang Shan as his sister—each was a way of finding a "backer."

About two hours later, after Dong Xuan finished her costume and makeup, Yan Li went with Li Peng to see it.

Seeing Dong Xuan in costume, Yan Li's eyes lit up.

To be honest, the costumes in 【Snowflake Goddess Dragon】 weren't particularly good—simple and plain—but precisely because of that, they matched the female warrior's identity, appearing neat and brisk.

Yet the most commendable aspect of the design was the forehead band added to Dong Xuan, with a pendant hanging in the center, like the finishing touch; paired with her delicate, pale face, it gave her a cold elegance mixed with martial spirit, highly captivating.

Li Peng also praised it highly; originally he had been somewhat uncertain, but after seeing Dong Xuan's look today, he felt three-tenths more at ease.

【Snowflake Goddess Dragon】 centered on the female lead; whether she was beautiful directly determined whether the drama could capture the audience's attention from the start.

Without doubt, Dong Xuan had delivered a satisfying performance to the 【Snowflake Goddess Dragon】 crew.

Dong Xuan didn't care much for Li Peng and the director's praise; she blinked her beautiful eyes, stealing glances behind her at Yan Li, as if asking for his opinion.

He gave her a thumbs-up, mouthing the word "beautiful," and instantly her eyes curved into a smile, transforming from a cold, elegant warrior into a blushing little wife.

After costume and makeup ended, Dong Xuan followed Yan Li back to her room.

After all, she was the female lead, and with Li Peng's care, even with the crew's tight budget, they had given her a private room.

As for Yan Li, he could stay in Dong Xuan's room or rent his own—it didn't matter to 【Snowflake Goddess Dragon】, and they wouldn't pay for either.

Yan Li feared rumors spreading through the crew and affecting Dong Xuan's filming, so he rented his own room.

But the effort seemed useless—Dong Xuan's openly affectionate behavior made it obvious to anyone that their relationship was far from ordinary.

Back in the room, Dong Xuan was still excited and nervous, unwilling to rest, so Yan Li voluntarily suggested rehearsing tomorrow's scenes.

This was her first time filming, her first time playing such an important role; internally, Dong Xuan was terrified, under so much pressure she didn't know how to act.

Yan Li taught her how to relax, shared some film shooting tips, helped her analyze the character, and studied together how to make the performance more outstanding.

Dong Xuan couldn't even imagine how she would have survived without Yan Li present to support her.

"You're so good to me."

Dong Xuan looked at Yan Li before her, her beautiful eyes blazing with affection, as if she wanted to melt him into her heart, forever and ever…

Bang—

Yan Li rolled up the script and tapped her on the head; only when she clutched her head in pain did he grumble.

"Listen carefully to me, don't think about all that nonsense."

The undergraduate girl was pretty, but her professional attitude and discipline were terrible.

The junior needed him to direct her kissing scenes; this senior wasn't doing her job either—she just wanted to cling to him every day, paying no attention to her actual duties, so unprofessional.

"Memorize these three pages of dialogue tonight, and rehearse these scenes properly—or no sleeping."

Yan Li assigned Dong Xuan "homework," coaching and scolding her in performance, thoroughly satisfying his teacher's urge.

Of course, failing to resist the temptation and not maintaining the glorious image of "being a teacher" was another matter entirely.

…

Yan Li stayed with the Snowflakes Goddess Dragon cast for over a week.

With his help, Dong Xuan quickly adapted to life on set, and Yan Teacher's full-hearted instruction enabled her to rapidly improve her acting, allowing her to preliminarily master the role of Shangguan Yan.

Later, Yan Li, in accordance with the director's requirements and after several adjustments, designed a signature movement for Dong Xuan.

Namely, before combat, she would brush a strand of hair aside and bite it—bold and alluring.

Dong Xuan herself didn't particularly like this movement, always feeling that her hair got covered in saliva.

But it wasn't without benefits; sometimes, when she bit her hair and gazed dreamily at someone, their energy would instantly surge to its peak……

(End of Chapter)