Actor: Thank you.

On the main street of Hengdian World Studios.

A group of girls filed out of the Ming and Qing Palace area, walking together, whispering to each other as they made their way towards the vicinity of the "Reign of Assassins" film crew.

They were already at the point of costume fitting when they were suddenly assigned to the film crew.

The news about Zhang Jianing has spread throughout the "Empresses in the Palace" team.

Replacing actors at the last minute is not uncommon and happens in most production crews.

For example, Jiang Yan, who later became known for her slender figure, once mentioned on a TV show that she had been replaced in a role at the last minute.

Moreover, she was cast as the female lead in the advanced group, but after the male lead arrived, the director changed the female lead to someone else.

That wasn't the end of it. The show was hosted by Wang Han, who revealed on the spot that the actor in question was Ren Zhong.

Ren Zhong's wife, Sun Xiaoxiao, used to be a contracted host for Hunan TV.

Wang Han deliberately said it out loud, which shows how unpopular the couple is.

Wang Han, who was already a member of the leadership team at Hunan TV, was not intimidated by the couple at all and spoke frankly about them.

Therefore, it's best not to offend anyone, because you never know when they might give you a hard time.

Similar things didn't happen in "The Legend of Zhen Huan" either.

For example, everyone knows that the actress who plays the role of Consort Dun, namely Tian Pujun, is a relative of the actress.

Behind it is a well-known real estate developer.

There was no need to ask around; Miss Tian herself spread the word everywhere, wishing everyone knew so that they could look up to her.

However, this was the first time Zhang Jianing had received such "special treatment".

Her uncle did often help her find jobs, but there were also frequent instances where people with connections would take her place.

This is the first time I've ever seen the tables turned, with me taking someone else's place.

Because of this special situation, a group of women of all ages who had come to try on costumes also approached her to ask about her.

Shouldn't we ask that?
There were already a lot of women in the crew, and Chen Jianbing's constant nagging almost drove them to a nervous breakdown.

When dozens of women get together, the gossip they start is bound to get out of control.

After learning that she had met Zhang Yuan by chance yesterday, she immediately put him on the show, and the girls all urged her to take the others to meet the "senior" and "sugar daddy".

It's always good to get to know each other.

Zhang Jianing didn't really want to go; she felt too embarrassed.

Especially those women who can't keep their mouths shut, they've already made the topic quite explicit.

"He gets you acting roles, so you have to sleep with him?"

"Yes, yes, that's the rule in our line of work!"

I don't know where this rule came from, but everyone seems to know it.

Fortunately, there was someone knowledgeable. Her uncle, Zhang Xiaolong, was an etiquette instructor and could be considered their teacher.

It took a stern reprimand to quell the group's commotion.

But she also takes care of her niece.

Zhang Xiaolong hadn't expected Zhang Yuan to be so efficient; what he said the night before was accomplished the next morning.

Is this what money power is?

Instruct your niece to go and greet them in person, express her gratitude, and explain your current situation in detail.

I also have to assure them that I will perform well.

If I have the chance, I'll treat them to a meal again.

My uncle had thought everything through before he asked her to come.

It is a great blessing for young people to have a mentor to guide them, as it can save them from taking many detours.

The "gossip squad," a large group of people, escorted Zhang Jianing forward.

Not long after, we arrived at the scene of "Reign of Assassins".

The film crew also worked at night, and there were quite a few people on set.

From afar, they spotted a man with a cigarette in his mouth and a tree branch in his hand, gesturing in the air.

If an average person looked like this, they'd be doomed, looking like a homeless person.

But in the eyes of these girls, he was both dashing and elegant.

He looks dashing because of his good looks; even if he's smoking a cigarette, he won't look bad.

The graceful movement comes from the action.

Even when holding a tree branch, the movements of waving it were very methodical.

In the dark, you can only see the general shape, but if you replace the tree branches with glow sticks, you can clearly see that the waving is not awkward at all, but very smooth.

With just these moves, let alone sword dancing, you could advance even by dancing a girl group dance.

One of the standards for judging whether a person has mastered traditional martial arts is whether their movements of the limbs are graceful and fluid.

Especially when evaluating martial arts champions, this not only looks better, but also makes the exertion of force more outstanding.

What they saw was Zhang Yuan, of course.

He was practicing the routines demonstrated by the action director.

The monk Lu Zhu and the female protagonist Xi Yu are deeply in love, but unfortunately, being a monk, they cannot be together.

The story of how the stone bridge was transformed by thousands of years of wind and rain is only mentioned in the film by the Buddhist monk Ananda, who answers the Buddha how much he liked the girl.

This metaphor corresponds to the female protagonist Xi Yu and the male protagonist Zhang Renfeng, and how the two became Zeng Jing and Jiang Asheng after having "plastic surgery" with the Ghost Hand.

They waited for each other, eventually letting go of their obsessions and coming together.

So, I ask you, has anyone considered the feelings of the stone bridge?

You two are like Xu Xian and Bai Niangzi, or the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, meeting on the Magpie Bridge.

What about the bridge?
The monk Lu Zhu is this stone bridge.

This story is only half told.

The original story had a sequel, but the film drastically altered it.

The original story is about a woman who meets and falls in love with a man at a temple fair and begs Buddha to let them meet.

The Buddha instructed it to cultivate for five hundred years, first turning it into a stubborn stone, and then transporting it to the city to be made into the railings of a stone bridge.

Five hundred years have passed, and the man occasionally hurried across the bridge without touching the handrail.

The woman was in great pain, so Buddha told her to cultivate for another five hundred years. This time, she transformed into a large tree.

Five hundred years later, a man passed by and rested under the shade of a tree.

They made physical contact, but the man quickly got up and left.

At this point, Buddha told the woman that if she wanted to become his wife, she would have to cultivate for another five hundred years.

The woman asked Buddha if his current wife had suffered as much as she had.

Buddha nodded.

The woman said that she loved him very much and could endure continuing her spiritual practice, but she understood that she did not need to be so insistent on becoming his wife.

Buddha breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing her words.

This also led to the biggest twist in the story.

The Buddha was pleased and said to the woman, "It's good that you think this way, because a boy can wait for you a thousand years less."

He has cultivated for two thousand years just to see you once.

Clinging to unattainable dreams, happiness, and desires, while neglecting what is within reach.

When you let go, you discover that what you longed for but could not obtain was right beside you all along.

Of course, after studying the story, Zhang Yuan highly suspected that Buddha was playing both sides...

Therefore, to fully understand the story of "Reign of Assassins," it's not enough to just know what's in the film; you also need to understand the complete background.

The male and female protagonists transform into stone bridges to watch over each other, and eventually become a couple.

But the monk Lu Zhu was the "third party" who let go of his obsession.

He is the "stone bridge" that watched the male and female protagonists find happiness.

Lu Zhu meets Xi Yu and tries to reform the female assassin.

The two are locked in a love-hate relationship, developing feelings for each other through their interactions and battles.

Lu Zhu discovered that Xi Yu's Azure Water Sword Technique had three flaws, loopholes deliberately left by the King of Chaos.

He was a martial arts genius who devised a solution and demonstrated it to his opponent through combat.

He also deliberately died in battle.

Because he knew that Xi Yu had not let go of her identity as an assassin, and he also knew that she had fallen in love with him, but he was devoted to Buddhism and could not be with her.

As long as I am alive, the other person's obsession will never be dispelled.

He sacrificed himself for his cause, giving the other party a chance to "be reborn".

That's how Xiyu was able to change her ways and live a normal life.

And in the final battle against King Yama, it was precisely by using Lu Zhu's methods of countering these moves that he defeated King Yama.

He sacrificed his life for the cause, so that others might benefit.

When Lu Zhu, the monk, reached this point, he had actually attained Buddhahood. Zhang Yuan was to portray this scene of love and hate between the two, culminating in their mutual destruction.

Don't be fooled by the small amount of screen time; this role was quite hard to get.

He was a monk with great love, and also a peerless master.

Furthermore, according to the established setting, he is the number one person in Shaolin Temple in terms of martial arts and Buddhist teachings in the past forty years.

One must be a top-notch expert both inside and out, possessing both swift and fierce movements and a compassionate heart.

He was looking for that kind of state, and he even threw cigarette butts all over the ground.

The girls around him watched him from afar, noticing his worried expression; he had a melancholic air that young girls loved.

It's just that I'm worried.

"She has even better charisma in person than on screen!"

"Yes, he looks great on TV, but I didn't expect him to be even taller and more handsome in person."

"If he could get me into some big production crew, I'd be happy to sleep with him every night."

"Dream!"

"I think what you really want isn't that you don't want him to put you in a big production, but rather that you want him to put you in..."

"Hehehehe..."

They chattered and chirped, gradually taking on color.

"Jianing, if you manage to get on his good side, don't forget about us later."

"Don't talk nonsense." Zhang Jianing remained calm.

Because her uncle told her that it was a small favor and she should not overthink it, lest she make things worse.

If it were an ordinary girl, with everyone praising her like a sedan chair, she might actually be infatuated and think that Zhang Yuan had taken a liking to her.

This person was relatively sober; they simply came over to express their gratitude and, incidentally, to make friends.

"Hello, I'm here to see Zhang Yuan."

“I know him.”

“We know each other too!” Zhang Jianing had just finished speaking to the on-site producer when the group behind him got excited.

"I'll go ask for you guys," the older brother said as he ran up to Zhang Yuan, who was smoking and practicing his swordplay.

He looked up and saw that they were all actors from "Empresses in the Palace," so he waved for them to come in.

Give them some "benefits," and they'll be happy if they act in my movies properly in the future.

They all rushed up there in a frenzy.

Following her uncle's instructions, Zhang Jianing stepped forward obediently, ready to speak.

But just then, an angry woman rushed up to Zhang Yuan ahead of him.

"The director told me that my scenes were cut?" Jiang Yiyan asked, her eyes wide and her lips trembling.

"It wasn't deleted, it was modified," Zhang Yuan replied calmly.

Originally, her character and her husband, Lei Bin, were also a pair of male and female assassins.

But don't mess with those on earth, but mess with those in heaven.

They even dared to make a fuss about Sisi in front of me.

I couldn't tolerate you before, how can I tolerate you now?
Do you think you're so great just because you have Orange Sky backing you and are with Wu Kebo?

What Zhang Yuan did was simple, just three words.

Delete his scenes.

If he is the male lead, then according to industry practice, he has the right to cut other people's scenes to enhance his own.

Although it's not ideal, many people do it this way, and it's almost become the default practice, which is considered a bad habit in the industry.

But he's not the male lead; he's an investor in the film, so he has even more right to cut his scenes!

He removed the "female assassin" setting from the other character's character.

She became a typical assassin's wife, with no special characteristics whatsoever.

Her screen time was also reduced by 7%.

I just spoke to director Su Zhaobin about this.

The reason is that the release of movies is often subject to control.

The supporting characters' roles are so complicated, even if they were filmed, they would have to be cut eventually.

We can skip these fragmented storylines and save on costs.

What he said makes perfect sense.

Although he didn't like Wang Jing, Wang Jing's philosophy was that the film's runtime should never exceed 120 minutes, and preferably be kept under 100 minutes.

That way, the audience will feel it's just right, or even a little unsatisfying.

If you can't tell the whole story clearly within 100 minutes, then it means you're not a good director.

"The Wandering Earth 2" is excellent, but many people feel that its 173-minute runtime, which is close to three hours, is too long.

Moreover, Wang Jing said this because theatrical releases must also be considered. Theaters prefer shorter films so that they can screen more films in the same amount of time, which would generate more ticket sales. Therefore, they tend to favor films with shorter runtimes.

There's a reason why Wang Jing has made more money than he's lost over the years.

So he used the duration as an argument, and even if John Woo came to him, he would be perfectly justified.

I'm an investor; I only look at returns.

A shorter film length means more screenings and higher revenue; that's all I care about.

This perfect excuse killed off Jiang Yiyan's character.

He also gave the same explanation in front of the woman.

"In that case, the character becomes meaningless?" Miss Jiang was getting anxious.

She usually seduces directors and investors, squeezing out scenes from other actors in the same group.

Today it's my turn, and I know how unpleasant this feeling is.

“If you don’t find it interesting, you don’t have to act,” Zhang Yuan told her very directly and calmly.

And he uttered the boss's classic line.

"If you won't do it, plenty of others will!"

"If you don't want to film, just let me know in advance so I can find someone to replace you immediately."

"I, I didn't mean that, I just wanted to know the reason..." Seeing his assertive attitude, the man immediately backed down.

Even a small role is better than being kicked out.

This is a movie with big stars in it, and she knows that as soon as she leaves, a bunch of people will be scrambling to get the part.

The problem with Orange Sky is that after going public, the company stopped focusing on creating quality content.

Therefore, Orange Sky itself doesn't have many resources, and Jiang Yiyan can't get much access to high-level resources.

Wang Jinhua didn't think much of her either, and didn't even look for her when she left.

"That's good. Adjustments to a play are common. Get used to it." Zhang Yuan said, waving his hand to signal her not to interfere with his rehearsals.

Miss Jiang slunk away without uttering a sound.

Zhang Yuan deliberately cut some of her scenes, rather than directly kicking her out.

Leave yourself an out; avoid direct conflict with Orange Sky.

Secondly, this is called killing with a blunt knife.

It would be nice if they really got rid of them.

The most painful thing is having high hopes only to be met with a huge disappointment.

The most painful thing for actors is that the show they've filmed with their best efforts can't be broadcast, and the second most painful thing is that most of their scenes, which they've acted out, are cut.

Being fired is like being stabbed in the back, then left with legs outstretched and eyes wide open.

Cutting scenes and erasing a character's personality is like beheading someone in the execution ground without a large knife.

After you kneel down, the executioner pulls a Western-style knife from his lower back and slowly stabs at the back of your neck.

Just enjoy it.

The girls around watched this unfold.

They were all insiders, and they immediately understood what had happened.

Although Jiang Yiyan is not a top-tier actress, she is already quite accomplished compared to those who have just debuted.

But in front of Zhang Yuan, she was like a little chick.

In particular, he remained completely still, without even waving his arms, and with just a few words, he left the other person speechless.

Young girls really like this "domineering CEO" persona.

I think he looks even more handsome now.

They were all so excited that they were breathing out loud through their nostrils.

However, some people in the crowd had completely different feelings.

People's joys and sorrows are not shared; they only found others noisy... and a little flustered. (End of Chapter)