Huayu: Reborn in 97, transferring to the Central Academy of Drama's star-studded class

Sweet Heart Steamed Bun Shop.

Jiang Lai hung up the phone, feeling confused and wondering what the short, cute girl wanted to do on the phone.

He turned around and went back to the film crew to continue filming.

If you were to ask who was the most worried person on set, it would definitely be Cheng Xiaodong.

Because the film required a lot of special effects shots, while designing the action, he also had to refer to Stephen Chow's various nonsensical descriptions and imagine the special effects in his mind in order to achieve a perfect combination of special effects and action.

This caused Cheng Xiaodong so much worry that his hair was falling out in clumps.

For example, in the scene where Ah Mei is kneading dough to make steamed buns, Stephen Chow said that he should demonstrate Tai Chi skills while kneading the dough.

Cheng Xiaodong designed dozens of action sequences and filmed them dozens of times, but Stephen Chow was still not satisfied.

In the end, it took almost a week of painstaking work and countless discussions before they finally finished filming Ah Mei's first appearance.

Fan Bingbing was also tortured. Every day she was covered in flour and her imagination was put to the test. Even though there was nothing in front of her, she had to imagine a lump of dough flying in her hand. It was a pure pantomime.

Jiang Lai also deeply understands this point. When filming scenes of his fellow apprentices training, there were some special effects shots where he had to imagine his fellow apprentices kicking the ball over and catching it.

These small-scale live-action special effects need to be generated by computer CG in post-production, but for larger ones, a green screen needs to be added. However, this is only for the later competition scenes. Stephen Chow said that the big scenes should be filmed later.

After filming the more difficult shots at the Sweetheart Steamed Bun Shop, the rest became easier.

The Shaolin soccer team was making great strides in the competition and had already secured sponsorship. They had also changed into new soccer shoes, and Stephen Chow took his fellow disciples to a steamed bun shop to celebrate.

That night, Amei put on an extremely bizarre makeup look.

Thick eyebrows, bright red lips, and heavy makeup that covered her face, which was covered in sores, were paired with an exaggeratedly padded purple dress.

When Fan Bingbing appeared in this outfit, Jiang Lai couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"What's so funny!"

Fan Bingbing rolled her eyes and stormed off.

Everyone else maintained some decorum, but she, the boss, always mocked them to their faces.

As filming was about to begin, Jiang Lai and his fellow apprentices, along with Uncle Da, acted as background figures, eating and drinking in the back. Stephen Chow then walked up to Fan Bingbing.

"Action!"

Stephen Chow looked on incredulously. "Ah Mei?"

Fan Bingbing pretended to be calm and straightened her clothes. "What?"

Stephen Chow forced a smile, "Wow, you look gorgeous today!"

Fan Bingbing lowered her head and said softly, "Just a little bit."

Stephen Chow frowned and called for a stop. "Ms. Fan, if you exaggerate your acting a bit more, it will sound coy and affected."

Fan Bingbing nodded, but Stephen Chow was still not satisfied after filming resumed. He called for another stop and gestured with his hands to explain the scene to Fan Bingbing.

"Amei is a very ugly and insecure girl. She has always lived in her own world until she met Xing, who illuminated her life. So first of all, your eyes must show admiration."

As Fan Bingbing listened, her eyes unconsciously turned to Jiang Lai, who was chatting with the actors next to him. Fan Bingbing felt as if she was being illuminated by this person.

Stephen Chow followed her gaze, raised an eyebrow knowingly, and said, "OK! That's the look!"

Fan Bingbing snapped out of her daze, lowered her head in a fluster, and felt extremely embarrassed when she thought about what she had just been thinking. She couldn't help but blush.

Before she could explain, Stephen Chow continued, "Yes! This expression is right too! But you need to add a touch of affectation. You're insecure, but you want to show your best side to the person you like, so every movement you make needs to be deliberate, forceful, and unnatural, understand?"

Fan Bingbing nodded vigorously.

"Then let's start over."

The script supervisor slammed the clapperboard again, and the lights came back on.

Fan Bingbing stood in front of the camera, her eyes soft yet slightly nervous, a flattering smile on her lips.

She raised her hand and awkwardly brushed the wig off her forehead, the movement deliberate and coy.

Stephen Chow posed for the camera, exclaiming, "Wow! Anita Mui, you look so beautiful today!"

Fan Bingbing lowered her head, smiled with pursed lips, her joy tinged with an undisguised affectation, "Just a little bit."

This deliberate effort actually brought the character to life.

"Cut! That's a good take." Stephen Chow nodded in satisfaction.

This exaggerated portrayal of characters as ugly is a technique that Stephen Chow has always loved to use, using exaggerated physical ugliness to highlight the inner beauty of the characters.

During the break, Jiang Lai went to smoke under a tree, and Fan Bingbing followed him.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Lai asked, turning his head to look at her with a cigarette in his mouth.

Fan Bingbing stood next to him, head down, hesitating for a long time.

"Mr. Jiang, can I ask you something?"

"Ask away."

Fan Bingbing looked up, her big eyes staring straight at him: "Do you want to sleep with me?"

"Cough cough cough!"

These words startled Jiang Lai so much that he couldn't catch his breath and coughed repeatedly from the smoke.

Fan Bingbing quickly helped him to sit down on the stone steps under the tree and hurriedly patted his back.

"President Jiang! Are you alright?"

Jiang Lai took a while to calm down, then stubbed out his cigarette and looked at her helplessly: "Why would you think that?"

Fan Bingbing counted on her fingers seriously: "Look, the first time we met you helped me with my lawsuit, and later you gave me such good resources, such as Director Feng's movies and Stephen Chow's movies. These are things that others would fight tooth and nail to get. I really can't think of any other reason."

She paused, her voice lowering, "So if you want, I... I can."

Jiang Lai quickly waved his hand, "Don't think like that, you deserve this."

He patted Fan Bingbing on the shoulder and said, "No matter whose movie it is, you acted it yourself. It's your own good performance that has nothing to do with me."

Fan Bingbing blinked, and after a while, she slowly leaned over and gently rested her head on Jiang Lai's shoulder.

"I started working at fifteen, ran away from my hometown to Beijing, lived in a basement, ate expired bread, and met too many people. They approached me, said they would help me, but in the end they all wanted to take advantage of me. Thank you, Mr. Jiang."

Jiang Lai sighed but didn't push her away.

The two sat there quietly, the autumn wind blowing through the treetops, and a few leaves swirling down.

However, across the street, Zhou Xun was quietly watching the two people cuddling under the tree.

Jiu Yehui wrote a passage in her novel.

"The older you get, the more you realize that there are some of the best things in the world that you can't have. At first, you were my secret. I was afraid you knew, and I was also afraid you didn't know, and I was also afraid you knew but pretended not to know. I didn't say anything, and you didn't say anything either. We were both far apart and yet so close."

Zhou Xun was unaware of these words, but she seemed to realize that she could never have this man.

As if sensing something, she turned her head and saw someone she never expected.

At the street corner, that person was also looking down at the tree.

It was Zhang Ziyi.