Huayu97: Starting with Wu Song Fighting the Tiger

Liu Xiang smiled and cupped her hands in greeting to Sun Shupei: "Director Sun, thank you for your kind offer. However, my mind is currently focused on the role of Wu Song. Let's discuss cooperation after 'Water Margin' is finished filming."

Seeing his resolute attitude, Sun Shupei didn't press the matter further and could only smile and say, "Alright! Then I'll wait until you finish filming! You can't back out then!"

Zhang Shaolin breathed a sigh of relief, patted Liu Xiang's shoulder for a while, his eyes full of satisfaction: "Kid, you're a good guy! You didn't let me down!"

In the afternoon, the two film crews ate together at a farmhouse restaurant next to the horse farm, and the atmosphere was exceptionally lively. Everyone gathered around Liu Xiang, listening to him talk about horseback riding techniques and share interesting stories about dealing with tigers.

On a whim, Liu Xiang mounted Black Wind again and, as he rode, sang the theme song from "Princess Pearl": "When the mountains have no edges, when the rivers no longer flow..."

His voice was loud and clear, with a touch of boldness, echoing throughout the racecourse.

Zhao Wei and Lin Xinru hummed along, and the others joined in, making the melody exceptionally beautiful.

Lin Xinru smiled and said, "Brother Liu, you sing so well! How come I've never heard this song before?"

Liu Xiang's heart skipped a beat, and she smiled, saying, "A friend of mine just wrote a new song, and he'll be releasing an album soon!"

No matter how much people asked, Liu Xiang kept her mouth shut and refused to reveal who her friend was.

When the two film crews parted ways, Liu Xiang and the actors from "My Fair Princess" exchanged contact information and promised to stay in touch. Zhou Jie said with a smile, "Brother Liu, next time you go to Beijing, we'll treat you to Peking duck!"

Then, Liu Xiang smiled and agreed.

Looking at this group of enthusiastic young people, he was filled with emotion. These people would all become top stars in the entertainment industry in the future, and he was actually able to gather with them now—it was truly amazing.

Soon after, director Zhang Shaolin approved the inclusion of his scenes in the main feature of "Chai Jin's Reception in Henghai County".

On the day Liu Xiang started filming, the set design in the front hall of Chai Family Village was three times more refined than during the rehearsal.

Several more strings of copper bells were hung under the eaves, and when the wind blew, they jingled and tinkled melodiously.

Beside the legs of the octagonal table, there was a rough porcelain bowl filled with clear water, with half a withered yellow leaf still clinging to the rim.

The ink painting on the wall that reads "All men are brothers under heaven" has been aged by the props team, giving it a sense of age and life.

Teacher Zhao, who plays Chai Jin, arrived earlier than anyone else. He was pacing back and forth in the set, muttering to himself.

He saw Liu Xiang walking towards him in the distance, carrying her costume, and his eyes immediately lit up. He said, "Liu Xiang, your dignified yet humble demeanor during the audition was just right, but you need to be a bit more serious in the main performance. Who is Chai Jin? He's a member of the former imperial family, a generous and righteous landowner. When he looks at Wu Song, it's like a discerning eye recognizing a talented horse—it's with appreciation but also a bit of testing. When you play Wu Song, you can't just be tough; you need to be tough yet gentle, gentle yet strong."

Liu Xiang began to think. During the audition, he had only grasped the superficial aspect of Wu Song's "neither humble nor arrogant". Teacher Zhao's words were like a wake-up call for him.

At that moment, he took Teacher Zhao's words to heart.

Liu Xiang pulled out her crumpled script again, pointing to a line: "Teacher Zhao, look at this line, 'I am from Qinghe County, my surname is Wu, my given name is Song, and I am the second in my family.' I pronounced it too directly during the audition. Could you add a touch of self-deprecation? After all, Wu Song was a fugitive at that time, and saying his own name felt a bit awkward."

Teacher Zhao patted him on the shoulder, his face crinkling with laughter: "You've got acting talent! Just keep thinking about it, and you're guaranteed to succeed!"

As they were talking, the script supervisor ran over with the clapperboard, urging the two of them to get their makeup done.

Liu Xiang changed into a coarse linen outfit and had the makeup artist add a faint scar to the corner of his eye and some gray-black paint to his forehead, making him look exactly like a wandering swordsman who had just fled from a thousand miles away.

He stood in front of the mirror, looking at his reflection—a gaze that held both vigilance and weariness, yet also a hidden resilience. He took a deep breath and instantly became immersed in the role.

The script supervisor slammed the clapperboard, and the entire set fell silent instantly, as if the air itself had frozen.

Liu Xiang carried a bundle on her back, her footsteps making a dull thud on the bluestone slabs.

He didn't go straight in like he did during the audition. Instead, he paused at the threshold, raised his head, and quickly glanced at the plaque in the front hall of the Chai Family Manor. Then he quickly lowered his head, staring at his toes, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily—it was a kind of wariness towards powerful families, and also a stubborn refusal to bow down.

His pause and the shift in his gaze caused Zhang Shaolin, behind the monitor, to sit up abruptly, the enamel mug in his hand hovering in mid-air, almost falling.

Immediately afterward, Liu Xiang stepped over the threshold, clasped his hands in a fist salute, straightened his back, and spoke in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, hoarse from a long journey, and with a hint of self-deprecation: "I am from Qinghe County, my surname is Wu, my given name is Song, and I am the second child in my family. After accidentally injuring someone over a trivial matter, I fled here. Hearing that you, sir, are generous and righteous, I have come to seek your help."

The dialogue in this scene has two more lines than the one in the audition: "After accidentally injuring someone over a trivial matter, he fled here after many hardships." These two lines were added after discussions between Liu Xiang and Director Zhang. However, these two lines immediately make Wu Song's predicament clear and instantly establish the character's arc.

Teacher Zhao, playing Chai Jin, was sitting in a grand chair, holding a small purple clay teapot in his hand. Upon hearing Liu Xiang's words, he did not speak immediately, but slowly lifted the lid of the teapot, sprinkled some tea leaves into it, and poured in boiling water, instantly filling the air with the aroma of tea.

He looked up at Liu Xiang, his gaze both scrutinizing and admiring, his voice as gentle as the spring waters of Jiangnan: "Brave warrior, there's no need for such formality. Though I live in the countryside, I still admire heroes."

Liu Xiang grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. His smile was a mix of naivety and helplessness: "You flatter me, sir."

The moment these words were spoken, the entire film set fell silent; even the sound of the wind whistling through the bells could be heard clearly.

During the audition, Liu Xiang perfectly portrayed Wu Song's "arrogance," but now he also brought out Wu Song's "bitterness."

A hint of approval flashed in Teacher Zhao's eyes. He put down the purple clay teapot, raised his hand to gently help Liu Xiang up, and his tone became even more gentle: "You are mistaken, sir. Someone, bring a seat and some tea!"

Liu Xiang thanked Chai Jin and sat down on a chair nearby. He did not sit upright like an ordinary guest, but rather turned slightly to the side, placed his hands on his knees, kept his back straight, and kept glancing at the door from time to time—it was the vigilance of a fugitive, afraid that the government officials would come after him.

These subtle movements were not present during the audition.

Behind the monitor, Zhang Shaolin was so excited he almost slammed his fist on the table. Pointing at the screen, he shouted to the assistant director beside him, "See that?! See that?! This is Wu Song! This kid practically pulled Wu Song out of the book!"