Chinese Entertainment: Directors Start with the Fairy Sister

Chapter 73: Filming Begins, Torturing Sisi!

Ningxia Province.

Ning Ying specially sent someone to pick her up from the airport.

For a state-owned enterprise to go to such lengths demonstrates their sincerity; it also shows that they don't want "Painted Skin" to be their last collaboration!

As you travel from the airport toward the film studio, the desert and Gobi landscape becomes increasingly apparent the closer you get.

Yinchuan is a magical place. Although it is located in the arid northwest region, it benefits from the Yellow River and has been crisscrossed by canals and dotted with lakes since ancient times.

Surrounding the desert and Gobi, a completely different Jiangnan-style landscape has also formed.

Ning Ying prepared a dinner for the main creative team of the film crew, and it was also the first time that Zhao Yanxi had eaten authentic Yanchi Tan sheep.

In my past life, I had a roommate from Yinchuan. I would always ask him to bring me lamb, but he would always buy it from the supermarket downstairs. It was such a rip-off!

"Director Zhao, our group will send someone to accompany the film crew. They won't supervise anything; they'll just provide a service!"

"If we encounter any problems during filming, we can tell them. There's nothing we can't do here. If there aren't any problems, we can also move any equipment or machinery we need."

"Northwestern men may not have much else, but they certainly have incredible strength!"

"Mr. Hong, thank you!"

The next day, there was no opening ceremony; the crew simply started filming!

"To preserve this facade, one must devour hearts and wander aimlessly."

"Nobody knows who you are; you can only hide under this skin."

In the photos, Liu Yifei is wearing a plain white leather coat, her long hair cascading down her back, and her makeup is exquisite and refined. She looks at her reflection in the mirror as if admiring herself.

Judging from her appearance alone, she is still the ethereal "fairy sister" who doesn't seem to care about worldly affairs. But when she raises her eyes, the bewitching charm required by the script fails to materialize.

"Click!"

Zhao Yanxi stared at the monitor, her brows furrowed slightly. "Qianqian, something's wrong. Right now, you're a demon hiding in the world, not an innocent young girl. Your eyes should have a cold, piercing quality, not a clear spring."

Liu Yifei pursed her lips and took a deep breath: "Again."

She tried to imitate the seductive eyes of the fox spirit from her memory, but the result appeared deliberate and stiff.

"You're a fox demon now, not Little Dragon Girl. Forget about Little Dragon Girl completely!" Zhao Yanxi said mercilessly. "See, I'm not telling you to be coy and affected. Allure isn't about outward appearance; it's something ingrained in your very being."

"Think back carefully to what I learned from my opera teacher: focus your eyes, pretend to see your sweetheart, tremble your eyelids slightly, move your body first and then your head, and finally look back with your eyes."

Zhao Yanxi couldn't just let Liu Yifei play a fox demon, because whether it's innocent or alluring, many emotions need to be expressed through the eyes and micro-expressions of the face.

In this respect, traditional Chinese opera is even more rigorous than acting classes at film academies!

"I understand, director, I'll try again!"

Liu Yifei closed her eyes, trying hard to find that feeling, her eyes filled with a hint of inquiry.

"A little progress, you've got the emotion, but your posture isn't keeping up. Your shoulders are too tense. Xiaowei is a thousand-year-old fox demon, not a trained soldier. Relax, transfer your weight to the platform in front of you, imagine you have no bones—"

Since Liu Yifei was chosen, Zhao Yanxi didn't think about how quickly the filming could be done, nor did she care about wasting a little time.

Moreover, whether an actor can play a role well often depends on just a feeling.

If we can spend a few days helping Liu Yifei find the right feeling, then that time will be well spent!

One task after another was started over.

The atmosphere on set gradually froze, and everyone could feel the pressure. Zhao Yanxi seemed to have become a different person, no longer the joking and laughing director he usually was, but an extremely demanding "abnormal" person.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Liu Yifei's forehead, and her eyes shifted from initial confidence to confusion, and then to a hint of grievance.

However aggrieved she felt, she still stubbornly adjusted her expression time and time again according to Zhao Yanxi's guidance.

Zhao Yanxi no longer shouted "Cut!" but instead walked to her side after each performance and, in a voice that only the two of them could hear, dissected, analyzed, and guided her again and again.

"Your innocence is your best disguise, not your true nature."

"I don't want Liu Yifei to play a fox demon, I want you to be Xiao Wei!"

"Director Zhao is so strict!"

Jiao Enjun, who had already changed into his costume and was ready to go on stage, exclaimed in amazement.

Today is supposed to be his scene with Liu Yifei, but at this pace, he might not get a chance to act!

"After all, it's the first scene, so the director probably wanted Yifei to find the feeling of 'Xiao Wei'."

Yan Danchen noticed Zhao Yanxi's thoughts, and the others didn't dare to say anything. They could only watch quietly while mentally simulating their own roles.

Not everyone gets the treatment Liu Yifei receives. Even if she has to do a whole morning of retakes, the director can still calmly and patiently explain things to her.

There are far too many directors who swear and curse!

"Alright, that's all for this morning. Let's have lunch!"

When the boxed meals arrived, Zhao Yanxi didn't continue to tormenting her. He had his assistant take a few boxed meals, and he followed Liu Yifei into the nanny van.

Liu Xiaoli sighed and didn't follow. Some things are easier to say when it's just the two of them.

After getting on the bus, Liu Yifei curled up in a corner, hugging her knees.

She buried her face in her arms, letting her long, black hair fall down, obscuring all her expressions.

When Zhao Yanxi followed her in carrying the insulated food container, he saw this withdrawn "little fox." He couldn't help but smile. He gently sat down and pushed the warm soup bowl to her side.

The carriage was so quiet you could hear the air conditioner humming. After a long while, she finally spoke in a muffled voice: "Am I... completely incapable of acting?"

His voice was choked with barely perceptible sobs.

For the entire morning, she repeatedly exposed her naivety and clumsiness in front of him, and all the charm she was so proud of vanished under the harsh lens.

What made Liu Yifei even more upset was that the person who made her so embarrassed was none other than Zhao Yanxi.

Despite having prepared herself mentally, she still felt incredibly wronged when it actually happened.

"Sissi~"

Zhao Yanxi said softly, "You've improved a lot. I estimate that if you come twice more this afternoon, you should be fine!"

Zhao Yanxi didn't say "It's all for your own good," and Liu Yifei understood this perfectly well. All she needed was recognition, recognition after being questioned time and time again!

"real?"

Liu Yifei suddenly raised her head, her aggrieved expression still lingering, before it was filled with surprise.

"Of course, didn't you notice I was talking less and less towards the end?" Zhao Yanxi said with a smile. "Trust me, it'll be done in a few more tries at most!"

"Yay! I knew I could do it!"

In the afternoon, in order to change the environment, Zhao Yanxi moved the scene from the room to the courtyard.

Action!

The stage manager clapped the clapperboard, and [Xiao Wei] walked out of the room, her gaze casually sweeping across the courtyard.

She still had that incomparably pure face, but deep in her eyes, an indescribable brilliance quietly shifted—a kind of worldly wisdom with a calm indifference, a hint of allure, and a bewitching quality hidden deep within her bones.

She tilted her head slightly, and a faint, almost non-existent curve appeared at the corner of her lips. It wasn't a smile, but it was more captivating than any seductive smile.

The entire set was completely silent.

Behind the monitor, Zhao Yanxi's tightly pursed lips finally relaxed, revealing a faint yet extremely gratified smile.

"Pass."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the film set.

"Um?!"

Liu Yifei looked up abruptly, seemingly unable to believe her ears.

"Director, really? You're not kidding me?"

"Of course not! Come and see for yourself, compare it to this morning!"

Liu Yifei, Yan Danchen, and Jiao Enjun quickly surrounded them, and Liu Xiaoli, who was standing to the side, also rushed over excitedly.

The film "Painted Skin" has been equipped with a more advanced digital camera, the biggest advantage of which is that the actors' condition can be reviewed at any time without waiting for the film to be developed.

If it weren't for the digital camera, it wouldn't have been turned on in the morning, and Liu Yifei would have been left to practice alone, making it impossible to capture the most stunning and suitable moment.

Looking into Liu Yifei's eyes, which held both innocence and alluring charm, through the camera lens, everyone understood that the ethereal "fairy sister" was dying, and a stunning "Xiao Wei" was emerging from her cocoon!