Returning to Taiwan in 2000 as a patriotic artist

"However..." He pulled a photo out of his briefcase, "I took it upon myself to rent this apartment."

Gu Bei took the photo, his pupils dilating in shock.

The photo shows a black dragon robe, entirely black, embroidered with nine five-clawed golden dragons in gold thread, and the collar and cuffs are decorated with dark red auspicious cloud patterns.

The belt is gilded, and the buckle is carved in the shape of a dragon's head.

The most striking feature is the crown, with twelve tassels hanging down at the front and back, each tassel strung with white jade beads.

"This... isn't this Brother Zheng's dragon robe?" Gu Bei's voice was a little tense.

"Yes, Qin Shi Huang's black and gold dragon robe," Fang Ge explained. "It's a prized possession of a prop company."

"We spent a lot of money before they agreed to rent it to us."

"Okay, this one will do." Gu Bei nodded.

Qin Shi Huang is Qin Shi Huang, and it doesn't seem out of place.

The music video's costumes are from the Qin Dynasty, and it was filmed in Tianmo, Huai County.

Tianmo is a naturally formed desert, not large in area, only a few hundred acres, but with fine sand and golden color. In the distance are the continuous Yanshan Mountains, and nearby are dry riverbeds and scattered shrubs.

This desolate and magnificent scenery is unique in the entire North China region.

Gu Bei plans to film a grand narrative, following the original script:

A yellow-skinned general stands in the desert, with thousands of troops behind him.

He wanted to capture the spirit of "yellow people coming to earth and standing tall with new chests."

The original plan was to rent a set of general's armor, which was simple, rugged, and full of power.

But now, the armor has been replaced by a dragon robe.

……

Early the next morning.

Gu Bei, with his filming team, stood on the edge of the desert, watching the staff busily setting up the scene.

Fifty extras, dressed in ancient soldier costumes, are rehearsing their formations under the director's direction.

The battle flag was planted in the ground, fluttering in the wind.

The war drums were placed at the very front, and the drummers were adjusting their positions.

With the help of the staff, Gu Bei changed into a dragon robe and was buried in the sand, with only his masked face showing.

While everyone else was still busy, the chubby director prepared to film him being buried in the sand first.

A staff member brought over a large fan and blew it into the sand, creating an impressive scene of sandstorms.

Several shots were filmed together.

Gu Bei lay motionless in the sand.

"Click."

The chubby director shouted something, and the prop master immediately ran over and removed the mask from Gu Bei's face.

Filming then continued.

We'll add a mask shattering effect here.

Just then, Gu Bei suddenly opened his eyes.

He slowly stood up, the yellow sand sliding off his body. He stood straight, then bent down to draw his sword, pointing it diagonally at the blazing sun.

This was something he came up with on the spur of the moment.

I feel the momentum should be even stronger.

"Click!"

The chubby director called "cut," praising repeatedly, "Gu Bei, this change is fantastic, it's absolutely awesome!"

"Phew~"

Gu Bei let out a long breath.

It's too hot.

Wearing the entire dragon robe involved multiple layers, one inside and one outside.

In just a short while, the back of his undershirt was soaked with sweat.

When the extras saw that filming was starting, they grouped up in small groups, and with the help of other staff, they all buried themselves in the sand.

Wearing a dragon robe and braving the scorching sun, Gu Bei walked through the middle of the battle flags and headed towards the war drum.

The camera followed the camera the entire time.

He picked up the warhammer and swung it forcefully with both arms.

"Knock knock knock"

The sound of war drums echoed across the wilderness.

Gu Bei alone managed to create the momentum of a thousand troops charging forward.

The portly director didn't call "cut." Instead, he turned the camera to the sand and filmed soldiers in Qin Dynasty armor standing up from the yellow sand.

"Click."

"This one is approved."

They then filmed some more shots.

The portly director stared at the monitor, his brow furrowed.

As noon approached, he felt something was missing from the scene...

It was too bright; the desert daylight was too strong and harsh, swallowing up all the details.

"Click!"

He immediately called for a stop, walked over to Gu Bei, shielded his eyes with his hand, looked at the sky, and said, "The light is too harsh; it won't capture that desolate feeling."

"Besides, it's too hot." The chubby director pointed to the extras. "Wearing a suit of armor, many of them were so hot that their expressions were contorted."

Gu Bei glanced at it, then looked at the sky, and his glasses immediately narrowed.

He was wearing a black and gold dragon robe, and he wasn't much better dressed than the extras.

"How about we change the shooting time to night?"

The chubby director paused for a moment, then looked down at the script.

Gu Bei continued, "The music video has a dark tone, with a feel similar to that of AFP."

"Shooting in broad daylight, no matter how I adjust the colors, I can't get that feel right."

"Show it tonight..." The chubby director fell into deep thought.

His gaze shifted from the script, sweeping across the distant outline of the Yanshan Mountains in the desert before settling on the endless yellow sand, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

"If filmed at night, the desert would turn black, the sand would reflect the moonlight, the battle flags would flutter in the wind, and the silhouettes of soldiers would appear..."

"And there's a sky full of stars as a backdrop..."

The portly director slapped his thigh suddenly. "How come I didn't think of that?"

"A sky full of stars forms the backdrop, battle flags flutter in the wind, and soldiers stand in the desert holding torches, the firelight illuminating their armor."

"That desolation, that tragedy, that sense of power in the darkness—it's a hundred times stronger than in the daytime!"

"Gu Bei, you're a genius." He gave a thumbs up and immediately turned to direct the staff to pack up the equipment.

A large group of people were filming under the scorching sun, which was over 30 degrees Celsius, and they were already unbearably hot.

Upon hearing that the filming would be moved to the evening, everyone immediately became highly motivated.

"Are you tired?" Zhou Huimin walked over, holding a damp towel in her hand, and tiptoed to gently wipe the sweat from Gu Bei's face.

The towel was cool, and when it touched my skin, it brought a refreshing coolness.

"Phew~"

Gu Bei let out a long breath. "Not bad."

With the help of the staff, he quickly took off the black and gold dragon robe.

"Go back and rest first, we still have filming tonight." He lowered his head and whispered in Vivian Chow's ear.

Vivian Chow's face flushed bright red instantly.

She reached out and gently punched Gu Bei in the chest.

The two quickly returned to the hotel.

As soon as the door closed, Zhou Huimin couldn't wait to hug Gu Bei.

"You're all sweaty, how about I take a shower?" Gu Bei took the opportunity to hug her waist.

Vivian Chow's hand slid down her waist to her back. "It's all sweaty... but that's how I like it, especially how you look after working out."

She pulled Gu Bei into the bathroom, her voice soft, "Shall we... shower together?"

The bathroom door closed, the showerhead was turned on, and hot water poured down with a "whoosh".

The fog quickly spread, blurring the mirror's surface.

The sound of rushing water drowned out all other noises.

The fog grew thicker and thicker, and the mirror was covered with a white mist of water vapor. The figures of the two people were faintly visible in the mist, like a watercolor painting blurred by water.

The two stood under the shower, gazing at each other with longing in their eyes.

A moment later, Vivian Chow slowly squatted down...

After an unknown amount of time, the sound of flowing water stopped.

The bathroom door was pushed open a crack, and hot air rushed out.

Gu Bei came out first, wrapped only in a bath towel, his hair still dripping wet.

He picked up the bottled water from the bedside table, unscrewed the cap, and tilted his head back to gulp down a few mouthfuls.

Vivian Chow followed behind, wearing a white hotel bathrobe with the belt loosely tied and the neckline open, revealing her delicate collarbone and a small patch of snow-white skin.

She wrapped her wet hair in a towel, walked barefoot on the carpet, walked behind Gu Bei, and pressed her face against his back.

"What time is it?" she asked softly.

"It's almost noon." Gu Bei glanced at his watch.

Zhou Huimin walked around to him and reached out to untie the bath towel he was wrapped in.

Gu Bei grabbed her hand, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Are you trying to make sure I can't film tonight?"

Vivian Chow smiled, her eyes crinkling with a hint of slyness.

She withdrew her hand, took two steps back, hooked her fingers around the belt of her bathrobe, and gently pulled...