In the entertainment industry, the silly system claims it's the immortal realm.

Chapter 97 Wei Yide Eats, Ice Balls Play a Game

There was a brass-colored chandelier on the ceiling of the hotel room.

Fan Binbin stared at the lamp for a long time, until his eyes started to dry out, before he finally looked away.

Her temples throbbed, and her mouth tasted bitter, as if she had a mouthful of overnight beer foam.

He was wearing a men's white T-shirt that didn't belong to him; the neckline was so large that it slipped below his collarbone, and the sleeves covered his fingertips.

She slowly turned her head.

The pillow on the left was empty, the blanket was partially lifted, and there were three half-empty bottles of mineral water on the bedside table.

On the pillow opposite her, Gao Yuanyuan was lying on her side, her long hair covering half her face, her eyes closed, her breathing light and even, but her eyelashes were trembling.

Fan Binbin stared at the ceiling for a while, then spoke, his voice hoarse: "Stop pretending. You're awake."

There was silence on the right pillow for two seconds.

Then Gao Yuanyuan opened her eyes, brushed the hair away from her face, and asked in a voice even hoarser than Fan Binbin's: "What time is it?"

"I don't know. What about him?"

Gao Yuanyuan propped herself up and scanned the room.

The light filtering through the curtains was already blindingly white, at least nine o'clock.

Three bath towels were draped on the bench at the foot of the bed, and two high heels and a pair of flat sandals lay across the carpet.

Wei Yi tossed his white T-shirt with "Yanjing Film Academy" printed on it onto the sofa.

The person is not here.

"Let's go."

Gao Yuanyuan lay back down on the pillow, closed her eyes, and said, "They must have gone to the film set."

The room was quiet for a moment.

The air conditioner vents hissed out cold air, and the occasional roar of a tuk-tuk could be heard outside the window.

Fan Binbin propped himself up on the mattress and sat up slowly, as if checking if every bone in his body was still there.

She looked down at her own white T-shirt, then at the same style and size that Gao Yuanyuan was wearing, and her brows slowly furrowed.

"There was something wrong with the wine last night," she said, her tone not questioning, but stating.

Gao Yuanyuan opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, as if she were recalling something.

After a few seconds, she said, "It is a bit strange. My alcohol tolerance isn't that bad."

"A few glasses of liquor and three bottles of beer and you're blacked out? You drank three bottles?" Fan Binbin turned to look at her. "I drank four bottles, and now I don't even know how I got into bed."

The two of them fell silent at the same time.

A tacit understanding was spreading in the silence—this is Bangkok.

Some things that are strictly regulated in China can be bought at convenience stores here.

Order whatever you like at the bar.

Wei Yicheng hangs out with Chen Acai and his group of local film producers all the time.

Getting it would probably be easier than buying a pack of cigarettes from 711-Eleven.

"That bastard."

Fan Binbin cursed first, but there was no real anger in his tone.

She looked down at the jade bracelet on her wrist. She had boasted to Gao Yuanyuan yesterday that it was a gift from him, and now it looked strangely jarring.

"This guy definitely put something in the drink."

Fan Binbin gritted his teeth and said, slowly and deliberately, "I remember now. Last night, after drinking some liquor, he said he wasn't satisfied and ordered some beer. Then he opened a bottle and poured it for us—he poured it himself. He never pours drinks for us on his own initiative."

Gao Yuanyuan slowly sat up, hugging her knees and curling into a ball, resting her chin on her knees. She remained silent for a long time before speaking, "I remember too. He said something like, 'Don't you two dislike each other? If you're so capable, try drinking each other out.' He used reverse psychology. I thought to myself, 'How childish of him!'"

"Childish my foot," Fan Binbin scoffed. "He had it all planned out."

Another silence fell. Then the two of them spoke almost simultaneously.

"He took both of us—"

"Um."

Fan Binbin buried his face in his hands, his voice muffled: "I woke up once in the middle, and the effects of the alcohol had mostly worn off. But it was already—it was too late."

She didn't continue.

Gao Yuanyuan did not respond.

She looked down at her fingers, and the memories of last night slowly pieced together like shards of glass.

When I came to my senses, everything had already happened.

She remembers trying to break free, but her limbs were weak, and her mind was also weak.

Wei Yi whispered something in her ear, but she didn't hear it clearly, and she didn't struggle anymore.

"Say something!" Fan Binbin looked up and glared at her.

Gao Yuanyuan glanced at her, her tone surprisingly calm: "What are you going to say? Curse him? He's not here. Cry? Who are you going to cry to?"

Besides, I'm not angry at all; I'm actually quite willing. Bingbing, you're so fair-skinned, and your breasts are bigger than mine, and your butt is bigger too. I'm so envious of you!

Fan Binbin was speechless.

Gao Yuanyuan continued, her tone still cool and literary, but what she said made Fan Binbin's eyelids twitch: "And Bingbing, wasn't this just a matter of time before we ended up like this? Before last night, didn't you ever think about this day? Didn't you and Mu Tingting get done to like this by him together? I don't believe it."

"I didn't!"

Fan Binbin opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but found that he couldn't find a point to refute.

She stared at Gao Yuanyuan for several seconds, finally managing to stammer out, "Are you really sick?"

"Maybe."

Gao Yuanyuan pulled the blanket up to cover her body, which was only wearing a men's T-shirt, and said in a light tone as if she were talking about the weather, "But I think last night was actually not bad."

Fan Binbin was completely speechless.

She threw back the covers and stood up, barefoot, searching for her clothes on the carpet.

She found the jeans, but the underwear had been kicked under the bed. As she bent down to reach for them, her back to Gao Yuanyuan, she suddenly stopped.

"Gao Yuanyuan".

"Um?"

Do you think he'll actually record it?

Gao Yuanyuan paused for a moment, then said, "It's not that bad. He's not that kind of person."

How do you know he's not that kind of person?

Gao Yuanyuan thought for a moment and said seriously, "Because he doesn't need it. Even if there were a few more people like us around him now, he wouldn't need to rely on video recording."

Fan Binbin paused, her hand still grasping at the bra. She wanted to argue, but found herself persuaded by the woman once again.

She straightened up, clutched her bra in her hand, and turned to look at Gao Yuanyuan.

Two women stared at each other across half of a messy bed. They were wearing the same T-shirt as the same man, their hair was a mess like a bird's nest, and their faces, without makeup, were clean and tired.

"Okay." Fan Binbin took a deep breath. "Let's pretend last night never happened."

"Hmm." Gao Yuanyuan nodded, then added, "But I think it might happen again tonight. I'll finish filming today, and so will you. He'll definitely find an excuse to call you and me together, probably to discuss tomorrow's scenes or something, and then we'll end up drinking together again."

Fan Binbin stared at her for a long time, his lips twitching slightly.

"You seem to know him quite well."

"I don't really know her." Gao Yuanyuan finally threw off the covers and got off, standing barefoot on the carpet. She bent down to pick up her dress. "She's just not stupid."

"What should we do? This guy is awful!"

"You don't have to come over. You can sleep in your own room. I'll sleep with him; that way, he won't get his way."

"Damn it! Why should you sleep with him while I sleep in the room? Why can't you sleep in the room and I sleep with him?!"

"Because I don't mind. He's like a wild bull, he never stops arguing once he starts, and I can't handle it alone. The two of us are just right."

"Besides," Gao Yuanyuan glanced at Fan Xiaopang, "I sense you're quite bothered by it. Since you're bothered, then I'll just eat it all by myself."

"Don't even think about it!"

Fan Xiaopang snorted coldly, not wanting to pay any more attention to this woman with a problem in her brain.

She started to put on her own clothes, intending to go back to her room to rest for a while.

This room is just too messy right now.

The smell of beer, liquor, sweat, heather, and seafood—it's awful!

Even if she's the female lead, she doesn't actually get many roles to play.

She figured she could just go back in the afternoon; he'd automatically adjust the shooting time for her.

Just as Fan Xiaopang said.

The filming schedule originally put the scene together this morning, which was the only scene the two of them had together.

It was rescheduled for the afternoon.

in the afternoon.

The sun in Bangkok is as scorching as a branding iron.

In the antique shop set in the back alley of Chinatown, the prop team is already in place.

Wei Yi sat behind the monitor, holding his third iced coffee of the day.

"All departments, prepare." He put down his coffee, picked up the megaphone, and announced, "Detective Chinatown, Scene 47, Shot 1, Action!"

Fan Binbin pushed open the door. The brass bell hanging on the door rang once.

She stepped into the store, her gaze sweeping over the shelves before finally settling on Gao Yuanyuan behind the counter.

Gao Yuanyuan looked up, the rag in her hand still draped over the vase.

The two looked at each other.

"Click." Wei Yi stood up from behind the monitor and walked up to Fan Binbin.

"Binbin, the look on your face just now made it look like you were here to smash up the store."

Fan Binbin blinked.

Wei Yi continued, "But in the storyline, this is your first meeting. As fellow beautiful women, you'd naturally scrutinize and observe, but that doesn't justify trying to smash up someone's shop right away, does it?"

Fan Binbin pursed her lips.

I thought to myself, don't you know why I'm like this?

But she still nodded: "Okay, I'll adjust it right away, let's do another take."

Wei Yi turned to Gao Yuanyuan and said, "You are too. You're the owner of an antique shop, not a tea master. She trespassed on your turf, so you should feel offended. But you wouldn't slam your fist on the table and yell at her, because you are Feng Rui—a woman who has been in Chinatown for thousands of years, involved in both the legitimate and criminal worlds, what kind of situation hasn't you seen? You would only deflect the offense in a more subtle way. Like Tai Chi, it looks soft, but it's actually strong."

Gao Yuanyuan nodded thoughtfully.

Article 2. Article 3. Article 4.

Each one represents progress, but none of them are truly effective.

The two of them looked like they were about to fight.

In the middle of the session, Wei Yi pulled the two of them aside and explained things to them.

However, the subsequent filming also did not go smoothly.

Sixth Frame, Seventh Frame, Eighth Frame, Ninth Frame.

The stagehands around them started whispering among themselves.

"What's going on? These two seem like sworn enemies—"

"The director's requirements are too high. I think these two standing together are already breathtaking enough. Why ask for anything more?"

"This scene shouldn't be too difficult, right? —"

Wei Yi had no other choice but to mentally call upon the system.

Hey idiot, turn the "Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Soul-Capturing and Puppet Control Technique" up to its maximum for me.

Don't hold back your spiritual energy!

[Command denied. Target detected to be in a "battlefield" state. This skill cannot intervene in performance deviations caused by emotional entanglements. It is recommended that the host address the problem at its root. The host knows better than anyone where the root cause lies.]

Wei Yi certainly knew.

But he doesn't regret it.

Last night — that was really awesome.

Even in his past life, he wouldn't dare to dream of putting the two of them together and doing whatever he wanted.

Later.

Article 10.

Article 11.

Article 12.

After the twelfth take was filmed, Wei Yi, behind the monitor, neither yelled "cut" nor did he say anything else.

He just leaned back in his chair, watching the replay on the screen, his expression not very cheerful.

He got twelve consecutive NGs, something that had never happened to him before.

Why don't we just cut this scene out?

Anyway, he's the director, he's the boss, he calls the shots.

The set was so quiet that only the hum of the camera's cooling fans could be heard.

The stagehands didn't dare to speak, the lighting technicians kept their heads down adjusting the lights, and even Wang Baoqiang, who usually had a carefree and playful demeanor, huddled in a corner, too afraid to utter a sound.

Just then, Liang Jiahui stood up.

He placed the script on the folding chair, straightened his shirt collar, and walked unhurriedly to the two of them.

He wore that signature gentle smile, showing no airs of a senior at all.

"Binbin. Yuanyuan."

His Mandarin had a Hong Kong accent, but every word was steady and clear. "I've been watching you two for a long time. Your questions are actually quite simple."

Fan Binbin looked up at him. Gao Yuanyuan also put down the rag.

Liang Jiahui first said to Fan Binbin, "You're a woman who's strayed into someone else's territory. The way you looked at her was probing, not declaring war. Probing means—I'm not sure if you're dangerous, I need to figure it out. Declaring war means—I've already determined you're the enemy. Ah Xiang and Feng Rui in the play wouldn't go that far."

After he finished speaking, he took a step forward and demonstrated for himself. Just one step.

He stepped in through the door, his shoulders slightly tucked in, his gaze sweeping across the shelves before finally settling on "Feng Rui." It wasn't a glare.

It's a look. The kind of look where you think she's just giving you a casual glance, but she's actually scrutinized you from head to toe three times over.

Fan Binbin was stunned.

I thought to myself, "This guy is a total Oscar winner!"

Liang Jiahui turned to Gao Yuanyuan, his tone still gentle: "Your role is Feng Rui. Polite on the surface, but wary in reality. You've been working in the antique shop for ten years, what kind of people haven't you seen? The moment she walks in, you know she's not there to buy anything, but you won't say it out loud. You'll just—clean your vases."

He picked up the rag next to him and casually wiped the vase a couple of times.

The movements were small, but the work in their hands never stopped.

"A woman who runs an antique shop needs to have something to do. When she has something to do, she can stay calm. When she is calm, she can project an aura of confidence."

He handed the rag back to Gao Yuanyuan, took a step back, and suddenly smiled.

"There's one last thing."

He glanced at Fan Binbin, then at Gao Yuanyuan, his voice low, just loud enough for the two of them to hear, and also enough for anyone nearby who was listening intently.

"Acting is for the audience, not for the director. You two are having a crazy acting showdown with Director Wei, but the audience can't even see him."

The entire room was silent for a full three seconds.

Then someone in the corner couldn't hold it in any longer and let out a very soft "poof".

It's Wang Baoqiang.

He quickly covered his mouth and shrank back into the corner.

Chen Acai's hand trembled slightly as he held the mango shaved ice, causing the ice cubes to splatter in the cup.

Fan Binbin's face flushed slightly.

It wasn't because of the criticism, but because my thoughts were hit.

Gao Yuanyuan lowered her head, and her movements of wiping the vase with a rag suddenly became natural.

She blushed too.

Wei Yi peeked out from behind the monitor and glanced at Liang Jiahui.

Their eyes met.

Liang Jiahui nodded slightly to him, said nothing, and turned back to his seat.

I picked up the script and continued reading, as if nothing had happened.

Wei Yi stood up and clapped his hands: "Ten-minute break. Those who need to drink water, drink water; those who need to touch up their makeup, touch up your makeup. There's plenty of mango shaved ice today. Chen Acai, go buy another batch."

"Alright!" Chen Acai breathed a sigh of relief and turned to run away.

Break time.

Fan Binbin then had his assistant buy dozens of cups of iced milk tea to distribute to the entire team.

She personally carried the two cups to Gao Yuanyuan and casually handed one to her.

"It's too hot in Bangkok, have something cold to drink." His tone was casual, his expression was neutral, but there was no hostility.

Gao Yuanyuan took the milk tea, glanced down at the water droplets on the cup, hesitated for a moment, and then reached out to help Fan Binbin straighten the hem of his costume that had been ruffled by the wind.

"Your clothes wrinkle easily."

Fan Binbin glanced down at the hem of her skirt, then looked up at Gao Yuanyuan.

Gao Yuanyuan was drinking iced milk tea with her head down, her expression calm as if nothing had just happened.

The two of them turned their gazes in the same direction at the same time—Wei Yi was sitting in front of the monitor, drinking iced milk tea while watching the playback.

He crunched the ice cubes in his iced milk tea loudly, not at all like a man who had been tormented by two women for half a day.

"He's like a completely different person when he's directing," Gao Yuanyuan suddenly said, her voice very soft.

Fan Binbin chimed in, lowering his tone: "That's just how he is. He's a completely different person when he's filming and when he's not."

Gao Yuanyuan stared at Wei Yi for a few seconds, then her voice suddenly softened: "But I think he's incredibly handsome in both states, what should I do?"

Fan Binbin turned to look at her, his lips twitching. He took a deep breath and cursed, "You're fucking crazy."

"However—" Fan Binbin glanced at Wei Yi again, and couldn't help but curl his lips upwards, "This guy is indeed very handsome."

Gao Yuanyuan laughed too. For the first time, their laughter wasn't from playful banter, but because of this man they both shared.

Reshoot this afternoon. Item 13.

Wei Yi sat back down in front of the monitor and silently recited "system" in his mind.

The "Instantaneous Birth and Death Light and Shadow Technique" fine-tunes the light and shadow—the sandalwood smoke in the antique shop is cut into thin strips of light. When Fan Binbin pushes the door open, the backlight outlines a golden edge. When Gao Yuanyuan raises her head, her profile is illuminated by the warm light of the table lamp, making her look like an oil painting.

Blessed by the Dharma of Mirror Flower Karma.

"Scene 47, Shot 13 of 'Detective Chinatown'—Action!"

A little while later.

Wei Yi stood up, picked up the megaphone, and announced: "Click. This one's through."

97

When it's time to wrap up work.

Xiao Wang converted the footage from the monitor into a rough cut and sent it back to China as requested by Wei Yi.

One hour later, on the third floor of Hehuan Film and Television.

Li Hua's computer screen was lit up.

The rough cut is only thirty seconds long.

Fan Binbin pushed open the door, Gao Yuanyuan looked up, and Wei Yi used light and shadow to slice the eye contact between the two into several layers.

First, there's a wide-angle confrontation, then a close-up of Fan Binbin's profile, then a cut to Gao Yuanyuan's finger pausing on the vase, and finally, when the camera cuts back to a wide shot, the copper bell is still gently swaying.

After watching it, Li Hua took off his glasses, wiped them, put them back on, and forwarded the clip to Liu Yang of Sina Entertainment.

Liu Yang called almost immediately.

"Director Li! The visual quality, the tension between these two actresses—are you shooting a fashion editorial or a commercial comedy?! If word gets out, who will still say Fan Binbin and Gao Yuanyuan are bad actors?"

Li Hua relayed Liu Yang's words to Wei Yi.

Wei Yi leaned back in his chair and said calmly, "Then let's show the audience the pinnacle of beauty between two female leads."

That evening, VOGUE's official website reposted the video.

The theme "Eastern Women's Power" quickly went viral, causing an uproar in the comments section.

"Is this a movie clip? Every frame could be used as wallpaper!"

"When Fan Binbin and Gao Yuanyuan are in the same frame, I don't know where to look."

"Wei Yi is really good at photographing women. I was already impressed by Gong Li's VOGUE cover shoot, and now I'm even more impressed."

"What do you mean by 'top-tier looks for two female leads'? This is clearly the pinnacle of acting for two female leads! Look at those eyes!"

"If anyone dares to say that Fan Binbin and Gao Yuanyuan's acting skills are bad again, I'll smash their dog mouth in!"

A little later, Han Sanping made a call to Bangkok.

"Xiao Wei, is this a rough cut? What will the final version look like?"

"Don't worry, Third Master, it will definitely be better than this."

Han Sanping laughed heartily and said "good" three times in a row.

Then he paused, a hint of excitement in his voice: "I'm planning to raise the price for overseas distribution. I'm letting you know."

After hanging up the phone, Wei Yi stuffed it into his pocket. Fan Binbin happened to walk over and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. It's just that after watching today's play, Master Han said he wants to increase the overseas release price."

Fan Binbin paused for a moment, then laughed: "Then you're treating tonight."

That evening, at that Chaozhou hot pot restaurant in Chinatown. Wei Yi sat in the middle, Fan Binbin to his left, and Gao Yuanyuan to his right.

Gao Yuanyuan placed a piece of tripe into his bowl: "When you were filming our scene today, did you feel even a little bit guilty?"

"What are you feeling guilty about?"

"The reason we've ended up like this is all because of you."

Fan Binbin couldn't help but retort, "You're overthinking it. How could he possibly feel guilty? He's probably just secretly thrilled—two stunning beauties fighting over him, he's getting incredibly excited, right?"

Wei Yi was silent for a few seconds, then picked up a piece of beef ball and handed it back to her: "So I didn't say a word to comfort you two when you were arguing, hahaha."

Fan Binbin turned to Gao Yuanyuan and said, "See? I knew this guy was like this."

Gao Yuanyuan laughed: "But I think he's handsome and charming like this, what should I do?"

"You're fucking sick! Don't infect me!" Fan Binbin said disdainfully, moving his stool away.

"I'm telling the truth." Gao Yuanyuan lowered her head to drink her soup, a smile curving her lips. "He can be really bad sometimes, but I like him too."

Wei Yi picked up a beef ball for her and said to Fan Binbin in a lecturing tone, "Look at her, and then look at you."

Fan Binbin retorted, "She's faking it, or she's mentally ill! What's the point of watching her!"

Why are you in such a hurry?

The two started arguing quietly. Gao Yuanyuan watched them bickering, laughing as she slowly sipped her soup.

The evening breeze in Bangkok finally brought a touch of coolness, blowing slowly from the direction of the Chao Phraya River.

The plastic canopy of the hot pot stall rattled twice in the wind.

In the distance, the neon lights of Chinatown were still flashing tirelessly, red, green, and purple, making the night both lively and lonely.

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