HuaYu: Starting with Photography to Navigate the Entertainment Industry

"that is..."

As Xu Lang spoke, he gestured with his hands to indicate the name.

"It's like a demon... an untamed, primal life force."

"Undisciplined...primal life force?"

Liu Tao repeated the word with a lisp, looking somewhat bewildered.

Seeing this, Xu Lang thought for a moment and described it as follows:

"The beauty of ordinary women is shaped by worldly aesthetics and social norms:"

Her makeup was exquisite and meticulous, her demeanor was dignified and restrained, and even her smile was measured; she was "beautiful in a way that meets human expectations."

The beauty of a thousand-year-old demon is nurtured by mountains, rivers, sun, and moon; it has not been tamed by human rules and possesses a wild clarity and ease, a beauty that is unaware of itself, and a feeling of unrestrained freedom without trying to please.

Xu Lang's description left Liu Tao completely stunned.

After a long pause, she finally spoke:

"This wasn't explicitly mentioned in the script, was it?"

"We haven't even filmed it yet, what's there to be afraid of? The script can be changed anytime."

As Xu Lang spoke, he then said to Liu Tao:

"Sister Tao, just think about it, the carefree nature of that great demon, the unrestrained and vibrant beauty, if you could bring that out, your image would definitely be amazing."

"Well..."

Liu Tao was somewhat tempted by Xu Lang's words. After pondering for a moment, he asked:

"What you said sounds good, but it's not easy to demonstrate, is it?"

"Let me think about it."

Xu Lang pinched his chin and scrutinized Liu Tao with a burning gaze, like a pair of powerful hands, making Liu Tao feel as if his clothes were being torn apart by his gaze.

"Actually, it's not difficult to perform."

Xu Lang stared at Liu Tao's features and said:

"Natural beauty cannot be achieved with makeup; it must be..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Tao interrupted him.

"How can you look good without makeup?"

"Don't worry, even without makeup, I can make it look fine with the lights. Don't forget, light and shadow are the most amazing magicians."

Liu Tao didn't quite understand this principle, but Xu Lang was a photographer, and she didn't need to argue with his professionalism.

"Okay, please continue."

"besides."

Xu Lang continued to stare at Liu Tao's eyes and brows, then suggested:

"Sister Tao, how about I remove your makeup? That way we can see it clearly and know how to do your makeup afterwards."

"You can even do makeup?"

"Who do you think you are? I did Sisi's makeup."

As he spoke, Xu Lang pulled Liu Tao directly in front of the dressing mirror.

Liu Tao originally intended to just listen to Xu Lang's ideas to see if they were reliable, but somehow he ended up on his pirate ship, sitting on the dressing stool and having his face fussed over by Xu Lang.

After removing her makeup, Liu Tao felt a little embarrassed. After all, what female celebrities look like after removing their makeup is a closely guarded secret to outsiders.

But Xu Lang crossed his arms, a look of surprise in his eyes as he scrutinized Liu Tao.

"Sister Tao, you have a really good foundation, even better than I imagined. With this bare face, you look even more like a married woman."

Feeling a little embarrassed by Xu Lang's evaluation, Liu Tao glared at him and said:

"Stop talking nonsense and get down to business."

"Don't rush, let me take a look."

Xu Lang stared at Liu Tao's eyes and brows, gesturing with his hands as he spoke:

"Your eyebrows are relatively flat, but they are thick enough. You don't need to deliberately raise them. Keeping them slightly blunt will make your eyes appear open and bright."

It also has a slightly loose, "unretouched" feel.

After examining her eyebrows, Xu Lang then focused his gaze on her eyes.

"Your eyes are rounder, and your pupils are brighter than most people's, giving you a clean and clear look. You don't need to force a seductive look at the corners of your eyes to show your natural, unblemished beauty."

Listening to Xu Lang's words, Liu Tao felt a little dizzy and couldn't understand them. He wondered if Xu Lang was just talking nonsense.

Want to interrupt?

But I also felt that he was speaking very professionally and attentively, and it would be impolite to interrupt him abruptly.

Helpless, they could only let him continue.

"Sister Tao, your nose is rounded but has a strong three-dimensional shape. It's warm and not sharp, which makes it look elegant and natural. It also has an unrefined, natural feel. It's great."

"And your lips, with their gentle lines, full shape, and naturally moist texture, lack the restraint of 'a woman should be reserved,' appearing bright and vibrant."

As he spoke, Xu Lang touched Liu Tao's cupid's bow with his lip pencil.

"It's so bouncy!"

"Well..."

Liu Tao was both embarrassed and angry at Xu Lang's provocative actions.

Shall we turn against each other?

It's not worth it.

We won't fall out, right?

This kid is too frivolous. Isn't he just making fun of me?

To be honest, Xu Lang's current state was indeed one of "balancing public and private affairs".

The male is there, just for taking photos to understand its facial features;

It's purely about satisfying one's own selfish desires.

After all, even if the title of "charming and virtuous wife" is true, there wouldn't be many women who would touch Liu Tao's lips like that.

However, seeing that Liu Tao seemed to be tolerating him, Xu Lang did not dare to go too far.

After a moment's thought, he concluded:

"As for the facial features, that's easy to handle. Just abandon the human beauty standard of 'small face, delicate, and charming,' and go for a natural look that's 'relaxed, bright, and open.' I'll add some effects to the lighting and shadows later, and there won't be any problems."

After saying that, Xu Lang then said to Liu Tao:

"Sister Tao, stand up, let me see your figure."

Liu Tao stood up as instructed. Xu Lang pinched his chin and looked at him, clicking his tongue in disapproval.

"Sister Tao, you've trained in dance, your posture looks too stiff."

"Straight and upright?"

"Yes, to put it another way, they're too pretentious."

As Xu Lang spoke, he touched Liu Tao's body again, swaying her shoulders and back, and said:

"Look, your shoulders are tucked in, your posture is upright and restrained, exuding 'disciplined propriety,' while the White Snake, as a great demon, should be supple and relaxed, lacking that human sense of discipline."

Hearing Xu Lang say this, Liu Tao's heart stirred. Li Gongda had mentioned a similar issue before, saying that she lacked the alluring charm of Zhang Manyu in "Green Snake".

Thinking of this, Liu Tao frowned and said:

"You mean that feeling from 'Green Snake'?"

"Um..."

Xu Lang had naturally seen Zhang Manyu's portrayal of the Green Snake and was deeply impressed by that classic character.

After thinking for a moment, he shook his head again.

"The core of the demonic charm in 'Green Snake' is the display of animalistic allure and eroticism, which wouldn't work in a CCTV drama."

Hearing Xu Lang say this, Liu Tao felt relieved.

The wariness in his eyes when he looked at Xu Lang lessened.

"The fact that this kid said that means he hasn't messed around yet and knows what's important."

At this moment, Xu Lang said:

"Although we don't follow that route, Sister Tao, your figure must be relaxed, free, and unrestrained by etiquette."

Take sitting posture, for example. Look at you just now, sitting on the dressing table, all stiff and straight, like a primary school student.

Think about it, how would someone who hasn't been disciplined sit or lie down?

At this point, Xu Lang slapped his forehead, recalling a gesture, or rather, one of Liu Tao's nicknames:

Succubus!

This title comes from a joke Liu Tao made on the variety show "Infinite Beyond Class" in her previous life.

The core idea is that she, as a mentor, demonstrates a scene with a sense of ambiguous tension to the young actors.

Throughout the entire performance, Liu Tao did not use any explicit actions or exaggerated expressions. He relied solely on his low voice, slightly trembling eyelashes, and hooking eyes when he looked up to perfectly portray "restrained seduction."

Netizens described her as a top-tier succubus who "has desires but is not at all vulgar, and can seduce people with her dignified demeanor."

Thinking of this, Xu Lang's lips twitched, and he said to Liu Tao:

"Sister Tao, sit here and demonstrate your 'graceful yet alluring' qualities. Let's see how it goes?"