CHAPTER 35: CHAPTER 35: TRULY AN OLD AND DEXTEROUS HAND (SEEKING MONTHLY VOTES)

"I’m really happy to work with you again. This outfit... you look even more handsome than before."

Yang Mi’s eyes couldn’t leave Qi Hao.

There was no need for her to pretend to look infatuated; she already looked quite mesmerized now.

"Hello, Mr. Qi, I’m Liu Shishi."

Liu Shishi, dressed in a red outfit, came over upon hearing her name. Everyone wasn’t very familiar with each other yet, so they all seemed a bit reserved.

Except for Yang Mi and Qi Hao, who were a bit different.

Because they had worked together before, playing roles like Yang Guo and Guo Xiang, having many scenes together.

Yang Mi’s portrayal of Guo Xiang was actually very nice.

In that TV series, the way she looked at Qi Hao didn’t seem like acting at all.

But unfortunately, An Feng was in "The Return of the Condor Heroes".

With Zhang Jizhong’s machinations, Qi Hao and An Feng’s rumors became known to everyone, and Yang Mi could only watch her big brother and his aunt soar together.

"Hello, your outfit looks great too..."

Complimenting the costume is never wrong, especially when the costume design of this drama was actually pretty good.

"Just the costume? Is the person not good-looking?" Liu Shishi joked with a smile on her side.

"Haha..." Qi Hao was speechless.

Yang Mi also widened her eyes. This little lamb was so gentle just now, and now she had the guts to tease Qi Hao on their first meeting.

Seemed casual, but it was actually premeditated!

Really underestimated her!

"Just kidding, I’m really happy to work with you, Mr. Qi!" Liu Shishi extended her hand.

Qi Hao shook her hand briefly, "No need to be so formal, just call me Qi Hao. Where’s the director? I should go say hello."

For some reason, Qi Hao always had the illusion of Elder Tang facing a female demon. Thinking about that "Fortunate Wife’s Destiny", he didn’t want to stay with female celebrities any longer.

All these ladies don’t seem like good folks!

"Ah, sorry, am I late?"

The hurriedly arriving one was Tang Yan, the actress for Zi Xuan, and Qi Hao had to stop to make small talk, deciding to find the director later.

Luckily, she wasn’t the only one arriving.

Soon, several supporting actors came in, like Huang Zhiwei playing Chonglou, Lin Zicong as Xu Maoshan, Liu Jiahui as Evil Sword Immortal, Yuan Hong as Yunting, and Yue Yueli as Lord Tang.

They all probably came by the big bus, unlike Qi Hao who had a private car for transportation.

Many of them were stars from Xiangjiang and Taiwan.

Sugarman has deep Hong Kong and Taiwan capital backgrounds, and they love to cast actors from the two shores and three regions.

If it weren’t for Hu Ge being in a car accident and not fully recovering yet, and finally getting Qi Hao to agree to play a role, the actor for Xu Changqing might’ve been a Hong Kong or Taiwan actor.

He would have been chosen from people like Gu Jujie, Qiu Ze, He Junxiang, or Huo Jianhua.

Tang Yan only managed to shake Qi Hao’s hand before he moved on to greet others.

If only she had gotten up a little earlier!

At this moment, producer Cai Yinong, director Li Guoli, and lead actor Hu Ge heard the chatter in the yard and quickly came out.

Almost everyone had arrived.

Qi Hao wasn’t early either, based on his status, he could afford to come a bit later.

"Qi Hao!" Li Guoli, of course, had to greet Qi Hao first.

"Director Li, pleasure to meet you. I took this role because of your reputation, finally getting to meet you today."

Qi Hao held onto Li Guoli’s hand without letting go, spewing all sorts of nonsensical flattery.

Li Guoli also acted very excited.

As if two people who had long admired each other had finally overcome great difficulties to work together.

Not a word about adding scenes for the writer or the matter of Hu Ge’s triple salary.

Actually, many so-called behind-the-scenes stories of film and television productions are "manufactured". The real behind-the-scenes may be full of filth and deals.

Not at all like what the production company presents during promotion.

Cai Yinong had nothing to say to Qi Hao’s words.

She couldn’t just say it was because she didn’t trust Hu Ge and paid a high price for reassurance, right?

"Hao!"

Hu Ge, wearing his costume, with bangs covering the scars still on his face.

Facing someone in a bigger position, a role model in the entertainment industry, he appeared very humble.

Of course, the pressure was almost suffocating him.

"It’ll all get better!" Qi Hao looked at him, then smiled and patted his arm.

This warmth nearly made Hu Ge burst into tears and cry on Qi Hao’s shoulder.

Hao, Hao’s comforting me.

Sobs, the Film Emperor is so approachable...

Cai Yinong, witnessing this, also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Her biggest fear was Qi Hao, leveraging his status and acting skills, looking down on Hu Ge who shared the same billing position and oppressing him on and off set.

She didn’t expect Qi Hao, who seemed aloof, to be so approachable with the cast.

"Everyone’s changed into costumes, right? Come on, everyone, let’s do a final check to see if there are any mistakes."

After exchanging pleasantries, Li Guoli called the actors to get checked.

During the check, some photos for the final look would be taken.

They would be used for future promotion.

Of course, at this moment, the door of Tang Family Castle was also closed. Apart from staff related to the crew, fans outside couldn’t see what was going on inside.

This is to prevent fans and passersby from sneakily taking photos.

Their limited skills and lack of angle finding could result in ugly photos being posted online, negatively impacting the film’s follow-up publicity.

Sugarman’s behind-the-scenes team is incredibly strong.

Chen Guifang, who won the Best Costume Design at the Golden Horse Award in 1987 for "A Chinese Ghost Story," Liang Shengquan, former assistant director of Shaw Brothers Studio, Song Xiaotao, nominated for the 44th Taiwan Golden Horse Award for Best Makeup and Costume Design, He Jiansheng, who worked as an art director at Shaw Brothers Studio for seven years, etc.

They all gathered around, offering opinions on the actors’ live performances.

Yang Liu diligently set up a chair for Qi Hao.

Wearing a hat and baggy sportswear that concealed her impressive figure, she was dressed in the low-key style typical of a crew assistant.

Avoiding any trouble for the employer as much as possible.

Qi Hao sat resting and waiting, his costume simple and not the kind that required standing to maintain its form.

First, some supporting actors quickly walked through.

Then the main actors were focused on more, choosing only the most stunning photos.

Three pretty girls went first, followed by a set with Hu Ge.

Qi Hao went last.

The stylists and director asked him to pose in certain ways to fully showcase his handsomeness and facilitate composition in subsequent shoots.

Then came the group photo.

This part was more casual, mostly arranged by the actors themselves.

"Big brother, let’s take a group photo together!"

Yang Mi, playing Xue Jian, asked to take a photo with Qi Hao. Since she and Qi Hao had worked together before, this was also a promotional focus for the film, so nothing could be criticized.

"Sure!" It was an unavoidable situation, and Qi Hao agreed readily.

When the director suggested putting an arm around a shoulder, he didn’t hesitate.

I’ve traveled north and south, touched the long legs of ladies, what big scenes haven’t I seen?

He could already envision how the production team would promote it.

It would definitely be something like "At the peak of Mount Shaoshi, the zither hasn’t cooled; at Fengling Ferry, a voice seems heard. In the Human World, love doesn’t grow old. Don’t believe a fair girl will find gray hair." "After parting, longing spans a river; upon returning, it’s been three lifetimes," and so on.

If they didn’t hype up the reunion of Yang Guo and Guo Xiang, giving him such a high salary would be unjustified.

It’s unclear if the production team has considered casting Yang Mi as Zi Xuan.

That would really be a romance spanning three lifetimes.

Yang Mi kept taking photos, even the director couldn’t bear it and interrupted: "Yang Mi, go over there and take some with Hu Ge. Tang Yan, you take some with Qi Hao."

"Qi Hao, come over to the window and take a photo!"

While Yang Mi was taking photos, Tang Yan wasn’t idle. She had already chosen a background wall and photo poses.

She kept her agent’s advice in mind, trying not to have any inappropriate thoughts about Qi Hao.

But the styling photos affect subsequent promotions, so she had to fight for the spotlight.

Yang Mi called him big brother, so she called him Qi Hao brother...

As long as they weren’t embarrassed, Qi Hao would be.

"You two, bring your heads closer. Just like the ones Yang Mi and Qi Hao took, you’re a couple, so you can be a bit more intimate..."

Li Guoli, watching, was constructing the characters’ chemistry.

Even with the same script, different actors would naturally bring different emphases.

Filming sometimes follows the feeling.

"Qi Hao, pull Tang Yan’s sleeve, Tang Yan, show a little shoulder..."

Li Guoli looked here and there, filled with filming inspiration.

"Take it easy, don’t tear it..." Tang Yan cooperated, turning sideways.

"..."

Qi Hao felt like hitting someone, hearing "oh oh oh," he couldn’t control himself.

Still, he softened his actions a bit to avoid directly tearing Tang Yan’s clothes.

I’d strip her clothes in shame!

Ah, lady, this outfit looks great, can I take a look at your inner layers?

With a gentle pull from Qi Hao, Tang Yan’s slightly sheer clothing slipped off a bit, revealing a fair shoulder.

She’s truly smooth and slick.

"OK, pause, yes, turn your head to look at Qi Hao, just a smile will do, don’t smile too exaggeratedly, yes, Qi Hao’s expression is great!"

Li Guoli, watching beside the photographer, was getting excited.

He wished to start officially filming right away.

Launching the "Chinese Paladin 3" project wasn’t without pressure. With the acclaimed "Chinese Paladin 1" as a predecessor, if the sequel fell short, he would definitely be heavily criticized.

Not only would he personally be scolded, but Sugarman wouldn’t fare well either.

This was a double-edged challenge for him because he was not just Sugarman’s executive producer, but also a shareholder.

Unfortunately, according to the filming schedule, Qi Hao and Tang Yan’s scenes had to be postponed a bit.

After finishing with Tang Yan, Liu Shishi was also encouraged by Cai Yinong to come over.

Whether it’s one sheep being driven or three sheep being herded.

There’s no reason Yang Mi can, Tang Yan can, but Liu Shishi can’t. Let them take photos if they want.

If too few come, it’s uninteresting; if too many come, I might lose my life!

For the crew, taking group photos is also a process of getting to know and acclimate to one another.

After photographing with Liu Shishi, other supporting actors also came over for photos. Qi Hao welcomed everyone, quickly blending in with the cast on set.

Once enough photos were taken, everyone gathered together for a group photo, spraying some confetti cannons.

Announcing the official start of filming for "Chinese Paladin 3."