Huayu: This producer has no bottom line.

Chapter 71 The Sun Rises

The days without Cecilia Cheung were actually the most productive.

Song Xiaobao has a good foundation and a strong sense of camera presence; she only needs a few takes to get it right.

As expected of someone raised in an artistic family, Yoon Jung exudes the air of a wealthy young master the moment he applies hair gel.

Zhang Xiaofei had it even easier.

Ren Pingsheng only asked her one question: "Have you ever played a woman from Northeast China?"

"I am a woman from Northeast China."

"Then don't think about anything else, just do as your mother says."

Then she slapped Dapeng on the back of the head, making a muffled sound that everyone heard.

Da Peng turned around, clutching the back of his head, looking aggrieved. "Director, she really hit me."

"Good shot! Let's do it again, make sure you get one."

Da Peng and Bai Ke have many scenes together.

Aside from the final stage performance, the alleyway scene that changes their relationship is a tough nut to crack.

In the original version, the male lead who was bullying students was surrounded by thugs, and the second male lead used Michael Jackson's dance to influence them.

The design intent is obvious, but it's just too outrageous!

"Reform" my foot! Do you think people will stop hitting you just because you dance?

The main point is that it doesn't have that nonsensical flavor of Stephen Chow's films.

Ren Pingsheng's adaptation strategy is very clear: "Old Boys" is a prequel to "Charlotte," and the timeline corresponds to Charlotte's teenage years before she traveled through time.

So, Xia Luo mistakenly thought that the school beauty liked the second male lead played by Bai Ke, and in a fit of anger, he waited for him in the back alley. Unexpectedly, Yuan Hua, the rich second-generation played by Yin Zheng, also misunderstood and asked Brother Chen Kai from the underworld to surround the two of them in the alley.

After going through thick and thin together, the misunderstanding was cleared up, and their brotherhood was established.

That makes perfect sense, doesn't it?

This scene took a whole day to film. Da Peng actually scraped his lip, and Bai Ke was covered in dirt.

The two men got up from the muddy ground, helping each other to their feet. Da Peng raised his hand to help Bai Ke brush the dust off his shoulder, but then withdrew his hand halfway and instead punched Bai Ke in the chest.

Bai Ke didn't dodge; he grinned.

The setting sun cast long shadows of the two dusty, gray-faced figures.

"Card."

Ren Pingsheng's voice came from the end of the alley, very softly.

He was afraid that shouting would break the moment.

Everything is progressing smoothly, except for the school beauty's scenes, which haven't been touched at all.

Zhang Baizhi didn't completely disappear.

The next day at noon, her assistant called to ask if she had any scenes to film that day.

Ren Pingsheng glanced at the call sheet. "Today we're filming the male lead's childhood scenes. The female lead's scenes will be scheduled later. I'll let you know the specific times later."

I was being polite, but they didn't give me any time.

On the third day, the assistant called again, this time with a noticeably softer tone, "Director Ren, they say Cecilia is feeling a bit better. Could you arrange it as soon as possible?"

"Okay, I'll line up here."

Have you lined up yet?

I've lined up.

The date was January 30th.

During this period, Cecilia Cheung stayed in the hotel for four whole days.

From being self-righteous on the first day to feeling restless on the third day.

She's not stupid. A film crew wouldn't stop work for four days just to wait for one actor. The only explanation is that they weren't waiting for her at all.

This feeling of being ignored was extremely uncomfortable for her, who was used to being surrounded by the film crew.

But because of Zhao Bensan's presence, she couldn't just break off relations and leave.

If I leave, how am I going to explain it to my uncle?

……

January 30th, early morning.

Ren Pingsheng stood at the intersection of Pingguoyuan Road, rubbing his hands and looking up at the sky.

After several days of overcast skies, the sun finally came out in Yanjing; the heavens were kind to us.

At 8:30, a minivan was parked on the side of the road.

Xiao Shenyang jumped down, wrapped in a low-key green cotton-padded coat, followed by his wife Shen Chunyang.

But that face, recognized by people all over the country, instantly caused a stir.

"Isn't that little Shen Yang?"

"It really is him!"

Several elderly people who were out for their morning walk immediately surrounded him, and Dapeng quickly stepped in front of them.

Xiao Shenyang, on the other hand, was very outgoing. He cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Oh, Auntie, Happy New Year! You look younger than my mom—oops, I mean, even younger than my wife!"

As soon as the sticky feeling came out of their mouths, the aunties were overjoyed and immediately called their husbands to go and get help.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the factory area.

Ren Pingsheng went up to him and said, "Brother Shen Yang, you've worked hard."

"Hey Director Ren, this place is really interesting," Xiao Shenyang said, looking around. "It's just like my hometown, Kaiyuan, with chimneys and boiler rooms, all it's missing is a bathhouse."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ren Pingsheng led him directly into the filming location at the barbershop.

"Brother Shen Yang, you have two scenes here. You'll need to change into stockings and high heels later."

"Stockings?" Xiao Shenyang narrowed his eyes, looking Ren Pingsheng up and down. "Director Ren, you weren't planning to come here from the very beginning, were you?"

"Brother, you're overthinking it," Ren Pingsheng said innocently. "I can't think of another man who can wear women's clothing with such elegance besides you."

"Alright, alright," Xiao Shenyang waved his hand and walked towards the bathroom. "Just because of what you said, I'm going all out today."

Once filming officially began, Xiao Shenyang's performance exceeded expectations.

If you ask him to play any other role, he might give you a terrible performance.

The exaggerated performance style of Errenzhuan (a traditional Chinese folk art form) can easily be overdone when amplified on the screen.

But what if you want him to play a sissy?

That can only be described as being blessed with natural advantages, like a fish in water.

Bai Ke also unleashed all the frustration he had accumulated at the barbershop a few days ago in front of the camera.

When he bent over to wash Xiao Shenyang's hair, the cracks on his hands were more effective than any performance.

The two finished their scene together quickly, and the group moved to the school.

Zhang Baizhi came today.

She arrived at the film set early; her makeup and styling were already done.

She wore a white school uniform with blue patterns reminiscent of the 1990s, her hair was tied in a high ponytail, and she wore light makeup.

It must be said that, putting aside external factors, Cecilia Cheung has a good foundation.

When she entered the film set, she first saw Xiao Shenyang.

"Brother Shen Yang, long time no see!"

She smiled sweetly and spoke warmly, immediately taking his hand and asking him if he was tired from the tour, how his preparations for the Spring Festival Gala were going, and whether his sister-in-law had arrived.

Xiao Shenyang was a little bewildered by her enthusiasm, but he still replied politely.

After exchanging pleasantries with Xiao Shenyang, Zhang Baizhi walked up to Ren Pingsheng.

"Director Ren, I'm really sorry for the past few days. I was inconvenienced by health issues and kept everyone busy. But why haven't you sent me any call sheets for the past few days? Have you forgotten about me?"

"How could that be?" Ren Pingsheng handed over a cup of hot ginger tea. "Sister Zhi's scene is a major one, and it requires outdoor shooting with plenty of sunshine. The weather was bad a few days ago, so it was postponed."

Zhang Baizhi took the ginger tea, her lips twitching slightly.

Plenty of sunshine...

Wasn't the sun what I was waiting for that day?

Should I answer or not?

She chose not to answer, nodded, and turned to sit down in the rest area.

Xiao Shenyang changed her makeup and clothes to look like a student.

Ren Pingsheng added a few medium and close-up shots of him in the classroom and corridor. These materials may not be used, but they are kept for future use. If they need to be edited into a longer version or used for a trailer, these are good materials.

After the last shot was filmed, "Brother Shen Yang, that's a wrap."

Xiao Shenyang jumped out of character and asked, "That's it?"

He was still a little incredulous. "Director Ren's efficiency is amazing! He can finish a project in half a day after talking about it. How come he's so different from other film crews?"

"You acted well, which saved me a lot of trouble," Ren Pingsheng walked up to him, took out a red envelope from his pocket, and handed it over.

The red envelope contained a check for 50 yuan, with the same blank heading as his publicly stated fee for guest appearances.

Xiao Shenyang didn't stand on ceremony; he took the red envelope and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Just let me know if you ever need my help."

"must."

The two smiled at each other, saying nothing more; some understandings don't need words.

Xiao Shenyang packed up and prepared to leave.

Ren Pingsheng turned around and looked at the waiting area.

"Sister Baizhi, it's your turn."

Cecilia Cheung immediately stood up. "What are you filming?"

Ren Pingsheng thought for a moment, "Then let's shoot the first scene as originally planned, at the school gate, where you and Xia Luo brush past each other."

Zhang Baizhi nodded and agreed.

The group packed up their equipment and headed towards the school gate.

Zhang Baizhi walked next to Da Peng, turned her head and said something with a smile, and Da Peng laughed heartily in response.

Her steps quickened, and the pent-up frustration of the past few days seemed to be dissipating.

She had no idea what awaited her outside the door.

At this moment, the open space in front of the school gate was surrounded by people in layers.

The elderly folks spread the word, and soon a large crowd came to join in the fun.

Moreover, several reporters carrying cameras and microphones were surrounding Xiao Shenyang, who had come out earlier.

"Mr. Shen Yang, the Spring Festival Gala rehearsals are so intense, what brings you here? Did you receive a secret invitation from some famous director?"

"Mr. Shen Yang, there were rumors that Ben San Media has extremely strict control over your commercial performances. Does this production team have any special background?"

"Mr. Shen Yang, could you reveal who the male lead is in this film? And which award-winning actor is willing to play a supporting role for you?"

Xiao Shenyang chuckled and dodged the question, "Hey, dear reporters, please don't make wild guesses. It's mainly because my junior apprentice, Dapeng, who just joined the sect, is going to be the male lead in a movie!"

"As his senior, no matter how busy I am, I have to come and support him, right? Our Zhao family troupe values ​​unity!"

As the reporters listened to these words, they were preparing to steer the conversation toward the news points of "Dapeng becoming an apprentice" and "new moves by the Zhao family troupe".

With a soft creak.

The school gate was pushed open.

"That's..." A sharp-eyed reporter glanced at it casually.

"Holy crap, isn't that Cecilia Cheung?"

The cameras all turned around at once, and the sound of shutters clicking like raindrops filled the air.

"Cecilia Cheung! It really is Cecilia Cheung!"

The crowd erupted in chaos, and reporters abandoned Xiao Shenyang and rushed towards the scene like madmen.

Zhang Baizhi's face turned pale immediately.

She froze on the spot, took a half step back, and subconsciously reached for her scarf.

But now I'm wearing a theatrical costume, so I don't have a scarf.

"Ms. Zhang, are you officially making your comeback now?"

"Ms. Zhang, are you wearing this school uniform to play a student? After what happened before, do you think you can still pull off an innocent, pure-looking role?"

"Ms. Zhang! Does Mr. Nicholas Tse know you're filming here? May I ask about the current status of your marriage...?"

Every word was piercing, each sentence tearing open the scars she tried so hard to hide.

Meanwhile, outside the reporters, several middle-aged women were pointing and whispering loudly, making no attempt to hide their opinions.

"Who is this woman? She looks familiar."

"Oh my! It's that computer repairman! The one from Hong Kong!" The middle-aged woman next to me slapped her thigh and whispered in my ear.

"Huh?" The other person suddenly covered their mouth, their eyes instantly changing from curiosity to extreme disdain, and even took a half step back, as if they didn't want to be tainted by bad luck.

"She looks like a very proper young woman, how could she do such a shameless thing! Get out of here, get out of here, don't set a bad example for the children!"