An Uninvited Guest and Filming Begins

At one in the morning, Wei Jin returned home alone. As soon as he opened the door, he smelled alcohol.

Soft sobbing came from inside, as though someone were struggling to suppress it.

Wei Jin walked cautiously into the living room and saw a small figure curled up on the sofa. Looking closer, he recognized his landlady, Gao Yuanyuan.

"Yuanyuan, what are you doing here?"

"Mmm... Xiao Wei, you're back?"

Gao Yuanyuan's voice was a little hoarse, and her eyes were slightly red.

"Uh, Yuanyuan, are you okay?"

Wei Jin looked at the girl before him, her face like a pear blossom drenched in rain, and felt at a loss.

"I'm fine. I just had some drinks and didn't want to go home, but I didn't know where else to go."

Gao Yuanyuan's voice was subdued. It was clear she wasn't in a good mood.

Wei Jin hurriedly poured her a glass of warm water and handed it to her.

"Here, Yuanyuan, have some water. Can you tell me what happened?"

Gao Yuanyuan looked at Wei Jin, her gaze a little hazy.

"Tell me, are all men unreliable? They forget their sweet nothings the moment they've said them."

It was a deeply personal question for someone he barely knew, and Wei Jin didn't know how to answer. Still, it seemed like a relationship problem. That was easy enough to handle.

Wei Jin immediately recalled Gao Yuanyuan's romantic history from his previous life and understood where the problem lay. Her current boyfriend, Zhang Yadong, had probably been caught cheating.

Seeing that Wei Jin wasn't speaking, Gao Yuanyuan couldn't help venting some more.

"Tell me, I'm so good to him, and I'd already forgiven him before, but he still won't change his ways. It's happened several times, and this time I caught him in the act, but he still defended that woman. Boo-hoo... am I really that awful?"

Speaking of what had hurt her, Gao Yuanyuan was suddenly overcome with emotion and couldn't help crying.

Wei Jin was at a loss. All he could do was sit down and comfort her.

"You're so wonderful, Yuanyuan. If he doesn't know how to cherish you, it's his loss. Come on, don't cry. You won't be pretty anymore if you keep crying."

"Am I pretty? Then why does he still go around picking flowers and chasing butterflies?"

"Of course you are. Yuanyuan, your beauty is exactly what most men in China find attractive. Don't you know your Zhou Zhiruo has captured the hearts of countless men? Netizens all say Zhang Wuji must have been blind."

Wei Jin really thought anyone who said Gao Yuanyuan wasn't pretty must be blind. She had been a Hupu Goddess for five years, and to keep her in the running, netizens had even made sure she came in second.

She could still become champion at forty. Anyone who said she wasn't pretty was probably denying their own taste.

"Pfft! I don't know whether Zhang Wuji was blind, but Zhang Yadong really is blind, hmph!"

Gao Yuanyuan burst out laughing through her tears at Wei Jin's exaggerated words, and took the chance to complain about the scumbag.

"He actually dared to scold me over some old woman. I'm furious."

"Exactly, exactly. Our Yuanyuan is so beautiful, and he doesn't even know how to appreciate you. There are plenty of men out there; if one won't do, we'll find another. Yuanyuan, don't stoop to a scumbag's level."

Seeing Gao Yuanyuan's mood improve, Wei Jin naturally went along with her.

"Xiao Wei, you say I'm beautiful, so do you like me?"

The alcohol had gone to Gao Yuanyuan's head, making her bolder. She turned her resentment toward the scumbag into flirtation with the handsome young man before her.

"Uh, Yuanyuan, you're drunk."

Wei Jin dodged the question.

"I knew you were just saying that to make me feel better. You men never tell the truth."

"I do, I do. How could I not like you?"

Seeing that Gao Yuanyuan was about to start crying again, Wei Jin could only admit it. It wasn't really a lie, either. Who didn't like a beautiful woman?

"Then why are you sitting so far away? Come over and hold me."

Wei Jin felt that this woman really had drunk too much. Now she was even acting coquettish. Miss, do you know you're playing with fire?

"Hurry up. If you won't do it, that means you don't like me, and you're lying to me, and you're a scumbag."

With the alcohol in her, Gao Yuanyuan had completely let herself go.

Wei Jin was in a bit of a bind. How had he ended up being called a scumbag? Still, he went along with her, moving over and gently taking Gao Yuanyuan in his arms.

Resting in the man's arms, Gao Yuanyuan didn't tease him any further. She simply spoke to Wei Jin in a low voice about the twists and turns of her love life.

Before long, Wei Jin's ears had found peace. The beauty in his arms had fallen asleep.

That night, Wei Jin and Gao Yuanyuan slept in each other's arms on the sofa.

When Wei Jin woke up in the morning, Gao Yuanyuan was nowhere to be seen. He shook his head, forced himself to perk up, and prepared to start a new day.

The second royalty payment had now arrived, a full 350,000 yuan, more than he had imagined.

Sales of the print edition of Snowstrider had soared all the way, selling like crazy during the National Day holiday.

There was good news on the music front too. Ringback tone downloads kept climbing, and everything was looking bright.

Preparations for the production were also proceeding in an orderly manner. Wei Jin felt that everything was ready.

Time flew by, and on the nineteenth, the production officially began filming.

On set, Teacher Jiang Wei had taken on the role of producer and was busy arranging all sorts of props, setting up cameras, and testing the lights. For a while, he was run off his feet.

Wei Jin, meanwhile, was discussing their understanding of the script and the key points of portraying the character with Qin Hao.

It had to be said that Qin Hao was a truly dedicated actor. To get into character ahead of time, he had laid his wardrobe flat on the floor at home.

For several nights, he had slept inside it, trying to immerse himself in the emotions as fully as possible, empty his mind, and awaken his subconscious.

To ensure the production ran smoothly, Jiang Wei had invited a senior fourth-year directing student to be the assistant director. Several seniors from the cinematography department had also come to help operate the cameras, including Ning Hao.

By this time, Ning Hao had already directed two films, but had yet to make a name for himself. Jiang Wei had told him that this film was aiming for the Berlin International Film Festival, so he had volunteered to come and learn.

The script supervisor was in position, the lights were ready, the equipment was ready...

Wei Jin raised his megaphone and called out:

"Action!"

Filming on Buried Alive had officially begun!

Qin Hao lay in the coffin while Wei Jin watched through the camera inside.

The coffin was a special prop made in advance. It was thicker than an ordinary coffin, so that when the lead actor pushed with all his strength, it would look more realistic. It also had to be designed so the camera could rotate 360 degrees around the lead during filming.

The ideal effect for this film was a one-take shot, with the actor performing in one continuous flow and the camera rolling without interruption.

That was difficult, and it was Wei Jin's ideal scenario, but reality often didn't allow it.

After several failed takes, Qin Hao plunged his head into water, hoping it would help him quickly enter that state.

A brain starved of oxygen, agitation, fear, panic, inner conflict...

The oxygen in the coffin was running out. Suffocation, dizziness... Qin Hao needed to act out everything in the limited time he had. Experiential acting might have been better suited to this situation.

After discussing the coffin for the shoot with Qin Hao, he chose an airtight one, striving for realism.

Wei Jin had specifically hired emergency medical personnel to stay on set, for fear that an accident might occur during filming.

Pale and soaking wet, Qin Hao walked over and smiled. "Director, I want to try again."

"Okay."

The filming process was tedious. It was Wei Jin's first time directing, and he was a little nervous. As he watched the monitor, he repeatedly compared the images on it with those in his head.

"Is this kid really directing for the first time?"

Ning Hao asked Jiang Wei in some surprise.

"He looks very experienced. It's as if he already has the shots in his head."

"Maybe that's what a genius is like. Otherwise, he couldn't have written a script like this, or even considered the censorship issues."

Jiang Wei was also greatly surprised. He had originally thought Wei Jin simply had a good idea, and had specifically invited several experienced assistant directors and cinematographers to keep things on track, without denting his confidence.

As it turned out, the kid was unbelievably seasoned, and Jiang Wei had worried for nothing.