Chapter 42

Neither Xiao Chun nor his agency had expected that merely trying to make things difficult for Wang Chusheng at the launch press conference for The Three Kingdoms: Eastern Wu would lead to this outcome. Watching a cooked duck fly away again, Xiao Chun and his agency naturally regretted it bitterly before flying into a rage out of humiliation. Xiao Chun, in particular, could not suppress his temper and picked a fight with Wang Chusheng and Chen Mo.

Didn't Wang Chusheng think Chen Mo was better than him? Then they would see.

Having lost the opportunity to join The Cat and Mouse Game, Xiao Chun went all out and leveraged his father's connections to ultimately enter the crew of another famous director.

Ironically, this famous director was also renowned for filming historical dramas. His new movie was likewise related to the Three Kingdoms: the most famous battle of that era—the Battle of Guandu.

And Xiao Chun would be playing the great general Zhang Liao.

Chapter 42

In the script, the first scene of The Three Kingdoms: Eastern Wu was Sun Jian being shot dead by a hidden arrow. His nephew Sun Ben led the remaining troops Sun Jian had left behind as they escorted the coffin home. Sun Ce and the others paid respects to their lord and father in the mourning hall, then settled their mother and the rest of the family in Qu'a before seeking refuge with Yuan Shu.

The reason film crews burned incense and worshipped the gods at opening ceremonies was to pray for good fortune. To ensure filming went smoothly on the first day, the crew naturally would not let newcomer Chen Mo shoot the opening scene. Thus, they moved Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang's scenes forward.

This included a group scene and a scene between two opposing actors. It depicted Zhuge Liang accompanying Liu Bei to Eastern Wu to seek an alliance, verbally sparring with the gathered scholars before meeting Zhou Yu for the first time. Anyone with even a slightly better grasp of history knew these two had originally had little to do with each other, but Romance of the Three Kingdoms had long since become deeply ingrained in people's hearts. Besides, some of its twists and turns were especially suited for film. So Wang Chusheng simply adapted the movie in the style of the novel, adding plenty of scenes between Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang.

In the story, they were the legendary "Yu and Liang of their time." Outside the story, the media also jokingly called Chen Yuxiu and Li Zhaoxi, the two Best Actors, "Yu and Liang of their time." It was clear that whether on-screen or off, scenes between these two were worth watching.

So even though he had no scenes on the first day, Chen Mo still got up early and rushed to the set to watch the crew film. First, he wanted to familiarize himself with the set. Second, he wanted to observe how the two Best Actors and the other accomplished performers acted and interpreted their roles.

By the time Chen Mo arrived, the prop crew had already arranged the furnishings in the great hall. Camera rigs of varying heights, scaffolding, crane cameras, dolly tracks, boom mics, and light blockers of all sizes had been placed in suitable positions. Director Wang Chusheng sat before the monitor, while the actors playing Sun Quan and Eastern Wu's civil and military officials were all in position. At a call, Li Zhaoxi, playing Zhuge Liang, entered the hall in flowing white robes with wide sleeves, a feather fan in hand. After paying respects to Sun Quan and the people of Jiangdong, he began speaking eloquently under everyone's questioning.

There was no need to question Best Actor Li Zhaoxi's acting ability. The other actors supporting him were all seasoned veterans as well, and they had rehearsed this scene outside filming more times than anyone could count. Once the cameras rolled, everyone handled it with ease. Wang Chusheng called, "Cut," in great satisfaction, then added casually, "Very good. Let's do another take."

They filmed it twice more afterward, and both takes turned out well. Wang Chusheng had the camera crew capture several additional shots from different angles. The scene passed smoothly, and next came Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu's first meeting.

Against a backdrop of green mountains, flowing waters, and troops drilling on the battlefield, Zhou Yu and Taishi Ci were training soldiers in the Eastern Wu camp. Zhuge Liang was led into the camp to meet Zhou Yu. Both men were strategists renowned across the realm, so naturally there was a battle of wits to be fought when they met.

Standing behind the monitor and watching the two Best Actors perform opposite each other, Chen Mo immediately sensed the difference between idol drama actors and genuinely skilled performers. Aside from their command of dialogue, the most obvious distinction was that idol drama actors always relied on their facial features and somewhat exaggerated movements to convey a role. Best Actor Chen and Best Actor Li, however, used subtle, effortless gestures and understated lines to portray the flashing blades of intellect and verbal sparring between the two strategists.

This reminded Chen Mo of the realism he had felt while experiencing a role in Immersion Space, as though he had traveled through time once again. It had thrilled him immensely. Wang Chusheng had already admired Chen Mo's talent during the audition, and now that he saw Chen Mo getting up early and staying up late, diligently enduring hardships for the sake of filming, he was even more satisfied. During a break, he pulled Chen Mo before the monitor and personally explained the scene to him. Having seen Chen Mo's audition, Wang Chusheng was not worried that Chen Mo would struggle to interpret the role. Still, he went over the scene with him several times, emphasizing blocking and line delivery, then told Chen Mo how to perform with his scene partners in a way that would make the character stand out even more.

The other actors waiting around the set for their scenes were all green with envy. Everyone knew Wang Chusheng was exceptionally good at training actors. The Best Actors, Best Actresses, Best Supporting Actors, and Best Supporting Actresses he had personally brought out numbered at least seven or eight, if not more. Now that he thought so highly of Chen Mo, Chen Mo's acting was bound to improve dramatically after finishing this film. With looks, acting ability, and an agency willing to promote him heavily, his future would surely be limitless.

People who had been in the entertainment industry for a long time all had the habit of favoring the powerful and slighting the weak. Seeing that both Wang Chusheng and male lead Chen Yuxiu treated Chen Mo well, they too began showing Chen Mo greater kindness.

With the two Best Actors and a group of veteran performers giving their all, filming on the first day went very smoothly. By the second day, the crew's work had settled into a steady rhythm. Wang Chusheng arranged a scene for Chen Mo as well.

Early the next morning, Chen Mo arrived at the set for makeup. Considering that Chen Mo had entered the industry midway and had previously acted in only one idol drama, Wang Chusheng deliberately chose a more familiar scene to help him adapt to filming as quickly as possible: Sun Ce riding out of the city to welcome his father's coffin home.

With the System Space's cheat-like boost, Chen Mo's command of horseback scenes could practically be called masterful. On the monitor, Sun Ce, dressed in white mourning clothes, rode out of the city with his attendants. Before the rolling yellow sands beyond the walls and the coffin approaching from afar along the desolate old road, Sun Ce could not stop tears from filling his bright eyes. He swung neatly down from his horse, walked to Sun Jian's coffin, fell to his knees, and threw himself before it. "Father!"

The camera slowly moved closer. Tears filled Sun Ce's bright eyes, while grief and bewilderment covered his brow. He was only seventeen. Once, he had been the spirited and elegant Sun Lang of Jiangdong, but now he had suddenly lost his father and was burdened with immense responsibility. Mindful of his status as lord, and determined to become the pillar his family and subordinates could rely on, Sun Ce could not weep aloud even before his father's coffin. He could only force back his tears. They made his eyes even more crystal-clear and wet, and through the high-definition lens, he vividly conveyed Sun Ce's unwavering resolve as he inherited his position while young, cherished lofty ambitions, and yet knew the road ahead was perilous.

Seeing this on the monitor, Wang Chusheng instinctively called, "Cut," then said, "Very good. The emotion was right on point. His face is just too pale! Makeup, touch Chen Mo up. Put another layer of dark powder on his face. Otherwise, with him standing there, we might as well stop filming. The contrast is way too obvious. At least two shades."

Everyone burst into laughter. The makeup artist immediately carried over her makeup case to touch Chen Mo up. Wang Chusheng said from the side, "Chen Mo did well in this scene. Keep it up. Let's shoot two more takes..."

After receiving the coffin came the scenes in the mourning hall, where they paid respects and discussed seeking refuge with Yuan Shu. This was another group scene. Though the main actors were all careful and tried not to make mistakes or require retakes, there were so many actors in the scene, and the director was such a perfectionist, that this scene alone took the entire afternoon to finish. By the end, only the crew members and actors involved in that scene remained on set. Everyone else had wrapped for the day.

That night, exhausted enough to stick out his tongue, Chen Mo returned to his hotel room and immediately entered the System to soak in nutrient solution. He also tossed himself a landmine to restore his energy.

Knowing how hard Chen Mo had been working, Father Chen and Mother Chen specially made him a late-night snack after closing their shop and brought it over. They called Chen Mo from the hotel lobby. As soon as he received the call, Chen Mo went downstairs to meet them. But the moment he stepped out of his room, he saw Best Actress Lu Xiaonong, who played Xiao Qiao, coming out of Best Actor Chen Yuxiu's room as well. The two ran straight into each other in the corridor, and the atmosphere immediately turned awkward.

In a flash, Chen Mo blurted out, "I thought that with Brother Chen and Sister Lu's acting skills, you wouldn't need to rehearse scenes in private. I didn't expect you two to be so hardworking. If I'd known, I would've found Sister Zhao to rehearse with too. Then I wouldn't need retakes tomorrow and delay the filming schedule."

After saying that, Chen Mo did not forget to cast Lu Xiaonong a resentful look. In the mournful tone of an abandoned wife, he added, "They say the stupid bird has to fly first. Brother Chen and Sister Lu are already such good actors, yet you're still working this hard. You're really not leaving us newcomers any way to survive."

Lu Xiaonong could not help laughing, and the tension in her heart eased slightly. Going along with Chen Mo's words, she said, "Stop sweet-talking me. Once I've rehearsed my scene with Brother Chen, if we don't need retakes tomorrow, won't all that remaining time be left for you to show what you can do? By the way, are you going out this late?"

Then she could not help adding, "Director Wang is very strict with his actors during filming. You know that, right? No overlapping productions, no accepting other engagements, no going clubbing, nothing like that. You've only just joined the crew, so don't do anything foolish because you can't hold yourself back."

Chen Mo smiled at that and waved his hand. "I'm not going out. My parents brought me a late-night snack. They're waiting for me in the lobby downstairs, so I'm going to meet them."

Lu Xiaonong nodded at his words and said to Chen Mo with a hint of envy, "Your family is really good to you."

Chapter 43

Hearing Lu Xiaonong say that in such an envious tone, Chen Mo was briefly stunned. Then he recalled the gossip about Best Actress Lu Xiaonong that he had seen online before joining the crew. It was said that Lu Xiaonong had been born into a family of stars. Her mother was Lu Manlin, an actress who had been hugely popular on the big screen thirty years ago. As the only illegitimate daughter of a lifelong unmarried superstar, Lu Xiaonong had drawn media attention since childhood. Everyone was curious about who her father was. In the years just after Lu Xiaonong was born, countless media outlets used the matter as gossip to entertain the public, discussing it eagerly for decades. Yet no matter how much effort the media invested, the secret remained unrevealed to this day.

However, that secret did not stop the media from profiting by reporting on the lives of the Lu mother and daughter. Although the course of development in this world differed somewhat from Chen Mo's original world, certain conditions within the entertainment industry were the same. For example, the paparazzi's insane voyeurism and shamelessness. To secure a headline and earn a little bonus, gossip reporters clung to the Lu mother and daughter like adhesive plaster. Not even the slightest stir could escape them. They even exploited Lu Xiaonong's closer classmates and friends in every possible way—headlines such as "Superstar's Daughter Falls for Campus Heartthrob So-and-so," "Lu Xiaonong Shops at the International Trade Center with Female Classmate on Weekend," and "Young but Lavish Spender."

Although the media obscured all those "so-and-sos" with mosaics, ordinary people would eventually find the harassment unbearable. They simply could not endure having their private lives completely "invaded" like that. Some parents even worried that if their children spent too much time around Lu Xiaonong, they would pick up certain bad habits from the entertainment industry. They openly and secretly prevented their children from interacting with her. In the end, apart from people with ulterior motives, Lu Xiaonong had no close friends left around her. Even the one or two remaining friends, wary of the media's madness, only dared to interact with Lu Xiaonong at school. Outside school, they communicated entirely by phone.

It could be said that Lu Xiaonong had lived in a vacuum from childhood to adulthood, never enjoying the privacy ordinary people took for granted.

It was precisely because of the paparazzi's utter madness that, although Lu Xiaonong had inherited her mother's outstanding looks and talent for acting, she had no interest whatsoever in the entertainment world. During her student years, her greatest dream had been to study hard, get into a university abroad after graduating from high school, and finally escape the domestic paparazzi.