Even though Fan Hu didn't explicitly say which side he was referring to, Director Mu understood.
He was somewhat surprised. "These past few years, the support they've been giving over there has all been... wait, what you just said is completely irrelevant, is this related to him?" As he spoke, his eyes looked in the direction Xia Zhiyi had just left.
Fan Hu took a drag of his cigarette, then slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, blurring his features as it swirled. "I don't know."
Director Mu: "You're kidding me! Do you think I wouldn't know, with your extensive network of information? Can't you just tell me directly?"
Fan Hu looked at him, smiled, and said, "If I said it was true, would you believe me?"
Director Mu: "..."
Director Mu, somewhat wooden-minded, shook his head. "I don't believe it."
Seeing Fan Hu chuckle and remain silent, Director Mu said irritably, "You can't believe anyone. The projects they support each year all have their own purposes. Why would they suddenly support a martial arts drama? What are they trying to promote?"
"Promoting the spirit of martial arts?"
"I had received news that a new category would be added next year: 'Going Deep into Life and Rooting in the People.' I had already received several scripts. Now that the direction has suddenly changed, those production teams that have already started preparations must be devastated."
Fan Hu: "Yes."
Fan Hu: "Normally, the kind of art style they support should be like this."
So why did this trend suddenly emerge?
We should ask what exactly happened in all of this.
Unfortunately, no matter how well-informed Fan Hu is, if the information is marked as confidential, he can't just find out whatever he wants.
His guess about Xia Zhiyi Xia Zhiyi was based on a combination of all the information he had gathered about her; even he wasn't sure himself.
Xia Zhiyi, now dressed in a uniform, walked over while adjusting her hat. Seeing the two men, she smiled and said, "Director, Mr. Fan."
When Fan Hu saw him, he first stubbed out the cigarette he was half-smoked before saying, "You look pretty good in that outfit, quite upright and dignified."
Upon hearing Xia Zhiyi smiled, seemingly a little embarrassed. She lowered her head and straightened her clothes, saying, "You flatter me. I'm just glad I didn't make this outfit look strange."
Fan Hu complimented, "No, you're dressed very well. If you weren't so youthful-looking, I would have almost thought a policeman had come to visit us when you walked over so formally."
Xia Zhiyi smiled and heard Director Mu say, "Not bad, come with me for a moment, I'll explain how to film it later."
Director Mu values his dramas highly. He could let go of that rich kid who just threw money in to get a role, but Director Mu wasn't so stubborn as to have such high expectations for someone who obviously got in through connections.
But now that the person has been changed, and Xia Zhiyi passed the previous audition, Director Mu assumes that he can meet his standards. So the makeup and costume photos are not simply a matter of taking one picture of Xia Zhiyi and calling it a day.
At the very least, Xia Zhiyi should be photographed as Yan Yan, not as " Xia Zhiyi ".
Director Mu was initially a little worried that Xia Zhiyi, who had never acted before, might not understand. However, seeing the subtle changes in Xia Zhiyi's eyes after he finished speaking, he nodded in satisfaction after a brief moment of surprise. "Good, that's the right approach. You can be a little gentler. Yan Yan is essentially a gentle person; you can make his resolute qualities more subtle."
Xia Zhiyi smiled gently and looked at Director Mu.
Even without saying a word, Director Mu nodded repeatedly in satisfaction, and then quickly told Xia Zhiyi to maintain this state for the photo shoot.
Xia Zhiyi smiled, "..."
To put it simply, Director Mu's description just now Xia Zhiyi should be gentle while also showing the character's resilience, and at the same time, it should be clear that Yan Yan is actually a young person who has only recently graduated, gentle yet firm and full of vitality.
Director Mu didn't have high expectations; for the character Yan Yan, it would be enough if she could portray the gentle quality.
But... if you can do better, why settle for second best?
The costume fitting photos for modern dramas are relatively easier to take, which saves a lot of time in the early stages of preparation. In addition, Xia Zhiyi's performance met all of Director Mu's requirements, so this step was completed very quickly.
Even so, by the time Xia Zhiyi was finally able to rest, it was already close to noon.
Director Mu invited him to eat boxed lunches at a table together. Xia Zhiyi glanced at the deluxe takeout that Ming Taotao was trying to hide, smiled, and whispered to Ming Taotao before going over, "Let's order some fruit takeout, as a treat for everyone after the meal."
Ming Taotao nodded quickly.
As for the deluxe takeout she had carefully selected, it naturally ended up in Ming Taotao's own stomach—when everyone was eating boxed lunches, it was best for Xia Zhiyi to eat with them.
Director Mu was eating at a makeshift table, with several actors sitting next to him. When they saw Xia Zhiyi, they all smiled and seemed very welcoming.
The crew's boxed lunches were pretty good, with both meat and vegetables, and the taste was decent. Everyone also received a chicken leg, making it quite a generous meal for a boxed lunch.
Sitting next to Xia Zhiyi, Zhao Ziwang, who plays the second male Fu Mingyang, said to him in a gossipy tone, "You've come at the perfect time. Our crew has changed investors, so we have a lot more funding, and even the food has improved. Before, the crew's boxed lunches didn't include chicken legs; you had to pay extra to get them."
Director Mu was standing nearby, heard this and tapped him on the shoulder. "Even food can't stop you now."
As he spoke, Director Mu looked Zhao Ziwang up and down thoughtfully, " Fu Mingyang, haven't you gotten a little rounder than before?"
Zhao Ziwang froze.
Meanwhile, the actress eating politely on the other side didn't even look up, saying, "Director, we've been eating meat every day lately. Fu Mingyang even goes out for late-night snacks at the nearby food street after filming every day. How can he not be fat?"
Director Mu's expression began to change.
Zhao Ziwang jumped up, picked up his lunchbox, and was about to leave. "Oh dear, I suddenly remembered I was having lunch with Brother Wang from the film crew next door. I won't be eating with you guys today, I'll go first..."
Director Mu: " Yan Yan! Grab him!"
Xia Zhiyi grabbed the person with her hand.
Zhao Ziwang: "Why did you react so quickly!"
How can they automatically match the characters' names when filming hasn't even started yet?!
Director Mu nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Zhao Ziwang, then at Xia Zhiyi, stroked his chin, and asked, " Yan Yan, I heard you do morning exercises every day?"
Xia Zhiyi nodded. "Yes, does the director want me to bring Brother Zhao along?"
Zhao Ziwang's face paled. "No! This is the only time I can relax a bit on set!"
Director Mu: "Yeah, take them with you. Anyway, you two will die one after the other, so it'll be good for you to get to know each other."
The two. "..."