When Qiguan Yuan's nose touched Pei Yubai's nose, the chat in the live stream paused for a moment.
Clearly, they were all excitedly waiting for the two to kiss.
[Facepalm, I was peeking through my fingers]
[Kiss him, kiss him, kiss him!]
[I won't cover my face, I'll look with my eyes wide open.]
[ Pei Yubai, why don't you make a move?]
Pei Yubai withdrew his hand from Qiguan Yuan's ankle, but he did not stand up, remaining kneeling on one knee.
His face tilted slightly upwards, his nose touching Qiguan Yuan's, their breaths mingling.
His glasses slipped up slightly from Qiguan Yuan's nose, and the frame tilted, but he didn't straighten them.
Unable to resist any longer, he leaned forward slightly.
But the moment he leaned in, Qiguan Yuan stepped back.
His nose moved away from Pei Yubai's, the distance widening slightly. Pei Yubai stared at his lips, and Qiguan Yuan's lips moved slightly, but no sound came out.
Under Pei Yubai's unwavering gaze, Qiguan Yuan slightly and bit Pei Yubai's glasses frame.
The temples of his glasses slipped out from behind his ears, and the chain of his glasses dangled near his lips.
Qiguan Yuan, retreated, while Pei Yubai's face moved forward slightly. Qiguan Yuan raised his hand and covered Pei Yubai's eyes.
Pei Yubai's eyelashes brushed against his palm.
Qiguan Yuan took the glasses off his mouth and held them in his hand. "Although you look very attractive in these glasses, Pei Yubai, I still prefer you the way you are."
Pei Yubai remained silent, his gaze fixed on Qiguan Yuan's lips.
Qiguan Yuan leaned down and pressed his lips to Pei Yubai's, giving him a light kiss that quickly faded like a leaf touching the water's surface before being blown away by the wind.
He then straightened up, his eyes crinkling with a smile, "So, my jealous lover, could you tone down your sourness?"
Pei Yubai nodded reservedly.
He stood up from the ground, walked to Qiguan Yuan's side, stood still, and stopped blocking the camera.
Qiguan Yuan handed him the glasses, which Pei Yubai took but did not put on, holding them in his hand.
Meng Xu waited for a while, making sure the two wouldn't do anything else, before speaking, "Actor Pei, are you done on your end? Can we continue filming now?"
Pei Yubai nodded. "It's over. I need to go back and change my clothes."
Everyone then realized that Pei Yubai was wearing the clothes of a character from Director Song's movie, and his face was covered in the character's makeup.
He must have come directly from the filming location.
Pei Yubai turned and walked away, but stopped after a couple of steps and glanced back at Qiguan Yuan.
Qiguan Yuan waved to him, and Pei Yubai then left.
The viewers' attention shifted from the blush-inducing kiss to Pei Yubai.
Was he originally wearing the character's clothes?
[That makeup was from the play, wasn't it?]
[Gold-rimmed glasses, so ascetic]
[So Pei Yubai's new character wears glasses?]
[Is it a problem that this makeup and styling appeared in a live stream before it was officially announced?]
[ Imperial Fans, keep an eye on this.]
[Already watching]
As expected by the Imperial Fans, the marketing accounts acted very quickly.
When Pei Yubai returned to the dressing room, discussions about his new character's appearance had already begun online.
Some people took screenshots from the live stream and analyzed the details of the glasses chain, while others guessed what type of role he was playing.
The tone wasn't malicious, but it wasn't friendly either; it was ambiguous, like a test.
This ambiguity is easy to exploit; for example, by raising audience expectations, guiding the character's direction, and then doing so after the movie's release.
If it doesn't meet the audience's expectations, you can imagine what the consequences will be.
Pei Yubai has a large fan base and a significant casual fanbase, and he himself has no scandals.
But what popular person doesn't have haters?
Pei Yubai has always had a large number of haters.
There are plenty of people in the industry watching him closely, and they get restless whenever a new movie or TV series comes out.
However, seasoned Imperial Fans have already stepped in and quickly controlled the comments, suppressing several inflammatory remarks.
To the surprise of her Imperial Fans, this time it was a little different.
They discovered that Xiao Yuan Grains and Taro Balls had also joined them, each with their own fan titles, to help them.
The Xiao Yuan Grains usually fawn over Qiguan Yuan and criticize Pei Yubai, but they react quickly to this kind of situation.
He still needs to help maintain his Yuanyuan.
This is what a healthy fan relationship looks like.
Taro Balls are sandwiched in the middle, with help from both ends.
When the fans of these three groups come together, their combined fighting power is not just one plus one plus one equals three; it produces a thirty-fold effect.
The comments section of a few Weibo posts from marketing accounts that were intended to stir up trouble was quickly silencing before the controversy even began.
The big fans posted "That's it" in the group chat, and fans from different groups gradually returned to their respective posts, some going back to the super topic, others waiting for the live stream.
It was resolved quickly.
When Pei Yubai returned after changing his clothes, the web series director was squatting next to Qiguan Yuan, holding a folder in his hand. He flipped to a certain page and pointed to the numbers on it for Qiguan Yuan to see.
" Teacher Qiguan, how about this number? One hundred thousand."
The director spoke softly and quickly, as if he himself was a little embarrassed when giving a quote.
One hundred thousand might be a very low amount for Qiguan Yuan, but it's the most sincere Qiguan Yuan they can make.
Despite Meng Xu's investment, their little web series is still very poor.
At least he never dared to imagine that stars with the fan base of Qiguan Yuan and Shen Yuzhou would appear in his web series.
Qiguan Yuan glanced at the number.
One hundred thousand.
He did the math in his head: one red string costs one yuan, so one hundred thousand red strings would be enough.
It seemed like a good deal, so he nodded. "Okay."
The director closed the folder, stood up, and couldn't suppress the smile on his face.
"Thank you Teacher Qiguan."
Actually, the director wanted to keep the scene they had just filmed, presenting Qiguan Yuan as the master of the secret realm, so he mustered up the courage to talk to Qiguan Yuan.
The director turned and walked away.
The screenwriter immediately began to revise the script, changing the original master of the secret realm from a black robe to a light gray outfit, and replacing the folding fan in his hand with a long sword. The character's role was also changed from the master of the secret realm to his subordinate.
Some of the characters' lines have been changed, which won't affect the plot, but the original few lines will have to be reshot.
The guests and the original "Lord of the Secret Realm" didn't seem to have any objections to the change and quickly began memorizing the new lines.
When Shen Yuzhou received the new lines, he muttered them to himself, repeating them over and over again.
He didn't have many lines, but he just couldn't remember them, making him stand out compared to the other guests.
Qiguan Yuan sat next to the web series director.
He leaned back in his chair, watching with great interest the crowd who were familiarizing themselves with their lines.
For a period of time, Qiguan Yuan enjoyed watching plays, and Jixian even hired many opera troupes to perform at the Yue Lao Temple for him.
Qiguan Yuan lay on a tree behind the worshippers, watching the show.
But the so-called acting these days seems to be different, so he became somewhat interested.
His gaze fell on Shen Yuzhou.
Shen Yuzhou sat on a rock not far away, holding a script in his hand, his lips constantly moving.
He would recite a sentence, pause, recite another sentence, pause again. He would forget the beginning of a sentence, and forget the end of a sentence.
Qiguan Yuan looked at him for a while and felt that this person's brain structure was probably different from others.
Others memorize lines by stuffing them in, but he keeps leaking them out as he tries to fill them in; the speed at which he fills them in can't keep up with the speed at which he leaks them out.
His mind was scattered, and he forgot everything he saw immediately.
In a sense, he should be considered to have exceptional abilities.
When Pei Yubai changed his clothes and walked over, Qiguan Yuan was tilting his head to watch Shen Yuzhou recite his lines for the thirtieth time.
He sat down next to Qiguan Yuan. The chair was small, and the two of them squeezed together, shoulder to shoulder.
Qiguan Yuan glanced at him sideways. Pei Yubai was wearing his own clothes, his makeup was off, and his glasses were gone, returning to his usual appearance.
Qiguan Yuan turned his gaze away and continued to look at Shen Yuzhou.
Pei Yubai also watched.
Under Pei Yubai's furrowed brows, Shen Yuzhou finally memorized the two lines, stood up, walked to the director, and said that they could start filming.
The director glanced at him, then at Pei Yubai. Pei Yubai sat next to Qiguan Yuan, his face expressionless.
Actually, it was fear.
Standing next to him is none other than Film Emperor Pei! Being watched by him like this must be incredibly stressful.
The director instructed the set crew to clear the set and for all departments to prepare.
Shen Yuzhou emerged from behind the rock, walked in front of the camera, stood still, and looked at the spot where the master of the secret realm should have been.
The subordinate in the light gray uniform is now standing in that spot.
Shen Yuzhou opened his mouth, but forgot his lines, and his eyes couldn't help but wander.
He paused, opened his mouth again, and then remembered. "Senior, I apologize for disturbing you."
The actor drew his sword as per the script, and the blade flashed in the sunlight.
Shen Yuzhou took a step back, the second sentence stuck in his throat, unable to come out.
The director yelled "Cut!"
Starting afresh, Shen Yuzhou emerged from behind the rock, walked in front of the camera, and stood still. "Senior, I apologize for disturbing you."
His subordinate drew his sword.
Shen Yuzhou took a step back. "Where is this?"
His subordinates didn't move. Cheng Yanqiu stepped out from behind the rock and stood next to Shen Yuzhou: "Senior, please calm down. We meant no harm."
Lin Yanru followed her out, her whisk resting on her arm. "Excuse me."
The director yelled "Cut!"
He didn't say anything, but everyone knew it was bad. Shen Yuzhou's lines were right, but his tone was wrong.
Cheng Yanqiu's tone was right, but his position was wrong. Lin Yanru's position was right, but she appeared too early.
Jiang Wantang's timing for appearing was right, but her expression was off.
The assistant director came over, called the group together, and went over the blocking again.
Pei Yubai frowned slightly.
Qiguan Yuan glanced at him sideways but didn't say anything else.
Thirdly, the positioning, timing of entry, and expression were all correct.
Shen Yuzhou delivered his lines smoothly and with the right tone. The director didn't yell "cut," and the camera continued to zoom in.
The subordinate drew his sword, the tip pointing at Shen Yuzhou. Shen Yuzhou took a step back, a step so large that he almost stepped on Cheng Yanqiu Yanqiu's foot.
Pei Yubai's brows furrowed even more.
Qiguan Yuan placed his fingers on his knee and tapped it twice.
The fourth point, well, that's another new problem.
The director, exasperated, yelled "Cut!" to tell them to be careful.
Shen Yuzhou let out a long sigh and walked over to sit down. Cheng Yanqiu took the water handed to him by his assistant and took a sip.
Lin Yanru handed the whisk to the prop master, and Su He'an followed behind her, took the whisk, and put it away herself.
Shen Yuzhou then came over and asked Pei Yubai how his acting was.
Pei Yubai chuckled, "The secret realm is a forbidden area for thousands of years, not a private garden. You're not exploring a secret realm, you're strolling through a temple fair."
"I remember you were a better actor when you were playing house as a kid. Your acting skills have deteriorated significantly."
Shen Yuzhou touched his nose somewhat guiltily. "Is it really that bad?"
Despite his complaints, Pei Yubai still gave him some guidance.
The other guests, who were also Xiaobai, gathered around to listen to his guidance.
Even the web series director and his actors instinctively moved closer and pricked up their ears to listen.
then...
They then witnessed firsthand Pei Yubai's sharp tongue.
He was somewhat restrained when dealing with female guests, but he was absolutely ruthless with Shen Yuzhou.
Shen Yuzhou was used to it and didn't care much; his main strength was his thick skin.
But it's different for other people?
The director sat behind the monitor, his back ramrod straight. His assistant director stood beside him, his back also much straighter than usual.
The photographer pointed the lens at Shen Yuzhou, not at Pei Yubai.
The lighting technician was adjusting the lights, but after a while he still hadn't gotten them right. The production assistant was running around with props, twice as fast as before.
In short, no one dared to meet Pei Yubai's gaze, for fear that Pei Yubai would be the next one to berate them.
Qiguan Yuan glanced at the director's back, which was pressed against the back of the chair, a small patch of the director's shirt damp with sweat.
He looked away and glanced at Pei Yubai again. Pei Yubai's chin was still taut.
He couldn't help but chuckle softly, "Alright, I think little Shen acted quite well. Don't be too demanding, Pei Yubai."
As expected, as soon as Qiguan Yuan spoke, Pei Yubai withdrew his cold aura and let them go.
[The muddy Yuanyuan...]
[What a blatant lie! [doge emoji]]
Oh, our Yuanyuan is just so gentle.
With Pei Yubai's personal guidance, although the other party was a bit sharp-tongued, it was indeed quite effective.
The progress of these individuals is readily apparent.
However, even the meticulous Pei Yubai frowned upon seeing it.
The director next to him didn't dare to speak, even though he thought it was alright.
Qiguan Yuan observed the obvious progress of the guests but didn't say anything. He hadn't watched any so-called modern dramas and wouldn't offer much comment.
In just that short time, he also became curious about what Pei Yubai's state of mind was when he was acting.
He slowly reached out and scratched Pei Yubai's ear.
Pei Yubai turned to look at him. " Yuanyuan, what's wrong?"
Qiguan Yuan asked him, "When will your movie start filming?"
Pei Yubai replied, "The costume fitting photos have been taken, and the official shoot will begin soon, probably in the next couple of days."
Qiguan Yuan nodded. "Should we let Yuanyuan watch you perform?"
Pei Yubai naturally did not disagree.