When the plane landed, Cheng Che knew there were people outside.
Chen Wei got off the plane first, glanced at the arrival hall through the glass of the jet bridge, then turned back and whispered, "Boss, there are quite a few people."
Looking out of the window of the covered bridge, Cheng Che saw dozens of people gathered outside the hall, holding up their phones and light sticks, crowding around the railing.
Not a lot, but enough to cause traffic jams for a while.
But Cheng Che thought about it and decided to sign the autograph before leaving, since there weren't many people around.
But he underestimated his own charm.
Without a mask, his [ Stars Surrounding the Moon ] status was immediately triggered, and with his charm already at 81 points, he instantly attracted the attention of countless people.
The crowd erupted the moment they saw him.
" Cheng Che!!!"
Shouts came from all directions, and cell phones were raised everywhere.
Some people were tiptoeing to push their way forward, some were waving banners above their heads, and some had already started recording videos, shouting, "He's out! He's out!"
" Cheng Che! Look this way!"
"Aaaaaaah--"
"Could you sign your name?"
A girl holding a light sign was squeezed at the front. The sign read " Che Baby, Hengdian be successful." Her hand was shaking so much that the sign was swaying.
Another girl next to her was holding a bag filled with letters and gifts, and she was desperately trying to hand it out.
Cheng Che walked to the railing, smiled and nodded in that direction, then took several notebooks handed to him and quickly signed them.
After signing seven or eight, he raised his hand towards the crowd, his voice not loud but clear:
"Everyone, you've worked hard. Go home early, it's not safe to be out so late. I'll act well and live up to your expectations!"
Then he turned and left with his men.
But the crowd didn't disperse; instead, it grew even larger.
Several passengers who were waiting for other flights heard the commotion and turned to look. One of the young men paused for a moment, then patted his companion on the shoulder:
" Cheng Che?"
"Who?"
" Cheng Che! The one who plays tennis, the one in Youth Here '!"
"Really?" His companion craned his neck for a look, then his eyes lit up. "Holy crap, it really is him!"
The two of them came running over, dragging their suitcases.
Several passengers who had just gotten off the plane nearby also saw it; some took out their phones and started taking pictures, while others ran towards it.
A middle-aged man who was on the phone saw the crowd surging in one direction and asked, "What's going on?" The person next to him said, " Cheng Che." He paused for a moment, then followed.
In less than a minute, the crowd grew from dozens to hundreds.
Cheng Che took a few steps, then turned around and looked back as he heard the noise behind him getting louder.
Crowds were pouring in from all directions of the arrival hall; some were running, some were holding up their phones, and some were calling his name.
He didn't stop walking, but he sighed inwardly.
I should have activated [ Fade into the Bustle ] earlier.
He hadn't expected the crowd to snowball and grow so much; it was outrageous.
The people sent by Tengda were already waiting at the exit of the covered bridge.
A woman in her thirties, wearing a dark blue suit and Tengda employee badge pinned to her chest, was followed by two staff members.
When she saw the size of the crowd, her expression changed, and she immediately turned to the staff behind her and said something.
The staff immediately picked up the walkie-talkie.
"Security, arrive at Exit B of the hall. Reinforcements needed."
When Cheng Che reached the exit, two airport security guards had already arrived, standing guard on either side of him.
Coordinator Liu the way, walking quickly and saying, "This way, this way."
The crowd caught up, but didn't push; they were kept at a distance by security personnel and barriers.
Some people were still calling his name, some were filming him with their phones, and some were trying to hand him letters and gifts.
Cheng Che walked a short distance, then turned back and waved to the crowd.
That wave triggered another wave of screams.
But the crowd did not continue the pursuit because security had already set up a cordon.
Escorted by security personnel, Cheng Che exited through a side door and arrived at the lobby.
Tengda's car was already waiting outside.
Cheng Che got into the car, breathed a sigh of relief, and leaned back in his seat.
Coordinator Liu got into the passenger seat, turned around and handed her a bottle of water, his tone still carrying a hint of the tension from before:
" Teacher Cheng, are you alright? There were too many people just now, and I couldn't arrange things in time. I'll definitely add more staff next time."
"It's nothing." Cheng Che took the water, smiled, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip. "Never mind you, I just didn't expect there to be so many people."
Coordinator Liu breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at Cheng Che Che's extremely handsome face, her own face flushed slightly.
She quickly scolded herself in her heart, "I'm 40 years old, how can I still be captivated by a face?"
To divert her attention, she immediately smiled and said:
" Teacher Cheng, let me digress a bit. At least half of those people just now flew in from out of town specifically for this purpose. And they were all genuine fans."
She chuckled and added, "Like other top celebrities, many of the fans who greet them at the airport are just there to make money."
Cheng Che didn't reply, but he nodded.
This is quite common; just like with fan site admins, many of them have become unofficial staff.
Without saying anything more, Coordinator Liu turned around, sat up straight, and told the driver to start the car.
The car drove out of the airport and onto the highway.
Coordinator Liu, would occasionally turn around and say a few words, introducing the situation in Hengdian, where roads were under construction, which roads were easy to travel on, and roughly what time the lighting would be set up on set.
Cheng Che listened, occasionally responding with a word.
About an hour later, the car exited the highway, and the scenery along the roadside changed from highway guardrails to billboards and roadside trees, with the roofs of antique-style buildings visible in the distance.
Coordinator Liu, pointed out the window. " Hengdian is just ahead. The hotel is next to the film studio, a ten-minute drive away."
The car turned onto a street and stopped in front of the Dongci Building.
Coordinator Liu got out of the car first, quickly walked to Cheng Che Che's side, and opened the car door for him.
" Teacher Cheng, we've arrived."
Cheng Che got out of the car and glanced up at the hotel.
It's not particularly tall, but the exterior is very clean, and there are concierges standing at the entrance.
Coordinator Liu led him into the lobby, to the front desk, said a few words to the receptionist, and then returned with a room key.
"It's a top-floor suite, with a great view and it's quiet. Mr. Qin's room is on the same floor, which will make it convenient for you to meet." She handed the room key to Cheng Che, and then carefully added, "Let me take you upstairs and check if there's anything missing in the room."
Cheng Che nodded.
The three people took the elevator to the top floor.
Coordinator Liu swiped the door open, stepped aside to let Cheng Che go in first, and followed behind.
The suite is very large, with a separate living room and bedroom. The floor-to-ceiling windows face the direction of the film studio, where you can see the rooftops of the antique-style buildings and several antique-style streets in the distance.
Coordinator Liu, walked around, checking the windows, air conditioner, and kettle, then glanced at the contents of the minibar before turning his head:
" Teacher Cheng, is there anything else you need? I'll have someone bring it up."
"No need," Cheng Che said, placing his suitcase in the corner and thanking him with a smile. "It's fine."
Coordinator Liu nodded, then reluctantly retreated to the doorway.
"Then you should rest first. A car will pick you up at seven o'clock tomorrow morning to go to the film set. The driver will be waiting downstairs. You have my phone number; call me anytime if you need anything."
After she finished speaking, she gave a slight bow before turning to leave and closing the door behind her.
Qin Lie did not come up with him.
When the car arrived at the hotel, Qin Lie took Chen Wei to the film set.
"I'm going to coordinate with the on-set producer," Qin Lie said before leaving. "Your parking space, on-set security, and food delivery arrangements need to be finalized first. Otherwise, we'll be completely lost when we get to the set tomorrow."
Cheng Che agreed on the spot.
The crew of " The Realm and Old Friends ".
After Qin Lie arrived at the film set, he first went to the on-site producer, Old Wu, to check the parking spot. He decided to park the van near the dressing room so that it would be convenient for Cheng Che to get in Cheng Che out of the car.
Then there's security, which requires a designated area to be set up on site, where extras and unrelated personnel are not allowed to approach.
Finally, the meal delivery was completed, confirming that Cheng Che's meals would be prepared separately and not mixed with the crew's communal meals.
Old Wu nodded as he took notes, saying, "No problem, no problem."
After Qin Lie finished speaking, he patted him on the shoulder. "Thank you for your help."
"No trouble at all," Old Wu said. "At Teacher Cheng's level, this is all to be expected."
Meanwhile, people on set were already whispering among themselves.
Several extras sat on the steps next to the playground, eating and chatting while holding boxed lunches in their hands.
"Have you heard? Cheng Che arrived today."
"Really? I've seen his ' The Youth Here,' he acted quite well."
"His face is so handsome, it's a shame he doesn't act in period dramas."
"What does he look like in real life? Is he the same as on TV?"
"They're definitely the same; he's not relying on filters."
Several supporting actors were also chatting nearby.
A middle-aged actor playing a senior court official shoveled a few mouthfuls of rice and said, "I'll have to see how he is tomorrow."
The person next to him laughed and chimed in, "He's a top star, he even won a top mathematics prize, how bad do you think he could be?"
Meanwhile, the official announcement of the casting for " The Realm and Old Friends " has just become a trending topic online.
Tengda's official Weibo account announced the complete cast, accompanied by a nine-grid collage of character photos.
Cheng Che's ancient costume look was revealed for the first time. He wore a dark blue brocade robe, his hair was tied up, and he held a scroll in his hand. His eyebrows and eyes were calm, and he had an air of quiet nobility.
Ning Qing's official costume photo features her in a light gray ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with her hair styled in a simple bun and a cool expression, completely different from her appearance in " Walking the Flower Road Together ".
The comment section exploded instantly.
[ Cheng Che in period costume!!! I'm dead!!!]
This look is absolutely stunning! The gaze, the aura—I'm completely blown away!
[ Ning Qing is actually playing the female lead? Isn't she a singer?]
[A singer acting in a movie? Isn't that ridiculous?]
[What was Tengda thinking? Casting a singer as the female lead—is this show even watchable?]
[ Cheng Che + Ning Qing, isn't this the CP from " Walking the Flower Road Together "? I'm shipping them!]
[Shining on a couple is fine, but acting is another matter. Can she really act?]
[Don't be so quick to criticize, maybe they acted quite well.]
The actresses made even more sarcastic remarks, but none of them dared to say them in public.
A second-tier actress posted in a private group, "Singers are coming to act, do they really think this industry has no barriers to entry?" followed by a string of "+1".
Another actress chimed in, "If it weren't for Tengda's strong opposition, she wouldn't have gotten this lead role."
But these words did not reach Ning Qing's ears.
Cheng Che rested at the hotel for a while, and at three o'clock in the afternoon, Chen Wei knocked on the door.
"Boss, it's time to head to the film set."
Cheng Che changed into clean clothes and went downstairs with Chen Wei.
On the way, Chen Wei handed her a list. "I bought the milk tea and snacks as you asked. Over two hundred cups of milk tea, and ten bags of snacks—enough to go around."
Cheng Che glanced at the list and nodded.
Upon arriving at the film set, Chen Wei led two staff members to distribute milk tea and snacks, Cheng Che walked alone towards the filming area.
The moment he stepped through the film set doors, the "[ Stars Surrounding the Moon ]" effect was triggered.
The staff setting up the lights on the playground paused for a moment, and several extras turned around, forgetting to suck on the straws they were holding in their mouths.
A young man carrying the rails stared blankly for two seconds before being nudged by someone next to him and snapping out of his daze.
"Holy crap," one of the extras muttered, "That's so cool."
Another extra chimed in, "He's even more handsome than in the photos. Is this face even real?"
Chen Wei had already started handing out milk tea. She's very sweet-talking; she greets everyone she meets with "Thank you for your hard work, teacher," hands them the milk tea, and adds, "This is a treat from Teacher Cheng."
The extras accepted the milk tea, their expressions shifting from stunned to delighted, and they thanked them repeatedly.
A young extra took the milk tea, glanced in Cheng Che's direction, then looked down at the milk tea in her hand, and whispered to the person next to her:
"I actually got to drink milk tea that Cheng Che treated me to."
The person next to him squinted, took a sip of milk tea, and said with relish, "Not only that, there are snacks too."
Cheng Che was greeted by Qin Lie, who led him towards the director's monitor.
Director Zhou was sitting behind the monitor watching the playback when he heard footsteps. He looked up, saw Cheng Che, and a very obvious smile appeared on his face.
"You're here." Director Zhou stood up and patted him on the shoulder. "Thank you for your hard work."
Cheng Che smiled and said, "Hello, Director Zhou."
Producer Fang walked over from the side, shook hands, said a few polite words, and then asked the assistant director to take him to try on clothes.
Cheng Che followed the assistant director to the dressing room.
When the door was opened, several makeup artists inside stood up at the same time.
A young female makeup artist was holding a powder puff in her hand. When she saw his face, she almost dropped the powder puff.
"Hello, Teacher Cheng." Several people spoke almost simultaneously.
Cheng Che smiled at them and said, "Hello. I'll be relying on you for the next few months."
The young makeup artist opened her mouth, then excitedly whispered, " Teacher Cheng, could you please sign your autograph? I really like you."
Cheng Che took the pen, signed his name, and handed it back.
The young makeup artist took it, her face beaming with smiles.
Another makeup artist chimed in, "I want one too..."
Cheng Che signed it again.
The makeup artists' faces lit up when they received the autographs, and their tone of voice became much more relaxed.
Cheng Che glanced at the row of ancient costumes hanging on the clothes rack, ranging from dark blue to black, from brocade robes to armor, there must have been dozens of sets.
He sighed inwardly; the troublesome days of changing clothes were about to begin.