FLME Ch6: Filming

After a few weeks of filming, Yu Wen had already become familiar with the people in the crew.

Jian Heng, who played the male lead, had a jumpy personality. During waiting periods, he liked to run all over the place, moonlighting as the behind-the-scenes videographer.

“Calling Xiao Yu, report your location.”

“Twenty meters deep into the woods behind the second rest tent on the east side, over.”

After playing the voice message sent over, Jian Heng said to the camera: “Next, I’m going to introduce the visual center of our crew, also the actor playing Chu Zhiyao. He just graduated this year and is a lively and outgoing young man…”

Following Yu Wen’s coordinates, Jian Heng stood in front of the portable toilet, lost in thought.

He politely knocked on the door, “Baby Yu?”

A boy’s energetic voice came from inside: “Here!”

Jian Heng: “What are you doing?”

Yu Wen: “Taking a shit!”

Jian Heng: “I’m filming behind-the-scenes footage.”

Yu Wen elegantly corrected himself: “Using the restroom.”

Jian Heng asked in an overly dramatic tone: “Mr. Yu, may I ask if it’s convenient for you to do an exclusive interview right now?”

Mr. Yu answered: “Not very convenient, as I’m currently in the middle of convenience.”

“Alright, Mr. Yu.” Jian Heng sighed regretfully in his dramatic persona. “An interview without meeting face-to-face is like a plate of loose sand. You don’t even need the wind to blow, just take two steps and it scatters…”

He went on to interview others.

By the time Yu Wen came out, filming had already started.

His scene was next. This scene was a face-off between the male and female leads. Legend of the Immortal Sect was positioned as an ancient costume light comedy. The story background was cliché, but every character within it was distinct and multi-dimensional despite the clichés.

The male lead was the young demon king, and the female lead was the aloof Eldest Shijie. Their romance line was not about catching glimpses of each other’s hidden softness during interactions and opening their hearts… On the contrary, their route was always one of mutual love and mutual destruction.

Appreciating each other amidst wariness, and tasting the flavor of each other’s blood while tearing into one another.

With the older generation passing away one after another and the sect withering, Jiang Qiuyue carried the burden alone, keeping the Yunxiao Sword Sect stable for decades. This Eldest Shijie, who in the eyes of outsiders did not involve herself in worldly affairs, possessed a sharper insight than anyone else.

The first time she saw Puyang Xi, she knew this person could not be trusted.

Yu Wen felt this pairing was divine-tier. When he had no scenes, he also liked to bring a small folding stool and sit in front of the monitor to watch.

[“Shijie, Second Shixiong sent me to inform you that there are traces of demons infiltrating the cliff at the northwest corner again.”

Seventh Shidi had just entered the sect this year and was exactly at a vibrant, energetic age. Running up along the mountain path from a distance, his high ponytail was full of youthful vigor.

He smiled brightly at the beautiful woman leaning against a boulder by the cliff, reading a book with her head propped on her hand. “Shijie, Second Shixiong asks you to go down the mountain and take a look.”

Jiang Qiuyue didn’t even lift her eyes, saying slowly, “Tell him to get lost.”

Puyang Xi: “Second Shixiong said you normally only care about practicing your sword and ignore worldly affairs, but traces of demons concern the sect’s stability…”

Jiang Qiuyue: “You get lost too.”

“…”

Puyang Xi scratched his head in distress. He had come under the strict orders of Second Shixiong, and absolutely couldn’t return empty-handed.

He sat on the stone platform, trying to face Jiang Qiuyue face-to-face. “Shijie, the sect is isolated from the world. Have you read the popular storybooks from recent years? I have a few here. I only ask that you make a trip down the mountain with me so I can give Second Shixiong an explanation…”

Seeing Jiang Qiuyue unmoved, he tentatively reached out and pressed down on the corner of the storybook’s page, smiling brightly and acting spoiled: “Shijie, please, please.”

His appearance was sufficiently deceptive—enthusiastic, cheerful, and radiating high spirits. One would only think he was a youth unversed in the ways of the world, finding it hard to associate him with a demon king holding immense power.

A slender finger pressed onto his hand.

Puyang Xi’s expression changed drastically.

The continuous cracking sound of bones under heavy pressure rang out. That finger didn’t seem to exert much force, yet a suffocating feeling like Mount Tai pressing down enveloped him completely.

With a crack, the bone in his middle finger broke.

Jiang Qiuyue asked, “What is your name?”

Puyang Xi’s face shifted from cloudy to sunny, as if he felt no pain, and he smiled brilliantly, “Yang Xi.”

Jiang Qiuyue: “I asked for your real name.”]

“Cut—”

The director yelled cut. Yu Wen sat in front of the monitor, clapping like a seal. “So shippable, so shippable! People who don’t understand our Xi-Yue are missing out!”

The director was a young man who had just entered the industry. From details like the plot and lines, one could see his trendiness. The drama had plenty of punchlines, closely followed current hot topics, and was so nonsensical it made one’s stomach hurt from laughing. Off-camera, the director didn’t put on airs either.

He asked Yu Wen, “You think they’re shippable?”

Yu Wen: “Shipping them to death, thank you.”

“What about the main plot?”

“Smooth as floating clouds and flowing water, things falling naturally into place, having a well-thought-out plan, having hills and valleys in the heart…”

The director praised him for being cultured.

“Do you think our drama can become a hit?” Since it was his debut work after all, the director appeared somewhat worried.

Yu Wen said deeply, “According to my judgment, it’s at the level of emptying out the whole town to watch it.”

The director was shy, “That’s too… I wouldn’t even dare to imagine.”

Yu Wen: “Coward! I dare to imagine it!”

A rush of adrenaline hit the director’s brain, and he said excitedly, “The Magnolia Award is mine!”

Yu Wen: “It belongs to no one else but you!”

After hyping each other up, the director held Yu Wen’s hand with tears in his eyes, “If you have no dramas to film in the future, just come find me. I’ll pay you a salary, you just need to bring your little folding stool and sit next to me.”

Yu Wen was also very moved to have found another meal ticket. A chatterbox truly shines wherever they go.

During the lunch break, Yu Wen opened his phone and saw messages from Xie Jiamao.

Boss: [Working for a friend, exchanging it for a new variety show for you.]

Boss: [Possessed_by_a_Koi.jpg]

Attached was a photo of him sitting in front of a monitor.

Yu Wen was very touched. This boss was really a solid guy; he couldn’t even feed himself, yet he went out to work just to feed Yu Wen.

He dug out a meme made from the bizarrely lucky koi Chu Old Sixth from his photo album and sent it to Xie Jiamao.

Xie Jiamao replied very quickly; he was probably slacking off.

Boss: [How was filming today? Did it go smoothly?]

Yu Wen: [Smoothly.]

Yu Wen: [Shooting_hearts.jpg]

Xie Jiamao caught all his hearts, and then found a meme of Ultraman shooting laser hearts and sent it back to him.

Boss: [I’m a bit busy these couple of days. If you need anything, find Xiao Xie, he is temporarily acting as your assistant.]

Yu Wen fell silent for two seconds, feeling a bit sorry for Teacher Xie.

Xie Jiamao pushed Xie Heyu’s contact card over, and Yu Wen finally remembered that after they exchanged contact info, they hadn’t actually spoken to each other yet.

Teacher Xie’s profile picture was a blurry silhouette on an empty street, with everything tinged by the misty orange glow of the streetlights. A speeding black sedan in the corner of the picture was left as a mere afterimage.

The silhouette was wearing a hood and a mask. It was hard to tell if it was Teacher Xie himself, but the lean outline and sharp figure made it clear at a glance that he was a massive hottie.

Yu Wen was a straightforward player—if he had something to say, he said it.

He opened the chat window: [Teacher Xie Teacher Xie Teacher Xie, are you there?]

Before he could send the second message, his phone vibrated, and a white message popped up in the chat window.

[Here.]

Yu Wen copied the words he had typed out, deleted them, and tapped away: [Wow Teacher Xie, you’re slacking off in class.]

Then he pasted his previous words: [Is the profile picture you?]

Xie Heyu: [I don’t have class right now.]

Xie Heyu: [Yes.]

Yu Wen thought to himself that a cool guy really is a cool guy, his replies were so concise. It made Yu Wen seem like he talked too much nonsense.

He decided to be concise too: [why?]

Xie Heyu: [?]

Yu Wen felt regretful. It was rare for him to want to change himself, but he ran into someone not on the same wavelength.

However, Teacher Xie looked like a serious person at first glance, so it was only right that he wasn’t on the same wavelength as a nutjob. Yu Wen comforted himself.

Yu Wen: [The internet says people who use themselves as their profile pictures are all secretly wild on the inside. Teacher Xie, you couldn’t be that kind of person, right?]

Xie Heyu: [I am not.]

Yu Wen: [Please provide your reasoning along with that.]

Xie Heyu was a very interesting person. He spoke little but wasn’t perfunctory; he was cool but not indifferent.

The “typing…” at the top of the chat window lasted for a while.

Xie Heyu: [The family group chat required everyone to change to a picture of themselves, to make it easier to find people.]

Yu Wen: [Hahahaha… But Teacher Xie, it seems impossible to recognize you from this picture either.]

Xie Heyu: [Mm.]

Xie Heyu: [I did it on purpose.]

“…”

Yu Wen suddenly got the punchline.

When Jian Heng came to find him, he was hugging his phone, laughing so hard tears were about to come out.

“Ziwei, Ziwei, don’t cry!” Jian Heng switched roles into a classic soap opera mode, sorrowfully grabbing his shoulders, “I will definitely cure your eyes!”

“Imperial Father.” Yu Wen looked at him affectionately.

Jian Heng: “?”

He was playing this character?

“Xia Yuhe by Daming Lake is going to turn into a butterfly and fly away.”

Jian Heng: “?”

The makeup teacher called him over for a touch-up. The next scene was an important one for him. Yu Wen lightly sprang up from his lounge chair, waving his sleeves, and fluttered toward the makeup teacher.