Perhaps the coordinator understood their regretful mood, as the first scene deliberately arranged was one of anger.
“I may have grievances with Lady Jiang, but there’s no need for you to concern yourself, sister,” Lin Chenghuan said with a cold laugh.
“Sister was only showing goodwill. If you don’t appreciate it, so be it,” the actress playing Lady Liu replied with a sarcastic tone.
After filming the first scene, several actors felt much more relaxed. Those who didn’t have to film the second scene quickly returned to the dressing room. Lin Chenghuan was fortunate to be free and returned with her friends.
By then, Lu Zhiwei’s makeup and styling were almost complete. She had already changed into her costume and was making minor adjustments to her makeup, such as her eyeshadow. Her appearance seemed to reflect her early, non-confrontational phase, light makeup paired with an upswept hairstyle, giving her a gentle yet commanding presence.
The moment Lin Chenghuan saw her in the mirror, her heart skipped a beat. Lu Zhiwei’s aura was completely different from usual. It was true what they said, clothes make the man. In ancient-style makeup, she already looked like a stunningly beautiful palace consort.
“President Lu’s ancient-style look is truly breathtaking,” Lin Chenghuan forced herself to calm down and offered the customary compliment, though only she knew how deeply moved she was beneath her composed exterior.
“Yes, she’s like a celestial being descended to earth,” Liu Si, who had come with Lin Chenghuan, added excitedly.
Lu Zhiwei saw them in the mirror and smiled slightly, allowing the makeup artist to continue working on her face. She had already received many compliments today, but even Lin Chenghuan’s perfunctory praise lifted her spirits.
Lin Chenghuan soon sat to the side, quietly watching the makeup artist at work. She rarely saw Lu Zhiwei during the makeup process, and seeing her so docile and cooperative was oddly amusing.
Since it was only minor adjustments, the makeup was quickly finished, and Lu Zhiwei went outside for photos.
After her solo costume shots were done, the promotions team quickly pulled Lin Chenghuan and the others, who had been watching, to take group photos with Lu Zhiwei. Thus, Lu Zhiwei got her wish and took promotional photos with Lin Chenghuan.
“Their highlight moment is today, but that umbrella-sharing scene in the rain had a much stronger CP vibe. We’ll have to capture it well when we film the rain scene tomorrow,” the promotions assistant remarked.
“No problem,” the photographer assured her.
After several rounds of photos, the actors returned to the room to watch the retoucher edit the images. The retoucher immediately felt the pressure and stood up, saying, “President Lu and esteemed teachers, please have a seat.”
Normally, an assistant would oversee this, but today the actors were all eager to gather around Lu Zhiwei, crowding in front of the computer.
“Wow, this filter makes it look like there’s a divine glow,” Liu Si commented.
“…” The retoucher quickly toned down the filter.
Clearly, having the boss and a group of big names watching was affecting the retoucher’s performance, so the actors soon moved aside to review the press releases the promotions team had prepared earlier. Eventually, the coordinator called them back.
After filming another round of scenes, during the break, several actors gathered to chat.
[Liu Si: I wonder how many hot searches we’ll get today. I can’t wait to see the buzz.]
[Xu Sheng: Yeah, but they probably won’t post until the afternoon. I have some heavy scenes to film then.]
[Lin Chenghuan: Even if we can’t keep up with the online buzz, we get to act opposite President Lu in person.]
[Xu Sheng: That’s right! Hahaha, life is truly wonderful.]
So, a group of people chattered away, their discussion lively and heated. Qin Xiao passed by and sighed, “Oh my, have I stumbled into a spider spirit’s lair?”
Several of them giggled coquettishly, deliberately making their laughter sound eerie, and invited the director to sit down. Qin Xiao quickly scurried away, clutching her drink.
At noon, the group happily ate their boxed lunches. After finishing their meal and taking a short break, they would get to act opposite President Lu. Everything they had never dared to do to President Lu in real life could now be experienced through the scenes, whether it was intimate or antagonistic, the plot promised to be thrilling.
In the afternoon, after everyone had their makeup retouched, the highly anticipated scene finally arrived. Lu Zhiwei’s makeup reflected her character on the verge of becoming the empress, her aura slightly more imposing. Beneath her gentle and serene demeanor lay an unspoken majesty that commanded respect.
The one acting opposite her in the first scene was Xu Sheng. The other actors watched her with a mix of envy and jealousy, but at the same time, they were worried for her. She was essentially setting an example for those who would follow, and no one knew if she could hold her composure during her first scene with President Lu.
Xu Sheng played the role of Empress Yuan, Xie Yuan, who, like the historical Chen Ajiao, resorted to witchcraft to curse the emperor and engaged in an affair with a woman, “loving each other as husband and wife.” However, unlike Chu Fu, who was a sorceress, this woman was a palace maid.
The emperor had once let his beloved, who enjoyed roaming the jianghu, leave, but he forcibly brought Xie Yuan, a woman who bore a striking resemblance to his former love into the palace. As a result, Xie Yuan harbored deep hatred for the emperor, which eventually led to this extreme situation.
This scene depicted Liu Fuying discovering Xie Yuan’s use of witchcraft and confronting her in Fengyi Palace, with Xie Yuan descending into madness.
The cameras were in position, the clapperboard snapped, and the scene jumped straight to the emotionally intense part. Just seeing Xu Sheng and Lu Zhiwei standing there made a few onlookers want to laugh, but Lu Zhiwei calmly stepped forward.
“Your Majesty, why must you go to such lengths?” Lu Zhiwei wore a concerned expression. The line was simple, and the expression easy to convey, making it suitable for a non-professional to get into character.
Xu Sheng let out a cold, sinister laugh. “I want to curse him. He couldn’t have Sister Yun, so he decided to ruin me? I wish for him to be struck down by heaven and die a miserable death…”
As she continued, Xu Sheng’s voice grew increasingly hysterical and piercing. Lu Zhiwei quickly stepped forward to cover her mouth.
Xu Sheng locked eyes with Lu Zhiwei. She was supposed to break free and continue her frenzied dialogue, but from the look in her eyes, it was clear she couldn’t hold back any longer.
“…” Lu Zhiwei looked at Xu Sheng with a slightly innocent expression, while the amusement in Xu Sheng’s eyes became uncontrollable, growing stronger the more she tried to suppress it.
“Cut.” Seeing that Xu Sheng’s expression was off, the director called for a cut and prepared to restart.
The onlookers burst into laughter at the sight of Xu Sheng desperately trying to hold back her laughter but failing completely. Lu Zhiwei released her, and Xu Sheng bent over, laughing heartily.
“Hahaha, I’m sorry… I couldn’t help it.”
“It’s fine. Take your time to get used to it. Laugh as much as you need, and once you’ve had your fill, get back into character quickly.” Qin Xiao also smiled and glanced at the other laughing actors, who promptly assured her they would laugh it off soon.
It seemed that these past few days of acting had not only been a challenge for Lu Zhiwei, but everyone else also needed to overcome the feeling of being out of character. The director was quite satisfied with this situation, since everyone was making mistakes, Lu Zhiwei, who was still learning to act, could feel less pressure.
During the subsequent filming, Xu Sheng’s frequent fits of laughter gave Lu Zhiwei plenty of practice opportunities. With Xu Sheng causing so many NGs, Lu Zhiwei’s occasional mistakes due to her lack of acting experience became far less noticeable.
As a non-professional acting for the first time, Lu Zhiwei was not exceptionally talented. She could only do her best to convey emotions and deliver her lines clearly. Naturally, this meant she often needed the director’s guidance and corrections.
“Miss Wei, your expression of regret just now wasn’t quite vivid enough. Try imagining your favorite person or thing being taken away,” Qin Xiao suggested.
“Alright,” Lu Zhiwei nodded, and in the next take, her performance improved significantly.
Lu Zhiwei learned quickly, and her ability to stay composed and confident on set already put her ahead of many newcomers. Qin Xiao would often praise her with a smile.
Thirty minutes later, Lu Zhiwei gradually got into the groove and began acting with more finesse. Unfortunately, Xu Sheng still hadn’t had enough of laughing.
“Liu Fuying, there’s no need for your hypocritical act. Just enjoy my humiliation, even if… pfft.” Xu Sheng glared fiercely at Lu Zhiwei, but being so close and locking eyes with her, he couldn’t hold back his laughter.
“Why are you still laughing so much? Did you take the ‘Laughing Without Half-Step’ poison or something?” Qin Xiao said helplessly.
“Sorry, sorry… But Director Qin, ‘Laughing Without Half-Step’ is a poison that makes you unable to laugh or walk once you take it,” Xu Sheng replied with an ingratiating smile.
“Oh? Then how about I give you a dose to calm you down?”
“Thank you, thank you for the poison, Director Qin. This humble servant shall gladly accept it.”
“…”
Nearby, others were also laughing uncontrollably. Liu Si quickly chimed in, “Director Qin, you can’t entirely blame A-Sheng this time. Being this close really makes it hard not to laugh.”
Lin Chenghuan added, “Yeah, yeah, pfft… haha, help!”
Even Han Ruoruo was shaking with laughter. Qin Xiao finally relented, “Alright, let’s move back two centimeters.”
With the director’s two-centimeter concession, the following scenes went much more smoothly. Soon, the intense close-up confrontation was over, and Xie Yuan finally calmed down.
“Your Majesty should be more careful in the future. The path of witchcraft is illusory, how could a curse cause even the slightest harm to an enemy? Such futile efforts should cease now. I will never reveal this matter,” Liu Fuying said calmly, looking at Xie Yuan, who was slumped in her chair.
“Don’t you want to overthrow me and become empress yourself?” Xie Yuan asked, somewhat surprised.
“No, what’s so great about being empress? In my current position, I can accomplish many things,” Liu Fuying replied with a light, indifferent smile, though a trace of ruthlessness flickered in her eyes.
In that moment, both Xie Yuan and Xu Sheng were taken aback. Many onlookers marveled at how their boss could exude such intimidation so effortlessly.
Xie Yuan soon understood something and murmured, “Do you also have someone you hate? If you say witchcraft is useless, do you have other effective methods?”
“That, Your Majesty, you’ll just have to wait and see,” Liu Fuying averted her gaze, turned, and walked away.
With this scene finally wrapped, everyone applauded, expressing their admiration for Lu Zhiwei.
“President Lu, to act this well in your first performance, truly impressive.”
“Yes, and President Lu is so down-to-earth. She acts more seriously than some big stars.”
“President Lu’s acting skills are on par with professionally trained actors! When I first faced the camera, I was incredibly nervous.”
Lu Zhiwei was accustomed to flattery and usually took such compliments with a grain of salt. But seeing the genuine admiration shining in Lin Chenghuan’s smiling eyes, she felt today was particularly fulfilling.
However, after the break, the scene that truly set her heart racing was about to begin, she was going to act opposite Lin Chenghuan.