Chapter 490 - 403: Taking Qi Fei to Hengdian (Part 2)

"Director Xu, there’s no need to go to all this trouble. Just stick to your normal filming schedule. You don’t have to give Qi Fei any special treatment." Wu Yun declined Xu Ke’s courteous offer, not wanting Qi Fei to film out of turn.

"Alright, President Wu! I’ll get back to filming then!" Director Xu said, a fancy paper coffee cup in one hand and a megaphone in the other.

Director Xu was a man of action, after all. Otherwise, he never would have been able to direct so many martial arts and fantasy films.

Director Xu then raised the megaphone and announced, "Five more minutes, then we’re back to shooting!"

At Director Xu’s command, the cast and crew gathered in small groups, drinking coffee and chatting. Only the actors whose scene was up next were nervously getting their makeup touched up.

The next scene to be filmed depicted a young Han Li participating in the Seven Profound Sect’s entrance trial.

A supporting actor in martial arts attire was playing Hall Master Yue of the Seven Profound Sect. He was a middle-aged man made up to look elderly.

The actor faced the group of young men before him, pointed to the green screen behind him, and announced loudly, "Listen up, everyone! Follow the path through the bamboo forest to reach the Seven Profound Sect’s Bone Refining Cliff. The first section is through the forest, followed by a rock face, and finally, the cliff itself. Only those who reach the summit can enter the Seven Profound Sect. If you fail to arrive before noon, you cannot become an official disciple. However, if your performance is commendable, you may be accepted as a disciple in name only."

The supporting actor’s voice was loud and clear, his delivery full of cadence. He seemed very professional, projecting the very air of a true master from the martial arts world.

At this, Director Xu nodded in satisfaction. The assistant director standing beside him smiled and explained to Wu Yun, "President Wu, this scene’s main purpose is to showcase the treacherous nature of Bone Refining Cliff. Any suitable real-world locations in the country are in remote areas. It’s far more cost-effective to use special effects than to travel back and forth for a single shot like this."

"That actor’s pretty good! He looks like a seasoned pro," Wu Yun said, pointing at the actor playing the Seven Profound Sect’s hall master.

The assistant director explained, "He’s a well-known extra here in Hengdian. He has a wealth of acting experience, and his grasp of minor roles is better than many graduates from professional acting academies. That’s why so many crews are willing to hire him."

The assistant director added with a sigh, "His acting skills are already considered top-tier among the extras in Hengdian. He’s just never had a powerful benefactor to help him out, never gotten that one big break. He’s been languishing like this for over a decade."

When Director Xu called "Cut!", the actors in front of the camera instantly relaxed. The young extras, full of youthful energy, immediately broke into a clamor the moment filming stopped.

Just then, Wu Yun walked up to the middle-aged man playing Hall Master Yue. After looking him up and down for a moment, he said with a smile, "That was a good performance."

The man, who had projected the air of a proud martial arts master during his performance, became nervous upon seeing the important figures from the film crew standing beside Wu Yun. "Thank you for the praise, sir! It’s really just a matter of practice makes perfect."

Wu Yun had already appraised the man, whose name was Zhao Ping. ’He actually has two master-level Skills related to acting! Looks like he’s at least capable of handling supporting roles with more lines.’

"He’s good, Director Xu. If any suitable roles come up later, you should consider him." For some reason, Wu Yun just had a good feeling about the extra named Zhao Ping, so he decided to put in a good word for him.

After Wu Yun and his entourage had left, the assistant director clapped Zhao Ping on the shoulder. "Zhao Ping! Keep up the good work! He might just be the benefactor you’ve been waiting for."

Zhao Ping, still reeling from the sudden good fortune, asked in confusion, "Director Li, who was that young man?"

The assistant director chuckled. "He’s the investor for this series! That’s President Wu, Wu Yun! The coffee you were just drinking? He’s the one who brought it for everyone!"

The assistant director continued, "Keep up the good work. I was just telling President Wu that you have the talent but lack opportunities. I never expected him to come right over! I guess today is just your lucky day."

Having knocked around Hengdian for years, Zhao Ping naturally understood the assistant director’s underlying meaning. A grateful look appeared on his face. "Thank you for putting in a good word for me, Director Li. I was wondering, are you free tonight? I’d like to treat you to dinner."

The assistant director smiled and clapped Zhao Ping’s shoulder again. "No need for dinner! Just remember that I said a good word for you once you make it big."

.....

Wu Yun arrived at the dressing room and saw Li Fengying standing by the door. "Are they still not ready?" he asked.

Li Fengying forced a smile. "President Wu, I’m not sure. Why don’t you go in and see for yourself?"

So, Wu Yun gave the door a quick knock and, without waiting for a response, walked right in.

The moment he entered, he saw Wen Meng clutching her chest, her eyes fixed warily on the door. She only relaxed when she saw it was him.

"Meng Meng! You look great in historical costumes! That dudou especially suits you." Wu Yun said with a mischievous grin, his eyes on the large swath of fabric that made up the dudou covering her chest.

Wen Meng coyly mimicked the posture of an ancient courtesan, flicking a silk handkerchief forward alluringly. "Come and play, my good sir!" she purred.

Wu Yun gave her a sharp slap on the bottom, making her whole body jiggle.

The nearby costume designer who witnessed this quickly averted her gaze, pretending she hadn’t seen a thing. But out of the corner of her eye, she couldn’t help but watch the two of them fool around.

"Where did you learn such naughty things? Stop that. Where’s Feifei?"

Wen Meng’s eyes glistened as she gazed at Wu Yun. She leaned against his shoulder and said, "Feifei is sorting through her costumes."

Thanks to Wu Yun’s deep pockets, all the show’s costumes were custom-made from scratch by various factories. A role like Qi Fei’s naturally came with several different outfits.

With the costume designer’s help, Qi Fei tried on all the costumes for her role to check the fit.

Fortunately, since her measurements had been taken beforehand, all the clothes fit perfectly.

"All done trying on the costumes? Feifei, do you have any scenes to shoot today?" Wu Yun asked.

The assistant, Liu Xin, suppressed the surprise she felt from seeing Wu Yun and Wen Meng’s antics. She took out her phone, opened a memo, and said, "President Wu, Feifei’s scenes don’t start until the day after tomorrow. She’s just here today to try on costumes and officially check in with the production."

Wu Yun nodded. "Alright, if there’s nothing else, let’s go look at some houses now."

After getting off the plane at Yiwu Airport, Wu Yun and his group had come straight to the film set in their van. The production had arranged a hotel, but Wu Yun figured Qi Fei would be spending a lot of time filming in Hengdian in the future. It would be better to just buy a house and get it over with, making things more convenient down the line.

After all, many A-list stars like Hu Ge had bought their own properties in Hengdian.

As they left the set, Wang Hao, who had been waiting outside, approached them with a male real estate agent in his thirties. "President Wu, I’ve selected three properties that match your requirements. Manager Wu here will take us to see them now."

The man, Manager Wu, wore a somewhat sycophantic smile. This was his first time in such close proximity to a billionaire, and he was thrilled to be of service. "President Wu! A pleasure to meet you! Thank you for trusting me to help you find a property!"

Seeing that Manager Wu was about to launch into another spiel, Wang Hao tactfully cut him off. "Manager Wu, let’s go see the properties first. President Wu’s time is limited. If he likes one, we’ll handle the paperwork right away."

The moment he learned the buyer was Wu Yun, Manager Wu knew closing a deal today was a sure thing. He nodded eagerly. "Of course, of course! Everyone, please follow my car!"

After waiting for his VIP clients to get into their vehicle, Manager Wu got into his own Volkswagen Bora. He gave a wave back toward them, rolled up his window, and, with his turn signal flashing, pulled out of the parking lot.