Chapter 52: A Babel of Women

After handling several acquisition and agency negotiation tasks regarding upcoming online games, Gu Cheng had already regretted signing up for such a massive television production like The Return of the Condor Heroes by the time he returned to the Hengdian World Studios.

When it all came down to it, he was simply too busy, and large-scale productions of this caliber took far too long. A forty-episode drama, especially one packed with extensive post-production visual effects, required three to four months of shooting alone. Adding post-production made it a commitment of over half a year. This was truly not a luxury someone of his stature had the time to indulge in.

It was fortunate that the internet winter had not yet ended; otherwise, the disruptions to his other ventures would have been even more catastrophic.

He silently resolved in his heart: Once he accumulated enough prestige in the field of screenwriting and directing, he would henceforth only invest in television dramas rather than stepping onto the set himself. As for films, he would only personally guide prestigious projects capable of winning major awards. If he ever wanted to cameo in a role, his schedule would strictly be capped at two months.

If he were to serve as writer and director, he must hire a competent assistant director capable of bearing at least eighty percent of the workload and possessing the ability to work independently for the majority of the time.

Regrets aside, a job undertaken had to be completed to the best of his ability. Upon rejoining the crew, they had already filmed three or four episodes worth of storylines concerning other parts of Xiaolongnü's arc. What remained open were exclusively the scenes requiring Yang Guo's presence.

Gu Cheng worked at a relentless pace for over half a month, finally catching up on the sequence of events at the Passionless Valley involving Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü, as well as their miraculous encounters after falling off the cliff with severed arms.

Fortunately, the actresses starring alongside Gu Cheng were quite capable and maintained their momentum well. Furthermore, this segment lacked crowded ensemble scenes, which lowered the margin for error. They were basically maintaining a blistering pace of one episode every two days.

The overall shooting progress had smoothly reached about seventy or eighty percent completion, and the time had advanced to mid-December, with winter fast approaching.

After wrapping up for the day, Guan Hu approached Gu Cheng with the shooting schedule to discuss a change of plans:

"Director Gu, should we alter the final shooting schedule? After we finish shooting the sequence in the mid-month where everyone scrambles for the Passionless Pill at the Passionless Valley and Gongsun Zhi and Qiu Qianchi perish together, why don't we skip straight to the grand finale—the Battle of Xiangyang? Then, after the New Year's Day holiday, we can come back and shoot those scenes from sixteen years later with Yang Guo and Guo Xiang at Fengling Ferry."

Gu Cheng was exhausted, too lazy to think, and asked directly, "Why?"

Guan Hu explained persuasively, "Because from Yang Guo and Guo Xiang's initial encounter at Fengling Ferry all the way to Guo Xiang jumping off the cliff after Yang Guo, those five episodes are set in the dead of winter according to the script and require snow scenes. If we can wait for natural snow when the time comes, it will make set design much easier, so it's best to film them during the coldest period.

In addition, bringing the Battle of Xiangyang forward allows most of the actors to wrap up and leave the crew earlier, making the settlement of their pay before the New Year less rushed. For the final half-month, we'll only need to keep the main characters like Yang Guo, Xiaolongnü, Guo Xiang, Guo Fu, and Jinlun Fawang, along with Zhou Botong and a few others to interact with them."

Gu Cheng found this reasoning logical and readily agreed: "Alright, let's arrange it that way. We'll wrap up this Passionless Valley arc properly and then move on to the Battle of Xiangyang."

***

Two days later, the plot reached the climax of the battle at Passionless Valley.

Villains such as Gongsun Zhi, Qiu Qianchi, and Li Mochou would all meet their demises in this episode, and the pact between Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü to reunite sixteen years later would also be established here. It could be considered the second-to-last major climax of the entire series.

The weather had turned quite cold, and the natural outdoor flowers had largely withered. Therefore, the vast, sweeping fields of Passionless Flowers had to be completely transplanted by set designers from greenhouses and covered with soil to construct the set. Fortunately, Passionless Flowers were entirely fictional, so a few late-blooming solanaceous plants were sufficient substitutes.

Through this period of collaboration, Gu Cheng's serious and dedicated work ethic had deeply won over every actor on the crew.

Especially during the aftermath of Yang Guo's plunge off the cliff, when Gu Cheng filmed Yang Guo's solo scenes practicing the Heavy Iron Sword Technique, his technical handling of the giant eagle and the heavy iron sword was witnessed by everyone. Liu Feifei and Jiang Xin, the two young actresses who had previously worked on producer Zhang's Dragon Chronicles set at CCTV, couldn't help but draw comparisons in their hearts.

As the saying went: You don't fear goods not being of high quality; you fear comparing them. Compared to Gu Cheng's meticulous pursuit of perfection, CCTV's side fell drastically short in terms of investment, demands for special effects, and overall attitude.

Moreover, Gu Cheng didn't just throw money around while placing strict demands on others; he held himself to an even higher standard. Consequently, even when mistakes led to NGs or criticisms, not a single soul up and down the crew could muster any dissatisfaction toward Gu Cheng.

Early in the morning, the exterior sets that the set designers had stayed up half the night working on were complete, and all the actors were waiting to have their makeup done.

Before rolling cameras, Gu Cheng received a call from Kwon Bo-ah, informing him that she had arrived in Wuzhou and that the crew's driver was currently picking her up to bring her to Hengdian.

"Then be careful on the road. Someone will show you around and help you get familiar with everything once you arrive," Gu Cheng instructed gently before hanging up the phone.

According to the plan, Kwon Bo-ah was cast as Guo Xiang and wasn't supposed to join the crew until a few days later when they entered the "sixteen years later" storyline at Fengling Ferry.

However, Kwon Bo-ah had never acted in a television drama before. All of her acting skills stemmed from less than a year of night classes in acting while she was a trainee at S.M., combined with her experience shooting music videos over the years. In terms of seniority, everyone in the cast except Yang Mi was more experienced than Kwon Bo-ah.

Even though she had spent the past two months in Seoul spending a few hours every night reading the original novel and script of The Return of the Condor Heroes and frantically cramming acting lessons from the company's instructors, she still needed adequate time to adapt to her state.

At the time of the phone call, Gu Cheng was with the three young actresses: Liu Feifei, Jiang Xin, and Sun Li.

The scene to be filmed shortly was the one where Gongsun Zhi held Gongsun Lü'e hostage, and Gongsun Lü'e resolutely committed suicide to prevent Yang Guo from being restrained by her presence. Both Xiaolongnü and Cheng Ying needed to be by Yang Guo's side when Gongsun Lü'e died, comforting him to prevent him from grieving excessively.

Naturally, the actresses caught every word of the phone call.

Jiang Xin had a quick tongue and made no effort to conceal it, directly and teasingly poking fun, "That must be Miss Kwon, who's playing little Guo Xiang, arriving, right?"

"Who else could it be? Have you ever seen Brother Cheng use such a gentle tone when talking to anyone else?" Liu Feifei puckered her lips with a haughty air.

She was young and innocent. Having hung out with Jiang Xin and Sun Li for so long, she inevitably lacked a filter, naturally spilling the details that Kwon Bo-ah was Gu Cheng's distant cousin and that Gu Cheng doted on her dearly.

Sun Li had a reserved personality; even knowing, she pretended not to know, unwilling to gossip. Jiang Xin, however, had no such reservations.

"Yes, take good care of her these next few days. She's only been learning Mandarin for two years, so it hasn't been easy for her. Casting her in this show will also help open up overseas markets," Gu Cheng admitted openly, offering a casual explanation without leaving any trace of manipulation.

"Alright, what's the big deal? Who doesn't look out for their own younger sister? There's nothing to be embarrassed about, don't worry," Jiang Xin said, patting her chest with an air of absolute assurance.

In less than half an hour, Kwon Bo-ah arrived. Her eyes lit up the moment she caught sight of Gu Cheng, and she sprinted toward him, only halting and pulling back her momentum when she realized Gu Cheng was fully made up in costume. She restrained herself and merely shook hands with him politely.

"You two have such a wonderful sibling bond, it's so enviable. I wish I had an older brother when I was little, then I wouldn't have had to work so hard," Jiang Xin, dressed in a green gauze gown, said familiarly as she draped an arm over Kwon Bo-ah's shoulder and bantered.

Kwon Bo-ah was already sixteen years old. In her previous timeline, she would have maxed out at a height of around one meter sixty. Yet Gu Cheng's appearance seemed to have triggered a butterfly effect for this "lolita cultivation plan." Through years of insisting on muscle magnetotherapy relaxation devices, Kwon Bo-ah, much like the visuals of top idol groups, lived up to expectations and developed a pair of long, slender legs.

Coupled with the fact that the other actresses were wearing voluminous period costumes while the newly arrived Kwon Bo-ah wore jeans, her slender and straight legs were set off to perfection. Jiang Xin, who stood well over one meter seventy, actually failed to show any obvious height advantage standing next to her.

Liu Feifei also immediately walked over, nodding slightly to greet Kwon Bo-ah, though a trace of unconquered competitive spirit still flickered in her eyes.

"Hello everyone, I used to be a singer, so I'm practically a newcomer when it comes to acting in television dramas. Please take good care of me!"

Kwon Bo-ah's outfit was similar to the ones she wore when participating in various variety shows in Japan; her hair was coiled into a bun, likely for traveling convenience. She habitually bowed slightly in greeting to everyone she met, making it instantly impossible for anyone to harbor any resentment toward her.

"No need to be so polite, big superstar! Right now, aside from Brother Cheng, you're the biggest name here. Even if you lacked acting skills, you could still single-handedly pull in massive ratings," Jiang Xin patted Kwon Bo-ah's shoulder with an expression declaring she had her covered.

Ever since the series of Cheng-Pin Music concerts nearly half a year ago, Kwon Bo-ah's songs "Valenti," "Inter-Love," and "Every-Heart"—boosted by the massive popularity of Autumn in My Heart and InuYasha, along with the continuous momentum of the crowdfunded concerts—had firmly claimed the throne for the highest visibility and sing-along popularity among Mandarin and Japanese songs in China for the year.

Coupled with top-tier promotional resources from Dingdang.com, over the span of half a year, her albums had actually sold over one million copies in the Chinese market. She ranked as the fourth highest-selling singer of the year, trailing only Jay Chou, Jolin Tsai, and Gu Cheng, while vastly outperforming all other foreign artists.

The actresses in the cast were naturally well aware of her background, and none of them felt the slightest bit of unfriendliness toward a newcomer joining the drama with such clout.

***

With all preparations complete, Guan Hu signaled that rolling could begin. Before Kwon Bo-ah finished greeting all the crew members, she hurriedly hid to the side to quietly observe and learn.

Everyone adjusted their state and took their positions. After a few continuous takes that went smoothly, they quickly reached the scene where Sun Li met her demise.

Gongsun Zhi held his own daughter hostage to seize the Passionless Pill. Yang Guo should have blocked his path to retrieve the medicine, but Gongsun Zhi held a blade against Gongsun Lü'e's neck as leverage.

"Don't hurt her! I'll let you go. You'd even hurt your own biological daughter, you're worse than an animal!" Gu Cheng, portraying Yang Guo, shouted with a stern voice and a flawlessly expressive expression to deliver his lines.

Meanwhile, Sun Li, playing Gongsun Lü'e, had already brewed the emotional state of *"He's willing to forego the antidote just for my sake; even if I die for him, I have no regrets."* With a mournful glance, she threw herself directly onto her father's blade and committed suicide.

The entire sequence utilized multiple cameras capturing the action from various angles, with two dedicated cameras tracking Gu Cheng and Sun Li's facial expressions alone.

Gongsun Zhi fled in a panic. Meanwhile, Xiaolongnü, who had only Yang Guo in her heart and the Passionless Pill in her eyes, had no time to spare to comfort Yang Guo. With a complex expression, she merely glanced at the dying Gongsun Lü'e, heaved a long sigh of *"Why must you do this?"* and dashed out in pursuit.

Leaving only Cheng Ying behind to continue comforting Yang Guo: "Brother Yang, the dead cannot be brought back to life. Sister Gongsun was so resolute and willing to die for you; she can be considered to have died a worthy death..."

The operating cameramen were extremely nervous, their lenses locked onto Gu Cheng and Sun Li without daring to shift an inch, waiting solely for Gu Cheng to shed tears.

If he took too long to summon his emotions, the post-production editing might require cutting several intermediate frames while waiting for him to cry.

Fortunately, having honed his craft through three films, Gu Cheng already knew how to master his emotions.

In a mere half a minute, standing motionless without the aid of any physical prompts, he brewed a pool of tears at the corners of his eyes. Then, timing it precisely, the tears silently dripped down, landing on the corner of Sun Li's mouth as she was held in his embrace. They blended with the tomato juice prop overflowing from her lips, diluting the redness slightly before sliding together down Sun Li's face.

By clenching her teeth tightly, Sun Li forced her body to tremble and twitch slightly—many experienced performers could make their bodies shake like a Parkinson's patient simply by gritting their teeth—before stretching out a hand to stroke Gu Cheng's cheek tenderly: "You were willing to give up the antidote just for me, I can die in peace."

Her hand twitched and fell limp, pretending to be dead. Her hand, stained with tomato juice, left a faint, blurry bloody handprint on Gu Cheng's face.

"Absolute perfection! Cut that take, splice it immediately, and have the sound editor mix in that song Sun Li sang to see the effect! Everyone take a half-hour break!" Sitting in front of the monitor, Guan Hu slapped his thigh in sheer admiration at the performance on set.

Sun Li wiped her face; she had finally finished her scene. Among all the actresses, her shared scenes with Gu Cheng weren't particularly numerous, ranking roughly fifth.

Gu Cheng pulled her up from the ground, thoughtfully patting the dirt off her skirt. Sun Li beamed a bright smile: "Thank you, Director Gu. You've made me believe once again that there are wealthy men in this world who don't go bad."

"Pfft—" Jiang Xin nearby couldn't help but burst into laughter, giving Gu Cheng a pat on the shoulder. "Brother Cheng's charm is truly undeniable; even a 'split-personality girl' can be reformed."

"Cousin, water." Kwon Bo-ah held a thermos cup as she quietly walked over to Gu Cheng, handing him the hot water along with a wet wipe so he could gently wipe away the tomato juice handprint on his face.

Gu Cheng took them, wiping his face while scolding Jiang Xin: "Is there any need to roast your colleague like that? Spouting out things like 'split-personality girl.'"

Once Gu Cheng finished drinking, Jiang Xin unceremoniously snatched his thermos, took a few sips herself, wiped her mouth, and continued complaining:

"Every day after wrapping up, Sister Sun and I chat during our free time. She's the one who said it herself, don't blame me—she said when she was eleven, her father got rich, made it big, and then abandoned her mother. She spent seven destitute, wandering years living with her mother. Ever since then, she disliked socializing with men and became a 'non-marriage advocate,' believing there wasn't a single good man in the world. For you to actually make a girl like that believe in love again, Brother Cheng, you really have some amazing skills."

"Good grief, I didn't do anything at all! Why is this on me?!"

Jiang Xin smiled faintly: "It's precisely because you didn't do anything that made people believe in love—a guy who's so rich, so talented, and so handsome, surrounded by a group of beauties every single day, yet after several months did absolutely nothing. It's truly remarkable."

Kwon Bo-ah stood quietly by his side. Upon seeing Jiang Xin drink from the water bottle she had handed to her cousin, a trace of inexplicable slight displeasure flared in her heart. Yet upon hearing Jiang Xin's words, she felt inexplicably reassured.