Chapter 15: CH 15

Ji Li promised too simply and made Sun Yong and He Ling to be stunned.

Sun Yong came forward and asked incredulously, “What did you say? You are willing to join the crew as a stand-in for He Ling?”

What was going on in this person’s head?

It was fine to insist on selecting the third male lead but He Ling made it clear that he was humiliating Ji Li with the ‘stand-in’ identity. As a result, Ji Li nodded and agreed without even thinking about it?

“Of course.” JI Li’s gaze shifted to He Ling and he deliberately asked, “If I am a stand-in for He Ling, the pay shouldn’t be too bad? It must be at least on par with the stand-ins for first-tier actors.”

He Ling claimed to be worth a lot. If the stand-in was paid less, wasn’t it slapping himself in the face?

Ji Li thought up to here and smiled more brilliantly at He Ling.

There was a saying about being too embarrassed to hit a person who was already confessing their mistake with a smile on their face. Ji Li seemed to be boasting about He Ling but he was actually deliberately making the other person uncomfortable. “Young Master He, you don’t want to go back on your words, right?”

Not only did Ji Li feel no shame but he also openly and secretly set up He Ling.

The pleasure in He Ling’s eyes completely dissipated but he took into account his face when answering, “What is there to regret? I’ll have someone contact the crew later. You will join the crew with me at that time.”

“Okay.” Ji Li was very satisfied with He Ling’s answer. He turned to Sun Yong. “Please arrange it. I’ll work as a stand-in first. Then I will enter the crew when the movie side is ready. If I need to audition for the role of third male lead then I can cooperate at any time.”

“……”

Sun Yong heard these words and the anger in his chest couldn’t subside.

If it was any other newcomer, if the agent told them to go east then they wouldn’t dare go west. Ji Li was so good. He clearly arranged his agent.

“Do what you want. Sooner or later, you will suffer.” Sun Yong expressed these words in a deep voice.

He Ling was about to enter this crew as the number one male villain and there were many martial arts scenes. He Ling’s body was more precious than a god. He would definitely have the stand-in play all the dangerous scenes.

Why did he want to be the hardest and most tiring stand-in instead of the relaxed second male lead?

He was kicked in the brains by a donkey!

“If there is nothing else, I’ll go first.” Ji Li ignored the dissatisfied eyes and left the office with great ease.

He naturally had a reason for being willing to do this.

Back at the dormitory, Ji Li immediately went online to inquire about the relevant news.

He Ling’s upcoming costume drama was called ‘Schemes of the Great Zong Dynasty Youth’. It was adapted from the famous novel ‘Shadows Hanging over the Great Zong Dynasty.’ This novel once occupied first on the website’s subscription hot list for a whole year and it accumulated many book fans.

JI Li remembered it was mentioned in the original novel that once the drama was aired, it sparked a viewing frenzy. At several major TV drama festivals, the main creators crazily won the major awards.

The value of the stars soared. Among them, Zhou Qingming played the male lead and he squeezed into the first-tier. He was the biggest opponent of the original novel’s protagonist, Yi Yunqi in the future.

However, the TV drama becoming hot had nothing to do with the ‘stand-in’

The reason why Ji Li was willing to take this job was entirely because he valued the creative team behind the TV drama.

Director Yao Chuan, screenwriter Fang Zhixing and producer Mo Xingyuan. They were three giants mentioned in the original novel several times and the movie and television works they cooperated on could never be unpopular.

The protagonist Ji Yunqi’s debut movie, Special Operations was also made by them.

Ji Li was well aware of his current situation and the follow-up ‘idol’ resources the company would give him weren’t enough. He needed the right opportunity to get to know a large number of high contacts in the movie and television industry.

He Ling was playing the number one villain so his roles in the drama won’t be short.

Ji Li might be acting as a small stand-in but it was enough for him to enter the crew in a fair way. There would always be an opportunity to get to know people.

Ji Li thought about it. He hadn’t received the script so he could only read the original novel.

The dynasty in Shadows Hanging over the Great Zong Dynasty was a fictional one. It talked about the sudden tragic deaths/cases that occurred in various places over the years. The officials who took over the investigation were unable to escape the bad luck of being killed.

It was a time of foreign invasion and turbulence so the imperial court had no choice but to seek the assistance of ‘Tianxia Pavilion’, the leader of the martial arts world. It was under these circumstances that the protagonist group of four was established.

The protagonist group explored the cases and pursued the truth. Along the way, they met a man in white clothes called Xie Yan. This person’s martial arts ability was high and he saved them several times.

The original author was very good at putting in ’hooks.’ The court disturbances were intertwined with the pleasures of Jianghu. There were several reversals that made Ji Li keep reading. (Jianghu (rivers and lakes) is the community of martial artists in wuxia stories)

Later, the protagonist group found that Xie Yan’s true identity was actually King Jin who was deposed five years ago. All the disasters and tragedies were planned by him behind the scenes and even the invasion of enemy countries was secretly instigated by him.

The conspiracy was exposed and Xie Yan revealed the obsession that had been hidden for many years before his death. The truth was pitiful and lamentable.

Ji Li spent two days reading to the end of the novel and sighed.

It had to be said that the original author was really good at shaping the villain’s character. Not only was he handsome but he also had high strength. The most important thing was his dual identity. Even if his identity as a ‘villain’ was revealed in the end, the truth of the past made tears form in the readers’ eyes.

Ji Li browsed the review area and found that King Jin Xie Yan was the most discussed character.

No wonder why He Ling was willing to give up his leading role and bring money into the crew to play such a ‘villain.’

Xie Yan himself was a character design with full marks. As long as He Ling’s acting skills reached the passing line, the role filter could make him madly attract a large number of fans after the broadcast.

***

10 days later, Ji Li followed He Ling into the crew.

In fact, the filming for Schemes of the Great Zong Dynasty Youth had been going on for nearly a month. In the beginning, He Ling secretly replaced the original actor using money. In order to cooperate with the finishing time of his previous job, the crew moved the filming time of King Jin’s scenes.

He Ling’s first scene happened to be Xie Yan’s first appearance in the script.

The heroine Xiao Ke’er had a dispute with the hero and the others and left the team in a spirited manner. As a result, she lost her way in the mountains and was hijacked by bandits.

In the moment of crisis when she was going to be bullied/humiliated, a few dark crossbow bolts shot between the eyes of the culprits and killed them on the spot. Once the crisis was over, Xie Yan, the owner of the crossbow, jumped down from the tree trunk and appeared in a handsome and unrestrained manner.

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This scene wasn’t difficult. In short, it was to shape the first impression of the King Jin character in the hearts of the audience.

Neat actions and a beautiful appearance. Even if he wore a veil that covered his face, the natural aristocratic aura made people want to see the appearance hidden under the fine veil.

Such an initial scene was to be completed by the actor himself.

There was no need for the role of substitute on the notice. Ji Li discussed it with the production assistant and found a quiet spot under the shade of a tree.

On this hot day, everyone had a small electric fan in their hands. However, Ji Li didn’t act according to common sense. He held a small folding fan in his hands and flexibly flipped the fan blades and bones back and forth.

Ji Li freed up his other hand and looked at the Moments for a while.

The make-up artist Zhang Ming had posted a message five hours ago: Happy finish! I wish ‘Country and the World’ a big box office in the future!

Ji Li looked at the photo below. His eyes couldn’t help falling onto the center of the photo and he clicked to enlarge it.

Qin Li was wearing a black tank top and had a bouquet of flowers in his arms. The line of his arms was smooth without exaggeration. This was obviously the result of exercising year-round.

Ji Li couldn’t help smiling. He quickly liked it and sighed, “His body is very good.”

“Brother Ji, I’ve found you!” Baozi hurriedly ran over with a red face. “Please hurry over. He Ling didn’t shoot the first scene well and he is about to get into a fight with the director. Brother Yong is helping to smooth things over but my guess is that he will need you to temporarily fill in.”

Ji Li raised an eyebrow slightly. He obviously hadn’t expected this situation.

Getting into trouble with Director Yao Chuan on the first day of filming? He Ling was too brave.

Ji Li quickly got up and followed Baozi to the shooting center in the inner circle. He had a rough idea of what was going on from Baozi.

According to the plot requirements, Xie Yan needed to jump down from a high tree. The only difficulty of this scene was the hanging wires.

It also happened that He Ling himself was a bit afraid of heights.

It wasn’t easy for him to overcome the psychological obstacle. As a result, he failed to grasp the balance point and his entire body turned upside down as he planted head down.

The first time the actors tried the wires, they needed a mutual bonding exercise with the staff pulling the rope. Such balance reversals were common in the early stage.

He Ling ignored these reasons and abruptly became angry with the staff. In addition, he had a slight fear of heights and this caused his acting state to be too tense. They shot the scene a few times and Director Yao wasn’t satisfied.

The afternoon in Hengcheng was the hottest.

He Ling couldn’t help screaming after several NGs and his temper emerged.

“Do you know how much human and financial resources will be wasted if we delay the progress for a day?” Director Yao Chuan’s anger was heard from afar. “You are tired? Aren’t the staff pulling the wire ropes for you underneath tired? Aren’t the teachers shooting in the sun tired?”

“It is only four or five meters high yet you can’t bear it after trying it a few times? Do you think being an actor is easy? Do you want the whole crew to revolve around you?”

“If it won’t work then change the person. You aren’t even in the first-tier yet there are already so many problems!” Everyone in the circle knew that Yao Chuan had a violent temper. At this time, he scolded He Ling regardless of the actor’s reputation.

The surrounding staff were silent but agreement could be seen in their eyes.

Xu Miaomiao, the new young and rising star who was playing the heroine was also holding back her anger. In this scene, her role needed to be tied to the tree trunk.

Even though her bare wrists were rubbed red by the thick rope, she didn’t cry out bitterly. As a result, a man was more fragile than her.

“You should be mentally prepared for acting. What is going on with delaying everyone’s time?” Xu Miaomiao spoke these dissatisfied words before going back to the RV with her assistant to rest.

Feel free to make trouble. Call her when they were ready to start shooting again.

He Ling perceived the surrounding gazes and his expression became extremely ugly. He had never received such scolding and humiliation! If Sun Yong hadn’t stopped him, he would’ve turned and left on the spot.

“Young  Master Shao, Brother Yong, Director Yao.” Baozi brought Ji Li over and called out to everyone.

Sun Yong was about to die of anger due to He Ling. After seeing Ji Li’s figure, he had to smile at Director Yao. “Director Yao, calm down. This is the stand-in for He Ling that we brought. Can you try him for this scene?”

Yao Chuan glanced at Ji Li and was silent.

Using a stand-in for the first scene?

“In any case, this character is wearing a veil and his true face can’t be seen.” Sun Yong paused, his tone more humble. “He Ling is truly very afraid of heights. It is his first day in the crew and it is inevitable that he can’t adapt.”

Ji Li saw the rare sight of Sun Yong and He Ling eating defeat and lowering themselves. He slightly raised an eyebrow and stayed out of the way.

“Okay, there is nothing to argue about. It is common for actors and directors to have deviations in their understanding of the role.” The screenwriter Fang Zhixing walked up and his warm voice eased the atmosphere. “We can’t let the whole crew wait and delay the progress.”

He patted his friend Yao Chuan on the shoulder before smiling at Ji Li. “This stand-in actor is very good-looking. You can go and find the stylist now.”

“Yes, prepare the stand-in.” Yao Chuan wasn’t an impetuous person and he couldn’t delay the progress of the crew too much.

“Yes.” Ji Li bowed to the director and screenwriter.

The dispute was barely resolved. He Ling couldn’t stand it so he turned to leave.

“You…” Sun Yong stiffened and looked very embarrassed. “Director, I’m really sorry. I promise that I will go back and communicate with He Ling today. We won’t delay the follow-up progress.”

Yao Chuan was too lazy to pay attention to him and shouted, “Everyone has worked hard. Let’s rest first.”

He was ignored in front of everyone and Sun Yong wanted to find a hole in the ground to hide in. He hurried to chase after He Ling.

This ancestor, he was already domineering in the last small crew. Now he dared to make a mess in front of a big director? Did he really think the director wouldn’t dare do anything to him just because he brought money into the crew?

Yao Chuan returned to his position and let out an angry breath. “Zhixing, you can find Xingyuan. I want to ask him what the producer is thinking by stuffing such an unreliable actor into my crew!”

“What else could be the reason? He is rich and willful.” Fang Zhixing sat next to the director but his heart wasn’t light.

As the screenwriter, he was well aware of the charm of Xie Yan’s role. This role would become more crucial as the drama went on. If He Ling kept being like he was today, the charm of the character would probably be greatly reduced.

Just as the two of them fell silent, the production assistant suddenly ran over excitedly. “Director Yao! Teacher Fang! Teacher Qin Li is here!”

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