Lion Rock Film Studio, Stage 5.
Inside the massive soundstage, three high-definition digital cameras were aimed upward at Chen Fei'er, who floated gracefully through the air.
Her long sleeves danced as she spun, accompanied by sharp 'whooshing' sounds. Crimson silk ribbons shot out in every direction, creating a breathtaking sight.
The entire set was surrounded by green screens. Combining practical sets with CGI in post-production had become the industry's most popular, and most mature, filming technique.
"Cut!" Wan Xiaoquan slammed the script in his hand and shouted happily, "Excellent!"
Today's shoot covered one of the most important scenes in 'A Chinese Ghost Story', Yan Chixia's final battle against the thousand-year-old Tree Demon.
It was the emotional and visual climax of the entire film, as well as the sequence that would require the most post-production work.
The scene was demanding in every way, involving extensive action, complicated wire work, and high expectations for the actors.
Originally, Wan Xiaoquan had wanted Chen Fei'er to use a stunt double, but she had refused. The Queen of Pop insisted on performing every wire stunt herself.
After countless retakes, they had finally finished shooting the day's scenes. The repeated takes had pushed everyone to their limits, and the crew was utterly exhausted. But seeing Chen Fei'er grit her teeth and keep going, no one else felt justified asking for a break.
Now that the scene was finally complete, cheers erupted across the soundstage.
The wire rig slowly lowered Chen Fei'er to the ground. But the moment her feet touched the floor, her legs gave out, and she nearly collapsed.
"Fei'er!"
Lu Chen reacted instantly, rushing forward and catching her before she fell.
Everyone nearby was startled and hurried over, Wan Xiaoquan among the first. If anything happened to Chen Fei'er, the entire production would suffer, and finishing the film on schedule could become impossible.
Even beneath her heavy makeup, exhaustion was written all over her face. Resting weakly in Lu Chen's arms, she forced a smile. "I'm fine... I'm just exhausted."
How could she not be? She had spent nearly half the day suspended in the air by wires while repeatedly performing difficult combat choreography. Anyone with weaker stamina would have collapsed long ago.
Fortunately, Chen Fei'er exercised regularly. Combined with the demanding outdoor filming she had done on the grasslands not long ago, her physical condition was excellent. Even so, she was utterly drained, with tiny beads of sweat covering her forehead.
Lu Chen quickly removed her wire harness before carrying her bridal-style into the dressing room. Her assistant followed close behind with towels, ice packs, and water.
After wiping away the sweat and drinking some water, Chen Fei'er's complexion improved noticeably. She had simply overexerted herself.
However, after spending so many hours in the wire rig and taking countless bumps during filming, bruises had appeared all over her body. Every touch hurt.
Unable to hide his concern, Lu Chen murmured, "I told you to use a stunt double."
He truly felt heartbroken.
'A Chinese Ghost Story' contained plenty of action scenes enhanced with special effects. Among them, the battle between the Tree Demon Grandmother and Yan Chixia was the most important sequence in the entire film.
Lu Chen served as one of the film's action directors, working alongside another professional choreographer.
Drawing inspiration from the version he remembered, he had redesigned many of the combat scenes into something very different from the supernatural films audiences were used to. Naturally, that demanded much more from the actors.
Since Chen Fei'er had never filmed action scenes before, Wan Xiaoquan had suggested having one of the Lu Security Team members act as her stunt double, and Lu Chen had agreed. But Chen Fei'er had refused without hesitation.
She shook her head softly. "It wouldn't be as much fun with a stunt double. Besides... this is your very first movie."
Using a stunt double and performing personally were completely different experiences. Whenever possible, having the actor perform the scene themselves always produced the best result, provided they could meet the physical requirements.
There was nothing wrong with using stunt performers; many dangerous sequences simply couldn't be completed safely without professionals, and if an actor got injured, the entire production would be delayed.
The problem was that many young celebrities had become accustomed to relying on stunt doubles whenever a scene became even slightly difficult, rather than improving their own abilities.
To stay on schedule, many directors and producers simply accepted, or even encouraged, that approach.
The result was obvious: when audiences watched those films or television dramas, they could easily tell when a stunt double had been substituted, breaking the immersion completely.
Chen Fei'er was now fully transitioning into acting, and she clearly wasn't satisfied with playing only gentle heroines like the one she had portrayed in 'Autumn in My Heart'.
If a movement wasn't perfect, she would repeat it ten times if necessary until she got it right. Given that mindset, it would have been strange if she 'hadn't' ended up exhausted.
Lu Chen felt deeply moved. Looking into her eyes, he said softly, "Compared to the movie... you're the one who matters most."
His career was important, and his dreams mattered, but in Lu Chen's heart, fame and success would never come before the people he loved: his family, his lover, his friends. For them, he would gladly give up the whole world.
Chen Fei'er could hear the absolute sincerity in his voice. She smiled sweetly, reached out, and gently held his hand.
A quiet warmth filled the small dressing room. The assistant silently retreated into a corner, doing her best to become invisible rather than interrupt the moment.
Unfortunately, someone arrived before the atmosphere could last.
"Fei'er, are you alright?" Wan Xiaoquan walked in, his face full of concern. "Should we go to the hospital and have you checked over?"
Although Chen Fei'er wasn't the film's official heroine, she was far more important to Wan Xiaoquan than Nie Mingzhu. Naturally, he was worried.
A little embarrassed, Chen Fei'er let go of Lu Chen's hand and smiled. "I'm fine, Director Wan. A night's rest will be enough."
"Then rest for an extra day," Wan Xiaoquan said firmly. "The scenes scheduled for tomorrow aren't critical. We'll use a stunt double."
Afraid she would stubbornly insist on doing everything herself again, he quickly added, "Once you've recovered, we'll work together the day after tomorrow and finish all of your remaining scenes."
Lu Chen immediately nodded. "Director Wan is absolutely right."
Chen Fei'er shot him a charming sideways glance. After a brief hesitation, she finally nodded. "Alright, Director Wan."
She wasn't the type to refuse good advice out of foolish pride. If there was no need to force herself, she wouldn't.
Wan Xiaoquan finally relaxed. Smiling, he said, "You've been in Hong Kong for over ten days now. Take tomorrow off. Let Lu Chen show you around and enjoy yourselves, leave everything else to us."
(End Of This Chapter)
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