Reborn in the Hong Kong entertainment industry in the 1980s

Then he saw the actor playing the master of Qiushui Manor holding the zither so stiffly and without any grace, completely lacking the aura of someone who could kill with music. He angrily said, "You call this playing the zither? I could stick out my tongue and play better than you!"

Director Shao was furious. He wasn't satisfied with any of them, so he unleashed his fury and berated all the actors.

The actors were puzzled. Wasn't this how they always acted before? The martial arts instructor taught them this routine, and it always worked. Why wasn't it working now?

Director Shao saw through their thoughts and took them to Hu Xiaoxiao and Mingxu's training room to watch their martial arts scenes.

Then the group of actors were dumbfounded: Are action scenes this difficult now? Doesn't this just make them look like they're all just flashy but ineffective fighters? How are they supposed to act?

Although their fighting style was indeed all show and no substance, and they always performed in a showy but ineffective manner, everything was harmonious when everyone was doing it. But now, Hu Xiaoxiao and Mingxu have broken the harmony, and compared to them, the camera is simply unwatchable.

Director Shao spoke up, "You all need to relearn your action scenes, making them more difficult. There's not much time left before filming, so practice as much as you can. If you don't practice well or don't look good on camera, don't blame me for not giving you screen time. If you're really too bad, replace you."

Seeing that some veteran actors looked hesitant, Director Shao said, "I want to make this 'Legend of Long Yijiang' even more popular than 'The Grandmaster.' Among you actors, some of you have acted in 'The Grandmaster.' After the show became popular, you all benefited to some extent. Whether you want the show to become popular and increase your income depends on how smart you are."

Everyone perks up when money is mentioned.

What's the point of working so hard? Isn't it just to support your family?

The amount of money earned also determines one's work attitude.

Young, physically fit actors hire martial arts instructors to increase the difficulty of their performances, while veteran actors, having worked for so many years, have their own set of skills: if their aging bodies can't handle the more difficult movements, they train their presence; just standing there, you can tell they're experts. Furthermore, the character designs are more meticulous than before, which will undoubtedly change the audience's perception of them significantly.

When Hu Xiaoxiao learned that all her other colleagues in the crew had rolled up their sleeves, she was a little dumbfounded.

Why is everyone working so hard? If you all work so hard, how is she supposed to get more screen time for herself later?

Hu Xiaoxiao was puzzled. Weren't they doing a good job of slacking off before? How come they've all changed?

It feels like everyone wants to block her from getting more screen time.

So Hu Xiaoxiao trained even harder, and seeing Hu Xiaoxiao's increased effort, the other actors gritted their teeth and doubled their efforts.

The crew of "The Legend of Long Yijiang" was working hard even before filming started, which surprised other film crews and colleagues: It's just a job, is it really necessary? I've never seen a film crew working so hard.

The actors gave it their all, which inspired the other behind-the-scenes staff to follow suit. Not to mention the screenwriters, they were working overtime every day to revise and add to the plot.

Even the stylist started to modify the look after learning about the situation.

"Mingxu, you need to change your weapon. Replace your old sword with a fan." The stylist's inspiration for using a fan as a weapon came from Hu Xiaoxiao's fan performance at last year's Miss Hong Kong pageant finals.

When the stylist saw Hu Xiaoxiao's look, it was even more ethereal than expected, and her action scenes were also quite ethereal. This made the male lead look a bit rustic, so the stylist wanted to work on his appearance.

However, the swordsman design has been repetitive and lacks originality, as this swordsman look has been featured in numerous dramas, and even Mingxu himself has played several swordsman roles. Since they can't come up with anything new, they might as well change the weapon to a more elegant fan, and also incorporate some dashing elements into the male lead's clothing.

In this way, when the male and female protagonists are on screen together, they have a more fitting feel of a chivalrous couple roaming the martial arts world.

The stylist shared this suggestion with the director, who immediately agreed. He then contacted the scriptwriting department and asked Nie Jinlong to rethink his moves.

This led to the stylist trying out new looks for Mingxu.

Mingxu, with a pained expression, buried his head and practiced using the fan again. Fortunately, there are many similarities between using a fan and a sword. For example, one can use a fan as a substitute for a sword; once the fan is closed, it can be used as a sword, which is not much different from before.

What you need to practice is how to close the fan, open the fan, flip the fan, and use the fan to hook upwards and downwards, etc.

Mingxu dared not complain and went to Hu Xiaoxiao for advice.

Hu Xiaoxiao thought it was all over, but unexpectedly, the director brought over six young and beautiful actresses who had just signed with the company. These actresses were all holding different musical instruments: qin, xiao, xun, dizi, sheng, and pipa. "Xiaoxiao, get to know them. These newcomers will play your maids and go on your adventures with you."

Hu Xiaoxiao looked around and saw that they were all newcomers. One of the actresses holding a pipa looked familiar. Upon closer inspection, wasn't she Guan Yinghua, this year's Miss Hong Kong winner?

"Why did you come here to play a maid? Let the director find you a better role." Hu Xiaoxiao heard that Guan Yinghua had already signed a contract with the TV station, it was a management contract, she was his biological daughter, and she was under Charlie's management.

Such a newcomer is fully capable of playing an important role in the drama.

Guan Yinghua walked over carrying her pipa, smiling somewhat shyly, and said, "I want to learn from my seniors and take them as my role models, starting with cameo roles. Besides, I have to participate in various activities now, so I don't have much time. I can't find the time for roles with more screen time anyway."

Hu Xiaoxiao agreed. She had been running around all year, and if it weren't for her good physical condition, she wouldn't have been able to keep up. Playing a cameo role first would allow her to experience the atmosphere of the film crew and make it easier to land better roles in the future.

A very pragmatic idea.

"Sure, feel free to ask me anything you don't understand, and I'll teach you everything I can." Hu Xiaoxiao admired hardworking girls, and she herself had received a lot of help when she first joined the crew. Within her capabilities, she didn't mind helping others.

“Mmm!” Guan Yinghua stood next to Hu Xiaoxiao and nodded obediently, looking like a little fangirl.

Hu Xiaoxiao asked the director, "It's somewhat plausible that they bring servants when they travel the world, since fairies need servants to attend to them and have more help when fighting. But why do they bring musical instruments instead of weapons? Do fairies travel with a band?"

“That’s right, it’s with a band.” The director couldn’t help but laugh and said, “It’s a new setting that the screenwriters added after discussing it with you. Before the person even arrives, the qin and xiao (traditional Chinese stringed instruments) arrive first, creating a great atmosphere.”

"But is this reasonable?" Hu Xiaoxiao asked hesitantly.

The director said, "Don't worry about whether it's reasonable or scientific. As long as the scene is beautiful, goddess-like, and makes people feel that she is unattainable, that's fine."

Hu Xiaoxiao seems to have grasped the screenwriters' interests: creating an unattainable goddess and then having such a goddess fall in love with the male lead, which further highlights the male lead's lofty image.