Reborn in the Hong Kong entertainment industry in the 1980s

Hu Xiaoxiao said, "Director, given Xie Weihua's arrogance, she can't possibly not retaliate when she wants to get back at someone. So, those two slaps are fitting for Xie Weihua's character. Sister Xia Lu, am I right?"

Hu Xiaoxiao turned the conversation to Xia Lu.

When the director yelled "cut," Xia Lu stepped out of Yamamoto Masako's character and calmly replied, "Hu Xiaoxiao performed very well, director, this part doesn't need to be cut."

Qi Weiming was speechless. One after another, they changed the script right in front of him and started arguing back and forth.

It has to be said that this change intensified the conflict, and the audience really enjoyed watching the two women tear each other apart. Since neither actress has any objections, let's leave it at that.

The scene went very smoothly, the actors all performed exceptionally well, and Qi Weiming finished filming quickly.

When he finished packing his things, almost everyone had left. He picked up his bag and was about to leave when he saw Xia Lu sitting next to him, applying a gauze pad with ice to her face, watching him without saying a word.

Qi Weiming felt a little uneasy under Xia Lu's gaze. Thinking of Xia Lu's unusual behavior today, he sat back down and asked, "Is your face alright?"

"It's alright." Xia Lu's face hurt a lot from being slapped, but after applying ice, it became numb and didn't hurt as much.

Qi Weiming guessed that Xia Lu wanted him to make the decision, and said, "You added the scenes yourself first. You said it fits Yamamoto Masako's character, which makes a lot of sense. But similarly, Hu Xiaoxiao hitting you later also fits Xie Weihua's character, which also makes a lot of sense."

Therefore, both sides have their reasons, and he cannot be biased.

Qi Weiming comforted Xia Lu, saying, "Although Hu Xiaoxiao slapped you back twice, she was already holding back, considering her strength. I heard that even martial arts practitioners can't match her strength. If she had used her full strength, your face would have been broken."

"Let's not talk about things that happened on screen, especially things that happened off-screen." Xia Lu didn't want to discuss this topic.

Qi Weiming found it strange and asked her, "Then what do you want to see me about?"

Xia Lu asked him, "Director Qi, what did you think of my performance today?"

"Very good, excellent. You portrayed Yamamoto Masako perfectly. Xia Lu, your performance today finally reached your peak level." Qi Weiming observed Xia Lu for a few moments. She didn't seem dissatisfied with him, nor did she seem to want to cause trouble for Hu Xiaoxiao, so he asked her, "Have you come to your senses now?"

Xia Lu nodded. "I still want to act, and I want to act well."

"That's good." Qi Weiming was happy for Xia Lu and encouraged her, "As long as you act well and carefully study the character, it's not too late to change your career path now."

"Thank you, Director Qi." Xia Lu paused for a moment and said, "Since my acting skills are up to par, I'd like to add more scenes to the car chase scene. Director Qi, I can drive too, and I can act well in it."

"You'll have a stunt double for your car chase scenes..." It'll just be less of a shot.

“No, I want to do it myself.” Xia Lu looked at Qi Weiming with a serious and determined gaze. “Director Qi, it’s true that you like Hu Xiaoxiao’s acting and think it’s good; her acting is indeed good. However, no matter how good Hu Xiaoxiao’s acting is, it’s still just her solo performance, only her own brilliance. You are the director, and you should focus more on the overall brilliance of the script. If I were to add scenes for her, acting alongside Hu Xiaoxiao on equal footing, it would bring the whole script to life.”

That makes a lot of sense, but—"your skills..."

“No problem. Director Qi, since you’re willing to give Hu Xiaoxiao a chance, please give me one too.” Xia Lu said sincerely, “I don’t need a stunt double. I want to do it myself. I can show my face directly on camera, and I can do it in one take.”

"You've never acted in this type of thriller before..."

"Hu Xiaoxiao wasn't always good at everything! How do you know I can't learn it if you haven't seen my performance?"

Qi Weiming patiently said to Xia Lu, "You are different from Hu Xiaoxiao. She is daring and dedicated, and she is known for her professionalism. She is willing to risk her life to make a good film. She will fall down without hesitation and will not utter a sound no matter how much it hurts. Xia Lu, it's not that I look down on you, nor that I don't want to give you a chance. You know yourself why you left the film industry. One of the reasons is that you were afraid to make action films."

You were scared after filming it once, and you never dared to do dangerous stunts again. You could only do dramatic scenes, and suddenly you lost a huge market. Now, for the car chase scenes, I plan to make them more professional and exciting. Only Hu Xiaoxiao in the crew can achieve the effect I want.”

Actors who use stunt doubles in action films are generally disliked in the industry. Some directors will simply reject such actors and choose those who are more daring.

Big-name stars perform their own action and dangerous stunts. What kind of star are you? Why do you need a stunt double? Using a stunt double means that many shots can't show your face. If you can't find a stunt double with a similar physique, the viewer's back will instantly break the audience's immersion, affecting the entire film and leading to audience criticism.

If a martial arts superstar performs his own stunts and gets injured while filming a movie, and then all the actors are questioned because you used a stunt double, who would want to work with you?

If you don't enter this circle, plenty of others will; if you don't dare, plenty of others will.

Xia Lu understood this principle and confided in Qi Weiming, "That was in the past. Before, I had a way out, I could be willful, I could run away. But now, Director Qi, I have nowhere to go."

"I will never go back to the film industry. If I still can't succeed in television, I'll have to say goodbye to the entertainment industry for the rest of my life. Director Qi, I'm not resigned to this. I entered this industry when I was a teenager, I didn't study much, and I can't do anything but act. What else can I do if I don't act?"

Qi Weiming saw that Xia Lu wanted to take a gamble, but still reminded her again: "Car chase scenes are very risky."

“I’m not afraid. Hu Xiaoxiao isn’t afraid of risks. I’m so much older than her, I can’t be worse than her, can I? Even if there’s an accident, I’m willing to do it. Director Qi, as long as the film is good, I can give it my all. Just give me a chance.”

"I need to think about it." Qi Weiming was caught in a dilemma and hadn't made up his mind even after Xia Lu left.

The more brilliant the actors' performances, and the more evenly matched their scenes, the better the final result. It's also beneficial for both actors; competition is what makes a drama richer and more interesting. But the prerequisite is good acting. Other scenes are one thing, but this car chase scene involves high-risk action sequences. Can Xia Lu really handle it?

Reducing Xia Lu's scenes was to improve the overall effect of the TV series, but if Xia Lu could perform well, adding more scenes for her would make the TV series even more entertaining and exciting.

The problem is, can he trust Xia Lu?

After thinking it over, Qi Weiming called Lin Yi after returning home to discuss the matter.

Lin Yi wasn't as conflicted as Qi Weiming, and said, "It's simple. The script already has a stunt double for Xia Lu's car chase scene. Let's see if she can do it. If she can and it's well-done, then we'll add it. If not, we'll stick to the original plan."