Chapter 159 Tan Zheng Watches Ni Ni Filming
The weather today was quite pleasant, but the action director on set felt a shiver down his spine. The last time Tan Zheng visited, there were no fight scenes, so the action director had naturally taken the opportunity to have a good rest.
As soon as Director Jiang settled behind the camera, he saw the action director with a troubled expression. He picked up the walkie-talkie and said in a cold voice, "What are you dawdling for? This scene needs to be finished today!"
Hearing Director Jiang's words, the action director shook off the strange feeling and immersed himself completely. To be able to partner with Director Jiang, the action director was also an extremely demanding person.
Song Ni, still in pain, felt her skin on her waist burn like fire as soon as she was lifted by the wire. But there was no time for her to catch her breath; the action director directly gave the order to start shooting.
In this scene, Song Ni was the protagonist. Nearly ten cameras were pointed at her, capturing close-ups, medium shots, and long shots. Chang Zi was also sensitive to the camera and noticed Song Ni's discomfort the moment she was lifted.
Chang Zi had approached Song Ni last night, asking her to rest for another day, but she was refused. She hadn't urged her further, knowing how dedicated Song Ni was at work. However...
Chang Zi glanced to the side. Ever since she had spoken those words, Tan Zheng's brow had remained furrowed, and his expression was somber. Chang Zi could only pray that today's filming would go smoothly and that Song Ni would suffer less.
But the physical soreness prevented Song Ni from getting into character immediately, resulting in two NG takes. The action director, sharing the same temperament as Director Jiang, was not intimidated by seniority or background. "Song Ni, what's going on? Watch your expression management, are you hurting before we even start fighting?" "You were fine during practice, weren't you? Run a little faster, put more force into your waist!" "Adjust! We'll start in one minute!"
Song Ni was lowered. She didn't express dissatisfaction with the director's criticism, but she had overestimated her physical condition. Chi Xia was already approaching with tissues. Wearing such thin clothing in winter, in just those few minutes, Song Ni had broken out in a cold sweat from the pain.
"Ni Ni jie, are you alright?" Chi Xia hadn't understood yesterday, but this morning in the makeup room, after seeing the marks on Song Ni's neck, she understood everything. Last night, she had slept with Chang Zi and learned many things she hadn't understood before, such as how to choose a man, and what kind of men were very potent. Sister Chang had said that Ni Ni jie's husband looked very capable. Chi Xia's ears turned red. Before, Ni Ni jie wouldn't have had such an expression on her face at the end of filming; now, it had barely begun, and she was already sweating profusely. Thinking back to the hickeys she had seen that morning, even if Chi Xia was slow-witted, she knew what was happening.
"Should you rest for a bit?" Song Ni shook her head. Who would ask to rest right at the beginning of filming? It was too unprofessional.
One minute was barely enough time to wipe off sweat and catch her breath. Song Ni closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath, allowing herself to adapt to the pain in the shortest time possible. This was not difficult for her.
When the action director gave the command again, Song Ni had fully adjusted her state. Song Ni's fight scenes were clean and sharp, unique among actresses for their uninhibited grace. But beyond her neatness and grace, her beauty added a touch of elegance and spirit. Even when comparing her fight scenes to those of male actors renowned for their martial arts background in the industry, she would not be at a disadvantage.
Director Jiang and the action director highly valued and admired Song Ni's fight scenes, so their requirements were exceptionally high, leaving no room for any flaws. They were also convinced that Song Ni's fight scenes alone would bring absolute highlights to the drama. After all, there were very few actresses in recent years who were good at fighting and willing to endure hardship.
Everyone on set was captivated by Song Ni's visually pleasing fight scenes, except for Tan Zheng, who watched Song Ni repeatedly scale walls with the wire, perform aerial flips, dodge the swords of other actors, and even had a scene where a sword grazed her face, her hair flying loose.
The more he watched, the colder Tan Zheng's expression became, his eyes showing an unconcealable impatience. The veins on his forehead bulged, and he clenched his fists, suppressing his emotions. He couldn't interrupt, lest his little girl have to suffer again.
"Give me the script." The man's sudden utterance startled Chang Zi, who quickly handed Song Ni's script to him. After doing so, she realized something was wrong. She was Song Ni's agent, and her biggest boss was Lu Fang, so why was she obeying Tan Zheng's every command? Even more frightening was that it was like a conditioned response; she had acted on Tan Zheng's instructions without any thought. Was this the so-called leadership charisma?
Song Ni was a very hardworking young woman. Even before joining the crew, Tan Zheng had watched her study the script for hours, and now this thin booklet was densely filled with her notes and understanding. She was not a professional actress and had not undergone any formal training beyond emergency instruction. Therefore, to satisfy Director Jiang, she had to work twice as hard, both in her fight scenes and her dialogue skills. However, Song Ni had never spoken of these things to Tan Zheng, never complained about any hardship. She was a proud rose with thorns, and behind her beauty lay her dedication and effort. Hence, no one was annoyed by Song Ni's pride and arrogance, because she had the strength and the capital.
Seeing the scenes to be filmed today, Tan Zheng had to exert great effort to suppress the impatience in his heart. "So she'll be suspended all day today?" As soon as Chang Zi nodded, Tan Zheng kicked the air beside him, then abruptly stopped. "..." She thought that with Tan Zheng's temper, he would have flipped the entire film crew over.
"When will her scene be finished?" Chang Zi glanced at the situation. "Ni Ni's condition is good now, and Director Jiang usually only stops when an actor makes a mistake." Even if one scene was completed, after the props and stagehands were arranged, they would immediately start the next one. Moreover, today's scene was a large-scale production, and there probably wouldn't be a long rest period in the morning. And since she was suspended by wires, any rest would usually be standing in place, only for ten to twenty minutes.
Tan Zheng's expression grew increasingly grim. His little girl had such a slender waist. Watching her being tossed around by the wire, he was afraid her delicate waist would break. He couldn't bear to watch any longer, yet he couldn't completely relax if he didn't watch. Tan Zheng now felt that not insisting Song Ni rest for another day last night had been a wrong decision, but now it was even more impossible for Song Ni to give up halfway.
Perhaps it was the intense and sharp aura emanating from Tan Zheng that made Director Jiang, unusually, not completely absorbed in the camera. Having filmed Song Ni for over half a month, Director Jiang was very familiar with her subtle expressions. Although Song Ni's performance was now flawless, he couldn't ignore the pale color of her face. Did Song Ni's husband come because Song Ni was feeling unwell? Thinking of it that way, Song Ni's earlier mistake right after filming started made sense.
Director Jiang considered the investment from Lu Corporation and, after perfectly filming a scene, called for a halt. Action Director: ??? Not continuing to film in such good condition?
As soon as Song Ni was lowered, Tan Zheng, with a cold expression, strode towards her, already contemplating how to reprimand this stubborn little girl.
Unexpectedly, a woman's surprised voice rang out from behind, "Tan Zheng?"
(End of this chapter)