Although Shi Su was indifferent to the gossipy little divas in the film set’s makeup room, filming had indeed been somewhat difficult these past few days.
The scene required the second female lead to cultivate in the icy springs of the fairy mountain. The crew could create the cold air effect just by putting some dry ice into the hot spring they built. However, the crew piled dozens of real ice blocks—origin unknown—into and around the water, claiming it was for realism.
When she sat in the water, her entire body was pricked by the cold water, yet she persisted in cooperating and continued acting.
Meanwhile, Xia Yilin, who was standing at the edge of the spring talking to her, repeatedly caused NGs over a dozen times. For a few simple lines, she either forgot her lines or laughed, and only when the director was about to lose his temper did she finally get it right.
When Shi Su stood up from the water, her lips were frozen to a blue-white hue. She wrapped herself in a towel that Chujiu hurriedly handed over and kept drinking hot tea in the car.
Watching Shi Su drink two large cups of hot tea with a face still frighteningly pale, Chujiu was heartbroken: "Less than five lines in total, and she managed to NG more than a dozen times, making you soak in the cold water for over an hour. I think she’s really out for your life!"
Shi Su picked up the third cup of hot tea, blew on it, and said, "At most, I’ll catch a cold; my life is pretty tough. She can’t take it."
"If you catch a bad cold, you’ll definitely need to take leave for injections. That would delay the crew’s schedule, and she would have something to talk about, obviously bribing the crew to make things difficult for you..." Chujiu, still young and fiery, sat beside Shi Su, her eyes red with anger.
"So I definitely can’t let myself catch a cold." Shi Su felt much warmer by now, holding the hot tea and continuing to drink: "Keep boiling water; I’ll drink a few more cups, and later take some medicine to ensure I won’t catch a cold."
Shi Su stayed in the car drinking hot tea to accumulate strength since she had a major scene in the afternoon, and only after shooting could she go back.
Chujiu, fearing she might suffer too much from the cold, called Jun’s studio to send over some red sugar and ginger, bustling around to prepare ginger tea for Shi Su, trying every method to warm her up.
Shi Su indeed did not disappoint; after resting in the car for a few hours, she was revived full of energy.
Xia Yilin assumed Shi Su would probably end up in the hospital by now or take a leave for a cold and leave the crew. Unexpectedly, she saw Shi Su again in the makeup room, changing costumes without a hitch. Xia Yilin’s expression darkened significantly then.
After changing her makeup in the afternoon and just before getting ready for the scene, Shi Su had already gone to discuss the plot with Mr. Chen. Xia Yilin hesitated in the makeup room for a long time before finally coming out to ask the director if she could only have her back filmed and use a body double for the scene.
Chen Yang, who always pursued perfection in filming, certainly disagreed and insisted that she must perform personally.
When Xia Yilin looked again in Shi Su’s direction, she saw Shi Su engrossed in reading the script, making her face even uglier.
Why didn’t Xia Yilin want to shoot this scene today?
This scene was one of the very few in the series where the second female lead, Tian Yuli, torments the female lead.
The kind-hearted female lead came to Tian Yuli’s palace, where she lived after turning to darkness, to plead for mercy on behalf of the six realms.
However, Tian Yuli directly gave her a few slaps and then ordered her to be tied to a demonic pillar outside the palace, exposed to the sun for three days, trying every means to torment her. Mr. Chen insisted that the slaps had to be real, with no camera tricks.
After Shi Su personally slapped Xia Yilin a few times, she suddenly looked up at Mr. Chen and said, "Sorry, I forgot my lines."
Chen Yang watched the camera expressionlessly, picked up the walkie-talkie, and shouted, "Again!"
Shi Su looked down at Xia Yilin, who remained kneeling in front of her, and smiled slightly: "I’m really sorry, Mr. Xia. As a newbie, my acting state isn’t too stable, so we’ll have to go again."