After a short break, there was still the second half of the scene to shoot.
The actor playing the Emperor was already in position on the high platform, looking at his outstanding daughter below, clapped his hands, and said with a smile, "Good, no wonder you are my daughter."
There was some genuine feeling behind these words when he shouted them out.
He looked like he was in his thirties, but his actual age was over forty. He had married early and even had a son who was about to graduate college, around the same age as Jiang Lingxi. So, stepping into the role of a father and looking at such an outstanding daughter, it was hard not to feel proud.
Then, looking at the few sons who followed slowly and showed poor performance, his expression changed, and he frowned with dissatisfaction, sharply reprimanding them.
Being reprimanded in front of so many guards and palace maids resulted in the brothers casting jealous and resentful glances at Jiang Lingxi as she exited, leading her precious horse away.
After all, she was just a girl. No matter how good she was at riding and archery, she would eventually have to marry and become someone else’s woman. Competing for their father’s attention and affection was truly inappropriate.
They wouldn’t reflect on how they had slacked off since their father ascended the throne and they became princes, only blaming others for being too strong.
As if she felt the prickling gazes behind her, Jiang Lingxi did not immediately whip her horse to leave after mounting. Instead, she slightly turned her head, looking down at her brothers with a faint, mocking, and dismissive smile.
Under the setting sun, her fiery riding outfit seemed enveloped in golden light, and her gaze, which seemed to see through to their hearts, left them momentarily stunned.
Wei Xiao moved the mouse to replay the last few seconds of the shot and couldn’t help but grin, "That gaze, superb!"
He even thought that the final stunned expressions of those actors were not just acting but were genuinely taken aback by Jiang Lingxi’s gaze.
Jiang Lingxi accepted the cup Lu Zhengzheng handed her and drank water while her other arm was held by Wei Minmin.
"So cool, so cool, so cool..."
Jiang Lingxi: "... Let me finish my water."
She Man sat not far away, her expression equally complex.
This was the first scene after the commencement of filming, and it was directed by Wei Xiao, known for his strictness and lack of mercy. Even if it was her in the scene, she wouldn’t dare to say she wouldn’t be nervous at all.
But Jiang Lingxi’s performance felt effortless and even domineering, remarkably stunning.
Looking at Director Wei’s smiling face, it wasn’t hard to tell he was in a good mood, and his gaze towards Jiang Lingxi could be described as gentle as a spring breeze.
This wasn’t a simple scene; even in the whole script, it was of moderate to high difficulty.
Having such an outstanding lead actress in the drama was undoubtedly a good thing for the whole show, but not so much for her, another actress.
Audience will always flock to adore the most outstanding ones.
Seeing Jiang Lingxi calmly drinking water despite Wei Minmin’s exaggerated praise, She Man only felt her heart sinking deeper, feeling even more pressure than when she learned Xu Qingmei would play the lead role.
Can this comeback story of hers really be smooth sailing and a huge success?
If She Man was only worried that her role could be overshadowed by the lead, then Lin Xuefei and Jiang Xiyu’s minds were already clouded with gloom.
The scrutiny they had before shooting had unknowingly disappeared, replaced by a growing sense of crisis.
The growth was too fast, unexpectedly fast, not even describable by common sense fast.
The scene indeed aimed to showcase the young Emperor Yuan Zhao’s brilliance, but it wasn’t meant for you to bring young Emperor Yuan Zhao to life!
How were these supporting characters supposed to stand out?
Looking at Director Wei’s satisfied look, if Jiang Lingxi kept up today’s performance... they dared not think further.
Could this become Jiang Lingxi’s iconic breakout role?
Just this thought made it hard to suppress the jealousy quietly spreading in their hearts.
Jiang Lingxi put down the cup and met a pair of sparkling eyes.
Pei Xinyuan couldn’t control her nerves as she tightly clutched the edge of her clothes, opening her mouth but unable to speak out of nervous excitement.
She wanted to say, Teacher Jiang, your performance was so amazing and stunning, but feared others would think she was currying favor with the lead.
The words stayed stuck in her throat, unable to come out, forcing her to express her excitement and admiration through her eyes.
Unexpectedly, the very figure she was quietly admiring suddenly glanced her way, leaving her mind blank with excitement.
"Shall we go over together?"
Jiang Lingxi patiently repeated, "Director Wei wants us both to come over."
Filming wasn’t over; acting wasn’t just about performing the script once. They still needed to adjust camera positions, improve lighting, reshoot several shots, and even some small clips needed to be re-filmed for post-production editing.
Pei Xinyuan was also required because her role as a substitute was needed to help with positioning.
After Wei Minmin sat back down, she watched Jiang Lingxi and Pei Xinyuan walk towards the director, though not side by side, as Miss Pei subconsciously seemed to lag a step behind.
However, looking at them both in identical costumes and hairstyles, they really resembled each other quite a bit.
Like... she thought seriously for a moment, like a shadow.
"How did she become the lead’s substitute?"
The whispering voice breaking from behind interrupted Wei Minmin’s gaze at the two shadows, and she didn’t need to look back to know it came from Jiang Xiyu.
She was puzzled why this person would even ask, silently pricking her ears, she heard Jiang Xiyu’s assistant reply, "Then I’ll go find out."
Hearing the footsteps leaving behind, Wei Minmin frowned.
A lead’s substitute, and a role playing Qing Yuan, was there even a connection, worth investigating?
Honestly, she couldn’t understand what was going on in Jiang Xiyu’s head!
As the near scene reshoot began, she didn’t feel like thinking about it anymore.
There weren’t many shots to reshoot, but positioning needed to be precise without blocking the camera or showing faces to avoid post-production errors, something Wei Xiao absolutely did not allow; strictness was his norm.
During the reshoot of several small clips, Jiang Lingxi paid attention to Pei Xinyuan helping her with positioning, observing the figure resembling her listening intently to the director’s instructions while moving precisely, and the familiarity she felt from their first meeting only intensified.
This attitude of striving for perfection in everything, no matter how trivial, to leave no room for criticism was indeed very familiar, and very endearing!