These three days were mostly for them to adapt. Apart from the daily game time, there wasn't much to film.
What would truly attract the audience would be the filming for over half a month after the map change.
The most interesting aspect of these three days remained Tang Ruoxi and her plastic boyfriend Kong Qian. Despite not spending much time together daily, everyone could see that Kong Qian showed no respect or consideration for Tang Ruoxi as his girlfriend, not even basic courtesy or deference expected of a man.
He would put on an act in front of the cameras, but once filming stopped, he would frequently boss her around. Tang Ruoxi, on the other hand, was exactly as netizens described: a love-struck fool. Sometimes, even when others couldn't stand it, if Kong Qian offered a slight apology or coaxed her a couple of times, she would immediately make up with him.
Everyone found it quite helpless.
During one game, Kong Qian, in order to win, pushed Tang Ruoxi, causing her to fall and scrape a large patch on her arm. Even Du Bingmeng couldn't stand it and came out to scold Kong Qian, but Tang Ruoxi still chose to defend him.
It was truly astonishing.
Zhuo Ran was the most low-key person on the entire show. She wouldn't use unnecessary words to steal the spotlight. She was very casual during games but constantly paid attention to Zhong Yan. It wasn't obvious at first, but once the camera caught their subtle interactions, the crew became interested in the two of them.
They often stared at the two of them.
This, as expected, allowed them to capture a lot of material.
The relationship between these two was too unusual.
The production team had known about it for a long time, but they didn't expect their dynamic to be like this. Zhuo Ran excelled at many games, finding the correct answers before others had even finished reading the questions.
Zhong Yan, on the other hand, diligently completed his tasks and occasionally made silly mistakes. Zhuo Ran would feign some annoyance, but after finishing her own tasks, she would always come to help him.
Their interaction was more harmonious and like an old married couple than the couple Xu Zhenghao and Du Bingmeng, yet it wasn't overt affection. It was revealed unintentionally.
The director could already imagine the audience squealing with delight when these scenes were broadcast.
Even the staff of the production team couldn't help but "ship" them sometimes.
Besides them and Tang Ruoxi's group, the other two groups also had their highlights. Xu Zhenghao and Du Bingmeng were a couple of novices struggling to survive. Ye Qingyi and Zhong Peihan were the two most popular, with every glance being a spectacle.
In summary, Ye Qingyi and Zhong Peihan had high popularity, Xu Zhenghao and Du Bingmeng were entertaining, Zhuo Ran and Zhong Yan were endearing, Kong Qian made people grind their teeth with hatred, and Tang Ruoxi made people frustrated by her inability to be tough.
In any case, they all had plenty of points of interest.
Before changing maps, the two of them requested an evening off from the production team.
They wanted to attend the premiere of "Jade City Charm."
Filming didn't usually happen at night anyway, and Zhuo Ran was one of the investors. The director had no reason to refuse, so he let them leave the program.
"Jade City Charm" was the first martial arts film directed by Yao Chong in many years. Some expected him to recapture his former brilliance, while others felt that he was now only in it for the money and the results wouldn't be very good.
However, his name meant assurance, and the premiere theater was packed.
Months of filming were compressed into a two-hour film. The acting of all the characters was on point, and the special effects and fight choreography were particularly brilliant. The criticism was directed at the plot, which many found too cliché.
Especially the final ending, which was entirely predictable and logical.
It just couldn't escape being common.
After the premiere, the film's rating appeared online the next day.
Douban opened with a score of 7.6.
[★★★★ The fight scenes were particularly brilliant. It's been a long time since I've seen such exciting fight scenes, especially the one between Mingyue Louzhu and Wen Jin. There wasn't a hint of artificiality. Who is the actor playing Mingyue Louzhu? They must have a dance background, they're so amazing!]
[★★★ The overall plot was really mediocre. When I saw Xiao Liuyun killing Zhao Yujiao's father, I guessed the final ending. There were no surprises, but the fight scenes were worth watching.]
[★★★ It was a bit melodramatic. The fight scenes were exciting, but there was no substance. After watching for so long, it was nothing.]
[★★★★★ The fight scenes are truly praiseworthy. Every actor performed exceptionally well. The ten-minute fight scene between Mingyue Louzhu and Wen Jin could completely rival martial arts films from forty years ago. Director Yao is the best!]
[★★★★ I don't think it's that bad. Mingyue Louzhu in the original novel was apparently the Crown Prince's twin. The film changed this quite well. If it had followed the original novel, it would have been another cliché.]
[★★ The plot was too slow, making people fall asleep.]
[★★★★★ Three stars for Mingyue Louzhu, two stars for Wen Jin. These two characters were so captivating, daring to love and hate, living in the moment. It's just a shame their screen time was too short.]
[...]
Many people were dissatisfied with the overall plot. As they said, after seeing the flashback of Xiao Liuyun killing Zhao Yujiao's father, everyone guessed that the ending would involve separation, and even that one of the protagonists would die.
In the end, it didn't deviate from their predictions.
The life of the female protagonist Zhao Yujiao's father stood between them, making it impossible for them to be together. This was logical and not an offensive ending.
It was the best ending for them, but not what the audience expected.
What was most praised were the fight scenes.
Yao Chong's strict demands ensured that every actor performed at their best. Especially their ten-minute fight scene, which was almost entirely retained in the final cut, and this ten-minute segment became the reason for many high scores. In the words of some viewers, it reached the level of martial arts dramas from forty years ago.
They didn't know that Zhuo Ran hadn't used any wires at all, otherwise they would have been even more surprised.
After the premiere, the box office for "Jade City Charm" increased day by day. While almost all the participating actors were trending online, the two of them arrived at a small town after changing maps.
The next half a month of filming would take place in this town.
To their surprise, on the first day of the map change, the production team added two more people.
The polarizing actress Xiao Lele and the actor Feng Xing, known for his roles as ancient princes. According to the crew, these two were guest visitors and would only be filming for a week.
The first day of the map change was a test of the results of their games over the previous three days. With the addition of the new pair, the five groups would undergo a test of their teamwork within their own groups. Since the two latecomers did not participate in the previous games, they were given an initial score of 20 points.
The first round involved the host asking about their preferences, and the group members would answer. If their answers matched the pre-written answers they had provided, they would earn points.
The first to go were Xu Zhenghao and his wife. Their teamwork was quite good. After about ten minutes of answering questions, they scored 78 points.
The second group was Ye Qingyi and Zhong Peihan. Although both were diligently completing tasks, they were genuinely not familiar with each other, and they ultimately scored 66 points.
The third group was Zhuo Ran and Zhong Yan. They didn't seem to have much chemistry as a couple, but they ended up scoring 94 points, surprising many.
The most engaging group was Tang Ruoxi and Kong Qian. There was no teamwork between them, or rather, the teamwork was one-sided. Tang Ruoxi knew almost everything about Kong Qian. She scored 48 points in the first half of the questions. When it was Kong Qian's turn, he could only answer a few questions correctly and made frequent mistakes. In the end, their combined score only just passed.