Jiang Ling signed her name, and the role of Hua Fei fell to her.
As for Concubine Qi...
Jiang Ling glanced at Jiang Yushuang, and understood in her heart.
If she guessed correctly, Zheng Xiaolong calling Jiang Yushuang over was probably for her to play Concubine Qi.
The role of Concubine Qi, although not easy to act, Jiang Yushuang had a straightforward personality and her mind often couldn't turn. She possessed a kind of clumsy, cute aura.
This kind of aura was perfectly suited for roles like Chen Meijia or Concubine Qi, allowing for easy immersion into the characters.
Sister Sa had read the script and knew that the role of Hua Fei was particularly outstanding. She also hoped that Jiang Ling would play it, but didn't know how to persuade her.
Now that Jiang Ling had taken the initiative and agreed to play Hua Fei, it was naturally for the best.
...
Nine o'clock in the evening.
Sister Sa, holding the freshly printed script for Hua Fei, came to Jiang Ling's place.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she opened the door, she abruptly stopped.
She saw Jiang Ling sitting on the sofa, and on the coffee table beside her, there were five hamburgers, three extra-large portions of fried chicken, fries, and popcorn chicken, as well as two 700cc milk teas.
None of these foods were low in sugar or calories, and were the arch-enemies of female stars maintaining their slim figures.
Jiang Ling usually didn't dare to touch them, and if she occasionally indulged a craving, she would have to spend two to three hours on the treadmill afterward.
At this moment, she held a hamburger in her left hand and a handful of popcorn chicken in her right, wolfing them down with gusto, eating with great relish!
Sister Sa thought she was mistaken and quickly rubbed her eyes.
As a result, the person devouring the fried chicken and hamburgers was indeed Jiang Ling.
Sister Sa's face turned pale with fright, and she quickly rushed over and grabbed her hand: "Lingzi, why are you eating? Are you crazy?"
Jiang Ling, with her mouth greasy, looked up at her and smiled, "You're here, the hamburgers are good, do you want one?"
"Lingzi, you... have you been stimulated?"
"No, I'm perfectly fine!"
"If you're fine, how dare you eat these things? Aren't you afraid of getting so fat you die?"
Seeing Sister Sa's concern, Jiang Ling guessed he must have misunderstood and quickly explained, "I'm doing this to gain weight."
"Gain weight?" Sister Sa was stunned.
"My physique is too slender. If I am to play Hua Fei well, I must gain weight."
Before, Jiang Ling was reluctant to play Hua Fei, not only because she had played too many seductive female characters and feared being typecast, but also for a more important reason: playing Hua Fei required gaining weight.
When the drama "Pure Yuan Muskwood Legend" was aired in her previous life, some viewers complained that the actress Jiang Xin was too fat and didn't fit the image.
Little did they know that Jiang Xin's slightly plump beauty, formed by her moderate weight, was precisely what best suited the role of Hua Fei.
Ancient imperial concubines were pampered, lived in luxury, were served delicious food and drinks daily, and rarely ventured out or exercised their martial arts. It was rare for them to be thin.
Moreover, in ancient times of material scarcity, where food was scarce and clothing was insufficient, being plump indicated good living conditions. Being fat was also considered a sign of good fortune, hence the saying "发福" (fāfú) for gaining weight, which literally means "to develop fortune."
As the most favored concubine in the palace, it was normal for Hua Fei to be plump; it would be abnormal if she were not.
In the drama, there were also several hints that Hua Fei was a parallel to Yang Guifei.
The first time was when Zhen Huan was attending the emperor. Hua Fei leaned against the door, looking at the moon, lamenting the emperor's excessive favor towards Zhen Huan, and questioning if he intended to favor her like Yang Guifei.
Immediately after, Song Zhi said, "But didn't Yang Guifei also die at Mawei Slope?"