Wang Lili spoke with a tone of grievance.
Upon hearing this, Mr. Huo poured himself a glass of red wine and said slowly, "I've also heard about this new magnate today. They invested a considerable amount of money at once and snatched that drama from my subordinates."
Mr. Huo's tone was unreadable as he spoke.
Wang Li, however, mistakenly thought Mr. Huo was sharing a similar experience. She quickly nodded and exclaimed, "This new magnate named Qi Yu is truly not a good person. They must have had their eyes on this project for a long time, just waiting to see if they could lose money. Then they snatched it from you, and now they've stolen my role. What a sugar daddy, they've even taken the female lead role."
Wang Ling clenched her fists and pounded the table in anger as she spoke.
She was very displeased, but she couldn't openly show it too much to avoid annoying Mr. Huo, so she resorted to this somewhat coquettish manner.
Mr. Huo remained unmoved. Instead, his expression turned cold, "It's also a matter of your own inadequacy. If your acting skills were good enough, Director Wang and Director Li wouldn't have abandoned you and gone straight to dote on this new magnate. And do you think I don't know what's going on with you on set?"
Wang Lili was stunned by the question, a rare flicker of guilt crossing her face.
It didn't matter how arrogant she was in front of others, but she didn't dare to be too presumptuous in front of Mr. Huo. After all, her current status was entirely thanks to Mr. Huo's efforts in making her famous.
Seeing that Wang Lili had fallen silent, Mr. Huo put down his glass and said, "Regardless, let's put this matter aside for now. Since you can't stay on this set, don't stay for the time being. I have other tasks for you."
Wang Lili was taken aback for a moment, and her face immediately showed a serious and earnest expression. "Mr. Huo, tell me what you want me to do. Don't worry, as long as it's something I can do, I'll agree to it all."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Huo immediately smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, giving off a chilling impression. "That would be wonderful. The task I have for you isn't particularly difficult. I'll give you a card, and you'll bid on an item for me for 20 million. If you win the bid, I'll have my bodyguard directly go to you for the handover."
As Mr. Huo spoke, he sent all the information about the item he wanted to bid on to Wang Lili. After receiving it, Wang Lili examined it carefully and found it to be a vase that didn't look particularly attractive. She became a little confused. "Mr. Huo, is this vase particularly precious? What if I fail? I've never bid on such an important item before, and what if the money in the card isn't enough?"
Wang Lili was very uneasy, holding the black card in her hands, unsure of where to put it.
Mr. Huo's reaction wasn't serious. Instead, he seemed a bit amused. "It's just a whim, I just really want to see this vase. If I don't win the bid, then so be it. There's no need to force it. It's just that among the people suitable for this task, you're the only one I have right now. This auction house is by membership, and my bodyguards already have memberships at other venues, so I have to trouble you."
Hearing Mr. Huo say this, Wang Lili finally felt completely at ease.
She then happily put away the black card and declared that she would work hard and try to learn about auctions. If she managed to win the bid, she would call to claim credit.
Mr. Huo nodded. They chatted for a while longer, and then Wang Lili left the villa under the escort of bodyguards.
Meanwhile, at the Hengdian film set.
Qi Yu had already begun filming her scenes as the female lead. To create a greater distinction between the female lead and the villain, Qi Yu revised the script to set up a plot where the female lead and the villain were actually twins. The plot was intricate and bizarre, with the male lead remaining like a background character, solely responsible for saving the world.
Sui You, as the background male lead, carried a long sword on his back. In the plot, he had very little to say or do. Even when he did speak, it was always in a cold, emotionless manner.
Everything he said was related to cultivation or teaching disciples and fellow disciples.
His interactions with the female lead were mostly limited to eye contact or brief exchanges.
The majority of his lines were dialogues with other male actors, so Sui You had very little opportunity to act opposite Qi Yu.
Director Wang stood in front of the camera, his expression complex.
After Wang Lili was persuaded to withdraw, several other veteran actors in the crew were unwilling to continue. So, they brought in a new batch of actors to replace them.
Director Wang had been thinking that these new actors might have issues with their acting skills, leading to various problems, and that filming would be difficult.
However, he never expected that the filming this time would be so smooth. The new actors didn't have any NGs. Although the two inexperienced leads, Qi Yu and Sui You, had some shortcomings in their acting, they weren't major issues. As for the wirework, which was a cause for concern, Qi Yu and Sui You handled it without any problems. Moreover, most of the fight scenes were completed in one take.
Even when they weren't completed in one take, it was because they had conceived of better and more exciting fight sequences, or because both options were so brilliant that they hesitated, unsure which to choose.
Director Wang and Director Li had been filming Xianxia dramas for many years and had never experienced such smooth production.
Director Li even looked at the footage and expressed doubt, "Director Wang, are the male and female leads in this Xianxia drama we're filming actually skilled in magic or martial arts? Look at their movements, aren't they too perfect? I've watched this scene three or four times, and it just keeps getting more exciting."
Currently, most fight scenes, whether for the male and female leads or other supporting characters, were filmed in slow motion and then sped up to create the final effect.
This was because many actors lacked a dance or martial arts background. To achieve better results, this was the only way.
However, since this drama received new investment, they hadn't used any special effects other than for the opening credits.
The fight scenes of the female lead and the male lead barely used any special effects, and when they did, it was only to conceal the wires they were wearing.
As for some fight scenes that didn't involve high jumps, they didn't even require wires.
Therefore, Director Li watched it over and over again, finding it more and more pleasing. He even wished he could immediately start another martial arts film.
And have Qi Yu continue as the female lead.