On the day he was successfully cast, Yi Xing first took a nap on his hotel bed, then bought a ticket back to Xing City to retrieve his autumn and winter clothes, as his luggage only contained a few changes of clothes.
It was already the next day when he returned to Hengdian. He checked into the hotel arranged by the film crew in advance with an oversized suitcase. Since there were still a few days before filming officially began, he was the only actor present in the entire film crew; the others had not officially joined yet.
This, on the contrary, made him breathe a sigh of relief. He didn't need to interact with others for the time being and could focus on memorizing his character's lines in his room.
He then re-read the original novel of "the legend of the condor heroes," especially the passages describing Yang Kang, which were the main focus. He gained a deeper understanding of the character he was about to play.
He dared not watch previous TV adaptations of the character, fearing he might internalize them. Remakes of classic wuxia dramas like this are most susceptible to comparisons with earlier versions, and any perceived poor performance would invite widespread criticism.
If he saw Yang Kang portrayed by others, he would inevitably treat it as a benchmark, striving to emulate it. When the show aired, audiences would only think his performance was an imitation of previous actors.
Therefore, Yi Xing had to rely on his own understanding of the original work and script to portray a unique Yang Kang. This would give him a greater chance to shine in the drama and attract more attention.
Memorizing lines was not an issue for him; it only took him two days to commit almost all of them to memory. For the remaining three days, he stayed in his room almost constantly, only coming out for meals before returning.
He sat on a chair in his room, a pen in his right hand, continuously writing on the paper below. It was his own analysis of the character Yang Kang, and he was incredibly diligent; he had never been this serious even when he was a student.
On the last day of the preparation phase, someone knocked on Yi Xing's door. He, sporting a messy bedhead, walked to the door and opened it. Standing outside was the director who had auditioned him—Director Jiang.
"Director Jiang, why are you here?"
"I heard you've been cooped up in your room these past few days, so I was a bit worried and came to check on you. You should tidy yourself up." Director Jiang walked in, looked around the room, and breathed a sigh of relief when he found nothing out of the ordinary. He certainly didn't want the person he had just hired to be an addict.
"I've been reading the script these past few days. I'll tidy up in a bit."
"Have you memorized all your lines?"
"Yes, I have," Yi Xing nodded in response.
"Good. Tomorrow, when we officially start filming, all actors must be present. Remember not to be late. Later, I'll have Xiao Li add you to our work group; any announcements will be made there." Director Jiang smiled and nodded at him.
Throughout his many years of directing, he had seen actors who barely memorized their lines during filming, relying entirely on post-dubbing by others, which was especially prevalent among the new generation. Hearing that Yi Xing had memorized all his lines, he felt a surge of goodwill.
His earlier friendly attitude was mostly out of consideration for Huang Xiaoming. The fact that he hadn't exchanged contact information with the other party until now showed that he could offer some support but didn't want to get too deeply involved.
"Don't worry, I definitely won't be late."
Unconsciously, Director Jiang walked to the table and noticed the densely written character analysis. He couldn't help but pick it up and examine it carefully, his face showing no expression, but a tempest was brewing in his heart.
He had initially thought Yi Xing was just a pretty face sent by Huang Xiaoming, as high Appearance could also bring popularity to the dramas he directed. But this situation seemed different; he was very serious about this job. The last time he saw something similar was in his previous project.
"Director Jiang, these are all my own understandings of the character; they might be a bit superficial."
"If you encounter any problems with your performance later, you can come ask me. As long as I'm free, I'll answer you." Director Jiang put down the papers in his hand, gently patted the other person's shoulder, and then walked out of the room, his smile incredibly bright.
He was quite satisfied with the character analysis written on the paper; almost every point was spot on, indicating some talent in this area, which made him like him even more.
After all, Yi Xing possessed too many qualities that attracted directors: he was talented, willing to work hard, and had never acted before, so he wouldn't have preconceived notions. He was like a blank canvas, allowing the director to fully unleash his imagination and also clearly observe his progress.
After seeing Director Jiang off, Yi Xing went to the bathroom to tidy himself up. He styled his hair, shaved off his beard, and a fresh, handsome young man appeared in the mirror. Today, he planned to give himself a break.
After working hard for so many days, he needed a good rest. It's important to balance work and leisure; you can't always be tense, or you'll easily break. He picked up his phone and left the hotel, wandered around outside for less than an hour, and then returned.
There really wasn't much to do around Hengdian. Besides film sets, there were only film sets, and as an outsider, he couldn't enter the sets. He was obstructed everywhere. If he had known it would be like this outside, he would have just stayed in the hotel honestly.
However, since he was already out, he had to breathe some fresh air. He sat bored in the hotel lobby. He would be playing on his phone in his room anyway, so where he played didn't matter.
【Yi Xing: The drama I'm starring in officially starts filming tomorrow!】
【Ju Jingyi: Congratulations, congratulations! Have you finished your seclusion?】
Ju Jingyi was good at descriptions, referring to Yi Xing's previous state of not leaving his room as "seclusion."
【Yi Xing: Filming starts tomorrow, so of course, it's over!】
【Ju Jingyi: Work hard, I'm really looking forward to seeing your performance on TV! Gotta go, they're rushing me to shoot an MV.】
After Yi Xing received two consecutive jobs, Ju Jingyi wasn't idle either. Her company had been waiting for her variety show recording to end. She had already been in Gaul for several days, scouting locations for the MV of their group's top three members.
After their chat, he naturally started scrolling through short videos, checking if there were any new trending memes. As an internet surfer, he couldn't allow himself to miss any.
While he was scrolling enthusiastically, a man and two women sat nearby. He stopped what he was doing and looked over. He recognized the man, but he had never seen the two women before; he had absolutely no impression of them.
"Yi Xing, long time no see! You got cast too? What character are you playing?" The man saw him and immediately sat next to him, asking his questions in a friendly tone.