nucmednet Chapter 40 Sparring
Chapter 40 Sparring
Upon seeing Tang Long appear, Xu Ke quickly waved for him to come over.
"How is Qingxia? Is she alright?"
"I have a cut on my eyebrow, but it's nothing serious."
But Sister Qingxia was frightened; if she hadn't dodged, the bamboo arrow would have hit her in the eye.
Let's postpone filming this scene for two days, otherwise I'm afraid she'll still be traumatized.
"I've already had Li Huimin make the adjustments."
Xu Ke then angrily cursed again:
"The street props almost ruined my plans."
"Is it a problem with the prop master?"
"That's right, the prop master who was operating the bamboo arrows turned pale when he saw Lin Qingxia injured and bleeding."
The answer came quickly: he had made a mistake because sand and dust had gotten into his eyes.
Thinking about this, Xu Ke felt a wave of fear and wished he could punch that prop master three times.
If Brigitte Lin's eyes were truly injured, it would have very serious consequences.
Not only has the production been halted, but it may also require replacing Qiu Moyan and reshooting her scenes, which would significantly increase costs.
Film budgets are already tight, and this project might be canceled altogether.
Even if it doesn't fail to be released, "New Dragon Gate Inn" might end up like "Swordsman" – failing to make money.
Even more serious is the situation with Brigitte Lin; her promising career could be completely ruined.
Xu Ke felt uneasy.
"I'll emphasize this to everyone below later: it's not just the props, but also the wire work, which is more likely to cause injury. I'm still shaken by it."
"I understand, everything has already been arranged."
Xu Ke let out a long sigh of relief and then skipped over the topic:
"Take another look at the footage we just filmed. Is there anything that seems off?"
Tang Longguang was so focused on Brigitte Lin that he didn't even look closely at the footage.
Looking at it now, there is indeed a problem; it lacks presence.
"Aren't there a few too few arrows?"
I don't need a full-scale arrow barrage like in "Hero," but at least there should be a rain of arrows.
The arrows in the shot don't even fill the entire frame.
"That's right, there are too few arrows, and they lack a sense of sharpness. We should give the arrows a close-up."
Xu Ke then patted Tang Long on the shoulder:
"It seems you have quite a talent for directing."
Tang Long smiled and replied that he knew Xu Ke would soon discover this small problem on her own.
His train of thought was interrupted simply because Brigitte Lin was injured.
"Alright, that's enough filming for today. Let's call it a day and let Li Huimin film some outdoor scenes."
An accident occurred on the first day of filming in mainland China, which left Xu Ke feeling somewhat depressed.
During subsequent filming, Lin Qingxia was injured, and Xu Ke flew into a rage, making the atmosphere on set very tense.
Everyone worked quietly and tried not to make any noise, and stopped chatting, for fear of being noticed by Xu Ke and being scolded.
The situation only improved after Brigitte Lin made her comeback.
"Sister Qingxia, won't you rest for a couple more days?"
"I've already rested for three days. If I rest any longer and delay the filming schedule, I'm afraid Director Xu will be furious."
Unlike her previous aloof demeanor, Brigitte Lin started joking around with Tang Long.
This caught him off guard, and the moment Lin Qingxia smiled was quite stunning.
Seeing Tang Long looking somewhat dazed, Lin Qingxia couldn't help but touch the wound on her eyebrow:
"What's wrong? Does my wound look bad?"
"No, this is the first time I've seen you joke around after working with Sister Qingxia for so long."
"Before, we weren't familiar with each other, so it wasn't appropriate to joke around."
"So, Qingxia feels more familiar with me now?"
"Stop being silly. You saved me this time. If you ever need any help in the future, just let me know."
"squeak!"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Didn't you tell me to let you know if I needed your help? I just did."
Lin Qingxia was taken aback at first, then realized what she meant and covered her mouth to laugh.
She never expected Tang Long to have such a mischievous side.
How come I didn't notice this before?
After laughing, Brigitte Lin couldn't help but ask:
"You need my help right now?"
"Not right now, but I'd like to reserve you in advance. Could you play the female lead in my next film?"
"Your next project? You've written a new script again?"
"It hasn't been written yet; I'm still brainstorming ideas. The female protagonist is based on your likeness."
I was worried that you wouldn't be available after "New Dragon Gate Inn" became a huge hit, so I booked it with you first.
"No problem, who would refuse the lead role? I'll even give you a 50% discount on the salary."
Lin Qingxia agreed without hesitation, even if Tang Long's next film was terrible, she would accept it.
However, judging from the quality of the scripts for "The Blade" and "New Dragon Gate Inn," his new script shouldn't be too bad.
"It's a deal then, so don't go back on your word later."
"Don't worry, I, Brigitte Lin, always keep my word."
Just as the two were having a lively conversation, a clear voice suddenly rang out.
"What are you two talking about that makes you so happy?"
"Manyu, we're talking about the next scene we're going to film. We're playing a couple and we're working on developing our chemistry."
"You're not a good person. You lie so easily. You must have cheated on a lot of girls."
"I'm lying? I'm known for being innocent, okay?"
Zhang Manyu then recalled the rumors circulating in the industry that Tang Long had been swindled out of his money and his house had been emptied.
Seeing Tang Long's aggrieved little expression, they couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Lin Qingxia also realized what was happening and burst out laughing.
This little boy seems quite innocent.
Just as the three were chatting happily, Tang Long didn't notice a jealous gaze fixed on him.
Donnie Yen only arrived at the set today, and this is the second time she has met Tang Long.
He didn't have any scenes in Hong Kong before; he only appeared once at the opening ceremony, and only now has he officially joined the crew.
He was initially reluctant to accept the role of Cao Shaoqin.
He's been in the industry for five or six years, why should he be a supporting actor to a newcomer?
Is it just because he can write screenplays?
However, Yuen Woo-ping persuaded himself to continue, because for him, Tsui Hark's film was a good resource.
He was well aware of the fierce competition in the Hong Kong film and television industry, but he accepted the role out of necessity.
But he always harbored resentment towards Tang Long.
Seeing Tang Long chatting so happily with two top Hong Kong actresses, Brigitte Lin and Cheung Man-yuk, is quite surprising.
She felt utterly contemptuous of his gigolo behavior.
Am I not more handsome than him?
After the entire crew was on high alert and successfully filmed the scene where Brigitte Lin deflects a hail of arrows, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Xu Ke arranged for the actors to reapply makeup in preparation for filming the next scene.
Tang Long sat to the side, preparing for the next scene to be filmed.
Suddenly, he felt a darkness and looked up to see a young, strong-looking Zhen Zidan.
"Brother Dan."
"Tang Long".
Tang Long frowned slightly; the other party's tone wasn't very friendly.
He didn't know the reason, nor did he want to know the reason, and his tone became somewhat cold:
"What's up?"
"We all practice martial arts. I heard from my master that you are also a disciple of the Yuan family troupe. I would like to spar with you."