Love Variety Show: The despised me exploded in popularity

If only I could be of some help after graduation...

On the set, at the film studio.

"Producer Xu, you're writing songs again?" Luo Yuexiu ignited a slim lady's cigarette in front of Xu Qingyan, her eyes lazy and enchanting.

Her entire figure reclined in a lounge chair, appearing seductive and captivating.

Xu Qingyan couldn't be bothered with her, having been on set for two or three days. He and Luo Yuexiu wouldn't describe their first meeting as love at first sight, but they could definitely say they found each other annoying.

They were both in the prime of their youth, men and women alike. By all accounts, even if they couldn't be partners in crime, at the very least they should maintain superficial politeness, especially since both of them were quite attractive.

But these two just wouldn't have it. Luo Yuexiu felt Xu Qingyan was prejudiced against her, particularly on the first day when her powerful backer came to visit the set and just happened to be seen by Xu Qingyan.

Normally, as adults, such matters shouldn't be a big deal.

But Xu Qingyan's expression was too indifferent, pretending to be eighty percent blind in the left eye and suffering sixty percent function loss in the right eye—it was too obvious a cover-up.

So, Luo Yuexiu found an opportunity to confront Xu Qingyan. His reaction only infuriated her further; he was busy sipping his Coke, claiming he saw nothing at all.

Xu Qingyan endured her as long as he could, but ultimately felt that Luo Yuexiu was being unreasonable. He bluntly asked her if she was sick, and their conversation ended on a sour note.

He felt that his fate with Luo Yuexiu was doomed from the start, and he certainly didn't look down on her. After all, he himself had made his fortune thanks to the two ladies, Pei and Lin—pot calling the kettle black.

Even if Luo Xiuyue associated with an old man, Xu Qingyan would pretend to be oblivious. After all, she came genuinely interested in the script, and her professional attitude was beyond reproach.

But Luo Yuexiu was truly a nutcase, damn unlucky to deal with!

Xu Qingyan cursed under his breath and also took the opportunity to look into Luo Yuexiu's financial backer. Digging up such information in the entertainment industry was simple; if you wanted to know, you couldn't hide it.

To his surprise, her sponsor turned out to be the heir of a conglomerate from Xiangjiang. Xu Qingyan, having skirted the fringes of the entertainment circle for half a year, was meeting a wealthy heir for the first time.

A wealthy family, but not extraordinarily so, living off the wealth accumulated in the last century. The group had weathered storms and still stood tall in the business world of Xiangjiang.

Wow, quite fascinating.

"I'm free anyway, what's wrong with making a modest contribution to Southern Yunnan?" Xu Qingyan had no interest in keeping his temper with her, and responded bluntly.

"True to your reputation, Producer Xu, out of sight for half a month, busy writing songs." Luo Yuexiu's words were barbed, casting him a glance, "An important person indeed is always busy."

"Heh, the feeling is mutual." Xu Qingyan couldn't be bothered to argue with her, muttering a curse to himself, "I have something else to do, so I'll be leaving first."

"Don't leave, Producer Xu, since you love writing songs," Luo Yuexiu said with a smile, courteous to everyone else but always at loggerheads with Xu Qingyan.

"Why don't you think about writing one for our Northeast sometime?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Qingyan's eyelids twitched wildly, mentally cursing, damn it. He had almost forgotten that Luo Yuexiu was from the Northeast, as she didn't show it in her usual way of speaking.

He was incredibly grateful that Pei Muchan was from Shanxi—if she were from the Northeast, it would be hard to keep it together with the lights off.

Back in college, his roommate used to play adult videos in the dorm, with a bunch of them gathering to watch. Everyone was enthusiastically commenting when suddenly, they heard the actress say, "Aiya mama, * you're screwing me over."

Instantly, there was silence, like birds startled into silence.

"No inspiration, maybe next time. Let's finish filming the show first." Xu Qingyan glanced at her and walked away without a backward look, as Luo Yuexiu behind him curled the corners of her mouth slightly.

After he left, Luo Yuexiu glanced at the comments under the video and couldn't help but chuckle.

"In times like this, I can't help but bring out the car license plate anthem of our Dongshan Province!"

"Xinghai disagrees, we've got Haozan Chicken Steak."

"Chongqing & Sichuan..."

Unintentionally scrolling through hundreds of comments, her smile never ceased. Despite her friction with Xu Qingyan, she had nothing but praise for his talent.

"South of the Colorful Clouds" was indeed stunning, including this production "The Legend of Martial Arts". There were certain lines she recited over and over, slowly beginning to gain a deeper understanding from them.

For instance, one line that belonged to her.

"There are many disappointments in life, and if you always hope for a different past whenever you're unhappy, then you will never be content."

It wasn't anything earth-shattering, but it left a lasting impression on her. Those who hadn't gone through it might find it hollow, but people who had really experienced the journey would feel differently when looking back.

You could hear a principle a thousand times, but you'd only get a taste after you'd been through it yourself.

Due to budget constraints, Director Wei Wufeng was shooting almost non-stop. Even after arranging for the actors to rest, he barely slept himself.

He shot day in and day out, sleeping just four hours each night.

Fortunately, "The Legend of Martial Arts" script had been condensed by Xu Qingyan, totaling less than twenty episodes. Compared to the original eighty episodes, it was considerably more compact.

However, Xu Qingyan could tell that the last forty episodes of the original were clearly forced extensions.

Considering cost and time, he cut the series down, condensing it into nineteen episodes. Nearly every episode was packed with action, and the pace of the small story units was rapid.

By mid-March, with the effort of the whole crew, the final scene was finally at hand.

Typically, a crew would start shooting with simple scenes for a successful first shoot without NGs. The ending would also feature simple scenes for a perfect finish.

But Wei Wufeng was different, perhaps because he had truly exhausted himself these two months, he purposefully chose the warmest scene to be shot last.

This episode was about Yan Xiaoliu laying out the Enchanting Formation, with the Thousand-Faced Man revealing his true identity at the end.

Thieves descend upon the Seven Heroes Town, and everyone at the inn is scared stiff. So, at night, they all sleep together on the floor in the main hall, with little Mo Xiaobei pleading with old Bai to tell a story.

Old Bai did so with great finesse, telling a ghost story about an old mansion. Initially, nobody was interested, but eventually, they all were drawn in, gathered around to listen.

Just as old Bai got to the part with the knocking at the door, there came a knocking from outside, scaring everyone half to death.

Xu Qingyan stood on the periphery, watching from behind the camera as the group of actors at the Tongfu Inn slept in together. The scene was heartwarming and reflected the inn's motto, "Shared joys, shared hardships."

Compared with the images in his mind, Xu Qingyan couldn't help feeling moved; this show had, after all, been brought into reality by himself.

Just then, Wei Wufeng used the loudspeaker, his voice trembling slightly as he said,

"Good, cut!"

The group of actors, Bai Zhantang, Tong Xiangyu, Guo Furong, Scholar Lv, cook Li Dazui, Mo Xiaobei, all got up, almost instinctively repeating the scene one more time.

In the end, silence surrounded them, and Wei Wufeng's voice echoed across the set.

"Good, cut!"

"I announce that 'The Legend of Martial Arts' shooting schedule is successfully completed, we've officially wrapped up!"

As the words fell, those who had been barely out of character immediately started cheering. Wei Wufeng's lips quivered, his eyes bloodshot, as he looked at the equally elated Xu Qingyan.

"What's up, Director Wei?" The man asked in a mockingly casual tone.

"You heartless Xu Qingyan!" Wei Wufeng gritted his teeth and glared at Xu Qingyan fiercely, "You're truly inhuman, the wretched Xu Stripper!"

Hearing this, Xu Qingyan wasn't annoyed; indeed, what he had done was quite underhanded.

With such a small budget to shoot a comedy, the crew had to work around the clock; otherwise, there wouldn't be enough money to complete filming. Under pressure, Wei Wufeng had no choice but to stay highly focused every day to complete the shooting tasks.

"You've worked hard, Director Wei."

"Not hard work, it's a hard life, you son of a...," Wei Wufeng, who had never suffered like this, couldn't help spraying abuse at Xu Qingyan, then burst into laughter.

He looked a bit unkempt and his spirits seemed somewhat down. Mumbling to himself, he didn't know what he was saying, and that scared Xu Qingyan a fair amount.

If Wei Wufeng lost his mind, Xu Qingyan would be done for.

Fortunately, Wei Wufeng was just too excited, and after calming down for a while, he was back to the cool young director, explaining some details of the shooting to Xu Qingyan.

Finally, he added,

"This series, it's the one I've put the most thought into and also the hardest to shoot," Wei Wufeng said emphatically, "Although you're no good, I still thank you."

Xu Qingyan: "...."

"You're welcome, Director Wei."