Love Variety Show: The despised me exploded in popularity

"It's... it's too small."

"Hmm? It doesn't look small to me," Xu Qingyan said with a puzzled face.

"....." Pei Muchan was speechless, covering her chest with a complicated look in her eyes as she glanced at someone, "What I mean is, this outfit is too small."

"Oh, change into another one then, good thing we came prepared," he said.

He took another look and was fiercely glared back at, only able to give a dry laugh. He had never noticed before how... fulfilling it was, completely satisfying all fantasies.

After a while, Pei Muchan changed into a moon-colored qipao which was extremely endearing and beyond earthly beauty. She wore a jeweled headpiece, as elegant and demure as the moonlight.

"This one works, let's go with this one," he decisively stated.

"Will this do?"

She looked down, at least visually her figure didn't appear so exaggerated anymore.

The waist of the qipao wasn't made larger, which would have made her look burly. She just changed into a set of undergarments that made her look smaller, forcibly creating the effect of an F cup reduced to a B, otherwise, the qipao wouldn't bring out its beauty.

The general shape is usually related to the undergarments, if you want the soft, round look of Korean manga fashion, just get a comfortable cup size.

"Yes, it's fine," Xu Qingyan walked out and waved her over, "Let's go, it looks very nice. Take a moment to adjust, and you'll be ready to shoot."

The extras arrived, Lin Chuan had found them through a traditional performance troupe; both the master and a bunch of half-grown kids were there. No need for practice, just change into Republican-period clothes and they were ready to shoot.

The extras, serving as a backdrop, didn't need to stand out, performing some practice movements would suffice.

Xu Qingyan had shot the empty scenes earlier, and Pei Muchan arrived in makeup, ready to start after changing outfits, while makeup for other actors was also simple.

The substitute male actor arrived in less than half an hour, named Lu Dong.

He had a build somewhat similar to Meng Wenhong, a bit larger, but his looks didn't compare. Lacking that scholarly demeanor, his facial lines were distinct, carrying the aura of a military man.

As the MV's narrating singer, the camera would always follow Pei Muchan's movements. The singing would naturally be added later, and there were only two scenes that needed lip-syncing on-site.

From the pair of child actors, the camera then switched to the young male and female actors, witnessing a complete story.

Zhou Mian held a list, standing by Xu Qingyan and read aloud.

"All the costumes are distributed, twenty-three extras, props have... everything's ready."

"Everything's prepared, then let's get started," Xu Qingyan entered work mode, sat at the monitor closely watching, everything like shot lists had been explained the day before.

"Quiet! Test shoot starting!"

"Ready! Action!" Liu Ming came with a clapperboard from who knows where, enthusiastically clapping it.

The script supervisor noted the scenes and takes, which could be dispensed with for a low-budget MV but made post-production editing easier.

Xu Qingyan had drawn a ton of storyboards, and communication with the cinematographer was not an issue.

What was supposed to be a simple MV shoot was turned into a small-scale film production. There was no helping it, with the director so serious, everyone else had no choice but to be serious as well.

Shen Jinyue initially planned to join in the fun, but seeing Xu Qingyan's stern face and a side of him she had never seen before, she didn't dare speak, confused.

Watching him direct people with a megaphone, she too stood to the side, not even daring to breathe heavily. She just felt that Xu Qingyan seemed... different from before.

What exactly was different, she couldn't pin down, feeling as if human evolution had left her behind.

The camera panned out, indoors the light was dim, the door was pushed open from the outside. A golden ray of light slowly moved, illuminating the hanging scroll of "The Thirteen Exceptional Beauties Under the Same Light".

There were only a few chairs and benches, the shadows of two small figures elongated, the camera angled from below made the little people appear larger, wearing simple decorations, naive and unaware.

The boy, Wang Jiaming, was sturdy-looking, clutching a short stick. The girl had single eyelids, holding a red embroidered ball for practice in her hands, showing a pure gaze to the camera.

Confusion mixed with a hint of joy, untainted by the world.

The two children who wandered into the practice room saw the light and shadow on the stage, hence planting a seed within themselves. The camera moved inside the building, with the extras playing the roles of disciples in practice.

Practicing with decorated spears, yiyi yayayi of Beijing Opera in the background. The disciples jutted their voices dramatically, loudly reciting the lines of Fu Liancheng while the master walked around overseeing.

"As we dedicate ourselves to this profession, we must concentrate and work hard, so that our fame may spread far and wide in the years to come."

Wang Jiaming, playing the role of a boy, took the opportunity to slack off during practice, only to be suddenly hit on the head by a red embroidered ball from upstairs. Looking up, he saw the fleeting smiling face of a girl, leaving only the shadow of her plait.

The scenes changed one after another, making the shoot incredibly smooth.

Xu Qingyan didn't focus much on acting instruction; the child was too young to understand. He simply spoke a few brief sentences each time, hitting the nail on the head, and managed to wrap up all the shots of the child actors smoothly.

With the round Mid-Autumn moon, shooting night scenes during the day had to rely on post-production editing.

The two child actors sat atop the prop room, surrounded by green screens, carefully breaking apart a piece of mooncake. The camera zoomed out to leave just the silhouettes of two innocent children.

"Cut!"

It was over, all the preparatory work was well done, and the lighting was set up ahead of time. Surprisingly, they didn't encounter any significant troubles, and they completed all the shots of the child actors in less than a morning.

The cinematographer was someone Lin Chuan brought over, someone who had worked with the crew before.

At first, he didn't take this low-budget music video seriously, but after filming six shots, he finally became thoroughly convinced. The storyboard was well-drawn, and the pace of shooting was swift.

The low cost was probably due to streamlined scheduling, but the quality wasn't low at all. Which angle to move to, using reverse angles for shots, and what kind of lighting effects were needed.

He spoke about all these details, making them crystal clear.

Even if Xu Qingyan's terminology wasn't always professional, and sometimes he seemed like an amateur in his wording, he explained everything so clearly, or he would just draw it out.

This ability to sketch storyboards completely won the cinematographer over. He had to admit that without substantial knowledge, one couldn't possibly convey such clear ideas.

The filming progressed from simple to complex, and the difficulty gradually increased.

Pei Muchan entered the scene; relying on her previous experience in shooting music videos, she smoothly wrapped up the first scene. Then came the turn of the young male and female actors, and that's when problems began.

The set was in a chamber; the two, with makeup on, moved their feet slightly while practicing in plain clothes. Various black, green, blue, and white opera costumes hung on the side—those of Xue Pinggui and Wang Baochuan's play.

Their performance depicted love outside the play, yet affection within it.

"Lu Dong, don't slump your shoulders, and your gaze towards Sun Mengyun should be tender."

"Sun Mengyun, your expression should be more natural, too."

"Oh, okay, got it."

"Let's take it from the top!"

After several interruptions, Xu Qingyan stopped talking. He gave a wave to let the two actors take a break, then squatted in front of the monitor, reviewing the failed shots over and over.

Lu Dong's gaze was somewhat vacant and, though his looks weren't bad, it was indeed difficult for him to convey a heart-fluttering look.

Sun Mengyun was a bit better, at least expressing surprise. But while her eyes showed surprise, they lacked any hint of nervousness or palpitation, seeming more like seeing a blood brother than romantic interest.

Just like a sibling reunion.

Trying to portray the blossoming of young love and the thrill of ambiguity, the actors struggled to get into character no matter how many takes they did.

Seeing the filming stall, Pei Muchan changed shoes to avoid tiring her feet. She still wore the moon-white cheongsam, gracefully walking over to Xu Qingyan.

Shen Jinyue clung to Pei Muchan like a charm, following along.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing major, just a bit of a challenge, I'll figure it out." Xu Qingyan took a deep breath, inwardly directing Sun Mengyun's gaze straight ahead before slowly drawing it back.... Discover hidden stories at empire

"What effect are you trying to capture?" she inquired.

Time was moving towards noon, and the temperature slowly rose, heating the inside and outside of the chamber.

Pei Muchan's limbs were always cold, she was not prone to sweating much, and her cheeks, under the light, still had a cold hue to them. Her makeup was intact, and her eyes, with their phoenix-tail shape, held a gentle grace.

Xu Qingyan was about to reply when he turned and looked up to meet her gaze. Her features were beautifully proportioned, her lips red and teeth white, her eyes curious with a hint of an indistinct smile.

"Capturing... a heartbeat," he said.