Starlet Taotie Chapter 28 (Part 2)
Chapter 28.2 Only One Who Got Hurt
Once Du Chong put his mind at ease, he also had to admit that this girl, Jiang Tao, really did make eating look appetizing. Just watching her eat made him hungry too...
But it was then he suddenly realised:
Wait. Wasn’t this an eight-portion hotpot?
Why were all the plates on the table empty?!
What on earth had happened in those twenty short minutes?!
Shen Zhiyan elegantly wiped his lips. “If everyone’s finished, I’ll get the bill.”
Du Chong: “???”
I haven’t even eaten anything yet!!
But Shen Zhiyan had already mercilessly called the server over to settle the bill.
And thus, a world in which he was the only one who got hurt was born.
Shen Zhiyan, you jerk of a bastard!!
Jiang Tao was quite satisfied with the meal, so she did not bother holding a grudge over the food Shen Zhiyan had stolen from her.
She was a mature taotie now. In front of the generous benefactor who was paying for her meal, she had to be magnanimous.
More importantly, the agent Shen Zhiyan had brought along was all bark and no bite. He looked like he could eat a horse, yet he had not touched a single thing the entire meal.
Excellent! She loved eating with people like this!
She leaned past Shen Zhiyan and gave Du Chong an approving smile.
Du Chong: “???”
Where am I? What am I?
Earlier, no matter how much goodwill he had tried to show, Jiang Tao had remained completely on guard, never relaxing in the slightest.
So why was she smiling at him now when he had done absolutely nothing?!
It wasn’t that he didn’t understand. It was just that the world was changing way too damn fast!!
…
The very next day was the official start of filming.
‘Lingxiao Chronicles’ was set in a world where humans, immortals, yao, and demons coexisted. The protagonist, Xie Wuyan, was born into a declining cultivation family. Because of a prophecy, he left home to seek a master and learn cultivation, eventually embarking on a journey to slay yao and eliminate evil.
Jiang Tao played Yue Jia, a ferocious beast who lived alone atop Mount Gouwu.
Originally, she and the male protagonist were never supposed to cross paths. However, on one of her outings to hunt for food, Yue Jia happened to abduct Vaidūrya shangxian, a symbol of the orthodox dao at the time.
The cultivators of the orthodox dao were enraged and issued a bounty. Anyone who could rescue Vaidūrya shangxian would be rewarded with the supreme immortal artifact, the Soul-Returning Pearl.
The male protagonist’s master was nearing the end of his lifespan, yet had failed to break through. The only thing in the world capable of saving him was the Soul-Returning Pearl.
Thus, the male protagonist found a way to sneak into Mount Gouwu. Using a few schemes, he originally intended to escape together with Vaidūrya shangxian.
However, Yue Jia discovered them.
To avoid humiliation, Vaidūrya shangxian transferred all his immortal powers to the male protagonist before ascending to death.
From then on, Yue Jia and the male protagonist became sworn enemies.
For the first half of the series, the story was essentially about Yue Jia relentlessly hunting down the male protagonist while he narrowly escaped death time and time again.
It was only later that the male protagonist learned that Vaidūrya shangxian being abducted in the first place had been part of a conspiracy by the orthodox cultivators. They had originally intended for Yue Jia to consume Vaidūrya, but unexpectedly, Yue Jia ended up falling in love with him. That was what led to everything that followed.
The original novel itself barely had any romance. The male protagonist spent all his time escaping assassinations and growing stronger. Where would he have had the time to fall in love?
So back then, many people joked that if they absolutely had to name the female lead of the story, it would be Yue Jia.
She fell in love with the supporting male lead, and fought the male lead to the death.
When adapting the novel, Zhou Zhilan respected the original and did not add any unnecessary romantic subplots.
The male protagonist’s very first scene was him hiding inside the city, with Yue Jia pursuing him into the city and the two engaging in a fight.
…
The actor playing the male protagonist, Shao Zemo, had started out as a child actor.
He was a good actor with plenty of natural talent. His only flaw was that he loved playing teacher.
However, most of the cast were veteran actors, or talented young actresses like Ann Lisa. There was hardly any room for him to show off.
It was only after he learned about Jiang Tao, an actress with no formal training whose acting skills had been poor in the past, that he finally found the perfect material to work with!!
Shao Zemo rubbed his hands together eagerly. He had even memorized Yue Jia’s entire script, just waiting for Jiang Tao to arrive so he could give her some pointers.
Zhou Zhilan remembered the intimidating aura Jiang Tao carried and looked at Shao Zemo with a mixture of gratitude and sympathy. “Xiao Shao, then I’ll leave everything to you!”
Shao Zemo was full of confidence. “Don’t worry, Director Zhou! I definitely won’t hold up filming!”
In this scene, Yue Jia had concealed her identity as a ferocious beast, so Jiang Tao only needed to finish her makeup and change into costume before coming out.
Shao Zemo looked at Jiang Tao and was briefly dazzled by her appearance, but then a hint of doubt crept into his eyes.
Jiang Tao was certainly beautiful, but with her innocent features and slender figure, how could she possibly portray Yue Jia’s fierce aura?
If she failed to establish that presence here, wouldn’t half the series fall apart?
Director Zhou had always been wise. Why would he choose an actress like this for Yue Jia?
Zhou Zhilan noticed his confusion and chuckled without explaining.
Once they shot a single take, Shao Zemo would understand.
On the other side, Shao Zemo was still going over the scene with Jiang Tao. “After Vaidūrya shangxian’s death, Yue Jia swore that she would kill Xie Wuyan. But she didn’t want him to die so easily. She wanted him to suffer and experience fear before ultimately dying in despair. Only then would she be able to vent her anger.
“So she treats Xie Wuyan as her prey. She doesn’t rush to kill him, but instead mocks him as she watches him struggle in vain. But this time, Xie Wuyan almost managed to escape, so she fell into rage and goes after him…”
After rattling off his explanation, Shao Zemo asked Jiang Tao, “Do you understand?”
Jiang Tao nodded. “I understand. You’re the prey, and I’m the hunter.”
Shao Zemo: “?”
That seemed to be the gist of it, but why did it sound so wrong when Jiang Tao put it that way?
He thought for a moment, then added, “Oh, right. Make sure your expression is fierce. The fiercer, the better.”
Jiang Tao: “Oh.”
She expressionlessly rolled her wrists.
Shao Zemo suddenly felt a chill run down his neck.
The two of them returned to the center of the set.
Zhou Zhilan picked up the walkie-talkie. “All departments, get ready. Let’s run through it once.”
In this scene, Xie Wuyan is chased by Yue Jia until he has nowhere left to run. He finally turns around, determined to fight Yue Jia to the death.
Shao Zemo confidently took his position.
When Zhou Zhilan called, “Action!” Shao Zemo ran forward for two steps, then stopped. With the courage and determination of someone making a last stand, he turned around—
Under the moonlight, the red-clad woman slowly approached him. Her footsteps were light, almost carefree, yet her eyes remained fixed on the prey before her, who had nowhere left to run.
This scene was meant to showcase the courage Xie Wuyan found under extreme fear. It was also the moment when Xie Wuyan began to stop running and face his enemy head-on.
It marked one of the most important points in his character arc, as well as one of the key turning points in the story.
Zhou Zhilan stared at the monitor and muttered to himself. “Excellent, excellent. They’ve both really captured the feel of the scene. I knew I hadn’t picked the wrong actors. Xiao Jiang’s expression is perfect, it completely conveys Yue Jia’s arrogant and vicious nature…
“Xiao Shao’s reaction is great too. That kind of overwhelming fear feels so real. And he actually managed to withstand Xiao Jiang’s aura. He’s got potential!”
However, Zhou Zhilan waited happily for quite a while, only to realize that Shao Zemo still hadn’t delivered his line. He quickly called, “Cut!
“Xiao Shao, what’s going on? Did you forget your line?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Shao Zemo stiffly turned his head inch by inch.
His expression was deeply aggrieved, with a trace of lingering fear still visible in his eyes. “Director, I think it’s already pretty good that I’m still alive…”
Zhou Zhilan: “...”
