Translator: Lan_ Editor: Efydatia

  The wonderful acrobatic action scenes would make up for his raw acting skills. His character in the film was a man of prowess, not a guy with a complicated mind like Qin Guan’s. His main task was to just shoot the action scenes well.

  The hard-working young man performed as Director Zhang had expected. He didn’t have the expressiveness of a professional actor, but he performed martial arts with a good poker face, which surprised Qin Guan.

  The man had been criticized for his lack of acting skills, but he did all his stunts himself. He didn’t ask to use a body double.

  Most actors had no reason to laugh at him considering this advantage.

  Gong Lee seemed to notice Qin Guan’s confusion. After a few scenes, the crew took a break and she explained, "The Taiwanese boy joined the crew early, before the palace was even built. The prop team provided him with large wooden blades so he could practice. By the time filming began, he’d already broken more than 100 blades. No one would blame him for a couple of mistakes. A hard-working guy is welcome everywhere, right?"

  Qin Guan forced a smile. It seems that you think I’m not a hard-working guy. Actually, Qin Guan was feeling jealous.

  Even though he was a lucky man, he still envied the boy, who was fighting fiercely with Chow. Although he was hanging from a wire, he didn’t seem to have any trouble repeating simple movements.

  The boy seems to love acting.

  Unfortunately, there were also daily-life scenes included in the script. Soon, Qin Guan got a chance to witness Chou’s misfortune, as the man would have to take a bath in the palace. This was the first time Qin Guan would be watching someone else bathe.

  The crew scattered flower petals in the bathing pool, where the water was still steaming hot.

  Chou, who was wearing just a pair of white shorts, was looking at Qin Guan and playing with the petals happily. He forced a smile at Qin Guan and received a meaningful look in reply.

  "What’s the matter, Brother Qin?" Chow’s small eyes narrowed into cracks.

  "Look behind you. They are fighting."

  Chou turned around and saw what he meant.

  The figurants usually acted just as a background. They only got 20 yuan and two meals per day.

  Some good-looking ones got a chance to show their faces in the frame. Those got paid 30 yuan and played a bigger part in the film. It was a miracle for common people.

  The luckiest ones were those selected by the assistant directors. Those actors could even get a chance to appear in the same frame with leading actors and have a simple action or line to deliver. This was like a pie fallen from heaven for them.

  Based on the importance of their job, they were usually paid 100 to 150 yuan per day.

  The fight was taking place between a group of maids, who were fighting for a chance to stand by the bathing pool while Chou was inside. They were fighting fiercely, yet they also had to be careful not to ruin their makeup or tear their costumes. It was a really funny scene to watch. Qin Guan couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

  Chou unconsciously caressed the upper part of his naked body. The greedy eyes of the girls made him shiver. Believe me, it is not a wonderful feeling to have girls watch you bathe!

  When four of the maids finally won the fight, Chou buried his body deeper under the petals. The greenhand was really shy. Qin Guan, who was a veteran, had showed his naked butt in a film lots of times.

  Before Chou could get over his embarrassment, Qin Guan patted him on the shoulder.

  "Good boy! Well done!"

  Then he laughed and left proudly.

  Zhang Yimou shook his head helplessly. He was really curious about what Jiang Wen had done to Qin Guan. Why is he so kind to stark naked people?

  The next day, they shot the first group scene. All the main actors showed up for their first gathering. As the exclusive imperial physician, Ni Dahong was also there.

  The yard around the palace was full of yellow chrysanthemums they had bought from Yiwu markets. They were everywhere in the nearly 1,000-square-meter yard.