In fact, many films from Jing Yu's previous life had similar dramatic reversal effects.
One well-known example was the creepy smile from the little girl at the end of Detective Chinatown.
That single shot pulled a lot of people into the franchise. If your acting is solid—and it's paired with sound design, lighting, and set design—the effect of a twist can still come through clearly.
But the [Filter] item from Jing Yu's Exchange Space was much simpler and more direct.
It temporarily changed a person's aura, making their on-screen performance completely different.
After applying the "horror filter" on Xia Yining, she still had that beautiful face—but to everyone on set, she suddenly looked like someone possessed. Her smile was eerie, her gaze unsettling, and she seemed to walk straight out of the underworld.
To activate the filter, physical contact was required. But to cancel it, all Jing Yu had to do was stop sacrificing fan points.
"This… is me?"
Xia Yining stared at the footage of herself on the monitor—an image that even she found chilling.
She looked a little confused.
Was my acting always this good?
Did I actually break through like this?
Of course, the footage captured by the camera only reflected about a third of what the crew actually saw in person. So to Xia Yining, the scene just made her feel a bit of a chill down her spine.
But it hadn't left her looking like she'd just seen a tiger in the wild and needed to run off set like the three extras had.
"Alright, alright—it's just acting, people. No need to panic." Jing Yu quickly spoke up, helping everyone on set snap back to their senses.
He reviewed the footage carefully.
Emmm… not bad.
The creepiness came through. No need to push the intensity further.
He'd use this level of filter strength going forward.
If it got too intense, the poor camera crew would probably break down first.
After shooting that horror scene for Kuronuma Sawako, they moved on to scenes featuring Kazehaya Shouta, played by Jing Yu.
The biggest difference between anime and live-action dramas was the subtle atmosphere.
The same line that came off as funny and charming in anime could feel unbearably cringeworthy when said by a real person.
Take this, for example:
"I'm going to become the Hokage!"
"I'm going to be the Pirate King!"
Even with Jing Yu's good looks, delivering those lines in real life would scream "cringey teenager."
But he had to admit—this filter item was insanely useful.
For instance, when playing Kazehaya Shouta, Jing Yu would apply the filter for just two seconds during key moments.
Boom—instantly, that "bright and cheerful manga protagonist" vibe was there.
It wasn't that Jing Yu couldn't act it out himself. But with the filter assisting, the effect was cleaner and sharper.
Of course, he couldn't overuse it.
Just like MSG—great for enhancing flavor when used sparingly, but nauseating when overdone. The same went for the filter: great for dramatic moments, but if it was on all the time, it would become tiring.
So Jing Yu planned to use it only for key scenes in 'Kimi ni Todoke'.
One such scene was the first meeting between Kazehaya Shouta and Kuronuma Sawako.
He sees her on the street, wearing the same school uniform. She asks him for directions to the school, and he sees her smile for the first time.
Love at first sight.
In anime, this could be heightened with an especially delicate art style to create a stunning impression.
In live-action, well… you use tools.
So ironically, the scenes that Cheng Lie thought would be the hardest to shoot—the ones that seemed destined for constant NGs—ended up being shot smoothly and beautifully.
Meanwhile, some of the more mundane everyday scenes had the highest rate of re-takes.
That said…
Even though Jing Yu only used the filter in key scenes, over a few days of shooting, he would occasionally tap Xia Yining on the shoulder, or lightly touch her arm, or "accidentally" brush her fingertips.
To the rest of the crew, this looked perfectly normal.
After all, these two had acted together in countless dramas. They'd done at least ten kissing scenes. So a little physical contact? What's the big deal?
But to Xia Yining, it was very much not normal.
Outside of filming, Jing Yu kept a strict distance—not only from her, but also from Yu Youqing. Over just six or seven days, he'd touched her three or four times. That couldn't be chalked up to coincidence.
Could it be…
He's finally been conquered by my beauty and charm?
He's just too shy to admit it?
He does seem like the passive type…
Xia Yining glanced toward the camera, where Jing Yu was acting with intense focus, her eyes glimmering with curiosity.
March 19th.
After nearly ten days of filming, the bulk of Episode 1 for 'Kimi ni Todoke' had been completed.
After wrapping for the day—
"Jing Yu… do you want to hang out later tonight?" Xia Yining asked, summoning all her courage.
"Didn't they open a new shopping street nearby? I heard there's a dessert shop there…"
"No. I need to go revise the script, organize the shooting schedule for tomorrow, and help Yunteng TV with 'Kimi ni Todoke''s promo coordination. I need to rest early tonight," Jing Yu replied, looking at her.
"Well, maybe—" Xia Yining tried to say something more.
"I'm heading out. If you want a ride home, come with me. If you want to check out the shopping street, I can drop you off, but you'll need to find your own ride back."
The two of them lived in the same complex—right across from each other. Jing Yu usually gave her a lift home.
Xia Yining felt like she had been slapped in the face.
She climbed into the passenger seat in silence, sulking all the way home.
What is going on with this guy?
"Hey…" she began, but when she saw Jing Yu's concentrated expression while driving, she sighed instead.
I don't get him at all.
Back at home, she found Yu Youqing reading a script in the living room.
"So, how is '5 Centimeters Per Second'?" she asked.
Xia Yining didn't have any roles in that film, so she hadn't bothered to read the script herself.
"It's really well written," Yu Youqing said softly, eyes half closed.
"But… my screen time is too short."
"Too short?"
"Yeah," Yu Youqing replied.
"Aren't you the female lead?"
"I am."
"Then how is your screen time short?"
"My character—adult Akari—is only important in terms of significance. But most of my scenes are fragmented flashbacks. My most crucial moment is in the ending. That's it."
"But enough about that—how was filming today?" Yu Youqing put the script down.
'5 Centimeters Per Second' was set to start filming in another two weeks, but the timing didn't really matter for script review.
"Ah, filming went well. It's just… everything else didn't." Xia Yining threw herself onto the couch.
"Let me ask you something. Before I joined Jinhui TV… did Jing Yu ever date anyone?"
"Yes." Yu Youqing's gaze sharpened. She already guessed Xia Yining had hit a wall again.
"I admire his ex so much… managing to land a guy this emotionally unavailable." Xia Yining sighed.
"You don't need to envy her," Yu Youqing smiled.
"In fact, if it's about Jing Yu, you don't need to envy any girl in this world."
"If he truly didn't care about you… There's no way he would've brought you along on so many projects."
Xia Yining immediately sat upright.
"Of course," Yu Youqing added, pausing.
Her expression grew serious.
She'd known Jing Yu for so long, and among everyone he'd ever helped—really helped—there were only three people: herself, Xia Yining, and Cheng Lie.
With Jing Yu's personality, if he truly didn't care, there's no way he would've gone to such lengths. Promoting, assisting, offering opportunities—again and again.
Though she'd only come to understand this recently…
Between the two of them—
Yu Youqing exhaled deeply and looked at Xia Yining.