The poplar forest along the Ejina River is a golden ocean stretching for dozens of miles.
When you step into it, you see lush reeds, hardy red willows, and flocks of sheep, all combining with the beautiful, golden poplar trees to form a magnificent, sweeping landscape.
The area is known for its Eight Bridges, and the ones most worth visiting are the Second, Fourth, and Eighth Bridges.
At the Second Bridge, you can see the Reflection Forest, where the babbling water mirrors the golden woods upside down.
The Eighth Bridge is the boundary between the vast desert and the poplar forest, where winding dunes and golden trees interlace, showcasing the powerful contrast between vibrant life and desolate stillness.
The crew of Hero is currently set up at the Fourth Bridge.
This is the densest part of the poplar forest, with unbroken patches of golden tree crowns creating an atmosphere that feels like a fairy tale.
"You finally made it! Get ready, we're shooting your scene soon," director Zhang Yimou greeted Luke with a smile as he approached.
"Which part are we starting with?" Luke asked.
"Let's kick off with the scene between you and Ruyue. We'll be shooting it inside that wooden cabin in a bit."
Director Zhang pointed to the classical wooden house, a temporary structure built just for the shoot.
Once filming is over, all these temporary buildings will be taken down to return the scenic area to its original state.
Luke found a chair and sat down, pulling out the script he had already studied to review the next scene's content one more time.
To put it simply, his character, Broken Sword, and Zhang Ziyi's character, Flying Snow, are a couple.
Three years ago, they teamed up to assassinate the King of Qin, and even three thousand elite armored soldiers couldn't stop them.
But at the final moment, Broken Sword deliberately gave up the opportunity to kill the king.
Flying Snow resented him, and a rift formed between them.
After their relationship was strained, Broken Sword finally gave in and slept with the sword attendant who loved him, Ruyue, played by Gao Yuanyuan, as an act of revenge against Flying Snow.
In her anger and despair, Flying Snow eventually drew her sword and killed Broken Sword.
The scene they are about to shoot is the one where Broken Sword sleeps with Ruyue.
With his Advanced Acting Mastery skill, Luke clearly understood that the key to this scene was to convey a sense of suppressed rage.
He's doing the most wild and reckless thing, yet his emotions are intensely repressed.
He doesn't love Ruyue; he's just using her affection for him to get back at Flying Snow.
Meanwhile, Gao Yuanyuan's Ruyue needs to show an initial seduction of Broken Sword, followed by joy when she gets what she wants, and then despair when she realizes Broken Sword doesn't care about her at all.
---
The two emotional shifts and the gradual progression through three different layers posed a considerable challenge to Gao Yuanyuan's acting skills.
Luke was focused on the script when he suddenly noticed a pair of slender, fair legs appear right in front of him.
He looked up, and his eyes met Gao Yuanyuan's clean, otherworldly face.
"Hi there, nice to meet you. I'm Gao Yuanyuan," she said, greeting Luke with an open smile.
At this point, Gao Yuanyuan was still a relatively new actress, having only been in a few low-budget film and TV projects.
She was most famous for a rather cheesy commercial with a pun on her name:
A sweetly smiling Gao Yuanyuan looked into the camera and asked, "Do you want to know the taste of 'Kiss-ing'?" (A phonetic play on the brand name).
Her full red lips were luscious and inviting, making you want to take a bite.
"Yes! I want to know!"
A man's voice off-camera shouted excitedly, and the camera quickly zoomed toward Gao Yuanyuan's face, creating the feeling that the man was rushing toward her.
"What were you thinking? I'm talking about 'Qing Zui' (Clear Mouth) lozenges!"
"Now you know the taste of 'Qing Zui,' right?"
When this commercial aired, countless people criticized it for being trashy, but it still became a huge hit, and Gao Yuanyuan became famous because of it.
Many people remembered her as the "Qing Zui Girl."
Despite the strongly suggestive commercial, Gao Yuanyuan's pure, innocent looks meant that people didn't hold a grudge against her.
The public's dislike was directed only at the company, not at her.
About that, Luke could only conclude: being good-looking is basically a superpower. It's a superpower that makes people like you unconditionally.
Luke smiled and patted the chair next to him, signaling for Gao Yuanyuan to sit down and chat.
"It's great to meet you. When we shoot later, please go easy on me," he said.
This was a perfectly normal polite remark, but in the context of today's conversation...
The moment the words left his mouth, Luke realized they sounded a little suggestive.
You're about to shoot a sex scene with this young woman—what exactly does "go easy on me" mean?
A slight blush appeared on Gao Yuanyuan's cheeks, but she said softly, "I haven't had a chance to thank you. Without your recommendation, I wouldn't have had this great opportunity to play Ruyue."
Luke noticed that she kept referring to him using the formal "you" ( 您 - nín).
That's a sign of both politeness and a certain distance.
But with that kind of distance between them, how were they supposed to film the upcoming scene well?
So, he smiled and said, "We're close in age, so you don't need to be so formal with your language. As for the recommendation, it was just a happy accident—don't even worry about it."
Luke didn't explain what kind of "happy accident" it was, leaving Gao Yuanyuan clearly confused.
She was about to speak when she was interrupted by a shout.
"Are you ready? Come change into your costumes and get your makeup done, we're about to start filming!" Director Zhang Yimou called out from a distance.
"Got it, coming!" Luke got up from his chair and headed off with Gao Yuanyuan to get prepared.
---
Once everything was set, the scene officially began.
The small wooden cabin was saturated with red: the thin gauze on the walls, the sheets on the bed, and the clothes of Broken Sword and Ruyue—everything was a blood-like, vibrant red.
It symbolized blood and slaughter, but also desire.
Luke's Broken Sword, in a crimson robe, was sitting on the floor.
Behind him, Gao Yuanyuan's Ruyue was gently running her fingers through his hair.
Broken Sword's expression seemed calm, but his eyes showed a sense of desolation and fiercely suppressed rage.
Watching Luke's performance, Director Zhang Yimou couldn't help but sigh in admiration: "I didn't realize Luke was such a good actor! I thought, since he came from an action background, his internal scenes might be weak, but he managed to bring the character to life just with his eyes."
He, of course, didn't know about Luke's Advanced Acting bonus, which made him on par with veterans who had been acting for decades.
Ruyue seemed to be styling Broken Sword's hair, but she was using her hands more than a comb, her jade-like fingers lightly stroking Broken Sword's dark hair as if she were touching a lover's skin.
Suddenly, Broken Sword, unable to hold back any longer, whipped around and grabbed Ruyue by the shoulders.
Ruyue, in turn, looked surprised and thrilled, following Broken Sword's movement as she fell back onto the bed.
She opened herself up, ready to welcome him.
"R-I-I-P!"
With Broken Sword's rough motion, Ruyue's red robe tore apart.
Ruyue, who should have been showing a wild, ecstatic look, now wore a subtle look of awkwardness.
Seeing this moment of Gao Yuanyuan's performance, Director Zhang Yimou couldn't help but frown slightly.
When Broken Sword leaned down and covered her body, Ruyue's body was visibly stiff.
"Cut!"
---