The morning after Autumn in My Heart wrapped filming, Chen Fei'er quietly left Jinling and returned to Capital City.
She departed with her assistant without formally saying goodbye to Lu Chen.
In the entertainment industry, couples parting ways temporarily or even breaking up is all too common. Even if they hadn't been dating for long, they were already used to separations, used to being busy with their own schedules, not knowing when they'd see each other again.
Lu Chen stuck to his routine, getting up early for morning training, and after breakfast, he met up with Zhang De. Together, they drove to the filming location of The Great Emperor Wu, Qian Nian Pass Fortress.
Jinling Film and Television City is one of the three largest studio cities in China. It covers a vast area and has been developed over more than a decade.
It features full-scale sets like Hong Kong Street, Republican Era Avenue, Ming-Qing palace complexes, Qin Palace, Qingming Riverside Town, temples and Taoist monasteries, as well as natural landscape simulations like Azure Coast, desert landscapes, and mystical mountains.
These massive, high-investment sets allow production crews from all over the country to find suitable shooting locations, dramatically reducing costs.
A few decades ago, this would have been unthinkable. Back then, when CCTV shot large-scale TV dramas, they often took several years, traveling all across China to find filming spots, consuming enormous manpower and resources.
Nowadays, filming speed has increased dramatically. For example, all 20 episodes of Autumn in My Heart were shot entirely within Jinling Film and Television City. The crew didn't have to run around the country, which allowed them to complete filming in just two months.
However, compared to the past, actor salaries have skyrocketed, and post-production has become even more expensive. Big-budget productions now often involve investments in the hundreds of millions, even billions.
Actor salaries, in particular, have become outrageous. Hiring a top-tier star for a TV drama now costs at least hundreds of thousands per episode. For long dramas, several million can be spent just on lead actors. Movie actor salaries are just as staggering.
Lu Chen was invited to make a cameo appearance in The Great Emperor Wu, and the offered fee was 200,000 yuan.
Near an ancient-style fortress set, Lu Chen met the film's director, Lu Zhiyong.
Lu Zhiyong was in his late thirties, approaching forty. He's part of China's so-called "seventh generation" of directors, quite well-known in the industry and known for his expertise in shooting historical dramas.
The Great Emperor Wu is his sixth film and also his most expensive production to date.
The movie features several top-tier domestic stars, an all-star lineup. Lu Chen plays the character Chen Jia, a subordinate general under the famed Cavalry General Huo Qubing.
Lu Chen had already read the script on the way there. It was just a few brief scenes with a couple of lines.
This 200,000 fee was easy money. If his recent lead role in Autumn in My Heart hadn't been such a hit, giving him the clout to even appear on movie posters, this opportunity wouldn't have come to him.
Of course, to earn money and be seen on screen, Lu Chen first had to get Lu Zhiyong's approval.
This director, tall and thin with black-rimmed glasses and a scholarly air, had a notably tough and stubborn personality. Zhang De, who knew Lu Zhiyong, still greeted him with extra respect: "Director Lu, nice to see you."
Lu Zhiyong merely grunted and turned his eyes to Lu Chen. "This is the actor you're recommending?"
Zhang De smiled, "Yes, his name is Lu Chen. He just finished filming a TV drama."
Lu Chen greeted politely, "Director Lu, it's an honor to meet you."
Every industry has its unspoken rules, and the entertainment and film industries are no exception. Though Lu Chen was a breakout star, he was still a newcomer, and when meeting seniors in the field, one had to be respectful. Otherwise, you risked being blacklisted.
Those who act arrogant and full of themselves, no matter how strong their backing, eventually hit a wall and bleed.
Lu Zhiyong didn't bother to hide his skepticism. He asked bluntly, "Can you ride a horse?"
Lu Chen replied calmly, "Yes, I can."
He'd ridden horses before during family trips to the grasslands, and in the dream world, his character Mo Ran had received professional equestrian training. Controlling a trained movie horse wouldn't be a problem at all.
But Lu Zhiyong remained unconvinced. He turned to a young man nearby and said, "Xiao Wang, go get a horse and let's see what he can do."
"Yes, Director!" The young man responded crisply and soon returned with a tall black horse.
The moment he saw the horse, Lu Zhiyong frowned.
Xiao Wang, presumably an assistant, handed the reins to Lu Chen and said with a grin, "You sure you can handle this? If not, don't push yourself. If you fall off and break something, our crew won't be responsible."
He said it with a smile, but his tone was laced with ill intent.
Lu Chen saw right through it.
The moment he saw the horse, he knew they were setting him up, clearly trying to make a fool of him.
The studio had a whole stable of horses specifically rented out for filming. The selection of horses was tailored to different actors. For those who were inexperienced or timid, they'd use the gentlest, slowest horses. Just sitting on them was enough to film a scene.
But when a scene required realism and action, they'd bring out the real horses, not ones for beginners. If someone with no riding skills got on one, getting thrown off with bruises would be considered lucky.
And the horse Xiao Wang brought over was clearly a good one, not meant for beginners.
They obviously wanted to see Lu Chen embarrass himself. Most inexperienced actors would feel intimidated by such a tall, powerful horse.
Lu Chen glanced at the other man calmly, without batting an eye, and took the reins without hesitation,
'You want to watch me make a fool of myself?'
Now that's the real joke!
At that moment, Director Lu Zhiyong spoke up. "Switch to a different horse."
He had clearly seen through Xiao Wang's little stunt, deliberately making things hard for Lu Chen. The reason was simple: Lu Zhiyong himself had a bit of a grudge against Lu Chen. Earlier, he'd complained aloud, and his assistant just happened to overhear.
Lu Zhiyong's dislike stemmed from the investors interfering in casting, forcing Lu Chen into the project. Even if it was just a minor role, it felt like a blow to his authority as a director.
Normally, he would've let it slide. But with recent filming not going smoothly and some conflict brewing between him and the producers, his patience was thin.
Lu Chen had basically caught a stray bullet.
Still, grudge or not, Lu Zhiyong wasn't some impulsive young man in his twenties. He wouldn't act recklessly out of spite. If Lu Chen pushed himself and something really happened while riding, the production crew would definitely bear some responsibility.
So after thinking it through, Lu Zhiyong decided to call for a different horse.
But before anyone could act on his words,
"Director Lu, this one's perfectly fine!"
To everyone's surprise, Lu Chen had already taken the reins, placed one foot in the stirrup, and smoothly swung himself onto the horse. He landed firmly in the saddle with a level of skill that could only be called expert.
"Hyah!"
He gave a crisp shout and squeezed the horse's sides with his legs while flicking the reins.
'Neighhhh!'
The black steed let out a powerful cry, turned its head, and galloped away across the open field outside the fortress set, like a tornado, its hooves pounding the earth. In a blink, it had already sprinted dozens of meters!
Everyone on set, including Lu Zhiyong and Xiao Wang, stood there slack-jawed.
That kind of explosive start? Only seasoned riders could pull that off. Was Lu Chen trying to get himself killed?
Many of them, including the resident horse trainer, rushed after him in a panic.
Falling off a galloping horse can be deadly. There had been past accidents where jockeys and extras broke their necks and died on the spot. Broken bones and hoof injuries were practically routine.
Lu Chen's moves may have looked stylish, but they were seriously risky.
But all those people? They were eating his dust.
When Lu Chen first mounted, his body had been a bit stiff, a natural reaction from the thrill and adrenaline. But as the horse picked up speed and the wind whipped past his face, a familiar feeling took over. Whatever nerves he had instantly vanished.
Outside Qian Nian Pass Fortress was a vast grassland, with several yurts dotting the area in the distance. This location served both as a film set and a tourist attraction. A few tour buses were even parked nearby.
Since the area had been cleared for filming, Lu Chen had nothing to worry about. He let the horse run wild for several miles, galloping all the way up a grassy hill before finally circling back.
As he returned, he made a wide arc that brought him past the tour buses. A crowd of tourists had gathered to watch the excitement, and when they saw Lu Chen approach on horseback, they erupted in cheers, as if they'd discovered a whole new continent.
Lu Chen smiled and waved at them, then trotted his horse back to the main gate.
By now, Lu Zhiyong and Zhang De had both run out from the fortress set. Lu Chen slowed down the horse, reined it in calmly, and stopped right in front of them.
He dismounted with ease and landed solidly on the ground, then led the horse over by the reins.
"Director Lu, my apologies."
Lu Chen said sincerely, "It's been a while since I rode, I was a bit rusty and got carried away. Sorry to have worried everyone."
Lu Zhiyong and the others… had absolutely nothing to say.
'If that's what "a bit rusty" looks like, what the hell does real skill look like?'
Anyone could see, Lu Chen wasn't just competent. He was very good.
At the very least, for the minor role he was up for, there was no question about his qualifications.
After the initial shock, Lu Zhiyong wasn't angry; in fact, his eyes lit up with interest. He praised, "That was excellent. Can you do any mounted stunt work?"
Mounted stunts were technical moves done on horseback. In industry language, they refer to coordinated action sequences or flourishes that had to be performed smoothly and stylishly.
Doing stunts on horseback required real ability. Most actors had no idea how to pull them off. That's where stand-ins came in, using clever camera angles and post-production editing to cover it up.
Of course, having the actor do their own stunts was ideal.
But few stars were willing to put in the hard work or take the risk. It was exhausting and dangerous.
Still, Lu Zhiyong had a hunch: Lu Chen might just be capable of more than they expected. He might be full of surprises.
Lu Chen smiled. "I think I can give it a try."
He really might pull it off?
The crew members looked at each other in disbelief.
Lu Zhiyong grinned and said, "Xiao Wang, get the props and costumes ready. Let him suit up!"
(End of Chapter)
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