53: Wedding ceremony

"Is the water cold? Should we put a wooden tub in the lake and fill it with warm water?" Today they were filming the scene on Fairy Spirit Island where Ling'er's bathing was caught by Li Xiaoyao.

Li Xiuwu left the public opinion to Xu Muyang, letting him find professional marketing personnel to argue with Cai Yinong in the media.

They would have to spend money on marketing and promotion anyway; arguing now was also a way to increase popularity.

Both sides accusing each other and muddying the waters of the entertainment industry wouldn't affect the reputation of Chinese Paladin.

"It's only October, and the weather in Zhejiang is so hot; how could it be cold?" Liu Yifei disliked Li Xiuwu's nagging and fussing, so she pushed him away.

Liu Xiaoli stood behind them with a smile on her face. Although she also felt Li Xiuwu was over-worrying, she was still happy that Li Xiuwu could be so considerate of Xixi.

[Detected top-tier cauldron Liu Xiaoli, Favorability: 72]

"Are the cameras and lights ready?" Zhou Xiaowen's voice came from behind.

"Everything is set up," Shen Xinghao's voice replied.

"Actors in position," Zhou Xiaowen shouted.

"Ready in a moment," Liu Yifei said. She took off her jacket, revealing a tight-fitting diving suit underneath that exposed her fair shoulders and smooth, white skin.

"What are you looking at? Hurry up and go away." Liu Yifei glared at him. She wasn't particularly shy about showing just her shoulders, but being stared at by Li Xiuwu from such a close distance made her feel a bit bashful.

Li Xiuwu turned to leave and his heart skipped a beat when he met Liu Xiaoli's gaze.

"Auntie."

"Mhm." Liu Xiaoli nodded, her eyes watching her daughter carefully step into the water.

The water wasn't deep, and in October in Zhejiang, it wasn't that cold either. But as Liu Yifei actually entered the water, Liu Xiaoli, as her mother, couldn't help but worry.

Li Xiuwu went to the side of the monitor and saw that it already had a picture.

Liu Yifei crouched in the water, showing only her shoulders. The ripples caused by her entering the water gradually subsided.

"Director, I'm ready," Liu Yifei called out.

"Everyone in position!" After Zhou Xiaowen finished speaking, the lighting and camera crews reported they were ready.

"Action."

Li Xiuwu sat next to Zhou Xiaowen, watching Liu Yifei's performance in the water through the monitor.

Liu Yifei used her two snowy-white arms to scoop up water and splash it on her face, then suddenly turned around: "Who's there? Is it Xiaohua?"

She suddenly clutched her chest, arms crossed, and palms covering her shoulders.

With an angry expression, she questioned, "Who are you? How did you get here?"

"Cut." Zhou Xiaowen frowned. Liu Yifei's acting was surprisingly good, showing great improvement since the demi-gods and semi-devils period, but the pacing of this scene was off.

"Go and feed her the lines." Zhou Xiaowen shooed Li Xiuwu over.

"Alright." Li Xiuwu walked over. He stood outside the camera's view. Due to site constraints, the design of this scene—where Li Xiaoyao peeks at Li Xiaoyao bathing—was filmed separately.

"Let's do another take. Reset the lights and cameras." Zhou Xiaowen's voice echoed through the set.

"Everyone in position, action!"

At the director's command, the shot was refilmed.

Liu Yifei, playing Zhao Ling'er, played in the water.

[Detected Dual Cultivation Dao Companion, currently comprehending illusion techniques together, Charm Aura activated]

The system's voice rang out.

Li Xiuwu didn't turn off the system. He saw that Liu Yifei in the water had become several points more beautiful. A mist seemed to rise from the water's surface, creating a hazy, fairyland-like feeling.

"So beautiful. I've never seen such a pretty girl before." He murmured. It was unclear if it was heartfelt or just acting, but it sounded sincere to those who heard it.

Zhao Ling'er, who was playing in the water, heard a slight noise and asked, "Who's there? Is it Xiaohua?"

"I'm not Xiaohua." Li Xiuwu's voice carried a hint of panic.

Hearing a man's voice, Zhao Ling'er immediately covered her chest. Startled, angry, and with a touch of bashful annoyance, she asked, "Who are you? How did you get here?"

"I—I'm here to seek medicine." Li Xiuwu's voice was flustered. "I accidentally intruded upon the Immortal Sister's bathing area. Please forgive me."

Although Li Xiuwu was standing there and not in the shot, his panic and nervousness could be heard in his voice, allowing one to imagine his movements.

Liu Yifei's performance was also outstanding. She crouched in the water, showing only her head. The hazy mist didn't obscure her peerless face; her expression was pure and stunning.

She had the bashful annoyance and anger of being peeked at by a man, as well as the fear that a lecherous person might rush over.

Next to the monitor, Zhao Jian and Zhou Xiaowen sat together.

"Incredible." Zhao Jian watched Liu Yifei's performance on the monitor. Both her voice and expressions were excellent. Last time in "Demi-Gods", her acting was still quite green, and she could only rely on playing herself.

This script also fit her natural personality very well, but this time her acting was even better, bringing the character to life.

"In the future of the entertainment industry, there will surely be a place for them," Zhao Jian said with certainty.

Zhou Xiaowen nodded, feeling very gratified. Both Li Xiuwu and Liu Yifei satisfied him. He suddenly thought of Shu Chang.

"And there's another one. Shu Chang's acting has also improved significantly. Her acting was already lively, but now it's even better. I don't even know where her limit is."

While discussing, the two watched the footage on the monitor.

"Go further away, no peeking," Liu Yifei said her final line.

Zhou Xiaowen shouted, "Cut."

Li Xiuwu walked directly to the water's edge: "Come up quickly. Is the water cold?"

"Wait, did we get it?" Liu Yifei still maintained her professionalism as an actress. She didn't come out of the water immediately but waited for Zhou Xiaowen's decision.

"It's a pass. Xixi's performance was very good. Come up and rest." Zhou Xiaowen's satisfied voice came over, not just praising Liu Yifei's acting, but also acknowledging her attitude.

Li Xiuwu immediately reached out his hand. Liu Yifei handed hers over and grabbed Li Xiuwu's hand to get ashore.

"Are you cold?"

"No." Liu Yifei shook her head. She really didn't feel too cold. In October in Zhejiang, the weather was still very sweltering, and the water at noon wasn't cold at all.

"You say it's not cold, but your hands are freezing." He pulled Liu Yifei ashore and didn't let go of her hand.

"Alright, dry off and go change." Liu Xiaoli wrapped Liu Yifei in a bath towel and took her to change clothes.

The crew continued filming, doing pick-up shots of Li Xiuwu peeking.

His shots were simple. He hid behind a rock, poked his head out, showed a look of infatuation and admiration on his face, and repeated the lines from earlier.

The next shot.

Zhao Ling'er used a spell to attack Zhao Ling'er.

Liu Yifei gestured with her hands to perform a hand seal, and Li Xiuwu was hit by the spell, scrambling away.

"Haha!" Liu Yifei laughed happily.

"What's so funny? If you're so capable, let's see you actually cast a spell," Zhou Xiaowen said.

[Detected Dual Cultivation Dao Companion, currently casting a spell. Spell deduction in progress... Due to host's limited aptitude, deduction failed.]

"System, who are you insulting?"

"You stubborn system, would it kill you to just admit this is an urban setting?"

[This is the Immortal Realm. Please follow the system's arrangements and cultivate diligently to become a peerless Immortal Emperor.]

...Most of the scenes for Chinese Paladin were filmed in the Hengdian, and some location shots were taken at various scenic spots in Zhejiang.

Li Xiaoyao and Li Xiaoyao didn't have many scenes on Fairy Spirit Island. After just a few plot segments, they were dressed in red wedding robes for their wedding ceremony.

He held Liu Yifei's hand, and Liu Yifei was bashful under her red bridal veil.

Liu Xiaoli was also among the onlookers during the filming. She suddenly felt a bit of bitterness in her heart, as if her daughter were truly getting married.

She was quite satisfied with Li Xiuwu. Speaking of which, she and her daughter had been living in Li Xiuwu's home all this time.

Thinking of this, she felt that she should be the one sitting in the Grandmother's position, having the two of them kowtow to her.

[Detected top-tier cauldron Liu Xiaoli, Favorability: 75]