“Why go through so much trouble?”
When Gou Rixin asked Tao Mu with anticipation if he needed the help of the camera crew to record the dancing video, Tao Mu said blankly: “I have already recorded the video before. Just waiting for FlyNews.com’s registration data to exceed 100 million and then I can just upload the video directly.”
Ever since he took the role of Su Dingbang, Tao Mu knew that his winter vacation would be very busy. FlyNews.com had more than 99 million registered users. Tao Mu had always been a person who liked to plan ahead. Worried that when the data exceeded 100 million, he did not have extra time to record the dance video, so in the first few days of winter vacation, Tao Mu recorded the video in Beijing Film’s dance studio. Everything was ready, and all he had to do was just wait for the east wind to arrive, and upload the video to the Internet.
“What?” The crew members, who had been keeping their ears open to pay attention to the situation, looked at each other and couldn’t help screaming in disappointment.
“When did you record the video?” Jiang Cheng, who once played Zhang Wuke in the end of terms finals performance and now played a progressive female student in “The Great Wall of Flesh and Blood”, stood up from behind the prop box with great excitement: “Wasn’t it agreed that the camera crew will help record the video, and you will dance on the set?”
“Who agreed?” Tao Mu was also confused. How come he didn’t know? Also: “Jiang Cheng, why are you hiding behind the prop box and eavesdropping on us…..Your costume has become dirty.”
“That’s not important.” Jiang Cheng looked at Tao Mu with disappointment: “How could you do this, Tao Mu, we have been looking forward to it for a long time.”
Gou Rixin touched his nose in embarrassment: “We all thought you had not prepared it, so everyone discussed how to record the video with you. The reason why I didn’t tell you was because I wanted to give you a surprise.” They all wanted to join in the fun.
Director Zhou Hong also added with great disappointment: “I was also thinking, why don’t we take a break from filming tonight and record the dancing video for you first.”
The lighting and cameramen all nodded. They were also ready. Even the masters in charge of the set were discussing which venue Tao Mu could choose to dance in, and whether he needed help setting up the background or something.
Only to find out, Mr. Tao secretly prepared everything and recorded the video already. So disappointing.
Gou Rixin continued to add: “Also, brother Yao and brother Xiao Qi said they wanted to see the dance in person, and they even bought a plane ticket to rush here, and visit the set as well. If they knew you weren’t going to dance, they would be very disappointed.”
“That’s right!” Several other female classmates of Beijing Film also echoed: “We were also saying, if Tao Mu needed back-up dancers, we could also help out in friendship.”
Tao Mu: “…..” I say, you guys have quite the happy daydreams together, why don’t you know how to communicate with the person concerned (me)?
“I don’t care! We want to watch the dance!” Seeing that the plan was about to fall apart, relying on their familiarity with Tao Mu, the three roommates in dormitory 301 took the lead in heckling. With the thick chopsticks made by the props maker, they drummed a big chipped bowl: “We want to watch the dance!”
“Crossdress as a woman!”
“Watch the dance!”
“Crossdress as a woman!”
Towards the end of the commotion, once the three roommates shouted to watch the dance, the entire crew would echo “crossdress as a woman”. The chant was uttered with such a powerful aura, those who didn’t know might think the crew was filming a demonstration!
——Even when they were actually filming, they were not in such high spirits and full of emotions.
The key was that Gou Rixin was still beating on the side and pretending to be pitiful: “I heard that brother Yao and brother Xiao Qi will also bring dean Tao and Mr. Song here together. In such a cold winter, going through so much trouble, if they can’t watch the dance, they will be very disappointed!”
“Tao Mu, could it be that you think it’s embarrassing for a grown man to dress up as a woman to dance?” Wen Bao winked at Tao Mu: “Actually, you don’t need to have too much psychological burden. As actors, we need to play various roles. Acting as the opposite sex is also a part of acting. At most you are just experiencing it in advance. Besides, you have practiced for so long. Dance it for us. Let us all appreciate it. Either way, everyone will watch the video online. You are going to upload the video tonight, right?”
Tao Mu glared at Wen Bao with annoyance. He thought of what Gou Rixin said that all the family members had bought plane tickets to come to see the dance. There were also the puppy eyes of Wen Bao and the others who were eagerly waiting to join in the fun. He was always reluctant to let down the people around him who really cared about him. And it was the cold winter, it was not easy for the family to travel all the way here——
“But I never thought about dancing on the set. The costume I ordered is back in Beijing, and I didn’t bring it over.”
He finally agreed!
Wen Bao and the others’ eyes lit up, and they immediately said, “That’s easy to handle. What is this place, H Town! If nothing else, there are costumes of all kinds. You just tell us what you want, and we will rent it now.”
“It won’t necessarily fit!” Tao Mu frowned, especially for dancing. Tao Mu’s outfit was customized for him. And including the hairpiece it cost him more than 100,000 yuan!
“Then let someone send you the outfit you left in Beijing!” Long Tianao, who hadn’t spoken much, was also eager, his eyes so excited they practically gleamed: “Where did you put the costume. I’ll give Summer Star’s person a call and ask him to pick it up now.”
It seemed they were really not afraid of the height of the stage when watching a play!
Tao Mu gave Long Tianao a speechless look, and simply called his old man and asked them to go to his apartment opposite Beijing Film before they rushed to the airport, and bring along the dance costume: “…..It’s in the closet. You will see it when you open the door.”
When everyone saw this, they immediately clapped their hands in anticipation. Zhou Hong was particularly interested: “What kind of background scenery do you think will be good, do you want an interior scene or an exterior scene? It doesn’t matter what scene you want, even if you want a stage, we’ll get it for you.”
That was not necessary. Tao Mu looked back at the background scenery the crew was shooting today. The scene to be filmed today took place after the full-scale war broke out, the Japanese invaded Shanghai, and everywhere was gunpowder and scenes of war, but the Shanghai French Concession was still full of song and dance. The Su family had already hid in the Concession in advance, but the Japanese who got the tip captured Su Dingbang who hid in the Concession, and tortured him to force Su Dingbang to defect.
Tao Mu looked at the filming scene, and was suddenly inspired: “No need to change. Just this scene. By the way, let’s also make a promotion for our crew.”
Having said that, Director Zhou Hong still directed the lighting team and camera team to set up the background with great interest. Just one street away, the war was raging outside, but here there was wine, feasting and dancing. A dim yellow street lamp stood quietly beside the street, emitting a dark golden light.
When Liu Yao and company arrived at H Town with Tao Mu’s costume, it was already past seven o’clock in the evening. There was no flight at this point. They were on the Li family’s private plane——yes, Li Xiaoheng, who saw the news on the Internet, also flew over.
When they arrived on the set, it just started to snow. The fluttering snowflakes, like goose feathers, soon covered the ground with a layer of pure white.
Tao Mu changed into his deep crimson costume dress, his face was painted like that of a Peking Opera actress, and the emeralds and diamonds on his hairpiece swayed with his steps. Just walking quietly under the dim yellow light, the dark golden light sprinkling from overhead, splitting the whole picture into two parts. And behind him, one half was war raging, and the other half was singing and dancing. Light and dark were alternately intersecting, just as life and death blended into each other. In an instant, that kind of inexplicable but shocking feeling overcame everyone seeing this.
The studio, which was still a little noisy and turbulent, suddenly quieted down. The lights and cameras were all doing their due diligence. Director Zhou Hong couldn’t help but pick up the loudspeaker and shout “Action” in person.
There was a lingering and meandering sound of the pipa, which was as gentle as jade beads falling into a golden bowl. The first thing that appeared in front of the camera were two crimson sleeves that hung side by side. The arms moved slightly, and the sleeves were hooked, revealing ten slender fingers. The white fingers reflected the layered flowing sleeves, which looked particularly beautiful under the light. Immediately after the index fingers exerted force, tossing the two flowing sleeves upwards. The figure turned around, flipping the flowing sleeves, one flowing sleeve was thrown forward and the other flowing sleeve was thrown backward, and at the same time, the figure turned over and stretched out his arms, the flowing sleeves stretching out to their full length of seven feet. And the crimson flowing sleeves bloomed like a red wave in an instant.
The music paused slightly at this time, allowing Tao Mu the time to freeze in a pose. The lingering sound of the pipa sounded again, Tao Mu neatly rolled in his sleeves, and then threw them into the air again, turning his body at the same time, and throwing both flowing sleeves to each side at the same time, instantly producing billowing red waves that bloomed unbridled against the dark backdrop.
Flecks of snowflakes floated down one after another, the black night, the dark golden streetlights, the crimson dress and the white snow, all painting a devastatingly beautiful picture.
Tao Mu retracted his sleeves and turned around, his whole body gathered strength, and then followed with another side flip. At the same time, his arms swayed, two red sleeves rippling and flying in the flying snow. With the sound of the pipa, Tao Mu leaped into the air, jumping out and touching the golden crown on his head with the back of a foot, the two red sleeves were like arrows flying from the string in an instant, flying up and across the floating white snow, as if Tao Mu was also flying. Immediately following was another big turn, the pipa was gently hooked and the notes slowly trembled like the song of a warbler, and Tao Mu made all kinds of gentle and graceful movements such as lifting, coiling, and raising sleeves in accordance with the music, just like a boudoir young lady with the appearance of a sleeping begonia, innocent and charming.
However, soon, along with the ups and downs of the situation, the current political situation worsened. The lingering sound of the pipa also melted into a slight killing intent at this time. The pipa sounded harshly, like the metallic clanging of weapons and iron-hoofed steeds, and Tao Mu’s dance also changed from the previous soft and graceful to heroic and valiant. The original gestures such as hooking, flirting, twisting, and raising have been reduced. Sleeves were flicked, thrown, with big throws and swings, followed by side flips, back flips, and other moves. Tao Mu was originally a martial artist, and he danced more explosively than if he were a true girl. Before, he specially learned the water sleeve dance and whip method for acting. At this moment, many martial arts movements and whip techniques were integrated into this water sleeve dance. From a distance, the originally gentle and flirtatious water sleeve dance actually gained a warrior-like appearance, permeated with an imposing danger.
The dark moon follows the shadow of the sleeves, and the sword brushes away the frost flowers.
Everyone listened to the murderous sound of the pipa in their ears, and felt cold to the bones. If the graceful dance before only made people feel the elegance and beauty were unparalleled and charming, then the warrior-like dance now with wide and open moves filled with male strength made people unable to bear even blinking their eyes. It was as if their entire soul had been taken away by that dazzling figure, the heart beat violently, and the mouth went dry.
Accompanied by the sound of a gunshot, the fast-spinning figure under the streetlamp suddenly fell to lay down in a classical Peking opera posture, freezing in that graceful pose on the snowy ground. The night was dark, the lights were dim, white snow and crimson dress, and two long flowing sleeves winded through the snow around the crimson figure. The camera looked down from above, giving an aerial view to the crimson sleeves which looked like two meandering bloodstains that stood out shockingly against the white snow and dark sky.
Comment