The first scene of the TV show opens with a young Emperor Xiang, newly enthroned, embarking on an autumn hunt with his eldest daughter.
In the frame, Emperor Xiang and Princess Lingjun are riding horses at the forefront, with Princess Lingjun occasionally tilting her head to say something to Emperor Xiang, her delicate face breaking into a brilliant smile. Suddenly, she lets out a light shout and dashes into the woods ahead.
Emperor Xiang, smiling indulgently and helplessly behind her, gestures to the guards to follow her.
In the history books, Princess Lingjun is noted for her excellent equestrian skills, and just from this first scene, Ye Qiu thoroughly showcases them. The entire sequence of mounting and speeding up on the horse is done in one go, including the subsequent hunting scenes, which all use no stunt doubles, but the actress herself in action.
What delights the viewers even more is the scene of Ye Qiu hunting, captured in a long shot where one can clearly see Ye Qiu piercing a plum blossom deer's neck with an arrow.
The arrow was real, and the plum blossom deer was actually bought from a farm by the assistant director; Ye Qiu truly shot that deer dead.
Originally, the director planned to shoot this scene in separate shots, but after a strong insistence and a successful trial by Ye Qiu, her capability was trusted, thus creating this classic scene which remained unequaled until Ye Qiu's retirement.
Only half an episode into its premiere, "Legend of Emperor Xiang" already generated an immense buzz.
Grand scenes, exquisite mise-en-scène, skillful acting, and a fast-paced plot truly captured the hearts of the audience.
At this moment, due to Ye Qiu's skillful acting, all doubts about her online instantly vanished, leaving viewers with a vague sense that this is indeed Princess Lingjun!
At this time, Ye Qiu also received her second movie project.
"Interstellar Hero" is the latest superhero film series produced by M country's Z company, adapted from a comic, and enjoys immense popularity worldwide.
This time, Ye Qiu is to play in the third installment of "Star-level Hero," portraying a Chinese heroine, Dragon Girl.
Dragon Girl is not only well-known in Western countries but also famous in China. Her character is inspired by an ancient Chinese legend, the war goddess Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman.
Dragon Girl possesses unparalleled beauty and formidable combat skills. In the "Star-level Hero" series, her weapon is a long spear, and in battle, she can transform into a dragon—an impressive and powerful sight.
In the third part of "Star-level Hero," Ye Qiu becomes the third main actor besides the heroes from the previous two films, and playing a newly introduced superhero, she plays a crucial role in the final battle against the Insect Clan.
The most exciting part is that once Ye Qiu signs, Z company promises to create a separate superhero movie for Dragon Girl within five years and continue inviting her to participate in subsequent "Interstellar Hero" series.
This is undeniably an incredibly attractive offer, leaving even the worldly-wise Yang Tao hugely excited.
Once released, as long as the movie maintains the level of the previous two installments, Ye Qiu becoming an international star will no longer be just a dream.
However, this great audition baffled Ye Qiu as to how Yang Tao managed to secure it.
After much inquiry, it turned out that the person behind it was their mysterious boss.
Because the boss's child greatly enjoyed "Legend of Emperor Xiang" and gradually noticed Ye Qiu, he also thought of Z company's casting for a Chinese actress and pulled some strings.
In the end, however, it was still Ye Qiu's acting and archery skills that convinced them to make the final decision.
Due to the popularity of "Legend of Emperor Xiang," Ye Qiu already had substantial fame, so when Z company posted on Weibo in China welcoming Ye Qiu to the "Star-level Hero" cast, the internet instantly went into a frenzy.
With M country's years of suppression on China, Chinese actors have struggled to break into M country's market. Ye Qiu playing Dragon Girl, a rare principal role for a Chinese actor in an M country film, deviates from Z company's usual practice of replacing Chinese characters with their own natives. How could this not excite them?
In the eyes of netizens, Ye Qiu was truly bringing glory to their nation.
Especially since Ye Qiu herself is beautiful and skilled in acting. Having seen her performance in "Legend of Emperor Xiang," most netizens eagerly anticipated her portrayal of Dragon Girl.
The crew will start filming in two months, and Ye Qiu calculated that it would be right after the reality show ended. During this period, she was not idle and trained hard in muscle building and martial arts.
Three days later, Ye Qiu reunited with Bo Ying and Li Yan among others. This time, they arrived in Hei Province, and the survival site was changed to a tropical rainforest.
To increase their survival difficulty, two new temporary guests, Du Fei and Li Yaxin, one male and one female, were added this time.
Both were popular new actors this year. Li Yan just glanced at them perfunctorily and greeted faintly, without the warm chatter around Ye Qiu like before.
Bo Ying seemed somewhat embarrassed in the face of Li Yaxin's enthusiasm, laughing dryly without making a sound, and quietly moved next to Yi An.
Only Lin Cheng seemed oblivious to the tense atmosphere among the few, dully introducing the situation to the two newcomers. However, the new actress, Li Yaxin, didn't seem too appreciative, her eyes constantly glancing over Bo Rong and Yi An.
She thought she was being subtle, but viewers outside the internet had already seen through everything.
"Ahhhh... Damn woman, stay away from my Rong Rong..."
"What to do, a scheming woman has come near Rong Rong..."
"Yi Ge is married; what is that woman staring at!"
"With this comparison, I realize Li Yan and Ye Qiu are real Goddesses!"
"Wearing such heavy makeup in the wild, isn't it tiring?"
...
The incessant mockery from outside the internet continued, but the other newcomer was much smarter. After greeting everyone, he went over to Xiao Hua to chat. Although both were sunny-type men, Xiao Hua was in the acting circle while Du Fei was in the singing circle, with no conflicts of interest, they soon became familiar.
"Brother Bo, this place looks quite dangerous!" Li Yaxin said in a coquettish voice, pretending to be delicate.
Bo Rong, for the sake of his image and not wanting to ignore her, simply hummed in response.
"This path is so hard to walk, Brother can you hold my hand?" Li Yaxin gazed at Bo Rong with longing, thinking she finally moved him, and felt a little thrilled inside.
Bo Rong helplessly said under the teasing gaze of Yi An, "Miss Li, if you had watched the last episode, you would know I'm a klutz."
"Ah! I haven't had time to watch it, sorry." She said with her head lowered, looking pitiful.
Li Yan and Ye Qiu walked at the back, snickering lightly, and Li Yan whispered to Ye Qiu, "This Li Yaxin is no good character, remember to keep your distance from her."
"Oh, has she offended you?" Ye Qiu chuckled softly, making sure the microphone couldn't hear their conversation.
"She pretends to be pitiful on the surface, but her heart is dark. She uses whoever she can for publicity. Just wait and see, after these few days, the internet will be full of news about her and Brother Bo."
"Isn't she afraid of backlash?"
"What does she have to fear? She has backers! I suspect even the role of temporary guest on our show was arranged by her sugar daddy."
"Then Brother Bo is in for trouble this time." After one episode, the few had become familiar and could joke unreservedly, Ye Qiu reveled in schadenfreude.
"But Brother Bo isn't so easy to be manipulated by others, just wait and see." Li Yan looked sinisterly at Li Yaxin. Bo Rong had been able to stand strong in the entertainment industry for many years; he was not someone that could be easily manipulated by her kind.