novelraw Chapter 112: Let’s Name It Wuzhui
Chapter 112: Let’s Name It Wuzhui
In the afternoon, the film crew's massive convoy departed from the somber Xianyang Palace and relocated to the "Wuzhong Market" at the other end.
The set design was nothing short of masterful.
The antique street, its bluestone pavement deliberately aged,
was flanked by rows upon rows of wooden shops, each hung with various cloth banners.
Hundreds of background actors, clad in coarse linen clothes, bustled along the street. Hawkers' cries and children's playful laughter intertwined,
instantly pulling one back over two thousand years to that vibrant, lively market town of the Jiangnan region.
The atmosphere was completely different from the heavy oppression of the morning.
Jiang Ci stepped down from the makeup trailer, already dressed in the attire of the young Xiang Yu.
A sleek, form-fitting black martial attire outlined his tall, straight figure.
His long hair was tied high with a simple black ribbon, revealing his smooth forehead.Light makeup diminished his original delicate handsomeness, adding a touch of a young man's rebelliousness.
On the other side, Zhao Yingfei was also ready.
She had changed into an elegant, pale blue ruqun dress, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, with only a small white beaded flower pinned at her temple.
She held a bolt of fabric, freshly "purchased" from a "shop," in her arms, standing quietly at the edge of the crowd.
She resembled a pristine lotus quietly blooming amidst the bustle, pure and refined.
Wei Song sat behind the monitor, watching these two actors who were already in character, and nodded with satisfaction.
Everything was perfectly prepared.
"Action!"
The shoot officially began.
At a corner of the market, outside a stable, a crowd of onlookers had gathered.
The young Xiang Yu stood facing off against a lavishly dressed local tycoon.
Behind the tycoon, a magnificent horse, jet-black from head to toe, pawed the ground restlessly, occasionally letting out a loud neigh.
Any groom attempting to approach was fiercely driven back by it.
"Kid, I'll say it one more time, this horse, I want it!" The tycoon pointed at Jiang Ci, his attitude overbearing.
Jiang Ci, portraying Xiang Yu, couldn't even be bothered to give him an extra reaction.
He merely turned slightly, his gaze appraising the spirited horse.
It was the mutual admiration between a hero and a fine steed.
"You... are worthy?"
The young Xiang Yu finally spoke, his voice clear and bright, yet carrying an arrogance that brooked no argument.
The tycoon choked, his face flushing red with anger and humiliation. With a wave of his hand, he shouted, "Get him! Break his legs!"
Several burly, vicious-looking servants lunged forward with sinister grins.
Jiang Ci moved.
He didn't dodge. He didn't even look at the men rushing towards him.
Merely, at the moment they drew near, he casually extended a hand and pushed outward.
The movement was simple to the extreme.
Yet, those burly men, whose combined weight exceeded five hundred pounds, screamed as they were sent flying backward, tumbling into a heap.
The crowd gasped in unison, a wave of shocked inhalation.
The young Xiang Yu had displayed his divine strength.
He paid no further mind to the trash wailing on the ground, walking straight towards the still-neighing Black Steed.
He approached slowly, prepared to use the most direct method, absolute strength, to subdue this equally unruly beast.
Just as he gathered all his strength, ready to leap onto the horse's back...
His movement stopped, abruptly and without warning.
His gaze passed over the neighing steed, pierced through the noisy crowd, and fixed on a point in the distance.
There, a young woman in blue robes, holding fabric, stood quietly.
It was as if all the surrounding clamor had nothing to do with her.
Behind the monitor, everyone's hearts leapt into their throats.
Here it comes!
Love at first sight!
Wei Song even leaned forward subconsciously, his eyes fixed on Jiang Ci's face in the close-up shot.
He wanted to see how this young man, capable of portraying the bearing of gods and demons, would act out the purest stirrings of the human heart.
Jiang Ci's performance began.
First stage: The momentary daze after a fleeting glimpse.
The moment he saw Zhao Yingfei, his entire body experienced an extremely brief stiffness.
All the arrogance and disdain on his face vanished within that 0.5 seconds, replaced by utter blankness.
Only that quietly standing figure remained.
His breath hitched, a pause so subtle it was almost imperceptible.
Behind the monitor, Wei Song's fist clenched unconsciously.
Yes!
That's the feeling!
This wasn't the lustful gaze of a lecher. This was the look of a soul that had never been touched by mortal desires, struck in an instant!
Next, the second stage: Subtle self-doubt and confirmation.
After that brief daze, Jiang Ci's focal point shifted in an extremely quick motion—downward and back.
From her eyes, to the tip of her nose, and back to her eyes.
The entire process was almost too fast to catch.
But the close-up lens faithfully captured it.
Accompanying this movement was an almost imperceptible, slight shake of his head.
A tiny gesture of self-negation.
Behind the monitor, Huang Shengqiu adjusted his glasses.
Brilliant.
This treatment was simply a stroke of genius.
This combination of actions perfectly interpreted a sense of inner conflict—"What did I see? An illusion?"
Finally, the third stage: The dust settles.
When his gaze confirmed once more the real existence of that figure...
All the previous shock, doubt, and disorientation settled.
Ultimately, they transformed into a faint, yet profoundly gentle, smile.
The smile didn't appear on his lips.
It appeared in the very aura surrounding him.
"Love at first sight."
Perfectly executed!
A mere three or four seconds, flowing like water.
The entire process of a pure-hearted youth—from being struck by fate, to confirming fate, to accepting fate—was portrayed vividly and thoroughly.
But Jiang Ci's performance was not yet over.
He withdrew his gaze, turning back towards the still-neighing spirited horse.
But he didn't use brute force again.
He mounted the horse.
Landing steadily on its back, his body rose and fell with the steed's struggles, his legs firmly pressed against its flanks.
He leaned down, gently patting and soothing the horse's neck with his hand, emitting low, calming sounds.
He was displaying his strength to her in the most primitive, yet also most romantic, way.
Under his control, the unruly, spirited horse's struggles grew smaller and smaller.
Finally, it miraculously quieted down, merely snorting occasionally, as if responding to his soothing.
As per the script, Xiang Yu reined in the horse.
He didn't look at the tycoon and his servants, who were now dumbstruck.
Nor did he pay attention to the awe and astonishment directed at him by the surrounding crowd.
He urged the horse forward, slowly turning its direction.
The crowd automatically parted a path for him.
And so, he rode, directly, through the crowd.
And stopped before the young woman in blue robes.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the eaves, casting a golden halo over him and her.
He didn't utter a single frivolous word.
He lowered his head, using his palm to gently stroke the glossy mane of the Black Steed.
Then, he raised his head.
With those eyes that had just held both tenderness and dominance, he looked at her.
He spoke that earth-shattering line.
"It doesn't have a name yet."
The entire world seemed to shrink to just the two of them.
He paused.
Then, with an attitude as if he were offering the whole world to her, he spoke again.
"You give it one."
This was an invitation that brooked no refusal.
Zhao Yingfei, portraying Yu Ji, finally reacted.
She wasn't overwhelmed by his kingly, commanding aura.
Nor did she show the shyness or fluster of an ordinary girl.
She simply raised her head quietly, meeting Jiang Ci's gaze, which felt intense enough to burn.
Her face showed no ripple of emotion.
Yet, it held an unyielding, dignified resilience of its own.
She looked at him, then at the magnificent black steed beneath him.
And then, softly, she uttered two words.
"Wu Zhui."