Chapter 00245: Scheming Together
# Scheming Together
Chapter 245
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 245: Scheming Together
Chen Qi had arranged these scenes within a network of alleyways.
The Red Lanterns fought against the foreigners, Ji Chunhua fought against Yang Yuqian, the Qing soldiers clashed with the fake Boxers, and the fake Boxers oppressed the common folk—five factions in total, around a hundred people.
If all this were staged on a single open plain, it would look chaotic.
So Chen Qi separated them with alleyways, letting each group fight their own battles.
Finally, a sweeping long shot would capture the grand spectacle of a hundred-person brawl.
Simply put, it was about balancing detail with the bigger picture.
The Great Wall Studio had lent them two additional cameras, making three in total.
Li Wenhua, being a seasoned cinematographer, understood the difficulty of shooting such scenes and felt the pressure mounting.
As Chen Qi helped coordinate the setup, he turned and noticed Tsui Hark sneaking in furtively.
"Director Tsui, here to watch the show?" Chen Qi asked.
"Just taking a look, just taking a look!"
Tsui Hark, slightly embarrassed, tried to slip away with his hands behind his back.
But Chen Qi grabbed him and grinned.
"Since you're here, let me introduce you around."
He pulled Tsui Hark over to Li Wenhua and made introductions, then dragged him in front of Jet Li.
"Xiao Li, this is the great Hong Kong director Tsui Hark. He studied film in the U. S., a proper professional, brimming with talent. You should take the chance to learn from him!"
"Hello, Director Tsui!" Jet Li quickly greeted him.
Tsui Hark, flustered by the praise, waved his hands.
"You're exaggerating. I’ve only made a few films."
Then he studied Jet Li closely—this was his first time seeing him up close, and his eyes gleamed with excitement.
His debut film, *The Butterfly Murders*, had been a wuxia flick, and though he’d since dabbled in many genres, his love for martial arts remained deep-rooted.
Seeing Jet Li was like a seasoned brothel-goer encountering a fresh-faced courtesan—utterly enthralling!
He couldn’t help but want to drag him into his own projects.
Next, he saw Ji Chunhua.
"This one has quite a unique look!"
Then he spotted Ge Chunyan.
Tsui Hark sighed inwardly—such a skilled woman, but unfortunately plain in appearance.
If she were more beautiful, he’d have made her the top female action star in Chinese cinema.
When he saw Donnie Yen, he simply nodded.
"Hmm."
Finally, he met He Qing and Tao Huimin.
Though still young, their features and aura showed promise.
But then he noticed their costumes and frowned.
"What roles are they playing? Why do they look so strange?"
"They’re Red Lanterns. You know the Boxers, right? These two are 'immortal maidens' from the sect, born as conjoined twins, used to play supernatural tricks. They’re called the 'Two-Faced Bodhisattva.'"
Chen Qi had them stand back-to-back and explained, "Their backs are connected—one body, two faces, sharing the same heart and senses. Their movements are designed to be eerie and unpredictable. Here, let them show you!"
He stepped back as Tsui Hark crossed his arms, watching with keen interest.
The two turned, revealing He Qing at the front and Tao Huimin at the back.
He Qing wielded a fan, trading blows with a stuntman.
When she struck, the stuntman dodged right—only for a slender sword to suddenly thrust from under her left ribs, piercing him.
It was Tao Huimin, attacking from behind.
Then, the two began spinning.
Trained in opera, their steps were light, their postures graceful.
Though pressed back-to-back, they spun swiftly, their crimson skirts swirling.
Combined with their makeup, the effect was strangely beautiful.
*Hiss—*
Tsui Hark shuddered, his aesthetic sensibilities utterly captivated.
He *loved* this kind of bizarre, supernatural stuff—especially when it involved two pretty girls pressed together.
The effect was doubly potent.
"I get it!" He clapped excitedly.
"Either one can face the enemy while the other assists from behind. They can fight as a pair, switch positions at will, change weapons and techniques—keeping opponents completely off-balance."
He paused, growing even more enthusiastic.
"How about this? They’ve never seen each other’s faces. At the end, someone cuts them apart. As they lie dying, they finally see their sister for the first time and say, 'Sister... I finally meet you...' Then they embrace and die together—"
"Uh, just a suggestion," Tsui Hark added hastily when he saw Chen Qi’s amused smirk.
Chen Qi grinned.
"Since you’ve got so many ideas, why don’t you shoot this scene?"
"No, no, I couldn’t possibly steal Director Li’s job. My own film’s about to start—I’d better go!"
And off he fled again.
After three consecutive box-office flops, Tsui Hark had joined Cinema City just to make ends meet.
Of course, he liked money—but creative freedom and wild imagination appealed to him far more.
Chen Qi smirked. *Let’s see how long you can resist.*
......
"Cut!"
Li Wenhua called for another take.
"What’s going on? Those foreign actors were supposed to smirk contemptuously after firing their guns. And the one playing the foreign envoy, the one playing the commander—your lines don’t match the script!"
"Director Li, you understand English?"
"No, but the script only had two or three lines. They just said a whole paragraph."
"I’ll go talk to them."
The translator hurried off.
Li Wenhua sighed, hesitated, then called Chen Qi over.
"Xiao Chen, we’ve hit some snags."
"What’s wrong?"
"It’s not that I can’t handle it, but we only have ten days. If we waste all our time on coordination and communication, we might not finish. The Hong Kong crew isn’t familiar with our methods, and those foreigners need translators—it’s too much hassle..."
Li Wenhua wasn’t one to stubbornly push through.
He could tell he wasn’t fully in control.
At Beijing Film Studio, a crew only had one camera.
Now they had three—he’d never fought a battle this well-equipped.
"Can you think of a solution?" he asked outright.
"I’ll try. You focus on the smaller scenes for now."
Chen Qi agreed, then slipped over to the neighboring set, which had already wrapped for the day.
"Shifu!"
Chingmy Yau ran over happily, pouting.
"Why did you take so long to visit? You haven’t come by in days."
"I’ve been busy. How are you doing?"
"I’ve been working hard! Everyone’s been praising me!"
Chen Qi patted her head, then had an idea.
"The set next door is filming too. It’s a rare opportunity—want to make a cameo?"
"As what?"
"A period piece. You’ll play a little peasant girl who dies tragically in the chaos. Just a few seconds on screen."
"Sure, no problem!"
Chingmy agreed eagerly.
Chen Qi then found Tsui Hark and explained the situation.
Tsui Hark feigned reluctance.
"This isn’t appropriate. I only took on *The Orphan* reluctantly—how can I help with another film?"
"Reluctantly? You looked like you were having the time of your life! Come on, just shoot a few scenes. Consider it a favor."
He dragged Tsui Hark and Chingmy back.
While Chingmy went for costume and makeup, Tsui Hark—despite his protests—happily chatted with Li Wenhua and took charge of the foreign actors’ scenes, communicating with them directly in English.
Foreigners versus the Red Lanterns—with He Qing and Tao Huimin also on set, Tsui Hark got his wish: filming pretty girls pressed together...
The Yuen brothers split into two teams, each assisting a director.
With nearly two hundred people—lead actors, extras, crew—plus the teams from *The Orphan* next door and Liu Xuehua’s horror film, the entire studio buzzed with noise and activity.
......
Fu Qi came to visit the set.
After quietly observing for a while, he left without disturbing anyone.
As he walked away, he began to smile.
"It’s been so long since it’s been this lively!"
(End of Chapter)