Song Jixing's new drama started filming on the morning of the 6th day of the Lunar New Year.
Although the birthplace of cinematographic art is abroad, once it entered China, it had to adapt to local customs.
Therefore, on the day of the filming commencement ceremony, not only did they have to choose an auspicious time, but they also had to lay out various offerings to worship the deities of the four cardinal directions, announcing the official start of the new drama.
All drama crews, big and small, do this, and it's not a practice that arose only after the resurgence of spiritual energy.
This auspicious time was set for exactly 6 AM, before dawn. The fortune-teller said this timing was especially good, so Song Jixing got up from her bed near the filming base at 3 AM to make it in time for the filming commencement.
The cast and crew, big and small, gathered together, holding incense sticks to worship Heaven, Earth, and the gods. Then, a crew member suddenly brought up a white dragon sculpture stand over a meter tall.
Murmurs arose from the crowd.
The director, whose surname was Yan, was a thin man in his forties wearing glasses. Hearing the murmurs, he spoke up, "Aren't we descendants of the dragon? Our ancestors were even the White Dragon! We should worship and ask for blessings!"
"...In this new era, with new developments, we must keep up with the times. We may not have other beliefs, but this White Dragon is real! It will definitely be efficacious! Don't you agree?"
"Yes, yes, the director makes sense!" Someone immediately agreed.
Others held incense sticks with white smoke wafting and respectfully worshipped, muttering, "I hope the Dragon God blesses me with a blazing hot career this year!"
"May the White Dragon bless my new drama with great success and a packed schedule!" The crowd sincerely worshipped.
If it weren't for the fact that Bai Linglou had been holed up at home playing games since her appearance, without any inkling of her followers' wishes, Song Jixing might have believed those words like everyone else.
To take it a step further, even those great cultivators who had achieved enlightenment and ascended could not have heard their followers' wishes.
How could one's dreams come true just by praying? Things are not that easy in this world.
Nevertheless, Song Jixing stepped forward, holding incense to worship the dragon sculpture resembling Bai Linglou's original form.
It was only right to worship the elders of her sect, which they did whenever the sect had major events.
After making the offering, the director distributed red envelopes to everyone for good luck.
When Song Jixing received her red envelope, she could feel its considerable thickness. Looking around, everyone seemed to have received envelopes of similar size, but they were probably the largest compared to other crews, indicating substantial financial resources!
Song Jixing opened the red envelope in her car and saw the number 666, a very auspicious number.
It was the largest red envelope she had received since joining the crew.
Outside the car window, people were commenting that Director Yan must have struck it rich, as these red envelopes were like throwing money around.
Director Yan stood in the corner, discussing matters with the producer and assistant director, his face beaming with smiles.
The new year signified a new beginning.
This time, the filming locations were mostly in old residential buildings, except for the police station scenes.
Song Jixing played the antagonist, who grew up in one of these residential buildings. Of course, the building also housed her close friends and family members on the side of justice.
The uncle next door was a police officer, her childhood friend was a police officer, and even her best girlfriend was part of the police force.
Through her close relationships with these people, Song Jixing gathered a lot of inside information from them.
Of course, police officers are not supposed to disclose such information casually, and the same was true in the drama's setting.
Having grown up among the police, Song Jixing naturally wasn't a naive sweetheart. From a young age, she learned criminal investigation techniques from those around her, laying a solid foundation for her future illegal activities.
She erased all evidence and remained calm, leading to the final revelation that no one believed she was the true culprit in the end.
Reportedly, when creating this character, the screenwriter added an interesting condition of hyperthymesia to make Shu Yunong more convincing.
Hyperthymesia is an extremely rare medical phenomenon where individuals can remember every experience in their lives with perfect recall.
This condition turned the antagonist Shu Yunong into the neighborhood's model child from a young age, excelling academically and always ranking at the top.
Coupled with her parents' absence, and her grandmother only occasionally coming to check on her after school, she was pitied by the neighbors, who would often invite her over for meals, treating her like their own daughter.
To the outside world, Shu Yunong was a quiet, obedient, and well-behaved girl. But privately, she was a tormented soul, plagued by this condition and unable to sleep properly every night.
Until her father, Shu Mingli, a man twisted by various hardships, returned. Initially indifferent towards his daughter, he discovered her condition and began to exploit her illness for illegal gains, leading the young girl astray.
As Shu Yunong grew older and could no longer endure this, she set a trap and killed her father, then resumed her former persona as the well-behaved, intelligent girl.
To alleviate her mental and physical torment, she began committing crimes as an outlet.
Although Shu Yunong's case is the climax of the entire crime drama, all the previous cases are intricately connected to her.
For instance, her outward kindness and willingness to help others contrasted with her secret enjoyment of destroying others' happiness.
Yet, she was genuinely caring towards her close friends and family who showed her affection.
Such a beautiful but twisted female character left a deep impression throughout the entire drama.
Not only was Shu Yunong's character memorable, but Song Jixing's performance in the crew was also remarkable.
If a prop master lost something, Song Jixing could help them find it with a hint.
And if her co-stars forgot their lines during a scene, Song Jixing remembered them all and could even help her scene partners recall their lines.
Gu Tiantian, the actress playing Shu Yunong's best friend, looked at Song Jixing in admiration and said, "Sister Song, you really must have hyperthymesia! You remember everything!"
That wasn't the case; it was just her enhanced memory after cultivating.
Song Jixing: "Perhaps my memory has improved as I immerse myself in this role!"
Some actors' cooking skills improve after playing a chef, while others change their dressing style after portraying a character different from their usual persona.
As they portray their roles, the characters also shape them.
Gu Tiantian nodded after hearing this. "Sister Song, you're amazing!"
The other crew members also looked at Song Jixing with admiration, recognizing her dedication to her work and the inevitable rewards that would follow.
Song Jixing smiled without further comment, only speaking up when others needed her help.
