The Best Director

Chapter 315: Shocking Change on the Set

It wasn’t Houston, Dallas, Austin, or any of those large cities; the desolate and tranquil atmosphere of the southwestern part of Texas was worlds apart from bustling Los Angeles. If it weren’t for the “Firefly” crew choosing to film there, you could hardly find a paparazzo in the city on the US-Mexico border, El Paso.

The perfect fusion of mountains and plains, along with the crisscrossing basins of the Chihuahuan Desert; plus the sparse vegetation and the swift currents of the North Rio Bravo—these stunning beauties all became part of the planet “New Shanxi.” The New Shanxi planet housed a massive Star Alliance base on the edge of the galaxy, equipped with signal transmission devices capable of sending out signals to the entire connected planetary cluster in the star system and even reaching the bustling central star systems.

Originally, these devices were used for military communications, broadcasting the movements of raiders, and so on. The Star Alliance was on high alert here, guarding a large fleet of ships. However, with the “Serenity” holding the disc containing the truth about the “raider stars,” their goal was to take over the base by force and broadcast the true signal to the entire world. This part of the “New Shanxi Battle” was indeed the climax of the film.

During their time in Texas, the crew shot these scenes with IMAX cameras. It was definitely the most exhausting shoot they had ever undertaken since the start of filming and the hardest Wang Yang had directed in six years. Battling the scorching summer heat and breathing the dry air, sometimes they were suddenly caught in a downpour; besides the brutal weather, almost all the shots involved action and fighting, making the complicated and immense battle scenes not only a headache for the crew operating the MSM-9802 but also extremely challenging for the actors.

This scene wasn’t limited to a few main actors. Hundreds of stunt performers playing raiders, Star Alliance soldiers, and independent-minded partisans were involved. Little Robert Downey Jr., Daniel Wu, “Heath” Ledger, and Gina Torres, especially the formidable “River” Jessica, were all fighting to the point of exhaustion every day. Robert Downey Jr. had been quite moved, thinking that risking his life to go to South Africa for “District 9” was tiring enough, only to discover it was just the beginning.

But as exhausting as it was, no one was lazy or careless, especially Wang Yang, who was extremely excited by the filming; nothing beat the thrill of shooting on 65mm film! These super large formats allowed him to design and depict an even more spectacular and thrilling “New Shanxi Battle”! It was the stuff of dreams.

“OK!” “Understood.” “I’ll get to it right away.” “No problem.” “OK!”… Wang Yang moved briskly between departments across the vast desert set, chattering and directing like a warbler, solving problems and achieving the shots he wanted. Now he stood by the cameras, watching the performance area, and shouted into the microphone discontentedly, “CUT! Jessica, speed up the action! Come on, perk up, COME ON, COME ON! Drink some water, fire up!”

“Huff, huff… huff, huff…” As the word CUT rang out, Jessica immediately bent over and braced herself on her knees, gasping for breath, sweat dripping from her brown hair and cheeks onto the desert sand. Under the intense sun and with temperatures forecasted to reach 37%, she wasn’t sure if the heat was the reason for her recent frequent fatigue and weakness, or the dizziness and nausea she felt—keep going! Push through!!

Jessica shook off the fatigue and flung her head back, sending sweat flying in all directions. Only a few more fight scenes and all the action shots would be done! She took the water bottle handed to her by an assistant and chugged it down, followed by more ordinary shots. Her personal makeup artist Roland wiped her face with a towel, while makeup artist Ellie Harper wielded her brushes and other tools to touch up her makeup. Roland noticed his good sister seemed off and asked, “Jessie, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Jessica quickly waved off, throwing a few fast punches, feeling better than ever! Keep it up! Finish “Firefly” well, then have a baby! She glanced at Wang Yang, who was communicating with the photography team, and smiled faintly. After the baby, there’d be “Firefly 2”; there would definitely be one! Her current task was to perform well in these shots!

“Action!” As the crew got ready again, Wang Yang called out, and Jessica, in the performance area, charged at the stunt extras, punching and kicking with a shout. Nearby, in the actors’ rest area, Joshua, who was watching and taking a break, shook his head; he felt tired just looking at her—Yang was ruthless! Ellen Page, who wasn’t scheduled to film, also murmured, “Impressive.” Some media thought Wang Yang would spoil Jessica on set, but in reality, when it came to work, he didn’t at all.

Joshua casually picked up the sketchbook from the bag on the chair and flipped through it quickly. It contained some notes on his understanding of River’s character, and almost every page of the thick sketchbook was filled with various room designs, cartoon babies…

“CUT—!” The voice of dissatisfaction rang out again. The extras who had been knocked down on the desert floor stood up, wiping sweat from their brows, while crew members like Vare Fest all donned baseball caps or cowboy hats to shield themselves from the sun. Wang Yang walked bewilderedly into the performance area and asked loudly, “Jessica, it’s only morning! Why are your punches getting slower and weaker? I need speed, I need force!” He clapped his hands with emphasis, encouraging her, “You can do it!”

This was IMAX film! Nearly every NG meant having to change the film reel. Jessica’s heart also started to race, but she felt even dizzier. Rubbing her sore elbow, she nodded slightly, “OK… I can do this!” Wang Yang walked up to her, furrowing his brows. Noticing her pale complexion and her peculiar demeanor, he couldn’t help but ask, “Jessica, are you feeling alright? Don’t push yourself too hard!” Jessica quickly gestured with her hand, “It’s nothing, probably just nervousness…”

“Director!” Vare Fest called out from the side. Wang Yang turned his head and said, “Just a moment!” before he continued speaking to Jessica, “Don’t push yourself, you hear me? If anything feels off, you must speak up immediately. The main issue just now was that it was too slow. Your punches seemed like slow-motion, and they lacked power, yet the opponent fell at the slightest touch…”

Lack of speed and power… What else? Why was Yang’s voice getting fainter? As she watched Wang Yang’s rapidly moving mouth, Jessica couldn’t make out his words clearly. He was patting her shoulder, saying something, and she opened her mouth to speak. Suddenly, an overwhelming feeling of nausea and faintness surged within her, her legs unsteady. “Not good!” The thought flashed through her spinning head, and she didn’t even know if she managed to say, “Yang… I feel terrible.” Everything in front of her then went dark.

Thump! Jessica fainted and fell forward. Wang Yang, who instinctively caught her, was stunned, breaking out into a cold sweat. Then, he started yelling frantically as the whole set erupted into chaos. Joshua set down the sketchbook and rushed over, assistants like Roland with water bottles and towels in hand rushed over, the on-set medic Tamsin Shure rushed over, Ellen Page, young Robert Downey Jr., and others… they all rushed over…

As July came, “The Hangover 2” unsurprisingly took the box office crown for the week of June 25 to July 1 with $132 million; the runner-up was “Spider-Man 2,” which earned $64.25 million in just two days, igniting the end-of-summer madness. At this time, “Firefly” suddenly released a piece of attention-grabbing set news. Some behind-the-scenes news is deliberately let out by producers to attract attention for publicity; others are leaks to the gossip media. With so many crew members, assistants, and extras, there would always be some who spill details, and they are also a crucial source for on-set scandals.

And the news that broke out this time was that Jessica Alba had fainted on the set of “Firefly”!

“At that time, she was shooting an action scene, had a few NGs, and Wang Yang was directing her. Then she just suddenly passed out.” According to The Insider, the situation was extremely critical, and the on-set medic was out of their depth. They had no choice but to rush the unconscious Jessica Alba to the hospital. The Insider said, “It wasn’t heatstroke; it was frightening. Her face was completely pale, as if she had been refrigerated, and she was barely breathing.” Did that mean she almost died? Jessica’s fans were worried sick, and many were cursing out loud. That Wang Yang what was he playing at! They had always said Jessica marrying him would be a mistake!

If it wasn’t heatstroke, then what caused her to faint? There had been no reports of her having heart issues, and how was Jessica’s condition now?

If this were a PR stunt, it would be deemed highly successful; the news drew a lot of attention to “Firefly.” Wang Yang, Joshua, and others were hoping it was a publicity stunt, but it wasn’t. The official “Firefly” website and Jessica’s management team both confirmed the incident; she had indeed fainted on set. Fortunately, it wasn’t as exaggerated as the gossip suggested; she regained consciousness before being taken to the hospital and was not in any life-threatening state.

But that didn’t mean there was never any life-threatening danger. The diagnosis at El Paso Thomson Hospital was acute nephritis. If it had been treated improperly, it could have led to acute renal failure, which would have been troubling. Since the 1990s, the White House has designated Thomson Hospital as the treatment and care facility for the President, the Vice President, and former Presidents while they are traveling in the area; acute nephritis is not a rare or complex disease, the diagnosis is not difficult.

“Wuu, wuu, wuu…” At Thomson Hospital, Wang Yang sat in the doctor’s office listening to the explanation of the illness and treatment plan; while in the bright and elegant VIP ward, Jessica lay on the bed sobbing quietly. Round tears cascaded down her pale cheeks as she had an IV needle in the back of her right hand.

“Ai! Stop crying, it’s not the first time.” Joshua sat in the chair beside the bed, his face lined with worry. Oh, his silly older sister, how should he comfort her? He glanced at Roland across the bed and chuckled, “It’s just acute nephritis! Count up all the ‘battle scars’ you’ve had since you were a kid, uh, I can’t quite remember them all, collapsed lung, tuberculosis! I remember you had nasal polyps, right, and also appendicitis, pneumonia…”

Jessica stopped crying and looked at him blankly. Seeing that Joshua’s fingers were about to reach ten, Roland was also a bit stunned. Joshua stopped counting with closed fists and laughed, “Now you’ve added acute nephritis! It’s nothing, when we were kids, we all said you definitely wouldn’t live past 10 and would go to heaven, but look at you now, you’ve made it to 23? And you got married, jackpot! What’s acute nephritis in the grand scheme of things? Cheer up! The Lord will bless you.”

“Wuu, wuu, wuu…” Jessica suddenly cried louder, tears pouring forth. Yes! It’s been a long time since she’d been seriously ill, she had almost forgotten who she was, getting sick countless times throughout her life, having everything others had and even what they didn’t. Maybe this time she was really going to die, and if not this time, then the next. Her immune system was in complete disarray, nothing but garbage. She’d made it to 23, but could she make it to 30? 40?

And Yang was a person who never fell ill. Her health would only get worse, and the Lord had already told her through a supernatural revelation that they would be separated by the waves, Yang boarding Noah’s Ark, while she… was about to die.

“Joshua.” Jessica wiped away her tears, her heart filled with nothing but desolation and dejection, as she looked at her ever-troublesome younger brother, her lips quivering, “Joshua… you have to be sensible from now on, lead a down-to-earth life. I can’t look after you anymore, understand? Don’t worry mom and dad…” Joshua slapped his forehead in annoyance, “Oh, please!” Roland spread his hands, trying to comfort her, “Jessie, what are you talking about? Rest well. I just checked online, your kind of acute nephritis is easily curable, as long as it doesn’t become chronic, you’ll be fine.”

Jessica shook her head slightly, saying nothing but continuing to sob softly. She knew that the doctor had said it would take 6 to 8 weeks to recover and lead a normal life, with the acute phase requiring bed rest, and avoiding strenuous physical activities within the next three months. But she still had several action scenes to film… What was this now? She was just causing delays in the production schedule. The Lord hadn’t answered her prayers for the beginning of filming, and she became the biggest trouble of the crew again, unable to act well in drama scenes or fight in action scenes. And the Lord also said… maybe, maybe it was just an ordinary dream.

“So… seriously now…” Jessica hesitated, looking at Roland for a while before suddenly asking, “Roland, did you check if someone with this disease… can still get pregnant?”

Hearing her trembling voice and seeing those anxious, hopeful eyes, how could Roland not understand the feelings of his dear friend? And how could he not know of her recent daily pastime designing a baby’s room, picking out baby clothes, toys… Roland nodded and gently patted her left hand, saying softly, “I checked, and you can get pregnant once you’re fully recovered. Otherwise, there’s a high risk of miscarriage, and it could make the nephritis worse. But once you recover, you can still have the healthiest baby!”

“Oh.” Jessica’s face went slack, her lips trembled a few times as she tried to suppress her emotions, “Did you check how long it will take for a full recovery? Tell me the worst-case scenario!” Roland looked helplessly at Joshua, then realised he had turned to the wrong person—why hadn’t Yang come back yet?! Joshua exhaled, “Just say it, we need to know eventually.” Roland frowned and said, “It varies from person to person, it can be a few months, half a year, or even several years… three years.”

Three years? Jessica felt a wave of dizziness, nearly passing out. The tears that had stopped came gushing back. She sniffled and managed a weak smile, “Oh, then I have no hope. It’s better this way… I don’t want my baby to be motherless.” Joshua and Roland both felt helpless, after all that talk she still thought she was dying soon! Just then, the bodyguard outside the hallway opened the door, and Wang Yang walked in with a smile, “HEY!” Joshua and Roland tactfully got up to leave, “You two talk.”

“Yang…” Seeing him, Jessica realized what an indescribable feeling was. All the emotions she had felt before were false; this was the real deal. She felt a mix of shame, panic, and a desperate wish to be held and kissed by him—she didn’t want to see him now.

“Hello, Miss Venus,” Wang Yang sat down on the chair beside the bed, gently wiping the tears from her pale face, “Everything’s going to be alright.” He smiled, recalling how terrified he had been on set, far more than any usual stumble—losing her would truly be like the end of the world. As long as she was healthy, what difficulties could they not overcome? Wang Yang chuckled and said, “I just had a long talk with the doctor, and it’s really no big deal—shots, medication, rest, and keeping spirits high. You’ll be better in two months.”

Jessica silently looked at him, unsure of what to say. A resentful voice echoed in her ear, “Sometimes I really want to punch you. Don’t you think I’m just a vase! Pretty, but shatters the moment you touch it.” Now, wasn’t she no longer the miraculous Yankee star, no longer a Barbie doll?

“Just focus on getting better; don’t worry about ‘Firefly,'” Wang Yang knew she must be feeling like she was holding everyone back, but he couldn’t let her be burdened by that, offering a solution, “The crew will first finish all the action scenes, then the other characters’ scenes, and once you’re better, we’ll shoot your scenes—everything will go smoothly! Also, stop thinking about those remaining fight scenes; I’ve cut them already.” Jessica’s heart ached at that, she hurriedly said, “But!”

“Hey! One question, what am I to you?” Wang Yang interrupted her with a smile, and Jessica paused, “Husband?” Wang Yang laughed and said, “What else? Don’t say dear, ex-boyfriend, ex-ex-boyfriend…” Jessica frowned slightly, “Best friend?” Wang Yang lightly tapped her cheek impatiently, “And your master! Who taught you Kung Fu, huh? Now that you can’t fight, as your husband and as your master, it’s up to me to take over the fighting!”

“Thank you, this really is a major turning point in my acting career,” he said with a laugh, leaning in to kiss her cheek. Originally, Captain Tornado of the Cyclone vessel had no fight scenes and was fated to perish heroically in the skyship fleet battle. Now he decided to have Tornado participate in the ground combat instead, to cover for her and to make his character’s sacrifice more impactful—perhaps this could turn into a blessing in disguise.

Actually, they had plenty of action footage for River already, including what was previously filmed against the green screen. It was more than enough. Above all, Jessica needed to rest and recuperate! Thinking of this, Wang Yang felt an even stronger pang of guilt—her sudden acute nephritis was due to long-term fatigue and a compromised immune system… He had always harbored a bit of wishful thinking, believing she had become invincible, able to endure, not pushing herself too hard, and he had not fulfilled his duties as a husband.

“Is that okay?” Jessica was still worried. Wang Yang smoothed out her furrowed brows, his gaze intensely fixed on her, “Forgotten I’m amazing Yang? If I say it’s okay, it’s okay.” He then smiled again and added, “Right, there’s one more thing. I just asked the doctor, and he said you can’t get pregnant before you recover.” Hearing this from the doctor in the office had left him disappointed and irritable, but he couldn’t let those emotions show too much—he knew she was more disappointed and upset.

“I know, it’s three years,” Jessica forced a smile, her lips quivering to maintain composure. Wang Yang sighed silently with an ache in his heart; three years would be the worst-case scenario, surely not, he insisted, “Trust me, it’ll be just six months! But you’ve got to take good care of yourself. Remember, we are both young, okay?” He lifted her left hand and planted a kiss on it, holding it in his hands, smiling, “What vows did we make? It’s time we fulfill them together.”

In sickness and in health… Jessica wiped the tears from her eyes. The more she looked at him and listened to his voice, the more confusion and fear she felt, asking, “Am I going to die?”

“What? Because of nephritis? No way,” Wang Yang found it quite amusing and laughed out loud—she was like a little kid! He continued with a laugh, “I told you, everything will be OK!” Jessica managed a wan smile and turned away. Wang Yang chuckled, “If you don’t understand what nephritis is, let me explain what the doctor said… Hey, sweetheart?” He gently nudged her, and when she didn’t turn back, he got up and walked over, exclaiming with surprise, “Oh babe, what’s wrong…”

There she was, Jessica weeping silently with her face drenched in tears, “I, I can’t bear to lose you.” (