Chapter 62

Over the next ten days, through constant collaboration and communication, the relationships among the actors became noticeably closer than before. There were fewer formalities and more jokes and banter; fewer perfunctory smiles and more genuine laughter. The entire cast and crew looked like one big family. Much of the credit for this should go to the leading actors, Cha Tae-hyun and Sung Yuri.

Cha Tae-hyun was humorous and had a strong ability to lighten the atmosphere, and he also had the demeanor of a humble superstar. Sung Yuri was uncompetitive and kind, treating every member of the crew with great warmth. It was because of their leadership that the atmosphere on set gradually improved, and everyone got along better.

Influenced by this harmonious atmosphere and Sung Yuri's instructions, Zhang Chengyuan no longer maintained a cold demeanor. He often joked with the actors. Because of his good looks, which made people easily like him, especially when he smiled, and because he did not fuss over minor gains or losses and did not actively stir up trouble, everyone felt that his inner self was not as cold as his usual appearance. From then on, the crew members treated Zhang Chengyuan even more kindly.

A few days later, the crew set off for Bali. This time, almost all the actors went to Bali, unlike the previous trip to Hokkaido, Japan, where some actors, such as Zhang Chengyuan, did not go because they had no scenes to shoot.

Bali, a shining gem among the "Thousand Islands" of Indonesia, is a paradise on earth and a world-renowned resort. It is also one of the favorite tourist destinations for Koreans. Due to its richness and beauty, some Korean dramas have chosen it as a filming location. The popular SBS drama "The Story of Bali," starring Cho Jin-woong, Ha Ji-won, and So Ji-sub, was also filmed here.

Perhaps feeling that Bali had captured the strong attention of Koreans and that filming here would help boost ratings, the well-funded production team of "The First Love of the Crown Prince" also arranged a shooting plan in Bali, planning to film six to seven episodes here, which would require a considerable stay.

For the actors, such a beautiful working environment is something they might not encounter even once in ten years, so everyone was naturally very happy and hoped to have some time to enjoy themselves after work.

Zhang Chengyuan usually did not like going out unless it was to accompany Fin.K.L, Xiao Shuijing, and others. Otherwise, he preferred to stay at home. However, seeing the paradise-like beauty of Bali, he was also tempted to go out. He thought that if he could hold Sung Yuri's hand and spend a day on a deserted island near Bali, surfing, swimming, or grilling seafood, it would be a delightful experience. If Li Xiaoli, Yoo Ju-hyun, and Li Zhen could also join him, it would be even better.

Unfortunately, as the leading actress, Sung Yuri was the busiest of all the actors, with more scenes than Cha Tae-hyun. She had to work with both the male leads and the supporting actors, and almost every actor had scenes with her. She was very busy and tired, which made Zhang Chengyuan very concerned. Fortunately, she practiced the "Health Preservation Exercises" taught by Zhang Chengyuan, which helped her maintain good health and recover quickly, allowing her to handle the heavy workload without collapsing.

However, due to her busy schedule and hard work, she had no time to go out with Zhang Chengyuan, and he was also worried and did not dare to leave her alone. Therefore, while other actors went to enjoy the sun, beach, and fun after finishing their scenes, he almost always stayed by Sung Yuri's side. The crew members, seeing this, thought that he and Sung Yuri were a couple in a passionate relationship but dared not reveal their true relationship.

In addition to acting and taking care of Sung Yuri, Zhang Chengyuan had another job to do in Bali. Park Byung-ryeol asked him to shoot a summer photo album during the breaks in filming.

After his discharge, because his popularity was still recovering, the company did not dare to release a new photo album. However, with the new drama about to air, featuring the leading roles of Cha Tae-hyun and Sung Yuri, the drama was expected to be a hit, and Zhang Chengyuan's popularity would rise accordingly. At this time, releasing a photo album would have a high chance of making a profit.

On a golden beach with clear water and a luxurious five-star hotel, Zhang Chengyuan began shooting the photo album at Nusa Dua Beach. Since the crew only allowed half a day, after deducting the travel time, the actual shooting time was only about four hours, and three scenes needed to be shot: inside the hotel, on the beach, and surfing in the sea, which was a tight schedule.

The first scene was the indoor shooting. Due to limited funds, they only rented a luxury suite for two hours. After deducting the time for setting up the scene and placing the equipment, the time left for Zhang Chengyuan to take photos was very limited. Therefore, he had to quickly enter his working state and pose in hundreds of different ways for the photographer to choose from.

The photographer, Kim Sung-yong, had been in the photography business for over ten years and had worked with Zhang Chengyuan for several years. He was very familiar with Zhang Chengyuan's style, and their cooperation was very默契. If not for this, Park Byung-ryeol would not have dared to require them to produce high-quality photos in such a short time.

Zhang Chengyuan was extremely familiar with photo shoots. Before his enlistment, he had taken many photos for various magazines and photo albums. Due to the high frequency and his excellent professional skills, he was even jokingly called a "photo shoot robot." Although he had not taken photos for over two years, his shooting state had largely recovered through the months of advertising and TV shooting. At this time, he did not need much direction from Kim Sung-yong; just a slight hint was enough for him to easily pose in the most satisfactory way, with smooth and natural transitions between expressions and actions, leaving people in awe.

Moreover, during the entire shooting period, Zhang Chengyuan did not make a single mistake or take a break, his concentration and energy were so strong that the new members of Kim Sung-yong's team fully understood why he had the not-so-elegant nickname of "robot" in the past.

After completing the indoor photo shoot, there were still a few minutes before the suite's lease expired. Park Byung-ryeol, Kim Sung-yong, and others took a short break to taste a high-end French wine. Zhang Chengyuan did not need a break and was not interested in European wine, so he went to the beach to observe the surfing performance of the local resort staff. This was because he was about to shoot surfing photos but was not very skilled at surfing.

Sure enough, during the surfing photo shoot, Zhang Chengyuan had a hard time. His movements were not smooth or beautiful enough to satisfy the photographer, and he often fell into the sea. As time passed, when Park Byung-ryeol and Kim Sung-yong were about to ask him to give up, the tenacious Zhang Chengyuan finally mastered the technique and seemed to enter a special state. His movements on the surfboard suddenly became agile, and he could perform all kinds of high-difficulty actions perfectly, almost as well as professional surfers.

Kim Sung-yong quickly directed the staff to take photos, fearing that Zhang Chengyuan's amazing performance would not last. His guess was correct; Zhang Chengyuan could not maintain this state for long. His skills could not improve so quickly, and his impressive performance was due to his powerful ability to replicate. Because of the limited shooting time and his unwillingness to give up the surfing photo shoot, he forcibly replicated the surfing techniques of nearby surfers, allowing him to perform many high-difficulty actions. Unfortunately, due to the decline in the earth's spiritual energy and his current not-so-powerful spirit, he could only maintain this astonishing surfing performance for about half an hour.

When Kim Sung-yong was satisfied and asked Zhang Chengyuan to stop, Zhang Chengyuan immediately fell into the water. By the time he struggled to swim to the shore, he was already out of breath and mentally exhausted. He secretly adjusted his breathing and recovered for about half an hour before feeling mostly recovered. However, the spirit power he had consumed would take at least a week to fully recover.

Because he rested for half an hour, the time left for the beach photo shoot was only about half an hour, and if he could not complete it in time and return to the set, it would affect the evening drama shooting.

Park Byung-ryeol was also anxious and urged the entire crew to work at full capacity, promising a big meal in the evening to boost the staff's enthusiasm. Everyone used all their skills to speed up the photo shoot. Fortunately, they were well-coordinated, and Zhang Chengyuan's performance in this scene was excellent, so the efficiency was very high. In the end, they completed the beach photo shoot on time.

Afterward, Zhang Chengyuan and Park Byung-ryeol hurriedly returned to the set, while Kim Sung-yong and his team stayed behind to enjoy the promised meal and the beautiful scenery.

When Zhang Chengyuan returned to the set, he just managed to catch his breath before his scene started. Although he felt physically strong and could handle it, Sung Yuri was very concerned and strictly ordered him not to work so hard in the future. She even approached Zhang Chengyuan's agent, Park Byung-ryeol, after the shooting to request that he not give Zhang Chengyuan such high-intensity work in the future.

Park Byung-ryeol felt wronged. Although he had proposed the photo shoot, it was with Zhang Chengyuan's agreement, and shooting three scenes in one afternoon was Zhang Chengyuan's own request, not his coercion. Just as he was about to explain to Sung Yuri, he saw Zhang Chengyuan secretly signaling him not to reveal the truth, so he had to take the blame for Zhang Chengyuan.

Seeing how concerned Sung Yuri was, Zhang Chengyuan immediately put on a tired look and asked her to massage him. Although she suspected he was faking it, she still fulfilled his request, making Zhang Chengyuan almost unable to sleep that night. However, during the more than a month in Bali, Sung Yuri only served him this one time.