The character played by Lan He is named Zhang Xunchun, who secretly is a villain, but on the surface, he is a cute and adorable young master who also likes to keep pigeons, sharing a common hobby with the male lead. This serves as one of the clues in the film.
The scenes Lan He is filming today all relate to pigeons. For instance, in the morning, the scene is set in a room where the character is carving a pigeon whistle.
The story’s backdrop is also set in the capital city, where the people love the four hobbies of flowers, birds, fish, and insects. Among the birds, mainly three categories are prevalent: birds of prey, such as eagles, falcons, hawks; songbirds, like the thrush; and the homing category, represented by pigeons.
It was said that when the script was initially written, Liu Chunyang had also considered having them raise eagles for a more thrilling element but felt it was too much and not very suitable for character development. Pets are a form of metaphor, and being too obvious would lose some subtlety.
As for the pigeon whistle, it’s an old tradition. In the past, pigeons would be adorned with whistles of varying sizes, and as the pigeons soared in the sky, the wind would cause the whistles to sound. Due to the variation in flight, the whistle sounds would also change, allowing the identification of different pigeons by owner and the distance, creating a pleasant listening experience. There are dozens of pigeon whistle types, covering all five tones, earning them the nickname “the symphony of the air.”
Zhang Xunchun can make his own pigeon whistles—a setting that wasn’t initially planned but was added by Liu Chunyang.
Since he knew Lan He could handle a knife, he decided to film Lan He carving the pigeon whistle himself, showcasing his knife skills and leaving a hint that both the protagonist and the antagonist would come into physical conflict later on.
The crew specially invited an experienced pigeon breeder, a Mr. Wang, to guide them on pigeon-related knowledge. He also made a cameo as Lan He’s pigeon-keeping servant.
With his guidance, Lan He expertly split bamboo to make the whistle.
This part didn’t require a stunt double, and aside from Liu Chunyang, none of the crew had seen Lan He wield a knife. These first few scenes mostly showed Lan He’s innocent appearance. Now, seeing him intently manipulating the knife, with the interplay of light and shadow over his long fingers clutching the gleaming, sharp blade, and his sudden precise cuts…
It must be said, there was a captivating allure to it.
Mr. Wang straightforwardly commented that such skill definitely indicated training, even though he had never made a pigeon whistle, his cuts were incredibly precise.
Lan He, following Liu Chunyang’s directions, added some flashy techniques cleanly and efficiently. This segment was shot very smoothly, and Liu Chunyang felt the effect was quite good, approving it on the spot.
His graceful actions and fingertips presented on screen were a visual delight.
And the whistle that Lan He produced looked quite professional.
The director of photography, working with Lan He for the second time, remained silent but inwardly remarked that Lan He meeting Liu Chunyang was a stroke of fate.
In the afternoon, there was a scene with the male lead, marking “Zhang Xunchun’s” first appearance, where his pigeons meet and then separate from the male lead’s pigeons, a process known as “collision.” “Collision” refers to the flock of pigeons.
Pigeon flocks are like armies; only well-trained flocks, when colliding with an opponent, will not scatter in disarray, getting swept away, unable to find their way home.
The pigeons are like soldiers, and the owners are naturally the generals. The male lead boasts that his pigeons have been trained to be very strong in combat. He, along with the female lead, commands the pigeons, watching as other breeders’ pigeons see his and fly around, not daring to collide.
It was fine for other people’s pigeons, but as a particularly shrill pigeon whistle sound approached from afar, it turned out that the villain’s, a major player’s flock, appeared. They not only did not avoid but also pursued and aggressively charged over.
Both sides then commanded their pigeons to “battle” fiercely. The villain’s pigeons were exceptionally fierce and had special endurance, following orders precisely. Seeing the situation turn dire, the male lead sent out another small group of pigeons, luring away the new recruits from the villain’s untrained flock, infuriating him to the point of stomping his feet.
During this process, the pigeon whistle sound continuously filled the sky, as if it had its own exciting and rhythmic BGM… Of course, capturing this sound was challenging and lacked ambiance. Filming this would definitely require post-production work, which would be an important part of presenting this scene’s effect.
Afterwards, the villain climbs over a wall, and both sides finally meet face to face.
Here, the villain still appears innocent and cheerful, subtly hinting that his style is just like his flock of pigeons.
Other scenes went well, except for one shot where Lan He had to toss a pigeon onto the roof, and he had to hold the pigeon.
Following Mr. Wang’s tips, Lan He tried to take the pigeon. Pigeons, when faced with unfamiliar environments and people, are understandably nervous, but this pigeon was gentle and had been trained from a young age, making it suitable for filming. The crew would also remain quiet to avoid startling the pigeon.
Just like how Chen Xingyang had filmed a similar shot very smoothly earlier, holding the pigeon and tossing it with considerable poise and charm, and the pigeon cooperated well.
However, when it came to Lan He’s turn, the pigeon struggled frantically.
“What’s the matter? Feeling uncomfortable?” Mr. Wang quickly separated them.
Filming with animals is always challenging, but they had backups, so they switched to another pigeon. Yet, the replacement also fiercely resisted, and these pigeons seemed to panic only upon contact with Lan He, becoming docile again once removed from him.
“What’s going on with them…” Lan He stepped back, standing in front of the pigeon cages. All the pigeons involved in the filming were behind him, and as he approached, they fluffed up and squeezed into the corner, as if intentionally trying to keep their distance from him.
Lan He: “…”
At this point, everyone began to feel that something was amiss, almost as if there was some targeting going on…
Liu Chunyang: “Step back a bit.”
Lan He stepped back a few steps.
The pigeons immediately relaxed, spreading out a bit.
Liu Chunyang: “Move closer.”
…Lan He approached the pigeon cages again.
The pigeons instantly clumped tightly in the corner.
Liu Chunyang stood up: “What the hell, do you have something on you?”
Everyone on the crew found it strange; they had approached the pigeon cages without any issues. It seemed like the pigeons were terrified of Lan He.
“I don’t have anything.” Lan He felt wronged, “I’m wearing the costume, and I didn’t bring anything.” He hadn’t scared the pigeons earlier either.
Liu Chunyang, having used pigeons as a clue, also learned quite a bit about them and wondered, “Did you come into contact with any animals like cats or dogs, carrying their scent? Aren’t pigeons afraid of these?”
Meanwhile, the rest of the crew looked around to see if any stray cats or dogs had slipped in.
“I don’t think so, I haven’t seen any cats or dogs around here. I just took a shower this morning, at most it’s the scent of the shower gel.” Lan He recalled.
“This…” Mr. Wang hesitated, causing everyone to focus on him.
After a moment, he cautiously said, “Young man, do you believe in… ghosts and spirits?”
Lan He: “I don’t believe.”
He didn’t believe.
Mr. Wang pondered for a moment: “Well… then it might be that the pigeons feel that the electromagnetic field generated by your body is off. Maybe you’ve been to some strange places or touched some strange things, so your magnetic field is tainted. Or, it’s just that your natural magnetic field doesn’t align with pigeons.”
Lan He: “…”
Others: “…”
…The old man had quite a few ideas.
Pigeons are a very sensitive species of bird, said to be able to sense the Earth’s magnetic field, thus possessing a strong ability to distinguish direction. It’s also believed that for this reason, pigeons are particularly sensitive to dirty things.
Deep down, Lan He somewhat understood; he lived an unpredictable life and had a few encounters with ghosts and the like, possibly causing his aura to frighten small animals.
But faced with everyone’s gaze, he remained very calm and said: “Maybe it’s because I used to like drinking pigeon soup!”
Everyone: “…”
Chen Xingyang couldn’t help but say: “Actually, some people are naturally unlucky with small animals. In a drama I shot before, one actor was constantly being attacked by dogs.”
That made sense.
Mr. Wang also made several guesses, and although everyone found it strange, they didn’t look at Lan He with weird eyes. This incident could be considered a curious event.
Although Liu Chunyang was superstitious, he simply said: “Let’s use a double for this segment, and we’ll edit it later.”
…
Liu Chunyang was quite kind to Lan He. Lan He thought it would just pass, but during a break, Liu Chunyang specifically sought out Lan He to comfort him, “This matter, people might talk about it for a day or two, but don’t mind them.”
Lan He nodded, “I know, I myself don’t believe or care about these things.”
“Right.” Liu Chunyang mysteriously whispered, “I’ve been thinking, maybe it’s because you stayed next to Cheng Haidong during the shooting of ‘The Treasure,’ in that old man’s old room. Even though it was Cheng Haidong who experienced something, maybe you also encountered something dirty but you’re just braver than Cheng Haidong, so nothing happened. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to go to Juehui Temple to burn some incense, just to clear the air.”
Lan He: “…Director, I think it’s just that I’m not lucky with pigeons. With how busy the shooting is, when would I have the time to go?”
Liu Chunyang: “True… Never mind, let’s eat.”
“Eating” referred to himself, with meat and vegetables, while Lan He’s diet was restricted and different from his.
Lan He watched intently as Liu Chunyang enjoyed his meal.
Liu Chunyang: “Are you hungry?”
Lan He: “Yes.”
Liu Chunyang: “Then why don’t you go back, haha, you can’t eat this!”
Lan He: “…You laughed out loud, Director.”
Liu Chunyang, holding his lunch box, laughed even more with someone watching, making his meal even more enjoyable.
Lan He walked away with a sense of grievance…
Liu Chunyang thought there might be some gossip about Lan He and the pigeons.
But by the afternoon, no one was talking about it anymore. During the break, everyone was only discussing one thing:
The neighboring film crew experienced a haunting.
Compared to the pigeons being frightened—shooting in the same film base and staying at the same hotel—their main prop, an ancient inkstone, kept mysteriously disappearing.
Initially, when it was lost, they would just replace it with an identical spare prop. But after it happened several times, people became curious and started to pay attention, ensuring the inkstone was securely stored.
Yet, even when they thought it was safely kept, the inkstone still went missing.
More people noticed that in the footage shot before, the inkstone moved positions on its own in places where no one was paying attention, untouched by anyone!
This was definitely not tampered with, nor could anyone see how it could have been manipulated from the inside.
The news couldn’t be kept secret and spread like wildfire, scaring the crew.
Naturally, no one paid attention to Lan He and the pigeons anymore.
…
At night.
Lan He lay in his room, soul detached, as he opened the takeout box containing the sweet tea cakes he had just ordered—soft, glutinous, with a sweet, soft outer layer that revealed a flowing heart when bitten into.
Lan He ate half the box in one go. Hearing Liu Chunyang calling him from outside, he stopped savoring slowly, gulped down the rest in one breath, hurriedly returned to his body, and went to open the door with a sweet aftertaste in his mouth, “Director, what’s up?”
“Lan He.” Liu Chunyang entered from outside, greeted him, with Chen Xingyang following.
He took out a colorful bracelet and said to Lan He: “I heard the neighbors are having some trouble, so I got everyone a protective five-color string. You should wear it too.”
Lan He: “Oh… Director, did you go out to gossip about the neighbors?”
Liu Chunyang: “Of course, they’re thinking of calling a priest to deal with it. When I heard their plan, it seemed unreliable to me.”
Lan He: “Hmm?”
Liu Chunyang: “They want to stop work and perform a ritual for seven days and seven nights. Ridiculous! Superstitious!”
Lan He: “…”
He finally saw clearly that the director’s superstition was entirely practical…
“Hurry up and tie it, what are you waiting for!” Liu Chunyang said.
“Why tie a five-color string when it’s not even Dragon Boat Festival?” Lan He said amusedly, knowing the five colors represent the five elements and directions, believed to ward off ghosts, traditionally tied during the Dragon Boat Festival.
Liu Chunyang felt that Lan He was not very willing, so he rolled up his sleeve in one swift motion, calling out to Chen Xingyang, “Tie it on him!”
Chen Xingyang quickly tied the rope around Lan He’s wrist.
Lan He did not struggle. In fact, he had no intention of resisting and was always ready to go with the flow. After all, from his perspective, this particular rope didn’t seem very useful, but it wasn’t harmful either.
Liu Chunyang said, “You don’t know what this is. This is a five-colored silk thread that has been enchanted. Not only does it ward off evil spirits, but if there’s any trouble, you can throw it to bind ghosts, just like the chains used by ghost catchers.”
Lan He was silent.
He wanted to say something but then stopped. Actually, we call that a soul-hooking chain…
Chen Xingyang said, “I’ll tie it a bit looser for you. Look, there’s a red mark here. Don’t want it to hurt you.”
Lan He replied, “Okay…”
To be honest, that was from another rope.
After seeing it tied on, Liu Chunyang was satisfied. Then, he noticed the takeout box on Lan He’s desk. “Hey, what are you eating? Didn’t I say you need to control your weight?”
Lan He said, “I didn’t…”
“There’s no ‘didn’t’,” Liu Chunyang picked up the box, “Let me see, sweet tea cakes from Yue Xin Ju? Tsk tsk, these are too sweet. Confiscated. I’m hungry anyway, so I’ll help myself.”
Lan He hurriedly shouted, “Director!”
Liu Chunyang, as if afraid Lan He would stop him, stuffed two pieces of sweet tea cake into his mouth at once.
Three seconds later, his expression froze, “??”
Liu Chunyang was furious, muttering unclearly, “What kind of evil food is this!”
Caught off guard…! It looked sweet and delicious on the outside, but it was actually tasteless like cotton, a great insult to his taste buds. Liu Chunyang tried to spit it out.
Lan He and Chen Xingyang were quick to act, one pressing his hands and the other covering his mouth, forcing him to swallow.
Liu Chunyang was silent.
Lan He firmly pressed his mouth, “This is my diet meal, a coarse grain version of sweet tea cakes with no sugar, no oil, and no salt. Try it.”
Liu Chunyang rolled his eyes, “Mmm!”
He struggled and roared, “How can that even be called sweet tea cakes, these sweet tea cakes have no soul!!!”
Lan He said, “Right, the soul has already been sucked away by me.”
The author has something to say:
Liu Chunyang: I will never boast carelessly again.
food soul devouring official 🤣