Carlo Berland Island, located in the eastern Caribbean Sea near the British Virgin Islands, covers a total area of about 200 acres and is surrounded by clear turquoise waters and beautiful coral reefs. The island boasts lush vegetation and spring-like weather throughout the year, making it an excellent vacation destination.
Xiao He had already observed the island's overall shape and building distribution from the helicopter earlier, but when they officially landed on the helipad, he experienced a completely different sensation.
The salty sea breeze carried a faint floral fragrance as it swept toward them, and they now stood at the highest point of the island, easily overlooking the scenery below. Xiao He's gaze traveled past the trees at the edge of the helipad, first taking in the stunning view of sea and sky merging in the distance, while closer to shore, waves tinged with emerald green crashed against the golden sandy beach, transforming into foamy spray.
Even nearer stood magnificent buildings with white walls and red tiles, exuding exotic foreign charm as they nestled within the dense jungle, particularly eye-catching under the bright sunlight overhead.
Xiao Chen opened a large black umbrella to shield Xiao He from the glaring sun, while Liu Rulan directed the attendants who had come to receive them to place their luggage on the baggage transport cart, which would be sent directly to their rooms.
Xiao He and the others then prepared to report to the film set first.
Their arrival date was actually quite late compared to most of the production team, who had basically all arrived already, including Director Ning Jiaqi.
Although this might leave a somewhat unfavorable impression on others, Xiao He and his team truly had no other choice. There were too many matters to handle with Law of the Jungle, and Silent Search had also caused plenty of complications. That they managed to resolve these issues quickly and rush over here was already pushing their limits.
He could only hope the rest of the production team wouldn't hold it against him...
The group directly boarded a shuttle vehicle.
Outside the helipad ran a well-maintained mountain-ring road, and the shuttle carried Xiao He and the others slowly down the winding road toward the lower areas.
As the forest and resort gradually disappeared from view, the shuttle brought them to the other side of the island, where Xiao He first spotted an open-air racetrack.
Though built beside the mountain, the entire venue was exceptionally flat and spacious. Pure white guardrails followed the mountain contours to demarcate the appropriate space and boundaries, separating this area from the ordinary roads winding through the jungle and mountains. Only the sun-glaring guardrails and the asphalt track radiating heat remained, showcasing the unique captivating charm of passionate competition and speed adrenaline.
The shuttle came to a smooth stop at the entrance to the racetrack area.
Waiting to greet Xiao He and Liu Rulan was Assistant Director Xu Fuxue, whom they had met once before during the audition.
Xu Fuxue had previously assisted Xiao He during the scene reading and nearly got carried away by Xiao He's line delivery and acting skills, so he personally understood Xiao He's true capabilities quite well. He held no ill will toward Xiao He and instead admired him greatly.
Upon seeing them, he first inquired about Law of the Jungle's box office performance.
"Pretty good recently, with strong momentum," Xiao He replied with a smile, not going into excessive detail.
The island wasn't disconnected from the internet—such information could be searched online. Xu Fuxue's question was merely polite conversation.
Sure enough, Xu Fuxue didn't press further on that topic but nodded with admiration, saying, "It's just a pity I came to the island too early to see the finished product. I'm actually quite fond of battle royale genre themes myself."
"No problem, there will be online versions released later anyway. And who knows, maybe Law of the Jungle will premiere here before we even finish filming."
It was certain that Law of the Jungle would be exported overseas, though getting domestic films to break into international markets had always been challenging.
Hearing this, Xu Fuxue again expressed deep emotion.
Ning Jiaqi had been famous for many years and was now a very renowned director domestically, yet his high-grossing and high-quality works remained largely confined to the domestic market or nearby countries and regions.
Although a few of his works had achieved some success abroad by catering to foreign award mechanisms, ultimately, they still couldn't circulate in global markets as effectively as Western productions.
This wasn't just Director Ning's pain point—it was a shared challenge for other directors in the domestic entertainment industry as well.
As they walked and chatted, Xiao He followed Xu Fuxue directly into the lounge beside the racetrack.
The lounge had already been converted into a makeup room, and the makeup artist had been waiting for some time.
Xu Fuxue immediately explained the upcoming schedule: "Director Ning is already on site preparing for shooting adjustments. Once you finish with makeup and styling, we'll directly begin filming the first scene at the racetrack."
Xiao He was surprised by the efficiency: "This fast?"
He had literally just landed!
However, Xu Fuxue misunderstood Xiao He's meaning, his expression shifting slightly with hesitation: "Is there a problem?"
Could it be that Xiao He had deceived them about his skills and actually couldn't drive?
Oh no, if Xiao He truly couldn't drive, they would need to find a stunt double. Fortunately, there were professional coaches at the racetrack who could temporarily substitute if needed...
Unaware that Xu Fuxue's thoughts had already raced far ahead, Xiao He explained: "What I meant was, our arrival is already quite delayed, and we haven't had time to greet Director Ning and the others yet. Are we really starting filming directly?"
The first racetrack scene Xu Fuxue mentioned should refer to the initial meeting between the male lead Shu Yuxiu and Qi Xinyue.
This scene primarily involved him acting alongside the actress playing Qi Xinyue, Ding Wanyu.
But counting strictly, he and Ding Wanyu had only met twice so far.
Once during the Script Reading Session, and once during the project launch.
He and Ding Wanyu genuinely weren't familiar with each other.
Shouldn't there be some buffer time for communication?
Xu Fuxue finally connected with Xiao He's thinking, though he didn't immediately answer the question, instead confirming first: "We've prepared the race car, but later we'll need you to drive several laps around the track, then directly enter the parking lines we've pre-marked... You don't have any issues with that, right?"
"No problem at all. So we're filming the entire sequence directly, and I get out of the car and proceed with the scene?"
"Exactly, exactly. As long as you're fine with it, that's good."
Xu Fuxue finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He had misunderstood—he'd almost thought Xiao He had lied about those skills he told Director Ning...
Previously, Xu Fuxue had encountered actors like that—claiming during auditions that they could ride horses, even participated in equestrian competitions, only to admit right before filming that they were actually afraid of horses.
That kind of outrageous move made people furious.
Ultimately, Director Ning forced that actor to learn basic horsemanship on the spot while coordinating with stunt doubles for shot transitions before they finally completed that filming session.
But after that incident, Director Ning permanently blacklisted that actor.
Such lies not only delayed production schedules but also seriously affected everyone's mood...
So regardless of how much exaggeration might be in Xiao He's "can drive race cars" claim, as long as Xiao He could drive at all, Xu Fuxue felt it would be manageable.
He then raised his hand to pat Xiao He's shoulder, saying seriously: "There are several technical assistants on site, all professional race car drivers. They'll coordinate with your speed. Perform well, but of course, pay attention to safety too."
There were actually other professional race car drivers present?
Xiao He felt a bit nervous but nodded and said: "Okay, I understand."
Then he'd better drive carefully!