Chapter 122: Paparazzi Are Everywhere

With the authorities offering their full support, Li Lekang’s team found the work much easier. Choosing a location, selecting performers, and searching for original Chinese-style music all proceeded simultaneously.

They needed to find a suitable place in the desert to build the set. Li Lekang wanted to evoke the desolation of the great wilderness, a drifting melody far removed from the mortal world, with fairies dancing gracefully within it.

Next came the casting of the flying fairy performers. Their dancing skills had to be exceptional, and they needed an elegant, otherworldly presence. Li Lekang therefore decided to recruit from the national troupe.

The authorities gave the project powerful backing. All the young dancers from the Huaxia Song and Dance Theater who met the requirements were called forward and sent to the location for auditions.

Although the venue was a hotel, the selection itself was entirely serious. Li Lekang wanted to examine their physiques, posture, stage presence, and the way they carried themselves on camera.

The girls who trained in dance truly possessed remarkable bearing. The way they stood and walked was pleasing to the eye. Li Lekang scratched his head as he tried to choose the best among the best. Since their technical abilities were more or less equal, he opted for the younger and prettier candidates.

After all, human beings were visual creatures first and foremost. Li Lekang chose two women from the far northwest, whose features suited the depiction of exotic lands, along with three classically styled women from the Central Plains, including the renowned Tang Siyi.

With the help of CNA and the authorities, these young dancers—or, more affectionately, these beautiful and graceful young ladies—signed their contracts at once and joined the production crew.

The group did not stay there long. The next day, the production team took a chartered plane to Dunhuang. Traffic was particularly busy with the Lunar New Year approaching, and NBC had a generous production budget. A private charter was simply the most efficient option.

On the plane, Li Lekang first congratulated the five selected dancers and shook each of their hands.

“I’m delighted that you’ll be taking part in this Sino-American co-production. I hope we work well together—and that by the second half of this year, all of you will become internationally famous stars!”

The young ladies could not help laughing.

When they had first arrived for the audition, they had seen Li Lekang standing there with a script, directing this and that while several assistants followed at his side, carrying phones and coffee. A whole group of foreigners revolved around him, creating the impression that he was a stern, demanding boss who was difficult to please.

Who would have thought that his first joke would make them burst out laughing? It seemed that the great magician was also a seasoned internet user!

He was not wrong, either. Once they joined the production, it would indeed be a Sino-American co-production, scheduled to air worldwide in the second half of the year. So, naturally, they would become international stars.

Li Lekang’s gift for socializing quickly revealed itself. Within minutes of meeting, he had dispelled their sense of unfamiliarity. Everyone began chatting freely, discussing the show and its content.

“As far as the dancing is concerned, you’re the professionals. I won’t presume to tell you how to do your work.

“But the stage performance needs to be integrated with magic, and that involves a great deal of confidential technology and mechanisms. So there’s also a non-disclosure agreement.”

An assistant brought over the contracts.

Just like his previous female assistants, they would certainly need to sign a safety agreement. It could use the brain’s own rational mechanisms to complete the necessary explanations for itself.

The dancers signed without hesitation.

Li Lekang accepted the agreements with a smile and told them, “There’s nothing complicated about it. Just bring out the very best in yourselves. I’ll add the special effects. Then we can sit back and wait for the audience to be stunned!”

The desert set was already being assembled at full speed.

Although it was not a venue for a live performance, merely a location for filming the program, no expense had been spared. Every detail was refined and carefully considered.

As the leader of the troupe, Tang Siyi was able to improvise a dance on the spot. Her foundation and technique were impeccable. Perhaps she also possessed an inherently ethereal quality, untouched by worldly smoke and fire, which made her particularly well suited to the role.

Wearing enormous sunglasses and holding a bullhorn, director Li Lekang praised them without pause.

“Excellent! Very good! First, get the ground choreography polished. Later, we’ll give you the choreography for the sky. You’ll get to experience the joy of becoming little fairies!”

The girls could not help laughing again. There was always something amusing about Li Lekang’s tone.

He was not an impatient director. On the contrary, he was remarkably patient and knew how to enjoy himself.

They erected tents in the desert and installed air-conditioning inside, allowing the young ladies to come in whenever they wished to cool off. They could leisurely enjoy afternoon tea, along with exquisite pastries flown in from Shanghai. It was almost absurdly luxurious.

Filming proceeded amid this relaxed atmosphere. Yet, at some point, unfamiliar faces began appearing around their location base.

The site was already some distance from the tourist attractions, and visitors normally had no reason to come there.

But these people had brought professional cameras. One enthusiastic fellow even carried a selfie stick, holding up his phone and peering around suspiciously. He had actually started a livestream—until a security guard circling around from behind spotted him.

The streamer himself remained completely unaware. He thought he had hidden himself perfectly and excitedly shared the news with his viewers.

“See that? This is the scene of the Great Magician Li Lekang’s production! The secret base nobody else can find. We’ve got it under control—tell me, isn’t this awesome?”

“As long as I stay crouched here for a whole day and night, sooner or later I’ll uncover the secrets of his magic. Thanks for the rocket, big brother! You’re incredibly generous! Just say the word and I’ll handle it. We’re on the front line of celebrity chasing, the number-one outdoor paparazzo. No need to say anything else—I’ll start by performing a little dirt-eating act for big brother…”

It was fortunate that they were not in America. In a desolate desert like this, getting a 4G signal strong enough to livestream would have been a fantasy.

The streamer was secretly delighted, never realizing that he had already been discovered and was under surveillance.

The news reached the production tent. Li Lekang, who had been sitting with his legs crossed while massaging one of the girls’ shoulders, looked baffled.

“I came all the way to the desert, and the paparazzi still managed to follow me?”

Olivia opened the camera feed.

“Two of them have complete professional equipment. They’re definitely paparazzi. One is more of an amateur. He keeps shouting and making a fuss, and he’s even trying to do a food livestream in the desert.”

“Pfft!”

Li Lekang burst out laughing.

What a bunch of idiots!

“Our outdoor stage hasn’t been exposed, has it?”

“Not for the moment. They’ve only noticed the tent base.”

Li Lekang relaxed.

“Good. Keep an eye on them, but don’t let them wander around. This is the sort of thing that’s better guided than blocked. We can’t interfere with their freedom of movement.”

Olivia considered the matter further.

“But you have an outdoor shoot later. If we don’t stop them, they may follow you to the filming location and disrupt your work.”

“Is that so?” Li Lekang rested his chin on his hand and thought for a moment. “I’ve got it! I’ll play a little game of slipping away from them. They’ve gone to such lengths to travel all the way into the desert, after all.”

Indeed, anyone willing to come that far merely to photograph Li Lekang was no ordinary paparazzo.

In recognition of their determination and perseverance, Li Lekang decided to put on a little performance for them.

That evening, when it was time for him to head to the filming location, Li Lekang emerged from the tent and stretched lazily. He could already predict that camera shutters were firing furiously.

Then, yawning, he walked toward a portable toilet nearby. He seemed to glance casually in the direction of the cameras and revealed a faint smile. After that, he went inside and shut the door.

The paparazzi cameras and the livestream camera remained fixed on it.

They had no idea that Li Lekang had just played them for fools.

The moment he entered, he teleported away.

All that remained was a portable toilet standing in the middle of the desert, along with two sand sculptures perched on a dune—camera in hand, enduring the heat without moving—and, beside them, their enthusiastic streamer eating sand while continuing his broadcast.

They kept watching.

And watching.

They believed themselves to be hunters, staring down their prey. They never imagined that they were the prey, being toyed with without the slightest awareness of it, stubbornly keeping vigil in the middle of nowhere.