The filming location for the first season of *Hidden Darkness* was in Binjiang, Hangzhou. Aside from Yuan Yuan, who had a commercial performance in Hangzhou the day before, everyone else arrived by plane that morning. After lunch, the opening ceremony was held in the residential compound where the first scene would take place.
Located in the Binjiang District, this compound consisted of newly developed affordable housing. Consequently, it wasn't very crowded, perfectly capturing the "remote rented room" setting from the original novel. To avoid disrupting the residents' daily lives, the production crew had a one-month window—a duration that was neither too long nor too short.
Since the first scene was scheduled for that afternoon, the actors attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony in their costumes. They stood on either side of Director Tang Shang, holding a length of red silk. As Director Tang delivered his opening remarks, a dozen or so reporters snapped photos from below.
Zhang Jin’an wore a pair of glasses, a vertical-striped shirt, and simple blue high-waisted trousers. This outfit was a far cry from his personal style. In contrast, Jiang Siyang’s costume was more to his liking—Jiang Siyang wore a long-sleeved hoodie twice his size, loose cotton-linen pants, a grey beanie, and a black mask hanging beneath his chin.
In a screen adaptation of a novel, besides the actors and the plot, the costumes play a vital role. This outfit perfectly captured Cui Chi’s slovenly and listless image; the character’s essence was immediate. However, Jiang Siyang himself was exceptionally spirited and vibrant, so wearing this made him look more like a boy-next-door.
As Zhang Jin’an was observing him, Jiang Siyang suddenly turned his head and caught his eye. Zhang Jin’an immediately responded with a smile. Jiang Siyang blinked, startled, then gave a small smile before turning back.
“...I’m afraid I won't be able to grasp this character, and everyone might be disappointed.” Zhang Jin’an smiled as he recalled what Jiang Siyang had told him before the promotional shoot.
The kid was probably overthinking it.
As a fan of the original work, Zhang Jin’an’s standards were higher than most, but ever since he saw Jiang Siyang’s character posters, he believed Jiang Siyang could pull it off.
He was looking forward to Jiang Siyang’s performance.
“May the filming of the first season of *Hidden Darkness* go smoothly!”
With a single snip, Tang Shang cut the red silk. Below the stage, camera flashes went off incessantly.
On August 14, 2015, *Hidden Darkness* officially began filming. No one present realized that at that very moment, “*Hidden Darkness* / Character Posters” had hit the trending searches.
“The reposts on that Weibo post have already broken a hundred thousand. It’s seriously impressive. Does your crew know about this?”
Zhang Jin’an sat in his chair, rubbing hand cream into his skin before picking up his phone. “Director Tang mentioned it during filming this afternoon. Those kids were ecstatic. They’ve all gone out for late-night snacks now. I’m too old to keep up with them.”
The hotel was small, but every room featured a massive floor-to-ceiling window that offered a view of the illuminated skyscrapers.
“What do you mean 'old'? You’re just a shut-in,” Zhang Shuyu’s voice came through the Bluetooth headset, muffled by the sound of her crunching on potato chips. “Hey, Brother, are you looking at Weibo right now?”
Zhang Jin’an scrolled through the app. “Yeah, I’m looking.”
“Let me see... your official account posted at ten this morning. It’s ten at night now, so it’s been twelve hours. The reposts are still trending upward, and it’s only dropped two spots on the hot search list,” Zhang Shuyu noted.
Zhang Jin’an chuckled. “You’re more skilled at data collection than Qiang-ge.”
Zhang Shuyu huffed, sounding quite proud. “What did you expect? I’ve been a fansite master for years; we generate all our own ranking data. Collecting data for you guys is way easier than for our idols. If it weren't for the fact that I’ve read the novel and Siyang is in your cast, I wouldn't pay this much attention just because of you.”
Zhang Jin’an smiled and found the official Weibo for *Hidden Darkness*. The account had posted four times in total, and the latest one already had 110,000 reposts. Now, every time Zhang Jin’an refreshed the page, the comment count jumped.
“It’s a given that you’d trend. Setting aside the existing fanbases of the actors, this IP has a huge following. Actually, as early as last week, marketing accounts were leaking news about your production. The casting and director rumors were all correct, and they even mentioned the tight budget, though many didn't believe it. But once that seed is planted, even if it’s fake, people remember it. So when your official account finally appeared...” Zhang Shuyu let out a laugh. “Even though the first post was just ‘I’m here, hello Hidden Darkness girls’ without any big verified accounts sharing it, it still got thousands of comments. Once it was confirmed as the real deal, the comments immediately shifted to things like ‘please don’t ruin the original’ or ‘hope the casting is good’ and ‘hope it’s faithful.’ Add the actors’ fans to that, and the follower count skyrocketed.”
Zhang Jin’an scrolled to the first post Zhang Shuyu mentioned. Just as she described, the comments from two days ago were filled with pleas for a faithful adaptation.
Zhang Jin’an nodded. “I understand them. That kind of worry is normal. Fans of the original work are always afraid of discrepancies in a screen adaptation. No one wants the characters in their hearts to be ruined. But everyone has their own Hamlet; we can only consult the author’s vision and do our best to recreate it.”
The characters and costumes for *Hidden Darkness* had all been vetted by the author. When the final posters were sent to her, she had sent back a dozen "thumbs up" emojis, flooding the chat.
“True, every production crew should have that mindset. That’s why I think your crew has a conscience; the adaptation looks great, especially Jiang Siyang, hehe... I’ve been showing those posters to all my friends like crazy. As expected of my man, hehe...” At the mention of Jiang Siyang, Zhang Shuyu’s tone changed, her laughter tinged with a hint of lewdness.
“You’re just lusting after his body,” Zhang Jin’an said as he clicked on the latest post from the official account.
[@HiddenDarknessBot]: I’m back again, quietly bringing the four sons of Hidden Darkness with me, and quietly leaving again. [Blow kiss emoji] [Flower emoji] To all our Hidden Darkness sisters who have waited so long, we worked very hard to be faithful [Crying emoji]. Today is also the first day of filming! [Image] [Image] [Image] [Image] [Image] [Image] [Image] [Image] [Image]
Zhang Shuyu argued loudly, “How—how is this lusting? It’s a fact! You tell me, isn't Jiang Siyang’s Cui Chi both faithful and handsome in these photos? Isn't he? Isn't he?”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Though Zhang Jin’an’s response was perfunctory, as he looked at Jiang Siyang’s poster, he silently agreed with her.
Jiang Siyang’s poster was indeed the most striking among them—at least, that was what he thought.
Each of them had taken two sets of photos: one in their everyday attire and one for a specific occasion. The everyday set for Jiang Siyang was the one he wore at the opening ceremony. The other set—the one being praised by so many—featured him with waist-length blonde hair, wearing a suit with wide lace cuffs.
Zhang Jin’an scrolled through the comments. They were almost universally filled with praise, a world of difference from the comments on the first two posts.
[@CuiChi’sLittleWife]: To be honest, Zhang Jin’an goes without saying—he’s seriously handsome, I love him. The two beautiful ladies are great too, but the one who stunned me most was Cui Chi. That blonde look is basically Cui Chi himself, right??
[@FandomOldAuntie]: Sisters, come look! Is there any Hidden Darkness girl who hasn't been blown away by Siyang’s poster? I am so here for this blonde beauty!!
[@ZhangJin’an’sSilkScarf]: #HiddenDarkness Go, Hidden Darkness Four! Yi Jun-gege! Cui Xiao-Chi! Instant Beauty! Lijing-meimei! Go for it! Handsome men and beautiful women are the best!!!!
[@CoffeeMachineNoCoffeeGrounds]: Me when I heard the news: Who could play Cui Chi?? Who could play Yi Jun? No thanks, I’m not watching. Me after seeing the posters: I’m in!
[@MoshangRenRuqiu] replying to [@CoffeeMachineNoCoffeeGrounds]: Same here. I saw the posters and it was a total ‘True Fragrance’ moment. And seeing Director Tang, I’m relieved!! Big Brother and Siyang are so handsome!! I’m down for the two ladies too!
[@MyRomanceIsTillDeath] replying to [@CoffeeMachineNoCoffeeGrounds]: I heard the crew spent all the money on special effects and the actors’ salaries are very low. They’re doing it for the love of the craft. Such a conscientious crew, I love it!
[@OriginalIsTheBest—] replying to [@CoffeeMachineNoCoffeeGrounds]: Probably. It’s impossible for Big Brother’s salary to be as low as a rookie’s, which means he took a pay cut! Don’t let Hidden Darkness fall off the hot search! It must become a hit!
“He’s truly incredible. Don’t you know the internet has issued a ‘True Fragrance’ warning because of his photos? People were originally saying, ‘I don’t believe anyone can do justice to my Cui Xiao-Chi,’ but after seeing the posters, it’s ‘I can, I can, Cui Chi’s mama loves you,’” Zhang Shuyu giggled again. “Truth be told, I love the blonde one too. He’s a beauty! Can you ask if there are any extra unreleased photos you can show me? I’ll keep them for my private collection.”
“No, I won't ask, and I can't,” Zhang Jin’an replied indifferently, while saving the images one by one.
In reality, the netizens didn't know that the "Cui Chi" they were praising for being so faithful to the original wasn't originally supposed to pose like that. The poses in the final images were all Jiang Siyang’s own suggestions—for example, in the group photo, he was the only one not looking at the camera, and the only one with a foot up on a stool.
Jiang Siyang had discussed it with him first. To be honest, he had been stunned by the kid then; he never expected the boy’s level of dedication to the character to be so high.
“I think Xiao Jiang is a lot like you.”
Zhang Jin’an recalled Director Tang Shang standing beside him and saying those words, his eyes full of deep meaning.
“I don’t mean looks or personality—you two are very different there. I mean his attitude toward work. Like you, he loves to dig into the details. That’s a good thing. He’s bound for greatness; I have high hopes for him.”
Zhang Jin’an couldn't help but smile. He had high hopes for him, too.
***
