I Became Famous in the Entertainment Industry with High Martial Arts Skills - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Saving Someone on Livestream

Hearing Xie Ci’s words over the phone, Ji Xiuheng’s Adam’s apple rolled slightly. In the night view outside the floor-to-ceiling window, dots of light were scattered sparsely in every corner.

“Alright, I’ll pass that on to Director Zhang later. The crew will handle this matter based on your attitude.”

The call ended. Ji Xiuheng closed his phone, his fingertips twitching slightly as if that supple sensation still lingered.

Xie Ci’s thoughts on the other end of the line coincided exactly with his own, which surprised Ji Xiuheng somewhat.

Innumerable people were trying to squeeze into Diving Abyss. For a supporting role like the one Chen Yutian played, there were plenty of people watching greedily from the sidelines, already sending self-recommendation emails.

Internal news in the entertainment industry travels fast, and the B City Film Base had more than just the Diving Abyss crew filming.

Consequently, the accident from yesterday afternoon quickly spread through the circles.

Before Chen Yutian had even stepped out of the police station gates, he was cursed blue by his manager who had rushed over.

“I begged and pleaded with everyone to get you into Director Zhang’s movie, and instead of filming properly, you went and caused such a huge mess for me!”

Looking at the disheveled Chen Yutian, the manager’s face was flushed red with rage. “The contract termination papers have already been sent over. The crew is directly demanding a public apology. I’d like to see how you’ll survive in this industry from now on!”

Chen Yutian’s manager was named Zhu Quan. He was so furious he pointed right at Chen Yutian’s nose while scolding him.

With Chen Yutian’s qualifications, if it weren’t for some backing, how could he have ever had the chance to show his face in a Zhang Yunjiang film?

And now, a perfectly good opportunity had been blown to bits by his stupidity, and now Zhu Quan had to clean up the mess himself.

Thinking of the high-level executive behind Chen Yutian, Zhu Quan felt like his world was going dark and his future was finished.

Chen Yutian, however, showed no sign of backing down, stiffening his neck to excuse himself: “On what grounds should I make a public apology? That Xie Ci guy is perfectly fine! At worst, I’ll just pay some money!”

He thought disdainfully: A public apology? What right does an 18th-tier newcomer have to make me apologize?

Besides, he was at least a third-tier star. If he really apologized, how could he ever come out to film again?

Zhu Quan let out a cold laugh. Knowing his words carried little weight with Chen Yutian, he didn’t bother wasting any more breath.

Regardless, someone at the company would cover for this guy. Why should he, the “nanny,” worry himself over it?

Zhu Quan’s expression was bleak: as for whether they could cover it up, that was no longer his concern.

He drove in silence, listening to Chen Yutian in the back seat curse everyone from Xie Ci, Wang Long, and A-Ya, to even Ji Xiuheng.

The more he listened, the colder his heart grew. He had heard rumors about Zhang Yunjiang helping Xie Ci terminate his contract, but he hadn’t expected Ji Xiuheng’s attitude toward that newcomer to be so unusual as well.

Stepping on the gas, Zhu Quan already knew what his resignation letter would look like. He had a premonition this wasn’t over yet.

After some protest from Xie Ci, the thick gauze wrapping on his forearm was finally removed.

Because of his accidental injury, Mo Li insisted on taking Xie Ci to a restaurant outside to “nourish” him properly.

Back when they were being exploited by their black-hearted former company, the two of them lived very frugally, going to the wet market to buy vegetables sold cheaply at night and only occasionally eating meat to get a taste of oil.

Ever since Xie Ci transmigrated to the modern world, he had been eating very blandly—cabbage and tofu all day long.

“Don’t say a word. It’s my treat today, let’s have a good meal!”

Mo Li gritted his teeth and pulled out his last bit of savings, wishing he could drag out that blood-sucking manager Wang Mingde for a beating.

Knowing Mo Li was worried about his health, Xie Ci didn’t refuse. He put on his jacket and followed his friend out the door.

“Then I won’t be polite. I’m going to order a few extra dishes later,” Xie Ci said with a curve of his lips, joking with Mo Li.

In the evening, the streetlights cast a dim, amber glow through the night. The snack street was bustling with crowds. The aromas of delicacies from all over the country intertwined, attracting workers exhausted from their day.

“How is it? Is this crab roe mixed rice good?” Mo Li sat in a local B City restaurant at the entrance of the street, looking heroic and expectant as he waited for Xie Ci’s review.

The glistening, oily rice grains were coated in sandy crab roe. The intense savory scent had wafted into Xie Ci’s nose before the dish even arrived.

When he finally took a bite of that incredibly tempting rice, Xie Ci’s eyes lit up.

So delicious!

After eating nothing but vegetable leaves for so many days, this signature crab roe rice went straight to his heart!

“Mo Li, you really have excellent taste!” Xie Ci ate with a look of pure satisfaction.

When he traveled the world in his past life, he occasionally had to sleep in the rough, but he never lacked the money his sect left him. After transmigrating to the modern era, he had gone from rich to poor instantly, currently burdened with a four-million-yuan debt for contract termination.

When Zhang Yunjiang helped him settle the termination, the acting management contract stated clearly: 80% of his future film and television salaries would go toward repayment.

As a newcomer with a small role, his salary wasn’t high to begin with.

After that cut, the amount actually reaching Xie Ci’s card was less than five thousand.

Looking at the table full of delicacies, Xie Ci silently vowed: he would make a lot of money and become a wealthy man with food freedom!

Mo Li was delighted by the praise and joined Xie Ci in his focused eating.

“Babies! Up ahead is the famous snack street of Wanyue District in B City…”

A petite girl with a vibrant smile held a gimbal, pointing the camera at the bustling snack street.

Shen Mu’s voice traveled from the lapel mic to the livestream. Even through a screen, one could imagine the scent of the street food.

“This fried chicken shop up ahead is super popular lately! Have you guys seen the food review videos on your homepage?”

Shen Mu spoke as she walked toward the fried chicken shop at the corner, interacting with the scrolling comments from time to time.

“Why is my screen wet? Oh, it’s just my drool…”

“It looks so fragrant. I haven’t been to this street yet.”

“The streamer is broadcasting ‘poison’ [food temptation] again!”

The comments scrolled through the livestream, looking exceptionally lively.

Shen Mu adjusted the lens. She had been doing livestream food reviews for a year and had accumulated many loyal fans; every time she went live, thousands of people watched.

Turning the camera toward herself, Shen Mu gave a mischievous smile. “Old rules: eat first, review later~”

However, the cheerful tone of the comments suddenly shifted. The screen was instantly flooded with “RUN!!!”

In the frame, a commotion erupted behind Shen Mu, with shouts coming from the crowd.

“So full, so full.” Xie Ci rubbed his stomach contentedly. Mo Li, walking with him toward the restaurant entrance, was also stuffed.

“This is the life,” Mo Li said, draping an arm over Xie Ci’s shoulder, his face full of happiness.

However, just as they lifted the curtain at the door, the noise ahead caught their attention.

Evening was the peak time for the snack street. When Xie Ci and his friend arrived, the sky was just getting dark and there were already many people wandering around.

But when they stepped out, they found only a few scattered people huddled in corners, everyone looking terrified.

Following the gaze of one of them, Xie Ci spotted a fierce-looking man standing in front of a stall about ten meters away, waving a silver-gleaming kitchen knife.

The stall owner across from him looked paralyzed with fear. The middle-aged woman with messy hair didn’t dare move an inch. The surrounding stalls had long been emptied.

“Hey—where are you going?”

Mo Li’s face changed as he grabbed Xie Ci, who was walking toward the man.

“That guy has a knife! What are you doing going over there!” Mo Li panicked, his hands tightly gripping his friend’s arm.

Shen Mu reacted quickly. After seeing the warning in the comments, she rapidly hid behind a simple plastic shed to avoid drawing the knife-wielding man’s attention.

Her heart was thumping wildly, but she pointed the camera at the drama, while also sending a text to report it to the police.

At this moment, the popularity of the livestream surged. Shen Mu was very skillful; she deliberately avoided showing anything that couldn’t appear on the platform while still letting the viewers understand what was happening.

The appearance of a figure caused the slightly calmed comments to explode again.

“It looks like someone is going over…”

“So brave. That guy looks so vicious, he’s clearly not to be messed with.”

“I was just next to that stall. Apparently, this guy claimed there was a bug in the food and demanded 30,000 yuan from the owner for mental distress.”

This comment instantly split the viewers into two camps: one side believed the owner was unethical, while the more rational side believed there should be evidence before speaking.

“You… fucking… pay up…” The man’s voice was muffled, but the hand holding the kitchen knife kept threatening the stall owner, looking like it might strike at any second.

Seeing the situation become increasingly critical, Xie Ci didn’t have time to explain to Mo Li in detail and quickly said, “Don’t move from here, I’ll come find you in a bit.”

With that, he broke free from Mo Li’s grip and walked in small steps along the wall toward the man’s back, completely unaware that he was already exposed in Shen Mu’s livestream.

The commotion had scared the surrounding diners far away, fearing they would become the man’s next target. Many had fled without paying, leaving the food on the plastic tables still steaming.

Picking up a jar of chili flakes from a roadside stall, Xie Ci flicked his wrist when he was three or four meters away from the man, throwing the jar straight at the man’s face.

The knife-wielding man was immersed in his own world and didn’t notice the small jar until the shadow was right in front of his face; it was too late to react.

“AH! MY EYES!”

The man let out a painful howl, his hand not holding the knife instinctively trying to swat the chili powder off his face.

Xie Ci seized the opening. Taking three steps in two, he grabbed a nearby stool and smashed it toward the hand holding the knife.

Clang!

The kitchen knife hit the ground. The dazed female stall owner was pulled by Xie Ci; she snapped out of it and ran to the side.

The man’s eyes were bright red from the spice, his face a mess of snot and tears, yet he still stubbornly swung a fist at Xie Ci.

Xie Ci dodged to the side, his right elbow pressing against the back of the man’s neck. Using the momentum of the man’s forward tilt, he slammed him face-down onto the ground.

the entire process was as smooth as flowing water, taking less than a minute. The arrogant man lost all ability to resist.

A few helpful people from the crowd of onlookers rushed forward to help Xie Ci hold down the struggling man. From the entrance of the street, the urgent sound of a police siren approached.

“HOLY CRAP!!!!”

“Wtf!! Is this a movie shoot?”

“Just like that? He pinned him just like that?”

“Within one minute! I want this handsome guy’s contact info!”

The number of people in the livestream soared at a terrifying speed. The comments scrolled frantically, everyone asking who exactly the person who subdued the knife-man was.

Xie Ci rotated his overextended wrist and silently backed out of the crowd, preparing to go back and find Mo Li.

As he moved, his exquisite, fair face was fully exposed to the livestream.

“!! I know who this hottie is! A marketing video mentioned him before his name is Xie Ci, he’s a newcomer actor!”

This one sentence stirred up a thousand waves. The comments scrolled relentlessly, all curious about where this “Xie Ci” had come from.

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