I Became Famous in the Entertainment Industry with High Martial Arts Skills - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: First Hot Search

It was just after nine o’clock in the evening, the peak time for traffic on livestreaming platforms. The content from Shen Mu’s recent livestream was quickly turned into clips and pushed to the homepage by the platform’s algorithm.

Viewers who saw that specific comment also began searching for the name “Xie Ci.” Zhou Tiantian’s moderately popular fan-made video of Xie Ci reached a new record in hits, and her account gained several thousand followers in one go.

Zhou Tiantian, in her sleep: I have a very auspicious premonition.

That fleeting glimpse in the livestream was enough; Xie Ci’s unique and striking beauty was sufficient to attract massive traffic.

Furthermore, his movements in subduing the knife-wielding man were crisp, agile, and sharp, without a hint of hesitation.

In such an unexpected manner, the exaggerated hashtag #XieCiBaresHandedKnifeCatch gradually climbed to the top of the hot search rankings.

Even though Xie Ci expected his friend wouldn’t listen and stay put, he was still stunned when he saw Mo Li rushing over brandishing a kitchen knife.

Xie Ci: “…”

Mo Li, who had gone through great pains to borrow a kitchen knife from a shop owner: “…”

The battle ended before he even reached the front lines?

Xie Ci walked silently to his side: “It’s handled. Let’s go.”

His tone was casual, as if the person who had just pinned the knife-man to the ground wasn’t him.

“Xiao Xie, tell me the truth,” Mo Li spoke solemnly. “Did you dream of an old master passing on martial arts to you?”

Otherwise, it was truly difficult to explain how his introverted, reclusive friend, who never fought back when bullied, had suddenly become a martial arts master capable of disarming someone bare-handed.

It made no sense for a kitten that didn’t even know how to meow to suddenly turn into a tiger with extraordinary combat power.

His words made Xie Ci want to laugh and cry at the same time, but even if he told Mo Li about “reanimating a corpse,” Mo Li would likely think he was joking.

So, he gave a vague explanation: “I learned some basic moves when I was a kid. Just now, I happened to hit that man’s funny bone, which is why he couldn’t hold the knife and was subdued.”

Thinking of the change in his personality, Xie Ci added: “I was bullied too much before. I won’t be a pushover ever again.”

His voice was clear and cool. In the night air, his pale face stood out from the surroundings, giving him a righteous and incredibly charming aura.

Mo Li was simple-minded and hadn’t been that close to Xie Ci before; now he simply felt that Xie Ci had reached his breaking point and thus discarded his former gloomy personality.

Recalling the scenes he saw from afar, Mo Li asked Xie Ci questions all the way back, only quieting down once they reached the apartment.

The two, who fell into a deep sleep shortly after washing up, had no idea what news they would hear when they arrived at the set tomorrow.

Due to the wire accident yesterday afternoon, Xie Ci’s filming schedule for today was changed to the banquet scene where he rescues the male lead. This scene primarily focused on Yin Shisan making a promise to the Crown Prince to repay his kindness; there wasn’t much action, and no wires were needed.

Within the red walls and high gates of the faux-ancient palace, various crew members were busy setting up props.

Just as Xie Ci was about to head to the dressing room for styling, Xiao Yun from the Promotion and Publicity team walked over with an excited look.

“Teacher Xie, have you seen the hot searches?!”

Xie Ci was a bit confused. Had the crew released another promotional video?

Xiao Yun could tell from his expression that Xie Ci had no idea his actions at the snack street last night had been filmed. Now, the comment section of the official Diving Abyss account was flooded with netizens looking for Xie Ci.

Netizens were also experiencing a first: they couldn’t find the “melon patch” (the source).

Xie Ci was practically a total unknown; he hadn’t even opened a social media account.

The massive crowd of “melon-seeking badgers” had no choice but to leave messages under the official crew account that had previously posted clips of Xie Ci.

Seeing the traffic arriving at their doorstep, the Diving Abyss publicity team immediately sent Xiao Yun to coordinate with Xie Ci, hoping he would cooperate with some early-stage promotion.

Even good wine fears the back of a deep alley, and big productions fear a lack of organic traffic even more. The head of the publicity team never expected Xie Ci to “break out” in such a novel way.

Right now, the video on the official account featuring Xie Ci had already surpassed 200,000 likes!

Mo Li, bleary-eyed from waking up early: “!!!”

What hot search? He wasn’t the first to know about Xie Ci’s business!

He immediately pulled out his phone and saw the seven characters “Xie Ci Bare-Handed Knife Catch” hanging at number one on the hot search list, followed by a small “Explosive” tag.

It just so happened that there hadn’t been much news in the entertainment circle lately mostly trivial matters regarding idol stars that failed to pique public interest.

Therefore, the extreme contrast between Xie Ci’s high combat power and his beauty in last night’s livestream clips allowed him to go viral instantly, holding the top spot all night.

Mo Li scrolled through the screen, speechless at Xie Ci’s magical “hot search constitution.”

With a “thigh” like this to cling to, he felt his future was bright.

Mo Li: Speechless. Thanks, brother!

Xiao Yun smiled and said, “It’s a surprise, isn’t it? Our team leader was super shocked too. He said in all his years of publicity, he’s never seen an artist get on the hot search by subduing a criminal.”

Thinking of the disbelief on her leader’s face, Xiao Yun couldn’t help but giggle, then told Xie Ci: “To catch this wave of popularity, we’ll need Teacher Xie’s cooperation. It would be best if we could release a promotional video today!”

As if seeing her performance bonus waving at her, Xiao Yun smiled very sincerely.

Thinking about today’s filming schedule, Xie Ci replied, “I finish filming at 6 PM. Is around 7 PM okay to film the promo?”

“Of course!” Having received a definitive answer, Xiao Yun dashed off to report to her leader.

Performance! Bonuses! Here she comes!

Mo Li took Xie Ci’s phone. “Let’s set up your personal account first. When the crew posts the video, they can tag you.”

After some tinkering, he registered a new account in a few minutes.

The account name was simple: XC-XieCi.

Because of this surge in popularity, there were already many accounts named “Xie Ci” on Weibo, so Mo Li added an alphabetical prefix.

“Strike a greeting pose, I’ll take a photo of you!” Mo Li held up the phone and captured a shot of Xie Ci looking toward the camera from the side.

The youth in the photo had a light smile. His “plain water” purity tempered the softness of his features, making it impossible for people to look away from his face.

Mo Li was very satisfied with this photo. From now on, he was Xie Ci’s number one “fansite master”!

Full daylight had arrived, and the crew had begun filming the morning scenes. Second male lead Lu Feichen and second female lead Qiao Mingyue, dressed in heavy costumes, were already in character.

In the movie, one was the son of a Noble Consort eyeing the crown prince’s position, and the other was the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Revenue a handsome man and a beautiful woman. They looked exceptionally pleasing to the eye.

Xie Ci, holding his script filled with dense notes, found a convenient corner to watch and concentrated on observing those currently filming.

The overall shoot focused on the second leads, with supporting actors assisting. The rhythm and pacing in the director’s monitor were perfectly balanced.

Xie Ci’s hands didn’t stop moving as he seriously recorded the performance styles that made Zhang Yunjiang nod in approval, practicing them in his mind over and over to experience the various emotions of different character types.

“Xiao Xie, you can come for styling now. Your scene is next.”

At 2 PM, the makeup artist was about to call Xie Ci to the public dressing room when he was intercepted by a male voice.

“Sister Zhenzhen, Brother Ji is waiting for Teacher Xie over there to run lines. Please come over there to do the styling together.”

Following Ji Xiuheng’s instructions, Zhou Mo rushed over to invite Xie Ci as soon as he saw the crew’s makeup artist looking for him.

Xie Ci had no objection, and Wang Zhenzhen naturally had none either.

Xie Ci followed Zhou Mo into the room and, upon looking up, happened to lock eyes with Ji Xiuheng, who was looking up from the mirror with a light smile.

For some reason, seeing Ji Xiuheng in his dark cyan cloud-patterned robes, wrapped up tightly, Xie Ci’s first thought was of that accidental embrace yesterday and the soft feeling against his back.

Xie Ci: A billion points of envy.

Thinking of his own current slender and thin build, then looking at the “hidden depth” of Ji Xiuheng, Xie Ci secretly vowed to have a body like that too!

The milky-white chair turned slightly. Xie Ci leaned forward a bit and spoke: “Teacher Ji, things happened so suddenly yesterday, I haven’t had the chance to thank you…”

The youth’s eyes were moist; he had a world-ignorant sincerity when looking at people.

Ji Xiuheng gave a faint smile. “It was just a small favor, don’t be so formal. From now on, just call me Brother Ji like Xiao Zhou does.”

Hearing this, Zhou Mo’s lip twitched slightly.

Xie Ci, however, was completely oblivious, and his dimple reappeared. “Okay, thanks for looking after me, Brother Ji.”

He had very few friends on the set. Zhang Yunjiang was usually busy filming, and Mo Li had specifically signed up for a manager training course, so he couldn’t stay with Xie Ci all day.

The warmth of the crew changed rapidly. Since Xie Ci had only been there for a few days, he often sat in a corner alone reading his script.

Ji Xiuheng had not only helped him with the audition opportunity, but he had also stayed by Xie Ci’s side when the wire accident happened yesterday.

Consequently, Xie Ci’s favorable impression of this industry senior continued to rise, and he became more vivid and natural during their interactions.

“Cut! Take a thirty-minute break. Prepare for the next scene.”

Zhang Yunjiang put down his megaphone, adjusted his hat, and spoke with a smile to the two approaching men.

“Good state. Pay attention to your blocking during the shoot later. Xiao Xie, you’re okay with the action scene, right?”

Yesterday’s accident had left a shadow over Zhang Yunjiang’s work. A perfectly good actor almost had an accident during his shoot; at his age, his heart nearly jumped out.

Xie Ci knew what he meant. He waved his arm and gave a thin-lipped smile: “Not a problem at all, don’t worry.”

Seeing this, Zhang Yunjiang patted Xie Ci on the shoulder and said, “The crew will handle Chen Yutian’s side. You are now an artist of Galaxy Studio; there’s no reason for you to be bullied.”

Xie Ci understood and recognized the importance Zhang Yunjiang placed on him, so he simply nodded with a smile.

He was a person who repaid kindness and would keep anyone who treated him well in his heart.

And for now, performing the role of Yin Shisan well and adding brilliance to the movie Diving Abyss was the best way he could repay Zhang Yunjiang.

“Action.”

Amidst the clinking of glasses, delicacies and fine wine were arranged on the tables. Extras on both sides toasted and chatted, and the banquet was a scene of harmony.

In this afternoon scene, the old Emperor is assassinated. Crown Prince Song Yu steps forward to protect him and is injured. At the critical moment, Yin Shisan, played by Xie Ci, suddenly strikes, becoming a life-saving trump card for the male lead from then on.

This scene had a very strong rhythm. Many important supporting characters had facial close-ups, as their differing expressions under the life-and-death crisis foreshadowed future plot developments.

After the banquet, the Crown Prince, who risked his life to save the Emperor, is instead questioned by the fatuous old Emperor about whether he staged it himself. From then on, he completely discards his loyalty and filial piety, gradually becoming the iron-blooded emperor known to future generations.

The assassins in this scene were played by professionals from the martial arts instruction team. When the banquet drums reached a climax and everyone was drinking, the assassins struck. A sleeve-arrow flew straight toward the old Emperor. Song Yu instinctively rushed up, knocking the old Emperor’s heavy body aside, saving his life.

However, the assassins were prepared. Seeing one arrow fail, one quickly drew a soft sword from his waist and, with a few turns, prepared to stab the two of them.

Song Yu’s shoulder was in excruciating pain; that arrow had just pierced through it. The terrified old Emperor clung to him, refusing to let go, leaving him momentarily unable to move.

At the critical moment, that silver light was suddenly knocked off course by a wooden hairpin, missing its mark.

Song Yu looked up. The owner of the wooden hairpin had flowing black hair and a fair face with cat-like eyes it was the youth Song Yu had saved some time ago.

“Yin Shisan?”

The assassin’s expression changed. Even through the stiff latex mask, his astonishment was evident.

Support