I Became Famous in the Entertainment Industry with High Martial Arts Skills - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Synchronized Heartbeats

Because it carried Xie Ci’s personal tag, the comment section of this video was quickly swamped by all sorts of messages.

“His visuals are indisputable!”

“New fan reporting! Waiting for Xiao Xie’s first movie to be released!”

“OMG, is this man a god…?”

“Are these sneak peeks of him going to film Diving Abyss? He looks like he’s in high spirits.”

On platforms like Weibo, the Super Topic which originally had only a handful of people quickly expanded its ranks, gradually forming a large-scale fandom community. Everyone was busy cheering for Xie Ci, who was still in his rookie phase.

During a break in styling, Xie Ci opened his platform account. What greeted him were massive waves of greetings and support wrapped in love and care.

“Supporting the rookie Xiao Xie!”

“Ahhh, baby, I love you!”

“The Male God is so beautiful it’s insane [Crying] [Crying].”

His slender, fair fingers scrolled continuously as comment after comment of undisguised affection entered his sight.

Love surged in like a tide.

“Alright, just a light touch-up on the tail of the brow will do.”

With a final few strokes of the eyebrow pencil, Wang Zhenzhen withdrew her hand in satisfaction and turned to look at Xie Ci in the mirror, whose cheeks were slightly flushed.

His snow-white, delicate face, with the lashes at the corners of his eyes deliberately curled flat to intersect with his upturned eye corners, exuded a sense of allure and wildness.

As the crew’s makeup artist, Wang Zhenzhen often had to stand by at the filming site to touch up the actors’ makeup at any moment.

For yesterday afternoon’s banquet assassination scene, she had specifically swapped shifts with a colleague just to watch Xie Ci act from a close distance.

Even though she had been in close contact with Xie Ci many times during makeup, she was still deeply stunned when she saw Yin Shisan in the scene, with his ink-black hair flowing and his eyes cold as he pivoted to swing his sword.

“Thank you for your hard work, Sister Zhenzhen.” Xie Ci narrowed his cat-like eyes slightly and rose from the chair.

“Hey, wait a second.”

As if suddenly remembering something, Wang Zhenzhen pressed down on Xie Ci, who was about to stand up. Using a red eyeliner pencil, she placed a dot on the tip of his nose, deepening that tiny red mole.

“Now it has the right flavor!”

Yesterday, while watching Xie Ci act from the side, she felt something was missing.

Now, with a quick thought, she realized that the red mole on the bridge of Xie Ci’s nose had been muted by the foundation, losing a certain indescribable charm.

Sure enough, the deliberately deepened blood-red dot looked like a splash of blood on his face, adding a dangerous aura to Xie Ci’s beauty.

Perfect!

“Brother Ji!”

Xie Ci, holding his tattered costume, walked smilingly toward Ji Xiuheng, who was sitting off-field.

The scene currently being filmed was the main scene for the female lead, Ming Miaowei. After entering the whirlpool of palace power struggles, the female lead’s methods had become increasingly sophisticated. She was now the most trusted female official beside the Noble Consort, and her defection provided immense help for the male lead’s comeback.

Ji Xiuheng pointed to the folding stool beside him, signaling for Xie Ci to sit.

Ji Xiuheng flipped through his script. His voice was low but magnetic a kind of gentle sexiness.

“When an actor is performing, they shouldn’t stay at the level of ‘acting.’ Instead, they must deconstruct the character from within, allowing themselves to become that person.”

Because they were sitting close together, Xie Ci seemed to smell the faint scent of pine on Ji Xiuheng. A warm breath spiraled and slipped past his ear.

Ji Xiuheng continued: “The female lead comes from a scholarly family. Even after entering the palace and being bullied by the favored consort, her spine remains straight when she kneels. Look—”

Xie Ci followed his gaze toward the performance area, his eyes full of earnestness.

At this moment, the actress playing the Noble Consort was lying languidly on a couch, her beautiful eyes lightly closed, carelessly fiddling with an exquisitely carved jade Ruyi in her hand.

Ming Miaowei knelt to one side, gently massaging the Noble Consort’s calf, looking extremely respectful with her head lowered.

But her back beneath her robes was just as Ji Xiuheng described held very straight.

“When acting, an actor needs to dig deep into the character’s inner world. Every move must fit the character’s traits; you cannot let your personal will override the character’s will.”

Ji Xiuheng paused, looking at Xie Ci, who had pulled out a small notebook to take notes. A hint of a smile entered his voice. “If the personal will overshadows the character itself, the acting loses its meaning and becomes the actor’s monologue.”

Xie Ci nodded, fully agreeing with Ji Xiuheng’s words.

Through these few days of study and observation, he could sense the differences in the performance styles of various actors.

Some used great force in their movements and expressions, yet always gave off a feeling of acting behind a mask exaggerated and hollow.

But when others acted, every move felt like the character itself; even a slight change in their gaze allowed one to glimpse the character’s inner world.

“Is Brother Ji giving private lessons? You didn’t even bring us!”

A playful female voice rang out from behind. The man and woman approaching were the second female lead, Qiao Mingyue, and the second male lead, Lu Feichen.

“No wonder Director Zhang told us to come over; it turns out there’s a teacher giving a class here.”

Qiao Mingyue’s apricot eyes were curved. She familiarly pulled up a folding stool to sit next to Xie Ci, and Lu Feichen followed suit.

Instantly, the two-person classroom expanded into a four-person classroom.

“Teacher Qiao, Teacher Lu, hello.” Xie Ci nodded, greeting his two new classmates.

“Hello, hello! Just call me Mingyue!” Qiao Mingyue had a lively personality and responded very warmly.

Lu Feichen also smiled and nodded to Xie Ci as a gesture of goodwill.

Ji Xiuheng looked at the three of them sitting in a row, giving a light smile to Xie Ci, who was surrounded in the middle. “Director Zhang always likes to joke. I was just casually chatting with Xiao Xie; you’re flattering me too much.”

Qiao Mingyue didn’t mind at all, her smile remaining warm.

In the crew, Ji Xiuheng had the highest status. He hadn’t participated in a film or TV shoot for several years; if Zhang Yunjiang hadn’t personally invited him, he might not have agreed to perform.

After all, Ji Xiuheng had transitioned to behind-the-scenes investment years ago. The money and resources he commanded were far beyond what an actor could compare to; he was essentially in a state of semi-retirement.

Everyone in the industry knew Ji Xiuheng was humble and treated stars of all statuses equally. Precisely because of this, he was almost never seen getting close to any specific artist, leaving those who wanted to ride his coattails with no way in.

Unexpectedly, Xie Ci, a fledgling newcomer, was able to strike up a conversation with him.

Xie Ci flipped to a blank page in his notes, his moist eyes focused intently on Ji Xiuheng.

He wanted to continue listening to Teacher Ji’s lecture. Listening to his words once was better than watching ten plays!

However, before Ji Xiuheng could continue, the photographer called for them to start filming.

Ji Xiuheng closed his script, still looking refined and elegant. “We’ll chat again when there’s a chance. Let’s go film first.”

Xie Ci also put away his folding stool, closed his script, and followed.

“For today’s scene, if anyone dares to pull any more stunts, they can leave immediately!” Zhang Yunjiang shouted through his megaphone, leaving no room for negotiation.

This time, the wire team leader Zhou Dashan came personally to help Xie Ci put on the equipment. He checked it repeatedly several times before feeling at ease; clearly, the last accident had left him with quite a shadow as well.

Mo Li nervously instructed: “When you jump from the second floor later, you must be careful. Safety first, okay?”

Xie Ci patted his shoulder to reassure him.

“Each team in position action.”

At the director’s command, the actors and staff entered their roles.

The scene of the first meeting between Yin Shisan and the male lead, Song Yu, was a relatively “dynamic” one. At this time, the male lead was not yet suspected by the old Emperor. He was high-spirited while investigating corrupt officials—the picture of a noble and brilliant Crown Prince.

This scene was also one of the few group scenes with a lively atmosphere. Nearly a hundred extras on the first floor were dressed in ancient costumes, laughing and brawling in the brothel hall.

Zhang Yunjiang paid great attention to using details to build the background. Scantily clad dancers threw flirtatious glances, and guests who refused to pay were kicked out by thugs into the night outside the newly lit building. The concise shots carved out the decadent prosperity of the time.

Commotion came from the second floor. A disheveled Yin Shisan stumbled, forcing himself to stay conscious as he shouted for help. Several burly men followed closely behind, determined to catch the escaping beautiful youth.

Facing the sweating middle-aged official across the table, Song Yu’s expression was neutral, yet his brow carried a casual certainty. Upon hearing the noise from the second floor, he instinctively looked up.

Xie Ci’s body swayed as he jumped onto the railing, perfectly fitting the setting of Yin Shisan being weak from being drugged.

But that sway nearly frightened Mo Li, who was standing nearby, into a faint.

Zhang Yunjiang’s heart also skipped a beat, but seeing Xie Ci’s subsequent movements, he sat back down in his chair.

Cornered, Yin Shisan was unwilling to fall into the hands of these people. He simply leaped. With a “creak” from the railing, the slender and beautiful youth fell straight toward a corner of the hall.

Time seemed to stretch. Song Yu instinctively stood up, exerted force with his feet, and steadily caught the thin “petal” of a beauty.

The impact was entirely absorbed by the brick floor. Song Yu had practiced martial arts under a retired border general since childhood; his reactions and internal strength were top-tier.

The expected pain did not arrive. Feeling himself being firmly held, Yin Shisan looked up, only to see the man’s clearly defined jawline.

“Save me! They want to sell me to be a catamite!”

Yin Shisan’s arms tightly circled Song Yu’s neck. The two were pressed extremely close together. The moist, hot breath from the cry for help brushed past the back of Song Yu’s ear, and the heartbeats of the two seemed to synchronize.

The group of men brandishing clubs saw that Song Yu’s bearing was extraordinary, and the person across the table was a regular they knew well. For a moment, they didn’t dare act recklessly and could only watch as Yin Shisan was taken away by Song Yu.

In the script, Yin Shisan at this moment was like someone grasping a life-saving straw, burying his face in Song Yu’s chest, waiting only for the drug’s effect to pass so he could recover his martial arts and teach these people a proper lesson.

Thump, thump.

Xie Ci’s face was pressed tightly against Ji Xiuheng’s chest; he could even hear the heartbeats clearly.

After taking Yin Shisan back to the manor, Song Yu learned the youth had nowhere to go. Seeing he was young and had no skills to support himself, he kept him as a personal servant.

From then on, the male lead’s strongest trump card was in hand. Yin Shisan would help during the banquet assassination and the palace coup escape—multiple life-and-death nodes—only to completely vanish in the end, never to be seen again.

“Cut—pass!”

After filming this scene, Xie Ci only had the palace coup escape scene left, which would be filmed five days later.

From then on, the male lead would officially begin his path to the throne, killing any god or Buddha in his way.

The ending of the first part of Diving Abyss stopped at the image of the male lead’s enthronement, leaving plenty of suspense for the court power struggles in the second part.

Zhang Yunjiang knew Xie Ci had endured a lot of pressure in just a few days. With a wave of his hand, he paid out of his own pocket to enroll Xie Ci in a professional acting training course with a specialized teacher.

“Xiao Xie, this money comes out of the studio’s account. Study hard with the teacher. I’ve discussed it with Scriptwriter Gu; we’ve added a one-minute solo shot for you in the palace coup scene.”

Solo shots are generally only given to key characters. The camera focuses on a single actor, ensuring they have absolute space for performance.

Xie Ci was a bit excited. He already knew the “gold content” of having a one-minute solo appearance in a production like Diving Abyss, and he was even more grateful for the trust Zhang Yunjiang and Gu Xingfeng placed in him.

Mo Li, carrying Xie Ci’s small bag of notes, also grew excited upon hearing this.

Xie Ci spoke with great solemnity: “I will definitely not fail the expectations the director and scriptwriter have for me.”

Mo Li’s steps grew lighter as he walked with the bag. He couldn’t help but pick up his phone. “When things go well, one’s spirit is refreshed. Let’s take a photo to post for business on Weibo.”

In the lens, Xie Ci sat in the passenger seat. The car window reflected a blurry half-profile. His gaze toward the camera was gentle and affectionate, and the slight smile on his lips was warm.

It was clearly a somewhat dark background, but under the presence of the subject, it turned into a faint, warm atmosphere.

Ding, Your special follow has a new update!

In a certain room, Zhou Tiantian, who had been buried in editing, was instantly drawn by the software notification sound from her phone.

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