I Became Famous in the Entertainment Industry with High Martial Arts Skills - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: The Finale of Diving Abyss

The moment Zhou Tiantian saw Xie Ci’s professional business photo, she immediately forwarded it to her best friend, a fellow avid fan girl.

True to Zhou Tiantian’s expectations, as soon as her friend saw the shared link, she went through the full routine of liking, commenting, and reposting.

Zhou Tiantian tapped on the screen and sent: “How is it?”

The text was accompanied by a little eyebrow-raising emoji, looking both cheeky and cute.

Her best friend replied with only two words “Exquisite.”

The two hit it off instantly and, following the comment with the highest likes, successfully joined Xie Ci’s fan group.

By the time they headed home, it was the evening rush hour. Xie Ci and Mo Li were stuck in traffic for a while, finally arriving home after 9:00 PM.

As soon as they entered, Mo Li walked toward the narrow balcony.

Just after getting out of the car, he had felt the sky turn gloomy, looking as though it were about to rain.

Xie Ci placed his small bag on the cabinet by the wall and followed him to collect the laundry.

The balcony of their current residence was very small, making it inconvenient for two people to move around at once. Thus, one person took the clothes off the drying rack while the other received them and brought them to the sofa.

Xie Ci closed the balcony door and walked back to the living room.

“Xiao Ci, are you going back to the set tomorrow?” Mo Li asked lazily, sprawling on the sofa.

“I don’t have to go to the set tomorrow,” Xie Ci said, tidying the notes in his hand. “We’re going to the classes near the studio together.”

The teacher Zhang Yunjiang had introduced to Xie Ci was a graduate of a professional academy. She had left the industry for love in her early years, but after a divorce left her with nothing, she opened a specialized acting training class for artists, providing systematic one-on-one coaching for those from non-professional backgrounds.

In recent years, as more and more non-academy artists entered the circle, her business had grown increasingly successful.

The rehearsal hall was large, spacious, and bright, with a mirror occupying an entire wall silently observing everything in the room.

When Chen Wanjun pushed the door open, Xie Ci, who had been waiting in a chair, immediately stood up.

“Don’t be nervous. Start with a self-introduction.”

Chen Wanjun’s features were relaxed, her hair combed perfectly without a strand out of place. Her youthful beauty was still vaguely visible; one could hardly tell she was already over fifty.

“Teacher Chen, hello. I am Xie Ci, an artist from Galaxy Studio. I am very happy to be able to study with you.”

Chen Wanjun took a few steps back, circling Xie Ci with a gaze full of appreciation.

“Your natural conditions are very good. Yunjiang told me you haven’t acted much before?”

“Correct. Diving Abyss is the first work I’ve participated in.”

A smile played at the corners of Chen Wanjun’s mouth: “I’ve seen the clips of your performance. You have a lot of spiritual presence.”

However, to become a qualified actor, having spiritual presence alone is far from enough.

Academy-trained actors go through grueling training, not only to meet standards in “voice, lines, form, and expression,” but also to possess a certain level of comprehension and cultural literacy to truly portray a character well.

During these days on the set, whenever Xie Ci had time, he would carefully observe other actors and constantly adjust the operatic performance style he had learned in his previous life.

To ensure the audience could see the performance on stage clearly, opera actors’ movements, voices, and expressions are usually exaggerated and magnified. In contrast, modern cameras bridge the distance between the audience and the actor, allowing the audience to see the most minute facial changes, demanding a more realistic and delicate performance.

Xie Ci smiled: “Compared to true actors, I still have a long way to go.”

“No, the profession of an actor relies heavily on talent.” Chen Wanjun shook her head in disagreement. “Yunjiang told me about your situation. For these five days, you will first learn to control your facial expressions and the tone of your lines.”

She continued: “First, you need to understand the character itself, from the inside out.”

Hearing this, the words Ji Xiuheng had spoken echoed in Xie Ci’s mind.

From the inside out, understand the character’s inner world.

Xie Ci’s gaze was focused as he earnestly recorded Chen Wanjun’s lecture.

“What? Missing Xiao Xie?”

Zhang Yunjiang sat in his director’s chair and casually joked with Ji Xiuheng, who was waiting for his scene.

“Mm, a little,” Ji Xiuheng responded without changing his expression.

“Oh? Then Xiao Xie is quite honored.” Zhang Yunjiang raised an eyebrow in surprise, but he didn’t take it seriously, assuming Ji Xiuheng was simply in a good mood today.

On the set, the female lead Ming Miaowei was maneuvering around the second male lead, the Fifth Prince. The two went back and forth, their words laced with hidden thorns. However, Lu Feichen was clearly weaker in terms of emotional momentum and was firmly suppressed by Song Yunyin.

Ji Xiuheng’s scene was the next one a group scene of the manor’s advisors offering strategies. Those acting with him were all well-known powerhouses in the industry, and the scene demanded high emotional precision.

The man’s thick, heroic brows furrowed slightly as he took a pen and made a few notes on the script.

Zhang Yunjiang glanced over; the page Ji Xiuheng was marking happened to be the palace coup scene scheduled for five days later.

He didn’t think much of it, assuming Ji Xiuheng was considering the blocking of the scene, and turned his head back to watch the footage on the monitor.

October 7th happened to be a cloudy day. Continuous layers of gray clouds covered the sky, lending an air of desolation for no apparent reason.

“I haven’t been to the set for five days, I almost walked to the wrong studio,” Mo Li said with a laugh as he greeted a familiar crew member.

Xie Ci felt the same. After spending five days in a classroom with Chen Wanjun, where he faced only his own reflection in the mirror, the film set felt strangely foreign.

Unlike a supporting actor like Xie Ci, whose scenes were few and filming intervals irregular, Zhang Yunjiang, as the director, was at the set every day monitoring progress.

Seeing Xie Ci approach with his script, Zhang Yunjiang asked: “How was the studying?”

“Very fulfilling. Teacher Chen taught me many acting methods and techniques.” The corners of Xie Ci’s lips curved up.

“As long as you learned something, it’s worth it!”

Noticing Ji Xiuheng, who had finished changing into his costume, walking toward them, he teased mischievously: “Your Teacher Ji is here too. You two can run your lines together.”

Ji Xiuheng had already changed his attire a black robe with a coiled dragon pattern and a mutton-fat jade pendant hanging at his waist. He swayed slightly as he walked, making his tall stature and cold temperament even more apparent.

Today’s palace coup group scene was the last major scene for the crew. The scale was immense, with over a thousand extras. Zhang Yunjiang had put in a massive effort, holding three days of meetings with the heads of each work group.

After this scene, the remainder would mostly be transition scenes and pick-up shots. The crew would soon finish filming and enter the post-production phase.

Although only five days had passed, Xie Ci felt that the Ji Xiuheng before him was markedly more stern. Yet, the moment Ji Xiuheng spoke, it was still that familiar gentle tone.

“Xiao Xie, long time no see,” Ji Xiuheng said, his voice slightly hoarse.

“Long time no see, Brother Ji. Your voice…”

“The father-son break-up scene we filmed yesterday the emotions took over and I couldn’t hold back,” Ji Xiuheng explained.

Xie Ci nodded. “Mo Li prepared some throat lozenges for me. Brother Ji, would you like one?”

Chen Wanjun was a strict teacher. When Xie Ci practiced his lines, he would do so for an entire day, often returning home with a raspy voice.

Knowing this, Mo Li had bought a heap of throat lozenges and packed a bag for Xie Ci every day.

Ji Xiuheng lowered his gaze and reached out to take the round brown candy Xie Ci handed him.

“It’s quite sweet. I’ll buy a pack next time too.” The man’s Adam’s apple rolled as he swallowed the sweet juice.

“No need, I have plenty here. Here.”

Xie Ci handed over the entire pack of lozenges. His fingertips accidentally brushed against Ji Xiuheng’s palm, leaving a trail of itching sensations.

“Xiao Xie, it’s time for makeup.” Wang Zhenzhen, still holding a powder puff between her fingers, interrupted their conversation.

“Okay, I’m coming.” Xie Ci spoke to Ji Xiuheng: “Brother Ji, I’ll go to makeup first. See you later!”

The youth curled his lips in a smile and followed Wang Zhenzhen to the dressing room, leaving Ji Xiuheng standing there with a pack of throat lozenges stuffed into his hand.

Artificial gunpowder smoke and the gloomy night sky intertwined. Flecks of firelight were scattered in every corner of the palace walls. Eunuchs and palace maids looked disheveled, fleeing with bundles of stolen jewelry in their arms.

The old Emperor was unconscious. The Noble Consort, holding a decree written by the Emperor, gathered the palace guards to execute the deposed Crown Prince who had defied him.

The camera moved slowly on its tracks. The cinematographer pushed for a close-up, aiming it at the two people inside the hall.

The deposed Crown Prince had long known the Noble Consort and her son were conspiring with the court. He had privately contacted the soldiers from his mother’s clan stationed at the border to plan for the future.

However, he had not expected that the old eunuch left to him by the late Empress had been bribed. Not only did the eunuch poison his wound medicine, but he also attempted to kill him while Song Yu was asleep.

If Song Yu hadn’t fought back with all his might, he would have died at the hands of this eunuch who had looked after him since childhood.

As night fell, the deposed Crown Prince had lost his martial arts due to the poison. He tried unsuccessfully to rise from the pool of blood on the floor, half of his face soaked in the old eunuch’s blood.

At this moment, Ji Xiuheng’s expression bordered on madness. His handsome face was filled with despair and indignation.

He had strictly followed the way of a gentleman dutiful and filial to his Imperial Father, sincerely protective of his siblings, and respectful to his stepmother. Yet, in return, he received blatant favoritism and open framing!

He was the legitimate Crown Prince; why would he need to rebel!

To put it plainly, it was simply that his Imperial Father wanted him to step aside for his favorite son, and his younger brother wanted to push him off the throne.

Song Yu’s heart was filled with extreme resentment. The liquid sliding down his face was indistinguishable as blood or tears, every drop telling the pain of this deposed prince.

The firelight outside grew brighter. Song Yu guessed the Noble Consort had arranged for assassins to finish him off.

A cold smile touched the man’s lips. With layer upon layer of death traps, his usually kind and gentle stepmother was clearly terrified that he wouldn’t stay dead.

Creak.

“Song Yu, hurry up and get up, stop playing dead!”

A lively voice rang out, instantly causing Song Yu, who had given up resistance, to widen his eyes.

Yin Shisan showed no fear toward the corpse on the floor and hauled Song Yu from the ground onto the couch.

“Hiss, you’ve been poisoned?”

Yin Shisan noticed his condition. Exerting force with his fingertips, he quickly struck several acupoints on Song Yu’s body to prevent the toxin from spreading further.

Song Yu struggled to speak: “Go…”

The youth blinked and smiled, “Since you saved my life once, this is the last time I’ll help you.”

However, just as the two stepped out of the Crown Prince’s palace gates, dozens of assassins arranged by the Noble Consort arrived, following the noise.

Zhang Yunjiang waved, signaling the cinematographer to adjust the camera position and aim the lens at Xie Ci in the center.

Beside the camera, Mo Li clenched his fists. Xie Ci had to perform a fight scene with so many people alone; even watching from the side made him nervous.

The assistant director shouted: “Three, two, one Group A, go!”

To avoid a chaotic shot, this kind of one-against-many martial arts scene often required pre-design.

The martial arts instructor divided the dozen or so assassins into four groups, using a “tag-team” method to ensure Xie Ci remained in a constant state of combat.

Through the surrounding photography on-site and post-production editing, a perfect fight scene could be presented.

Over a dozen masked black-clad assassins looked on with killing intent, the weapons in their hands glinting with a chilling light. The two assassins from Group A were the first to pounce toward the two people in the center.

Yin Shisan showed no trace of panic. He placed the deposed Crown Prince behind him and, using the leverage of his feet, shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.

His seemingly slender arms erupted with staggering power. The long sword in his right hand turned into a reaper’s scythe, precisely slashing across the throats of the two assassins, sending them to hell.

Beautiful movement!

Zhang Yunjiang, staring intently at the monitor, was also breaking a sweat, carefully watching the images.

Although the morning rehearsals had gone smoothly, seeing the sword-wielding youth surrounded by layers of enemies on camera made the director himself break a sweat for Xie Ci.

“Three, two, one Group B, go!”

As the megaphone sounded, four assassins immediately rushed forward, sword light reflecting firelight, coldly piercing toward Yin Shisan, whose brow was stained with blood.

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