I Became Famous in the Entertainment Industry with High Martial Arts Skills - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Followed by Paparazzi

Zhou Mo drove very steadily, following the main convoy ahead at a leisurely pace.

The faint scent of leather drifted through the car, and pure instrumental music played at just the right volume.

To evade the omnipresent paparazzi, Ji Xiuheng changed his commute vehicles every so often; this matte black sedan had just been picked up last month.

Mo Li sat in the passenger seat, comparing the daily data changes of Xie Ci’s Super Topic while contacting the round-glasses girl, who had already become a fan group administrator.

Xie Ci leaned against the back seat, extremely close to Ji Xiuheng beside him—so close he could clearly perceive the other’s body heat.

“Any plans for what’s next?” Ji Xiuheng spoke softly, his body leaning slightly toward Xie Ci.

“Not for the moment,” Xie Ci mused briefly. “But Teacher Chen said there’s a director holding a birthday banquet in a week, and she plans to take me with her.”

Although she had only coached Xie Ci for five days, Chen Wanjun had never encountered such a cooperative student.

Arriving at the rehearsal room punctually at 6:00 AM every day, he never complained once even when practicing a single line for an entire morning.

In her bones, Chen Wanjun possessed a certain artistic loftiness and persistence; otherwise, she wouldn’t have demanded a “clean break” divorce as a condition upon discovering her ex-husband’s infidelity just to end it quickly.

Over the years, she had taught many students, but most were looking for a shortcut to acting learning the basics and rushing to get on screen, becoming immensely impatient if her requirements were even slightly strict.

Therefore, after sensing Xie Ci’s sincerity toward acting, she inevitably grew to appreciate this exceptionally talented and hardworking young man more and more.

Upon learning that Xie Ci’s filming for Diving Abyss would soon end, she had the idea of having Xie Ci accompany her to He Pinzheng’s birthday banquet.

As soon as he heard “birthday banquet,” Ji Xiuheng realized he was a step too late.

“It must be Director He’s banquet. He loves a crowd, so he’ll likely invite many people.”

A pity; he had originally prepared to offer a favor himself.

A faint smile appeared on Ji Xiuheng’s face, and Xie Ci smiled back, revealing his dimple.

“Then I’ll have to make the most of it and try to find my next ‘rice bowl’ [job].”

Hearing this, Mo Li turned around from the front seat with a laugh. “Exactly! Our Xiao Xie is right in the middle of his hustle!”

Although he really wanted to recommend his friend to this industry heavyweight, too much was as bad as too little; these few words were enough.

During the conversation, they arrived at the restaurant booked by the crew.

This restaurant’s privacy measures were excellent; consequently, many people in the industry came here for professional gatherings.

Choosing not to enter through the magnificent main entrance, several popular artists from the crew went in through the inconspicuous back door to avoid being photographed by paparazzi and having groundless rumors manufactured.

Many vehicles were parked in the hotel garage. As soon as Ji Xiuheng stepped out of the car, he felt as if someone were peering from the shadows.

Having worked in the industry for years, life under the spotlight had made him extremely sensitive to cameras; even if a paparazzo were squatting in a corner, that uncomfortable sensation allowed him to detect something was wrong.

“We might be being followed.”

Hearing this, Zhou Mo, who had just finished parking, instinctively scanned the surroundings, his usually dull eyes suddenly becoming sharp.

“Fuck, I’ve been spotted,” the man with sanpaku eyes cursed under his breath. Seeing the group preparing to get back in the car to change locations, he grew anxious.

Because he didn’t have reservation info, he had handed five “red notes” (100 RMB bills) to the security guard at the gate just to get into the garage; that money couldn’t go down the drain.

“You film from the car. If they get physical later, we won’t have to worry about selling our scoop.”

With that, Sanpaku Eyes raised his camera, his thin, tall frame moving rapidly toward the group.

He had been squatting outside the filming base for nearly half a month, waiting to capture some explosive material, but Ji Xiuheng only ever went between the hotel and the set.

Having finally caught this opportunity, he naturally wouldn’t let it go easily.

Thinking of the market price for a video of Ji Xiuheng, Sanpaku Eyes gritted his teeth, a nearly paranoid madness gleaming in his eyes.

No matter what it was, as long as it had a “burst point,” fake material could be processed into real news.

The garage lights were bright. Crossing the shadows cast on the ground by the cars, the man brandishing his camera ran quickly up to them and began a frantic barrage.

“Movie King Ji, I heard you and the newly crowned Movie Queen are for real. Is it true?”

The shutter clicks rang out densely, and the blinding white flashes made it hard to keep one’s eyes open.

Ji Xiuheng’s expression remained unchanged, with only the displeasure in his eyes conveying his current feelings.

Zhou Mo looked bewildered where did this psycho come from? No material, so he’s just making stuff up.

Seeing that other crew members ahead had noticed the anomaly, Sanpaku Eyes grew even more agitated. “Rumor has it there are ‘crew couples’ within Diving Abyss. Could you comment on that?”

Ji Xiuheng didn’t care to listen to his nonsense and signaled for Xie Ci to get into the car.

He had seen too many people like this; even if he responded, there was no telling how it would be edited.

To people like this, the best response is no response.

Seeing that he hadn’t obtained a single scrap of information, Sanpaku Eyes panicked. But as he lunged forward with his camera to breach the final few meters, his foot tripped over something. He instantly lost control of his body, and the heavy camera flew from his grasp, hurtling straight toward Ji Xiuheng, who had his back turned while getting into the car.

His movement was sudden. Before Zhou Mo could react, Xie Ci standing a few paces from Ji Xiuheng reacted instantly. His jade-white left hand caught the camera in mid-air with exceptional steadiness, and then, as if losing strength, he allowed the camera to slip from his hand.

With a thud, tiny shards of glass and screw parts scattered across the ground.

Xie Ci clutched his hand. “Ow, that hurts.”

Sanpaku Eyes was stunned for a moment. Before he could even feel angry about his shattered camera, Mo Li grabbed him by the collar. “Malicious assault, is it? We’re calling the police right now!”

Hearing Xie Ci cry out in pain, Ji Xiuheng’s indifferent expression changed instantly. He immediately stepped in front of Xie Ci, carefully taking the youth’s hand that had blocked the camera for him.

The fair knuckles had skin scraped off by the edge of the camera, and a few drops of blood seeped from the base of his pinky finger, showing a fragmented sort of beauty on that hand which looked like a work of art.

Ji Xiuheng’s expression was grim, his tall silhouette completely enveloping Xie Ci. “There are Band-Aids in the car. I’ll go get them.”

Zhou Mo immediately opened the driver’s side door and handed over the Band-Aids from the car.

As the flesh-colored Band-Aid covered the wound, the medication in the pad brought a very slight sting.

When Ji Xiuheng looked up and saw the furrow in Xie Ci’s brow, his movements became even gentler. Holding Xie Ci’s hand, he applied three or four Band-Aids.

Seeing that he had “lost the wife and the soldiers” [lost everything], panic flashed in Sanpaku Eyes’ gaze.

Seeing Zhou Mo calling the police, he struggled hard, instinctively wanting to run toward a corner of the garage.

Sanpaku Eyes’ companion hiding in the car saw the situation was bad; he abandoned his partner and quickly drove away.

Ji Xiuheng had made fewer and fewer public appearances in recent years; if not for his participation in Diving Abyss, they would have found it difficult to track this itinerary.

Regardless, he had already captured video of Ji Xiuheng’s cold face and Sanpaku Eyes being held by the collar. With a bit of editing, it would surely hit the hot searches.

In their line of work, to cause a big stir, one must add a little “oil and vinegar” [embellishment]. As for Sanpaku Eyes being sent to the station…

Better the fellow practitioner suffers than me; at most, he’ll just stay in the station for two days.

Other crew members were drawn by the commotion. Lu Feichen was fast and arrived first, immediately noticing Xie Ci almost half-cradled in Ji Xiuheng’s arms.

“What happened?” Lu Feichen asked.

“A paparazzo was following us. We’ve already called the police.”

Seeing the crew members approach, Ji Xiuheng took a half-step back, creating some distance from his overly intimate position with Xie Ci.

Xie Ci was oblivious, still angry at the actions of Sanpaku Eyes.

It was the first time he had encountered such a thing. When the camera flew toward the back of Ji Xiuheng’s head just now, he had been startled.

The restaurant was in a bustling area, and the nearby police station dispatched officers quickly. The restaurant manager, having received the news, also rushed over, bowing and apologizing incessantly.

Heaven knows how devastated he felt when he heard the news from the garage.

The manager cooperated with the police to check the surveillance. After confirming that Sanpaku Eyes’ actions had infringed upon the personal safety of the actors to a certain extent, the police took the dejected man back to the station for criticism and education.

Seeing that the two were mostly unharmed, this little pre-dinner interlude didn’t affect the atmosphere of the gathering.

The crew sat around the table, beginning a lively discussion about the post-production promotion of the film.

Although a newcomer, Xie Ci’s seat was sandwiched between the male lead and the second male lead; anyone with eyes could see his status in the crew was already extraordinary.

Xie Ci’s acting skills were evident to the entire crew, and having been signed to the director’s own studio, his future prospects were limitless.

Amidst the noisy toasts and discussions, Lu Feichen glanced at Xie Ci’s bandaged left hand. “Is the injury serious? These paparazzi are getting more and more lawless.”

His tone was full of annoyance.

While he couldn’t compare to an industry senior like Ji Xiuheng who became famous young, Lu Feichen was considered a top-tier star of the last two years; being secretly filmed and followed by paparazzi was a common occurrence.

At the most extreme, his new address was exposed by paparazzi and “sasaengs” [obsessive fans] the moment he moved.

Qiao Mingyue, sitting nearby, felt the same and couldn’t stop nodding.

“Exactly! Last month when I went to an event, I don’t know which paparazzo it was, but they followed my car for two hours and refused to leave.”

She said huffily, “In the end, I had to have my assistant say we were calling the police before they left.”

Xie Ci, who hadn’t experienced this yet, flashed a look of surprise, feeling glad he had sat in the same car as Ji Xiuheng tonight and had the chance to block that camera for him.

He was the one who had invited the person; if something had truly happened, he would have certainly felt guilty.

Ji Xiuheng’s brows were sharp, his fingertips tapping lightly on the table. “Xiao Xie, it’s lucky you were there tonight, but your hand…”

The man’s voice trailed off into a low register. Xie Ci comforted him, “As long as you’re okay. Look, my hand is fine too.”

With that, he gave his free-moving left hand a smiley wiggle.

Ji Xiuheng followed with a smile. “I heard from Zhou Mo that you and Mo Li are planning to move recently?”

Xie Ci was startled. Mo Li had indeed discussed moving with him lately.

On one hand, their current residence was too remote; if Director Zhang hadn’t arranged a car from the studio, he and Xie Ci would spend a lot of time traveling to the set every day.

On the other hand, Xie Ci now had some popularity and was occasionally recognized; the security and privacy of their current address were very poor.

While watching Xie Ci film, the talkative Mo Li loved to chat with those around him; as a result, Zhou Mo also learned of their plan to move.

“Yeah, just in time for the wrap-up, I’ll have time to look at houses with Mo Li.”

After receiving the reward money for his act of bravery, Xie Ci feeling his small “gold vault” had grown fat replied with a smile.

“As it happens, I have a place for rent.”

Ji Xiuheng checked the date on his phone. “The crew is off tomorrow. How about I take you to see it?”

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