I Became Famous in the Entertainment Industry with High Martial Arts Skills - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Stunning the Whole Room

Feeling the shocked and aggrieved look in Yan Feng’s eyes beside him, Xie Ci turned his face away with a slightly guilty conscience.

He had originally wanted to explain, but before he could say anything, he was interrupted by the host.

The screen full of bullet comments was also stunned by Xie Ci’s display; skepticism and praise intertwined, filling the large screen in the livestream room.

“Didn’t Xie Ci skip the concentrated training with the crew? From what I saw, those opening movements don’t look like a novice’s!”

“Maybe he studied it before. These three arrows were truly beautiful.”

“So handsome! The few people next to him are completely dazed hahahahaha.”

“Damn, he feels so different from the second male lead’s character in the drama, but I love both hehehe.”

Outside the camera’s lens, Mo Li and Xiao Ya were just as stunned as everyone else by Xie Ci’s brilliant archery. They exchanged a look, their eyes darting back and forth, faces written over with disbelief.

Back when he was under Wang Mingde, Xie Ci was a completely solitary, gloomy, and silent “wooden beauty.” If Mo Li hadn’t been his roommate and possessed such an outgoing personality, it would have been impossible for him to become friends with the introverted Xie Ci.

Ever since they escaped together from that dinner party where Wang Mingde tried to pimp him out, Xie Ci and Mo Li had been through thick and thin together. Their relationship had grown much closer, and Xie Ci’s attitude had hardened significantly; he was no longer the little pushover he used to be.

After the contract was terminated with Zhang Yunjiang’s help, Mo Li’s heart was set on networking for Xie Ci, but he never expected his friend to have so many hidden skills. As a manager, he felt he had been truly derelict in his duties.

Xiao Ya scrolled through the fan group page on her phone; the group was already flooded with one sentence:

“My beloved concubine, exactly how many surprises do you have that We do not know about…”

Watching this message appearing constantly in the fan group, Xiao Ya’s mouth twitched, and she followed up with a post of her own. She felt her status as a “visual fan” might be shifting; she was turning into a “career fan” for Xiao Xie.

The host was the first to snap back to reality, saying with a smile: “I didn’t expect Teacher Xie to be a hidden master.” The camera cut to the faces of the other four contestants. “It seems the other four teachers participating in the challenge were just like me—stunned by Teacher Xie’s three arrows…”

The host spoke playfully, skillfully shifting the topic back to the archery competition, and the audience couldn’t help but look forward to Yan Feng’s performance.

As the first person to shoot, Su Wu was now resting in a chair outside the competition area. Catching the nervous look in Yan Feng’s eyes and then seeing Xie Ci surrounded by his assistant and manager below, she silently lit a candle for Yan Feng.

Mu Hua leaned toward her and whispered: “Sister Su Wu, didn’t Xie Ci just enter the circle?” She didn’t really care about her own archery score; she only intended to show her face for more screen time. “He didn’t train with us either, I didn’t expect his archery to be so good.”

Su Wu smiled and merely nodded without answering.

Facing everyone’s gaze, Yan Feng gripped the bow in his hand. The tips of his fingers holding the arrow nock were turning white. Perhaps due to extreme tension, the force of his first arrow was unbalanced, and he only scored a seven.

While the staff changed the target, he glanced off-field. Xie Ci was sitting on a stool, and Xiao Ya was helping him straighten out the raven-blue sweater on his upper body. Xie Ci sat properly with a steady posture, his gaze toward Yan Feng full of curiosity but mostly encouragement.

The frustration Yan Feng felt from missing the first shot vanished instantly. He also had confidence in his archery. With the livestream audience and everyone on-site watching him, he didn’t want to lose to Xie Ci and lose embarrassingly at that.

Whoosh, whoosh.

The three arrows were finished. Yan Feng’s final two shots were an over-performance, hitting two tens, bringing his total to twenty-seven points.

“A bit of a pity. Aside from Xie Ci, Yan Feng’s archery is probably the best in the crew.”

“He was too nervous. Those three arrows from Xie Ci earlier were too god-like. I even enlarged the frame to look; all three positions were identical, not a single bit of deviation.”

“Wife turned into Husband, I’m drunk on his beauty…”

“Will there be a tie-breaker? First place is certain, but third place can’t be a three-way tie, right?”

Ming Yang sat in a recliner off-field, monitoring the bullet comments. Seeing that many viewers wanted another round, she signaled her assistant to hold up a sign instructing the host to add a final round.

Under the livestream lens, the host smiled brilliantly, praised all five actors, and then kept them in suspense. “It seems the call for another match is exceptionally loud!”

The comments on the public screen almost submerged the room. The host held the microphone and said: “Our crew has always been responsive to the audience’s needs. Let’s invite our five leads to compete one more time!”

In the room, Qiao Mingyue was the first to cheer and clap. Her slightly curly long hair draped over her back as she smiled and cheered them on, brushing up her presence along the way.

This livestream for the Han River Crossing crew felt a bit like a mini-variety show. The venue was large, the guests were interesting, and while it was still broadcasting, several related topics had already appeared on the hot search list.

Ming Yang’s assistant handed over a tablet; the topic “#XieCiArchery” had already climbed to ninth on the hot search, even without the crew spending money to push it. Ming Yang looked toward Xie Ci in the arena; to be honest, this young man really did have a “hot search constitution.”

Audience tastes are fickle, but they always pay more attention to beautiful people, especially since Xie Ci could actually handle the traffic; basically every topic that trended was positive. Although he didn’t have many die-hard fans yet, his “passerby appeal” was quite good, and his Weibo followers were constantly rising.

Just as the group returned to their positions, a staff member wearing a mask walked up carrying a tray. On the white tray were five black blindfolds placed neatly.

“!! Is it what I think it is?”

“Which kind? Blindfolded PL/AY (Kinky)?”

“The crew really understands us…”

“Stop, stop, stop! This is clearly to increase the difficulty. Purifying the comments is everyone’s responsibility!”

The bullet comments followed suit in the excitement. With the assistance of the staff, Su Wu, standing in the first position, was the first to put on the blindfold.

Based on looks alone, Su Wu was a very gentle type apricot eyes and willow-leaf brows, every frown and smile carrying the feel of a classical lady. Now, with the black blindfold and her hair tied back sharply, she gained a crisp coolness she didn’t have in the drama.

“I believe everyone has seen that our challenge has undergone a small upgrade.” The host stood to the side smiling, explaining the new rules to the audience. To increase difficulty, this round of archery required the actors to blindfold themselves and shoot blindly.

Shortly after the words were spoken, relying on the muscle memory from just now, Su Wu nimbly shot an arrow, landing exactly between the seven and eight rings. The staff quickly replaced the target. After two shots, Su Wu’s score this time was twenty points. Although not as high as the first time, given the increased difficulty, it was a very good result.

Subsequently, Mu Hua, Li Zhaobai, and Yan Feng took their turns in order, with Xie Ci’s turn placed last.

On the screen, the elegant and handsome youth stood at the edge of the frame, smiling slightly, his eyes exceptionally bright. Ji Xiuheng tapped the screen twice, took a screenshot of Xie Ci’s expression, and saved it to his phone’s album.

The person wasn’t by his side. Even for Ji Xiuheng, he could only touch the person’s every move through a screen, just like the livestream audience. Aside from being in a scene, it was the first time Ji Xiuheng experienced that the kind of convoluted, soul-twisting sentiment found in scripts was actually this feeling.

This feeling had irreversibly taken root in the depths of his heart from the moment Xie Ci, playing Yin Thirteen, fell into his arms.

In the dim study, the floor-to-ceiling blackout curtains remained tightly closed. Behind the large, high-end desk, Ji Xiuheng leaned lazily in his office chair, the corner of his mouth curving slightly upward. His well-defined hand rested on the desk, fingertips tapping gently.

Tap, tap, tap, one after another.

“Li Zhaobai’s second arrow was a bit of a pity; he stood slightly crooked, otherwise he should have gotten twenty points.”

“It’s okay; nineteen is also impressive. After all, they’re blindfolded and not professional athletes.”

“It’s all up to Xie Ci now. If he gets twenty-five points, he’ll beat Yan Feng for first place.”

“I can’t take it; watching a livestream is giving me massive anxiety.”

“Regardless, these actors from Han River Crossing are quite something. The training wasn’t in vain.”

“Exactly. I watched a drama before where the male lead was an archery coach, yet his draw technique was ridiculously wrong. Speechless.”

Besides the audience in the room, the staff, and the four actors who already had their results, everyone was looking forward to Xie Ci’s performance. The reason was simple: Xie Ci’s performance just now was unexpectedly stunning, making everyone curious if he could get another three tens while blindfolded.

Mo Li and Xiao Ya were even more nervous than Xie Ci himself. They paced back and forth outside the frame, one holding a prepared drink and the other a cartoon handkerchief. Xie Ci picked up the bow and arrow. Just as he stood in the fixed position, he caught a glimpse of the two of them and nearly burst out laughing. It was only after the staff helped him put on the blindfold that he was able to block these two clowns from his sight.

On the public screen, the bullet comments seemed to be held high just like the bowstring stretched to its limit.

With a thud, Xie Ci released the arrow nock. That arrow, like a divine weapon, fixed itself heavily into the bullseye in the center of the target.

“OMG, another ten!”

The staff replaced the target. Xie Ci fired again. Just like the first time, even the position was identical. The young man scoring the points looked at Xie Ci with a gaze already full of respect. This level could already be considered professional.

The final result came out. Just like the first time, Xie Ci hit three tens for thirty points.

In the frame, Xie Ci’s hair was a bit messy after taking off the blindfold. His eyes were curved, and his smile was both bold and carefree.

After the livestream ended, Xie Ci’s name hit number one on the hot search. Mo Li and Xiao Ya hugged him, almost unable to stop themselves from giving him a kiss. For strong and beautiful people and things, most people have an instinctual desire to attach themselves and worship.

In Xie Ci’s fan group, many vloggers who knew how to edit videos specifically cut out this segment of blindfolded archery. It was even pushed into a trending topic, and by the time Saturday’s broadcast arrived, the heat remained high.

“Baby, hurry and bring the potato chips we bought yesterday, I want the kimchi flavor!”

“Coming, coming! And your favorite Fruity Berry!” Xiao Yang ran over, carrying a full bag of snacks and two cups of milk tea, sitting on the sofa with his girlfriend Miaomiao.

At 7:30 PM, Mango TV immediately switched to the opening of Han River Crossing. The viewership rating was about to break 2.0, already securing it as a year-end hit. The executives of Mango TV were counting on this drama to boost their annual revenue and played it the second it was time.

The familiar guzheng music rang out as the opening credits began to play on the TV.

“The preview last week said the Wan manor would be raided in episode six,” Xiao Yang said, taking a sip of his milk foam.

“Ah, doesn’t that mean the male lead betrayed the second lead?” Miaomiao’s eyes widened.

“Well, it technically counts as betrayal, but the male lead came here for revenge. Wan Yuya is the son of the man who killed his father; they were bound to turn into enemies sooner or later.” Xiao Yang spoke with conviction, clearly having caught up on the first four episodes in secret.

Miaomiao sighed and ate a potato chip dejectedly.

On the screen, the male lead Gu Huaizhou finally ended his night of kneeling and stood up with difficulty. The second male lead was waiting for him at the courtyard gate. Seeing him finish the punishment, his eyes were full of heartache as he supported him back to his own courtyard.

Gu Huaizhou watched Wan Yuya apply medicine to his knees and couldn’t help but ask: “Why are you so good to me?”

Wan Yuya kept his head down, not seeing the struggling hatred in Gu Huaizhou’s eyes. He spoke with some anticipation: “I don’t know, maybe I think you look a lot like a cousin of mine.” He stuttered for a moment, then slowly looked up. “I miss him very much, but I’ve never had a chance to see him.”

Under his thick lashes, a pair of eyes were exceptionally clean.

Gu Huaizhou’s brow furrowed slightly, then he smiled and said: “With my status, how could I defile the bloodline of the Young Master’s family? You truly think too highly of me.”

Wan Yuya smiled back but said nothing more, continuing with the medicine. Gu Huaizhou wasn’t made of iron after all; having knelt in the courtyard wind all night, he fell into a deep sleep before Wan Yuya could even finish.

In the simple inner room, a bronze mirror on the table beside the bed reflected an old locust tree in the courtyard outside. A breeze swept by, and withered leaves fell with a shushing sound, covering the steps in a thick layer of gold and brown.

Wan Yuya pulled the quilt over Gu Huaizhou, closed the jar of ointment, and turned to leave. But after hesitating, he returned to the bedside and whispered a name.

“Brother.”

The voice was very, very light, like the murmur of a child in a dream.

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