I Became Famous in the Entertainment Industry with High Martial Arts Skills - Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Knocking Open the Heart’s Door

The Chinese iris leaves used to weave the grass dragonfly were slightly yellowed, yet the craftsmanship was exquisite.

Xie Ci reached out and poked the dragonfly, his fingertips brushing against Ji Xiuheng’s palm. The man looked down at him, a flicker of obscure emotion crossing his eyes.

Patter, patter.

“Is it raining?” Xie Ci was drawn by the sound against the balcony window. He pulled the curtain open slightly, leaning his body to peer through the gap.

Pea-sized raindrops hit the glass sporadically. Xie Ci’s porcelain-like face was reflected against the darkness of the night outside. His small face, at this moment, bore a soft tenderness rarely glimpsed by outsiders.

“Is it?” Ji Xiuheng walked a few steps, standing behind Xie Ci, and widened the gap in the curtains.

Patter, patter, patter. The rain suddenly grew dense. The moment each drop smashed against the glass, it burst into countless tiny water flowers, only to be replaced by another drop.

The room was filled with the thick sound of rain. In the damp silence, Ji Xiuheng stood silently beside Xie Ci, watching his eyelashes.

In the past, he could never understand his mother’s decision to retreat for his father giving up her career and even being willing to sacrifice everything. Now, he seemed to suddenly understand. The joy and sorrow within this were not things that could be explained to outsiders.

“The rain is so heavy, you can’t even see the river view outside clearly.” Xie Ci turned around with a smile, only to see his own reflection clearly in Ji Xiuheng’s eyes.

In an instant, he remembered Mo Li once saying that Ji Xiuheng had been voted by netizens as the “Man People Most Want to Marry” for several consecutive years. In all fairness, those eyes naturally carried a hint of affection when looking at someone; they were impactful enough on screen, let alone face-to-face.

At such a close distance, with such a focused gaze it was all poured onto him.

“You’re right. With rain this heavy, it’s inconvenient to go home.” Ji Xiuheng’s voice was low; Xie Ci could even hear the sound of his breathing.

” I have a guest room here that’s already been cleaned. Why don’t you stay the night before heading back?”

Xie Ci felt a bit dazed. Facing those eyes, he nodded as if possessed.

In the guest room of Ji Xiuheng’s apartment, everything was fully prepared. Inside the nightstand, there were phone chargers for several different types of ports.

Ji Xiuheng knew Xie Ci’s personality. Had it been anyone else in the circle, they would likely have crawled into his bed tonight. For the first time, he felt disappointed that someone didn’t climb into his bed. Those he didn’t want had been driven away, but the one he desired hadn’t let him into the heart’s door yet.

Ji Xiuheng thought to himself that Xie Ci looked like a beautiful little fox, but in reality, he didn’t even know how to use his connections to network. That manager of his was smart enough, but not very brave; he likely hadn’t even dared to mention Ji Xiuheng’s intentions to Xie Ci.

Lying in his bedroom, Ji Xiuheng let out a slightly regretful “tsk.” After so many years of being ascetic and devoid of desires, he had happened to take a fancy to a “clueless frog.” Fortunately, after simmering the warm water for so long, Xie Ci was finally showing a bit of a reaction.

“What?! You’re staying at Movie King Ji’s house?” On the other end of the phone, Mo Li who had just arrived at his hotel shuddered violently, the slight tipsiness from the dinner party vanishing instantly.

Xie Ci plugged in his phone. As soon as the screen lit up, he saw Mo Li’s missed video call. After calling back for a few minutes, he confessed everything that had happened tonight.

“Brother Ji cooked a whole table of food tonight; a pity you weren’t here to taste it,” Xie Ci said with a smile.

Mo Li’s tone was weathered. “That really is a pity…”

He had only been away from home for one night, and Xie Ci had been snatched away. He felt like he was about to spit out a mouthful of old blood.

Thinking back to his previous chat with Xiao Ya, Mo Li felt he couldn’t let the situation continue like this. He cleared his throat and spoke very seriously: “Ahem, I mean, Xiao Ci, don’t you think Movie King Ji… that he’s a bit different toward you?”

Xie Ci didn’t say a word, but the gaze Ji Xiuheng had cast his way and the sensation of his fingers on the other’s abs appeared in his mind.

Seeing Xie Ci’s silence, Mo Li pressed on, “Look, although Movie King Ji is usually kind to everyone, you almost never see anyone get close to him.”

During the days Xie Ci had been becoming famous, several minor actors in the crew had shown romantic interest in him. He was good-looking, clean-cut, and had a good temper—a rare type in the circle. Everyone loved to chat with him more; he was pleasing to the eye even if just standing there.

Xie Ci always maintained a distance from those people. He looked easy to talk to, but he didn’t let anyone get close.

Yet, once he faced Ji Xiuheng, Xie Ci automatically let down his guard, showing trust and reliance. This made Mo Li even more conflicted: should he poke through this layer of window paper or not?

On the phone screen, Xie Ci leaned against the soft pillows at the head of the bed, waves rising in his heart. He knew he was a bit slow when it came to feelings. When he traveled with his senior brothers in the past, he was often mocked for being a “block of wood” who didn’t understand the benefits of flirting with girls.

Back then, he felt that romance was uninteresting—nothing more than two people making a bunch of promises. How could that compare to traveling the world and performing heroic deeds?

But hearing Mo Li say just now that Brother Ji was a bit different toward him, those scattered fragments of the past seemed to suddenly come alive, tapping away at his “wooden” heart bit by bit.

In the end, Mo Li didn’t voice his inner thoughts. Even best friends need boundaries. Seeing Xie Ci’s slightly reddened ear tips, he stopped while he was ahead.

Xie Ci hung up the video and buried himself in the soft quilt. His exposed eyes reflected a pair of cat figurines on the nightstand. The two cats huddled together, their tails hooked, which also hooked open the heart’s door that Xie Ci had just had tapped open.

Xie Ci had never thought about who he would spend his life with. Perhaps it would have been an interesting girl, and they would have spent their lives bickering like most couples in the world. But that fantasy was too vague, so much so that it vanished instantly when faced with a real person and real feelings.

The night was silent. The pitter-patter of raindrops hit the guest room window, and along with the sound of breathing from the room next door, it faded into the deep curtain of rain.

The next day, the sky after the rain was exceptionally clear. The warm winter sun shone onto the floor of the room.

Xie Ci had just finished washing up and stepped out of his room when he saw Ji Xiuheng wearing an ink-blue canvas apron, standing at the kitchen door. The waist ties emphasized his lean build and well-trained shoulders. His sleeves were rolled up at the forearms, revealing smooth muscle lines.

“Awake? Come have breakfast.” Ji Xiuheng’s expression was relaxed, and he was holding a cup of warm milk.

Xie Ci hurried into the kitchen to help carry plates, but Ji Xiuheng pulled him to sit at the dining table. “Alright, just eat your breakfast. Don’t you have to go to the set to film later?”

Xie Ci was pressed into the chair, the faint heat from Ji Xiuheng’s touch lingering on his shoulder. “I’m really embarrassed, Brother Ji, freeloading meals at your house.”

As he spoke, a steaming egg sandwich was stuffed into his hand.

Ji Xiuheng smiled. “It wasn’t easy to get you to stay; of course, I have to take good care of you.” He sat beside Xie Ci. “This way, next time I won’t even have to invite you—Xiao Xie will want to stay on his own.”

Xie Ci’s earlobes turned hot again.

After the meal, Mo Li had already been waiting in the car downstairs for a while to pick Xie Ci up for the set.

Ji Xiuheng stood domestically at the door. After watching Xie Ci hurry downstairs, he sat back at the table and unhurriedly picked up the cup Xie Ci had used for milk, his fingertip tracing the rim.

The apartment felt instantly lonely with one person gone, but Ji Xiuheng was certain in his heart: sooner or later, he would have Xie Ci stay here for a long, long time. Not upstairs, not in the guest room, but together with him—in one bedroom, in one bed.

Ji Xiuheng took off the apron and slowly walked to the guest room where Xie Ci had slept last night. He lay lazily on the bed, instantly surrounded by the youth’s scent. It was faint, and a hint of warmth still lingered in the quilt.

“How was last night?” Mo Li asked concernedly from the driver’s seat.

“What do you mean ‘how was it’?” Having spent a lot of time with Ji Xiuheng, Xie Ci had learned quite a few of his usual conversational tactics. “I slept very well, straight through until morning.”

Mo Li glanced at Xie Ci sideways, gave a “humph,” and didn’t ask further.

When they arrived at the set, Qiao Mingyue and the others were filming a morning scene. Ming Yang was sitting in the director’s chair, watching the monitor.

After the second female lead returned to her country, under the pampering of the old Emperor, she turned back into the arrogant and overbearing Eldest Princess of the past. However, she was now more aware of boundaries and had become her Imperial Father’s “happy fruit.”

Qiao Mingyue leaned against the Emperor’s knees, her face full of trust and admiration. She complained: “Imperial Father, surely I don’t have to remain a widow for that man for the rest of my life?” Her luxurious dress was pleated, the interwoven gold threads shimmering. “Your daughter heard that Minister Mei’s son is not yet married…”

The son of Minister Mei that Qiao Mingyue mentioned was the second female lead’s childhood sweetheart before her marriage a distant nephew of her maternal uncle. The two grew up together; if not for that political marriage, they would have long been a couple.

On the monitor, Qiao Mingyue’s eyes were full of fawning and pleading, looking exactly like a devoted woman longing to be with her sweetheart.

The Emperor, played by Li Anguo, was naturally majestic. The kind expression on his face didn’t change at all, but his gaze turned cold. “Zhu’er, you are married now. Your father could not bear to see you widowed alone in a foreign land, so bringing you back has already broken the ancestors’ precedents.”

His words were gentle, but left no room for negotiation. “That son of Minister Mei just requested a marriage decree from me; he is currently preparing for his wedding with the daughter of the Wu family.” He patted the princess’s hair. “You are not a child anymore; be less willful with your father in the future.”

The smile on Qiao Mingyue’s face looked worse than crying. Her original brilliance withered instantly, yet she still offered her thanks and led her maids back to her palace.

As soon as she returned to the palace, the sadness and loss on Qiao Mingyue’s face vanished, replaced by complete disdain. She took a letter sent by the Sixth Brother from her jewelry box and smiled softly.

What was Minister Mei’s son worth? He was old and fading; it was just a small show of submission to her Sixth Brother. However, she did remember the beautiful guard following her Sixth Brother young and fresh, he had piqued her interest.

“Cut! Good state, Mingyue.” This praise from Ming Yang was sincere. At the start of filming, Qiao Mingyue was even suppressed by the junior Su Wu, but now she could skillfully switch between the emotions of the scene greed, anger, and resentment were all performed perfectly.

Qiao Mingyue smiled, greeted Xie Ci, and returned to her dressing room.

“Xiao Xie, sit.” Director Ming waved her hand, signaling Xie Ci to sit beside her.

In the plot for episode ten, both the male lead and the second lead are gradually entering the core of the court’s power struggle. After Wan Yuya played by Xie Ci reveals his abilities in episode ten, he is pushed onto the court by the Sixth Prince and the Eldest Princess, becoming their strongest blade. However, the lifespan of this blade is destined to be very short.

“You have a lot of action scenes to film today, and the difficulty is quite high. Can you handle it?” Ming Yang was still a bit worried; after all, Xie Ci hadn’t participated in the crew’s concentrated training.

Xie Ci said: “I’ve rehearsed the movements with the instructors a few times; the effect is okay.”

Ming Yang was usually busy, so she only found time to watch Xie Ci practice his sequences once. She had a basic idea of his capability; otherwise, she wouldn’t have kept all of Xie Ci’s action scenes. Seeing Xie Ci’s confident words, Ming Yang didn’t ask more, giving a hearty laugh. “Fine, then I’ll see your performance today!”

In the dressing room, Mo Li sat on the sofa, reading the script while watching Xie Ci’s makeup being applied.

“Wow, there are so many action scenes here; the contrast with the past is huge.” Mo Li flipped a page. It was the plot where the second lead is ordered to pursue assassins.

Xie Ci lowered his eyes, allowing the makeup artist to layer eye shadow. “The second lead’s martial prowess in the later stage can go one-on-one with the male lead without losing. The first action scene definitely needs a good performance.”

Xie Ci was very familiar with the script. While waiting for scenes at the set, he specifically sought out the scriptwriter and martial arts director to rehearse several times, just to present the best filming effect today.

The makeup artist held Xie Ci’s face up with satisfaction. “Perfect! We can do the hair now.”

In the mirror, Xie Ci’s makeup was slightly heavier than before. The deepened shadows under his brow bone better matched the second lead’s current state in the plot.

The storm is coming, and old acquaintances meet on a narrow path.

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