I Became Famous in the Entertainment Industry with High Martial Arts Skills - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: A Highlight Appearance Once More

” Han River Crossing, Episode 10, Scene 53, Take 3, Take 1 Action!”

Under the swaying camera, accompanied by a rapid heartbeat, the sound of heavily suppressed breathing echoed from beneath the pitch-black underside of a bed.

“Big sister, I’m scared…”

A tender child’s voice uttered these words with a tremble, only to be instantly covered by the woman’s hand beside him.

“Where is that mouse-like sound coming from? Tear the house apart and find them for me.” A cold voice, laced with fifty percent malice, rang out from outside the room. Subsequently, the once dim boudoir of the young girl was instantly illuminated as if it were broad daylight.

The lens shifted from the pair of hands cupping the child’s cheeks under the bed, trailing along the floor all the way up, landing on the gold-woven satin high-topped black boots worn by the speaker.

The camera halted.

Then came a cry that pierced the clouds, followed by the woman’s piteous pleas for mercy.

“Master Wan, Master Wan! I beg you to spare my brother. He knows nothing; he is still just a child.” The woman was pinned down by men, yet she still struggled to kneel and beg for a way out for the boy beside her.

The camera pulled back and upward. Through the hazy glimmer of candlelight, a man dressed in red official robes, surrounded by a crowd, gazed from afar as he appeared in the frame.

“He knows nothing? Then it is time to let him know a bit more.” The man turned half his body, his robes fluttering. That jade-like, breathtaking face of a beauty appeared clearly on the director’s monitor.

Ming Yang held her thermos and took a sip of water, exceptionally satisfied with this entrance.

Sinister, yet beautiful it perfectly matched Wan Yuya’s current state in the script.

The woman clearly knew her family had become pawns with no room for maneuver. Her crying gradually turned into curses: “Wan Yuya, you dog! You bully who relies on powerful connections! I bet you climbed up by licking someone’s feet…” Before she could finish, her mouth was crudely gagged by the soldiers holding her.

Silence returned to the room. Outside the courtyard, wails filled the air.

Wan Yuya was not angered by the insults. He merely gave a light smile and waved his hand. His subordinates understood the signal and dragged the siblings out of the courtyard.

From the moment the woman began insulting Wan Yuya, the subordinates beside him had lowered their heads and bowed their bodies in fear.

Licking someone’s feet? It’s more likely the people in the capital want to lick their Master Wan’s feet!

The visuals of this scene were extremely exquisite. The design of some settings almost perfectly mirrored the sequence of the Wan family’s raid in Episode 6 pavilions and towers ruined, beautiful maids and servant boys all locked in a single courtyard.

Except, the once-shivering lamb had become tonight’s executioner. He sat in a grandmaster’s chair, listening with a cold expression as his subordinates reported the items seized from the raid.

Xiao Ya and Mo Li stood outside the set, both their faces showing tension.

“Cut! This shot is done. Prepare to change scenes for the next shoot!” Ming Yang squinted, her large megaphone issuing the command.

“Sweet! Another one-take pass. Looks like we might get off work early tonight, hehe.” Xiao Xiao of the crew bumped the shoulder of his work buddy, speaking with a grin.

“God bless, let the next one be a one-take pass too. This humble believer is willing to swear upon the life of my enemy…” The friend rolled her eyes and began to pray devoutly.

“Hey, hey! I’ve already joined Teacher Xie’s fan group. Are you joining?”

The friend raised an eyebrow. “I was wondering why you became so proactive at work. So you’ve started chasing stars too? Good for you!”

Xiao Xiao raised a fist as if to strike. “He’s clearly a potential stock! His acting is visibly good, and his attitude toward us is great. It’s only human nature for me to feel this way~”

“Alright, alright! Everyone quiet down!” The assistant director shouted through the megaphone. The noisy set instantly went quiet, leaving only the “clatter-clatter” of horse hooves.

” Han River Crossing, Episode 10, Scene 54, Take 5, Take 1—Action!” Ming Yang stood up from her chair, focusing her gaze on the upcoming shoot.

Under the lens, Xie Ci rode a black horse with hair as smooth as silk. His movements were effortless, showing none of the timidness of his former character who only dared to ride in carriages.

The cinematographer zoomed in; he loved giving Xie Ci close-up “face-pressing” shots for the simple reason that it was a feast for the eyes, and the frames looked much more high-end.

In the silent night, Wan Yuya sat steadily on his horse, wiping his hands with a snow-white handkerchief handed to him by a subordinate. Instantly, the once-pristine handkerchief was stained with blood. Against his fair hands, it displayed a somewhat eerie aesthetic beauty.

Xie Ci suppressed his breathing. His snow-white face was full of nonchalance. Sitting on his horse, he glanced into the chaotic mess of the Zhou manor’s main gate, curling his lips into a smile, his malice unmasked in his eyes.

Xiao Ya lowered her voice to Mo Li: “Xiao Ci is so hateable right now. Will he be scolded after this episode airs?”

Mo Li nodded in agreement, preparing to contact several familiar fan-edit accounts to produce more videos of Wan Yuya’s early “white moonlight” image.

If he’s bad in the late stage, use the goodness of the early stage to offset it!

The wind whistled. The tavern banners by the road were blown by the night wind, adding a touch of loneliness. The flagstone road was soaked through by days of continuous drizzle. The commoners’ houses on both sides of the street had long since turned off their lights, leaving only the silence of the streets.

“Wan” The voice stopped abruptly. Two subordinates following behind Wan Yuya fell from their horses, blood gurgling from their pierced throats.

With a whoosh of air being sliced, a life-taking arrow flew straight toward Wan Yuya on the horse.

Wan Yuya flicked his wrist, lifting the sword at his waist upward. With a clang, he easily blocked the arrow. He pulled the reins, the scent of blood from the Zhou manor still lingering on his fingertips.

On the eaves, three dark shadows tapped their toes on the tiles, slowly stepping into a semi-encircling posture, surrounding Wan Yuya in the middle.

“Crooked official! Today is the day you die!” The leading man, his face masked in black cloth, glared at the person on the horse.

Wan Yuya was not angered by the insult. He merely sat high on his horse and laughed joyfully. The curve of his lips seemed to hide a venomous scorpion, and his eyes were full of mockery.

Seeing him at death’s door yet daring to strike such a pose, the leader felt the fire of anger rise. Vowing to avenge his benefactor’s family, he raised his long sword and leaped up.

The moment the sword tip was about to pierce his throat, Xie Ci leaned back nimbly, his waist tensing into a startling arc. Then, with extreme speed, he drew his sword, exerted force from his core, and leaped from the horse’s back. With a graceful swing of his arm, blood appeared on the retracted blade.

Xiao Ya, seeing Xie Ci film an action scene like this for the first time, was dumbstruck.

The corner of Ming Yang’s mouth curled up instinctively. Her hanging heart settled as she sat back in the director’s chair.

“Just the three of you?” Wan Yuya’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was filled with mockery.

The leader’s wrist tendon had been severed. His tiger-like eyes bulged in fury, and he gritted his teeth, wanting to raise his sword again, but a shadow of fear had fallen over his heart.

Wan Yuya stepped down from the horse, stroking the black horse soothingly before standing firm in front of the three men. He crooked his finger provocatively.

“Dog official, give me your life!” The man on the left couldn’t swallow his pride. He dashed forward several steps, his blade snapping toward Wan Yuya’s waist. With a clink, the sound of metal friction set one’s teeth on edge. Wan Yuya raised his sword to press down the opponent’s blade, leaped in place, and the tip of his boot precisely struck the man’s jaw. The man flew backward, smashed heavily against the wall, and lost consciousness.

“Second Brother!” The remaining man’s face changed drastically. Just as he wanted to check on his brother, he was interrupted by a wafting fragrance.

Wan Yuya was already in front of him like a ghost. The sword blade reflected the cold moonlight, with several drops of crimson blood still lingering on it. Before he could react, the blade slashed before his eyes. The last thing he saw before the blood burst forth was the crooked official curling his lips into a smile, his eyes full of ruthless malice.

“Ah! My eyes!”

“Third Brother!” Seeing his brother’s eyes slashed blind, the leader’s eyes nearly split with rage. He raised his sword with his other hand and charged. Wan Yuya did not retreat but advanced, his body like willow catkins sliding slightly with the sword’s wind. Coordinating with the wire, he evaded the blade while pivoting on his toes, spinning three hundred and sixty degrees to flash behind the leader. His arm rose, the movement as smooth as flowing water, as he slit the man’s throat, leaving a blood-red “necklace.”

At the same time, the arrow fired from the wall lodged heavily into the leader’s flesh. Wan Yuya discarded the “human shield” with disgust and wiped his hands.

The man firing the arrows could no longer restrain himself, poking his head up from the wall. He had just shouted the words “Big Brother” when Xie Ci’s sword pierced through his chest.

With a heavy thud, the man fell from the wall, crashing onto the ground inside.

Wan Yuya looked with some regret at the empty scabbard at his waist, then casually picked it up and tossed it onto the flagstone road.

Ming Yang signaled to the special effects head, and soon, the rain rig produced an artificial fine drizzle. On the dark flagstone road, the dense raindrops splashed against it, creating thousands of even smaller water flowers, slowly licking away the blood on the ground.

In the curtain of rain, the red official robes on Xie Ci were soaked, clinging tightly to his body, outlining a thin yet killing-intent-filled physique.

Clatter-clatter-clatter the sound of hooves came from one end of the road.

Gu Huaizhou looked at Wan Yuya in the middle of the street, his eyes full of astonishment. “Young Master?”

Hearing this familiar voice, Wan Yuya, who had been standing with his back turned, retracted his gaze and turned his head in panic, his face showing a perfectly measured mix of fear and joy. “A-Zhou?”

Ever since the Wan family was raided, Gu Huaizhou had been inquiring about Wan Yuya’s whereabouts. After hesitating repeatedly, he couldn’t overcome the hurdle in his heart; unable to face the son of the man who killed his father, he had given up on searching for the missing Wan Yuya.

But when those familiar eyes looked over, he had to admit that he still held a sliver of inseparable guilt toward this young master he had exploited. Even though he was the son of his enemy, Wan Yuya had never done anything bad. Gu Huaizhou hated intensely why Wan Yuya wasn’t a cold and ruthless person like his father and brother.

That way, he wouldn’t have to carry this suppressed guilt that remained hard to resolve even today.

Li Anguo had no scenes tonight, but he was currently sitting beside Ming Yang, comfortably sipping strong tea.

“Not bad, both of them are ‘in character’.” Li Anguo smacked his lips and spat out half a tea leaf.

“They were a bit stiff at first, but I didn’t expect them to coordinate so well now.” Ming Yang chuckled, watching the two battle with their acting on the screen with satisfaction.

Xie Ci’s street action scene just now was truly beautiful, even more brilliant than during rehearsals. It left Ming Yang feeling physically and mentally refreshed and overjoyed.

Li Anguo nudged the tea leaves in his cup. “Technology is truly good now. We didn’t have such good effects with wires back then. Xiao Xie’s action scene just now was truly not bad.”

Ming Yang slapped her thigh. “Oh, how is it the wire’s credit?” She smiled happily. “Xiao Xie might not be skilled in other things, but action scenes are his forte. Our martial arts instructor is full of praise for him.”

Ming Yang’s assistant stood by, her mouth slightly agape. Isn’t their director’s boasting a bit too obvious? She had accompanied Director Ming to a dinner party a few days ago and had already heard this set of “seemingly humble but actually boasting” remarks; she didn’t expect to hear them again today.

Sure enough, Li Anguo reacted the same way as the people at the dinner, unable to stop his eyes from twitching. “Alright, alright, I know you’re happy you found a treasure. You’ve even started boasting to an old man like me.”

The reunion of the male lead and second lead caused a stir among many in the crew. Until the assistant director called “cut,” everyone gathered in twos and threes, discussing the shoot intensely.

“Thanks to Xie Ci! This is the third time recently I’ve finished work early.”

“To be fair, his acting must be top-tier in the whole crew, right? Basically everything is a one-take pass.”

“Didn’t you see Director Ming’s face? It’s practically blooming with smiles. The male lead and female lead have been putting all their effort into acting lately; the pressure must be getting to them.”

“I just asked Xiao Liu from the wire team. He said Xie Ci’s wire work this time was incredibly impressive; many movements were super fluid.”

“Seriously, the second lead kills without blinking now. The way he raided the Zhou house just now made my teeth itch.”

“Oh, you don’t understand. This is called ‘contrast.’ Once it airs and the audience scolds him, won’t the topic discussion level skyrocket?”

Xiao Ya went over to hand Xie Ci a hand warmer. Mo Li originally wanted to follow, but his attention was caught by the phone in his hand.

“Xie Ci is currently filming, mm-hmm. Endorsement? Truly unfortunate; the filming tasks are heavy lately. I’ll buy you a drink when there’s a chance, mm-hmm.” Mo Li hung up and walked toward Xie Ci, mumbling.

“What kind of off-brands are these? Never even heard of them.” Mo Li wiped the water stains from Xie Ci’s face, complaining.

“It’s fine. We can just wait for a suitable brand slowly later.” Xie Ci saw Mo Li’s troubled face and comforted him.

He was enjoying the feeling of filming with the crew more and more, especially after seeing the new script pages from Song Ling, which contained many riding and fighting scenes for the second lead, making him look forward to it even more.

Xie Ci calculated in his heart that once Han River Crossing finished filming, he would be like Brother Ji and buy himself a horse!

Mo Li’s phone chimed. He swiped the screen, and his eyes instantly lit up. ” Swordsman of the World just sent a message, inviting you for a content adaptation test in half a month.”

He looked at Xie Ci, his heart sweet with joy, and the previous complaints on his face vanished. Mo Li could already imagine the scene of his artist’s posters being plastered all over first-tier cities across the country after Xie Ci secured the endorsement.

Support