I Became Famous in the Entertainment Industry with High Martial Arts Skills - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Intent Born of Beauty

Filming was in full swing during the morning. Having just stepped off the plane, Ji Xiuheng checked the time and hurried toward the film set by car.

“Brother Ji, let’s take this route. There are too many people camping out in front; the road is completely blocked.”

The assistant driving for Ji Xiuheng was named Zhou Mo. Looking at the crowd swarming outside the production base with a worried expression, he decisively chose an alternate path to enter the studio.

From the back seat, Ji Xiuheng let out a soft “Mm” and continued to rest with his eyes closed. As the core lead of the film, his filming pressure was immense. In recent days, he had taken on several extra commercial bookings to repay old favors, leaving him with almost no time for rest. Zhou Mo knew how hard he was working and drove with extra care, avoiding potholes to ensure a smooth ride.

The matte black sedan adjusted its direction and slowly entered the set through a secluded side road.

At the entrance of the filming site, amidst the crowded throng, a man in gray clothes holding a DSLR camera glanced toward the vehicle. Years of experience as a freelance celebrity photographer gave him a keen sense that this car was definitely worth a shot. It was his first time seeing this license plate—had a big star in the crew bought a new car?

Fingering his camera, a glint flashed in the man’s dull eyes. For people like him, the bigger the star, the higher the price they could sell the photos for. Thinking of the astronomical debt in his bank account, his bloodshot eyes turned even more ruthless. He roughly shoved aside a petite girl shouting her idol’s name and forced his way to the very front.

“Xiuheng, come here! This is Little Xie.” Zhang Yunjiang spoke cheerfully to the newly arrived Ji Xiuheng, gesturing toward Xie Ci, who was already in full hair and makeup, waiting for the shoot.

“Hello, Teacher Ji. I am Xie Ci. It is an honor to work with you.”

Wearing a tattered costume stained with blood, Xie Ci introduced himself naturally to the tall, upright man before him.

Ji Xiuheng nodded with a slight smile. “I heard Director Zhang mention before that he found the perfect Silver Thirteen. Seeing you today, it’s clearly true.”

The man had deep eyes and a handsome, dignified face. The focused way he spoke to Xie Ci was simply overflowing with charm. Xie Ci recalled the comments he’d seen from the public while cramming industry knowledge: No wonder he’s been voted ‘The Man People Most Want to Marry’ for several consecutive years. He truly had the charisma to back it up.

He had already heard from Director Zhang that Ji Xiuheng was the one who recommended him for the audition, so he already felt positively toward the man. After this brief exchange, his impression of the “Film Emperor,” who lacked any air of arrogance, improved even further.

Although he had only been with the crew for a few days, he had heard plenty of gossip. His friend Mo Li had been so angry several times that he wanted to go and argue, but Xie Ci had stopped him. In any place, there are people who “worship the high and trample the low.” Having just escaped his former company with Mo Li, the most important thing now was to seize this acting opportunity.

Zhang Yunjiang was naturally happy to see them getting along. Since the characters Ji Xiuheng and Xie Ci played were somewhere between friends and master-servant, a good relationship off-camera would help the actors immerse themselves in their roles.

As filming continued, Zhang Yunjiang hurried back to the monitor at the call of the production head to resume his directing duties.

“Brother Chen, that newcomer just entered Film Emperor Ji’s dressing room. I heard Ji is being especially kind to him.” The assistant, carrying takeout specifically ordered for Chen Yutian, looked indignant.

“Ji Xiuheng is kind to everyone. What does that have to do with that newcomer?” The man scrolling through his phone spoke with a sarcastic tone, clearly filled with jealousy and dissatisfaction.

The assistant unwrapped the chopsticks and handed them to Chen Yutian. “I’d heard the Film Emperor was easygoing, but I didn’t expect him to be this nice to a rookie.”

On the smartphone screen, a fan-made “recommendation” video of Ji Xiuheng happened to pop up on the trending feed. Chen Yutian turned off the screen and sneered. “Easygoing? In all these years, I haven’t seen many people in this circle get close to him. He just tricks people like you with a few polite platitudes.”

The assistant rolled his eyes behind his back, thinking: Better than someone like you who can’t even manage platitudes.

The warmed-up food emitted a tempting aroma, but the assistant, A-Ya, couldn’t focus. He thought of the deal he had made with Wang Long from the props team at noon, and a faint sense of unease gnawed at him. However, with the crew outside busily setting up the afternoon’s filming site, he could only suppress his anxiety and grit his teeth, pretending to know nothing. After all, he was just a minor assistant.

Chen Yutian also noticed the commotion outside. His thin eyebrows arched after removing his makeup; he couldn’t wait to see Xie Ci’s performance shortly.

Just past noon, Zhang Yunjiang was focused on filming the female lead, Ming Miaowei, in a scene where she begs for mercy at the palace gates. Gu Xingfeng was also on hand to provide guidance.

Realizing the afternoon’s scenes focused primarily on himself and Xie Ci, and not wanting to waste more time on pleasantries, Ji Xiuheng spoke to Xie Ci: “The filming task this afternoon is heavy. Why don’t you come to my dressing room to touch up your makeup? It’ll make it easier to run lines.”

Xie Ci’s eyes lit up. “Okay! Then I’ll have to ask for your guidance, Teacher Ji!”

Under the warm yellow sunlight, the youth’s “battle-damaged” makeup made his face look even more transparent and fragile. A small dimple appeared on his cheek due to his gratitude, adding a touch of pitiable charm.

Ji Xiuheng’s expression remained unchanged, but his eyelids lowered almost imperceptibly for a fraction of a second, his deep gaze sweeping over that little dimple on the youth’s cheek.

The male and female leads of Diving Abyss had private dressing rooms, which were a grade higher in decor and size compared to the public ones. Xie Ci sat in a large, soft chair; in contrast to Ji Xiuheng beside him, his frame appeared even more slender.

Xie Ci: I miss my old lean and powerful body a little… Now, all he could feel was soft, pale skin.

As if sensing Xie Ci’s secret gaze, Ji Xiuheng, who was having his eye makeup applied, spoke with his eyes half-closed: “Little Xie, according to your understanding, what kind of person is Silver Thirteen?”

The man’s voice was deep, speaking as if in casual conversation. Having his chin tilted up slightly by the makeup artist to apply a layer of loose powder, Xie Ci blinked and answered word for word: “Actually, I feel that Silver Thirteen has a ruthless, murderous side, but also a sense of innocence from being worldly-unaware.”

“Innocence? That’s the first time I’ve heard that evaluation.” Ji Xiuheng glanced at Xie Ci, his tone carrying a hint of curiosity.

Simultaneous with Ji Xiuheng’s voice was that of Gu Xingfeng. He had just entered the dressing room and overheard Xie Ci’s words, unable to resist digging deeper.

“Little Xie, many people in the screenwriting team have summarized Silver Thirteen. Most say he is ruthless and impulsive; some say he is carefree and unrestrained. This is the first time I’ve heard someone call him ‘innocent’?” The old man’s eyes twinkled as he asked.

Though Silver Thirteen had little screen time, Gu Xingfeng had poured a lot of heart into this character who disrupts the court and then vanishes. This was why he had insisted on multiple auditions with Zhang Yunjiang to find the right person. Hearing Xie Ci’s take, he felt a spark of new ideas.

Ji Xiuheng also showed more interest, waiting for Xie Ci’s response.

“Silver Thirteen has no parents, no master, and belongs to no sect. He hasn’t received the moral teachings of elders in either the court or the martial world. His concepts of ‘how to be a human’ are blurred; many of his actions have a child-like innocence,” Xie Ci said slowly. “Therefore, he does both good and bad things based purely on his mood. Many traditional concepts don’t exist for him, much like an uneducated child.”

Normally, children are symbols of purity, but in some cases, they also possess a natural, animalistic cruelty. Because they haven’t experienced much of the world and don’t understand moral constraints, they have a type of raw, reckless audacity. The Silver Thirteen in the script was exactly such a character—his ruthlessness lay in killing without blinking, yet he didn’t kill indiscriminately; his innocence lay in being apart from worldly affairs, acting with simple directness.

“Hahaha! Good! This interpretation is very interesting!” Gu Xingfeng laughed, becoming increasingly satisfied with Xie Ci. “To portray a character well, an actor must understand that character’s inner world. You truly have a talent for this.”

Ji Xiuheng’s face also took on a more serious expression as he began to truly observe Xie Ci. It seemed he wasn’t just a pretty face; he did have a flair for acting. The dignified man wore a gentle smile, but internally, he was quite critical as he updated his initial assessment.

The praised youth showed a small sense of pride in his features, looking at Ji Xiuheng with trust. Ji Xiuheng’s gaze paused for a moment before returning a look of even greater appreciation.

After the props and filming preparations were ready, Xie Ci curiously felt the wire-work equipment attached to his body.

His old body had internal energy and he had practiced “lightness skills,” but this current body was still weak and couldn’t move as freely as before. With this equipment provided by the crew, his small worries vanished.

The scene where Song Yu first meets Silver Thirteen followed two parallel lines: the former had come to a brothel to gather intelligence on an official corruption case, while the latter was being pursued and heavily injured after rescuing a bride who was being forced into a marriage.

Song Yu’s gaze was indifferent as he sat at a small table in a corner of the hall. Even without royal robes, he carried a natural aura of nobility. The man opposite him was breaking into a cold sweat; realizing his hidden ledgers were missing, he had begun to guess the identity of the man before him, only regretting his carelessness.

Song Yu flicked the tea leaves with his lid. The situation was settled; these “moths” of the state were nothing more than grasshoppers in autumn. However, just as he raised his cup, a commotion erupted on the second floor.

“Don’t let him run!”

“Stop that little thief!” Several burly men were chasing a youth who was fleeing in a hurry.

The disheveled youth shouted back without intimidation: “These people are forcing the innocent into prostitution! They saw my beauty and wanted to force me to stay here and serve guests!”

For a moment, all the guests in the building looked toward his face, wanting to see this “beauty.” Amidst the rustle of clothes, a snow-white face stained with blood entered everyone’s sight. Ravishing and exquisite—truly a beauty!

Some guests below who were inclined toward men were eager to “rescue the beauty,” but they shrunk back, wary of the clubs and blades held by the pursuers.

Silver Thirteen’s brow was furrowed. He knew he had been drugged due to carelessness; his body was weak, and even his excellent martial arts couldn’t be used. Seeing the men cornering him, he actually leaped straight from the second floor, his landing point being exactly the corner where Song Yu was sitting.

“Snap—Riiip!” A load-bearing strap attached to the wire-work harness made a snapping sound. The resulting chain reaction instantly shocked the entire filming site.

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