I Rely on My Versatility to Reach the Top of the Entertainment Industry [Ancient Times to Modern] - Chapter 5

The director was overjoyed as if he had stumbled upon a treasure, while inside the Buddha Hall, Jing Yi was still conversing with Jiang Wenwen.

“Benefactress, why torment yourself like this? You already have an old ailment. If you let anger take control, it may harm your fundamental health.”

Jiang Wenwen was already upset that her petty tricks had failed, and hearing Jing Yi’s words made her so furious she could barely breathe. Gnashing her teeth, she retorted, “How dare you curse me?!”

“Every word this humble monk spoke is true. How could it be considered a curse?” Jing Yi pressed his palms together in a bow. “Benefactress, this humble monk must continue cleaning the hall. Please do as you wish.”

One remained calm, while the other was still seething with rage.

This scene transitioned perfectly.

The director called “Cut!” and waved Jing Yi over.

Jing Yi approached the director and watched the replay of the scene on the monitor.

“You must have practiced those steps for a long time, right?” the director said, switching the replay to slow motion. “So fluid and seamless—perfectly executed.”

“Thank you for your praise, Director,” Jing Yi replied sincerely. “I did practice for a long time.” And endured endless teasing from the senior monks and uncles in the Arhat Hall!

Jing Yi’s humble yet straightforward expression amused the director.

He deliberately glanced at Jiang Wenwen in the distance before turning back with a smile and dismissing Jing Yi to rest.

The crew, aware that the next scene would be shot elsewhere, had already begun packing and moving equipment.

The director didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he watched the replay of the scene alone once more.

Having too strong a bias wasn’t a good thing. Online rumors and gossip had painted Jing Yi as an utterly terrible actor, but in actual performance, Jiang Wenwen—who had gained some fame from a few web dramas—was consistently being led by Jing Yi’s acting.

Tsk, tsk. Resorting to petty tricks without real skill—such people would never make a name for themselves in the entertainment industry!

The director stood up, picked up his things, and moved to the next location with the crew.

Apart from the Buddha Hall, the settings in Seduce the Monk included the temple and the forest. Xuan Kong needed to gather firewood in the forest, collect herbs, and encounter the evil cultivator who was determined to capture Shui’er for alchemical purposes.

Xuan Kong would engage in a magical battle with the cultivator, who, after being defeated, would flee and later resort to deceit, inciting the villagers to force Xuan Kong to hand over the fox demon Shui’er.

In the original script, Xuan Kong had already developed unconscious feelings for Shui’er by this point, which was why he hesitated when the villagers came to the mountain to pressure him.

However, in the adapted script, Xuan Kong did not blindly trust the villagers. Instead, he took Shui’er to the village to investigate. If all went smoothly, the director hoped to film the daytime scenes up to this point.

But for now, the priority was to shoot the scene where Xuan Kong, while gathering herbs, encounters the evil cultivator who attacks him without warning.

This was a martial arts sequence requiring wirework.

The director had the actor playing the evil cultivator practice on the side and instructed Jing Yi to film the firewood-gathering and herb-collecting scenes first.

It was currently summer, so there weren’t many dry branches in the forest. To ensure the shooting effect, the crew had scattered plenty of dry branches in advance.

Jing Yi slung the firewood basket on his back and, just as he had done countless times at the temple, bent down to pick up branches from the ground.

The camera followed Jing Yi’s movements, tracking forward.

Dappled sunlight filtered through the trees as Xuan Kong, clad in cyan monastic robes, straightened up to survey the area for more dry branches. His posture was tall and graceful. Any single frame could be frozen into a timeless, classical painting.

Perhaps Jing Yi was born to play a monk—his sense for the camera was impeccable!

The cinematographer was thoroughly enjoying himself, a smile lingering on his face throughout.

After gathering firewood, it was time to collect herbs.

This time, Jiang Wenwen was also going to appear on camera. She played Shui’er, who would deliberately pick some weeds and put them in Xuan Kong’s medicine basket while he was gathering herbs. However, she would eventually be moved by Xuan Kong’s words and end up collecting herbs with him.

Jing Yi put on the medicine basket and walked while looking down and scanning the surroundings.

Suppressing her irritation, Jiang Wenwen bounced over to Jing Yi’s side. She randomly plucked a handful of green grass from the ground and threw it into Jing Yi’s medicine basket.

“Silly monk, I’m here to help you~ Haha~”

“Thank you, benefactress.” Jing Yi glanced at the grass Jiang Wenwen had torn off and said with a smile, “What you just picked is cocklebur leaves, which can treat migratory arthralgia.”

Cocklebur is a common Chinese medicinal herb, with both its seeds and leaves having medicinal properties. However, in this scene, Jing Yi’s original line should have been: “Benefactress, you happened to pick an herb that can cure the pain in your body.”

Jiang Wenwen had never studied this kind of knowledge and only knew that Jing Yi had messed up his line and randomly made up a name. She couldn’t help but laugh.

The expression was too abrupt.

The director frowned: “Cut! Jiang Wenwen, what’s going on?”

“Director, he changed his lines again,” Jiang Wenwen complained. “This NG isn’t my fault—it’s his.”

“Heh.” The director chuckled. “When you changed your acting before, Jing Yi didn’t cause an NG because of it. Besides, Jing Yi is right—that really is cocklebur.”

The statement was reasonable and well-founded, but it sounded like he was covering for Jing Yi.

Jiang Wenwen’s breathing hitched for a moment, and a dull pain throbbed in her chest again. Thinking of the director’s connections, she forced a smile and said, “I’m sorry, Director, it’s my fault… But he changed his lines—how should I respond?”

“Do you know the key point of this scene? The fox demon Shui’er was originally causing trouble, but because beasts are naturally curious, she becomes interested in the medicinal principles Xuan Kong talks about and stops making trouble. Think carefully about Shui’er’s psychological transition. I’ll give you two minutes.”

“Okay, thank you for your guidance, Director.” Reluctantly, Jiang Wenwen took a long time before making a gesture to show she understood.

The clapperboard snapped again.

Jiang Wenwen plucked another handful of cocklebur and threw it into Jing Yi’s medicine basket, reenacting the scene from before.

This time, her expression of curiosity was just right.

However, Jiang Wenwen still couldn’t resist the urge to make Jing Yi get scolded by the director too.

So, she casually pulled up some of the shortest moss on the ground and tossed it into the medicine basket: “Then what kind of medicinal herb is this, silly monk?”

Jing Yi took the medicine basket off, picked out the weeds, and said, “Benefactress, this is not medicinal—it’s just ordinary weeds.”

The same scene repeated itself, with quite a bit of dirt being thrown into the medicine basket.

Jing Yi, distressed over the herbs he had collected, frowned slightly.

Seeing that Jing Yi finally showed an annoyed expression, Jiang Wenwen felt smug and looked around for the next thing to randomly toss into the medicine basket.

On camera, the girl in ancient costume took a few steps forward, intending to pick the morning glories twining around a tree. Just as she reached out, a tiger appeared not far away!

The tiger’s beastly eyes fixed on the girl, its body crouched low as it advanced. Its head, front paws, and midsection gradually came into the shot.

The cameraman’s hands trembled, and the crew members nearby widened their eyes in shock… A tiger? Where did a real tiger come from in the filming location?

Jiang Wenwen, who had been focused on the morning glories, now saw the massive creature emerging from behind a tree.

She plopped down on the ground, opening her mouth to let out a loud scream.

As the tiger opened its jaws and lunged forward with its claws raised, Jiang Wenwen gasped heavily, wanting to run but realizing her legs had gone so weak she couldn’t move. She closed her eyes, waiting for the pain that might come.

“Jing Yi! Don’t!” Xue An’s panicked cry rang out at that moment.

Jiang Wenwen opened her eyes.

The figure in the blue monk’s robe had somehow appeared in front of her, his back arched backward as he grabbed the tiger’s front paws with both hands. Astonishingly, he alone managed to halt the tiger’s attack!

Overwhelmed with relief after narrowly escaping death, tears welled up in Jiang Wenwen’s eyes. She bit down on her hand, not daring to make another sound.

She had always wanted to bully Jing Yi, yet when danger struck, he had actually shielded her! But what about Jing Yi? An adult tiger weighed at least 150 kilograms!

The others present shared Jiang Wenwen’s thoughts.

Those who knew a bit more had turned pale with fear.

An adult tiger indeed weighed around 150 kilograms, but the pressure Jing Yi was enduring had to be far greater. After all, the tiger’s momentum added to its weight as it pounced.

“Director, what… what should we do?”

Someone stammered, turning to the director for a solution.

The director stood up but didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he yelled toward the scene, “Jiang Wenwen, what are you waiting for? Run!”

Did she have no sense at all? Couldn’t she see the cameraman had already grabbed his camera and was backing away?

After shouting, the director pulled out his phone. “What can we do? I’ll call the police. You contact emergency services.”

How long could Jing Yi’s slender arms hold out? Especially now that the tiger had started to retreat slightly, its sharp-toothed mouth snapping downward.

Everyone was panicking when, from another direction, voices suddenly sounded: “Over here, over here! Quick, get ready to shoot!”

Hearing the word “shoot,” Jing Yi glanced toward the woods.

He furrowed his brow, released the tiger’s front limbs, and shifted his position.

The tiger-capture team member who had arrived with a gun shouted urgently, “Hey, young actor, don’t stand in my line of fire! It’s dangerous!”

Jing Yi didn’t respond.

He remained in place, but the look in his dark eyes had undergone a dramatic transformation.

Originally, Jing Yi’s gaze had been gentle and harmless, completely non-threatening. Now, his eyes had become fearsome and intensely intimidating.

The tiger’s pupils narrowed, its ears drooped, and it slowly began to retreat.

As the tiger backed away, Jing Yi stepped forward.

One step after another.

Gradually, Jing Yi softened the aggression in his eyes. By the time he reached the tiger, his aura had returned to harmless.

The tiger tilted its large head slightly. Its innate animal instincts made it realize the human before it was still not to be trifled with.

It didn’t dare move further, staying in place with its body lowered and ears flattened back.

Seeing the tiger submit so quickly, Jing Yi withdrew the inner force from his hands and reached out to stroke the tiger’s head.

At first, the tiger remained motionless. Once it confirmed Jing Yi only intended to pet it—and that the rubbing and scratching felt particularly soothing—it slowly began to emit a submissive purr from its throat.

Jing Yi smiled faintly.

He stroked the tiger’s chin a few more times, allowing it to relax completely before turning around.

“It’s alright now. No need to shoot.”

From a distance, Lu Yuzhi narrowed his eyes slightly.

The young actor affectionately stroked the tiger, his delicate features forming an exceptionally gentle face. He gazed down at the docile tiger beside him, a slight, charming curve gracing his lips.

A massive beast of prey paired with a slender, handsome monk… Such a combination, such a breathtaking scene…

“Are you Jing Yi?” Lu Yuzhi heard himself ask.

Jing Yi widened his eyes slightly, stepping half a pace forward to shield the tiger as he looked up and replied, “Hmm? How does the benefactor know my name… May I ask who you are?”

Lu Yuzhi’s dark eyes held a soft quality.

“I am Lu Yuzhi.” He glanced at the tiger pressed close to Jing Yi, its eyes filled with vigilance. “You’ve done very well. Now, I’d like to ask for a small favor. Could you help me take Lu Yi back to his cage?”

Jing Yi shook his head.

“Mr. Lu, I’m afraid that’s not possible right now. Could you… prepare some bandages and medicine?”

People nearby overheard Jing Yi’s response and turned to look at him.

They thought Jing Yi might be injured somewhere.

“Are you hurt?” Lu Yuzhi asked.

Jing Yi shook his head again, pointing to the tiger’s left forelimb.

“It’s injured.”

“Roar.” The tiger lifted its left paw, its round eyes fixed on Lu Yuzhi.

Seeing the nail head embedded in the tiger’s paw pad, Lu Yuzhi’s eyes darkened momentarily. He patted the tiger’s head and called for someone to bring bandages and Yunnan Baiyao.

These items were usually prepared in advance by the film crew for emergencies.

“Thank you.” Jing Yi expressed his gratitude to Lu Yuzhi before turning and pointing to the ground. “Sit.”

The tiger tilted its head, glanced at Lu Yuzhi, then slowly sat down.

Jing Yi lifted one of the tiger’s front paws, speaking softly, “So your name is Lu Yi. Are you and Mr. Lu friends? This humble monk once had a friend like you too.”

He gently massaged the tiger’s paw until he heard someone announce the supplies had arrived. Suddenly, he pinched the nail head and pulled it out with force.

The tiger Lu Yi howled in pain, its wild instincts surfacing as it lowered its head to bite Jing Yi.

However, a hand reached over and firmly held its head back.

Lu Yi recognized the scent. Its breathing intensified, but it ultimately stopped struggling.

The onlookers were too stunned to speak, especially Xue An. Tears welled in the corners of his eyes, his entire expression even beginning to contort.

From excitement!

His artist had tamed a tiger and emerged completely unscathed – he was excited! His artist could share the frame with film emperor Lu Yuzhi – he was even more excited!

Lu Yuzhi was the male actor with the most consecutive Best Actor awards in today’s entertainment industry.

Since his debut, he had left behind numerous unforgettable film and television works. Topics about him always maintained a presence on Weibo, with fans spanning all ages and genders.

Such popularity wasn’t just due to his god-like acting skills, but also because of his upright character.

Zero scandals since debut, positive guidance for fans, transparent donations and operations by his charity team…

Xue An couldn’t help but take a few steps forward, wanting to watch his artist interact with the film emperor up close.