Chapter 27
Chapter 27
Ji Lingze stared fixedly at Lu Yao.
What had happened?
As the director, he should have understood Lu Yao’s talent better than anyone. He had known for a long time that the young woman had a gift for acting. All she lacked was experience and a good teacher.
He had no intention of becoming that teacher.
It would undoubtedly be difficult to move the heart of a newcomer whose debut went smoothly and who lacked neither resources, acting ability, nor connections. It would be even harder to enter her heart and become the one person she trusted and relied on wholeheartedly.
But what if he extended a helping hand when she was at her lowest?
That was why he pretended not to notice Sun Lie’s little schemes and ignored the crew’s blatant ostracism.
He was waiting for the right opportunity to step in.
But now, who was it?
Who had taught her and changed her?
He watched as she overwhelmed her opponent for the first time and delivered a perfect entrance, yet showed no trace of excitement.
She ignored the commotion around Sun Lie ahead of her and instead turned to look toward the left.
An unfamiliar young woman stood beneath the shade of a tree and met her gaze.
Zhu Yin raised a hand and gave her a thumbs-up.
The ice melted away.
Lu Yao had acted entirely on instinct. Zhu Yin was the person she trusted most on the set now. The moment her performance ended, she instinctively turned around, hoping for her approval.
When Zhu Yin openly gave it, the corners of Lu Yao’s mouth lifted in a smile.
Ji Lingze frowned and called sternly, “Lu Yao!”
Her budding smile vanished at once. Lu Yao looked at him calmly. “What is it, Director?”
“…You performed well just now,” Ji Lingze said.
Then he asked, “Your movements in that action scene were textbook. Have you been practicing in private?”
“Mm.”
She offered no further explanation and did not study Ji Lingze’s expression. She merely thought in mild surprise that being praised by the director felt no more remarkable than this.
Ji Lingze observed her expression but said nothing further. Raising his voice, he called, “Sun Lie, are you ready?”
“I’m ready,” Sun Lie quickly replied.
He composed himself and walked over. When he saw Lu Yao, he emphasized as though he had something to prove, “I only missed my line because I was caught off guard just now.”
Lu Yao nodded to show she understood. Holding her sword, she was hoisted by the wire rig and concealed in the tree.
Filming resumed.
To many people’s disappointment, Lu Yao’s movements were just as textbook-perfect and beautiful the second time she appeared. The previous take had clearly been no fleeting stroke of luck.
This time, Sun Lie was prepared and blocked the assassin’s thrust.
In close-up, the killer’s cold gaze sharpened. Using her sword as a pivot, she spun through the air and drove a powerful kick toward her target’s shoulder.
The production’s fight choreographer’s eyes lit up. What a beautiful move!
Sun Lie saw it too. His first thought was that this woman must have deliberately concealed her ability before. Acting might suddenly click overnight, but there were no shortcuts to the kind of physical skill that required genuine, arduous training.
Sun Lie could not make sense of why Lu Yao would hide her ability, and his thoughts became a jumble. Meanwhile, he instinctively followed the planned sequence, raising and bending his right arm to block the strike.
An enormous force slammed into him. Agony shot through his arm, and Sun Lie’s eyes flew open. Before he could react, the force carried him off the horse and sent him crashing to the ground.
The entire set instantly descended into chaos as everyone rushed to check on him.
Fortunately, he wore an arm guard beneath the narrow sleeve of his costume, so Lu Yao’s kick did not break a bone. Even so, a large bruise soon spread over his arm, showing just how much force the blow had carried.
The fall from the horse also left him with a few minor scrapes.
Lu Yao remained frozen in place. Watching the production doctor treat Sun Lie’s injuries, she apologized. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know I was this strong.”
She was confused too. She was certain that she had possessed only the ordinary strength of a young woman before.
Could it be…? Something stirred in her mind as she remembered the green drink Zhu Yin had given her.
Sun Lie’s expression was ugly. Being kicked from a horse by an actress he had always looked down on was profoundly humiliating.
His assistant was already shrieking, “Lu Yao, what was that supposed to mean? Were you trying to murder our artist?”
Lu Yao was speechless.
She had never been articulate, and after a trip through an apocalyptic scenario, she was even worse at talking. “I’m sorry.”
Seeing this, the assistant became even more aggressive. “What use is an apology? What problem does it solve? Don’t you understand how important an actor’s body is?”
Lu Yao stood at a loss. A cool breeze swept up behind her, and someone took a place at her side.
Zhu Yin casually stuffed some unidentified strip of dried meat into her hand. “Good work just now. Here, chew on this to replenish your energy. Leave the rest to me.”
In an instant, Lu Yao felt several complicated, faintly envious gazes fall upon her.
What did that mean?
The other actors thought: Her assistant not only lets her eat, but actually gives her jerky to snack on!
Lu Yao hesitated, then obediently tore open the wrapper in front of everyone and began chewing the jerky.
Only then did Zhu Yin look at Sun Lie, who sat to one side, and his overbearing assistant.
Her looks were sweet and harmless. When she showed no aggression, anyone would mistake her for an innocent, adorable young woman.
She smiled warmly, her expression perfectly amicable. “First, we apologize. Our Yao did fail to control her strength, which caused an accident and injured Mr. Sun Lie. Yao also offered a sincere apology just now.”
Sun Lie said nothing. His assistant sneered. “You don’t think an apology is the end of an accident like this, do you?”
“Hmm…” At those words, Zhu Yin looked troubled.
Sun Lie’s assistant assumed that was the limit of her ability and felt a touch smug. They decided that they absolutely had to exploit this incident. Perhaps they could even use it to get something from Landi…
Only Barbara, crouched nearby, covered its face with its small pink paws. After so many years together, it understood its host extremely well. Whenever she wore that expression, it did not mean she was truly in a difficult position. It meant the person facing her was about to suffer.
Sure enough, the rest followed immediately after her apology.
“On the other hand, while our Yao was admittedly at fault in this accident, doesn’t Mr. Sun Lie bear some responsibility too?”
Sun Lie: ?
Zhu Yin continued, “Yao may be a tiny bit stronger than average, but her strength is still within the normal range for an adult woman. She was even suspended in midair by wires. How could a six-foot-one adult man be knocked to the ground by a kick like that?”
She looked at Sun Lie and sighed. “Mr. Sun Lie, you seem… a little frail.”
The entire set abruptly fell deathly silent.
Mr. Sun Lie.
You seem a little frail…
A little frail…
Frail…
Sun Lie’s vision went dark, and his face flushed bright red. “What do you mean by that?”
Zhu Yin was not deliberately trying to disgust him. She sincerely believed it. Sun Lie looked tall, but he was as thin as a bamboo pole, with neither muscle nor healthy vitality.
Her potion was effective, but Lu Yao had only drunk two glasses. It could not have transformed her completely.
Fundamentally, Sun Lie was simply too frail.
Zhu Yin said earnestly, “Mr. Sun is as thin as a sheet of paper. I’m afraid the wind might blow you away. I suggest improving your physical condition. Otherwise, I fear our Yao won’t even dare film fight scenes with you.”