Chapter 185 - The Stand-In

eteenth take of the scene, Fang Xue finally succeeded.

As a character who only existed for one scene, Fang Xue successfully left a deep impression with her whining prowess, albeit not a positive one. Even Zhang Dong’s face visibly relaxed after the scene concluded.

The next scene was the first meeting between the male protagonist, the female protagonist, and the second male lead. After getting through the ordeal with Fang Xue, Zhang Dong felt considerably lighter. Including makeup touch-ups and rest, he allocated a full hour, aiming for the three of them to nail the scene in one go.

“Take action!”

With a “whoosh,” a sky-blue sword-shaped firework blossomed in the sky.

Ye Qingxuan watched the slowly fading sword-shaped firework and quietly breathed a sigh of relief. She had just used up a newly purchased talisman to catch the female evil cultivator off guard, earning herself a moment to breathe.

Pressing the hilt of her blue sword at her waist, Ye Qingxuan gathered her spirits and turned to the young man beside her, lowering her voice, “Don’t fall asleep, keep your eyes open. Just wait a little longer, my senior brother will be here soon. He has some excellent elixirs that can definitely save you.”

As she spoke, Ye Qingxuan’s voice began to quiver, and she struggled to keep from crying aloud, only managing to sniffle continuously.

But Lin Su didn’t respond. The heavily injured young man had his eyes tightly closed, as if he had completely succumbed to sleep-or perhaps, he was already dead.

This wasn’t the first time Ye Qingxuan had seen a dead person, but it was the first time someone had risked their life to save hers. Recalling how the young man had thrown himself in front of her to block the whip from the evil cultivator, her heart softened painfully, “Hang in there, don’t die…”

Perhaps moved by the girl’s pleading voice, the boy whose breathing had been barely perceptible slowly opened his eyes again.

A cultivator’s magical artifact, even a low-grade whip that merely grazes a mortal, can inflict deadly wounds. Thus, no matter how hard Lin Su tried to force his eyes open, the world before him remained blurred. He had no choice but to shift his attention to his hearing instead.

Unfortunately, all he could hear was the incessant buzzing of ringing in his ears. Struggling to lift his head, Lin Su moved his gaze upward with great effort. The only thing he could make out was the young girl’s lips moving over and over, as though she was pleading, “Don’t die.”

Lin Su’s lips twitched slightly, trying to say something, but before he could utter a word, the figure of the female evil cultivator appeared in his limited range of view.

The woman wore heavy makeup. Black eyeliner extended into vine-like patterns at the corners of her eyes. What was most terrifying, though, was her smile-bright to the point of being grotesque, stretched so wide it seemed to overtake her entire face. It was chilling and sinister, her expression proclaiming one thing: “Found you.”

Startled, Lin Su’s eyes widened abruptly. His throat moved, straining to form words, but his voice was so hoarse that all he could manage was a broken whisper: “B-behind… behind you…”

Ye Qingxuan, sensing that something was wrong, instinctively began to turn her head. At that moment, a sharp “whoosh” cut through the narrow space around them-it was the unmistakable sound of death drawing near.

“Clang-”

The whooshing sound was abruptly halted, replaced by the metallic clash of weapons colliding.

Ye Qingxuan’s eyes flew open as she looked up. What she saw was Fu Zichu’s face. The usually gentle and composed swordsman now stood grim and cold, his expression like a cutting blade as he blocked the evil cultivator’s incoming whip with his sword.

When Fu Zichu turned to glance at her, his icy demeanor melted like the first thaw of spring, shifting to a faintly warm smile. His voice was soft, laced with rare boldness, as he said, “Junior sister, stay hidden with him. I’ll take care of this.”

“Cut!”

With Zhang Dong’s command, the tense atmosphere on set dissipated in an instant. The actors, who had just been locked in an intense gaze, broke eye contact and returned to their usual calm expressions. Meanwhile, the boy who had been lying motionless on the ground suddenly sat up, the life-or-death tension evaporating in the blink of an eye.

Helping Qingyi to his feet, Chu Ziyu had just straightened up when Zhang Dong’s approving voice carried over, tinged with amusement. “You all did great-this take is a wrap.”

The announcement was undeniably good news. Everyone had delivered exceptional performances during this scene. Chu Ziyu, in particular, shone. His eyes were brimming with raw emotion, and even through the camera lens, his sudden burst of powerful expressiveness was palpable, leaving a deep impression on everyone who watched.

Zhang Dong gestured for Assistant Zhang to come closer. After a brief exchange of whispers, he turned to face Chu Ziyu and the others, announcing, “Your filming for today is finished. You’re free to leave early.”

His words visibly puzzled the group, with Chu Ziyu looking the most surprised. He felt like he was in excellent form today, and continuing to shoot might allow him to maintain this streak and deliver even better results.

Noticing their confusion, Zhang Dong paused briefly before explaining, “There’s a small action scene coming up later. Given Fang Xue’s… abilities, it’ll probably take at least another hour or two to get through it. Frankly, I don’t want to stretch it out any longer. I’ve decided to use a stunt double to complete her part instead.”

Zhang Dong then turned his attention to Chu Ziyu. His expression carried a hint of regret as he continued, “As for you, considering that you’ve never been formally trained in this area and your acting is still developing, I think it’s better not to have you attempt the action scene for now. We’ll use a stunt double in your place. You can return tomorrow to shoot the remaining parts of this scene.”

Though Zhang Dong’s reasoning was sound, Chu Ziyu couldn’t help feeling a slight pang of disappointment. Even so, he nodded in agreement.

The group’s driver today was Xiao Liu, someone who had previously worked closely with Mu Han. Back when Chu Qianqian had accompanied Mu Han in City B to care for his recovery, it had been Xiao Liu who transported supplies and ingredients for the pair.

When Chu Qianqian boarded the car and saw Xiao Liu, she was momentarily surprised. After all, she had been the one driving Qingyi and Chu Ziyu most of the time, and the company hadn’t assigned them a dedicated driver before.

“Miss Chu, Young Master Qingyi, hello. I was sent by President Mu,” Xiao Liu said politely. “He asked me to handle your daily transportation between the villa and the film crew.”

Perhaps intentionally, Xiao Liu noticeably skipped greeting Chu Ziyu altogether.

Chu Ziyu narrowed his eyes slightly, the hint of a thoughtful expression crossing his face as he looked at Xiao Liu. However, Xiao Liu’s demeanor remained calm and composed as he continued, “Additionally, I am trained in combat and will also serve as your bodyguard. If anything comes up, please let me know directly.”