AYF CH24
Chapter 24: What to Do
“Brother Shen, Brother Shao’s crisis public relations skills are much better than those so-called ace managers!”
“You’ve got a good eye,” Sheng Shaoyan was not just better than the ace managers; he was better than the bosses of the ace managers. Seeing Lan Xiaoshan trying to praise him while being discreet, Shen Xici gestured towards Sheng Shaoyan, who was standing nearby with a hood full of leaves (from earlier practice), and smiled, “Why don’t you say that to your Brother Shao’s face?”
“That would be embarrassing!” Lan Xiaoshan returned to a normal volume. “I specifically went to consult the publicity sister on the crew. She said that originally, Brother Shen, your fans were very scattered, and your foundation wasn’t solid. After the knocking incident, fan loyalty has increased significantly. At least if there are any more black hot searches in the future, your fans won’t run away too quickly! Most importantly, with both Cheng Ningyu and Teacher Wen involved, who both have high national recognition, you’ve been seen by a lot more people, Brother Shen!”
The biggest fear in the entertainment industry is a lack of exposure, being ignored, and slowly being forgotten.
“Mhm, I’ve already thanked your Brother Shao,” Shen Xici patted Lan Xiaoshan’s shoulder. “Where is the martial arts director now? I need to go learn archery.”
His scenes were mostly finished, but after pulling an all-nighter two days ago, a few more pages had been added to his script. The scene to be filmed today was newly added; the Mute Youth’s ability to shoot arrows was a recent addition, and the bow and arrow props had just been completed that morning, fresh out of the prop department.
Seeing Shen Xici approach, the martial arts director picked up the newly made bow, demonstrated it once himself, and then tossed the longbow to Shen Xici: “Come, try it. Feet apart, shoulder-width apart. Shift your weight onto the balls of your feet. Lock your knees, open your chest…”
Shen Xici learned very carefully, mimicking seven or eight tenths of the director’s posture and movements. He looked quite imposing. The martial arts director felt he was ready and told him to go to a large tree on the periphery of the set to practice.
At first, Shen Xici thought that even if he couldn’t hit a target from a hundred paces, hitting a tree trunk five meters away shouldn’t be a problem.
That was until the bamboo arrow, halfway through its journey, suffered an untimely end and floated gently to the ground.
Even the dust it kicked up seemed to be mocking him.
“Is there something wrong with this bow?” Shen Xici looked at the bow in his hand suspiciously. It wasn’t a modern compound bow but more like the kind seen in ancient TV dramas, simple and rustic in design, and very sturdy to hold. He handed it to Sheng Shaoyan: “A’shao, you try it? Just shoot at the tree trunk. I feel like the bowstring doesn’t have much elasticity.”
Sheng Shaoyan wasn’t sure if he knew how to shoot an arrow, but just like riding a motorcycle, if Shen Xici asked him to try, it meant he definitely could.
Taking the longbow and a practice arrow, Sheng Shaoyan stood straight, his long and powerful arms extended forward. His eyes looked straight ahead, his demeanor cold and sharp. His long finger released the string.
With a resonant “zheng,” the arrow left the string. Cutting through the air, it plunged straight into the tree trunk. The force was so great that the arrow’s tail was still vibrating.
Shen Xici: “…”
Whose face is he slapping now?
Sheng Shaoyan handed the bow back: “I tried it. It’s not broken.”
Hmph, do you think I don’t see you laughing at me?
Shen Xici snatched the bow back and raised his chin: “Since you know how to do it, you teach me!”
“Okay.”
Sheng Shaoyan’s archery was purely muscle memory, but it was more than enough to teach Shen Xici. He was much more detailed than the martial arts director: “Use the index, middle, and ring fingers of this hand to pull the string. Your index finger goes above the arrow nock, and your middle and ring fingers go below it. The front hand pushes, the back hand pulls. Slowly draw the bow open with the force of your left shoulder pushing against your right.”
Shen Xici followed Sheng Shaoyan’s instructions. When he drew the bow fully, the bowstring lightly touched the tip of his nose and the corner of his mouth for anchoring. Just as he was concentrating on remembering the motion, his hand gripping the bowstring was suddenly enveloped by a palm, gently shifting his hand.
Sheng Shaoyan’s magnetic voice sounded close to his ear: “The wind is blowing from the southwest right now. You can adjust the arrow half an inch to the side. It’ll be easier to hit the target.”
Sheng Shaoyan was wearing a black and white hooded sweater today. As the fabric rubbed, Shen Xici smelled that familiar scent, the same as the one on him.
Behind him, the warmth of the other person’s body passed through the thin cloth. When he spoke, his chest resonated, causing a slight tremor that made Shen Xici’s back tense up slightly, and his string-holding hand shifted too far.
Sheng Shaoyan patiently pulled his hand back an inch: “You don’t need to move that much. Relax.”
The sound of the arrow cutting the air “zheng” rang out. Shen Xici tried his best to ignore the warm touch left on the back of his hand, staring intently at the shot arrow. Seeing that the arrow didn’t drop to the ground midway this time—even if it didn’t pierce the trunk like Sheng Shaoyan’s, it at least hit the bark.
Who says that’s not a qualitative leap? Shen Xici’s eyes lit up, and he turned his head to the person standing next to him: “A’shao, wasn’t I great!”
Naturally withdrawing his right hand, closing his fingers, and casually slipping it into his pocket, Sheng Shaoyan avoided Shen Xici’s eyes, looked at the arrow on the ground, and nodded: “Mhm, very significant progress. You can practice a few more times to get the feel for it.”
The one-on-one archery crash course Sheng Shaoyan provided was very effective. By the time of the shoot, Shen Xici’s posture and accuracy were both respectable, not at all like a complete beginner who had just picked up a bow.
In the woods bordering the village, pine torches were lit in two dark braziers. Flames leaped up, and thick smoke billowed. Du Yu, played by Wen Yage, was bound to a tree trunk with hemp rope, her black hair sticking to her face in strands, looking very disheveled.
The old village chief put his tobacco pipe into the raised brazier. After it caught fire, he slowly put it to his mouth and took two drags. With a slight hunch in his back, he walked over to the Mute Youth.
“Every adult male in the village has one of these bows and arrows. With it, you can come with us when we go hunting in the mountains,” the old village chief lifted his face, black and thin like tree bark. His smoke-stained yellow hand raised the Mute Youth’s wrist upwards, and he spoke through the smoke, “As long as you shoot this arrow and kill this woman, from now on, you, your mother, and your sister will all be part of our village. We protect our own.”
The old village chief withdrew his hand.
The Mute Youth’s raised arm was parallel to his shoulder. The bow he held was aimed directly at Du Yu not far away, his face utterly expressionless.
Seeing this, the old village chief was satisfied: “Yes, just like that. I know you can shoot an arrow. You used to make a smaller bow yourself to hunt pheasants for your mother, didn’t you? It’s simple, just like shooting a wild chicken or hunting a rabbit—draw the bow, release the string.”
The bowstring let out a “hissing” sound as it was slowly drawn open and then fully drawn. The sharp arrowhead aimed at Du Yu’s heart.
The burning wood in the brazier crackled. The wind blew through the forest, stirring the leaves like waves.
The Mute Youth’s eyes were clear, the whites and blacks distinct. He stared fixedly at the person tied to the tree. The fingers gripping the bow were pale white, straining until his arms trembled, yet he still didn’t release the arrow.
The old village chief seemed to have anticipated this. He chuckled, his voice hoarse: “You, you’re just too kind-hearted. But what good is kindness? Can kindness help people survive when not a single grain grows in the fields? Can it build you a new house after a flash flood washes the old one away? Or can it save a life when you’re coughing up blood from consumption?”
The Mute Youth still didn’t move.
“Even if you don’t think about those things, at least think about your mother and your sister. Your sister was asking yesterday when her brother would pick wild flowers for her again, she wanted golden yellow ones.” The old village chief looked up at the Mute Youth. “When do you plan to go pick them up?”
The muscle in the Mute Youth’s jaw tightened. He released his fingers. The arrow left a blur on the retina. With a loud “boing,” it flew past Du Yu’s ear and buried itself into the tree trunk.
The next second, the village chief violently slammed his tobacco pipe into the brazier. Flames curled over the tobacco leaves, and his expression turned vicious: “Are you mocking me?”
The two tall, strong villagers beside him immediately stepped forward, their fists and feet raining down on the Mute Youth like hailstones.
Curled up on the ground covered in dead leaves, the Mute Youth made no attempt to fight back. His white muslin robe was covered in mud, weeds, and rotten leaves. Through the gap in his arm covering his head, a pair of clear eyes stared fixedly at the golden yellow wild flower not far away.
“Cut, that’s a wrap. Actors, take a break!”
This scene wasn’t long, but it took several takes to finish. Just as Shen Xici walked to the side to stand, Sheng Shaoyan knelt down and helped brush the dead leaves and dirt off his robe: “Did it hurt? When those actors hit you.”
Startled by the question, Shen Xici shook his head: “It didn’t hurt. They are all very experienced. It looks very forceful, but when they actually hit me, they completely diverted the force. If you’re worried, you can check later when we get back.”
Lan Xiaoshan, who was about to hand him a water bottle, narrowly stopped himself, shouting inwardly, What kind of suggestive talk is that? Am I supposed to hear this? Definitely not!
Seeing Wen Yage drinking the juice her assistant handed her not far away, Shen Xici walked over to greet her: “Teacher Wen.”
“You came at the right time. Every time I act with you, the hair on the back of my neck stands up. That look in your eyes when you were curled up being beaten—you weren’t even crying, but it just made people feel like you were. The emotional impact is incredibly strong. I’m still feeling unnerved now.”
Wen Yage clicked her lighter, which was inlaid with colorful gems, one after another, her mind still replaying the scene they had just filmed.
“Your archery posture was also excellent. You probably don’t know this, but many actors can’t even control the forty-something muscles in their face to accurately display a happy or sad expression, let alone control their body like you did to precisely convey the character’s emotions. No wonder the director added more scenes for you; he’s not even bothering to save face for Ye Mei anymore.”
Shen Xici hadn’t been to the set for three days and had a feeling he’d missed some information: “Thank you, Teacher Wen. But, ‘not bothering to save face for Producer Ye’ means what?”
According to the call sheet, the past three days were mainly for the fight scenes between the pursuit team members and the villain in the jungle rain, as well as some night scenes. With the large lights hoisted up, they filmed until dawn. The makeup artist kept yawning while Shen Xici was getting his makeup done.
“A movie only has so much time. If your scenes increase, whose scenes will be cut? Over the past few days, the number of times Xu Lingjia has been called by the director for a reshoot can be counted on one hand. It’s so obvious, isn’t it? Our Director Wan is determined not to waste time on certain people anymore.” Wen Yage gave him a warning, “Find a good team later. Otherwise, once the movie is released, Ye Mei and her people will definitely try to ruin you.”
“I understand.” Shen Xici took the opportunity to apologize, “I’m sorry that the hot search incident dragged you into it, Teacher Wen.”
It was clear that someone was targeting him and just happened to use Wen Yage as a platform.
Wen Yage was about to light her cigarette when she paused her movement and laughed curiously: “Oh, you’re not complaining that I didn’t help you clarify, but you specifically came to apologize to me. You really know how to deal with people, and you have great acting skills and take your work seriously. Little brother, if you’re interested in signing with Jinhai Entertainment, I’ll look out for you then.”
The motorcycle, wrapped in the airflow, passed through the forest covering the ridge and the low buildings of the county, stopping beneath the cream-colored outer wall of the small building. After parking the bike, the two climbed the concrete steps leading upstairs.
“Are you thinking about Wen Yage’s offer?”
The sunset shone through the blue-brick patterned window of the stairwell. Shen Xici happened to be standing below the window, his mask half-pulled down, resting on his chin. He was entirely enveloped in the flame-colored twilight. The contours of his face were like an art piece created by light and shadow. He turned his head and replied, “Are you talking about Jinhai Entertainment? I probably won’t sign.”
“Mhm, don’t sign.” Sheng Shaoyan looked up at Shen Xici, who was standing on the steps. Fearing that Shen Xici would think he was being too emotional, he added, “Jinhai Entertainment has been established for over ten years and has only successfully promoted one Wen Yage. Their resources are poor, their planning is poor, and their eye for scripts is also poor. Their other signed artists are all lukewarm. If Jinhai Entertainment doesn’t show extreme sincerity to retain Wen Yage, she’ll leave once her contract expires.”
“A’shao, do you really not have the ability to foresee the future?”
How should I put this? It was exactly as Sheng Shaoyan had predicted. In his past life, Wen Yage left promptly after her contract expired. She had earned enough money and fame for her former employer over the years that they practically rolled out the red carpet for her when she left, asking her to come back and visit sometime.
“No, I’m just analyzing.” Sheng Shaoyan thought, forget the future, I don’t even clearly remember the past.
Shen Xici mused, Damn it, why is there such a huge difference in people’s brains? Half a month ago, Sheng Shaoyan didn’t even know who Wen Yage was, and now he can analyze a famous entertainment company inside and out and directly act as a prophet!
Turning the key to unlock the door, covered in mud and grass from rolling around on the set, Shen Xici grabbed a change of clothes from the bedroom closet and headed straight for the bathroom to take a quick shower.
Before putting on his clothes, Shen Xici examined his upper body in the mirror. There were no obvious bruises or contusions. Remembering Sheng Shaoyan’s worried expression after he finished the beaten scene on set, Shen Xici called out the door: “A’shao, come in!”
It was only a few steps from the sofa to the bathroom door. The scent of shower gel mixed with damp, warm air leaked from the door crack. The sound of the running shower was short; Shen Xici had been in for less than five minutes. Sheng Shaoyan’s hand rested on the metal doorknob, hesitating to turn it down.
A live-in boyfriend asking to shower together might lead to further intimate behavior, but I don’t have the necessary knowledge base.
Sheng Shaoyan felt a little caught off guard for the first time.