Shen Jue was a character of few words but ruthless actions. Xiao He only needed to stand before the cutting board, pick up the Bone-Cleaving Knife Technique blade, and the cold indifference and arrogance in his eyes perfectly captured Shen Jue's essence.
Lin Yipeng was quite satisfied, while Pu Rong looked somewhat surprised.
Pu Rong had only seen Xiao He's videos playing with the bone-cleaving knife before, never expecting his acting skills to be equally impressive. This made Pu Rong anticipate the upcoming shoot even more.
"Thud, thud, thud—"
Faint knocking sounds came from the dimly lit kitchen.
The plainly dressed young cook put down his knife and expressionlessly looked toward the window, his tone indifferent: "Come in."
The next moment, a carefree swordsman dressed in black flipped agilely through the window with a smile: "Brother Shen, long time no see—"
As he spoke, the young swordsman casually grabbed some nearby fruit and popped it into his mouth like he owned the place. With a deft foot movement, he hooked a jar of strong liquor from the floor into his arms before lazily collapsing next to Shen Jue, lounging sideways on the wooden table like some spoiled lord.
This entire sequence flowed as naturally as running water, executed with effortless grace. Before Shen Jue could even respond, the swordsman had already made himself at home, eating and drinking as if he were the master here.
Shen Jue looked exasperated but didn't throw him out. He simply picked up the bone-cleaving knife again and silently continued preparing ingredients: "I've heard about your recent troubles. Both the martial world and imperial court are after you now. Have some self-awareness and don't bring trouble to my door."
Jiang Rushu cheerfully took a swig of liquor: "Too late for that! Who in the martial world doesn't know about our connection? Those pursuers are probably already on their way."
Shen Jue lowered his eyes: "Then I'll have to throw you out."
Jiang Rushu rolled his eyes before putting on an aggrieved expression: "But hasn't your inn been closed for days? When people come, they'll stay at the inn, and the landlady's flowers can be saved."
Shen Jue remained silent, simply grabbing the man to throw him out: "Tell the landlady yourself."
Jiang Rushu was tossed out the window by Shen Jue but landed lightly on his feet. He tossed the liquor jar back onto the windowsill and said with a grin, "Got it. No need to thank me."Shen Jue rolled his eyes and slammed the window shut with a bang.
—And with that, Xiao He and Pu Rong's first scene officially concluded.
"One take perfect!"
Lin Yipeng reviewed the footage and gave high praise to both actors' performances.
Pu Rong removed his wire harness and gave Xiao He a friendly, relaxed smile: "You matched well."
Xiao He gave him a thumbs up in return: "Mr. Pu's movements were amazing."
The single-handed window flip and foot-hooked liquor jar maneuver had all been performed by Pu Rong in one continuous take, flawlessly executed without a single mistake. Even when Xiao He threw Pu Rong out the window, it had required Pu Rong's active cooperation to appear effortless.
Thinking about it, Xiao He genuinely felt it was a shame—with skills like Pu Rong's, he should be shining in action-packed martial arts scenes.
With the first scene successfully completed, the crew's morale gradually rose, and filming at the inn proceeded surprisingly smoothly.
The busy day passed in this productive manner.
The crew's shared accommodations were at a small hotel beside the film studio. After washing up in his room, Xiao He prepared to sleep.
Just then, his phone rang.
An unfamiliar number—Xiao He didn't recognize it. But having met many people recently, including several agents, he decided to answer."Hello, is this Brother Xiao?"
A somewhat familiar voice came through.
Xiao He thought for a moment before asking: "Brother Song from Heart of Embers?"
His role in Heart of Embers marked his official transition from extra to villain actor, something Xiao He would never forget.
"Yes, yes! It's me! I'm surprised you remember me, Brother Xiao!" Xiao Song sounded delighted on the other end.
"Of course," Xiao He replied, puzzled. "Has something happened with the shoot?"
Did they need him for reshoots?
"No, no! Our web series is premiering next week, and we were hoping you could help promote it."
"So soon?"
Xiao He was shocked.
At most two months had passed since filming wrapped—they'd completed post-production, editing, censorship review and all other processes at breakneck speed, far exceeding Xiao He's expectations.
Xiao Song took it in stride: "Standard procedure for low-budget web series! Plus we got lucky—our platform partner had a slot open up when their scheduled show ran into issues, so we're filling in."
Though rushed, it was currently the off-season with no major competing shows, giving small productions like theirs room to breathe.The entire crew was pleased with this outcome. As for the rest, they'd have to wait and see after broadcast.
"Understood," Xiao He replied. "But I'm a new account—my promotion might not help much."
"No problem, Brother Xiao! Just send me your account info and we'll tag you in promotions."
"Got it."
After hanging up, Xiao He immediately created a new account and sent the details to Xiao Song.
Following the "since we're here" principle, Xiao He checked on the traffic star Ran Yunrui from the rear-end collision incident.
After a series of fan-pitying maneuvers, Ran Yunrui had finally left the hospital "out of danger" and returned to "dedicated" work. The farce had concluded as the hype gradually died down. The most liked post was from one of Ran Yunrui's top fans:
[Chasing Love to the Clouds: Brother Ran actually initiated cooling the hype himself to avoid large-scale cyberbullying and overuse of public resources. He's truly such a good person! We should view this incident rationally, reject obsessive fans, stop harassing the driver involved, and avoid making excessive comments. Let's not cause trouble for Brother Ran! Thank you for your cooperation, Yunbao family!]
The comments section was filled with approving remarks from Ran Yunrui's other fans. Clearly, either his talent agency or that particular manager was quite capable—knowing when to stop while maximizing benefits, leaving everyone with a positive impression. They'd truly managed to have their cake and eat it too.
Xiao He shook his head with mixed feelings.
These girls had no idea their idol had orchestrated the entire incident himself.
What a waste of their genuine affection.