The scene in the afternoon was about the young master overhearing the disciples plotting behind his back to teach the male lead a lesson. He gets angry and punishes them, only to find out there are evil cultivators involved, trying to harm his people. He hurries to save them but gets blocked by the villain who happened to spot him.
Jing Li stood in the center of the set, raising his eyebrows at the men huddled together in front of him.
Before he could say anything, they shuddered in unison. Then, as if remembering something, they instantly straightened their posture in an exaggerated manner that looked rather silly.
Jing Li couldn’t help but snort in laughter but didn’t comment. Hearing Director Li yell, “Action!” he took a few steps back out of the frame to get into character.
The men naturally didn’t miss his mocking expression and felt even more annoyed. But recalling the news they’d overheard, they quickly reined in their emotions and shot Jing Li a smug glance before swiftly getting into character at Director Li’s “Action!”
“I’ve disliked him for a long time! If it wasn’t for the young master’s protection, how could he be so arrogant until now?”
“Now that the young master isn’t by his side, let’s see how much longer he can struggle.”
“Hmph, even if he manages to get through this, he’ll probably only have half his life left with his spiritual roots severed. I’d like to see how he can still stay in the sect…”
Before the man could finish, Director Li’s stern “Cut!” interrupted him. “What are you doing? Are you acting like you are being whipped to memorize the Book of Heaven with a stiff face? Again!”
“And you!” Director Li pointed at the man standing to the side. “Stop looking at Jing Li over there! Are you afraid people won’t know he’s standing there?”
The called out man: “…”
He instinctively glanced at Jing Li again, just in time to see the other quirk his lips mockingly as if ridiculing his foolishness. He immediately felt even more angry and flustered, his whole face turning red.
But facing the director’s scolding, he didn’t dare talk back and could only lower his head apologetically. “Sorry, Director, I’ll be more careful next time.”
Several other people also hurriedly apologized and echoed.
“Again!” Director Li harrumphed and glared at them before swiftly restarting the scene.
However, whether it was psychological or not, earlier, he had only unconsciously kept an eye on Jing Li. But after being called out by the director, he kept instinctively glancing to gauge Jing Li’s reactions. When the other people saw his expressions, they also frequently broke character and felt even more uneasy with their backs facing Jing Li, as if he was watching their every move, just waiting to see them embarrass themselves as he had in the break room.
Once the thought arose, it snowballed until it weighed heavily on their hearts, making it hard to breathe.
So much so that when they spoke again, their tones involuntarily carried biting aggression, as if the one they were plotting against was no longer the fictional male lead in the script, but the watching Jing Li, with even their venomous gazes gaining substance.
In any other context, this disconnect would seem inappropriate. But now, it seamlessly intensified the building tension.
The effect formed a stark contrast against their previous takes.
Jing Li walked into this intense atmosphere.
His previously lazy expression instantly grew solemn, the whole man transforming into an enraged beast with sharp eyes fixed on the men before him. His voice was icy cold. “What were you saying about Yuze just now? Who lost their spiritual roots? Where is he?”
As he asked questions one by one, the aura around him also changed. From the laziness at the beginning, it gradually became cold and severe, like ice condensed on the top of the mountain for thousands of years, which chilled people to the touch, and the low air pressure around him became even colder. It is constantly spreading outwards, instantly freezing everything around it.
Under his piercing gaze, the previously resentful men choked, as if invisible hands clutched their throats, making it hard to breathe and impossible to utter a sound, afraid of provoking his wrath.
They looked at Jing Li’s terrifying expression in terror, trembling uncontrollably, faces turning purple from lack of air as if about to faint.
Director Li’s sharp “Cut!” finally saved them from their fear.
He yelled angrily, “What are you standing around for? Are you being strangled and can’t open your mouth? Again!”
The men weakly acknowledged, secretly relieved this segment was over.
But to their surprise, this was just the beginning.
In later takes, Jing Li’s performance became increasingly overwhelming, his powerful aura suffocating, making them feel at times that he truly wanted them dead.
Like a cat toying with mice, he repeatedly crushed them with no chance to retaliate, looking them over with amusement in the end, as if enjoying their sorry states.
Only when he finally seemed to tire of this game and pulled back a little did they get a chance to scrape by and miserably end their parts.
“He’s doing it on purpose!”
“He is just relying on his background to bully us nobodies and show off.”
“So, what if he has connections? There’s no shortage of people above people in this world. Let’s see how arrogant he can stay!”
They stood to the side, resentfully watching the man at center stage, malice in their eyes nearly overflowing. Then someone whispered, “Hehe, the good show is about to start.”
Their expressions instantly relaxed as they watched the scene unfold with cold laughter, eagerly anticipating what would happen next.
The scene progressed to the young master hurrying to rescue his people but getting blocked by the villainous sect member.
Jing Li rushed forward, gripping a sword. Suddenly a figure darted out to block his path. “Young Master, the Sect Leader summons you.”
“Tell him I have something to attend to and will see him after I return.” Jing Li brushed him off, intent on continuing ahead. But the man shifted to block him again. “The Sect Leader orders me to bring you to him at once. No delays allowed.”
Impatient to bother with him, Jing Li directly swung his sword at the man.
The script called for the villain to simply tilt back to dodge before continuing. But the actor suddenly raised his arm to block instead, his other hand seizing Jing Li’s shoulder, fingers landing right on the wound on his back.
It was no light grasp. Jing Li immediately frowned at the pain but quickly adjusted his expression since they were filming. Taking the chance, he scolded the man before moving to push him away.
Unexpectedly, as Jing Li moved, the man also stepped forward, clutching his shoulder and back even harder while stomping on his foot.
Director Li called “Cut!” off-camera.
The villain actor instantly released his grip, looking at Jing Li anxiously. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
Jing Li took a deep breath, waiting for the pain to fade before quietly saying he was fine.
But the actor still looked nervous. He carefully glanced at Jing Li’s expression, apologizing profusely until Jing Li nearly lost patience. Only then did he timidly stand aside.
Of course, Director Li also saw it and had people check on Jing Li, only continuing once he confirmed Jing Li was alright.
The spectators from earlier couldn’t help but raise their lips, seemingly unsurprised by this outcome, even relishing Jing Li’s pained expressions and looking forward to what would happen next.
Filming resumed.
To avoid a repeat, Jing Li was vigilant about his positioning.
He thought the man would be more careful this time, but as they began arguing, the actor once again shamelessly pressed close, clearly aiming to repeat his tricks.
Jing Li narrowed his eyes slightly and went along with his posture to evade. Grabbing the man’s wrist, he looked at him with a mocking smile. “Another ‘accident’? You’re quite bold.”
The villain actor clearly hadn’t expected such an agile response. His heart jolted in shock at meeting Jing Li’s empty eyes. He hurriedly lowered his head to apologize. “I’m really sorry, I truly didn’t mean to.”
Head lowered, he kept bowing and apologizing to Jing Li, as humble as could be. Finally looking up, he pleaded desperately, “Please don’t kick me out of the crew. I’ll pay attention next time.”
Jing Li: “…”
He looked at the man in puzzlement. did he say he was going to kick him out of the crew?
After a moment, noticing his obviously evasive gaze, Jing Li seemed to realize something and couldn’t help a cold laugh. Leaning to his ear, he spoke softly, “I advise you not to make trouble for me, or you may not get away with it.”
His leisurely tone carried absolute certainty, making the listener shudder as if his schemes had been completely seen through.
The actor’s pupils constricted violently. He instinctively glanced sideways behind him. Then he subtly shook his head.
Catching his look, Jing Li followed his gaze to see a masked man standing at the back of the crowd. Meeting his eyes, the man instantly lowered his head and hurried away.
His behavior seemed highly suspicious.
I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Please consider supporting the author directly.
You can also follow me on Ko-fi to get the latest updates on my translation progress and new projects. I appreciate your love and feedback.
