CH 28

Chapter 20: Small Explosions

This was the first time Zhou Beiyang had met the actors from the production crew. Liu Qichang introduced them one by one. Zhou Beiyang didn’t show much enthusiasm, but he was polite. He nodded to everyone and finally came to Yan Huihua. Liu Qichang said, “This is Xiao Yan, Yan Huihua.”

For the first time, Zhou Beiyang took the initiative to extend his hand. Yan Huihua was taken aback, but he also reached out, and the two shook hands.

Zhou Beiyang had thought about playing Ye Hengyang, and he had heard that the director agreed too. It was Jin Yanliu’s intervention that saved his role.

Now, looking at Zhou Beiyang, it was evident that he held a deep hostility towards him. His gaze appeared calm, but the strength in his handshake was full of aggression.

But Jin Yanliu believed in him, and that was enough.

He calmly stared at Zhou Beiyang, his gaze unwavering.

On the side, Lu Yao’s heart was pounding with excitement.

Would Zhou Beiyang recognize him? What would his reaction be?

He was contemplating this when he heard Liu Qichang introduce, “We need to emphasize this one. This is our Lu Fanglin, Lu Yao.”

The two of them were going to play a couple in the drama, a mischievous disciple and a charming master.

Lu Yao’s face turned slightly red, but he didn’t extend his hand or say anything. He just stared at Zhou Beiyang.

To his surprise, Zhou Beiyang treated him unexpectedly politely. They shook hands, and his gaze was calm. It was as if he regarded him as an ordinary actor, just like his brother did.

Lu Yao felt even more disappointed.

In his life, these two brothers held great significance, but it seemed that he was nothing more than an insignificant presence in their eyes.

It seems that they are keeping themselves locked in, and outsiders can’t intervene anymore.

He looked at Zhou Beiyang’s eyebrows, which were probably covered with eyebrow pencil, as the scars from the fight were almost invisible.

He pursed his lips and straightened his posture even more.

Jin Yanliu carefully observed Lu Yao’s expression.

Xiao Ai didn’t deceive him!

Lu Yao looked into Zhou Beiyang’s eyes, and indeed, they were complex. There was a hint of evasion, a touch of anticipation, and a cold indifference that seemed both genuine and fake. It definitely wasn’t the look one would give to someone they disliked.

While he was observing, Lu Yao suddenly glanced at him, and his gaze became aggressive, as if he didn’t want to bow down to him for a moment.

That gaze was good, wild and stubborn. Lu Xiaoqiang, you must hold on.

A smile appeared at the corner of Jin Yanliu’s mouth. He glanced at Yan Huihua next to him, but Yan Huihua was already looking at him. Their eyes met, and Yan Huihua smiled at him.

He had a handsome appearance, and his smile was gentle and bright. He was even more handsome in person than in photos.

Most importantly, that smile was dazzling, with affection in his eyes.

Zhou Beiyang felt that his years of disguise were no longer sufficient.

“Let me introduce our martial arts instructor,” Liu Qichang suddenly spoke, “Master Fang Dawei.”

Jin Yanliu led the applause, and Fang Dawei clasped his hands together, smiling and saying, “Thank you, everyone.”

“We don’t have much time, and the mission is important, so I won’t waste any more words. Let’s start now,” Liu Qichang clapped his hands.

The group divided into two batches, with half of them undergoing movement training and the other half doing script readings, alternating between the two. The script readings went smoothly, but the movement training didn’t go as well. Fang Dawei’s choreography was known for its elegance and beauty. Being beautiful was easy, but being swift was a bit difficult. Zhou Beiyang and Yan Huihua performed the best, while Lu Yao and Jin Yanliu were the weakest.

Jin Yanliu had mostly filmed urban idol dramas before, and he had neglected his fitness during this period. Suddenly, with such intense training, he couldn’t handle it. But he was the male lead, and there were several important fight scenes involving him. Fang Dawei first had his disciples demonstrate for them, and watching it made Jin Yanliu’s blood boil.

The martial arts choreography was truly exciting, perfectly complementing the powerful music, and it was especially beautiful.

Following the principle of “the clumsy bird flies first,” Jin Yanliu worked overtime every day, asking Fang Dawei for special guidance. Fortunately, Yan Huihua had a particularly good temperament. He trained with him from start to finish, and in the end, it was Zhou Beiyang and the others who trained together, while the two of them had their own little corner, where Fang Dawei gave them hands-on guidance.

Laughter occasionally came from their corner, from Jin Yanliu and Yan Huihua. It bothered Zhou Beiyang and made his heart restless.

Lu Yao’s performance was also poor. He had never filmed action scenes before and was struggling to keep up with Zhou Beiyang’s pace. Gasping for breath, he set down the bamboo sword in his hand and said, “Shouldn’t we take a break?”

Zhou Beiyang didn’t say anything. He simply placed the bamboo sword aside. Lü Yao handed him a bottle of mineral water, which Zhou Beiyang accepted with a faint “thank you.”

Lü Yao’s face turned slightly red, both from exhaustion and embarrassment. He replied, “You’re welcome.”

It seemed that Zhou Beiyang had already forgotten about their fight from years ago. He treated Lü Yao with kindness, which made Lü Yao feel satisfied. He wiped his face and secretly glanced at the sweat beads on Zhou Beiyang’s neck.

After not seeing each other for several years, Zhou Beiyang had become even more handsome. His facial features were sharper, and his posture more upright. It was a hot day, and their training had been intense. The black T-shirt clung to Zhou Beiyang’s back, revealing the smooth lines of his back muscles, which were long and strong.

At twenty-two years old, Zhou Beiyang ignited Lü Yao’s heart once again, just like that summer many years ago.

However, Zhou Beiyang’s eyes kept glancing towards Jin Yanliu.

But who could blame him? He was the absolute focus, with both his appearance and figure being a perfect match.

In this drama, playing their junior sister, Zhong Qianqian was a fan of Jin Yanliu. She had already played supporting roles in many online dramas, and this time, she was willing to even play a minor role just to chase after her idol. She was the most infatuated one among their drama crew, often fawning over her female co-stars. “Wow, they make such a perfect couple.”

Today, Jin Yanliu and Yan Huihua were performing a challenging action scene. Yan Huihua swung his sword towards Jin Yanliu, who stretched out his arms. His body was suspended in mid-air, supported by wires, as the bamboo sword passed over his head. He grabbed Yan Huihua’s wrist, and the two of them danced together, soaring through the air like a pair of flying butterflies. Due to Jin Yanliu’s unfamiliarity with the wire work, he either ended up in Yan Huihua’s arms or came dangerously close to his face.

At this moment, if they had burst into laughter, it would have been fine. But unfortunately, both of them were professional actors, completely immersed in their roles. Their eyes met, creating a particularly ambiguous atmosphere.

Zhong Qianqian couldn’t help but become a little jealous and exclaimed, “They’re so perfectly in sync!”

“When Fang Laoshi designed your fight choreography, did he make it too ambiguous?” Zhou Beiyang suddenly spoke during lunch.

They shared the same resting room since they were both top actors, and no one doubted their relationship. Zhou Beiyang wiped his chopsticks and handed them to Jin Yanliu.

Jin Yanliu took the chopsticks and smiled, saying, “Maybe he knew that this drama is meant to please the fans.”

“If it’s too suggestive, won’t it be difficult to pass the censorship?”

Even before filming began, this drama had already been scheduled for broadcast on a major TV station and was set to be a hit. The censorship standards were bound to be stricter than those for typical boys’ love dramas.

“Mu Huaying and Ye Hengyang are supposed to be brothers. If your fight choreography is designed to be so romantic, I’m worried that it will be cut during the review process, and then all your efforts would be in vain,” Zhou Beiyang said calmly.

While Jin Yanliu was eating, he looked back at the footage they had shot that day. Hearing Zhou Beiyang’s words, it did seem a bit too ambiguous.

But the choreography for this fight scene was truly beautiful, flowing smoothly and exuding a cool charm. Jin Yanliu couldn’t bear to let it go. “How about giving it to you and Lu Yao?” he suggested.

Zhou Beiyang replied, “There’s no fight scene between us.”

In the first season, the disciple of the demon king is not yet the demon king, and the master is still pretending to be a lazy expert. They haven’t reached the stage of love and conflict.

After thinking for a moment, Jin Yanliu said, “Let’s still shoot it. I really love this fight scene.”

He then turned to Xiao Pangzi and said, “Call Huihua over, let’s eat together. We can also go over our lines.”

He added to himself, “Time is tight, we have to make the most of the available time.”

In no time, Yan Huihua came in with a lunchbox. Because Zhou Beiyang was there, he felt a bit restrained, but his professionalism was top-notch, and he had memorized his lines well. The two of them rehearsed their lines while Zhou Beiyang barely touched his food, feeling a bit frustrated. Suddenly, Jin Yanliu turned his head and shouted at him, “You said your throat was sore, don’t eat spicy food.”

Zhou Beiyang paused for a moment, only to realize that he had picked up a piece of red chili pepper with his chopsticks.

After Jin Yanliu finished speaking, he turned back and continued rehearsing lines with Yan Huihua. Zhou Beiyang simply responded with a “Hmm.”

He still held a place in Jin Yanliu’s heart. 

Finally, he could force himself to eat a few more bites.

In the afternoon, Jin Yanliu and Yan Huihua continued rehearsing the action scene, but the choreography was quite complex, and they were still struggling. In the end, Jin Yanliu couldn’t even lift his sword, his arm trembling uncontrollably, and his whole body aching.

But Yan Huihua was even more hardworking, practicing another set of fight moves on his own. This was his fight scene with Teacher Song Hua, who was older and couldn’t perform the scene himself. Previously, he had rehearsed with Teacher Fang Dawei. This was the most fierce and complicated fight scene for him in the drama, with multiple moves and a completely “Mu Huaying-style” sword technique.

As he was practicing, Zhou Beiyang suddenly approached and said, “How about I practice with you?”

Yan Huihua paused, met Zhou Beiyang’s eyes, and his mouth twitched slightly. He didn’t back down and said, “Sure.”

Zhou Beiyang picked up a bamboo sword from the ground and walked to the center of the stage.

This immediately attracted everyone’s attention.

Jin Yanliu was quite excited, sitting cross-legged on the ground and enthusiastically shouting, “Everyone, come and learn and watch, a showdown between the strong!”

“Which section are you rehearsing?” asked Fang Dawei.

After all, this was a rehearsal, not a martial arts competition, and the moves were predetermined.

“Let’s go with the segment he just practiced,” Zhou Beiyang said calmly, “I’ll spar with him.”

“Do you know how?” Fang Dawei asked.

After all, this was Yan Huihua’s fight scene, and Zhou Beiyang hadn’t practiced it before.

Zhou Beiyang nodded and said, “I’ve watched it a few times from the side.”

Yan Huihua, who had just finished practicing that segment, was about to engage in his most fierce and unique fight scene in the drama. He adjusted his headband, held the sword in both hands, and said, “Come on.”

Fang Dawei stood by, ready to signal the start, “Prepare, three, two, one, begin!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Beiyang made his move. The moves were predetermined, so no one was surprised. However, his attacks stunned everyone.

His swordsmanship was incredibly fierce, a completely different style. The bamboo sword couldn’t harm anyone, and it was about hitting with precision. But every strike he made carried a heavy killing intent. Yan Huihua raised his sword to block, but with a loud “clang,” the force almost made his arm go numb, and his sword almost slipped from his hand. He looked at Zhou Beiyang, who seemed to have completely immersed himself in the scene, tightly pursing his lips without saying a word. Zhou Beiyang attacked again, their movements intertwining, precise and swift. The rhythm was noticeably faster than what Fang Dawei had designed, yet it also had a more captivating allure. The onlookers dared not even breathe, and Jin Yanliu had both hands stretched out, wanting to applaud but afraid of interrupting them. He couldn’t take his eyes off them.

So handsome, so handsome. The two agile and handsome men fighting looked really good.

As Zhou Beiyang continued with an even faster pace, Yan Huihua seemed to be struggling to keep up. This fight scene was a fight to the death, and as it progressed, the moves became simpler, focusing solely on taking lives. Yan Huihua gritted his teeth and pushed through, even in the latter half, he was filled with a fierce determination. He unknowingly increased the strength of his strikes. He was even more astonished by Zhou Beiyang’s intelligence. How could he remember such complex moves after just watching them a few times?

The final move was the climax of this fight scene. Yan Huihua couldn’t afford to be distracted anymore, or he might not be able to withstand it.

He quickly launched two consecutive thrusts, spun his body, and thrust again, all in one breath, aiming straight for Zhou Beiyang’s throat. Zhou Beiyang leaned back slightly, then suddenly held the sword with both hands and struck with force.

Yan Huihua also gripped the sword with his other hand and directly blocked it. With a “crack,” Zhou Beiyang’s bamboo sword snapped.

Everyone was shocked.

Yan Huihua staggered back two steps, breathing heavily as he looked at Zhou Beiyang. Zhou Beiyang wiped the sweat from his chin and dropped the broken sword on the ground, leaving a few drops of blood on the hilt.

The author has something to say: The first intense scene has arrived.

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