Chapter 36

A Definite Evil Spirit

This was an intangible form of torture and pressure for the feeble-minded Yan Yan, especially since Si Huang was doing it on purpose, suppressing her with her acting prowess.

“Si Huang, is it? Could you change it up? For example, perhaps you’re looking at an enemy? Or a lover?” The photographer made a stream of requests. Si Huang finally opened her half-closed eyes. Her dark pupils were like a whisk of an incomparable sword, cold and merciless, icy, sharp, pristine, and unbreakable. Everyone was stunned at the sight of her gaze, and a chill seeped into their bones. Yan Yan, who was the main recipient of Si Huang’s gaze, had an even bigger reaction than the rest and tumbled to the ground.

The photographer instinctively captured this incomparable picture in his dazed stupor.

The chill in Si Huang’s eyes dissipated like melted ice before everyone could come back to their senses, like melted snow, as if a warm sun had shone upon her, creating sparkling, crystal waves. Her faint pink lips curved at the corners quietly, like a proud plum blossom compromised by a long winter, parting from its leaves and branches and falling gently on the snowy ground to join its companions. It had set aside its arrogance, put away its thorns and armor, and put its gentleness and true feelings on display!

This was a tenderness that no one could ever resist!

The set was so silent that only the sound of the shutter button of the photographer’s camera could be heard.

Si Huang’s outstanding performance was completely obvious, all the way until she stepped off the set. Everyone looked at her differently. The looks in the women’s eyes were the most enthusiastic, as if they would probably have thrown themselves at him if they hadn’t been at work on the movie set.

“Was that on purpose?” Guan Li asked icily when Si Huang walked over.

Si Huang blinked at her, looking very innocent.

A smile flashed across Guan Li’s eyes, and even the iciness on her face seemed to have thawed.

“Tsk… Goddess Guan has never been nice to me. You’re amazing, Si Huang,” An Yiyuan exclaimed, stroking his chin.

“I’m nothing compared to you,” Si Huang replied, smiling at An Yiyuan. “You walk past a group of beautiful women and emerge unaffected by their charm.”

An Yiyuan’s smile froze in place, making him feel an itch in the back of his teeth.

The smile on Guan Li’s lips grew more prominent than ever.

The trio was the picture of peak aesthetic value as they stood together, and the staff members around them howled internally.

Women: “Oooh, Queen Guan is so lucky… She’s surrounded by two handsome men like them. Aw, stop showing off!”

Men: “F*ck! Goddess Guan is smiling! So what if they’re good-looking? So what if they’re good with women? So what if they’re good at acting? What the f*ck? Are they really that great? We mere mortals don’t stand a chance! Maybe we should just die, go back to our Maker, and see if he can reconstruct us!”

“What the hell are you doing? I asked for a smile, not a funny face. I asked for a melancholic look, not a bawling face! Is your mind filled with sh*t? How could someone like you possibly be an actress?” Director Liu’s enraged, merciless screams interrupted Si Huang’s conversation with the group and the thoughts of the other crew members.

Si Huang turned toward Yan Yan, who looked very wretched while standing on set. Her head clearly wasn’t in the game, and her expression was a mixture of sadness, happiness, anger, and resentment, all these emotions twisted into one. It was no wonder Director Liu was so angry. She’d had two smooth examples to look at and Si Huang’s stunning performance. Yan Yan’s mistakes were inexcusable.

Director Liu understood that one of the reasons involved was Si Huang’s intention to take revenge.

However, first of all, Si Huang had not complained or argued. Secondly, she had not deliberately caused trouble. She had arrived on set and used her acting prowess to steamroll her spirit. Director Liu had no reason to pick on Si Huang, so Yan Yan’s innate weakness was to blame. She had succumbed to pressure before filming had even begun, allowing her state of mind to be affected and losing control of her emotions.

After a few tries, the photographer looked sullen too. He put down his camera, expressed his displeasure, and refused to continue.

“Do you have any idea how precious Louis’ time is?” Director Liu’s angry yells rang out again. “Do you really think that he’d give you the time of the day and take your pictures if it weren’t for Old Tie? Get out of my sight and think about what you’ve done. If you keep up this horrid performance, I will have the second female lead recast!”

“Waah!” Yan Yan was already at a breaking point. She could feel everyone staring at her gloatingly after Director Liu chastised her. Everyone was staring at her as if she were a joke. She burst into tears on the spot and cried, “Why are you picking on me? It’s all Si Huang’s fault. He scared me and stared at me with that look in his eyes. If he hadn’t…”

Surprisingly, the photographer, Louis, chuckled before Director Liu could say anything. “Liu Shu, I’m sorry to say this, but I tried to be nice. This kid is going to drag “The Sovereign Journey” through the mud with her questionable abilities. You’re slipping up. How could you cast someone like her in Old Tie’s production?”

Director Liu’s face drained of color, then turned very green.

Louis shrugged. “As you’ve said, let’s observe her next performance. I’m not going to continue the shoot if this goes on. You can always hire someone with better skills.”

Director Liu knew that Louis was a man of his word, and he was very good at his job. He turned around and snapped at the weeping Yan Yan. “Did you not understand what I said? What are you waiting for?”

Yan Yan completely forgot about her tears after hearing his angry roar. She was both humiliated and enraged, and she had no choice but to leave at once. Her manager, Zhou Jian, immediately pulled her aside as soon as she walked off to coax her while covering her mouth, afraid that she might have a scathing outburst.

Yan Yan’s tantrum did not affect Si Huang and the rest. They took photos in pairs after their individual photoshoots, followed by some group photos.

An Yiyuan and Guan Li, who were cold and indifferent to each other off-set, immediately got into character as soon as they were in front of the camera. Their eyes seemed to speak to each other. Crown Prince Feng Cang’s silent forbearance of his growing feelings and Shui Lingxin’s passionate and straightforward nature were all conveyed brilliantly by the look in their gazes. The pair took different poses, including having their backs against each other, one of them staring at the other’s back, then moving so close to one another that they were inches away from kissing. They silently exhibited a wave of love, hatred, passion, and revenge from every single angle.

Si Huang joined them somewhere in the middle of the session and had a standoff with An Yiyuan and a portrait alone with Guan Li. An Yiyuan and Guan Li seriously raised the bar when posing with Si Huang, probably because they were determined to avoid being outdone by the newbie. Regardless of whether there was a hostile or a harmonious aura, the crew members greatly enjoyed the sight of it all.

This was especially true when they were informed that they had to take a group picture together. The wicked smile on An Yiyuan’s face disappeared, getting replaced by a serious expression instead. Guan Li instinctively took a deep breath. The pair shared a look and sensed each other’s predicament. They sensed each other’s state of mind too—a newbie, of all people, had pushed them into this position. They weren’t sure if they should laugh or cry.

Si Huang’s explosive aura was simply too terrifying. They had to pull out all the stops, or they would be squashed and overshadowed by this newcomer.

An Yiyuan and Guan Li took a short break to change into new costumes and re-do their makeup. They emerged a few minutes later, Ai Yiyuan in black-and-gold dragon robes and Guan Li with a headpiece with gold and pearls that dangled as she walked inserted below her hair bun. She had pink cherry-blossom makeup and was wearing colorful, luxuriant robes in a mixture of dark green and sapphire blue. The new costumes elevated the pair’s aura and appearance to such new levels of exquisiteness that no one dared look at them directly.