9: Chapter 9 Wang Churan, the Campus Belle of Shanghai Theatre Academy

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Teng Zijing made his move.

Three throwing knives shot out from beneath his cloak, flying in a triangular formation straight toward Fan Xian's face, throat, and chest.

Fan Xian dodged to the side. The blades grazed his ears and embedded themselves deep into the earthen wall behind him.

He drew his blade and charged.

Teng Zijing also drew his blade.

The two blades clashed under the moonlight, sending sparks flying.

For this first strike, Yu Liang used seventy percent of his strength.

It wasn't the weight of the prop sword, but the force he intentionally exerted.

Because he wanted Zhang Ruoyun to feel that the person in front of him truly wanted to kill him.

Zhang Ruoyun clearly felt it.

The look in his eyes shifted from "performed alertness" to "genuine alertness."

The two of them fought fiercely in the courtyard.

Flashing blades crossed, feet shifted, and the sound of sleeves cutting through the air mingled with the clashing of steel.

The sixth round.

Fan Xian lunged with a straight thrust, which Teng Zijing sidestepped. Simultaneously, Teng Zijing gripped his sword in a reverse hold and slammed the back of the blade hard against Fan Xian's wrist.

With a "thwack" sound.

Fan Xian's sword flew out of his hand.

Teng Zijing closed the distance, a dagger sliding out of his left sleeve and coming to rest precisely against Fan Xian's throat.

The blade pressed against the skin, just enough to leave a very faint indentation.

Fan Xian's Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

Not because of acting.

It was real.

Because in that moment, what he felt wasn't the "coldness of a prop sword," but a genuine sense of pressure—the person holding the blade really could kill him.

But he didn't panic.

Instead, he smiled.

"You lost."

Teng Zijing frowned.

A second later, his expression changed.

Because he discovered he couldn't circulate his energy.

And Fan Xian, who should have collapsed from the poison, slowly stood up straight.

"You... poisoned my blade too?"

"Cut!"

Director Sun Hao stood up from behind the monitor, an incredulous look on his face.

"One take!"

The courtyard fell silent for a second, then applause rang out.

The Martial Arts Director was the first to rush up, patting Yu Liang on the shoulder. "Teacher Yu! That move where you hit the wrist with the back of the blade—you added a detail to dissipate the force, didn't you?"

Yu Liang nodded. "A direct hit would have injured his wrist. I pulled back thirty percent of the force at the moment of contact, but it's not visible on camera."

"It's not supposed to be visible!"

The Martial Arts Director's face turned red with excitement.

"This is professionalism! The audience sees a 'real fight,' but we know it's 'someone who knows how to fight acting out a real fight'!"

Zhang Ruoyun touched his neck, where a faint red mark remained.

It wasn't blood, but a mark left by the pressure of the prop sword.

"Brother," he said, "that moment you held the blade to my neck, you really pressed down."

After spending the last two days together, Zhang Ruoyun and Yu Liang had become well-acquainted.

"Scared you?"

"No," Zhang Ruoyun smiled. "Instead, it helped me get into character even more."

After all, a good opponent can elevate one's acting performance.

The two looked at each other and laughed simultaneously.

Guo Qilin ran over from behind the monitor, phone in hand.

"Brother! I recorded a short video of you flicking your cloak just now and sent it to our Deyun Society group chat."

"And then?"

"And then they were all shocked: 'Is this Yu Heliang? Did you take him to a film set?'"

"How did you reply?"

Guo Qilin chuckled. "I said, I don't have that kind of ability. Brother Liang was personally handpicked by the director to join the cast. If you guys had seen Brother Liang's performance on set—with his skills and acting, he's bound to become incredibly famous in the future."

Yu Liang smiled and shook his head.

His phone vibrated.

It was a WeChat message from Wang Churan.

"I'm at another studio today for costume fitting photos. I heard you're filming Teng Zijing's debut scene today?"

Yu Liang replied with an "Mhm."

"How was it? Did it go smoothly?"

"One take."

Three seconds later, a string of firework explosion emojis popped up.

Immediately followed by another message:

"Wait for me to finish the costume photos, and I'll treat you to dinner tonight! To celebrate your first scene being a one-take!"

"Also, thank you for recommending me for the role of Ye Linger."

Yu Liang stared at the screen, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

Guo Qilin leaned in to steal a glance and said sourly, "Is it Wang Churan again? Brother, the progress between you two is faster than me memorizing a tongue twister."

"What progress?" Yu Liang pocketed his phone without changing his expression. "Just normal communication between colleagues."

"Normal communication? Why doesn't she treat me to dinner?"

"Because you didn't film today."

Guo Qilin: "..."

Since the Duyun Film and Television City was only completed at the end of the year, in 2018 it was mainly used for film crews and was not open to the public.

The shops lining both sides of the streets were empty, purely for scenery; there wasn't even a single proper snack stall.

Yu Liang originally wanted to save some money for Wang Churan, who was still a college student, while also recapturing the feeling of strolling the streets with a girl back in his university days. He hadn't expected that he wouldn't even be able to find a single open-air food stall along the way.

It seemed this place, Duyun, was still a bit underdeveloped.

Thinking back to when he was filming "Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre" in Miyun, the vendors behind them were practically charging up Bright Peak along with the cast.

"It's rare for a great beauty to treat me to a meal, but unfortunately, Duyun isn't cooperating."

Yu Liang glanced at Wang Churan and joked.

Wang Churan's outfit today left Yu Liang quite stunned.

She wore a long trench coat over a turtleneck sweater, paired with a high-waisted leather miniskirt and black stockings with tall boots.

Wang Churan's outfit, combined with her curvaceous figure, made Yu Liang's eyes light up the moment they met.

"It's okay, this is actually quite nice, like going for a walk."

Wang Churan looked at the empty street. "How about we go back to the hotel?"

——

"A man and a woman alone... is it appropriate for you to come back to my room like this?"

After the meal, Yu Liang glanced at Wang Churan.

"The restaurant has too many prying eyes; I'm not used to staying there."

"Besides, I'd just be bored back in my room. I'd rather spend some time with you."

Yu Liang nodded; that made sense.

His hotel had been entirely booked by the production crew, and the floors where the actors stayed were strictly off-limits to unauthorized personnel.

The privacy was naturally much better.

If they were bumped into by other actors from the crew, they could just say they were going over the script.

"You said earlier that you went to university?"

Wang Churan was quite surprised that Yu Liang had attended university.

She had assumed Yu Liang, like Guo Qilin, only had an elementary school education.

"What are you saying? I'm a proper graduate of the Beijing Sport University."

Yu Liang wasn't lying; this was something he had only recently discovered.

The original owner of this body and he had actually attended the same university.

The difference was that he had majored in traditional martial arts, while the original owner had majored in tourism management.

"That's not what I meant. It's just that, in my experience, very few crosstalk performers have gone to university."

While explaining, Wang Churan couldn't help but steal another few glances at this sports student.

"So, you learned your martial arts at school too?"

"Of course."

"My master's Iron Sand Palm is incredible."

"Iron Sand Palm? Isn't that just something from TV..."

"It's real."

Yu Liang said with a straight face.

"When I first started training, my master told me that practicing this art requires one to be a virgin."

"A virgin? What does that mean?"

"It means... exactly what it says."

Wang Churan blinked, still processing the information.

Yu Liang continued, "I remember when I first started school, my master sized me up for a long time and said approvingly, 'Hmm, not bad. You're good material for practicing the Iron Sand Palm.'"

"And then?"

"Then the next day, my master told me not to come back."

Wang Churan looked bewildered. "Why?"

Yu Liang didn't say anything; he just looked at her, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.

Three seconds later, Wang Churan's ears turned red.

She grabbed the tissues from the table and threw them at him. "Yu Liang! You're so annoying!"