“Termination? What termination?” Zhang Yinghui and Si Cheng were talking casually on the side, overhearing Xu Qiao and Li Feifei’s conversation.
Si Cheng also glanced over.
This matter was not good to discuss with outsiders. Li Feifei chuckled, attempting to brush off the matter but Zhang Yinghui ignored any taboos and directly pulled up a chair next to Xu Qiao. “Xu Qiao, are you really ending your contract with SSE? I thought those were just online rumors.”
Star-Studded Entertainment was the entertainment company where Xu Qiao was affiliated.
Flipping through the script, Xu Qiao smiled. The sunlight cast a golden edge on his long lashes as he said, “It depends on the company’s decision.”
Unable to hold back, Zhang Yinghui muttered, “Is SSE blind? They’re neglecting such a potential star like you.”
Si Cheng sat nearby, listening to their conversation while playing with a prop sword.
Staring at the sword in his hand, Si Cheng suddenly had a thought and looked at Xu Qiao. “Brother Xu Qiao, I’ve watched several of your fight scenes, and your swordsmanship is exceptional. Can you teach me the moves for the Sword Dance Flower?”
Originally, Jin’er had only a few fight scenes, but Director Jiang, impressed by his clean and powerful movements, decided to add more fight scenes for him in these past two days.
Upon hearing this, Xu Qiao nodded, closed the script, placed it aside, and stood up, extending his hand toward Si Cheng.
Si Cheng, looking at that slender and fair palm, instinctively placed his hand on top.
Xu Qiao paused, then chuckled. “Give me the sword.”
Si Cheng blinked, realizing that Xu Qiao was asking for the sword. Swiftly retracting his hand, he handed the sword hilt to Xu Qiao before the warmth could rise to his face.
Xu Qiao’s fingers circled the sword hilt, hesitated for a moment, then slowly turned it twice. Immediately, his wrist moved gracefully, creating a flourish with the sword.
Sunlight danced on the blade, reflecting onto Si Cheng’s face. Si Cheng closed his eyes, and when he reopened them, Xu Qiao had already sheathed the sword.
“Did you see clearly?” Xu Qiao asked.
Si Cheng shook his head. “Slow down a bit.”
Xu Qiao slowed down his movements and demonstrated once again.
Si Cheng followed Xu Qiao’s actions. The crew, noticing this, hurried over with a camera. To maintain interest, the crew often filmed behind-the-scenes moments for the official social media.
“Xu Qiao, say a few words. Give us a tutorial on the Sword Dance Flower!”
Xu Qiao, cooperative as always, faced the camera and drew out his sword. “Let me demonstrate it in slow motion. Hold the sword like this, point it downward, spin it one and a half times in front, turn sideways for another spin at the back, then another spin below. Bring the hilt to the front, and there you have a simple sword flourish.”
The crew laughed. “No slow motion, show us something flashy. Like what you just taught Si Cheng, but more complex.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Something more complex. Xu Qiao glanced towards the nearby prop rack, pondering for a moment.
Cr atf mgfk obmerfv atf mjwfgj, We Hljb, klat j ofk rkloa rkbgv wbnfr, rafqqfv yjmx ab atf qgbq gjmx. Vflhlcu atf bqqbgaeclas, tlr ogff tjcv foobgaifrris vgfk bea jcbatfg rkbgv.
Lbivlcu akb rkbgvr, We Hljb rwlgxfv ja atf mjwfgj, atfc lc atf cfza wbwfca, atf ecfzqfmafvis lcaglmjaf qijs bo rkbgvr ecobivfv. We Hljb’r mjiw nblmf gfrbcjafv klatlc atf jiwbra lwqfcfagjyif vjcmf bo yijvfr, “Ciafgcjalcu yfakffc ogbca jcv yjmx, rqlcclcu lc ybat vlgfmalbcr, abrr jcv mjamt, fcaklcf, jgbecv atf rtbeivfg. Ycmf sbe’nf wjrafgfv atfrf wbnfr, sbe mjc qgbmffv ab j rfglfr bo mbwylcjalbcr, lcmievlcu atf Vtbeivfg-Qtffi Vqlc jcv abrr…”
What combination? What Shoulder-Wheel Spin?
The crew, watching Xu Qiao’s agile wrist movements, his gracefully powerful figure, and the two long swords gracefully swirling in his hands, were left in awe.
After Xu Qiao finished the demonstration, the crew remained silent for a moment. With a nod of appreciation, they clasped their hands in a gesture of respect towards Xu Qiao. Satisfied with the freshly obtained material, they left, leaving the surrounding actors stunned.
In the afternoon, this video segment was promptly shared on the official Weibo by the publicity team.
@Chatting about the Passing of Time with a Zither: “With such a handsome sword dance, are you sure you won’t come take a look?”
In the video, Xu Qiao was wearing a snug black outfit, his hair tightly pulled up, and the two swords in his hands moved as gracefully as serpents.
Likes on the comments rapidly increased, and within the first ten minutes, the shares, comments, and likes had exceeded four digits.
「I can’t believe my eyes. How did I not notice Xu Qiao had this skill before?」
「Amazing! Oh wow, this guy has won me over.」
「My eyes have learned, but my hands are telling me they haven’t.」
「Am I the only one who thinks Xu Qiao has a great figure…」
「What’s so impressive about this Sword Dance Flower? It’s flashy but not practical. Anyone can do these showy moves.」
「The person above, it’s easy to talk, how about showing us one?」
「Oh, here we go again, showing off. I won’t let you annoy me, heh.」
……
SSE was situated in the most luxurious part of the city center.
Yang Hui stood by the window of the twentieth-floor office, observing the artists on the ground, tiny as ants, moving in and out. Holding a slender lady’s cigarette between two fingers, she brought it to her lips and exhaled a smoke ring after a moment of contemplation.
These individuals lived under the spotlight, enjoying the adoration of countless people. However, when viewed from a high vantage point, they were no different from ordinary folks. All equally minuscule.
Yang Hui was the manager of the Chasing the Spotlight group. When the four youths officially debuted, she highly prioritized Xu Qiao, who was dubbed as a good-for-nothing by the outsiders.
He possessed a distinctive face, standing out even in the entertainment industry crowded with handsome and beautiful faces. Unfortunately, both in terms of abilities and temperament, Xu Qiao gradually disappointed her.
It wasn’t a lack of talent. It was just that he couldn’t compare to the other three members who had been singing and dancing since primary school.
The entertainment industry was stingy towards him, unwilling to grant him sufficient time to grow.
The company made it clear that no more resources would be wasted on Xu Qiao. Once “Chatting About” wrapped up, his contract would be terminated.
Yang Hui took a drag of her cigarette as she stared at Xu Qiao’s promotional photo for “Chatting About,” then opened the video of Xu Qiao performing the Sword Dance Flower.
In the video, the young man, dressed in black, with his long hair tied high, manipulated two long swords between his wrists. In the play of shadows, his eyes glanced over, as transparent as black glass orbs, irresistibly captivating.
This kid… seemed different from before? Maybe with a bit more observation, she could talk to the higher-ups and set aside the termination for now.
Smoke lingered as two knocks echoed outside the door.
“Come in.” Yang Hui extinguished her cigarette in the ashtray.
The door opened, and Xu Qiao and Li Feifei walked in.
With no scenes for Xu Qiao to film these past few days, Yang Hui deliberately arranged for them to return to SSE.
Throughout the journey, Li Feifei was worried, wondering if they were called back to discuss the “peaceful” termination of the contract.
“Big Sister Yang,” Xu Qiao greeted upon seeing Yang Hui.
This was the first time he met Yang Hui since returning to the real world. His manager was dressed in a gray professional outfit, her brown hair tied up, with a lean face and slightly prominent cheekbones. She exuded a capable yet somewhat unapproachable aura.
Yang Hui’s gaze landed on Xu Qiao, pausing for a moment. He was still the same person, but for some reason, there was an indescribable air about him that made it impossible to look away.
Collecting her thoughts, Yang Hui smiled. “Heard you’ve been doing well on set lately?”
A coy curve formed at the corner of Xu Qiao’s mouth, without uttering a word.
Li Feifei couldn’t help but speak up, “Big Sister Yang, Big Brother has been praised by Director Jiang on the set.”
Yang Hui lifted her eyelids to glance at him, half-smiling as she said, “For a little web series destined to make no waves, there’s no need to take the director’s praise to heart. Focus on honing your acting skills and learning more — that’s what matters.”
Her casually spoken words left Li Feifei momentarily stunned, mouth agape, before he closed it without saying a word.
Xu Qiao’s gaze remained unchanged. “I understand.”
Yang Hui scrutinized Xu Qiao, tapping her fingers on the desk. After a moment, as if making a decision, she pulled out a folder from the side and handed it to him. “Here’s a role. Tomorrow, I’ll take you for an audition. Get prepared.”
Xu Qiao took it. When he saw the black text on the first page, he glanced at Yang Hui with some surprise.
Audition Script: “Hundred Ghosts.” Director: Hu Zhenghua.
Speaking of “Hundred Ghosts,” Xu Qiao wasn’t entirely unfamiliar since one of the filming locations for this drama was next door to “Chatting About.”
Unlike the low-budget web series Chatting About, Hundred Ghosts was a truly grand production.
Yang Hui spoke, “I won’t say much about Director Hu. He’s one of the directors in the billion-dollar box office club. This is the supernatural-themed series he’s directing.”
Leaning back in her chair, she continued, “The TV series has sixty episodes, divided into five arcs, each spanning approximately twelve episodes. The role you’re auditioning for is the second male lead in the fourth story, ‘Water Ghost,’ a young Daoist inexperienced in martial arts, descending from the mountains.”
While the role was labeled as the second male lead, it didn’t carry much weight, as the main focus was on the male lead, the water ghost.
However, the character was quite endearing — a clumsy young Daoist with a natural innocence, dedicated to combating evil and promoting goodness. If he could secure this role and play it well, it would undoubtedly attract a wave of popularity.
More importantly, this was an opportunity to collaborate with a renowned director.
This time, Yang Hui seemed genuinely invested in him.
“Thanks, Big Sister Hui. I’ll go back and prepare well.” Xu Qiao closed the folder, then looked at Yang Hui.
“Hmm.” Yang Hui checked her watch, stood up, and said, “I have something to attend to. I’ll leave now. Come to the office tomorrow, and I’ll take you to the set.”
After Yang Hui left, Li Feifei was excited. “The male supporting role in ‘Hundred Ghosts’! Big Sister Yang is really looking out for you. If you pass the audition, we don’t need to worry about the company bringing up termination again.”
Xu Qiao responded with a simple “Hmm.”
Not seeing the anticipated surprise and excitement on his face, Li Feifei sighed. “Aren’t you excited?”
Xu Qiao looked up at him, his gaze calm as water. “I’m very excited.”
Li Feifei: “……”
Xu Qiao stood up from his seat. “Let’s go.”
Leaving the office, Xu Qiao paused as his eyes caught two individuals engrossed in a lively conversation nearby.
It was Yang Hui and Li Chengxuan, probably coincidentally meeting as she was leaving.
Unlike the cold seriousness when facing Xu Qiao, Yang Hui’s face was now full of smiles.
Xu Qiao saw her pointing at her watch. Li Chengxuan nodded with a smile, and Yang Hui patted his arm before leaving.
Li Chengxuan watched the manager enter the elevator. Then, as the doors closed, he turned to Xu Qiao, flashing a smile.
An opportunity for MC and ML to meet again!
Thank you for the chapter!
Ah, so, that Li guy thinks since Xu Qiao can act a seductive villain so well, he won’t be able to play someone inexperienced? So give him a role where he will screw up and it will be widely publicized and compared to the “better male lead”?
Anyway, pulling someone who only has a good face but no or barely any training into the entertainment circle sounds just plain malicious. I hope Xu Qiao will be able to change to another company. Or maybe open his own studio, or join ML.
Thank you for the chapter~
Thank you for the update ☺️
We haven’t even met this Li guy and I already want him to go away
(ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻
Ty for the chapter!!! This is a fun read 💜
Girlfriend I love and appreciate you, but please, PLEASE stop using ORBS, I can’t read that word anymore 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭