Yi Xing listened carefully to the problems Director Jiang pointed out to them. Combining it with their previous performance, it was indeed as he said. He now had a profound appreciation for Director Jiang's strictness, but that was also good. He liked strict directors because only then could he make progress.
What he feared most was encountering those who thought 'good enough' was fine, only for the final product to be subpar and all the blame to be shifted onto the actors, as if it had nothing to do with him. In the end, the actors would be constantly cursed, and that was the most lamentable thing.
After watching for a short while, it was his turn. With the help of the staff, he carefully put on the wire harness equipment. After getting dressed, he stretched his body, silently recalling the results of his earlier practice in his mind.
With Director Jiang's cry of "Action!"
The two extras playing ruffians on the martial arts stage began to fight. Yang Kang appeared at the very edge of the crowd, stepping on the shoulders of the people in front of him, one after another, flying to the center of the stage. He interrupted their fight with a kick, then struck each of them with a palm, forcing them back.
He gracefully straightened up, slowly turned around to reveal his handsome face, and smiled as he looked at the young woman before him. Mu Nianci lowered her head, not daring to meet his gaze.
"You two, one is crude and uncouth, the other is ugly and old. And you still want to marry this young lady? I think you're just toads wanting to eat swan meat." Yang Kang showed a look of disdain towards the two men, feigning to dust off his clothes, just about to continue acting.
A voice from off-set called out, "Cut!" When Yi Xing heard this, his heart skipped a beat. He quickly looked at Director Jiang, a puzzled expression on his face. He didn't know what had gone wrong.
"Yi Xing, your performance earlier was very good, but when you delivered your lines, your mouth movements were a bit too obvious. Although we do post-dubbing, this still needs attention. Also, your expression when you speak could be more disdainful. Yang Kang looks down on these people."
"Alright, I understand."
"Good, then let's do another take. Departments ready, Action!" After receiving clear guidance, Yi Xing's performance was completely different from the previous take.
Yang Kang once again flew from the crowd onto the martial arts stage, following the previous sequence. When he looked at the two men, the contempt in his expression was even stronger. When his gaze shifted to Mu Nianci, the contempt immediately vanished.
"Where did this brat come from, daring to meddle in our business?"
With that, the three of them began to fight again. Yang Kang first grabbed one man's hand, used the opponent's center of gravity to deliver a whip kick to the person attacking from behind, sending him off the stage. Then he turned around, broke the front person's center of gravity, and likewise sent him off with a whip kick.
The common people below the stage, seeing this, all clapped and cheered, saying, "Young master is amazing! Young master is excellent!"
After driving away the disruptors, he maintained his smile and walked a few steps towards Mu Nianci, but was stopped by Mu Yi, who stood beside him. Mu Yi put his hands behind his back and spoke.
"Thank you, young master, for your help."
"I'm not here to help. I want to spar with this young lady."
...Mu Yi originally wanted to refuse Yang Kang's request. From the opponent's attire, he knew he must be from a wealthy family, someone they couldn't hope to associate with. But there were too many people cheering below the stage, making it difficult for him to back down. He turned to ask Mu Nianci for her opinion.
Seeing his daughter nod, he stepped aside, allowing the two of them to display their skills on stage. Yang Kang, seeing his goal achieved, also showed a satisfied smile. He then cupped his hands and placed them behind his back, letting the young woman opposite make the first move.
A true expert reveals their skill with a single move. After seeing Mu Nianci's sharp movements, he no longer intended to pretend and used his hands to parry.
After an intense (flirtatious) fight, Yang Kang noticed that the young woman fighting him was about to fall to the ground, so he reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment. A blush appeared on Mu Nianci's face, and her eyes were filled with panic.
Director Jiang, sitting in front of the monitor, nodded, very satisfied with their performance. He shouted, "Cut! That's a take! Actors, take a break. We'll prepare for the next scene later."
He was currently quite satisfied with Yi Xing's performance. While there wasn't anything specific to praise, there also weren't any poorly acted parts. Overall, it was decent.
Because he also knew that the other party had never acted before, he didn't have high expectations for him. To perform like this was already quite good. The main focus of this scene was on the action, so the demands on acting were not very high.
Yang Xuwen, who was watching from the side, immediately offered his encouragement: "Not bad! Are you lying to me? You must have studied acting, otherwise how could you perform so well?"
"I really haven't studied it. Maybe this role just fits my image well. It's like playing myself."
"Really? I don't believe you!"
"Are you planning to start a 'Xuwen Has a Date' show or something?" Yi Xing rolled his eyes at him in exasperation and walked off to the resting area, found a chair, and sat down, rubbing his waist. It was his first time on wires, and he wasn't quite used to it, completely ignoring the person behind him.
"I was just trying to liven up the atmosphere!"
"Thanks!"
Indeed, one should not judge a book by its cover. When he first met Yang Xuwen, he thought he was an honest and simple person. Only after getting to know him better did he realize how absurd his initial judgment had been.
"Yang Xuwen."
"Don't call me by my full name later, it sounds strange. I always feel like you're angry."
"Alright, alright, calling you Xuwen is fine, right?"
"Yes, what do you need me for?"
"You suddenly interrupted me, and now I've forgotten." Yi Xing spread his hands helplessly.
He had no way to deal with this state of his, because it didn't happen often, but occasionally. Sometimes, if he was doing something or talking and was interrupted, he would suddenly forget what he was supposed to do next, and it would take a while for him to remember.
The two girls nearby heard their conversation and joined in, saying, "You can call me Yitong."
"Right, you can call me Mengmeng or Ziyi."
"Okay, Yitong, Ziyi."
"Why don't you call me Mengmeng?"
"Because using reduplicative words sounds very effeminate," Yi Xing replied decisively.
Sometimes he would scroll through Douyin and see grown men speaking in a high-pitched voice, saying things like 'eat guoguo' (fruit) or 'ride cheche' (car), which made him feel doubly uncomfortable, both physiologically and psychologically. When he encountered such videos, he would immediately mark them as 'not interested.' He certainly didn't want to become that kind of person.
Moreover, according to current classifications, he was considered a 'fresh meat' idol, which already made it easy to provoke antipathy from his male peers. If he were to also use reduplicative words, he'd probably be chased and pelted with rotten eggs. In any case, if he had to choose a style, he would not choose that one.
