Rebirth from the Ashes

In an inn.

Xue Chenhuan suddenly lifted his downcast eyes and flung the winecup toward the door. Like an arrow against the wind, the winecup drove a fiery murderous intent.

Hit in the chest by the winecup, the little beggar kneeling by the door sprawled onto the ground.

The rest of the beggars were also on a stakeout. Having witnessed the attack on one of their own, they recklessly swarmed to fight Xue Chenhuan, thirsty for blood.

Out of all the panhandlers, the scrawniest figure drew the most attention, standing out for all the right reasons amid all the thrashing and beating. It only took a couple of martial art moves to show that the person had the chops.

Speaking of chops, this was not talking about the beggar’s kung fu in the script, but the actor’s own combat techniques. The scrawny beggar was none other than Shen Xi.

Only a pro had what it took. Her every execution was carried out smoothly and with perfection. It was clear that she was a martial artist.

The associate director and martial art instructor were dumbstruck. The girl was a bad*ss!

Due to time constraints and Mr. Wang breathing down their necks, the martial art instructor only taught her the moves once and left her to play by ear.

It never occurred to them that she would execute the steps with fluidity and flawlessness. Still, she managed without overshadowing or stealing the limelight from the main actors. Only a professional, such as the martial art instructor, could see that Shen Xi did not go all out in the fight. She deliberately spared the effort and paced herself.

Anyone with a background in martial arts could get into the rhythm of playing a series of moves, but it was a whole different story to reach her level of execution with both precision and ease. The martial art instructor himself dared not say he could do it.

The associate director’s eyes lit up. What had he stumbled upon? Not only was she great with makeup, but she was also good in fight scenes. She could reenact the martial art moves with perfection just by watching twice and rehearsing once. The girl was more than a genius!

Moreover, the girl was a natural when it came to acting. Pairing each gesture with ever-changing expressions, she was able to bring the character to life. Even Yu Yuanxi whom Mr. Wang called a talented actor would fall short.

It was as though she was born to act. She infused herself into the role and lived the part as though she was the character.

Unable to hold himself back, the associate director turned to Mr. Wang, the director. The expression on Mr. Wang’s face was much more caricatural. With sparkling eyes, he observed Shen Xi’s every move, completely losing sight of his favorite actor, Yu Yuanxi.

Wang Cai had taken notice of the little beggar’s moves. She fought with such grace without sticking out too much. It took great control to achieve that.

Following the first observation, he began to note more qualities and was unable to take his eyes away from her. The minute changes in her facial appearances during the fight were sublime. Yu Yuanxi had all the goods bestowed by God.

However, the girl was better than Yu Yuanxi.

She was not only acting on her own but also guiding and rallying the other actors to immerse into their roles with her performance.

These small touches would go unnoticed by the non-professionals. Yu Yuanxi might be the core and focal point, but he was not running the show.

It was hard to believe that the girl accomplished the task without stealing the show. She knew her place and role deeply, using this to her advantage to guide the script toward a more impeccable direction.

The scene was done in one take.

The staff members on set were overjoyed and dumbfounded at the same time. There had never been an instance of a single take before. They had to go through one scene multiple times as one minor mistake would call for a retake.

This was especially the case in scenes with extras or fighting scenes. It usually took up at least ten attempts before the actors got it right.

Stunned to learn their scene was over in a single take, the extras exchanged glances. They had not gotten a real sense of their performance. Sure, they were nervous in the beginning but started to let loose as the fight went on, delivering the punches with ease like something had suddenly clicked in them. The experience was beyond amazing for them.

Yu Yuanxi had a better idea of what was going on than the extras. He immediately looked at the little beggar played by Shen Xi. She was guiding them throughout the scene.

That was right.

She was the guiding spirit, showing him and the extras the way so they were able to bring out their fullest potential into the fight scene.

This person had much higher attainment in acting than he did. As to how high it was, Yu Yuanxi was not schooled enough to make a guess. The one thing he knew was that her attainment was unfathomable.

Wang Cai and the associate director drew near and stared at Shen Xi as they hit the mother lode. It was criminal and a waste of her talent if she did not go into acting.

The keen Wang Cai was one step ahead of the associate director as he enthusiastically looked at Shen Xi. “What’s your name? Are you one of our extras? What do you think about becoming an actor?”

Shen Xi replied, “No, thanks.”

She spoke in her natural voice.

The first to identify her voice was He Xiang who nearly cussed his brains out in shock. He searched everywhere for Lil’ Chairman Shen and, lo and behold, here she was as a beggar. He must be blind to fail in spotting her in a crowd.

Yu Yuanxi was taken aback at first, but a gentle smile broke across his face. He called out her name, “Xixi.”

Under the beggar’s disguise, she curled her lips to flash her pearly whites and waved. “I came with Mom to visit you on the set.”

Yu Yuanxi asked, “Is Mrs. Shen here too?”

Shen Xi nodded. “She went with the fans to get some drinks. We’re buying the production team bubble tea.”

“Why didn’t you let me know?” Yu Yuanxi glanced at He Xiang and asked.

He Xiang shrugged. He had no idea. Yes, he knew some fans were swinging by the set, but he only found out Lil’ Chairman Shen and her mom were among the fans when they arrived.

Wang Cai did not butt in as it was not his place to interrupt a conversation between a fan and their idol. While he decided to have his turn to talk once they were done, he turned to the associate director.

The associate director explained, “She’s a fan of Yu Yuanxi who helped out since we’re one person short on the extras.”

Sure, he dragged her into this, but he had no clue that she was a genius. With such talent, she should take up a career in acting.

Wang Cai was happy to see they were close because with Lil’ Yu being on good terms with her, it should not be an issue for Lil’ Yu to bridge his idea of getting her to act.

He found it hard to pass on a promising actor. Wang Cai might not have a role for her in this movie but there were many more in the next.

Moreover, it did not take a lot for people to know she was a prodigy in the acting world. Her amazing talent would not go amiss in showbiz.

As a director, Wang Cai had always gone after actors who met his requirements and expectations. Such was the case with Yu Yuanxi and Zhou Zhen. However, none had ever made him so eager to assign them a role and make them a star in his movie like this extra did.

The director made the actor and vice versa. This was the ultimate pursuit he was after.

Since Yu Yuanxi was done with his scene, he excused himself from Wang Cai and the associate director before taking Shen Xi with him.

Wang Cai stopped them. “Lil’ Yu, hold up.”