CHAPTER 77: CHAPTER 77 YOU’RE AFFECTING MY WORK

This scene is about the male lead, the War God of the Heaven Realm, who intends to cripple his own Spirit Root for the sake of the female lead. His disciples, heartbroken, step forward to stop him, but in his fury, he flings one of them away. The scene’s main purpose is to portray the War God’s deep affection for the female lead.

And the disciple he flung away was played by An Duxuan, an extra without a name!

Brother Fu Xiao knelt on the spot, his eyes reddening. He slowly raised his right hand, preparing to strike his own chest.

An Duxuan leaped forward, tightly gripping his hand. "Master, you can’t! Please, think of the well-being of the common people of the world..."

Fu Xiao swung his hand back in a palm strike, sending An Duxuan flying.

Normally, An Duxuan would just fall to the ground, and post-production would create the effect of him being thrown backward.

But Fu Xiao, seeking retaliation under the guise of professionalism, insisted on striking An Duxuan several more times, claiming they needed to shoot from various angles.

So, An Duxuan was sent flying time and time again.

The angle of flight wasn’t right—redo!

The expression wasn’t right—redo!

The hit wasn’t in the right spot—redo!

...

The director had said it was good enough several times, but Fu Xiao remained unsatisfied, claiming that art demanded perfection.

He wanted to show the investors how dedicated he was. If An Duxuan dared to complain, then any shortfall in today’s investment would be blamed on An Duxuan.

In that case, Lei Na would undoubtedly find other investors, and An Duxuan would surely be kicked off the production team.

Then, Fu Xiao could casually leak some information to the fan groups. An Duxuan would become a public pariah, making it incredibly difficult for him to succeed in the entertainment industry!

Just as Fu Xiao’s hand was about to strike An Duxuan’s chest again, An Yan suddenly rushed over, grabbed his hand, and twisted it harshly.

The steel needle hidden between Fu Xiao’s fingers clattered to the ground.

"Are you trying to commit murder?"

Fu Xiao broke out in a cold sweat from the pain, but he dared not antagonize An Yan, a potential investor. Enduring the pain, he denied, "No! This is for realism. The War God’s palm strike carries immense force; how could it not hurt when it lands on someone? He can’t act out the pain convincingly, so I was helping him."

An Yan kicked him away and reached out to tear open An Duxuan’s clothes.

His chest was densely peppered with bleeding pinpricks.

An Yan took a bottle of medicine from her bag and applied it to the wounds.

The ointment was soothing and quickly eased the stinging pain from the needle pricks.

"You knew he was doing this to you. Why didn’t you expose him?" An Yan didn’t understand.

She could tell her second brother was quite skilled!

An Duxuan’s brow was deeply furrowed. He lifted a hand to adjust his lapels, avoiding An Yan’s gaze. "It’s nothing worth mentioning. Thanks, though. But... I think you’re interrupting our shoot."

An Yan stared at him speechlessly.

She suspected all her blood relatives had some screws loose! Her father and eldest brother were incorrigibly soft-hearted, repeatedly duped by Bai Xiaoyun and her daughter. And her second brother! She had imagined that someone who could see through their father and eldest brother’s attitudes would be a sharp, principled man of action. She never expected him to be such a doormat! Seeing him swallow his grievances like this was just so infuriating!

Fu Xiao, who had been kicked aside, panicked when he saw the interaction between An Yan and An Duxuan.

He worried An Yan had also taken a liking to An Duxuan’s handsome face, just like Lei Na.

He hurried over and interjected forcefully, "Alright, miss! If you think I shouldn’t use this method to help him, then I won’t. An Duxuan, you’re on your own from now on."

Fu Xiao extended his hand towards An Duxuan.

An Duxuan raised his own hand to straighten his clothes, ignoring Fu Xiao’s gesture.

After an internal struggle, An Yaoluo also approached. "Axuan, why did you never tell me..."

An Duxuan turned his face away coldly. "There’s nothing to say!"

His home had been usurped by that mother-daughter pair, Bai Xiaoyun and her daughter. Even his father and older brother had been completely brainwashed by them. To speak of his suffering, his pain, would only provide amusement for those two. So why bother?

Only then did Fu Xiao realize An Duxuan actually knew these people.

His heart sank, and he glanced towards Lei Na.

Lei Na, looking displeased, said, "Aren’t you focusing on the wrong person? He’s just an extra. Whether this drama becomes a hit depends on the main actors, doesn’t it?"

An Yan turned to look at Lei Na. "I want to know why an extra like him is being targeted by the main male actor! Do you know?"

A flicker of chagrin crossed Lei Na’s face, but she quickly composed herself. "Targeted? Brother Fu Xiao already explained clearly that he was helping him."

"His acting is subpar, making everyone waste time on him. Brother Fu Xiao is just considering the overall progress of the shoot."

An Yan looked at her with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. "So, he should thank you all for being so considerate as to leave him battered and bruised?"

Lei Na became even more displeased by her sarcasm. "Get your priorities straight! Right now, Brother Fu Xiao is the key to this drama’s ratings! You should be supporting Brother Fu Xiao! A liability like him, an extra who drags everyone down, really isn’t worth your attention!"

An Yan pondered for a few seconds, then said, "A liability? You’re right. I also believe a production shouldn’t have anyone dragging it down!"

An Duxuan’s heart clenched.

From the conversation between An Yan and Lei Na, he deduced that An Yan and her companions were likely representatives sent by the investors to assess the situation on set.

After all, the director had held a meeting just last night, emphasizing that everyone needed to perform well today, as securing additional investment for the drama hinged on today’s showing.

He hadn’t expected that while the investment might be secured, he himself might be the one getting fired.

As for An Yaoluo, he didn’t believe she was with An Yan’s group.

For one thing, Li Tianyao and An Yaoluo were worlds apart; they wouldn’t normally associate.

If An Yaoluo hadn’t been present, An Duxuan would have definitely lowered his head, admitted fault, and begged Lei Na for another chance.

But he couldn’t bring himself to do that in front of An Yaoluo.

Fu Xiao was ecstatic. "Director, did you hear that? Hurry up and kick An Duxuan out! Don’t let him slow everyone down!"

Director Lai Hao sighed, "An Duxuan..."

"An Duxuan, do you want to play the male lead?"

Li Tianyao had approached at some point, unnoticed.

His tall frame was impeccably dressed in a black suit, a coat draped over his right forearm, concealing his hand.

The slight bend of his arm, however, lent him an air of old-world, gentlemanly elegance.

His calm, unwavering voice, like a pebble dropped into a still pond, sent ripples of shock through everyone present, stunning them.

No one noticed the fleeting expression of astonishment mixed with disdain that crossed An Duxuan’s face upon hearing Li Tianyao’s voice.

An Yan turned, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Are you going to back him?"

Li Tianyao replied, "If you wish it, consider it done."

This exchange prompted a barrage of envious, jealous, and resentful stares from the onlookers toward An Duxuan.

So, having a handsome face really does make all the difference! Just like that, he’s going to shoot to stardom!

Unfortunately, the crowd’s envy brought An Duxuan no joy; he merely felt an overwhelming sense of speechlessness.