Chapter 13

"Xia Xi, why are you sitting there spacing out? Hurry up and come over, we're starting the shoot!"
As soon as Xia Xi returned to the set after finishing her makeup and had just sat down for a second, intending to review the script for the upcoming scene, she heard Director Li's roar. His attitude wasn't exactly pleasant.
Her heart trembled slightly, and she helplessly set the script on the table, quickly making her way to the filming location.
This scene wasn't particularly significant for the TV series "Fate of Immortals", it was more of a foreshadowing or transition. But for the character Yang Yue, it was a defining moment.
Yang Yue was one of the few characters in "Fate of Immortals" with a tragic ending, suffering from beginning to end. When her father was the leader of Kunlun Xu, she was infatuated with Su Yuxue, leaking information to help him evade her father's pursuit. After Su Yuxue killed her father to avenge his master, she lived in agony, believing her actions had caused her father's death.
Today, Xia Xi and the others were to film the scene where Yang Yue, injured by a phantom of the Taowu in the Xuantian Secret Realm, is coincidentally saved by Su Yuxue and falls in love with him. This day could be said to be the beginning of Yang Yue's happiness and also the start of her tragedy.
Xia Xi closed her eyes to build up her emotions, thinking to herself about what it would feel like for a privileged prodigy like Yang Yue during her first time in the Xuantian Secret Realm, joy, excitement, or perhaps a bit of nervousness.
When she opened her eyes again, she was no longer Xia Xi but Yang Yue from Fate of Immortals.

Yang Yue lay collapsed on the ground, a trickle of bright red blood at the corner of her mouth, frowning as she watched the ancient ferocious beast that could pounce and take her life at any moment. A sense of powerlessness suddenly washed over her, regret for not being able to defeat this remnant soul, resignation at the end of her life. But, so be it. Cultivating immortality was already defying the heavens; perishing here due to inadequate skills was only to be expected.
"Roar!" The Taowu suddenly let out a furious roar and lunged toward Yang Yue. She gave a bitter smile and involuntarily closed her eyes.
After a long moment, the pain Yang Yue had anticipated didn't come. She was dazed for a few seconds, then slowly opened her eyes.
There stood a man of unparalleled handsomeness, wielding a seemingly fragile peachwood sword as he battled the Taowu. Yet, the sturdy peachwood sword never broke and even helped the man gradually gain the upper hand.
"Bang!" With a loud crash, the man and the Taowu collided. The shockwave from their impact caused the surrounding trees to sway violently, but Yang Yue, who was closest to them, remained completely unharmed.
"Bang, bang, bang," Listening to the terrifying sounds, Yang Yue watched the man with worry, her heart involuntarily tightening.
Yang Yue didn't know how long the battle lasted, perhaps one hour or two. All she knew was that her heart slowly rose with tension as time dragged on.
Though it was her first time meeting the man, she found herself deeply concerned for him, fearing he might fall at the hands of the beast. Only when he finally slew the monstrous creature and walked toward her with a cold expression did her heart finally settle back into place.
Su Yuxue looked at the stunning woman collapsed on the ground, whose eyes flickered with admiration, gratitude, respect, and joy as she gazed at him. He felt a wave of impatience.
He had originally intended to rescue her and leave quickly, but when he noticed the trace of blood at the corner of her lips, he couldn't bring himself to walk away. Sighing inwardly, he resignedly stepped forward to check on her condition.
"Your hand."
Yang Yue was momentarily stunned by the man's cold voice. Watching him approach, her face flushed involuntarily. She immediately laid her palm flat to make it easier for him to take her pulse.
Su Yuxue examined the young woman's pulse and found her injuries were more severe than he had anticipated. Though reluctant to stay with a stranger, the upbringing he had received since childhood forbade him from abandoning a gravely injured woman alone. Thus, he set aside his thoughts of leaving and focused on caring for her, hoping she would recover quickly so he could depart with peace of mind.
From that day on, Su Yuxue stayed with Yang Yue. The two of them spoke little, and after several days together, they still didn't know each other's names. One simply gathered herbs while the other administered treatment.
This scene concluded.
The set was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone seemed entranced, staring fixedly at Xia Xi and Lu Yisheng in the center, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
What the hell, what kind of god-tier acting was this from both of them!
Li Wen had invested immense effort into "Fate of Immortals" and was determined to make it a success, as evidenced by his decision to cast Lu Yisheng as the male lead.
Therefore, when Li Wen learned that the investor had forced Xia Xi into the role of Yang Yue, he was utterly unwilling. He believed Xia Xi couldn't do the role justice.
First, while Xia Xi was beautiful, she lacked the dignified and elegant demeanor required for Yang Yue's character. Second, her awkward and clumsy acting could only be described as abysmal. Any drama Xia Xi appeared in was mocked by netizens for her poor performance, dragging down the show's ratings along the way.
Which director would like such an actor? Which crew would welcome her?
But now, things might be different.
Li Wen felt a little anticipation.
"Xia Xi, your performance just now was amazing, absolutely perfect!" Li Wen was the first to snap out of it. He walked over to Xia Xi and gently patted her shoulder, his smile growing more genuine. The slight disdain he had felt for her earlier had completely vanished. "Don't just stand there, go take a rest."
"Alright, Director."
Xia Xi bid the director farewell and headed toward Song Yuan's location. Faintly, she could still hear the director's deliberately lowered voice behind her.
"Brother, tell me! Did you help her improve her acting skills?"
Xia Xi took the cup Song Yuan handed her, took a small sip of water, and tried to calm her racing heart.
To be honest, without actually acting alongside Lu Yisheng, one couldn't truly understand just how good his acting skills were. Just a single glance from him had drawn her into the scene, such a domineering and powerful performance. As she thought about it, Xia Xi muttered under her breath, "It seems I need to take back what I said about 'Lu Yisheng just being handsome.' His acting is excellent too."
"Xia Xi, you acted quite well." Just as Xia Xi was secretly thinking about Lu Yisheng, Ye Xin suddenly appeared, wearing a fake smile. "I never expected that after breaking up with Luo Chu’an, your acting skills would improve so much. I guess it's a blessing in disguise."