"Pfft."
Seeing Liu Yifei's expression, her makeup artist couldn't hold back a laugh either.
"Sister Wang, you're laughing at me too?" Liu Yifei put on a fierce expression.
"No, I just thought of a joke too." Sister Wang offered an excuse full of holes.
"You both thought of the same joke?" Liu Yifei raised her voice.
Sister Wang and the person who had laughed earlier exchanged a glance, then nodded in unison. "Yes, yes, yes."
Liu Yifei: "..."
"Mom, look at them." Liu Yifei tried to get Liu Xiaoli to stand up for her.
"Lie still, or it'll hurt even more in a moment." Liu Xiaoli gave Liu Yifei's calf a gentle pat.
Seeing she couldn't find an ally, Liu Yifei decided to "kill" Zhang Yang with her gaze.
Liu Xiaoli, Sister Wang, and the others found the scene amusing.
In private, Liu Yifei was lively, but she rarely talked to people while filming. She lived up to outsiders' impression of her as the aloof "Fairy Sister."
This was especially true when it came to men. Liu Xiaoli had once kept a close eye on her, worried she was young and might be deceived. Though Liu Xiaoli had eased up since then, Liu Yifei herself still wasn't interested in making friends with men.
Most men felt pressured when they were around Liu Yifei, because she was too outstanding.
Someone as casual as Zhang Yang was quite unusual!
"Xixi, your injury looks pretty serious. It seems you were sitting in a chair when someone suddenly yanked you away with a lot of force, pinching you in the process. And you didn't get treatment right away." Zhang Yang's gaze fell on Liu Yifei's injury, sharp and focused.
Liu Xiaoli and the others were surprised.
Liu Yifei had been injured while filming the first scene that morning, but she'd gritted her teeth and kept quiet until she finished filming not long ago.
When Liu Xiaoli had seen the injury, her eyes had reddened with worry. She'd scolded Liu Yifei for risking her health to act, then went to get the medicine box, only to find that the medicine inside had spilled.
Rather than send an assistant out to buy more, she'd immediately planned to borrow some from the stunt team.
Even the director didn't know yet that Liu Yifei had been hurt, so Zhang Yang couldn't have heard about it from someone else.
He must have figured it out just by looking.
"You can even tell that? Pretty impressive." Liu Yifei arched an eyebrow.
Though she said that, she wasn't very surprised. It actually seemed perfectly natural.
She was something of a martial artist herself. A few days earlier, after watching Zhang Yang's fight scenes in The Legend of Dugu, she'd realized he had trained in Childhood Skill. He knew a lot about this sort of injury.
"Just speaking from experience." Zhang Yang looked away. "If you trust me, you should go to the hospital and get some anti-inflammatory and pain medication specifically for this. Otherwise, the next week will be rough."
Liu Xiaoli paused, looked up, and asked, "Is it that serious?"
"The injury isn't minor, and you waited to get treatment. It might have affected a nerve." Zhang Yang nodded.
This was the hard-won experience Zhao Kuangyin had gained over a lifetime on the battlefield. It couldn't be wrong.
"Then we can't leave it. I'll tell the director and take Xixi to the hospital." Liu Xiaoli made up her mind at once.
Liu Yifei had been about to say there was no need, but then felt that would make her seem ungrateful, so she let Liu Xiaoli handle it.
"Thanks to you, it looks like I can skip work this afternoon." Liu Yifei was cheerful enough to joke about it.
"You're welcome." Zhang Yang glanced at the extra Opportunity Points on his Opportunity Manual, the corner of his mouth lifting. "Of course, if you really want to thank me, I'll graciously accept. Maybe some snacks, some braised meat, or a pot of good tea."
"You really don't hold back, do you?" Liu Yifei teased.
Sister Wang and the others all found it amusing.
The two of them kept bantering as if no one else were around.
Nazha: They're just ordinary friends!? Do I look that easy to fool?
Liu Xiaoli soon returned, accompanied by a woman in a white coat. She was the medical staff member assigned to the production.
The doctor examined Liu Yifei and looked serious. "Judging by the bruising and the pooled blood, it is indeed a little serious. It would be best to get it checked at a hospital, so it doesn't damage a nerve."
With the doctor's confirmation, Liu Xiaoli first went to inform the director. Then she found the production's location manager, arranged the schedule, and took Liu Yifei to the nearest hospital.
Xiao Qin, one of Liu Yifei's personal assistants, stayed behind to fill Zhang Yang in on what was going on with the production.
By the time Zhang Yang had gotten a general idea of the situation, the morning shoot had more or less wrapped up, and the crew had started handing out lunch boxes.
Taking advantage of the break, Zhang Yang went over to report to Chen Jiashang.
"A'Yang, you're finally here. Great!"
Before Chen Jiashang could say anything, Deng Chao hugged Zhang Yang and said with a grin, "I can't manage it myself, but if you do the moves Brother Deng designed, there won't be any problem."
His words immediately made Zhang Yang the center of attention, especially for a middle-aged man wearing an orange jacket and a hat. He looked ordinary, but his gaze was sharp, and he kept sizing Zhang Yang up.
Zhang Yang met his eyes at once and returned the appraisal.
This was the "Brother Deng" Deng Chao had mentioned.
His real name was Gu Xuanzhao. "Brother Deng" was what his acquaintances called him. He was a famous Hong Kong martial arts and action director and producer.
He was the renowned martial arts director Yuan Heping's last disciple. His notable action-directing credits included Stephen Chow's Kung Fu, CJ7, Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons, and The Mermaid, as well as Lao Mouzi's Shadow.
After a brief exchange of glances, Zhang Yang smiled. "Chao Ge, I remember you didn't say that when we had dinner the other night."
"You kept saying you were good at action scenes, and that hiring a stunt double was just another option. But now I'm here, and suddenly you can't do the moves?"
"I can do them, of course." Deng Chao stubbornly defended himself. "I just don't look good doing them. You'll make them look much better."
Chen Jiashang immediately called him out. "Chao, I wonder who spent two hours filming yesterday afternoon without getting a single good take."
"I was off my game yesterday," Deng Chao said at once. "We'll shoot again this afternoon. I'll prove myself."
Everyone present looked unconvinced.
As the director, Chen Jiashang formally welcomed Zhang Yang.
But Zhang Yang was only a minor supporting actor and a stunt double, so the stars and crew members weren't particularly enthusiastic.
Zhang Yang didn't presume to go around making himself conspicuous, either. He found a seat beside Deng Chao, finished his lunch box, and then went to wait by Gu Xuanzhao.
"Childhood Skill?" Gu Xuanzhao asked after finishing his lunch.
"Yes." Zhang Yang nodded.
That wasn't entirely true before, but after inheriting some of Zhao Kuangyin's abilities, it was fair to say he'd mastered it.
"Who was your master?" Gu Xuanzhao asked.
"For certain reasons, my master told me not to reveal his identity," Zhang Yang replied.
Gu Xuanzhao didn't press him. "Come with me. Let's exchange a few moves."
It was a bit of martial arts jargon. He meant that they should test each other's skill.
Zhang Yang had no objections and followed Gu Xuanzhao to an open area.
They exchanged moves without putting any real force behind them, and Zhang Yang used only Grand Ancestor's Long Fist.
"You're definitely a martial artist. Your fundamentals are solid. Director Chen chose the right person." Approval showed in Gu Xuanzhao's eyes, and his expression grew serious. "I'll teach you a set of moves I've choreographed. Whether or not Deng Chao manages to pull them off himself, you'll have to perform them afterward."
Zhang Yang nodded to show he had no problem with that.
Three minutes later, Gu Xuanzhao returned to Chen Jiashang, still looking somewhat astonished.
"How was he? Good enough?" Chen Jiashang asked.
Gu Xuanzhao's expression changed dramatically. He stared at him for a long moment, then asked, "Did you do this on purpose?"
Chen Jiashang: ?
"Where did you find this monster?"
Chen Jiashang: ??
Before you continue