Huo CEO's Acting? That Was Just Him Being Himself!

The news that Huo Group's president, Huo Si, would be starring as the male lead in the film Twin Emperors landed in the entertainment industry like a nuclear bomb, blasting its already boiling surface into towering waves.

Weibo's programmers expanded the servers overnight, and their hairlines receded another two centimeters.

The top ten trending searches were completely dominated by related topics:

#Huo Si's Screen Debut#

#Real Husbands Making Fake Love Real#

#The Most Expensive Actor in History#

#Gu Han Replaced#

Netizens were sharply divided in the comments:

[Holy shit! A once-in-a-lifetime moment! It'd be such a waste for President Huo's face not to act! Now my life is complete!]

[Is this the power of money? He invested in the production and took the male lead just to act alongside his wife? I'm dying from how sweet this is!]

[But... can President Huo actually act? What if he's expressionless and ruins this S+ blockbuster?]

Jian Ning lay in the nanny van, scrolling through the comments, feeling a little uneasy himself.

He secretly glanced at Huo Si beside him, who had his eyes closed to rest. In reality, he was listening to a financial report.

[System, do you think this old Huo can pull it off?]

[Acting isn't the same as holding meetings. It requires emotion! Explosive force! Sure, he's pretty good at acting in daily life, but that's slice-of-life acting. Will he fall apart on the big screen?]

[What if he has dozens of NGs, and the director doesn't dare scold him, so he can only scold me... wouldn't that be unfair?]

Huo Si took off his Bluetooth earpiece, turned his head, and looked at Jian Ning with a half-smile.

"What? You have so little faith in your husband?"

Jian Ning immediately put away his phone and gave him a perfectly professional fake smile. "How could that be? Mr. Huo, you're brilliant and mighty. Playing a regent prince would be effortless for you, wouldn't it? I'm just worried I won't be able to keep up with you!"

Huo Si reached out and pinched the back of his neck. "You don't need to keep up. In this scene, you only need to do one thing."

Jian Ning asked, "What?"

Huo Si said, "Be... conquered by me."

Jian Ning was speechless.

[...Even though that's a line from the script, why did it sound so suggestive coming from him?]

At the opening ceremony for Twin Emperors.

Director Li was grinning so hard that the wrinkles on his face bloomed like flowers. With Huo Si joining the cast, the investment in the production had increased by three hundred million. The costumes, makeup, and sets had all been upgraded to top-tier standards—even the extras wore real silk.

However, just as everyone was preparing to burn incense and pray for a successful shoot, a black Maybach parked brazenly at the end of the red carpet.

The door opened, and a middle-aged man in a dark red suit stepped out, his eyes cold and sinister. Four burly men followed behind him, and his presence was even more overbearing than Gu Yan's had been before.

It was Gu Han, the second master of the Gu Family, whose role Huo Si had "snatched."

Gu Han walked up to Director Li and said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Director Li, such a major event as the start of filming, and you didn't notify me? Am I, Gu, not qualified to come have a celebratory drink?"

Cold sweat streamed down Director Li's face. "S-Second Master Gu... well, this..."

Gu Han ignored Director Li. His gaze passed directly over the crowd and fixed firmly on Jian Ning and Huo Si standing in the center.

"President Huo, you're stealing business in the entertainment industry now? For such a..." Gu Han looked Jian Ning up and down contemptuously. "For such a little toy, was it worth damaging the relationship between the Gu and Huo families?"

Jian Ning felt uncomfortable all over beneath that slimy, disgusting gaze.

System notification:

[Ding! High-risk villain Gu Han detected.]

[Danger level: five stars.]

[Gossip: This man is a sadist who specializes in tormenting pretty young boys. He even has a whole set of "torture tools" in his trunk right now. If he'd played the male lead, he was planning to use them on you and make the fake scenes real.]

A chill shot up Jian Ning's spine from the soles of his feet.

[Holy shit! What a pervert!]

[Good thing Huo Si came! Otherwise, this little body of mine wouldn't have survived his torment!]

Huo Si stepped in front of Jian Ning, and his eyes instantly turned cold.

Just as he was about to have someone throw this fly out, a figure suddenly rushed over from the side.

"Second Uncle! Stop! Stop right now!"

Gu Yan, the eldest young master of the Gu Family and Jian Ning's current lackey, ran over drenched in sweat. He grabbed Gu Han's arm and desperately tried to drag him back.

"Second Uncle! Have you lost your mind? That's Huo Si! That's Jian Ning! You can't afford to provoke them!"

Gu Han frowned and slapped Gu Yan on the forehead. "You useless coward! What are you afraid of? This is a film set. I refuse to believe Huo Si would dare to do anything in public..."

"Second Uncle!" Gu Yan was nearly in tears from panic. "You don't know how creepy Jian Ning is! He... he knows magic! He knows that last month at the club, you..."

Gu Yan suddenly lowered his voice and leaned close to whisper several words into Gu Han's ear.

Gu Han's expression instantly changed from arrogant to terrified.

He abruptly looked at Jian Ning as if he had seen a ghost.

"You... how do you know..."

Jian Ning poked his head out from behind Huo Si and waved the phone in his hand with a smile.

"Second Master Gu, would you like me to send that little video to Old Master Gu for his enjoyment? I hear the old man hasn't been well lately, especially his heart. I wonder if he can handle that kind of excitement?"

[You want to fight me? I have every bit of dirt Gu Yan has. You're Gu Yan's second uncle—how could I not know your secrets?]

[This is called catching the ringleader first and striking the snake at its vital point!]

Gu Han gritted his teeth and shot Gu Yan a vicious glare. "You traitorous bastard!"

But he really was afraid. If that secret came out, he would be finished in the Gu Family.

"Fine! You win!" Gu Han straightened his collar, forcing himself to maintain his dignity. "President Huo, the mountains may not move, but the rivers do. We'll see each other again!"

With that, he left in disgrace with his men.

Gu Yan wiped away his cold sweat, then turned to Jian Ning with a fawning smile. "Brother Jian, I guess that counts as putting righteousness before family, right? About those three hundred million..."

Jian Ning made an OK gesture. "Not bad. I'll waive the interest."

After that interruption, filming officially began.

The first scene was a major one—[First Meeting in Court].

The setting was this: the prince of a fallen kingdom, played by Jian Ning, used the alias Jade Gentleman and was presented to the regent prince, played by Huo Si, as a dancing girl. The regent prince sat high beside the dragon throne, coldly observing the stunning beauty below, his gaze filled with scrutiny and amusement.

"Action!"

Dressed in red and barefoot, Jian Ning spun and leaped to the drumbeats. His eyes were cold and proud, yet carried a trace of alluring seduction. He perfectly portrayed the conflict between the hatred of a fallen kingdom and the need to bow his head.

The camera turned to Huo Si.

Everyone had originally worried that President Huo would either remain expressionless or break character.

But—

Huo Si lounged lazily in a grand chair draped in black tiger fur, one hand supporting his chin while the other toyed with a jade thumb ring.

He had no unnecessary expression. Yet those pitch-black eyes locked firmly onto the red-clad youth below the hall.

That gaze was overwhelmingly aggressive, like he was looking at prey that was already his—or an interesting plaything.

The aura of authority he exuded so naturally froze the air across the entire set.

The staff barely dared to breathe.

Director Li was so excited that he slapped his thigh.

"Perfect! This is what it means to play yourself! That pressure! That gaze! This isn't acting at all—he's the regent prince himself!"

As Jian Ning danced, he felt that nearly tangible gaze resting on him, and a layer of cold sweat actually formed on his back.

This wasn't acting.

His legs were genuinely starting to go weak.

[Help... why is this old man's gaze even fiercer than usual?]

[He doesn't really want to lock me in a cage, does he?]

[I can't act opposite him like this! I'm about to melt under his gaze!]

At last, the dance ended.

Jian Ning knelt on the ground, breathing hard. Following the script, he said in a trembling voice, "This guilty subject... pays his respects to the regent prince."

Huo Si slowly rose to his feet and walked down the steps, one step at a time.

Each heavy footstep landed directly on Jian Ning's heart.

He stopped in front of Jian Ning and used the folding fan in his hand to lift his chin, forcing him to meet his gaze.

In the script, the regent prince was supposed to say, "What a face capable of toppling a nation."

But as Huo Si looked at Jian Ning's trembling lashes and those damp, shining eyes, he suddenly changed the line.

He bent down. His voice was low and husky, carrying a barely detectable rasp.

"From now on, you may only dance this dance in my bedchamber."

"Dance it for me alone."

The director froze for a moment. "Cut! Um... President Huo, the line was wrong..."

But the next second, Director Li shook his head frantically. "No! This line is better! It has more tension! More possessiveness! Keep it! We have to keep it!"

Huo Si released Jian Ning's chin, pulled him to his feet, and casually straightened his slightly messy collar. Then he returned to his usual calm demeanor.

"Director, I think this revision is more reasonable."

Director Li nodded wildly. "Reasonable! Extremely reasonable! Teacher Huo, you're a genius!"

Jian Ning stood beside them, his face red as a monkey's backside.

[What do you mean, dance in your bedchamber?]

[Huo Si, you're flirting on the company's dime! You're slipping personal motives into the script!]

[That look just now... did you want to eat me alive?]

Huo Si tilted his head to look at him, answering with his eyes.

Yes.

The first day of filming went exceptionally smoothly.

Huo Si's "acting" conquered the entire crew.

After filming wrapped, Jian Ning was removing his makeup when Su Mo came in holding the call sheet, her expression somewhat complicated.

"Jian Ning, tomorrow's scene... is a little special."

Jian Ning wiped his face as he asked, "How special? Do I need to do wirework or jump into water?"

Gu Yan had already replaced the wire rigging with the highest-quality equipment, so he wasn't afraid at all now.

Su Mo coughed and handed him the call sheet.

"It isn't an action scene. It's... a romantic scene."

"And it's... that kind of romantic scene."

Jian Ning lowered his head to look.

The call sheet clearly read:

[Scene 45: Bedchamber bath. The regent prince bathes Jade Gentleman. The two test each other in a confrontation, wet-body seduction.]

[Note: Closed-set filming. Actors are required to... strip to half-nude.]

The makeup-removal cotton pad fell from Jian Ning's hand.

[A bath? Bathing?]

[And I have to be half-naked?]

[With Huo Si? In a studio full of cameras?]

Su Mo added, "A body double could have been used, but President Huo just told the director that, in pursuit of realism, he had to do it himself. And... he said he's very good at scrubbing backs and wanted you to experience it."

Jian Ning was speechless.

[Very good at scrubbing backs?]

[Huo Si, you old rogue! Do you really want to scrub my back? You want to scrub...]

At that moment, Huo Si pushed open the door and entered, holding a bottle of safflower oil, probably worried that Jian Ning's dancing had tired him out.

Seeing Jian Ning's expression as though he were facing a great enemy, Huo Si raised an eyebrow.

"You saw tomorrow's call sheet?"

"Don't worry. I'll be gentle."