*The Return of the Condor Heroes*

Ji Wuming was run ragged by Bai Zhantang and Tong Xiangyu.

First, they fooled him into believing Mo Xiaobei was his daughter.

Then they said she was Lü Xiucai's.

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"You beast!"

Ji Wuming glared furiously at the seemingly respectable scoundrel and advanced step by step.

"Stay back!" Lü Xiucai was scared stiff. "The Master once said that violence can't solve anything."

"Tell me how you want to die, and I'll oblige!"

Shen Qi tried to make the character look as fierce as possible.

"Overwhelming Force!"

Guo Furong charged over, only for Shen Qi to drive her back with an elbow.

He even threw in a jab:

"Next time, you don't have to shout before you attack!"

It was an official dig at the trope.

This show, or rather, plenty of TV dramas, had the same "bug."

As if shouting somehow made an attack stronger.

"Your life is mine!"

After dealing with Guo Furong, Shen Qi lunged at Lü Xiucai again.

He had knocked Bai Zhantang to the ground. No one was left to stop him from killing the man who had supposedly cuckolded him.

"Wait!" Lü Xiucai made a desperate last stand. "You can kill me, but first tell me whose hands I'm dying at."

"Mine, obviously!"

Shen Qi answered as though it were self-evident.

"Who am I?"

Lü Xiucai had found his rhythm.

"I... how would I know who you are?!"

Shen Qi looked utterly baffled.

His clear eyes held not a trace of visible intelligence.

The director had personally walked him through the scene that morning, and now he was doing remarkably well.

He had nailed that dim-witted foolishness.

"That raises a question..."

Lü Xiucai launched into his theory.

"What do you mean?"

"We have to start with the relationship between people and the universe. There's a question that's been following you all your life..."

The real trick was to strike at Ji Wuming's confused sense of self after his memory loss. A relentless barrage of questions seized control of the exchange, undermining his motives and sense of worth until his mind collapsed.

In short, he was bamboozling a fool.

But it all depended on Shen Qi playing the amnesiac Ji Wuming as a fool.

It was the hardest part of the role.

"Ji Wuming is just a name, a label. You can be called Ji Wuming, and so can I. Take away the label, and who are you?"

"I don't know, and I don't need to know."

At this point, Ji Wuming wasn't completely stupid yet. He could at least argue back.

Shen Qi had to show his confusion deepening by degrees. That morning, they had spent well over an hour working on the progression.

"Fine, fine. Then answer another question: who am I?"

When Yu Entai took the role, the director told him to play a scholar steeped in the classics.

To do the character justice, he memorized the Analects and the Book of Songs, and carefully studied A Modern Reading of the Analects.

In the end, all he got to use was "The Master once said."

It was enough to make him want to cry.

At least today was his moment to shine. He would use learning to kill a formidable enemy.

"For example, when I use 'I' as a label in this conversation, your label is also 'I.' What does that mean? Does it mean you are me, and I am you..."

He delivered the long speech without a stumble, pouring all his emotion into it as he faced Shen Qi.

All Shen Qi could do was struggle weakly. "That question doesn't mean anything!"

"Then let's ask a few that do. Where did I come from before birth, and where will I go after death? Why did I appear in this world? What does my existence mean to it? Did the world choose me, or did I choose the world?!"

"Enough..."

Shen Qi played the distress of a man whose brain was overloading.

Lü Xiucai pressed on without pause. "Is there an inevitable connection between me and the universe? Does the universe have an end? Does time have a length? Where does the past disappear to? Where does the future stop? Is the question I'm asking now still the question you mentioned just now?"

Questions like these had driven countless philosophers to distraction. It was only natural for Ji Wuming, never very bright to begin with and now suffering from amnesia, to get hopelessly tangled up.

"I'll kill you—"

"Who's killing me? And who am I killing?!"

Yu Entai had genuinely worried that Shen Qi wouldn't be able to keep up with him.

He had prepared for today's big scene for a long time.

He practiced in his room whenever he had a chance.

Shang Jing shared his concern.

Shen Qi was just too inconsistent.

His acting swung between good and bad.

If he stumbled at the crucial moment, he might get stuck in a cycle of repeated mistakes.

Acting, too, depended on momentum.

"I'm killing me?"

Shen Qi murmured, oblivious to the fact that he had backed himself into a dead end.

"Correct! Do it!"

Yu Entai's eyes shone.

That felt good!

And it wasn't just because he had performed well.

Shen Qi had played off him brilliantly.

"Uh... ah!"

Shen Qi crossed his hands and slammed them hard against his forehead.

And so...

After a professional examination by Sha Yi, the peerless master Ji Wuming was pronounced dead...

"That's a take!" Shang Jing was delighted with Shen Qi's performance. "Help him clean up."

Ji Wuming had struck the crown of his head with both palms and died bleeding from every facial orifice.

Shen Qi had put some force into the blow during filming.

But there was no way he could make himself bleed like that.

That was thanks to the makeup artist.

"Sister Liu, just a moment. I need to take a call. Thanks!"

His phone had started ringing in his pocket.

Shen Qi pulled out a couple of tissues, gave his face a quick wipe, and left it at that.

The fake blood was made from honey anyway.

"Oh, is it your girlfriend? Come on, I've seen it all..."

Makeup artists were among the first people in the industry to hear gossip.

"Haha, not my girlfriend!"

Shen Qi gave her no chance to pry. He stepped aside to answer the phone.

The call was from Shu Chang.

After they exchanged pleasantries, Shu Chang got straight to the point.

"I asked around and found a role for you. They've agreed to let you audition, but... it's not a particularly good role."

There was little excitement in her voice. If anything, she sounded a bit guilty.

"What role? It's fine, just tell me."

Shen Qi hadn't expected Shu Chang to find him a role in the first place.

For one thing, they had only met by chance.

For another, although Shu Chang had started her career early, she had only recently begun to make a name for herself. Her own opportunities were limited; she couldn't simply hand Shen Qi a big break.

It was probably a minor supporting role.

Judging by her tone, there might even be a serious catch.

She isn't going to ask me to entertain people over drinks, is she?

"It's Zhang Jizhong's The Return of the Condor Heroes... Have you heard of the project?"

"Of course... it's been all over the news."

Shen Qi's eyes widened. He knew all about it.

Zhang Jizhong was a master of hype and self-promotion.

At first, he had been the least conspicuous of several on-site producers for Water Margin.

But after a round of self-promotion, the entire series became his achievement.

He had won over CCTV on one side and Jin Yong on the other.

Once he got a project underway, he milked every opportunity for publicity.

During preparation, he stirred up talk about casting. During filming, he fueled romance rumors. After broadcast, he stoked controversy.

He made a fortune from it.

The Return of the Condor Heroes was already a hugely popular property, and Zhang Jizhong had just scored a major success with Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.

For a moment, Shen Qi's heart raced.

What role could he possibly play in The Return of the Condor Heroes?

What role would go to a newcomer like him?

Wu Dunru or Wu Xiuwen?

Landing either of those lovestruck brothers would be a huge boost to Shen Qi's acting career.

There was also Guo Polu...

But he had very few scenes and was only sixteen when he appeared. His demeanor was far too different from Shen Qi's, so the part was unlikely to go to him.

Yelü Qi!

Right, there was Yelü Qi, who eventually married Guo Fu.

Either Wu brother or Yelü Qi would be great!

But Shu Chang had said the role wasn't very good.

What did she mean by that?

Surely she didn't want him to play the stupid, nasty Lu Qingdu?

Even that wouldn't be out of the question...

"Um... would you be willing to audition for Yin Zhiping?"

Shu Chang finally revealed the answer.

She had previously played Heavenly Mountain Child Granny in Zhang Jizhong's version of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.

They had worked well together.

So when she contacted Zhang Jizhong and told him about Shen Qi, he hadn't turned her down outright.

Instead, he had tossed her the hot potato that was Yin Zhiping.

The role was hardly insignificant.

Quite the opposite: Yin Zhiping was a pivotal character in The Return of the Condor Heroes.

Casting him in The Legend of the Condor Heroes was one thing. He had few scenes and barely made an impression.

But for The Return of the Condor Heroes, casting him became a real problem.

The original novel described Yin Zhiping as having "long brows, handsome eyes, and refined features."

They couldn't just fill the part with any actor who specialized in villains.

Since Shu Chang had recommended a handsome newcomer, they might as well let him try.

"Try" meant audition.

All Shu Chang had secured for Shen Qi was an audition for Yin Zhiping.