"Condor Heroes" Begins Filming (Please Vote)

"Hi, Mr. Shi Feng!"

Liu Yifei greeted Shi Feng first.

Then her gaze naturally shifted to Shen Qi beside him, waiting for Shi Feng to introduce the unfamiliar face.

But before Shi Feng could speak, Xiao Xue jumped in. "This is Shen Qi. He was my junior at sports university. He's playing Yin Zhiping in your drama. He's a good guy—he didn't date anyone throughout all four years of college."

Xiao Xue's intention was simple.

Sure, my junior's playing Yin Zhiping, but he's a good kid.

Don't get the wrong idea. He isn't a pervert.

Shen Qi, meanwhile, wanted to die.

Is never having dated in college really something worth announcing to the world?

"Hello..."

Liu Yifei looked a little awkward.

She was only seventeen. Meeting an actor playing such a peculiar role, of course she felt awkward.

To ease the awkwardness between actors, some productions filmed a kissing scene first. Once they had kissed, there was no reason to keep feeling embarrassed.

The industry called it "breaking the ice."

Of course, Little Dragon Maiden and Yin Zhiping had no kissing scene.

"Hello."

Shen Qi was awkward too. His reply came out stiff.

He had been a teacher.

He was excellent at dealing with people, and sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds were exactly the sort he had taught.

But the school had never asked him to...

What a nightmare!

Fortunately, Lü Bu grew restless again just then and carried Shen Qi forward.

He had lost all interest in the beauty.

Apparently... he had remembered he was a gelding.

Shen Qi hurriedly touched the Magic Book in his pocket and chose to use the "Shi Feng's Riding Skill" he had just recorded.

"Sorry, we'll talk later!" he called, then grabbed the reins and rode off on Lü Bu.

"Hey... hey! You don't know how to ride yet! Did you forget?"

Shi Feng was so startled he might as well have seen a bedridden patient leap up and sprint away.

He hurried after him.

Holy shit, don't do this!

Are you trying to get my coaching license revoked?

"I've ridden a donkey. It's basically the same. Hyah!"

Shen Qi didn't look back.

He couldn't bear to stay there another second.

He was so embarrassed he felt he could dig a horse trough out of the ground with his toes.

How am I supposed to act in that assault scene later?

Anyone else who saw such a beautiful Little Dragon Maiden might already be looking forward to it.

But Shen Qi couldn't shake the feeling that he wouldn't be able to bring himself to do it.

Shi Feng ran after him for a few steps. Seeing that Shen Qi sat steadily in the saddle and wasn't riding fast, he relaxed.

Donkeys generally weren't saddled.

If Shen Qi had ridden one before, that explained it.

Riding a donkey and riding a horse really weren't all that different.

Besides, Lü Bu might be a little irritable, but he came from a breed of spotted horses with a fairly gentle temperament.

Over the next few days, Shen Qi spent most of his time at the stables.

Only because he could take advantage of the production's access did he dare set foot in a club like this. Otherwise, the price of twenty-five yuan an hour would have kept him away.

Ordinarily, a supporting actor like him wouldn't be allowed to keep using a horse.

But Lü Bu hadn't officially been assigned to the production since being gelded.

He needed some time to be trained.

With Zhao Xuande and Shi Feng covering for him, Shen Qi could ride him for a few days without any trouble.

Shen Qi also fed the horses, brushed them, swept up manure, and helped with whatever needed doing.

Over those few days, he formed a deep bond with Lü Bu.

After the National Day holiday ended, The Return of the Condor Heroes crew officially set out for Jiuzhaigou.

The first convoy, loaded with stage sets, props, lighting, and camera equipment, had arrived there as early as October 4.

The second group went by train.

Shen Qi was in the third group and got to fly on a ticket booked by the production.

Of course, he wasn't going to sit in first class. He was lucky enough to get a seat in economy.

He wondered whether Zhang Jizhong, Huang Xiaoming, Liu Yifei, and the others in first class would arrive before him.

It was his first time flying, and he would have been lying if he said he wasn't excited.

As the plane climbed, he instinctively gripped the armrests.

"Don't be scared, little brother. First time?"

The woman beside him took his hand and comforted him softly.

"Thanks, Li Meng!"

The woman next to Shen Qi was Li Meng, a makeup artist on the crew.

She was pretty, but that wasn't the point.

The point was that her E-cup figure was impossible to ignore.

Her waist was slim as bamboo, with coconuts in front.

Shi Feng had told him she was a lesbian.

Shen Qi couldn't tell, though.

On his other side, Shi Feng rested with his eyes closed, but the corners of his mouth had lifted.

A mature beauty with an E-cup figure is a must for my novel "Sleeping with Everyone in Showbiz."

So what if she's a lesbian?

Win over a lesbian, and I might even get two for the price of one.

"Pinch your nose and blow like this. It'll ease the pressure in your ears... Oh, little brother, your nose is really prominent. Might get in the way when you kiss someone..."

Li Meng was the sort who got familiar with people instantly.

"That really helped. Thanks, Li Meng. You must fly around a lot for work..."

Shen Qi had plenty of experience being teased.

When someone teased you, shrinking away only made them more eager to pick on you.

Changing the subject was a good tactic.

After chatting all the way there, he had gotten to know the makeup artist pretty well.

Patting her chest, Li Meng promised she would rally the makeup team to make Shen Qi the most handsome Yin Zhiping possible.

The plane landed in Chengdu first, and they caught a connecting flight to Jiuzhaigou the next day.

It was already the tenth by the time they arrived.

His strongest first impression was that October here was surprisingly chilly.

Quite a few people had already put on jackets.

The production had plenty of money and strong local support, so it had booked an entire hotel.

The lobby was full of crew members.

Staff led the principal cast and crew to their rooms first.

Someone like Shen Qi... was inevitably overlooked.

It wasn't that anyone was deliberately ignoring him.

The executive producer, chief director, department heads, screenwriters, and lead actors like Huang Xiaoming and Liu Yifei, along with their teams, added up to dozens of people who needed rooms.

Only after they were settled would supporting actors like him get their turn.

"Oh, little brother, nobody's taking you in? How about..."

The makeup artist was certainly enthusiastic.

"No, no, that's okay!"

Shen Qi quickly refused. No matter how long he had to wait for a room, he couldn't share one with her.

That would be walking straight into the lion's den.

Li Meng, have you forgotten you're a lesbian?

"Li Meng, everyone on the makeup team is looking for you. Hurry up and get to the meeting. Stop teasing the new guy!"

A voice cut in.

Relieved to have someone intervene, Shen Qi turned and saw a familiar face.

"Producer Li!"

It was Li Ju, the production manager he had met on the Migrant Workers set.

He hadn't expected to see him here too.

Then again, it made sense.

Zhang Jizhong had produced both Migrant Workers and The Return of the Condor Heroes. Naturally, their production teams overlapped.

"I came with the first group. What, no one's assigned you a room?"

Li Ju had a good impression of Shen Qi.

On the Migrant Workers set, the kid had not only acted well but also helped train the actors to capture a rural feel and managed relations with the local villagers. He had done plenty to help from start to finish.

"I guess they're all busy. I don't mind waiting a bit longer."

Shen Qi certainly wasn't going to complain about the staff handling the arrangements.

"Let me see what I can do for you..."

Li Ju actually knew a little about what was going on.

It boiled down to Zhang Jizhong saying Shen Qi didn't know how to conduct himself and had been half-hearted about the training sessions.

Li Ju didn't know why Zhang Jizhong had said that, but the people beneath him took every hint as an order.

If the executive producer didn't care for Shen Qi, naturally no one else would give him much attention.

Of course, it was also possible that the person assigning rooms simply disliked Shen Qi.

Why should a newcomer get to play Yin Zhiping?

Just because he was handsome?

When you were at the bottom, even others at the bottom would make life difficult for you.

And when you started climbing, there would always be people jealous of how easily you rose.

Besides, Shen Qi playing Yin Zhiping was reason enough for people to dislike him.

He didn't have to wait for the drama to air to attract hostility. He hadn't even filmed a scene yet, and it was already hanging over him.

"Shen Qi, why are you still here?"

Shi Feng had finished settling the martial arts team and happened to spot Shen Qi in the lobby. He greeted Li Ju too.

"Oh, Martial Arts Director Shi, don't you have a room to yourself?"

Li Ju had been wondering how to arrange things.

With Shen Qi's standing, there was no way he would get a room to himself. He didn't have an agent or assistant with him either, so Li Ju needed to find him a roommate.

"Sure, let Shen Qi room with me. My room's pretty spacious."

Shi Feng readily agreed.

He had originally been sharing with Zhao Jian, the martial arts director, so they could discuss the fight choreography.

But Zhao Jian's family had come to Jiuzhaigou for a holiday, so another room had been arranged for them.

Someone else would have been assigned the empty bed anyway.

In that case, Shi Feng would rather have Shen Qi move in.

Watching him up close would help Shi Feng develop the protagonist of "Sleeping with Everyone in Showbiz."

Shen Qi was happy with the arrangement too.

If he roomed with another actor, he would have the lowest standing. None of his work had even been released yet.

Besides, actors were wary of one another. Even if there was no need for outright suspicion, he would still have to watch his back.

There would be none of that with someone from the martial arts team.

Shen Qi could even use Shi Feng's computer now and then.

"Shi Feng, could you... close that page?"

When Shen Qi went over to Shi Feng's laptop, the page on the screen immediately caught him off guard.

Don't misunderstand. It wasn't a porn site, much less a search for how to turn a man gay.

If it had been, Shen Qi would have been in real danger.

In fact, Shi Feng had been reading a post titled "How to Tell Whether a Foot Massage Parlor Is Legitimate."

Shen Qi fell silent for two seconds. A line of words slowly surfaced in his mind:

Fuck, there are legitimate foot massage parlors?