Why Didn't You Carry Her in Your Arms?

Compared with the danger Huang Xiaoming had faced when he fell from his horse, what happened today was hardly worth mentioning.

It had not even affected Liu Yifei's filming that afternoon.

Naturally, it had not stopped Xiaoming from treating everyone to dinner that night.

Shen Qi had heard Huang Xiaoming had given his entire fee to Zhang Jizhong.

At this rate, it felt as though he was paying out of pocket every day to be in the show.

"Can you all stop laughing?"

Sure enough, Shen Qi had become the butt of the jokes because he had fallen into the water.

Falling into the water was not the embarrassing part.

The embarrassing part was dragging the female lead in with him.

It had looked like they were drowning for love.

Fortunately, the female lead's costume had been specially made, so getting it wet would not make it revealing.

She had even posed for a set of publicity photos on horseback in wet clothes.

She did not have much of a figure, but her face alone was stunning.

"You graduated from a sports university. How is your balance so bad? Don't tell me you did it on purpose to get your hands on her."

Chen Zihan was only too happy to stir things up.

"That spot was really slippery. I nearly fell when I walked across it too."

Zhao Hongfei stepped in to smooth things over.

He played Yelü Qi, whose wife Guo Fu was played by Chen Zihan.

He and Shen Qi had met during auditions. Back then, Shen Qi had considered him his biggest rival.

In truth, Zhao Hongfei had been wary of Shen Qi too.

Fortunately, his own role had been confirmed on the spot.

Only later had he learned that Shen Qi had auditioned for the Dragon Knight.

He had to admire Shen Qi. The man was willing to go that far.

He was ruthless.

It was not that nobody wanted to play Yin Zhiping, but if they had another choice, who would willingly take such a huge risk?

"I didn't expect Liu Yifei to be so brave."

Yang Mi spoke quietly, sounding impressed.

There were only a few people at the gathering: Huang Xiaoming, Shen Qi, Zhao Hongfei, Chen Zihan, and Yang Mi.

Besides, she was only seventeen.

No drinking for minors!

"She really was brave. She startled me too."

Shen Qi had mixed feelings.

Whether or not her attempt to help had done any good, she had at least reached out.

"She was a little reckless, if you ask me."

Huang Xiaoming shook his head.

Real courage was what Shen Qi had shown.

He had sprinted over and caught Huang Xiaoming as he fell from his horse, taking the full force of the impact.

He had not rushed in and made things worse, as Liu Yifei had.

"Hey, Shen Qi, I heard you caught our Xiaoming in a princess carry. How come you just hauled Liu Yifei along?"

Chen Zihan could barely stop laughing.

She and Huang Xiaoming knew each other fairly well. A few years earlier, she had played Princess Pingyang in his show, The Prince of Han.

They had never developed feelings for each other because she had a boyfriend at the time, and he was a powerful man.

"What do you mean, 'our Xiaoming'? Miss, I'm two years younger than you."

Huang Xiaoming hit back. If she wanted to trade blows, he was game.

"Damn it, do you have a death wish?"

Chen Zihan grabbed him by the collar. For a woman who would turn thirty next year, age had become a forbidden subject.

She envied the young girl beside them.

Eighteen years old.

Yang Mi envied the others too.

She and Shen Qi had the least standing here.

Yet Shen Qi seemed to get along well with both Huang Xiaoming and Chen Zihan.

They were both newcomers, and Shen Qi was even newer than she was.

He barely paid her any attention, though.

She had hinted at it several times, but he still had not asked for her phone number.

Do I have to make the first move?

"You really have to be careful on set. Back in 2000, when we were filming Phoenix in the Martial World..."

Zhao Hongfei stepped in to keep the peace again.

If you wanted to leave an impression at a dinner like this, the key was finding your place.

Huang Xiaoming was the host.

Shen Qi and Chen Zihan were guests, while Zhao Hongfei and Yang Mi were there to keep them company.

Zhao Hongfei had settled on being the one who kept the conversation flowing.

Whenever things went quiet, he brought up a new topic.

"That was a pretty good show."

Chen Zihan chimed in. Giving someone a response when they spoke was basic courtesy.

Zhao Hongfei did not ask whether she had actually watched it. He continued, "We were shooting a horseback scene when I got thrown off. The horse stepped right over me, and I passed out on the spot..."

Everyone sucked in a breath.

Huang Xiaoming most of all. He had been thrown from a horse just days ago. If he had landed at the wrong angle and Shen Qi had not been there, he might have been trampled too.

"I had an accident while filming Dragon Ticket. The vehicle overturned, and I injured my neck. I still had to keep shooting, and it hasn't completely healed even now."

"That's dedication, Xiaoming!" Shen Qi praised him.

He genuinely had not known. The news he had seen about Dragon Ticket had mostly concerned rumors about Huang Xiaoming and Qin Lan.

"Dedication? If you refuse to shoot, the crew replaces you on the spot. You might as well grit your teeth and keep going. At least you'll earn a decent reputation."

What Huang Xiaoming feared most was Nie Yuan taking his role.

Only after he had shot enough scenes that replacing him would cost too much could he breathe a little easier.

"Being an actor isn't easy either."

That was Shen Qi's strongest impression after several months in the industry.

"When you can use a stunt double, don't try to be a hero. Your health comes first. Money's no good if you're not alive to spend it."

The dinner had practically turned into a session for actors to share their hardships.

Shen Qi had hoped to hear industry news, but there was little of that. Instead, they spent a good while gossiping about Zhong Zhentao.

A film called Peach Color had recently opened in Hong Kong.

It starred Zhang Xiaohui and Harisu, a Korean celebrity, and the two women engaged in plenty of S&M on-screen.

Zhang Xiaohui was Zhong Zhentao's ex-wife.

Zhong Zhentao had driven the first Lamborghini in Hong Kong, worn watches worth hundreds of thousands, and taken Southeast Asia by storm with Tan Yonglin as part of the Wynners.

It was hard to imagine how dazzling his life had been in the eighties.

Even Tan Yonglin had called him "big brother."

Back then, countless girls had dreamed of him, and his fans had affectionately called him "Mr. Cool."

Who could have imagined that this superstar, once riding so high, would go on to face bankruptcy, a broken marriage, and crushing debt?

Now he had joined The Return of the Condor Heroes to play Gongsun Zhi, wearing an eyepatch like some one-eyed pirate. Even his wife, Qiu Qianchi, was played by a man. It was hard not to laugh.

The group's conclusion was simple: once you made money, do not invest recklessly, and do not lose your head over love.

When dinner ended, Huang Xiaoming asked Shen Qi to stay for a cigarette before heading back.

The two stood beside a street in town.

Tourism had developed so quickly that, apart from its size, the town's facilities were not much different from a city's.

"I keep eating and drinking on your tab..." Shen Qi felt genuinely bad about it.

"It's nothing. There's something I wanted to warn you about." Huang Xiaoming had asked Shen Qi to stay precisely so they could talk alone.

"What is it?" Shen Qi grew serious.

He believed Huang Xiaoming would never harm him now, unless a major conflict of interest arose or Huang Xiaoming decided he had repaid the favor he owed.

"Do you know who Chen Zihan's ex-boyfriend is?"

Huang Xiaoming watched him.

"Not really..."

Shen Qi had been focused on improving his acting so he could upgrade the Magic Book sooner.

He had paid no attention to Chen Zihan's private life.

At most, she was a friend he got along with, or perhaps just an acquaintance.

Then again, Shen Qi got along with everyone. On set and behind the scenes, he could make ordinary friends with anyone.

"Do you know Wang Xiaoyu?"

When Shen Qi shook his head, Huang Xiaoming told him about Wang Xiaoyu.

It took only a few sentences for Shen Qi to understand just how powerful the man was.

Huang Xiaoming also mentioned Wang Xiaoyu's current girlfriend, Zhao Yanzi. He had expected Shen Qi's expression to change, but Shen Qi's gaze remained clear.

Apparently, Shen Qi did not know Huang Xiaoming had once liked Zhao Yanzi.

He had brought her up mainly because she had made a serious mistake a few years earlier and had nearly been forced out of the industry. Wang Xiaoyu had stepped in and turned things around.

It was his way of showing Shen Qi just how much power Wang Xiaoyu had.

"Didn't you say he was her ex-boyfriend?"

Shen Qi was curious.

He listened as though Huang Xiaoming were telling him a story.

He was not naive. He knew there were plenty of powerful figures above the entertainment industry.

They treated it like their own backyard.

"They've broken up and gotten back together several times since 2000. They may not be together now, but that doesn't mean they won't be again. Do you see what I'm getting at?"

Huang Xiaoming was grateful that Shen Qi had saved him.

Otherwise, he would have kept his distance rather than offering such personal advice to someone he had only recently met.

"I understand. But..." Shen Qi shook his head. "There's really nothing between Chen Zihan and me, and there never will be."

He had entered the entertainment industry to make serious money.

He had not come to fight some powerful man's son over a girlfriend and beg, Please let us be together. We're the ones truly in love.

"Come on. Let's head back."

Huang Xiaoming opened the car door. Shen Qi got in with him, and the driver took them back to the hotel.

Huang Xiaoming had noticed something about him.

Shen Qi was fiercely focused on his career.

Huang Xiaoming could have introduced him to powerful people in the industry.

With Shen Qi's looks and build, finding a patron would have been easy.

From there, a meteoric rise would not have been impossible.

For some reason, though, Huang Xiaoming believed Shen Qi would never accept that path.

If he brought it up, they might not even remain friends.