He was only cannon fodder; it made no difference if he died

The Order of the Luo Goddess production suspended filming for a day.

Within ten minutes, Jiang Jingyin was trending, his name blazing red.

Jiang Jingyin secretly married with a child #Explosive

Jiang Jingyin tricked partner into getting a fake marriage certificate #Explosive

Wherever there's gossip, the Breast-health Heroes ship is there! #

The Zheng Legal Team mobilized in two groups. One went to negotiate the termination of his endorsement contracts, while the other came to discuss Jiang Jingyin's breach of contract.

Once Jiang Jingyin fell, everyone piled on. He had barely been trending for half an hour before insiders began coming forward, exposing just how awful and despicable he was.

Fans posted themselves tearing up posters and merchandise on Weibo to vent their anger.

"Come on, Ye, take a picture of me and Minmin!" Ning Shile pulled Minmin over to the entrance of the set, crouched down, and wrapped an arm around him, looking up with a huge smile.

Minmin is a math genius! He's going straight into a research institute someday!!

I've got to grab this chance to get a picture with the future big shot!!

Zheng Ye took out his phone and switched to camera mode.

Minmin rarely had his picture taken and felt a little shy. He clasped his hands tightly and looked bashfully at the camera.

Ning Shile kept one arm around the little boy and flashed a peace sign with his other hand.

Zheng Ye wasn't very good at taking pictures. He tried several angles without finding a flattering one, and, afraid Ning Shile would get upset if the picture looked bad, asked, "How should I take it?"

Ning Shile remained cheerfully oblivious. "Whatever! Just find a nice angle!"

Zheng Ye nodded, confidently picked an angle, and snapped a picture.

After the photo, Zheng Xinxin left with Minmin. She said she was taking him to see Luo Xianxian and would tell her everything, so Luo Xianxian could call the police and send Jiang Jingyin off to sew prison uniforms!

Minmin's rosy image of his father had shattered completely, too. He said he would never look for his dad again.

Ning Shile nodded and saw them both off.

With everything settled, Ning Shile and Zheng Ye wandered through Hengdian. It was afternoon, and plenty of extras were busy auditioning and looking for work nearby. Suddenly, a man in a yellow cap tested his megaphone.

Several men eating boxed lunches nearby immediately abandoned their food, tossed it aside, and rushed over, raising their hands to catch Yellow Cap's attention.

"Playing corpses! Three hundred!" Yellow Cap stood on a raised spot, counting heads through his megaphone. "You, you, and you!"

Then he pointed at Ning Shile. "And you!"

Somewhat startled, Ning Shile pointed at himself. "Me?"

Yellow Cap tugged at his brim and wiped away his sweat, looking impatient. "Yeah. Are you doing it or not?"

Acting!!

Ning Shile's eyes instantly lit up, and he nodded furiously. "Yes, yes!" Not content with getting himself a job, he hurried to rope Zheng Ye in, too. "And the guy next to me! He'll do it, too!"

Yellow Cap glanced at Zheng Ye, sizing him up.

It wasn't that he didn't want to hire Zheng Ye, but the man had such a commanding presence. Nothing about him looked like some nobody working as an extra.

"He..." Yellow Cap looked at Zheng Ye, hesitant. "Are you doing it?"

Zheng Ye nodded. "Yes."

"All right, then." Yellow Cap waved a hand. "Everyone I picked, come over here!"

The crowd surged after him. Ning Shile was thrilled. He had never acted before!

"Let's go, Ye!" Ning Shile grabbed Zheng Ye's hand and plunged after the group, his bright eyes darting about as he surveyed his surroundings with interest.

Unfamiliar people, noisy conversations—yet the moment Ning Shile took his hand, Zheng Ye felt as though everything around him had fallen silent.

He lowered his eyes to their joined hands, feeling as though all the blood in his body had begun rushing toward that one spot.

His heartbeat quickened. Then, slowly, Zheng Ye returned his grip.

The scene depicted two armies at war, corpses strewn across the battlefield and civilians left in misery.

It was an enormous scene.

The crew wheeled over a box of costumes and told them to change quickly.

Since they were only playing corpses, there was no dedicated dressing room, just a large tent for them to use. Given the limited facilities, everyone simply threw on an underlayer and put on their armor.

Once they had changed, a crew member brought over a bucket of fake blood and left it there.

There wasn't a mirror anywhere nearby. Ning Shile happily smeared himself into a little tabby cat, declaring with conviction, "I'm going to bleed rivers! Scare the enemy silly!" Then he fiercely smeared another streak across his face.

Zheng Ye shook his head with a quiet chuckle and casually applied a little to his own face.

Ning Shile turned to inspect Zheng Ye's face and even offered his critique. "That won't do. You don't look like you've been on a battlefield at all!"

Zheng Ye was about to speak when a crew member pointed at Ning Shile. "You! Yes, you! What are you putting so much on for?"

"Wipe it off!"

Ning Shile's face fell at the reprimand. "..."

He grumbled inwardly, I bled all over the battlefield! It's perfectly reasonable!

Once everyone had finished their makeup, the crew led them to the set.

The director was a heavyweight in the industry with his own aesthetic and standards. He didn't want these large-scale scenes created through compositing and green screens, so he had spent a fortune shooting on location. He truly cared about the production.

Earthen city walls and towers rose above them, smoke filled the air, and brightly colored flags fluttered in the wind as everyone stood beneath the walls.

A crew member explained the scene. Essentially, they were to lie scattered around the area playing corpses until the director approved the take.

Afterward, they could collect a red envelope from the foreman to ward off the bad luck.

Ning Shile and Zheng Ye found a place to lie down and obediently closed their eyes.

The director inspected the set. Prop explosive charges were laid out all around, and crew members led in the horses they would be using.

The horses were real, too—well-trained animals brought in from an equestrian center.

"Who's responsible for this area?" The director frowned and pointed. "Does this meet safety standards? Where are the warnings?"

This director was notorious in the industry for his strictness. Whenever he lost his temper, he could berate someone for half an hour, even adding, "If you can do the job, do it. If you can't, get the hell out now!" He was thoroughly intimidating.

At those words, the assistant behind him instantly broke into a sweat. He hurried forward and pointed at the area. "Who's in charge here?"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and exchanged glances. No one spoke.

The director's expression grew uglier. The assistant's heart raced, and he stepped forward with a frown to scold them. "You—oof!"

He suddenly stepped on a wire. His body tilted, and his momentum sent him pitching forward!

The wire beneath his feet was yanked up.

Click—

Something made a sound.

Before anyone could react, a sizzling crackle reached their ears!

Bang—!

One triggered the next, and the prop charges buried in the ground exploded in succession, the sound drawing closer and closer.

Dust flew everywhere. The horses that had just been led in reared and whinnied in fright, growing restless. Then they swept past like a whirlwind, galloping wildly in all directions.

"The horses are spooked!!" someone shouted in the crowd.

"Get out of the way!!"

Chaos erupted all around, filled with desperate, piercing screams.

Still lying on the ground, Ning Shile heard deafening hoofbeats coming closer and closer, pounding hard enough to shake the earth! He opened his eyes to see a white horse charging toward him through swirling wind and dust!

!

His heart leaped into his throat. The horse was too fast, its hooves thundering, already almost on top of him. There was no time to dodge!

Ning Shile's breath caught. All he could do was instinctively bend his arms in front of his face, clench his fists, and squeeze his eyes shut.

If I joined in the fun to play a corpse and ended up becoming one for real, that would be so embarrassing!

But... I'm just minor cannon fodder in this book anyway. Whether I live or die makes no difference...

His thoughts were still wandering when someone clamped him tightly in their arms, seemingly protecting him with their very life.

Ning Shile opened his eyes and saw Zheng Ye firmly covering him with his body, the arms around him strong and unyielding.

Wind howled past his ears.

The man's ink-black eyes held his without wavering. He covered Ning Shile's eyes with his palm and said in a low voice, "Don't be afraid."