Can I Talk Back?

Shen Lian relied on his agility and muscle memory.

He had once had a dream: to become an immortal cultivator.

So after becoming an actor, he had indulged himself to his heart's content. His genuine enthusiasm, coupled with diligent practice, made Shen Lian renowned for his fluid, graceful wirework and fight scenes. He was a pleasure to watch.

Shen Lian settled into position, kneeling on one knee on the table. The moment he heard the Martial Arts Instructor call, "One, two, three, up!" he leaped into the air with the pull of the wires!

His sideways flip was broad and powerful. He seized the expendable extra by the back of the neck and flung him aside with a dark expression. According to the choreography, more enemies stood before him. Holding his saber, Shen Lian spun in place, the layered skirts of his embroidered Flying Fish Uniform bursting into a dark, symmetrical flower in the air. He kicked the table away, bent low, and rested the back of the blade against his shoulder. Tightening his grip on the hilt, he took a stance poised for an all-out attack.

Li Kuan had come "alive" again.

The next second, Shen Lian swiftly retreated two steps, dodging an attack at his legs, then performed a beautiful split in midair.

That finished the sequence.

The Martial Arts Instructor stared, dumbfounded. O-one take?!

Everyone present fell silent.

A fight scene that beautiful would have been exciting even on television, let alone in person.

Shen Lian slipped out of character and asked the Martial Arts Instructor with a smile, "How was that?"

The Martial Arts Instructor said nothing, turning to Dai Tong instead.

Dai Tong remained silent for a few seconds before chuckling. "You little rascal..."

"If you want to do the fights, do them," Dai Tong said. "Doing them well can only help your future acting career."

"Okay," Shen Lian replied.

Shen Lian put down the prop saber and picked up his cup, only to find it empty. He was about to refill it when a gentle male voice said, "Teacher Shen, let me."

Shen Lian looked up at an unfamiliar face.

The man explained with a smile, "I'm the new assistant Hu Kailan assigned to you."

Well...

Anyone who didn't know better would have thought Hu Kailan had recruited a senior executive.

"What's your name?" Shen Lian asked.

"My surname is Sun. Sun Binghe. Bing as in 'uphold,' and He as in 'illustrious.'"

Sun Binghe had fair skin and clean-cut features. In casual clothes, he would have turned plenty of heads on the street. Dressed in a suit and polished shoes, he carried himself with relaxed composure.

"Did you... just get out of a meeting?" Shen Lian asked curiously.

"Yes," Sun Binghe said. "I'll change in a moment."

Shen Lian nodded. "All right. Sorry for the trouble over the next while."

"It's my job."

Sun Binghe refilled Shen Lian's cup, then followed a crew member to the assistants' lounge with a small suitcase. He emerged shortly afterward in brown cargo pants and a white T-shirt. Yet somehow, he looked exactly like one of those top students who quietly swept every award on campus.

With a faint smile, Sun Binghe watched Shen Lian film.

Shen Lian finished another fight scene. He got through almost everything in a single take; the only problem was how much he sweated. Sun Binghe already had tea at the right temperature and a damp towel ready.

Shen Lian wiped the sweat from his neck, then suddenly turned toward Sun Binghe. "Are you taking pictures of me?"

Holding his phone, Sun Binghe froze for a moment, then smiled openly and held it out, indicating that Shen Lian could inspect it whenever he wished.

"Hu Kailan wanted to see how you're doing on set, Teacher Shen."

Shen Lian found that a little odd, but he didn't grow suspicious. He nodded and went back to filming.

Hu Kailan must have already reminded him about confidentiality and such, so Shen Lian left it at that.

In fact, if Shen Lian had taken the phone, he would have discovered that the chat had nothing to do with Hu Kailan.

[Boss, Teacher Shen is the only one not using a stunt double. He's working very hard.]

[I took this secretly just now. His fight scenes are beautiful.]

[Boss, some clueless actor's assistant has started provoking me for the third time. Can I talk back?]

The reply came: [Yes.]

Sun Binghe put his phone away and smiled with a warmth that could have passed for a spring breeze.

Elsewhere, after considerable hesitation, Chu Yilan saved the photo anyway.

Master Chu even created a separate album.

Never mind how sour his expression was or how indifferent he acted. Just look at what he did.

They had just finished a scene opposite Li Haicheng when, immediately after the crew member called, "Cut!" a sob rang out clearly.

It was Wei Fanchen's assistant.

And standing beside Wei Fanchen's assistant was Sun Binghe, looking perfectly amiable.

He looked so easy to get along with, but the words that came out of his mouth were, "Crying already? Useless trash."

Shen Lian: "..."

Everyone else: "..."

"W-Wei..." The young assistant sobbed as he went to find someone who could stand up for him.

Wei Fanchen obligingly took the young assistant with him and headed over to confront Sun Binghe.

Shen Lian strode forward. "What happened?"

"Teacher Shen, here's what happened," Sun Binghe said first. "I didn't want to cause trouble for you, but there are simply too many fools who don't know their place."

Though he was smiling, there was a hint of gritted teeth beneath it, as if a straight-A student had fallen into a crowd of failures scoring three points apiece, and even the stupidity in the air was suffocating him.

"This young assistant kept provoking me, asking whether working for an obscure, bottom-tier actor put me under a lot of pressure. We discussed the matter. I asked where he graduated from, what awards he'd won, and so on, only to discover, to my surprise, that he had none. I don't understand how someone whose highest score on a high school math exam was a mere 105 has the nerve to run his mouth."

Wei Fanchen's young assistant must have been driven mad with anger, because he cried out through his tears, "Only three people in our class scored over a hundred!"

"That only proves that your class was complete garbage," Sun Binghe replied mercilessly.

The young assistant's eyes widened, fresh tears trembling on the verge of spilling.

Looking down at him, Sun Binghe coldly delivered the killing blow. "From childhood until now, I've scored full marks on every math exam I've ever taken."

Ouch. That had broken him. Shen Lian watched the assistant's tears practically shoot out.

What the hell...

Shen Lian didn't even know how they had gone from "obscure, bottom-tier actor" to "high school math." But apparently, Sun Binghe had crushed the other man on every conceivable front. He might as well have written "You're trash" across his face.

His ability to mock people ranked among the top three Shen Lian had ever witnessed.

Wei Fanchen wanted to say something, but for some inexplicable reason, he remembered his own high school math scores. They had been a disaster.

People instinctively felt a certain reverence for academic achievement, and for top students. Besides, Sun Binghe had seized the initiative by making it clear that Wei Fanchen's assistant had provoked him. With so many people watching, Wei Fanchen's better judgment told him to keep quiet.

Sun Binghe waited a while, only for the assistant director to arrive and disperse the crowd.

How boring.

Looking at Sun Binghe, Shen Lian took a deep breath. "Come with me."

Once they reached a deserted spot, Shen Lian turned around and said with certainty, "You're no ordinary assistant. You even call Brother Hu by his full name. Do I need to call him right now to confirm?"

Sun Binghe hadn't expected Shen Lian to notice so quickly. Wonderful. He liked talking to smart people best.

"You'll get the same answer if you contact Hu Kailan, Teacher Shen. I have direct authority to assign him work, too."

Shen Lian: "?"

"But I really am an assistant," Sun Binghe said with a smile. "Master Chu sent me."

Shen Lian's eyes flew wide open. "You're Chu Yilan's assistant?"

"Special assistant," Sun Binghe emphasized. He had only been promoted six months ago. Unlike Yang Bin, who attended to Chu Yilan personally, Sun Binghe mostly represented him at important functions he couldn't attend and negotiated major partnerships.

His title was "special assistant," but his actual authority rivaled a vice president's.

Yang Bin had given him the nickname "Sun the Snarker." As long as it didn't jeopardize a partnership, Sun Binghe would even take shots at their business partners.

His combat prowess spoke for itself.