Chapter 46

Xie Fuyi paused, looking at her seriously. “Miss Ye, thank you.”

“No need to thank me. Just call me Yunshan. Then, can I call you Brother Xie? I’m just starting out here, but you’ve helped me a lot.” Ye Yunshan gestured awkwardly towards the band-aid on her wound and the bread in her hand.

Xie Fuyi smiled faintly but didn’t say anything. As long as she went back and asked Ye Yunshen to introduce him to the directors, the other party didn’t need to know the details. It was easy to see through Xie Fuyi’s clumsy manipulation tactics.

Just then, the crowd stirred once again, even more loudly than before.

It turned out that the crew of the ancient puppet drama “Winding Snow Overlapping Flames” where Mu Ziming was located was looking for a supporting extra with a few lines, and everyone was excitedly crowding around.

“Brother Xie, let’s go take a look too!” Ye Yunshan quickly pulled Xie Fuyi towards the crowd.

Xie Fuyi didn’t refuse being pulled along. According to the plot, he would play a character with a few lines in this drama, a flower thief who conspired against Mu Ziming.

However, Xie Fuyi secretly swept his gaze around. He was sensitive to looks and felt like there were several pairs of eyes watching him, albeit subtly.

It seemed like someone was monitoring him. Perhaps they were even reporting his every move in real-time?

With the collapse of the Xie family, the only person who would still care about him so much was Bai Wuluo.

Originally, it was Xie Fuyi’s move to frame Mu Ziming that piqued Bai Wuluo’s interest in the protagonist. It seemed that the progress of the plot would rely on him, this malicious pawn!

—

In a bar in the city center, a red-haired man who had just woken up from a hangover yawned, his handsome and wild eyebrows and eyes exuding laziness.

In the next moment, his phone vibrated, and he lowered his gaze to look at the photos and messages on his phone—Xie Fuyi, wearing shabby clothes, used the money he earned in the morning to buy bread for a girl and even took a photo of himself bandaging her finger.

This guy was unexpectedly so kind-hearted?

He ran his hand through his hair, a mocking smirk on his lips, his lazy voice tinged with hoarseness, “Idiot, you’re so poor you can’t even afford food for yourself, yet you have money to help others?”

However, as he scrolled through the photos, why did it feel like this person had changed?

Although he still had the same appearance, now every aspect of him seemed to be etched onto his heart.

With a dark and pensive expression, the man hesitated inexplicably. He tapped his finger on the screen—”Wait a bit longer.”

He found himself an excuse. Only when the other party thought everything was going smoothly, but he could only watch as the opportunity slipped away, would he truly understand what despair was.

“Just like him… the man’s deep black eyes, shining dimly.”

…

“The Boundless Snow Over the Flames of Life” is an idol drama adapted from a popular IP in the genre of fantasy and martial arts. With numerous original fans, it tells the intertwined love and hate, and the entangled romantic relationship of the male and female leads across three lifetimes.

Apart from being a big directorial and production venture, the drama also stars Qin Wan, a popular rising starlet, as the female lead. The male lead, Mu Ziming, has also garnered a lot of attention due to his good looks. Therefore, the production attracted significant attention right from the start.

For the aspiring extras, being able to play a role with lines in this production, even if they quickly go offline, is highly sought after.

Therefore, as soon as the assistant director appeared, he was surrounded by a crowd of people.

Ye Yunshan hurriedly pulled Xie Fuyi inside amidst the chaos. “Over here, this way…”

Her voice was loud, quickly drawing the assistant director’s attention. Fortunately, Xie Fuyi was tall, so even amidst the crowd, the assistant director spotted him at once.

The assistant director paused, surprised. Were even the extras this good-looking? Compared to Mu Ziming, he was not inferior. Moreover, the guy was covered in mud at the moment and had no makeup…

“Come with me,” the assistant director pointed to three people, including Xie Fuyi.

Ye Yunshan cheered and quickly led him along. “Let’s go try out quickly!”

She seemed even more excited than Xie Fuyi.

The two others selected alongside Xie Fuyi were also good-looking. It seemed that at least this character who was going to have lines wasn’t some creepy ugly guy.

Xie Fuyi slightly curved his lips and looked at Ye Yunshan. “Thank you.”

“Why thank me? I didn’t do anything,” Ye Yunshan made a face, “You’re just too good-looking.”

Xie Fuyi chuckled softly. Fortunately, just now, Ye Yunshan had dragged him into the crowd and attracted attention, otherwise, joining the scramble like the others wouldn’t suit his current gentle and calm demeanor.

Seeing that there was no chance for them, the others dispersed with regretful expressions.

While Xie Fuyi and Ye Yunshan were talking, a tall man behind them forcefully bumped into Xie Fuyi’s shoulder.

Xie Fuyi didn’t notice and stumbled a few steps before regaining his balance.

Ye Yunshan frowned, about to say something, but the man had already reached out to steady Xie Fuyi’s arm, leaning in closer to him. “Are you okay? I’m sorry.”

Though he was apologizing, there was malice in his eyes. In a low voice, barely audible to others, he added a hint of threat, “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll know what to do later, or else…”

After delivering the threat, the man tightened his grip, releasing only after noticing the slight furrow in Xie Fuyi’s attractive brows. Xie Fuyi’s wrist was already red from the pressure, indicating the force he had used.

He patted Xie Fuyi’s shoulder with a smile before striding away.

Xie Fuyi watched his back as he followed behind the assistant director, squinting his eyes. Recollecting, he remembered this person, Qi Yi, the bully on set who always seemed to have a grudge against him. It was as if he was acting on someone else’s orders.

Qi Yi being selected by the assistant director this time meant he was undoubtedly good-looking, tall, but his eyes harbored ill intentions.

Previously, when Xie Fuyi had just arrived, the crew had selected him for a role, only to have Qi Yi and his cronies play a nasty trick on him. It was common for them to overturn lunch boxes and damage personal belongings.

“Brother Xie, what did he say to you?” Ye Yunshan’s words brought Xie Fuyi’s thoughts back. He shook his head. “Nothing, let’s go over.”

Following the assistant director to the studio, they found it bustling with activity.

Director Chen Shan was known for his strict demands, often reducing actors to tears.

From afar, they could hear his roaring voice. Xie Fuyi followed the assistant director discreetly, scanning the surroundings.

They were taken to a spacious area, with the director and the crew in the center, and several groups of people queueing for auditions for other roles in front of them.

In the adjacent room, there were several makeup restrooms. Except for the male and female leads who had separate rooms, the others were scattered in the large makeup room.

Xie Fuyi had excellent eyesight and vaguely saw Xiao Yuansi leaning against the door of a makeup room, looking bored with his arms crossed, while Luo Hong seemed to be chatting incessantly beside him. That room was probably where the male lead, Mu Ziming, was preparing.

Everyone was busy, paying no attention to these small supporting roles.

Xie Fuyi quickly withdrew his gaze, attentively listening to the assistant director’s explanation of the upcoming process.

“You two have two characters ahead of you for the audition. Wait for them to finish, then it’s your turn. When the time comes, each of you will deliver two lines. “The assistant director spoke while handing each of them a document.

So hastily and simply done, it seemed this role was just an additional part of the group auditions.

Xie Fuyi glanced at the information in his hand. It was just one sheet of paper with a very brief scene description. This character was a flirtatious thief, merely a tool to deepen the relationship between the male and female leads.

The scene depicted the female lead angrily leaving in the middle of the night, only to be pursued and entangled by the thief. Shortly after, the male lead, feeling like a hero, would come to the rescue and kill the thief.

This time, they were only trying out for two lines:

“Miss, it’s dark and dangerous at night. Aren’t you afraid to travel alone?”

“Don’t run away, big brother will accompany you.”

These two lines immediately conjured an image of a sleazy and lecherous thief.

Xie Fuyi lowered his long lashes to glance at the contents written on the paper. This role should be easy for him to fill.

Suddenly, noise from the other side attracted everyone’s attention.

Director Chen Shan’s furious scolding resounded, “Do you even know how to act? Lan Hua is a gentle and refined gentleman, the senior brother of Xueyun Sect, not some brothel prostitute!”

Xie Fuyi inwardly took a deep breath—what a harsh scolding.

Across from Chen Shan stood a handsome man dressed in ancient white robes, holding a sword in one hand. His eyes were red with anger, as if he wanted to say something but was being held back by the people beside him.

This man was Yuan Yao, one of the investors sent over.

The staff were worried about the director’s temper and feared he might chase away someone in anger, which wouldn’t bode well with the investors. They quickly stepped forward to mediate, “Director, don’t be hasty. Yuan Yao is acting for the first time, so it’s inevitable that he’s a bit nervous. Why don’t we let him rest for a while and try again later? Let’s move on to the next group of characters for now?”

Chen Shan took a deep breath, regained his composure, and waved his hand, signaling the next group to take the stage.

Meanwhile, the commotion in the area also caught the attention of Xiao Yuanxi, who was leaning against the door. He turned his head for a glance, and his gaze was immediately captivated by a tall figure in the center of the scene.

Was that the man who just auditioned?

Xiao Yuanxi’s gaze roamed unabashedly up and down, and Xie Fuyi felt the concentrated gaze on him. Meeting the intense look, he returned it briefly before naturally averting his eyes, pretending not to notice. Only Xiao Yuanxi remained leaning against the door, watching him with interest.