Chapter 95

When Song Haowen returned to his dormitory to rest in the evening, he couldn’t believe the strange events of the day. Especially the enchanting “Tai Chi Profound Skill” on the sheepskin made him extremely excited.

Taking advantage of his lack of sleepiness, he decided to practice “Tai Chi Profound Skill” again.

To his confusion, the abundant true energy in his lower abdomen in the afternoon had disappeared without a trace. Without dwelling on the reason, he continued to practice according to the technique.

It took half an hour before he felt a slight presence of true energy in his lower abdomen. Then, he followed the eight meridian charts in the book, practicing one by one. Soon, the faint true energy began to grow stronger.

After several rounds of practice, he once again felt his lower abdomen filled with true energy. From then on, regardless of how he practiced, the true energy remained constant.

Song Haowen felt that since progress in the cultivation technique was difficult, he should rest early, thinking that maybe it would be more effective after a night’s sleep. With this in mind, he calmed his mind and soon fell asleep.

The next morning, Song Haowen had a scene with Zhong Lizhi. Originally, the script had designed a scene where the male and female lead playfully chase each other on a mountain road, eventually embracing.

However, director Wang Bolong, for some reason, added a scene where the male and female leads kiss after the embrace. While such scenes are common in Hong Kong, Taiwan, or overseas, it was a bombshell for the still quite conservative mainland China. The approval difficulty during the final film review was exceptionally high.

However, this film review matter had nothing to do with Song Haowen. But having to kiss an unfamiliar beauty in front of everyone made him extremely embarrassed.

While he had interacted with a few women in his previous life, he had never done such a thing in public.

During the filming process, he had a sense of resistance, resulting in numerous unsuccessful attempts at the kissing scene. Zhong Lizhi began to doubt if he wanted to take advantage of her.

It wasn’t until the eighth take that the intimate scene was barely successful. Both Song Haowen and Zhong Lizhi were exhausted, especially during the last few attempts when he felt numb, completely devoid of the initial electric sensation.

Although Zhong Lizhi didn’t say much, her meaningful glance after the scene made Song Haowen feel utterly embarrassed.

He kept apologizing, explaining that he was a novice. She suppressed her inner dissatisfaction, smiling and saying it was okay, attributing his nervousness to the lack of experience in his first movie.

Song Haowen wasn’t sure if she had truly forgiven him. In the following days, whenever he saw her, he felt awkward, and his face inexplicably turned red.

During these nights, Song Haowen continued to persist in practicing for some time. Each evening, he found that the abundant true energy from the previous day was completely gone, and he had to start refining it again.

Nevertheless, for him, being able to cultivate true energy was a significant achievement, considering that in his past life of practicing “Martial Arts” for a lifetime, he never even caught a glimpse of any “qi.”

The next day, the film crew arrived at the canyon suggested by Song Haowen for shooting. Faced with the spectacular ice waterfall, all the cast and crew were amazed, feeling the magical charm of nature, and praising Song Haowen for choosing the right location.

During the shoot, there was a scene where the protagonist soared through the air over the ice waterfall, and wires were used to suspend Song Haowen, showcasing his extraordinary lightness skill.

As he was being lifted by the wires, Song Haowen thought, “If only I really had lightness skills, the movements in the shoot would probably be more natural and appealing.” He looked up at the mountain cave on the cliff, thinking of Feng Qingyang, who rested here, and the “Tai Chi Profound Skill” he left behind, sighing inwardly.

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was New Year’s Eve. Since they only had a break on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, and filming would resume on the second day of the lunar new year, they would leave Wudang Mountain on the sixth day.

Therefore, the entire film crew decided to stay on Wudang Mountain for the New Year. All the crew members, regardless of gender, gathered and stayed together in a guesthouse at the foot of the mountain.

After this period of adjustment, the relationship between Song Haowen and Zhong Lizhi became harmonious. The awkwardness caused by excessive drinking and intimate scenes gradually disappeared.

On New Year’s Eve, because of the holiday, Song Haowen found staying at the guesthouse for two days was quite boring. After breakfast, he planned to invite a few companions to go to Checheng, which was thirty to forty kilometers away.

However, his friends He Hu and Zhao Meng were not willing to go out; they preferred to stay at the guesthouse, playing cards and drinking to pass the time.

They even suggested him to stay and join them. Politely refusing, Song Haowen thought about finding someone else to go out with.

At that moment, Zhong Lizhi and her female assistant, Jenny, walked over, asking if he would like to join them in visiting Checheng, buying some New Year goods, and returning in time for the New Year’s Eve dinner.

Song Haowen felt this was a great opportunity and readily agreed. The three of them took a taxi and headed straight to the city center of Checheng.

To avoid being recognized, all three wore masks, frog-like sunglasses, and military-style cotton hats—this was their usual disguise when going out separately.

However, seeing all three dressed like this at the same time, Song Haowen and Zhong Lizhi couldn’t help but find it comical, like secret agents in a movie.

Zhong Lizhi’s female assistant, Jenny, in her thirties and born in Hong Kong, had an average appearance and a reserved personality. Regardless of what Zhong Lizhi and Song Haowen said, she remained calm, as if unaffected.

However, if someone asked her a question, she could immediately respond without any hesitation, displaying the high professionalism of an experienced assistant.

After getting off the car, the three of them arrived at Jingcheng Road pedestrian street, the central area of Checheng City.

Despite being New Year’s Eve, there were quite a few people on the streets in the morning.

After visiting several large malls, Zhong Lizhi bought some clothes, food, and souvenirs. When it was already noon, she suggested going to a restaurant for lunch.

Understanding that he had little say today, being just a supporting role, Song Haowen followed her suggestion, and they went to a decent-looking restaurant. They got a private room, sat down, ordered tea, and began chatting while waiting for the food.

Due to the rare coincidence of Zhong Lizhi and Song Haowen sharing the same birthday, they felt a special connection, making their conversation easy and enjoyable.

When she learned that he planned to apply for a master’s degree in computer science next semester, she couldn’t help but be surprised.

She had consistently excelled academically from primary school to high school, standing out among her peers. She was admitted to the University of Hong Kong’s film and television performance program without an entrance exam and would start her higher education in the upcoming fall semester.

While she used to take pride in this, she didn’t expect Song Haowen, who was the same age, to already be a second-year student at Jingcheng University. Moreover, he aimed to skip the third and fourth years and directly pursue a master’s degree, putting him far ahead in academics.

Zhong Lizhi looked at Song Haowen with a different perspective, feeling that he was not the rough and careless person she initially thought he was. Instead, he appeared to be a talented, diligent, and studious young man, and a hint of admiration flashed in her eyes.

“Song Ge, you’re in the science field. How did you get involved with martial arts? When we first met, I thought you might be majoring in sports,” she asked.

Song Haowen chuckled and replied, “This is the first time someone has suggested that I might have a background in sports. Before this, people often questioned whether I was studying music.”

Zhong Lizhi, a bit embarrassed, said, “Well, with your excellence in both areas, it’s hard for people not to think in that direction.”

“Miss Zhong, let me tell you the truth. In reality, both music and martial arts are my hobbies. My actual major is in the field of science and technology. As for making movies, it’s just fulfilling a childhood dream. After finishing this film, I won’t be involved in filmmaking for a while.”

“You won’t have a say in that! If this film becomes very successful, whether you want to continue in this field or not, people will push you forward,” Zhong Lizhi said dismissively.

“But I’m really stretched thin! If I get into the master’s program this year, I’ll need to invest some time in academics, right? Besides, I also have an electronics repair shop, a music studio, performances in theaters, assignments from the school and cultural departments, and I might even be temporarily called up by the national martial arts team for some competitions that bring glory to the country…” Song Haowen lamented.

Zhong Lizhi smiled, her smile making Song Haowen feel that it was indescribably beautiful. “You’re indeed taking on a lot of responsibilities, but no one forced you into it. Some people are eager to participate in these activities but are unable to. However, hearing you talk about it, I can’t help but worry for you. If you still want to make achievements in the field of science and technology in the future, I really don’t know how you’ll manage your time.”

Song Haowen was momentarily stunned by her words and then sighed, “Unfortunately, life is short, and time is limited. I can only choose what’s most important.”

Zhong Lizhi gazed at Song Haowen, saying, “You’re the most talented young person I’ve met. Since heaven has given you these talents, you shouldn’t casually waste them. Take my advice, make the most of your youth, shoot several good films. Contribute to the world and leave behind memories for yourself.”

Feeling a bit guilty, Song Haowen said, “Actually, my dream isn’t to become a celebrity, nor do I want to be a scientist. I want to make contributions in the field of economics.”

Zhong Lizhi was a bit surprised by this statement. “Do you still feel like you’re not earning enough? Among people your age, there aren’t many who earn more than you.”

Song Haowen replied, “In terms of income, I’ve earned quite a bit already. Maybe in a few more years, this money will just be a number for me, without much practical significance.” After a moment’s thought, he realized there were things he shouldn’t say. “You can think of me as trying to sound high-mighty Yes, everything I do is just to maximize my own life value and contribute to society.”

Zhong Lizhi seemed to only partially understand Song Haowen’s words. However, she knew how to keep a conversation light and changed the topic. “Winter vacation is ending in a dozen days. How are you going to complete your filming tasks?”

Song Haowen also felt troubled. “Yeah, I’m concerned about that too. I can’t let my individual situation affect the entire filming schedule, right? I’ll have to discuss this with Director Wang.”

Zhong Lizhi furrowed her brows lightly. “This is really challenging for you. I hope you can balance your studies and filming.”

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