Chapter 355: The investor behind the scenes is the Ye Group

It's the action coaching segment again; for a martial arts drama to have a good reputation, besides the plot, action scenes are crucial.

Apart from Xie Zhiyun still acting indifferent, the other actors stood ready, each holding their on‑set weapons and walking toward the low bungalow.

Cheng Feng was already waiting; Lin Meng followed, and when he saw her he waved at her.

The director, seeing this, couldn't help but exclaim:

"Cheng Feng, do you know this Miss Lin?"

Cheng Feng nodded.

"Miss Lin is someone I brought in."

The director was actually not bad; knowing Lin Meng wasn't part of the crew, he still didn't drive her away.

He looked at Lin Meng and felt from the bottom of his heart that it was a pity for this girl not to enter the entertainment industry.

But Lin Meng didn't give the director a chance to speak again; seeing him staring at her, she quickly turned her head to the side.

The actors began rehearsing—some wielding knives, some swords, some staffs and spears—and Cheng Feng could use them all, and at a glance he looked highly skilled.

He was naturally handsome, with a spirited bearing that attracted many actresses.

Xie Zhiyun stood in the center of the field holding a medium‑length sword, staring at Cheng Feng, her eyes full of admiration and a hint of possessive desire.

Originally everyone was to receive guidance one by one, in order of arrival, so each would get a turn.

But Xie Zhiyun arrived last, with a lax attitude—yet upon seeing that the martial arts instructor was such a young, handsome hunk, she instantly became eager, shoved past the people ahead, and without any shame cut in line to stand before Cheng Feng.

"Handsome guy, this upcoming scene is crucial for me as the female lead; could you give me some coaching?"

When Cheng Feng was training, he didn't have the habit of staring at others' eyes, so he didn't notice Xie Zhiyun's lovestruck look; hearing her, he nodded and said to the several actors:

"Please wait a moment, you can go to the side and practice on your own first; I'll coach her on the actions."

As the action coach, Cheng Feng naturally knew how important the female lead's fight scenes were in this episode, so he didn't refuse Xie Zhiyun.

In Xie Zhiyun's view, this amounted to her personal charm taking effect.

Cheng Feng went to the side and fetched a sword identical to the one Xie Zhiyun held; seeing Lin Meng standing idle, he thought a moment, handed her a sword as well, and said:

"Sorry, Miss Lin, you may have to wait a bit; you can stand aside and practice with me to get a feel for it."

Lin Meng nodded, took up the medium‑length sword, and hefted it in her hand.

"Hmm, it's very light, feels strongly plastic—nothing like the flying sword she currently uses."

"Miss Xie, please perform a set for me to see."

Cheng Feng held his sword at the side and spoke to Xie Zhiyun; she affectedly twisted her body, then drew her sword and began to perform a sword dance before him.

The movements were pre‑designed; each stance had to look martial yet also be entertaining.

The character Xie Zhiyun plays is a heroine who has roamed the jianghu since youth, not only highly skilled in martial arts but also unrestrained and heroic in personality.

Xie Zhiyun's body is soft and delicate, her movements hesitant and feeble, and the long sword in her hand feels as limp as if its soul had been sucked out.

Others' sword dances blend hardness and softness, looking very good.

Xie Zhiyun's sword dance, with all its posing and flirtation, is downright lascivious.

Cheng Feng frowned, unable to watch past the halfway point, and sternly said:

"Miss Xie, please be more serious; fight scenes can't be too soft. This set has already been simplified—if you can't even make it look decent, the audience won't buy it!"

Xie Zhiyun didn't expect Cheng Feng to be so oblivious to charm; she remembered that these tricks always worked on men, so why didn't they work with him?

Xie Zhiyun refused to believe it and started trying to act coquettish.

She walked toward Cheng Feng with her sword, deliberately getting close, twisting her body, and thought herself irresistible.

"Handsome guy, I'm not being insincere; my frame is just naturally soft. I've done ballet since childhood, so my body is very flexible—maybe that affected my movements just now."

"Besides, isn't it natural for women wielding blades and spears to have a bit more allure than men, making it better?"

Cheng Feng silently stepped back two paces, keeping a safe distance from Xie Zhiyun, then hearing her words he frowned and said:

"That's not right—you really did ballet from childhood? I know female stars who studied ballet; they're all spirited and their fight moves are crisp and clean."

"Ballet should convey strength, but your whole body was limp just now, the movements weren't pretty, and it feels like you lack dance fundamentals."

Cheng Feng directly exposed Xie Zhiyun's lie, showing no mercy.

Lin Meng stood aside, giggling, and kept adding her own commentary,

"Ah, director, we're doomed—if the female lead keeps twisting like that in her fight scenes, this box office will surely be disastrous."

After all, the director is a director; he naturally understood.

He also felt regretful; he shouldn't have blindly chased after traffic stars, especially someone like Xie Zhiyun whose skills are truly poor—just now that routine was hard even for him to watch.

Having directed over a hundred productions, Xie Zhiyun is the first to portray a heroine as a brothel courtesan.

Hearing Lin Meng's sarcasm, Xie Zhiyun was about to retort angrily, but Cheng Feng suddenly snatched the sword from her hand and handed it to Song Zhi nearby.

"Miss Song, please perform a set for me to see—it's the same routine for the female lead, relatively simple; you should be able to do it."

Song Zhi glanced at Xie Zhiyun, clenched her teeth, nodded at Cheng Feng, then drew her sword and gathered her qi; the set flowed smoothly, neat and crisp, her eyes showing a hint of tenacity, and everyone saw the words "heroic spirit" in her.

Under Song Zhi's practice, the routine was far superior to Xie Zhiyun's—even a layperson could tell that Song Zhi was the true heroine, while Xie Zhiyun was at best a soft, weak woman merely playing with a sword.

Song Zhi sheathed her sword without glancing at Xie Zhiyun and returned it to Cheng Feng.

Cheng Feng nodded approvingly at her, then turned his gaze to Xie Zhiyun.

"See? This is the correct way to execute these moves; I suggest you practice more—at the very least you need to reach her standard, otherwise this role simply isn't for you."

As Cheng Feng's words fell, Xie Zhiyun nearly broke down.

"Why be so serious? It's just fight scenes; worst case I'll use a stunt double, make a few posed shots look cool, and it'll still work, right?"

Relying on her fanbase, Xie Zhiyun ran to the director and began to complain.

"Director, many people use stunt doubles for fight scenes; my physique is indeed too soft, I can't help it—who let me be delicate and feeble, I really can't do it."

The director almost wanted to shout to the heavens.

Before joining the production, they had already informed all the actors, letting them start training three months before filming; the result was that everyone else showed progress, but the female lead—what on earth is her fighting supposed to be!

Lin Meng chuckled, pursed her lips, and said:

"Who is the biggest investor in this drama? This is just a pure sucker."

The director wiped cold sweat, utterly anxious.

"The major backer is actually the Ye Clan Group—we're doomed, doomed!"