Chapter 33: The Golden Sword and the Smiling Wolf Premieres (Today Three Chapters, Please Follow and Thank You!)

After enduring endless queues, the preliminary round finally came to an end.

After waiting several days, they finally received notice of the second round.

On the day of the exam.

Candidates noticed the number of participants had dropped sharply, and a sense of crisis spread instantly.

The second-round content was nearly identical to the first, except that the performance segment changed to a group skit; judges would divide candidates into groups, assign topics, and give them five minutes to prepare.

Everyone was a stranger, and difficulty surged dramatically.

This was the sole challenge of the second round.

Leveraging his performance in the first round and the profound impression left by Li Luo’s Seven Stars Sword Art, he decisively seized command.

They completed the performance task smoothly.

The second round ended.

The final third round followed swiftly.

It still tested the same skills, but the format changed—there was little room for free expression; candidates had to follow the teachers’ rhythm exactly, in other words, copy exactly what was shown.

When it came to the performance segment.

They directly assigned a skit and required candidates to form teams freely.

Li Luo had never performed a skit, but he remained utterly calm.

After the judges finished speaking, he quickly scanned for familiar faces—anyone he recognized had passed the exam.

They proved to be no slouches, at least not likely to drag him down.

After a thorough scan.

His expression showed slight surprise.

Among this year’s candidates, quite a few would later make a name for themselves.

Besides Jia Nailiang and Bian Xiaoxiao, there was Wang Luodan; the last face to enter his view was an exceptionally beautiful one, whose appearance stood out among all candidates.

Huang Shengyi.

He hadn’t expected she was also in his cohort.

She possessed a stunning physique and made a dazzling debut in the movie Kung Fu Hustle.

She became an instant sensation.

Yet on the issue of contract breaches, she stood in stark contrast to the voluptuous actress Zhang Yuxi, sparking massive public outcry.

Li Luo thought for a moment, then strode toward Jia Nailiang.

“Hey.”

Seeing Li Luo walking toward her, Huang Shengyi greeted him with a cheerful smile.

This guy’s ability was obvious; teaming up with him would be ideal—but her smile quickly froze as Li Luo merely nodded slightly and walked straight past her.

It was the first time in her life she’d been so blatantly ignored.

Huang Shengyi clenched her fists and stomped hard.

The third round was completed.

Li Luo walked with a relaxed step toward Beiying Village.

There was no need to worry about the results.

His own skill was solid, and with two judges who would quietly give him top marks, all he had to do now was wait for notification.

“Click.”

As he turned the lock, a rich aroma hit his nose.

“Congratulations.”

Xu Qing was fiddling with a bottle opener; hearing the door open, she immediately set down the wine bottle and rushed forward happily: “As soon as you finished the exam, Feihong called me.”

She leapt forward and landed solidly against Li Luo: “She said your performance was flawless.”

“The only uncertainty is your ranking.”

“Thank you.”

Li Luo supported her with one hand, glancing in surprise at the dining table: “Did you prepare all this for me?”

The table was laid with an array of delicacies.

Perfect in color, aroma, and taste.

The textures were silky to the touch.

Li Luo looked down and noticed that Xu Qing was no longer in casual home attire—she had swapped her clothes for a tight skirt and black stockings, as if transformed entirely.

No wonder they felt so smooth.

He couldn’t help pinching them, savoring the exquisite texture.

“Of course.”

Xu Qing said proudly: “I personally called to order all of this.”

“Do I look good?”

She bit her lip, slightly embarrassed: “I’ve never worn anything like this before—it’s all because of you!!!”

Last night.

Xu Qing asked him how he wanted to celebrate after the exam.

At the time, Li Luo had traced his fingers along her long legs and casually remarked he wondered what her legs would feel like in stockings.

He hadn’t expected that just one night later.

His wish had come true.

“Thank you so much.”

After breathing heavily in gratitude, Li Luo grabbed the stockings and yanked hard.

“Rip~”

A tearing sound rang out.

The black stockings Xu Qing had bought for two hundred yuan had been worn for less than half an hour before Li Luo tore them into tatters—he saw them not as clothing to wear, but as something to put on and then rip.

To be put on.

And then torn apart.

“Ah~”

The violent sensation made Xu Qing let out a soft moan, her eyes instantly filling with moisture: “Aren’t we going to eat first?”

“Something better to eat first.”

Li Luo grinned, swinging his palm hard.

Her buttocks rippled violently.

After the exam, Li Luo didn’t rush home.

With Xu Qing as his companion, he visited all the major attractions in Beijing—they climbed mountains, crossed rivers, and drove a Mercedes G-Class wildly across the Bashang Grassland, gaining plenty of attributes.

Time passed.

Soon it was March 26th.

The Golden Sword and the Smiling Wolf officially premiered.

Li Luo turned on the TV early and nervously switched to Channel 8: “You’re sure it’s today?”

“Absolutely.”

Xu Qing, dressed in a silk nightgown, walked over with a bottle of red wine and sat beside him: “Hu Zi said it’s today—look, here’s the trailer!”

Normally, Li Luo would’ve already been touching her up.

But now.

He had not the slightest urge to do so.

He took a large gulp of wine and stared intently at the TV.

In two lifetimes.

This was his first time appearing on screen.

Of course he was nervous—he was eager to see how he looked on camera, since performing live and the final edited result were entirely different things.

Some magical productions.

Actors wouldn’t even know what kind of show they were in until filming wrapped.

Seeing Li Luo’s tension, Xu Qing gently squeezed his hand—once the first step was firmly taken, the road ahead would become much smoother.

“It’s starting!”

The screen shifted, and Li Luo swallowed the wine in his mouth hard.

First, the gentle plucking of a guzheng sounded; the TV displayed the cover of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, followed by a woman humming, and as the book opened, a series of brilliant edits appeared on screen.

Hengdian.

Yu Hong’s home.

A full plate of shredded chicken, plus several side dishes for drinking.

A group of people were drinking heartily.

Though extras lived off group work, any group leader with ambition would occasionally treat capable extras to a big drink, a way to win their loyalty.

After a long day’s work, a few drinks were perfect.

Nothing more relaxing.

“Come on, everyone, raise your glasses!”

Yu Hong gathered everyone, squinted, and slurped his wine cup dry.

“Boss.”

Liu Er tossed a peanut into his mouth and, thinking of someone, asked curiously, “Do you know what that guy’s up to?”

“Who?”

Yu Hong looked puzzled.

“That lucky kid.”

Liu Er crunched the peanut, turned his chopsticks into a sword, and waved them wildly.

Hearing this, the other extras all turned to look at Yu Hong.

Though more than a year had passed, the story of how an extra caught Zhang Zhong’s eye had grown more legendary; everyone present was curious about what happened next.

“Oh, little Luo!”

Yu Hong patted his belly and declared loudly, “I just talked to him on the phone not long ago—he’s filming with a troupe now. Supposedly got a small role. You guys can do it too.”

“Don’t go prying. Watch the TV.”

After speaking, he quickly waved his hand to change the subject.

He had no contact at all.

When Li Luo left, he didn’t have money to buy a phone.

But that didn’t stop him from boasting; Yu Hong happily picked up a chicken leg and popped it into his mouth.

He didn’t notice that the few extras whose attention he’d diverted were staring blankly at the small TV in the corner, their expressions as if they’d seen a ghost.

“Boss.”

Liu Er turned his neck with difficulty, his voice hoarse: “Is this the small role you mentioned?”

“Huh?”

Yu Hong followed the direction of Liu Er’s arm and saw on the screen Li Luo galloping on horseback, surrounded by the guards of Fuwei Escort Agency, radiating confidence and vigor.

“Clatter.”

Two chopsticks slipped from his hand and fell to the floor one after the other.

The room fell utterly silent.