Chapter 18: Killing the Green

In Lulongcheng, the wedding scene of Song Qingshu, the newly appointed Six-Bag Elder of the Beggar Sect.

Lanterns and decorations hung everywhere, barrels of fine wine arrived one after another, and giant red double happiness characters were already displayed.

Within the courtyard, Beggar Sect disciples bustled about; tables, chairs, and benches had all been arranged.

Zhou Zhiruo allowed her maids to dress and adorn her, her beauty radiant, more exquisite than flowers.

Yet at this moment, her eyes were closed, her lips murmuring continuously:

"Wuji, Wuji…"

That night.

Under the support of two maids on either side, Zhou Zhiruo slowly entered the hall; the courtyard was filled with clamor, and Song Qingshu, clad in wedding robes, had been waiting for a long time.

"The bride and groom are ready to perform the rites!"

Of all weddings in *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*, the most iconic is Zhou Zhiruo and Zhang Wuji's wedding, where Zhao Min crashes the ceremony, causing Zhou Zhiruo to turn dark.

Song Qingshu and Zhou Zhiruo's wedding is also disrupted by Zhang Wuji's intervention—no wonder Zhou Zhiruo later turns dark.

Two weddings ruined in a row—who wouldn't be frustrated?

"Cheng Chen looks so spirited, especially in this wedding robe—he's absolutely stunning."

"Gao Yuanyuan isn't bad either; standing together, Zhang Wuji suddenly seems irrelevant—Song Qingshu and Zhou Zhiruo are the real couple."

Just as later generations often wished Song Qingshu and Zhou Zhiruo had ended up together.

Then neither would have turned dark: the leader of Emei, future leader of Wudang.

It would have been a beautiful union.

Cheng Chen and Gao Yuanyuan's friends, along with other familiar actors, stood outside the set whispering.

Though it was a night shoot, it didn't stop everyone from enjoying the drama.

On set, Cheng Chen's face beamed with joy; though he knew she married him out of anger and revenge against Zhang Wuji under pressure from the Beggar Sect, he didn't care.

He didn't waver among several women like Zhang Wuji, nor did he harbor grand ambitions to save the common people from suffering.

His love for Zhou Zhiruo was pure, steadfast, even to the point of becoming a son-in-law of Emei, willing to commit countless unforgivable acts for her.

For love, he could abandon everything; for love, he could resort to any means.

This wedding finally granted his wish—Cheng Chen gazed tenderly at his beloved, his deep affection hiding beneath it a profound longing.

With marriage settled, they had finally reached this point; their future life…

"Not bad." Jia Jingwen stood beside the monitor, genuinely surprised.

Lai Shuiqing nodded in agreement:

"Cheng Zai has eyes that speak, and his acting has improved greatly since before."

Though he still lags behind you, his eyes give him far too many points—that's talent; he has a gift for acting."

Hearing Lai Dao's high praise for Cheng Chen, Xu Jinjiang, who portrayed Xie Xun the Golden-Haired Lion, couldn't help nodding.

He too had been watching Cheng Chen's eyes.

For actors, eye acting is crucial.

Liang Chaowei's eyes in Gang Sheng are widely recognized as magnetic—Liang Chaowei's eyes act, everyone knows it.

*Lust Caution* is a film starring Liang Chaowei and Tang Wei; in it, Liang Chaowei and Tang Wei share many emotional scenes.

One scene shows Liang Chaowei holding an umbrella over Tang Wei; his gaze toward her carries no dialogue.

A single glance makes the audience understand he's thinking of conquering Tang Wei.

No dialogue at all—a single glance reveals his inner thoughts.

Xu Jinjiang never expected that at such a young age, Cheng Chen's eyes could express such power!

Deep affection. Longing.

Both emotions were perfectly conveyed!

"Cut!"

As everyone was immersed in Cheng Chen's eye acting, director Lai Shuiqing suddenly shouted "Cut!"

"Yuanyuan, what are you zoning out for?! You have to respond to Song Qingshu's scene!"

"Director says I'm confessing to a blind man—

you were distracted just now."

Lai Shuiqing's words left everyone baffled, but after Cheng Chen's translation, everyone burst into laughter.

Watching the playback, they realized everyone's attention had been drawn entirely to Cheng Chen, completely ignoring Zhou Zhiruo acting as a background prop.

Yet Zhou Zhiruo's emotion also seemed off.

She was forced into marriage with Song Qingshu—why did her expression look anything but dazed?

Instead, it looked… sweet???

Lai Dao didn't dare say it outright; calling it "distracted" was already mild.

"Sorry, sorry, Director, let's do it again."

Gao Yuanyuan's face flushed red, flustered, apologizing to Lai Shuiqing.

"Sis, act properly—we want to wrap early."

Cheng Chen whispered a reminder.

Hearing this, Gao Yuanyuan shot him a glare, gritting her teeth, wanting to kick him.

She had truly been stunned by Cheng Chen's gaze—once she met his eyes, her thoughts instantly changed…

"Alright, ready for action!"

Lai Shuiqing said irritably; he wasn't sure if Cheng Chen could recreate that eye scene.

If he couldn't, Lai Shuiqing truly wanted to replace Zhou Zhiruo!

Fortunately, Cheng Chen was not affected, and his acting remained on point.

Right after that, Su Youpeng's Zhang Wuji appeared on set, and Cheng Chen put on another round of martial arts combat.

After a stretch of action scenes and dramatic scenes were filmed, the Huangshan Woman appeared to expose the identity of Beggar Sect's leader Shi Huolong.

With that, tonight's filming was completely wrapped.

The time had also reached one o'clock in the morning.

"Clap clap!"

No one knew who started the applause, but the whole set erupted in waves of clapping, and immediately after, the crew's staff presented a bouquet of flowers to Cheng Chen.

"Congratulations, Cheng-zi, Song Qingshu, wrap party!!!"

The lead creators present and the familiar actors also came over to offer their blessings.

Cheng Chen felt a touch of emotion in his heart—time passed quickly; in the blink of an eye, it had already been his second month at the "Heavenly Sword" crew.

As this grand scene drew to a close, the burden on his shoulders could be considered lifted.

At the "Heavenly Sword" crew, besides gaining a group of friends, he had also accumulated a great deal of acting experience.

Acting opposite seasoned veterans, polishing his craft bit by bit—this harvest was undoubtedly enormous.

Chen Shasha looked at Cheng Chen with reddened eyes; Jia Jingwen, Su Youpeng, and the familiar actors all had somewhat low spirits, and the faint sound of sniffling could even be heard.

Overall, the "Heavenly Sword" crew was very harmonious—there was none of that business of leads throwing their weight around or extras slacking off.

Moreover, Cheng Chen himself was already well-liked within the crew, and after being recognized by Jin Daxia, he became even more popular with everyone.

But a crew is just like that—no matter how good the atmosphere, there is always a time for parting; there is no endless banquet under heaven.

Once the wrap happens, the actors go their separate ways, and the next time they meet will probably be seeing each other on the screen.

Cheng Chen glanced at Gao Yuanyuan; she was standing some distance from him, her eyes reddened, wanting to come closer but glancing at the crowd gathered around him.

Cheng Chen grinned and spread his arms open, and Gao Yuanyuan immediately threw herself into his embrace.

Jia Jingwen, her eyes reddened, hugged on as well, followed by Su Youpeng, Chen Shasha, and the others crowding in for a group hug.

Cheng Chen: ……