Chapter 27: Need More Money! (Seeking Favorites and Recommendations)

At night, in the wilderness on the outskirts.

Xie Ruolin, carrying a briefcase and a flashlight, waited for the arrival of the trader.

Just then, a sedan drove up and stopped. A man in a suit with a limp in his left leg swayed as he got out of the car and walked toward Xie Ruolin.

"Mr. Xie?"

"That is I. Where is my goods?"

"Over here."

The two walked to the edge of a dirt pit. Xie Ruolin lifted the straw mat covering it to take a look, but it was empty.

The limping man in the suit gave a contemptuous smile and slowly backed away, while the driver in the car pulled out a pistol and aimed it at Xie Ruolin.

But at that very moment, Xie Ruolin’s expression changed drastically. He swung his arm violently, and the flashlight in his hand shot out like a flying dagger, knocking the pistol away.

At the same time, he pushed off with his feet and lunged toward the limping man in the suit.

The limping man’s expression turned fierce, and he smashed the flashlight in his hand toward the top of Xie Ruolin’s head.

Xie Ruolin raised his arm to block, then grabbed the man's wrist and twisted his elbow, disarming him.

He then flipped his wrist to lock the elbow and kicked the man in the popliteal fossa of his only good leg.

Next, he wrapped his arms around the man and locked him in a fierce chokehold.

Instantly, the limping man’s face turned red, his eyes bulging as if he would be strangled to death in the next second.

In just a few short seconds, the three of them fought with extreme danger, every move lethal and aimed at vital points.

"It seems you aren't here to do business." Xie Ruolin gave a smug, cold laugh:

"But that’s fine, I also know a little bit of martial arts..."

Before he could finish speaking, the limping man suddenly stopped limping, raised his foot, and stomped hard on Xie Ruolin’s left foot.

Then, taking advantage of Xie Ruolin’s pain, he broke free and backhanded a knife into Xie Ruolin’s chest.

"You, you, you..." Xie Ruolin clutched his chest in horror.

The limping man flew up and kicked Xie Ruolin in the chest, knocking him into the dirt pit.

The driver who had rushed over raised his pistol and fired two more shots, "Bang, bang."

"That was close, almost failed."

"The intelligence didn't say this guy was so tough."

The two spoke with lingering fear while picking up shovels to bury the pit with dirt.

"Very good, cut!" Jiang Dao shouted through a megaphone:

"Congratulations to Qi Hui on wrapping up!"

"This kid is impressive." Feng Enhe said in shock: "He even knows martial arts choreography?"

Sun Honglei poked Zu Feng: "Teacher Zu, does your Beijing Film Academy acting department teach these things now?"

"Teach my ass." Zu Feng’s face darkened: "I don't even know those things."

Immediately, he rubbed his chin and said: "This kid really knows a lot, he’s even better at fishing than Teacher Feng."

"We don't need to talk about that." Feng Enhe said with a dark face.

It was just losing a fish, why couldn't they get over it?

To the side, Yao Chen stood with her arms crossed, looking at Qi Hui with a flat gaze.

What’s the use of knowing these things? For an actor, the most important thing is still whether they are popular or not.

If you aren't popular, others won't even look at you straight.

These are nothing more than side-door tricks.

Qi Hui rolled up from the pit, patted the dirt off his body, and rubbed his chest: "That kick just now wasn't pulled back, it hurts quite a bit."

"Haha... please forgive me." Wang Xiaoyi said somewhat awkwardly; he wasn't a professional martial arts actor and had indeed failed to pull his strength back.

"Wrap it up, wrap it up." Jiang Wei shouted, calling for the crew to pack up, then ran to Qi Hui’s side: "Qi Hui, that scene just now was great."

"The character of Xie Ruolin has come to life!"

"The director is too kind." Qi Hui said modestly.

"Our crew still has one or two fight scenes and an explosion scene, how about you continue to direct them?" Jiang Wei rubbed his hands together and said with a smile.

A capable person should do more work!

Hearing this, a flash of light appeared in Qi Hui’s eyes, and then he raised his eyebrows: "Director, I am just an actor, wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

Jiang Wei hurriedly said: "No, no, no, it’s very appropriate, you have a real talent for directing."

"That won't do either." Qi Hui quickly refused: "Two days ago you said I was born to be an actor, what do you say now?"

"Both, both." Jiang Wei continued to persuade: "Actor, director, you have talent for both."

"Still won't do..."

"Then what will it take?"

"You have to pay more!"

"..." Jiang Wei fell silent. Previously, Qi Hui had been so generous with his own money that he thought Qi Hui wasn't interested in money.

"Fine, I'll pay more!" Jiang Wei gritted his teeth: "I'll give you a big red envelope when the time comes."

Qi Hui chuckled, his gaze somewhat playful.

A few days later, the crew set up three thatched huts.

Two were rigged with explosives, and one was used for the dramatic scenes.

Of the two huts rigged with explosives, one was for the official filming, and the other was for testing.

Soon, the crew set up the wires, and Qi Hui finished setting the explosives.

"Director, won't there be any danger?" Yao Chen said, full of disbelief.

She had no trust in Qi Hui.

"It’s been tested three times." Jiang Wei frowned slightly and said: "The amount of gunpowder won't be a problem."

As he spoke, he pointed to Qi Hui, who was busy working: "In a moment, he will run through it himself to eliminate all dangers."

"Director Jiang, come over and check this." Qi Hui called out.

"Coming." Jiang Wei hurried over.

Although he didn't understand explosives, he could look for hidden dangers from a different perspective, and if there was anything he didn't understand or found wrong, he would ask directly.

Gunpowder is too dangerous; one can never be too careful.

Seeing this, Yao Chen nodded slightly and said no more.

Soon, Qi Hui’s personal test began.

"3, 2, 1, action!" Jiang Wei shouted.

Like a starting pistol, Qi Hui burst through the window, and at the same time, the crew pulled the wires, dragging Qi Hui to leap away quickly.

Boom!

A roar sounded behind him, black smoke billowed, fire flickered, and the already unstable thatched hut collapsed instantly.

Qi Hui dove onto a pile of straw, checked himself, stood up, patted the dust off his body, and gave Jiang Wei a thumbs up:

"No problem, everything is safe!"

Generally speaking, a bit of fire and black smoke would suffice, but Director Jiang demanded the entire hut be blown up, so the amount of gunpowder was slightly larger.

If it weren't for Qi Hui, Jiang Wei had planned to use technology.

Just use special effects in post-production, but then Qi Hui appeared.

Real-life filming is far more shocking than special effects, and the results are better.

Directors these days still have some aspirations, unlike those who film trashy movies with "little fresh meat" a few years later.

Witnessing this scene, Yao Chen breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed there was no problem, and safety was guaranteed.

"Very good, actors in position, filming starts in three minutes!" Jiang Wei shouted with a megaphone.

And everyone else stayed far away from the set to prevent any accidents.

Qi Hui stood far outside the set, quietly watching it all.

Not long after, the dramatic scene was finished, and the explosion scene officially began.

Inside the thatched hut, Yao Chen, wearing her costume, was strapped into the wires, waiting for the director’s command.

"3, 2, 1, action!" Jiang Wei’s voice rang out.

Yao Chen suddenly lunged, crashing through the paper window.

The crew pulled the wires hard, dragging Yao Chen toward the straw pile.

Boom!

The sound of the explosion rang out behind her, and black smoke and fire rose simultaneously.

It was perfect; everything was proceeding according to plan.

Yao Chen also landed on the straw pile; there was a soft mat under the straw, so she wouldn't get hurt.

Jiang Wei’s face showed joy; this sequence of shots was too perfect!

However, Yao Chen on the straw pile suddenly felt a chill on the sole of her foot, followed by a sharp pain that surged like a tsunami.

"Ah—!"

She clutched her right foot and let out a sudden wail.

Jiang Wei’s heart, which had just settled, suddenly jumped, and he shouted hurriedly: "Quick, doctor!"

The physician, who had been prepared to handle all sorts of emergencies, gave a start and hurried over.

He gave Yao Chen a painkiller injection, then took off her shoe to look, his expression changing slightly.

Three thumb-sized ceramic shards were embedded in the sole of her foot, with bright red blood flowing out continuously.

"Quick, take her to the hospital immediately!" the physician shouted, and the nurse carried Yao Chen onto the ambulance.

They still have to take her to the hospital... Jiang Wei shuddered; he hoped there wouldn't be any loss of life!

To the side, Qi Hui glanced at the bloodstains on the ground, a faint, ambiguous smile playing on his lips.

Flower of Evil...