Chapter 289: Practicing Martial Arts Doesn

Jiang Xin arrived quickly.

It was just luck—she had just finished filming a drama nearby in Xiangshan, so she came as soon as she heard the news.

Over the past year, Jiang Xin's career has progressed well.

She was one of the main creators of "The Legend of Xue Rengui," appearing on screen, and her lead role in "The Legend of Yang Yuhuan" delivered impressive ratings.

Her lead role in "The Demon Sword of Life and Death" was also noteworthy, especially in a few regions where viewership nearly reached peerless levels.

Jiang Xin, once a minor figure, has now climbed to second-tier status thanks to these dramas.

Female stars at this level normally don't lack roles to play—at least not in the short term.

But whether she can consistently land lead female roles still depends on resources and fortune.

As for these two aspects, Jiang Xin isn't particularly strong, but she's not weak either; as long as she's not too picky, her chances of landing a lead role are high.

It's said that the richer you are, the easier it is to make more money; similarly, the more famous you are, the easier it is to become even more popular.

Over the past two years, Seeing Yan Li has grown even stronger, investing in and distributing countless dramas; even those with no direct collaboration still exchange favors or are willing to grant Seeing Yan Li face.

Placing actors isn't hard for Seeing Yan Li, but what roles they get still depends on the actors themselves.

You can force-push an unknown, untalented actor into a lead role, but it requires Seeing Yan Li to invest resources and favors.

Resources don't matter—Seeing Yan Li doesn't lack them—and he isn't overly cautious about favors either; business is about helping each other, and favors are inevitable.

But not being cautious doesn't mean he'll use any favor—some favors are big, some are small.

From a cost-benefit perspective, it's better for Seeing Yan Li to simply pull from his own projects.

When Jiang Xin had little fame, arranging roles for her was difficult; now that she's famous, even though she's competing for lead and second female roles, he finds it easier to operate—even sometimes just needing to casually mention it.

Even this time with "Infiltration," since Jiang Xin didn't perform well, Seeing Yan Li couldn't force-push her.

But since Jiang Xin has her own cards to play, under equal—or even slightly inferior—conditions, Seeing Yan Li can help her even out or surpass others.

As expected, Jiang Xin arrived early for the audition, her qualifications were relatively suitable, and she had Seeing Yan Li's backing.

This tipped the scales in the minds of director Jiang Wei and the crew; though not officially decided, the implication suggested a 70–80 percent probability.

After hearing Jiang Xin's update, Seeing Yan Li added another move—he invited Sun Honglei, the male lead of "Infiltration," to dinner.

Hengdian, a restaurant private room

Seeing Yan Li shook hands with Sun Honglei, slightly nostalgic: "Since 'Conquest,' we haven't collaborated in years."

When they filmed "Conquest," Sun Honglei was the male lead, and Seeing Yan Li was just a minor supporting actor.

Their relationship was neither good nor bad—there wasn't much dialogue between them, so they had little interaction.

Later, Seeing Yan Li bought the rights to "Conquest," profited from its distribution, and successfully launched his career; they had a Honeymoon Phase once, even dining together.

But there were never further collaboration opportunities until now, with "Infiltration."

As the drama's major shareholder, Seeing Yan Li serves as producer of "Infiltration."

Sun Honglei's eyes were small; when he smiled, they became slits: "Yes, hearing you're involved in 'Infiltration' gives me great confidence."

As one of the earliest people to know Seeing Yan Li, Sun Honglei couldn't help but feel awed every time he saw the now-powerful Yan Boss.

His memory of Seeing Yan Li during the filming of "Conquest" wasn't strong.

In short, three labels: pretty boy, good drinker, popular with women.

Even when Seeing Yan Li made a fortune distributing "Conquest," most of the original "Conquest" crew saw it as mere luck.

But reality proved he wasn't lucky—he truly had ability; acting was the wrong career for him, and seizing the opportunity, he became a top figure in the industry within just a few years; even his patron and former boss, Zhao Baogang, now respectfully calls him "Boss Yan."

Seeing Yan Li stood up to pour wine for Sun Honglei; Sun Honglei immediately rose, politely declined twice, cupped his glass with both hands, and waited until Seeing Yan Li sat down before thanking him and sitting back.

Despite his rough exterior, Sun Honglei's emotional intelligence is actually high; otherwise, he wouldn't have made it this far.

The entertainment industry is full of schemers; exceptions exist, but someone like Sun Honglei—with poor family background, unremarkable looks, and who climbed step by step—is definitely sharp-witted.

"Honglei, your career exploded with 'Conquest,' and I made my first fortune from this drama—our collaboration has good fortune; I hope 'Infiltration' is the same."

"Boss Yan, you're absolutely right—I'm benefiting from your influence again. Let me toast you."

"…."

After some small talk, the atmosphere warmed, and Seeing Yan Li gently steered the topic toward Jiang Xin.

"I think Jiang Xin is good for the role of Cuiping—I recommended her to Director Jiang. If you two end up working together, Honglei, you're older and more experienced—help me look out for her."

Jiang Xin stood up promptly to toast: "Brother Honglei, please guide me."

"Oh, no need for formality, we're friends—let's learn from each other."

Sun Honglei quickly stood up; he wasn't sure of the relationship between Jiang Xin and Seeing Yan Li, but given Yan Boss's reputation, he dared not underestimate her.

"Boss Yan, you just said you recommended her—has the role not been decided yet?"

After sitting back down, Sun Honglei carefully chose his words and probed.

Since he was a shrewd operator, he knew how to read between the lines; Seeing Yan Li going out of his way to host a dinner just to ask him to look out for Jiang Xin felt excessive.

Even with the nostalgia, something felt off—he recalled Seeing Yan Li's words and sensed something beneath them.

Seeing Yan Li gave him an approving glance: "It's not decided yet. I've been busy and haven't pressed for details; since you're on set, you could quietly check in on Jiang Xin."

This wasn't just checking in—it was clearly asking him to speak up for her.

As the male lead and the actor with the most scenes opposite her, if Sun Honglei supported someone, the effect would be obvious.

"Director Jiang is still too cautious. I think Jiang Xin is perfect—I'll speak up. Changing actors at the last minute isn't trivial; let's settle it quickly so the actor can prepare."

Sun Honglei pounded his chest loudly; Jiang Xin thanked him again, and Seeing Yan Li patted his shoulder.

"Thanks for your effort."

After that, they returned to reminiscing; Seeing Yan Li didn't take it too seriously—he only sought Sun Honglei's assurance.

In fact, had Seeing Yan Li not cared about appearing too aggressive, he would have forced the role onto Jiang Xin the day she arrived.

Now, Seeing Yan Li has shown full respect to the "Infiltration" crew and has helped them make "choices" from every angle—if they still refuse to give her the role, it would be a grave disrespect.

He's the investor, after all—do they really think Boss Yan has no temper?!

"Not long ago, I secured the novel adaptation rights and plan to make a movie; I'm considering asking Director Gao to direct it. If you're free then, you can come collaborate."

Seeing Yan Li revealed a film project that Yi An is developing.

Yi An now has no shortage of male actors, but lacks a powerful, rugged male lead.

It's not that there are few such actors—Seeing Yan Li himself fits this style—but he simply doesn't have enough time to act, and some of his plans conflict with this project.

So we need to find another rugged actor; I admire Zhang Hanyu and Hu Jun, but one is under Huayi and the other under Orange Sky, and Seeing Yan Li is reluctant to use either.

After thinking it over, Sun Honglei is also a good candidate, and the movie's schedule can align with "In the Darkness."

If "In the Darkness" becomes popular, the film can also benefit from some of its momentum.

"No problem."

Sun Honglei felt a surge of joy—he wasn't short of roles now, but most were TV dramas; his film work was still weak.

There was no way around it—he was signed to Zhao Baogang's Xinbao Yuan, a company focused primarily on TV dramas.

Although Zhao Baogang had plenty of connections in Beijing's circle, every studio had its own people, and the projects he could secure for Sun Honglei were truly few.

Today's words from Seeing Yan Li opened Sun Honglei's eyes—he could absolutely cling to Yan Boss's leg.

After all, they had past ties from "The Conquest," and Seeing Yan Li seemed to hold a decent impression of him—that was a solid foundation.

How much it would yield was uncertain, but at least it was a path, better than waiting desperately for opportunities.

Thus, during the rest of the meal, Sun Honglei repeatedly toasted, expressing his admiration for Boss Yan.

When the meal was nearly over, Seeing Yan Li pulled Sun Honglei aside, signaled Jiang Xin to settle the bill, and only spoke once the private room was left with just the two of them.

"Honglei, take Jiang Xin seriously."

"Rest assured, I've got it covered."

Sun Honglei had a decent alcohol tolerance, but he wasn't a match for Seeing Yan Li, especially with the formidable Jiang Xin assisting him—he was already half-drunk.

Seeing Yan Li paused, then added: "Besides Jiang Xin, also keep an eye on Qin Lan, who plays Zuo Lan, while you're on set."

"Huh?"

Sun Honglei stared blankly at Seeing Yan Li—he'd only mentioned one female lead, so why was Seeing Yan Li giving him specific instructions? So the second female lead was also Seeing Yan Li's person.

If these two got together, would they fight?

Sun Honglei's drunkenness nearly vanished; after a moment's hesitation, he asked: "Which one of these two… should I mainly look out for?"

Hmph, he knew how to hit the key point!

Seeing Yan Li tapped the table: "Qin Lan."

He added: "I'm also in Hengdian these days—anything happens, just contact me directly."

"In the Darkness" wasn't Seeing Yan Li's set—he hadn't planted anyone there—and with two women together, for safety's sake, Seeing Yan Li needed someone substantial to keep order.

At the same time, he was using Sun Honglei's mouth to remind certain people on set, so his women wouldn't be mistreated or face any unpleasantness.

"I understand."

Sun Honglei nodded—since Seeing Yan Li was in Hengdian, nothing major could go wrong.

After giving his instructions, once Jiang Xin settled the bill, Seeing Yan Li and Sun Honglei exchanged a few pleasantries and parted ways.

"Have you booked a hotel?"

Seeing Yan Li asked Jiang Xin, who hurried over—she'd come for an interview and then dinner; accommodation might not have been arranged.

"No."

Jiang Xin lied—she hadn't come alone; she had an assistant who was waiting for her at a hotel.

Seeing Yan Li made no comment—her truthfulness didn't matter.

"Painted Skin" hadn't started shooting yet; the Two Bing hadn't arrived, Qin Lan and the others hadn't come either, and today they'd been drinking—so even if Jiang Xin had booked a hotel, it would be useless.

"Perfect—two days ago, I had the house in Dongyang cleaned up. Come with me to check it out and see what's missing."

"Sure."

Jiang Xin promptly followed Seeing Yan Li into the car and sent a text to her assistant: met a friend, going over to his place, don't wait for me.

…

Two days later, Jiang Xin officially confirmed her joining "In the Darkness," and on the same day, "Painted Skin" began shooting.

Originally, "Painted Skin"'s launch was meant to be grand, but recently, due to the chaos among the Four Dan and Two Bing, everyone had cooled down, so Seeing Yan Li opted for a low-key approach.

Promotion is promotion, but too much is counterproductive—now that the film has just started shooting, excessive marketing might trigger audience backlash and backfire.

Because of the low-key launch, Seeing Yan Li decided to let the Two Bing, who hadn't yet joined the set, focus on their own projects.

For example, Fan Xiaopang was filming "Peach Blossom Luck," expected to finish in about a week before joining; Li Bingbing might arrive two days earlier.

With the Two Bing not yet arrived, they could film Seeing Yan Li's scenes and the already-joined male second lead, Wu Jing.

He portrays Pang Yong, whose role has been reduced.

Actually, Wu Yue was originally intended for this role, but after makeup tests, the look wasn't right, so Wu Yue ended up playing only a general under the male lead.

Wu Jing had a better appearance, and more importantly, he was a film actor—though mostly in supporting roles, he had experience and some influence.

Additionally, the key point was he was cheap—at least much cheaper than Zhao Wenzhuo.

This original top choice was rejected by Seeing Yan Li after demanding an exorbitant price—higher than Sun Li's, even approaching the Two Bing's rates.

After script revisions, this so-called male second lead, Pang Yong, actually had less screen time and prominence than Deng Chao's lizard spirit; the crew even considered reclassifying him as male third lead.

Under these circumstances, Seeing Yan Li and the crew didn't want to pay a high salary and preferred Wu Jing—good performer, low cost.

Seeing Yan Li and Wu Jing's first scene together was an action sequence—a flashback.

It depicted two comrades-in-arms going to battle together: Wang Sheng earned merit and won the woman's heart, while Pang Yong failed in both career and love, later left the army, and opened a small shop to drift through life.

Before filming, they practiced the choreography.

"Painted Skin"'s script didn't specify weapons for the two characters, but the martial arts director designed some based on the actors' abilities.

All three had rich action experience—including Seeing Yan Li, who wasn't an action actor but had done fight scenes in most of his recent roles—and they quickly established the general style.

Seeing Yan Li is tall and sturdy, wielding a long spear and fighting with broad, sweeping movements; Wu Jing is short, so he uses dual knives and fights with agile, swift motions.

This isn't fixed—later, as the plot progresses, it changes; for instance, when Seeing Yan Li becomes a general, he can wield a sword.

When Wu Jing fights demons, if his dual knives deal low damage or have short range, he can switch to a long-handled great knife or something similar.

After all, this is a movie, not reality—action scenes must be varied and spectacular; more flair pleases the audience.

Director Yan held a long spear and effortlessly spun a spear flourish, addressing his scene partner.

"I'm strong—if you feel the force is off, just say so, and I'll hold back."

The actor he's pairing with is from the martial arts team; for scenes involving fight choreography, extras aren't reliable—these are all professional stunt performers.

This stunt performer had never worked with Seeing Yan Li before, didn't know him well, and assumed the boss was just bragging; he chuckled and said:

"Director Yan, go ahead however you like—I can handle it."