253 Organic and Unprompted (1/2)
”Xiao Ye, don't you think that the man from that side has been trying to sneak a look at you?”
Luo Mingxin, who came to fetch Ye Shuang, could not help but comment once they got into the car. Ye Shuang looked at the man—it was the man who received the shock of his life inside the male toilet. She smiled softly before pulling her gaze back. ”Perhaps it is a fan who has recognized us, let's ignore him.”
”You're probably right.” Luo Mingxin nodded in agreement with this suspicion. He activated the engine of the car and turned the steering wheel to exit the parking lot. ”Looks like the disguise that I've used today is not that good. Even though I'm wrapped so tightly, people can still recognize me. Then again, it could have been your fan, right?”
Speaking of this, Luo Mingxin could not help but mock the man. ”Xiao Ye, looks like you still don't know this yet, huh? There's another wave of popularity happening for you on the internet.”
Ye Shuang, who held the phone in her hand, stopped in her tracks and raised her head to ask in confusion, ”What's going on?”
Luo Mingxin tossed a glance at her, and there was a smile on his face. ”Don't just stop there. You just need to go online and look for the latest news. Why would you need to ask me?”
Dark lines dropped from Ye Shuang's face. Her mind combed through what she had done recently, and a very bad feeling appeared in her heart. After searching for it online, it was exactly as she expected—it was a video of her stopping the scared horse on the film set. It was unclear which camera had still been rolling at the time, but it just so happened to capture the whole process when Brother Shuang stepped onto the plate to save the female actress who spooked the horse.
Having news from a movie set was something normal, and this time, he was given a topic that was organic and unprompted. Director Zhou would have been dumb if he did not make use of this to the best of its potential. Brother Shuang, who was already famous for his looks, instantly became another hot topic. Combining his powerful presence and handsome movement, he soon won over the other so-called flower boys and became the male god within the hearts of many female and even male fans.
She closed the phone with a lack of expression. At that moment, Ye Shuang really did not know what kind of reaction she should have. Luo Mingxin sighed as he drove. ”You are born to be in this business. Your face is already handsome beyond belief, and on top of that, you're a good actor. If that's all, it would have been great already, but you're even good at martial arts…”
Acting skills were required as long as one was in a movie. Even though the character might be different due to setting, the acting and how one played oneself into the character were similar. The only difference was fighting movies—not everyone would be able to participate in the shooting of such movies. Some had the looks but not the content while others were able to make fighting look like ballet.
Just having the looks was not enough; it might work for female actors to fill up the scene, but for male actors, they had to know a bit of actual martial arts or else the audience would not be able to buy it. Otherwise, why would other movie genres enjoy such variety in terms of actors over the years but martial arts movies still had the same old faces playing the same old characters?
Ye Shuang chuckled in a meaningful way. ”No wonder you asked for my plane's arrival time and the airport that I'll be landing at. It is not an everyday affair that you'll get Celebrity Luo to come fetch you. Is there something else that you wish to tell me?”
”You're right about that, or else with my current schedule, why would I make time to purposely come fetch you?” Luo Mingxin turned the steering wheel and glanced at Ye Shuang with a significant look. It was then that Ye Shuang realized that ,Luo Mingxin's car had been heading toward a specific direction, to a destination that was already decided and the man had not asked her for the location of her hotel.
Ye Shuang suddenly had a bad feeling, and with a headache coming, she asked, ”Tell me, you have a premeditated plan, don't you?”
Luo Mingxin laughed. ”That I do.”
This plan might not be something bad. At most, it would be a plan that would require her cooperation without warning her what kind of thing she needed to do. Why he did not tell her beforehand could be due to many kinds of reasons. Considering that Brother Shuang might not cooperate if he had asked politely, he had captured the man and taken him directly to the scene, skipping the introduction and explanation.
Why would Director Zhou and Luo Mingxin choose to 'sacrifice' Brother Shuang?
It seemed the female actress wanted to thank Brother Shuang after her soul had returned from the accident. However, before she could find the man, she had already been informed that Brother Shuang had already left on a holiday. Then, after that, it was revealed that other than the identity of a female actress, when her family came to visit her, people at the shoot realized that this was a second generation of a government official that had hidden herself very deep…
”We actually also found this out later. Rong Su wasn't her real name but the one she used when she joined the entertainment business.” Luo Mingxin led Ye Shuang to the private changing room and sighed. ”Director Zhou is unwilling to reveal her actual identity, but I hear it is from a family that is very powerful and influential. I heard that she is the youngest daughter of a family from Beijing. She has enjoyed acting since she was young, but she did not want others to say that she is relying on her family connections to achieve success, so she came out on her own to make a living for herself. Here, try on this shirt.”
Ye Shuang accepted a blue shirt with polka dots from Luo Mingxin. After rolling her eyes at him, she turned and walked into the changing room.
”Hey! We're both men, do you need to go in there just to change a top? Are you afraid that I'll feel less confidence after seeing your body? I'll let you know, I have abs, too!” Luo Mingxin was speechless. He called after the man, but the man did not stop. All he could do was follow behind Ye Shuang to the changing room. Then, the door slammed in his face, and it almost knocked into his tall nose. He leaned against the door lazily and continued the earlier conversation.
”Actually, before this, I thought that the career for this new star was a bit too smooth. Her acting skill is passable but not that good, so why was she able to take up roles in one movie after another? She was the main female character in her first movie, and she has never experienced a period where she had no work to do or had to hone her skill by being an extra. Her resume was shining perfectly, and normally, her agent would not even let her go to business events like conference and so on… But now, I finally get it. I believe her family members have already reached out the relevant individuals, but they did not show up to preserve the young girl's face.”
After Ye Shuang walked out with the shirt on, she fixed the collar and sleeves. She asked without even raising her eyes, ”It's due to the incident with the horse that her family abandoned their usual low-key profile and jumped out to visit their daughter, is it? However, how is that even related to me? Normally, if an extra like myself saved the young lady, shouldn't they just send me a cheque in appreciation? Even if they want to show some sincerity, the biggest difference should be sending people over to give the cheque or giving the cheque in person, right?”
Luo Mingxin smirked and reached out to grab one of the ties that was hanging on the rod. He tried it around Ye Shuang's neck and left it to the man. ”Put it on yourself… Mainly, it's because Rong Su wants to thank you in person, and she said that she wants to treat you to a meal. Since you've already been invited, she could not leave out everyone else. Plus, her family is going to show up as well, so in the end, everyone will have to go. Earlier, when Director Zhou heard that you're going to come back today, the crew decided to push the shoots that we're doing today to several days later so that we can clear up the afternoon for everyone to prepare for the dinner tonight.”
Ye Shuang used her agile fingers to finish tying the tie. She adjusted the tightness and then turned to look at the pants, shoes, and socks that were arranged on the other row of cupboards. ”It is just a dinner, that simple?”
”I'm afraid it won't be that simple.” Luo Mingxin shook his head. ”It's a little girl after all. Since she has always been interested in being an actor, it is natural to assume that she has a good imagination. You have the game, the body, and the physical prowess, and this time, you've saved a damsel in distress. I'm afraid Rong Su is going to become one of your brainless fans.”
Ye Shuang looked at Luo Mingxin with clear suspicion. Can you even hear yourself when you say that?
Luo Mingxin gripped his fist and coughed into it. ”Fine, perhaps the term brainless fan is a bit too much, but it is definitely true that she has cultivated some affection for you.”
Why would a cliched trope like a hero saving a damsel in distress always lead to romance?
To explain it from a biological standpoint, when one's in a deep relationship, the body releases a high amount of endorphin, and that will lead to increased heart rate and body temperature. That creates a sense of nervousness and excitement. Similarly, when one is in a state of danger, due to extreme nervousness, it will also lead to the secretion of adrenaline, and it creates the sensation that is very similar to love. There were two different scenarios leading to the same results and experience.
Human beings have a hard time telling the difference between these two. Even if they can tell the difference in a ration way, the influence that the hormone has on the body is something that could not be avoided completely. Therefore, the nervousness when one is saved and when one is falling in love can easily be mixed together.
To explain it from a psychological standpoint, when one is in a state of deep despair and helplessness and someone shows up to save her from the worst situation safely, then after the incident, due to the experience from before, the victim will have a sense of reliance on her savior and will subconsciously feel a sense of security when she was in the person's presence.
Perhaps those with a mature physiological health might be able to dissect this emotion with surgical detachment, but if it was someone like Rong Su who still had a naïve view of life, then it was a definite that she would have a changed view of Ye Shuang.
Ye Shuang held the pants and went silent. She was feeling rather down. ”Perhaps I shouldn't attend the dinner.”
Luo Mingxin coughed again. ”This dinner has already gone beyond giving Rong Su face. The entire crew will be going, and the host is Rong Su's family. What benefit will offending these people get us?”
Even though he had no idea how powerful Rong Su's family was, from the way even Director Zhou had to adjust the shooting time to give face to the family, this went to show that they were not people that they could easily brush off.
Even if these people were unable to freeze them up with just an order, they were definitely able to create many small problems, like stopping the film set, the sponsors, the advertisements, the approval, the cinema distribution… As long as they reached out to one of those links in the chain, Director Zhou would lose half of his hair from the trouble that it would create.