Chapter 25: The Argument

She vaguely remembered that she had been wild with the drinking last night and had taken off her shirt. Yet, waking up early in the morning, not only was she lying in bed, but her clothes were perfectly neat—impossibly neat, in fact, and she was even wearing a set of silk pajamas.

Liu Jing, upon hearing this, showed no embarrassment, only disdain. "You two were like dead pigs; I really should have recorded you."

It is hard for an average person to carry someone who is dead drunk, let alone for a five-year-old child. He had expended an enormous amount of effort to get them both into bed.

In the memories of the "Second Generation Heir" (the *ershizu*), there was the way of martial arts, the way of commerce, the way of music, and the way of strategy. He could absorb and understand all of these. Only the way of men and women remained a mystery; why was the heir so obsessed with it? They were just women—besides being better looking, they had no other utility.

With a father like Lü Buwei, the heir had learned a thing or two and was not entirely ignorant. Regarding the way of business, Lü Buwei had started as a merchant and was the inventor of "hoarding rare goods for future profit." Regarding the way of physiognomy, Lü Buwei had studied under the Guigu lineage, his most successful case being the identification of Ying Yiren.

Hearing this, Zhang Min’s fragmented memories began to blur and surface. She gave a hollow laugh. "Little Wood, go change your clothes. I'll take you to get familiar with the camera angles later."

Everyone on set knew that the brat Liu Jing was under Zhang Min’s protection, so no one gave him a hard time. The makeup artist was very attentive, teasing Liu Jing as she worked. Before long, the childhood version of Zhang Wuji was born.

"Wow! Little Wood, you look so handsome." Zhang Min’s eyes lit up the moment she saw Liu Jing emerge.

"The clothes are terrible," Liu Jing frowned. What kind of rags were these? They even had a lingering odor; who knew how many people had worn them? Ancient clothing certainly didn't look like this.

"Walk a few steps and let me see," Zhang Min said excitedly. She suddenly realized that period costumes suited Liu Jing perfectly; there was no sense of incongruity at all.

Liu Jing gave a soft hum and flicked his sleeves—women were such a hassle. He took a few steps forward, backed up, moved into a lunge, pivoted, performed a side-flip, balanced on one leg, and swept his leg out... The routine was crisp and efficient.

"Clap, clap, clap, clap..."

Guided by someone, a smattering of applause broke out.

"Not bad, the training wasn't a waste," Fatty Wang said, clutching the script with satisfaction. Liu Jing’s previous movements had lacked any aesthetic appeal, but now they looked much better.

"Director, when do we start?" Zhang Min’s face darkened when she saw Fatty Wang, her tone sharp. It was no wonder she was in a bad mood, given that the script had been rewritten again and again.

"Have you rehearsed with Little Wood?" Fatty Wang asked.

"We did yesterday," Liu Jing replied.

"Good! Just pretend you're accompanying your mother on a shopping trip and try to find that feeling," Fatty Wang said, still a bit uneasy.

"Understood."

"It doesn't matter if you forget your lines, just don't lose the state of mind. We can dub it later."

"Oh."

"You’ve always been a clever little brat; improvising is fine too."

"Mm."

"Go through the scene with Zhang Min again. We’re getting ready."

Fatty Wang rambled on, still feeling anxious. The performance in this film would determine Liu Jing's standing. The boss had given him strict orders to promote Liu Jing well, so he had to be careful. Fatty Wang felt a twinge of jealousy; Zhang Min’s influence on the boss was powerful indeed. Even his own father hadn't looked after him this well.

As soon as Fatty Wang left, Zhang Min cursed under her breath, "Damn fatty..."

"Did he bully you? I'll help you beat him up," Liu Jing whispered.

"Hmph! He wouldn't dare," Zhang Min huffed, pulling Liu Jing along to familiarize him with the blocking. The beautiful woman felt a warmth in her heart; she suddenly felt her headache vanish. There was someone who couldn't stand to see her bullied and would often brandish his little fists to help her. Even if he hadn't actually fought, even if he was just a little boy, it felt different in her heart.

"All departments ready, perk up..."

Ten minutes later, at the command, everyone quickly entered their roles. Liu Jing was amazed; the man who had been smoking a moment ago had instantly transformed into a peddler carrying a pole.

Yin Susu held Zhang Wuji's hand and slowly walked into the frame. This scene required no rehearsal; they were very familiar with it, having held hands countless times. Recently, Zhang Min and her aunt had taken Liu Jing shopping quite often, wandering through every street and alley in Yandu.

The familiar feeling, the familiar rhythm, the familiar soft hand, the familiar scene... Liu Jing was no stranger to the camera and knew how to find the right mood. Fatty Wang was gratified; it was natural, smooth, and not the least bit awkward.

Several children were wrestling nearby, and people were buying and selling vegetables.

"Candied haws..." the peddler called out, and Zhang Wuji, looking left and right, stared at them.

"I want to buy some." Zhang Wuji turned to look at Yin Susu, pointing his little finger at the candied haws.

"Give me a skewer," Yin Susu agreed readily.

"Alright, take your time picking..." the peddler said.

Yin Susu took a skewer and handed it to Zhang Wuji. "Wuji, eat slowly, be a good boy!"

"Mother, thank you." Zhang Wuji took the candied haws.

"Cut! Cut! Cut!" Wang Jing rushed over, looking as agitated as a tank.

It wasn't just Wang Jing; Liu Jing was also speechless. Zhang Min, having filmed dozens of movies, had actually broken character and laughed.

Liu Jing had been on two film sets before and had watched several directors film *The Three Kingdoms*. Every word, every expression, every smile was carefully crafted with extremely strict requirements. Chen Jiashang’s filming of *Flirting Scholar* wasn't as obsessive as *The Three Kingdoms*, but the standards were still high. Zhou Xingchi treated acting like his life—he was incredibly serious and tolerated no flaws. But Fatty Wang was different; he didn't care much for acting technique, as long as it was "good enough" to pass.

"Haha, Director, I'm sorry." Zhang Min apologized while still clutching her stomach, laughing.

"Are you sick? Did you drink fake alcohol last night?" Fatty Wang scolded.

"Hmph! Mind your own business. Let's go again." Zhang Min’s expression turned cold instantly.

The same performance, the same plot—Liu Jing got into the state even faster. But in the same spot, with the same lines, Zhang Min let out a "pfft" and quickly covered her mouth; she couldn't help but laugh again. This time, even without Wang Jing, Liu Jing wanted to ask if she had really drunk herself stupid last night.

Fatty Wang roared, "Zhang Min, you're a veteran actress, what are you laughing at? What's so funny? I'll give you five minutes to laugh all you want. Do you think film stock is free? The fifty-million investment isn't here for you to waste. A vase is just a vase, with no ambition at all."

Being scolded like that to her face, Zhang Min couldn't save face and started arguing with Fatty Wang on the spot. She had powerful backing and was already angry, so she certainly wasn't afraid of Fatty Wang.

Li Lianjie and Hong Jinbao dragged Fatty Wang away, while Wu Zhenyu and Li Zi pulled Zhang Min away, finally calming the conflict. Fatty Wang was panting; a big fight like that was a workout for him.

"Hey! Little brat, shouldn't you be pulling your Sister Min? Why are you pulling me?" Fatty Wang and Liu Jing stared at each other, confused.

"I couldn't hold her back," Liu Jing replied.

"True, she's like a lunatic," Fatty Wang mused.

"You've basically demoted her from lead to supporting character, cutting a lot of her scenes from the shooting schedule. She's angry, so just let her vent. It's better that she bothers you than someone else," Liu Jing sighed.