Chapter 24: Did You Take Advantage of Me Last Night?

"Hello, Master Zhenyu, you look so handsome."

"Hello, Master Sha. Oh, your surname is Yan? Could you introduce me to Brother Monkey?"

"Good morning, Brother Zou. Master Yuan Kui says your skills are impressive; we should spar sometime."

"Uncle Wu, are you playing Wei Yixiao? Your beard is so stylish."

"Master Dagang, we meet again. Has your filming for *Three Kingdoms* wrapped up yet?"

"Master Cao Rong, would you mind designing a few cool moves for me?"

"Sister Gigi, you are so beautiful. Could you give me a photo of yourself?"

On the set of *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*, Liu Jing was darting around, greeting everyone with great enthusiasm. Whether he knew them or not, and regardless of whether they understood his intentions, he remained polite. He wanted to become a familiar face so he would have an excuse to visit the set in the future. For him, every visit was an opportunity to collect "bubbles." In just a few minutes, he walked from one end of the street to the other, collecting over nine hundred points of "Entertainment Qi."

Entertainment Qi +13
Entertainment Qi +28
Entertainment Qi +6
...

The first scene involved Yin Susu taking Zhang Wuji for a walk, encountering the Xuanming Elders, and eventually being saved by Zhang Sanfeng. The street was bustling with extras. Had it not been for the modern buildings visible in the distance, Liu Jing would have truly believed he had traveled back to ancient times. There were men and women of all ages—peddlers carrying loads, vegetable vendors, and passing carriages. Some had bubbles floating above their heads, while others had nothing. The street was a set, and it wasn't actually very long.

Entertainment Qi +93
Entertainment Qi +99

Two large bubbles. Liu Jing looked up to see a stout man and a thin man standing before him.

"Hello, little one. I'm Jet Li." Jet Li wasn't actually thin, and Sammo Hung wasn't exactly very fat. But standing together, the fat one looked fatter and the thin one looked thinner. With these two, his Entertainment Qi finally broke the one-thousand mark. Liu Jing knew the potential of this crew had been exhausted. Even if he gained more, it would only be a few dozen points a day, and only for a few days.

The *Three Kingdoms* production, which began two years ago, had yet to wrap. The *Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber* production, which started today, was scheduled to finish in ten days—a pace that was very "Wong Jing."

"Hello, I'm Liu Jing. Nice to meet you." Liu Jing stopped in his tracks, watching the bubbles drift away with a sense of reluctance. The people who had brought Jet Li to the set didn't stay long and soon departed. Liu Jing had arrived a bit late this morning, which was Sharla Cheung's fault; she had drunk a bit too much with his aunt the night before. Because of Liu Jing, the two had become close friends. As they drank, chatted, cried, and laughed, Liu Jing learned quite a lot. His aunt was still in bed, so Sharla had brought him to the set.

His role as the young Zhang Wuji didn't require much screen time and was scheduled for a single day of shooting. Afterward, Liu Jing would return to the *New Legend of Shaolin* set to continue his training, where he played a more substantial role.

"Kid, I heard you've beaten everyone in the martial arts school," Sammo Hung said in a loud voice, drawing the attention of those around them.

"That's an exaggeration. There are some I haven't fought," Liu Jing said modestly. Ever since he was targeted by a physiognomist, he felt he should keep a lower profile.

"Little class, little class, hahahaha..." Sammo Hung laughed heartily.

"Who haven't you fought?" Jet Li’s focus was different from Sammo’s. Fellow countrymen meeting abroad—even if not to the point of tears—still felt a natural affinity. Liu Jing was in the same company as him, destined to develop in the Hong Kong film industry over the coming years. Plus, he loved martial arts and was from the mainland; it was a perfect match.

"I don't hit honest people," Liu Jing replied earnestly. Not hitting women was a rule set by Sister Li. Not hitting honest people was his own principle.

Jet Li and Sammo Hung looked at each other, pointing back and forth, laughing until they doubled over.

"Liu Jing, welcome to *Tai Chi Master*. You're the young Jet Li," Jet Li said, crouching down to pat Liu Jing on the shoulder. "I used to not hit honest people either."

Liu Jing was puzzled. Sharla had said Jet Li had incredibly high standards, so why was he hired the moment they met?

"Hey! It's true—young Zhang Wuji, young Zhang Sanfeng," Sammo Hung remarked in surprise.

"There's another film where we play father and son," Jet Li added.

"Right, *New Legend of Shaolin*. This kid has great moves; Yuen Kwai speaks highly of him. He says in ten years, none of us will be his match." Sammo Hung looked at Liu Jing as if he were an object, making him feel a bit uneasy.

For the past month, Liu Jing had been busy, shuttling between his acting training class and the *New Legend of Shaolin* set. "Fatty" Wong had arranged for Yuen Kwai to train Liu Jing in martial arts to achieve the desired effect. At first, Liu Jing struggled to adapt. In the memories of his past life, martial arts were about killing; technique was secondary. He had also studied modern martial arts, which focused on forms and competition. However, martial arts in film were different. They were primarily performance-based, focusing on flashiness, choreography, aesthetics, and excitement.

Children, no matter how clever, rarely make adults feel guarded. Over the past few days, he had grown close to Yuen Kwai and had frequently followed him into the stuntman troupes, becoming a familiar face.

"Uncles, I need to go put on my makeup and change clothes. See you later." Liu Jing scurried off; he always felt the big guy had ulterior motives. As for fat men, Sammo Hung wasn't as pleasing to the eye as "Fatty" Wong.

Sammo Hung scratched his head, confused. "He seems a bit afraid of me."

"To be precise, he finds you a bit repulsive," Jet Li mused.

"Hey..."

Jet Li had no scenes today. Sammo Hung was the action director for this project, the martial arts choreographer, and was also playing Zhang Sanfeng.

"Sister Sharla, you look beautiful today." Liu Jing couldn't help but praise her; in her period costume, Sharla looked even more radiant.

"Was I not beautiful yesterday?" Sharla sat on a stool, rubbing her temples. She was still suffering from a hangover after drinking too much last night.

"You were very beautiful last night," Liu Jing nodded emphatically.

Sharla paused for a moment and said fiercely, "You little blockhead, your aunt and I drank so much last night, why didn't you stop us?"

"I tried."

"Oh?"

"I couldn't stop you," Liu Jing sighed. He had truly tried, but once the two of them were in the zone, they wouldn't listen to him.

"Wuwu, my head hurts. I'm going to quit drinking," Sharla covered her pretty face, feeling embarrassed.

"You said that a month ago, and you broke your vow the very next day," Liu Jing reminded her helpfully.

"Did I say anything I shouldn't have last night?" Sharla blushed, suddenly feeling shy. She remembered acting quite wild last night; she recalled taking off her clothes and saying all sorts of incoherent things.

"What shouldn't you have said?" Liu Jing scratched his head. You said everything, both what you should and shouldn't have. You even talked about how you lost your virginity and who you used to have a crush on.

"Forget it, forget it. Don't talk about it anymore. It's so embarrassing." Sharla stopped asking. She had vague memories; her blackout hadn't been complete.

"Sister Sharla, relying on a man will only make you lose yourself. If you aren't happy with him, then don't be with him." Liu Jing hesitated but spoke his mind.

Sharla’s mood sank. "Blockhead, do you think I have no morals? That I don't love myself? He clearly has a wife, yet I still choose to be with him."

"No! Men having multiple wives and concubines is quite normal..."

"What the hell? What did you just say?" Sharla’s jaw dropped. She looked at the boy in disbelief. What kind of worldview did he have? He said it so matter-of-factly, as if it were a natural law.

"Oh, nothing." Liu Jing quickly shut his mouth, having accidentally spoken his true thoughts.

Sharla hummed, eyeing him suspiciously. "Blockhead, did you take advantage of me last night?"