Chapter 51: Give Him a Little Bit of Imperial Capital Shock

“Yang Xiao, I hate you, I hate you!”

“Why are you being so good to me!!!”

In the morning, on the film set, Zhang Yuan had a bag of sunflower seeds in his pocket, standing beside Chen Zihan, Lin Jing, and Gao Yuanyuan.

They were all huddling under the shade of a tree, watching Xiao Taohong’s scene.

Although Taohong came from a synchronized swimming background, she had pursued further studies at the Central Academy of Drama and had filmed nearly ten projects to date; her acting was quite proficient.

The content of this scene involved Ji Xiaofu being infatuated with Yang Xiao, stealing the Heaven Sword from her sect, feeling the weight of her conscience, and just as she was about to end her own life, Yang Xiao appeared, and the two shared a passionate kiss to "tie the knot."

Now that Xiao Taohong had finished her lines, it was time for Zhang Tielin, playing Yang Xiao, to step forward, forcibly grab her, pull her into his arms, and kiss her deeply.

Her arms were grabbed, her head was pressed down, Zhang Tielin leaned in, and then...

"Cut!" Lai Shuiqing shouted to stop. "Taohong, control your expression. Don't look so pained."

Xiao Taohong quickly nodded in apology. "Sorry, my mistake."

"Everyone back to positions, let's take it again!"

The clapperboard snapped, and Xiao Taohong and Zhang Tielin embraced once more. Zhang Tielin leaned in again, and then...

"Cut!"

"Taohong, your state should be a mix of resistance and acceptance. Don't try to dodge so desperately, do you understand?"

Taohong looked troubled. She wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand and forced an apologetic expression.

"What's wrong with Sister Taohong?" Gao Yuanyuan asked, her large eyes blinking. When they weren't filming, she loved wearing a snow-white tracksuit, looking youthful and bright. "Could it be that she's not used to filming kiss scenes?"

Zhang Yuan shot her a glance. *You really underestimate mature women.*

Xiao Taohong was already thirty; she had experienced more than you had ever seen. Could she really be intimidated by a kiss scene?

They tried several more times, but were repeatedly called to a halt.

"Forget it, Taohong, adjust your emotions. We'll continue this scene in the afternoon. Take a break and film the next scene first."

Taohong lowered her head and returned to the resting area. Gao Yuanyuan and the others walked over to her.

"Sister Taohong, why does your face look so pale?"

"Are you feeling unwell?" Gao Yuanyuan asked blankly.

At that moment, Zhang Yuan crouched beside her. As he spoke, he glanced at Zhang Tielin, who was resting and drinking water not far away. The man was holding a thermos, yet he drank with the aura of someone sipping tea from a traditional gaiwan, seemingly unable to step out of his "Emperor" persona.

Taohong closed her eyes and frowned, enduring waves of nausea as she said with disgust, "His mouth smells of cigarettes... it's truly disgusting."

Zhang Yuan handed her a bottle of water. Xiao Taohong twisted it open, took a huge gulp, rinsed her mouth vigorously, and spat it all out.

Beside them, Chen Zihan, Lin Jing, and Gao Yuanyuan all wore expressions as if they had just swallowed flies upon hearing this.

Lin Jing, in particular, recalled what she had witnessed in her previous production crew.

"According to the character, Ji Xiaofu is still a novice. How could she kiss like that?" Taohong was a professional actress; if the character were wanton, she could accept a deep, soul-merging kiss, but the other party's emotions were clearly misplaced outside of the scene.

Zhang Yuan shook his head slightly. He had sharp eyes, supplemented by the "listening skills" he had picked up from a former roommate, making his perceptions more acute. He had seen everything clearly just now.

Some people kiss with a blend of strength and softness, but that man was like a windshield wiper set to maximum speed.

Moreover, he used both his mouth and his hands.

He was incredibly "flexible," moving around like someone cracking walnuts.

The two young girls chattered away, trying to comfort Taohong. Chen Zihan, who was slightly older than the other two, had filmed many kiss scenes and had seen it all.

Chen Zihan glanced at Zhang Yuan.

"If it were someone tall and handsome like him, I wouldn't feel like I was losing out."

If it were someone like Chen Kun, Yan Zu, Yu Yan, or Cheng Wu, the actresses might even feel like they had struck gold.

"Then what can we do? We still have to film this in the afternoon," Gao Yuanyuan said, feeling a chill down her spine at the thought.

"What else can we do? Just endure it and it'll pass. We're just small actors; we can't afford to offend anyone," Taohong sighed helplessly.

Despite having appeared in *Bright Spring Sunlight: Zhu Bajie* and being nationally recognized, compared to the "Iron Triangle" stars, she was merely a minor player.

At lunch, neither Lin Jing nor Gao Yuanyuan had much of an appetite; they just poked at their rice for a few bites and finished quickly.

In contrast, Chen Zihan and Taohong seemed fine. It seemed age and experience were the best medicines for building mental toughness.

"Hey, where did Zhang Yuan go?" After finishing their meal, Gao Yuanyuan and the others looked around and realized Zhang Yuan was gone.

After a long while, he returned, his forehead beaded with sweat as if he had walked a long mountain path.

"Here, have an ice-cold drink. It's too hot today." Zhang Yuan pulled several bottles of ice-cold Lei Bi from a red plastic bag.

The area around the set was quite desolate; being on a mountain, the nearest convenience store was more than a fifteen-minute walk away.

"Thanks, but aren't you tired from running so far?" Gao Yuanyuan pulled a pack of tissues from her small bag and handed them to him.

After wiping his face, Zhang Yuan gave Taohong a meaningful look. "Sister, come over here. I have something for you."

...

In the afternoon, they returned to the same scene.

Zhang Tielin pulled Xiao Taohong toward him, their eyes met, and he leaned in again.

However, this time, Xiao Taohong was different from the previous takes. Her lips were slightly parted, adopting a stance that practically invited a "head-on collision."

*Mwah...*

The two kissed again, and then...

Zhang Tielin's face turned green!

*Cough, cough, cough... BLEGH!*

Zhang Tielin hurriedly wiped his mouth and scrambled back two steps.

"Cut!" Lai Shuiqing scratched his bald head. "Teacher Zhang, what's wrong now?"

What was wrong with Zhang Tielin?

He had been nauseated.

Because at noon, Zhang Yuan had given Taohong a "secret weapon."

There is a specialty in the Imperial Capital, alongside *douzhi* and *luzhu*.

It is called Wang Zhihe—stinky tofu!

This grayish-blue stinky tofu is known as the "Eastern canned herring"; even half of the long-time residents of the Imperial Capital can't stand it.

In a variety show, someone once asked Qian Ge why he would eat something like stinky tofu.

Qian Ge replied: "Because I can't eat actual feces directly..."

One could see just how powerful the smell was.

Zhang Yuan didn't have any real malice; he just wanted to give Teacher Zhang a tiny bit of "Imperial Capital shock."

Taohong was from Wuxi and wasn't used to it either, but with a "destroy the enemy at the cost of my own strength" mentality, she had swallowed two huge bites!

"Teacher Tielin, I'm sorry. My mouth had no flavor during lunch, so I added a little side dish."

*Now it has flavor, but can I handle it...* Zhang Tielin gritted his teeth.

He endured the discomfort and filmed it once more.

"Cut, that's a wrap."

The scene passed successfully. Zhang Tielin rushed off frantically to find a place to brush his teeth.

Meanwhile, Taohong walked up to Zhang Yuan with a beaming smile.

"Yuan, thank you."

【Received thanks from Taohong: Swimming Foundation +12, Physique +5, Body Coordination +6!】

"Sister, you can thank me, but don't get so close," Zhang Yuan said, pinching his nose and stepping back.

It was too pungent!

Gao Yuanyuan and the others didn't know what had happened and immediately asked.

"Hahaha, Zhang Yuan, you are too wicked!" Once the three of them found out, they huddled together, clutching their stomachs in laughter.

"Shh..." Zhang Yuan put his index finger to his lips. "Stop laughing. If they find out, they'll kill me."

"You deserve it for playing such a prank," Gao Yuanyuan made a face at him.

He usually seemed quiet, but he was actually quite mischievous, often making rabbit ears behind people's backs when they weren't looking.

"Fine then, I won't practice swordplay with you next time."

"No, nooo," she said in a coquettish tone. "I have my martial arts scenes tomorrow. Help me review them tonight."

Gao Yuanyuan's athletic talent was mediocre; lately, she had been constantly pulling Zhang Yuan to help her review the moves he had taught her during training.

"Yuan, let me treat you to dinner." Taohong finished a bottle of water to rinse her mouth, and the taste had lessened significantly.

"Sure," Zhang Yuan agreed with a smile.

Taohong wasn't important, but her future husband was.

Zhang Yuan would do as he always did: build good relations early so he could make great use of her later!

The next day, not only did Gao Yuanyuan have her martial arts scenes, but Zhang Yuan also welcomed his first martial arts scene in his life...