Not You Someone Else Chapter 1

May, Cuiping Mountain filming location.

The setting sun refused to stop, and the slow progress of the filming made the entire crew anxious. The director took a big sip of Sterculia lychnophora tea and shouted through a megaphone: "Attention all departments, actors and stand-ins, get in place. Cheer up, let's get it right in one take! Script supervisors, get ready!"

The assistant director's sun hat was soaked with sweat. Hearing this, he cleared his throat with difficulty: "Record!"

"Turn on the computer."

"photography!"

"Turn on the computer."

"The Rising Sea, Episode 13, Scene 5, Line 1, Action!"

There was a crisp sound of hitting the board, and the script supervisor quickly withdrew. A dozen masked killers in ancient costumes jumped in from the roof window, holding swords and with murderous eyes, and trapped the male protagonist who was fleeing in a panic.

There was a rustling sound of fabric behind him, and the killer blocking the door made way for him. The camera was focused on the man in black walking slowly towards him in the setting sun. The notorious demon cult guardian stood still, tapping his palm with the handle of a forged steel fan, and asked with a smile: "Are you still running?"

The male protagonist, who was chased and covered in dirt, drew out his sword and shouted fiercely: "You shameless villain, you are going too far! I will kill you first!"

The director frowned behind the monitor but did not call a cut, allowing the actors to continue acting, and the two sides engaged in a melee.

"The Rising Sea" is known as the most watched ancient martial arts drama of the year. It invited the well-known domestic idol Ethan Zhong to play the male lead, and two popular young actresses to play the female lead and the second female lead. On the day of filming, many media followed and reported, and fans came to visit the set all the time. However, after more than ten days of filming, the entire crew, from the director to the stage staff, would darken their eyes as if conditioned reflex when mentioning the "acting idol actor with explosive acting skills".

The director's original intention in choosing Ethan Zhong was "the acting can be OK, but the fans must be off the charts". Nowadays, everyone knows that young actors don't have much acting skills, and the ratings all depend on beauty filters, but he didn't expect that his acting skills are not ordinary. He usually has a blank face, but when he is extremely happy or sad, there is no transition, and he goes straight to being ferocious. He can only remember three and a half lines, and he likes to use a stand-in. Today's morning show is all literary drama, and there is a martial arts scene in the evening that requires real body. Ethan Zhong's face turned into a donkey face when he heard the word "real body". The director couldn't get angry at the cash cow, so he could only try to appease other actors. Ethan Zhong's facial expression was a little distorted in the previous scene, and he turned a blind eye to it.

Ethan Zhong had been doing NGs all day, and just now he applied to the director for a double but was rejected again. He was very unhappy. The hot weather made people restless, so he was a little absent-minded when filming, and did not follow the routines taught by the martial arts instructor. He swung his long sword and chopped left and right, and his posture changed, his whole body was open, and he directly gave his opponent the vital points. The tip of the sword of the demon cult guardian who was acting opposite him had reached the side of his neck. If it was two minutes further, the TV series would have to end forcibly. Seeing that the situation was not good, he immediately twisted his wrist, followed by force on his waist, and the whole person turned a circle in the air. The sword tip brushed the skin of the neck and fiercely cut Ethan Zhong's shoulder.

Fortunately, the sword had not been sharpened and there were two layers of clothes between them, otherwise this blow would have directly cut off half of his shoulder.

All the staff were stunned by the change of tactics of the demon cult guardian, which was comparable to a martial arts movie. Even the director was stunned. Ethan Zhong felt pain in his shoulder, ashamed and annoyed, and had nowhere to vent his anger. When he saw the male supporting actor staggering when he landed, he didn't think twice and swung the sword in his hand at the man's head.

"Stop! Stop it!"

A loud shout came from behind the monitor, but it was too late. The male supporting actor was caught off guard and was hit. A two-finger-wide mark quickly swelled up on half of his face, a small cut appeared at the base of his ear, and his nose was also broken. Blood mixed with sweat quickly dyed the collar of his costume red.

"Where did you get hit?" The staff came to their senses and surrounded the male partner, "You didn't hurt your eyes, did you? Let go, don't press on the wound, let me see... Oh my god, why is it bleeding! Hurry up and get some tissues! What's going on!"

Aiden Xierang was hit so hard by the sword that he saw stars. He was helped to sit down by a group of people. He looked up blankly and let them wipe the blood off his face. He gasped and came to his senses when he touched the painful part. He quickly said, "Thank you, thank you. It's okay. I can do it myself."

"Don't move, keep your head up," the attendant skillfully applied an ice pack to his face and tore off a few pieces of paper for him, "Press your nose to stop the bleeding."

Aiden Xie maintained a difficult crooked neck posture and looked out from the gap in the crowd. He saw Ethan Zhong standing alone in the middle of the venue holding a sword, his face showing seven parts embarrassment and three parts anger. His assistant ran up to bring him water, but he angrily threw it over and said, "Get lost!"

No one cared about him at this time. Even the girl from the same group Emily Zhou came to see Aiden Xie's condition and handed him a few wet tissues: "It's swollen quite badly, go to the hospital."

"Thank you, Teacher Zhou..." Aiden Xie hurriedly tried to stand up, but Emily Zhou pressed his shoulders and made him sit back down: "Don't be so polite, just call me sister."

The director then squeezed in from the crowd and said, "Hey, how come you're beaten like this... Well, that's all for today. You should go see a doctor as soon as possible. Don't get infected again in such a hot day. Xiao Qi!"

The coordinator showed his head: "Hey!"

"Look, he still has a few scenes left. Push them back for two days and shoot other people's scenes first. Let him heal his face." The director turned to Aiden Xie again, with a smile in his eyes. "You just retracted that move beautifully. Have you practiced martial arts before?"

Aiden Xie had been in the crew for more than ten days. Because the role he played was just a supporting role and he didn't have many scenes, he had not spoken to the director at all. The director probably couldn't even remember his name. He was a little nervous when he was suddenly noticed: "I didn't practice it specifically. I just learned a little bit from the teacher in the previous crew."

When the director heard this, he thought to himself, this kid looks quiet, but he actually played an important role. Otherwise, how could the teacher teach him so carefully? So he asked, "What role did you play?"

Aiden Xie hesitated and said, "Extra."

...

Emily Zhou burst out laughing when she heard that, and the director also laughed: "There are only small actors, not small roles. You acted well. Come on, the hospital will be closed if it's too late. The crew will reimburse you for your medical expenses... Did you bring an assistant? If not, I'll find someone to drive you down the mountain."

Aiden Xie said no, but Emily Zhou said, "Let my assistant take you there. It's so hot, heat stroke is no joke."

Emily Zhou's status was comparable to Ethan Zhong's. Since she had asked, Aiden Xie could not refuse. He thanked the director and others, and left the set with Emily Zhou's assistant.

The director squinted his eyes and stared at his back for a while, then thoughtfully called the coordinator over: "Which company is that kid from? How many scenes does he have later?"

The coordinator silently glanced at Ethan Zhong who was sitting in the distance to rest, and opened the phone contacts: "You mean Aiden Xie? He is an artist of Xinghui. I heard that he signed with the company quite a long time ago. His qualifications are not bad, but it's a pity that he has never been popular. I looked before joining the group, and our protector is the biggest role he has taken this year."

Ethan Zhong had offended many crew members, and the coordinator had long disliked him. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," and Aiden Xie was thus lumped into the same camp as her. When the director happened to ask about it, the coordinator took the opportunity to give him a push.

"During the most glorious years of Xinghui, every TV series they made was a hit, every actor they promoted became a hit, and even the newly signed newcomers had top-notch resources in the same period. Unfortunately, they later changed to artist management, and it seems that they are going to fail." The director stood up and patted his trouser legs. "That kid...is his name Aiden Xie? Aiden Xie has some acting skills. They ruined a good seedling."

The coordinator smiled and said, "Gold will shine if given a chance. It can't be buried...Today's show has to be postponed. There are two more shows by Emily Zhou in the evening."

The director nodded, put on his sun hat and walked towards the set. After walking a few steps, he turned back and said, "Keep your mouth shut. No one is allowed to tell anyone about what happened today. It will have a bad influence."

His voice was so loud that in addition to the coordinator, other staff members, including Ethan Zhong and Emily Zhou, and other actors could hear it clearly. The air was awkwardly quiet for a few seconds until the coordinator came over and said that the afternoon's filming was over. Then everyone packed up and prepared to move on as if nothing had happened.

Ethan Zhong returned to the hotel with a gloomy face that day, and was so angry that he turned into a human-shaped coal pile.

The crew had booked a hotel in the city, and Aiden Xie didn't want to bother Emily Zhou's assistant, who had to go back to the mountain to meet up with the main group after sending him off, so he stopped at the bus stop at the foot of the mountain and planned to take the bus back. Anyway, he wasn't famous, so he wasn't afraid of being recognized.

As soon as Aiden Xie entered the car, all the passengers stared at him as if they saw a wild animal running out of the mountains. Aiden Xie was startled and thought he had blushed unconsciously. When he looked at the reflective window glass, he realized that his face looked like he had just participated in some activities that endangered social security. He had no choice but to cover half of his face as if he had a toothache. As soon as he entered the city, he got off the car in shame, intending to buy a hat at a roadside shop to cover his face.

The buildings in this area are still squat, old-style bungalows from more than a decade ago, small and dilapidated, with many places posted with notices of closure, and it seems that they are ready for demolition. Aiden Xie bought a cap and a mask to cover the scars on his face in the store. When he pushed the door and walked out, a low-key black Phaeton stopped by the side of the street, brushing the curb.

Aiden Xie paused for a moment.

The driver walked around the front of the car, opened the back door in a standard posture like in a TV drama, and respectfully invited the man in a suit and tie inside to get out of the car.

Xie Wenmang, who couldn't tell the difference between English and Pinyin, sighed in his heart: "The money he spent on hiring a driver is enough to buy another Passat. Is this guy sick?"

The man who came out of the car noticed someone was looking at him. He glanced in the direction of the gaze and met Aiden Xie's eyes.

Aiden Xie entered the society after graduating from high school. He could not read the car logo, but observing people's expressions had become his instinct. The moment their eyes met, his heart trembled. The look was indescribably cold. The other party was probably used to looking at people from a superior position, and even a casual glance was filled with a hint of majesty.

This kind of person who has his own aura and makes anyone cramp in their calves when he looks at them must be either rich or noble, and definitely not someone you want to mess with. Aiden Xie immediately looked away, not daring to look him in the eye again, and turned around and walked in the opposite direction.

Just as he took a step out, a toy plane suddenly appeared from the hat shop and flew past Aiden Xie's head at high speed, almost knocking him over with a small swirl. The plane circled up and down as if it had malfunctioned, and suddenly rushed towards the man's face with a thunderous momentum.

If this collision really happens, that guy will have to wear the same equipment as him when going out for the next week.

The accident happened too quickly. The instigator, the proprietress, the driver, and the onlookers were all stunned. The man who was about to become the victim didn't know whether he was scared silly or just too disdainful to dodge. He just stood there motionless, as if saying "If you have the guts, just hit me to death."

Aiden Xie has worked with many action film crews, doing everything from being a minor actor to a double and a handyman. He has some talent in this area and is very skilled. Sometimes martial arts instructors would ask him to be a double for auditions, and over time he has become a half-baked martial arts double. Although Aiden Xie's reaction speed is not as fast as that of a professional martial arts actor, it is enough to fool ordinary people. No one present could see how he ran. They only saw a black shadow flash in front of them, and Aiden Xie had already blocked the man, and the toy plane crashed into his open palm.

A tragedy of a plane crash and disfigured people was averted. Aiden Xie held the high-speed rotating propeller of the plane between two fingers, as casually as if he were holding a flapping bird, walked back to the door of the store, and leaned over to the little boy who had caused the accident and said, "I caught the plane for you. Be careful when you play next time, don't hurt others." Then he loosened his fingers, sent the plane into the house, and closed the glass door.

While he was talking, the man had already walked in front of Aiden Xie. He was several centimeters taller than Aiden Xie, and everything from the top of his head to the tip of his shoes was neat and tidy, and every part of him exuded the temperament of "I am very expensive". His appearance was very worthy of Aiden Xie's help, but although he was beautiful, it was a pity that his eyes were too cold, which covered up most of the delicate features, leaving only a serious and cold look.

Aiden Xie was afraid of him to begin with, and getting closer to him made the hairs on his body stand on end. He took a step back with stiff joints, and suddenly heard the man say in a low voice: "Thank you."

Aiden Xie gave a fake smile reflexively, and when he grinned, his cheek muscles moved. Then he remembered that he was wearing a mask, so the other party couldn't see anything. So he raised his hand to press the brim of his hat, as a nod, and without saying anything or waiting for the other party to respond, he turned around and walked in the opposite direction.

The man behind him remained silent, watching his back disappear around the corner of the street.

"Mr. Huo?" the driver reminded softly.

Lucas Huo lowered his gaze, collected his thoughts, and turned his attention back to the shops along the street that were about to be demolished. The driver followed him closely, introducing them from time to time.

The sense of familiarity is so vague that one has no time to think about it. It passes through the heart lake like a dragonfly skimming the water and disappears in the blink of an eye.