31: Can I talk back?

What Shen Lian relied on was his agile body and muscle memory.

He once had a dream called Cultivation.

So after becoming an actor, he thoroughly satisfied his craving; he liked it himself, and with diligent practice, Shen Lian became famous for his smooth, elegant, and pleasing wirework and action scenes.

Shen Lian struck a pose, half-kneeling on the table. Hearing the Action Director shout, "One, two, three, up!" he immediately leaped into the air, following the pull of the wires!

His movements were grand and sweeping as he flipped sideways, grabbing a cannon fodder actor's neck from behind and throwing him aside with a dark expression. According to the script, there were more enemies in front, so Shen Lian swung his blade in a circle, the layered hems of his Flying Fish uniform blooming like a dark, symmetrical flower in the air. He kicked the table away, leaned down low, resting the back of the blade against his shoulder, and tightened his grip on the hilt, taking an absolute offensive stance.

Li Kuan had "come alive" again.

The next second, Shen Lian quickly retreated two steps, dodging a low attack, and then performed a beautiful split in the air.

The segment ended.

The Action Director was dumbfounded. "One... one take?!"

The scene was pin-drop silent.

Such beautiful action scenes would be exciting to see on TV, let alone in person.

Shen Lian composed himself and asked the Action Director with a smile, "How was it?"

The Action Director didn't speak but looked at Dai Tong instead.

Dai Tong remained silent for a few seconds before chuckling, "You kid..."

"Fight if you want to," Dai Tong said. "Doing it well will only benefit your future career path."

Shen Lian replied with a "Good."

Shen Lian put down the prop blade and picked up his cup, only to find it was empty. As he was about to go refill it, he heard a gentle male voice: "Teacher Shen, let me do it."

Shen Lian looked up; it was a fresh face.

The other person explained with a smile, "I'm the new assistant Hu Kailan sent to you."

This... If you didn't know better, you'd think Hu Kailan had recruited a company executive.

Shen Lian asked, "What's your name?"

"My surname is Sun, Sun Binghe. 'Bing' as in 'uphold', and 'He' as in 'illustrious'."

Sun Binghe had a fair complexion; if he changed into casual clothes, he'd certainly turn heads on the street. Dressed in a suit and leather shoes, he carried an air of leisure and composure.

"You... just finished a meeting?" Shen Lian asked curiously.

"Yes," Sun Binghe said. "I'll change my clothes in a bit."

Shen Lian nodded. "Alright, I'll be in your care for a while."

"It's my duty."

Sun Binghe filled the water for Shen Lian, carried a small suitcase, and followed the staff to the assistant's break area. He came out a short while later, having changed into brown cargo pants and a white T-shirt, but for some reason, he looked exactly like the kind of top student on a university campus who quietly sweeps all the awards.

Sun Binghe smiled faintly, watching Shen Lian film.

Shen Lian finished another action scene; he almost always got it in one take. Everything was great except that he sweated heavily, but Sun Binghe had already prepared tea at the right temperature and a wet towel.

Shen Lian wiped the sweat from his neck and suddenly turned to look at Sun Binghe. "Are you filming me?"

Sun Binghe was startled while holding his phone, then smiled candidly and handed the phone forward, indicating that Shen Lian could check it anytime.

"Hu Kailan wants to see how Teacher Shen is doing on set."

Shen Lian felt something was off about this, but he didn't doubt him, so he nodded and went back to filming.

Regarding confidentiality and such, Hu Kailan must have already warned him, so he didn't mention it.

Actually, if Shen Lian had taken the phone, he would have found that the chat window had nothing to do with Hu Kailan.

[Boss, only Teacher Shen didn't use a stunt double; he's working very hard.]

[I just took these candid shots; the action scenes are very beautiful.]

[Boss, the assistant of a blind artist has already provoked me for the third time; can I talk back?]

One word came from the other side: [Yes.]

Sun Binghe closed his phone, revealing a smile as refreshing as a spring breeze.

On the other side, Chu Yilan hesitated repeatedly but still saved the photos.

Master Chu even set up a separate album.

No matter how sour his face was or how indifferent he acted, just look at him.

After the scene with Li Haicheng was finished, just as the stagehand shouted "Cut!", a sobbing sound rang out clearly.

It was Wei Fanchen's assistant.

Beside Wei Fanchen's assistant stood the genial-looking Sun Binghe.

He looked so easy-going, but when he spoke, it was: "Crying already? Useless trash."

Shen Lian: "..."

Everyone: "..."

"Wei... Brother Wei," the little assistant sobbed as he went to find someone who could take charge.

Wei Fanchen was also very cooperative, pulling the assistant along to argue with Sun Binghe.

Shen Lian strode forward. "What happened?"

"Teacher Shen, it's like this," Sun Binghe spoke first. "I didn't want to cause trouble for you, but there are just too many blind things around."

He was clearly smiling, yet there was a hint of gritted teeth in his tone, like a top student with a perfect score falling into a group of slackers with failing grades; the air of stupidity made him feel suffocated.

"This little assistant frequently provoked me, asking if I feel a lot of pressure following a 38th-tier flop. We had a discussion on the matter; I asked about his school, the awards he's won, and so on, then I was surprised to find that he has nothing at all. I don't understand how someone whose highest score on a high school math exam was only 105 has the face to be so arrogant."

Wei Fanchen's assistant must have been driven mad with anger, crying out, "Only three people in our class scored over a hundred back then!"

"That only proves your class's level was absolute trash," Sun Binghe was relentless.

The little assistant's eyes widened, fresh tears trembling on the verge of falling.

Sun Binghe looked down on him, coldly delivering the fatal blow: "From childhood to adulthood, every single one of my math exams was a perfect score."

Ouch, total breakdown; Shen Lian saw the assistant's tears practically spray out.

What the... Shen Lian didn't even know how the two went from "38th-tier flop" to "high school math," but it seemed Sun Binghe had performed an all-around dimensional strike on him; he practically had the words "you are trash" written on his face.

His talent for mockery ranked in the top three among those Shen Lian had seen in his life.

Wei Fanchen wanted to say something, but inexplicably thought of his own high school math scores, which were a total disaster.

People naturally have an instinctive awe towards academics and even top students, and since Sun Binghe had the upper hand, explaining it was the assistant who provoked him, Wei Fanchen's reason told him it was best not to speak with so many people watching.

Sun Binghe waited a moment for the Assistant Director to disperse the crowd.

Boring.

Shen Lian looked at Sun Binghe and took a deep breath. "Come with me."

Once they were in a secluded spot, Shen Lian turned around, his tone certain: "You're no ordinary assistant; you even call Brother Hu by his full name. Do I need to call him now to confirm?"

Sun Binghe hadn't expected Shen Lian to notice so quickly. "Excellent. I love talking to smart people the most."

"It's the same if Teacher Shen contacts Hu Kailan; I have the authority to direct him directly."

Shen Lian: "?"

Sun Binghe smiled. "But I am indeed an assistant; Master Chu sent me here."

Shen Lian's eyes suddenly widened. "You're Chu Yilan's assistant?"

"Special Assistant," Sun Binghe emphasized. He had only been promoted six months ago; unlike Yang Bin, who followed at heel, Sun Binghe mostly attended important occasions on Chu Yilan's behalf when he was tied up to negotiate key collaborations.

In name, he was a "Special Assistant," but his actual power rivaled that of a Vice President.

Yang Bin had given this man the nickname "Sun Duidui"; as long as it didn't affect the partnership, Sun Binghe would roast even the business partners.

One could imagine his combat power.