HuaYu14: Female celebrities are going too fast.

Meng Ziyi's face flushed red instantly. She looked at Zhou Xun and said reproachfully:

"What are you talking about? You narcissist! The male lead I'm talking about is the male lead of this show!"

"Yang Kang is one of the male protagonists in 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes'. What's wrong with me calling him the male protagonist?"

"There's absolutely no problem; you're just overthinking it!"

"I never said that the male lead was me."

Zhou Xun leaned against the bench, holding a water bottle in his hand, and smiled at Meng Ziyi.

"I wasn't talking about you!" Meng Ziyi turned her face away, revealing an expression that said whether she believed it or not.

Zhou Xun smiled and didn't say anything more.

Just as the atmosphere became awkward, a male voice came over:

"What are you talking about? You seem to be having so much fun?"

Zhou Xun looked up and followed the sound, seeing a tall boy walking in through the door.

He was even taller than Zhou Xun, about 1.88 meters tall.

"Who is this?"

Meng Ziyi, having regained her composure, began to introduce the two:

"This is Zhou Xun, who plays Yang Kang."

"Zhou Xun, this is Yang Xuwen, who plays Guo Jing."

Yang Xuwen smiled and extended her hand to greet Zhou Xun: "So it's Teacher Zhou Xun! Your portrayal of Lü Bu has had a truly significant impact!"

Zhou Xun grasped Yang Xuwen's outstretched hand, a smile also on his face:

"You flatter me. Guo Jing is the true male lead."

"I've seen your profile. You're a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy, and your physique is very suitable for Guo Jing's rugged temperament."

"You're the same," Yang Xuwen said with a veiled sarcasm. "You'd be perfect for the role of Yang Kang, the second male lead."

He emphasized the term "second male lead" heavily, undoubtedly telling Zhou Xun, "I am the male lead in this drama."

Zhou Xun naturally understood what he meant, after all, he had followed Guo Jingyu across most of China in order to get the role of Guo Jing.

What impressed Zhou Xun most about Yang Xuwen was the Ren Jiao incident later on.

There are many different opinions about this matter, but Zhou Xun still feels sorry for Ren Jiao.

Zhao Bensan's apprentice has a very bright future ahead of him.

"What are you all standing there for? Get over here and start training!"

Old Chen, who had just left, appeared behind them at some point. He looked at Zhou Xun and asked:

"You know swordsmanship, right?"

"I know a little."

Zhou Xun nodded, his eyes conveying a sense of "if you don't believe me, you can try."

"Alright, alright!" Old Chen waved his hand, glanced at him, and said, "Stop being so humble in front of me!"

"Li Yitong, and Yang Xuwen, you two come and train with me," Old Chen instructed. "Zhou Xun, you train with Meng Ziyi!"

"it is good."

Li Yitong looked at Meng Ziyi with eyes that seemed to say, "Wishing you a healthy pregnancy."

"Ziyi, I'll be going now."

Seeing Li Yitong's meaningful gaze, Meng Ziyi's blush, which had just faded, returned. She lowered her voice and scolded:

"Don't look at me like that, I'm not going to eat Zhou Xun."

Li Yitong ran away laughing, not forgetting to wink at Meng Ziyi before leaving.

Before leaving, Yang Xuwen glanced at Zhou Xun, her eyes holding a subtle, almost imperceptible, rivalry.

Old Chen led Li Yitong and Yang Xuwen to the other side of the field, explaining the key points of the movements as they walked.

Zhou Xun and Meng Ziyi were left alone on the training ground.

"Um..." Meng Ziyi clutched the hem of her clothes, standing there somewhat awkwardly, "What are we practicing?"

Zhou Xun unscrewed the cap of his water bottle, took a sip, and said unhurriedly:

"Among the scenes between Mu Nianci and Yang Kang, there is a martial arts contest to choose a husband, and there is also a scene at Red Plum Mountain."

He placed the water bottle on the bench, walked to the weapon rack, took down a wooden sword, and weighed it in his hand.

"Both of these matches involve swords. Old Chen had us practice, probably to let us get a feel for the movements first."

Zhou Xun handed another wooden sword to Meng Ziyi: "Do you know how to use it?"

"Old Chen taught me a little bit before."

Meng Ziyi took the sword, her grip was proper, but her wrist was noticeably stiff.

Zhou Xun glanced at it, did not point out the problem directly, then picked up his sword, took two steps back, and assumed a starting stance:

"You stab me first, and I'll see where your strength comes from."

"What if I stab you?"

"Don't overestimate yourself," Zhou Xun said with a smile, pouring cold water on her enthusiasm.

Meng Ziyi gripped the wooden sword in her hand and glared angrily at Zhou Xun:

"Hmph, who do you think you are? Don't cry out in pain when I stab you later!"

"Okay, I'll wait."

Meng Ziyi took a deep breath and gestured towards Zhou Xun's chest.

After hesitating for two seconds, he tilted the tip of his sword to the left and handed it towards Zhou Xun's shoulder.

The force was not great.

Zhou Xun didn't even dodge. He gently raised his wooden sword and, with a "snap," accurately blocked her blade.

"Is this what you mean by 'stab me'?" Zhou Xun raised an eyebrow. "Weak and powerless."

Meng Ziyi bit her lip and muttered softly, "I...I was testing your reaction speed."

"Finished testing?" Zhou Xun sheathed his sword and said seriously, "Let's try again. This time, be serious and don't hold back."

"A wooden sword won't hurt anyone; at most, it'll leave you with bruises."

"Aren't bruises and welts considered injuries?" Meng Ziyi's eyes widened.

Zhou Xun was amused by her expression: "Then why don't you get a plastic one? A kids' size, pink?"

Enraged, Meng Ziyi raised her sword and thrust it at him, this time with real force.

Zhou Xun wasn't stupid. If she stood there and let him stab her, he would sidestep and use the wooden sword to pull her forward, causing her to stagger a step.

He reached out and firmly supported Meng Ziyi's shoulder. Meng Ziyi froze, blinking as she stared at the face so close to hers.

"you……"

Zhou Xun glanced down at her: "You lost your balance. Your waist was too tight when you drew your sword..."

"I...I know."

Meng Ziyi's cheeks were burning hot. She tried to stand up straight in a flustered manner, but her shoes slipped and she fell into his arms again.

Zhou Xun smiled, and with a slight pull, straightened her up.

"Again."

After Meng Ziyi steadied herself, she lowered her eyes, not daring to look at him, her ear tips so red they looked like they were about to bleed.

"Where...did you put your hands just now?"

"I...I'm not really going to fall."

Meng Ziyi looked up at him and glared: "You could have easily kept your balance on your own, why did you have to help me up!"

Zhou Xun smiled and said, "Okay, next time I won't help you up. I'll let you fall flat on your face so you can mop the training hall floor."

"You're the one who's upside down! You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth."

She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the pounding in her heart, gripped the wooden sword tightly again, assumed a posture, and deliberately put on a stern face:

"Come on then! This time I'm sure I can stand on my own, I don't need your help!"

"Fine, then I won't help you up this time. Draw your sword!"

Meng Ziyi bit her lip, her gaze fixed on Zhou Xun's shoulder. She bent her feet slightly, twisted her waist, and the tip of her sword shot out.

Zhou Xun turned to the side, and with a gentle flick of his wooden sword, he didn't follow her with the momentum as before, but stopped short of taking advantage of her.

"Good, you've got a stable center of gravity this time."

Meng Ziyi sheathed her sword and stood still, her breathing a little rapid, but her eyes were bright and her lips unconsciously curled up:

"Of course, I already said it was an accident."

Zhou Xun nodded: "One more set, I'll speed things up."

The two exchanged blows for more than a dozen moves.

Although Meng Ziyi had a weak foundation, she learned things quickly, and after a few rounds, she was able to keep up with Zhou Xun's pace.

Another sword thrust out, and as Zhou Xun dodged, he flicked the wooden sword upwards, lightly touching Meng Ziyi's wrist.

Her hand went numb, the wooden sword almost slipped from her grasp, and she staggered half a step, but she didn't fall and managed to steady herself.

"Look! I didn't fall!"

After regaining her composure, Meng Ziyi immediately turned to Zhou Xun and shouted, her face clearly saying, "Come and praise me!"

Zhou Xun glanced at her and said calmly, "Yeah, you've got a firm footing, but your wrist strength isn't enough. Go back and do a few more sets of grip strength exercises."

Meng Ziyi's smile froze for a moment, then she puffed out her cheeks:

"Can't you just give me one compliment? You're always finding fault!"

"I praised him," Zhou Xun said earnestly.

"When?"

"I said you've regained your balance."

"Is that what you call praising?" Meng Ziyi was speechless.

Zhou Xun thought for a moment and added, "It's better than before."

Meng Ziyi completely gave up arguing with him; being the typical straight man, she rolled her eyes.

"I'm tired of stabbing, let's take a break!!!"