He plays Feng Yuxiu, and his girlfriend is a fairy-like beauty.

"How Ding Xiu acts is up to you."

These words, coming from Lu Yang, carried considerable weight.

Ye Mo knew that this wasn't the director shifting blame, but genuine trust—trust in his understanding of the character, trust in his ability to portray the role, and trust in him not to mess it up.

Lu Yang handed him the scripts for the next few scenes; it was a thick stack.

"These scenes are all Ding Xiu's, so figure them out yourself. I won't be watching over you anymore," Lu Yang said. "When you're filming, go with your gut feeling, and if I think it's not right, I'll adjust it."

Ye Mo took the script and nodded.

"Okay, guide."

Emerging from the tent, Ye Mo found a corner to sit down and began flipping through the script.

The first scene.

Ding Xiu and Zhao Jingzhong.

Ye Mo raised an eyebrow.

Zhao Jingzhong is played by Nie Yuan.

Nie Yuan is a top-tier male star in China. He has been in the industry for over a decade and has played many classic roles.

He first gained fame for his period dramas, and later transitioned to the big screen, where he received several Best Actor nominations.

Although he doesn't have the popularity of a top star, he has an excellent reputation in the industry and is the kind of actor whose presence guarantees quality.

In this world, Nie Yuan's status is one level lower than Zeng Zidan's, but he is definitely a big name.

Ye Mo's first scene was with him.

"Interesting," Ye Mo muttered to himself, a slight smile playing on his lips.

……

The time jumps to night.

The crew of "Brotherhood of Blades" at Daxing Film and Television Base.

By 9 p.m., most of the people on set had left.

The big-name actors had already finished filming; what remained were supporting roles and reshoots.

The scene between Ye Mo and Nie Yuan was scheduled as the last one.

Nobody cares.

It's not that it's targeting Ye Mo; it's just that the scene itself isn't important.

Ding Xiu is a supporting character, while Zhao Jingzhong is the protagonist, but this scene is not part of the main plot; it's just a transitional scene—Zhao Jingzhong asks Ding Xiu for help, and Ding Xiu agrees.

That's it.

Staff members either packed up the equipment or yawned.

The assistant director leaned back in his chair scrolling through his phone, while the production assistant ate a boxed lunch in the distance.

Even Nie Yuan didn't take it too seriously.

He changed into his costume, stood in the center of the stage, holding the script in his hand, and glanced at the lines.

He had seen this scene before; it wasn't difficult—just a few lines of dialogue, a mere formality.

"You're Ye Mo?" Nie Yuan glanced at him, his tone indifferent.

"Hello, Teacher Nie." Ye Mo bowed slightly.

Nie Yuan nodded and said nothing more.

He'd seen too many newcomers; some were so nervous they couldn't speak, others overacted like they were on stage.

The young man in front of me seems fairly steady, but we'll only know for sure once the machine is turned on.

"Are you ready?" Lu Yang sat behind the monitor, holding a walkie-talkie in his hand.

They both nodded.

"Action!"

The clapperboard is struck.

Zhao Jingzhong stood in a dilapidated wooden house, facing Ding Xiu.

Ding Xiu leaned against a pillar, tilting his head, and playing with a Miao knife in his hand.

The knife twirled in his hand, the movements casual, as if he were playing with a bored toy.

"There's something I'd like to ask for your help with," Zhao Jingzhong said.

Ding Xiu raised his eyes and glanced at him.

"What is it?"

"Kill someone."

Ding Xiu stopped what he was doing.

He tilted his head, looked at Zhao Jingzhong, and a slow smile crept onto his lips.

That smile was hard to decipher—was it interest? Was it scrutiny? Or did it find it amusing?

"Murder?" He sheathed the knife, straightened his body, and said, "I'm very expensive."

Nie Yuan took over the line, his expression calm: "Name your price."

According to the script, Ding Xiu should then say, "Okay, who is it?" and Zhao Jingzhong should then state his target, and the two should reach a deal.

Lu Yang watched from behind the monitor, twirling a pen in his hand.

everything is normal.

But Ye Mo didn't follow the script.

He took a step forward, tilted his head, and glanced at Zhao Jingzhong's face.

It was as if they were confirming something, or perhaps planning something.

Then he laughed.

It wasn't a polite smile; it was a sly smile, as if someone was plotting something.

"Who is the person you're going to kill?" he paused, "?"

Following the script, Nie Yuan said the name: "Jin Yichuan".

Ye Mo's expression changed.

It wasn't an exaggerated change, but a very subtle one—the smile on his lips froze for a moment, his eyes changed from casual to sharp, and his tilted head slowly straightened.

"Who?" he repeated, raising his voice an octave.

Nie Yuan's heart skipped a beat when he saw the change in him.

This reaction wasn't in the script.

Lu Yang stopped writing.

He looked at Ye Mo on the monitor, his brows furrowing slightly—not out of dissatisfaction, but out of observation.

This kid is rewriting the lyrics.

And the changes are... kind of interesting.

He waved his hand, signaling not to stop.

On the monitor, Ye Mo's expression kept changing.

In those few seconds of silence, his eyes flashed with surprise, hesitation, and amusement, finally settling on an indescribable expression.

Lu Yang's breathing slowed down.

He shouted in his heart: This is it!

He's not the Ding Xiu from the script—that cold, calculating tool who just agrees and that's it.

He is not a living, breathing person, but a wanderer with a past, attachments, and his own little schemes.

Lu Yang's hand holding the pen trembled slightly.

Having acted for so many years, he has seen too many actors simply recite their lines mechanically, and it's already a feat if they can even complete the role.

But Ye Mo is different; he is creating.

Then Ye Mo smiled.

It wasn't the sly smile from before, but a more complex smile, tinged with helplessness and a touch of roguishness.

"Lord Zhao," he tilted his head, looking at Nie Yuan, "do you know who Jin Yichuan is?"

Nie Yuan shook his head.

This was Zhao Jingzhong's reaction, but it was also Nie Yuan's own reaction—he was drawn in by this newcomer and began to wonder what he was going to say.

Ye Mo took a step forward, lowered his voice, as if he were telling a secret.

"He is my junior brother."

Lu Yang's eyes widened suddenly for a moment.

Junior brother.

The moment those two words were mentioned, the entire play took on a different level.

The person Zhao Jingzhong asked Ding Xiu to kill was his junior brother.

This is not just a matter of money; it's about feelings, interests, and the entanglement of human nature.

Lu Yang gripped the pen tightly in his hand.

His mind raced—this wasn't following his script, but it was far better than his script.

Nie Yuan's expression changed.

Ye Mo—no, now it's Ding Xiu—stepped back, spread his hands, and his expression was somewhere between serious and joking.

"Those are my dearest relatives and friends, my brothers and sisters."

Lu Yang sat up straight.

His pen had stopped spinning; he was just clutching it in his hand, his knuckles turning white.

He stared intently at the monitor, his eyes unblinking, with only one thought in his mind—this is Ding Xiu!

This is the Ding Xiu I wanted!

It's not the aloof assassin he wrote before, but the one Ye Mo portrays—a smooth-talking, greedy, cunning, eccentric, unconventional, and roguish rogue, but with warmth and principles at heart.

Nie Yuan also took it seriously.

He was no longer just going through the motions; instead, he tensed up and stared intently at Ye Mo.

"So?" Nie Yuan asked in a low voice.

Ye Mo tilted his head, the curve of his lips widening.

"You'll have to pay more."

......