Chapter 83: The Director’s Gone Mad—No, Everyone’s Gone Mad! (First Update, Seeking First Subscriptions!)
Yuan Xiong had not expected that Wang Mo, that hotheaded youth, would completely ignore his advice, lose his head, and charge straight in.
Brother!
What are you doing?
You’re not usually this impulsive.
How did you suddenly lose your senses?
Especially after hearing Wang Mo’s words, Yuan Xiong was almost at a loss for words: Did you dream of an immortal and now want to act like one?
If that’s the case, I often dream of the Primeval Lord of Heaven, the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord, little girls, mature women…
Isn’t this just utterly ridiculous?
But this change happened so quickly that, by the time Yuan Xiong realized what was happening, Wang Mo had already walked far away.
He didn’t even have time to stop him.
“Well, now we’re really going to be a laughingstock.”
Yuan Xiong spread his hands and shook his head in resignation.
You want to play the role of an immortal?
You’d be lucky to play even an immortal’s dog.
At least he wasn’t worried about Wang Mo’s ability to handle embarrassment.
That boy’s psychological fortitude was so strong, it scared even Yuan Xiong himself.
While Yuan Xiong was stewing in frustration,
at that very moment, everyone turned to look at Wang Mo because of what he’d said.
In an instant,
Wang Mo became the center of attention.
Some people stared in astonishment.
Some were baffled.
Even Xu Mengqi’s rosy lips parted slightly, her face full of unconcealed amazement. “I’ve never heard Wang Mo could act? What’s he going up there for?”
The entire crew was gradually growing restless.
Many people began whispering among themselves.
“No way? Wang Mo’s really going up?”
“Still too young.”
“The simplest provocation, and he falls for it.”
“What can you do? Even though Wang Mo’s reputation has collapsed, he used to be at the top. He must have some pride, and can’t stand even a little humiliation in life.”
“But now that he’s going up, he’ll only face worse humiliation.”
“Kidding me? Even the veteran actor He Zhong couldn’t pull off this role, and Wang Mo dares to try?”
“Still, I sort of admire his courage.”
Whispers and discussions flew.
Soon enough,
Wang Mo was already standing among the group who had spoken earlier.
Several actors were a little surprised; they hadn’t thought Wang Mo would so readily accept their invitation.
Since he had, they didn’t bother being polite.
They exchanged glances.
The one in the center stepped forward and said with a smile, “Hello Wang Mo. If you can show us how an immortal should be played, we’d be grateful indeed. Please demonstrate for us—we’re eager to learn from you.”
Wang Mo glanced at him.
He recognized the face, but couldn’t recall the name.
The man’s tone seemed sincere,
but Wang Mo could clearly sense that they were all waiting to see him make a fool of himself.
In fact, everyone present was waiting for his embarrassment—including Yuan Xiong.
Calmly, Wang Mo fixed his gaze on the man. “Could I see the script for the role first?”
“Of course.”
The man quickly handed over a small slip of paper.
Wang Mo scanned it, immediately understanding.
The script matched what Xu Mengqi had described: atop the immortal mountain, the immortal Li Ke appears—his mere silhouette enough to command awe from everyone present.
No lines.
No gestures.
Just by relying on a mysterious, ethereal back view, the actor had to convey the bearing of an immortal. No wonder the director had called “cut” more than twenty times without being satisfied.
No doubt—it was impossibly difficult.
How could anyone act this out…
Besides whatever special effects might be added later—billowing robes, color grading, music—there was almost nothing for an actor to showcase in terms of skill.
However…
What others found impossible,
for Wang Mo, it was almost too fitting.
Once he transformed his aura,
he wouldn’t be acting as an immortal.
In the eyes of others, he would simply be an immortal!
What need was there for acting?
None whatsoever!
He only needed to reveal his true self.
Effortless!
“All right, I’ve finished reading the script.”
Wang Mo handed the slip back and smiled. “What a coincidence—my dream of an immortal matches the description here quite closely. It’ll be easy to merge the two in my performance.”
Before anyone could respond,
he walked to an open spot, turned his back to the crowd, and called out, “Then I’ll begin.”
“Go ahead.”
“We’re watching.”
“Heh.”
“….”
A few crew members nearly burst out laughing.
Come on, man.
Could you be a little more professional?
You want to play an immortal, at least put on a costume, right?
Right now you’re in casual clothes—what kind of immortal is that?
You look more like a slacker than a sage.
But… in the next second, those crew members’ faces froze, as if they had witnessed something beyond belief.
At the same time.
Wang Mo silently intoned, “System, activate immortal aura.”
Instantly,
something seemed to change.
It was still Wang Mo standing there—same face, same clothes—
but in that moment, he radiated an air of inviolable transcendence, lofty and untouchable.
Even with just his back to them, he gave off the impression of a mighty mountain, as if he could draw in their very souls.
Many felt an inexplicable urge to bow down in worship.
Ethereal.
Noble.
Otherworldly.
On the set, everyone who had just been whispering fell silent, utterly stunned.
Xu Mengqi, who had been watching Wang Mo the whole time, was now frozen stiff, her scalp prickling with goosebumps at the sight of his silhouette.
Yuan Xiong, who had been waiting for Wang Mo to embarrass himself, nearly popped his eyes out of his head. “What the hell?”
Clatter!
Someone dropped what they were holding, oblivious.
Someone rubbed their eyes, thinking they were dreaming.
Someone pinched another to make sure they were awake.
“What’s happening?”
“I think I’m hallucinating.”
“That back—how can anyone look so immortal?”
“My God, I thought I was seeing a real immortal.”
“No way, is this for real?”
“….”
On the other side,
Director Guo Wei still wore a deep frown, his expression sour.
A simple shot of an immortal’s appearance shouldn’t have delayed the shoot this long,
but this scene was important, and as a perfectionist director, he couldn’t tolerate mediocrity.
Now he was caught in a dilemma.
If he stuck to his principles, this shot could drag on much longer.
If he let it go, his conscience would never rest easy.
The set was in a noisy uproar.
Guo Wei glanced around, instantly knowing that everyone was discussing how to shoot the “immortal” scene.
Some were sincerely discussing; others were just slacking off.
He even knew that some people were out to embarrass Wang Mo.
Such things no longer piqued Guo Wei’s interest.
As a director, he’d seen enough backstabbing within film crews; what Wang Mo was experiencing was nothing special. Besides, he knew Wang Mo was the “silent one,” and with Yuan Xiong watching over him, nothing disastrous would happen.
“Ah… all of this is my own doing.”
Guo Wei shook his head and sighed.
In fact, this shot of the immortal’s silhouette had been his own idea.
He hadn’t expected that it would be so easy to propose, yet so hard to realize.
“I’ll give it one more try. If it still doesn’t work, I’ll have to change the script.”
Guo Wei took a deep breath, making up his mind.
But if he changed the script, the entire “Immortal Descends the Peak” sequence would lose much of its poetry and become mundane. Unless absolutely necessary, Guo Wei would never make such a compromise.
He was about to call over the assistant director to discuss his thoughts,
when he noticed everyone around him staring in a daze,
all looking in the same direction,
faces awash with shock.
“What is going on?”
Guo Wei frowned, following their gaze.
The next second,
Guo Wei sprang up from his seat as if launched by a spring, letting out an inhuman cry: “Holy—!”
That single expletive was enough to sum up Guo Wei’s state of mind.
He was nearly stupefied.
No, he was nearly deranged.
What had he just witnessed?
He had seen, before his very eyes, the perfect realization of an immortal’s bearing that he’d always dreamed of.
From a distance, Wang Mo’s mere silhouette fulfilled all his fantasies of what an immortal should be.
“That’s exactly it!”
“It’s perfect!”
Snapping out of his daze after a few seconds, Guo Wei began to shout at the top of his lungs, “Roll camera! Roll camera! Get this on film—are you all pigs? Hurry up and record!”
On set,
there were always those rare, magical moments.
Sometimes, an actor would suddenly reach new heights in their performance.
Sometimes, inspiration would strike like lightning.
Whenever that happened, if the director was quick enough to capture it, the result would be far superior to the norm.
From his experience, Guo Wei sensed that Wang Mo had just entered a state of transcendence. Who knew if he’d ever be able to recreate it?
So he absolutely had to film it immediately.
The assistant director, jolted to attention, hurried over. “Director Guo, Director Guo, but that’s Wang Mo!”
Guo Wei glared, “What about Wang Mo? Why can’t we film?”
The assistant director quickly explained, “He’s not part of our cast.”
Guo Wei’s excitement abruptly cooled.
Not only was Wang Mo not a member of the cast,
he was also a disgraced former idol!
No matter how well he performed, it was useless!
Guo Wei was still bitter. “Doesn’t matter, just record it.”
The assistant director looked awkward. “That’s not the problem. Even setting aside his controversial status, he’s still wearing casual clothes.”
“Huh?”
Only then did Guo Wei notice that Wang Mo was dressed in perfectly ordinary clothes.
Wang Mo’s immortal aura had been so dazzling that he’d subconsciously overlooked his attire.
Damn.
What sort of monster was this?
Wearing casual clothes, yet embodying the immortal he’d always dreamed of.
If Wang Mo put on a costume, wouldn’t he be unstoppable?
While Guo Wei’s thoughts were in a whirl,
Wang Mo, standing in the center, finally withdrew the immortal’s aura and returned to his own self.
He turned to the actor who had called him out earlier, and with a gentle smile said, “That’s my interpretation of the immortal from my dream. What do you think?”
(End of chapter)