The Martial Arts Stunt Double of the Entertainment Circle – Chapter 12

Taking out her keys and unlocking the door to her apartment, Nian Huixian made her way to the sofa in the dark and sat down, her heart unable to settle for a long time.

Before her eyes lingered the phantom silhouette of a girl, ethereal as an immortal—standing atop a high building, treading upon the brilliant lights that stretched to the horizon, her figure soft yet steely, wreathed in specks of golden light. She had leaped so high, so confident, her arms with their smooth, powerful muscle lines seeming to touch the firmament itself. Plucking stars and grasping the moon were hers with but a single thought; the terrifying hundred-meter void beneath her feet could not stir her composure in the slightest.

In the darkness she couldn’t clearly see the girl’s face—only felt that the profile was breathtakingly beautiful. Every punch, every kick struck the air until it burst and cracked, her divine aura like a primordial beast descending upon the world, ready to devour.

            

Nian Huixian admitted it—she was truly, thoroughly won over by Tuoba Yan.

In the pitch-black apartment, her rapid breathing echoed. She forced herself to take deep breaths, striving to calm her racing mind, then pulled out her phone from her bag and opened her contacts.

Early the next morning, as Tuoba Yan was brushing her teeth, her phone vibrated in her pajama pocket. She had received a text from Nian Huixian.

            

Nian-jiejie: 9:00 AM, meet at the east gate of Yuchuan Film and Television Base.

She had finally earned her chance to enter the stunt double circle.

When Tuoba Yan arrived at the east gate of Yuying, Nian Huixian was already waiting. A fresh-toned green dress set off her fair skin; a pair of sunglasses perched on her nose, high heels on her feet, red lips alluring and sexy, short hair styled voluminous and chic—making Tuoba Yan’s eyes light up.

            

Appetite and beauty are human nature¹. Even ancient sages said that loving fine food and fine looks was human nature.

There was an even blunter saying: He who does not know the beauty of Zidu is blind². That was a direct verdict—anyone who could not appreciate the handsomeness of the beautiful man Zidu was no different from a blind person.

Tuoba Yan said with a smile, “Nian-jiejie, you’re really beautiful today.”

            

“Smooth talker.”

Nian Huixian glared at her, then actually took the initiative to link her arm through Tuoba Yan’s, pulling her toward the gate. At the entrance she produced a pass, and the two entered without a hitch.

Tuoba Yan had previously been brought inside Yuying by the casting assistant director of the Blood Sacrifice production crew, so she wasn’t too surprised. However, she had only visited the Republic-era style architecture complex that time and had never seen the palace halls replicated after historical palaces within the film base. Walking among the continuous towering walls of glazed tile and red plaster was still a fresh and fascinating experience.

            

Along the way, Nian Huixian scattered bits of common knowledge about filming and things to watch out for, and repeatedly reminded her to be careful. Tuoba Yan listened attentively to all of it, which let Nian Huixian secretly breathe a sigh of relief—she was still worried that Tuoba Yan, young and spirited with extraordinary skills, might offend people and suffer for it.

Nian Huixian said, “Female Constable Wu Zhen’er isn’t a big production, and the directing team is entirely rookies, but the producer’s connections are very strong. They brought in the renowned expert Zhang Huaye-jie as the martial arts director. I know you’re very… impressive, but you’ve never been exposed to stunt double work before. I think you’ll inevitably find it challenging. Zhang-jie seems stern, but she treats work impartially and seriously. When you get there, learn from her properly. Don’t mind whatever harsh things she says—she doesn’t have bad intentions.”

“Thank you, Nian-jiejie, for going to such trouble for me.” Tuoba Yan stopped, releasing the linked arm, and held Nian Huixian’s smooth, slightly cool fingers. She said gently, “I know Nian-jiejie is genuinely looking out for me. I don’t know what to do to repay your kindness right now, so I can only remember your words well and protect myself.”

            

Arriving at the destination, a flat-topped man in glasses was waiting by a narrow door, playing on his phone. Seeing Nian Huixian approach, he pocketed the phone and smiled.

“Sister Nian’s here.”

Nian Huixian introduced them: “This is my sister Tuoba Yan, here today to apply for the stunt double position. Xiao Yan, this is Unit Production Manager Xu Han. Just call him Brother Xu.”

            

“Hello, Brother Xu. I’m Tuoba Yan.” Tuoba Yan greeted Unit Manager Xu.

At this point Nian Huixian couldn’t accompany her any further—excessive escorting would only make others look down on Tuoba Yan. She patted Tuoba Yan’s shoulder, told her to be careful, and turned to leave.

Unit Manager Xu led Tuoba Yan to the green room. Two rather fit women around thirty looked up at the sound. Seeing Tuoba Yan enter, their expressions showed a strange tension and a hint of hostility. Unit Manager Xu said, “This is Tuoba Yan, also here to audition as a stunt double for Wu Zhen’er.”

            

One of the stunt doubles asked, “Unit Manager Xu, hasn’t the casting already ended? How come…”

“Special circumstances,” Unit Manager Xu smiled. “Xiao Yan, find a place to sit and rest first. Once Zhang-jie arrives, the screening will begin. She’ll decide who to use in the end. Good luck, everyone.” He pulled out several stapled printed pages and handed them to Tuoba Yan. “Here’s the material. Take a look.”

Tuoba Yan took the thin three-page document, grabbed a stool, and sat down.

            

Unit Manager Xu also sat near the door, fiddling with his phone while secretly observing Tuoba Yan from the corner of his eye.

This tall young girl was dressed simply and youthfully—a white crew-neck T-shirt printed with a hand-drawn cat face, a dark green baseball jacket over it, jeans and sneakers, with excellent body proportions. A head of smooth, undyed black hair was tied high with a gray cord. Her skin was dazzlingly fair, her face pretty yet carrying a composed calmness.

Her slender fingers held the pages as she read carefully. She clearly had no superfluous movements, yet she possessed a magnetic, almost magical attraction—she was simply star material.

            

Why would someone like this come to be a stunt double?

Tuoba Yan could sense all three people in the room sizing her up. Perhaps the two women’s gazes carried some hostility, but her instincts told her there was no need to be nervous, so she focused on reading the material.

The three printed pages Unit Manager Xu had given her: the first was an excerpt from a novel, roughly about a fight scene between the female constable Wu Zhen’er and the notorious bandit Feng Shizhen; the second was the script adapted from that passage. The first two were printed text. The last page was a breakdown of various designed moves with simple hand-drawn diagrams—clearly handwritten by existing staff and then photocopied.

            

Tuoba Yan carefully read the most important third page and gradually formed a picture in her mind.

The two female stunt doubles lacked Tuoba Yan’s calm composure. They kept their heads together, whispering about “what’s her background” and “what do you mean special circumstances,” speculating about Tuoba Yan’s origins with a hint of malice and sourness. Tuoba Yan pretended not to hear, letting them have their cheap talk.

“Anyone in?”

            

Two knocks, and a thin, ordinary-looking woman pushed the door open. Unit Manager Xu and the two stunt doubles sprang to their feet like coiled springs. Tuoba Yan also reacted quickly, standing up to show her respect.

This thin woman was the domestically renowned female martial arts director Zhang Huaye. In her early years she had served as a stunt double for many film stars, making her a veteran figure in the film and television circle. It had taken considerable effort for the Female Constable Wu Zhen’er production crew to bring Zhang-jie on board.

The first thing Zhang Huaye noticed upon entering was Tuoba Yan. Her overly striking appearance for a stunt double made her subconsciously frown.

            

“Hello, Zhang-jie,” Xu Han greeted with a smile. Seeing Zhang Huaye staring at Tuoba Yan, he specifically added, “This is the newly joined Tuoba Yan, introduced by Sister Nian Huixian.”

Hearing she was introduced by Nian Huixian, Zhang-jie’s brow eased slightly. She wasted no words: “I’ll take the three of them to test wirework.”

Xu Han hurried to lead the way.

            

Zhang-jie concisely explained some points to note, then simply took to the stage herself. She hooked up to the wire rigging, grabbed a flexible sword, and leaped up, executing a textbook aerial spin³.

Though she wasn’t wearing the wide-sleeved robes of a costume, her movements were light, combining hardness and softness. The arc of her body was a pleasure to behold. As she spun, her wrist flicked—the prop sword gleamed fiercely, as if it had already slit the throat of a nonexistent enemy.

“Bravo!”

            

The two female stunt doubles were both experts—they clapped and exclaimed in admiration. Tuoba Yan also smiled and applauded. One of the stunt doubles gave her a barely concealed contemptuous glance, whispered something to her companion, and both nodded slightly.

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The author has something to say:

Li Yanrao (laughing from sheer fury): I am the legendary heroine who lives in the mini-theaters.

            

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