After The Vicious Cannon Fodder Was Reborn

Chapter 4: Scheming

Luo Yang was not the only one who shut up at the stunning scene.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

The sound of crisp applause rang out on the set. First it was a single person, and then it was as if the whole crew seemed to be infected. Suddenly, the whole crew was applauding. In the face of such breathtaking performance, the members in the props team almost forgot about the deliberate trouble brought by Luo Yang. The prop master in charge of hanging the wires put Tao Mu down carefully. Several assistants from the crew rushed forward and began to dry him with towels and wiped at his hair. The treatment towards Tao Mu was really that of a professional actor and not just a martial arts body double.

Tao Mu, who had bore the full brunt of the water hose for more than four hours, could hardly stand steady. He leaned on the sword with one hand, his body so tired that he trembled slightly, and his lips were tightly closed as he breathed heavily through his nose. But those dark eyes were shockingly bright. Long wet black hair stuck to his face, emphasizing Tao Mu's pale and beautiful profile. However, the deep hostility condensed between his brows offset any bit of weakness or fragility, and instead only made him appear more dashing and rakish.

Even if he was exhuasted to this point, his slender back was still straight, and his figure upright and handsome. That mild indifference and cold arroganceit truly evoked one's desire to tug him into an embrace and wantonly ravage him.

Don't know what he thought of at that moment, but Luo Yang's eyes darkened, his Adam's apple moved up and down slightly, and his mouth felt dry.

"Remember to send the recording to me!" Luo Yang, who felt that an electric current was currently running through his body, hurriedly left instructions and turned to leave, not even waiting for director Chen to respond.

The whole tiger's head, snake's tail was simply baffling. (TN: idiom for a strong start but a weak finish)

But director Chen didn't bother to wonder what the young master of the Luo family was spazzing about now. He stretched out his hand to beckon Tao Mu over, smiling kindly as if looking at a rare treasure: "Xiao Mu, I've wronged you with what happened today. If you are tired, go take a hot bath. I will give you the rest of the afternoon off. Go back and take a good rest, we'll do some close-up shots tomorrow."

After a pause, Chen Yiqian still couldn't hold back, and said excitedly: "It was too beautiful!"

Director Chen was convinced that with this scene alone, after the drama was broadcasted, Shen Yu, as the male protagonist, would definitely gain the love of many female audiences! Thinking about this, Chen Yiqian looked at Tao Mu with a little pity.

"Thank you, director." Tao Mu panted slightly and said in a low voice.

"Not bad at all!" Chen Yiqian patted Tao Mu on the shoulder, thought for a bit, and then said, "Work hard and don't give up. I believe you will definitely be famous."

With such a face and such martial arts skills, and most importantly he was also smartknowing when to endure and when to erupt. If with these kinds of conditions he still did not succeed in the industry, it would simply be unreasonable.

Director Chen's eyes flickered, and he obviously knew the little dispute between Tao Mu and his own casting director. But seeing through it did not mean one should also lay it bare to the open. Although Fatty Liu's character was somewhat flawed, his work ability was not too bad.

Tao Mu refused the support of the assistant and walked out of the studio exhausted. Except for the recreational vehicles belonging to the main cast members, there was no bathroom in the dressing room. Tao Mu took off the wet costume, dried himself with the towel just given to him by the assistant, and put on his jeans. When he was about to put on his shirt, a knocking came from the door of the dressing room.

Tao Mu opened the door shirtless. Ye Yao and her manager Hong Jie, who were waiting at the door, looked up and saw a flawlessly white chest, beautiful six-pack abs and a sexy V-line

Oh my mother! Going to have a nosebleed!

Ye Yao's first reaction was to cover her nose, her eyes glowing like hungry wolf eyes as they stuck themselves to Tao Mu's body.

Tao Mu was not at all interested in this woman who caused him to suffer an unwarranted disaster. Raising an eyebrow, he asked indifferently: "What is it?"

"Ah? Oh!" Ye Yao came back to her senses, her cheeks flushed, and she said shyly: "I'm here to thank you. If you didn't stand forward today, I might have been kicked out of the crew by the guy surnamed Luo already."

"How do you want to thank me?"

"Huh?" Ye Yao didn't expect Tao Mu to react like this, and was dazed for a while.

Tao Mu's headache was splitting due to the water hose pressure, and his endurance was much lower than usual. Naturally, he didn't want to deal with Ye Yao's seemingly cute but in actuality stupid mannerisms, and made to close the door.

"Ai, wait a second!" Ye Yao touched the door with her hand, and said with a ingratiating smile: "Sister Hong wants to sign you!"

Ye Yao's manager? Tao Mu raised his eyebrow slightly, and eyes like still wells looked at the mature domineering woman in a black OL suit standing behind Ye Yao.

Sister Hong had felt the charm of Tao Mu's action scenes just now when she was on the set, and she also knew that Tao Mu had a pretty face. But the visual impact felt when watching from a distance was still very different when compared to actually being in his presence.

At least the blatant sex appeal, the aggression lingering around Tao Mu that was very different from boys of the same age, and the indifferent, sexy and somewhat cynical aura, were all enough to make any woman with normal aesthetics feel weak in the knees.

"Hello -cough-," Sister Hong realized that something was wrong the moment she opened her mouth. Her voice had become a little hoarse from the visual stimulation. As a result, she had to clear her throat and adjust her state: "I am Wan Meihong, Qin Chao Entertainments manager. You can call me sister Hong. I believe you should have heard of our company. If you are willing to join Qin Dynasty Entertainment, I promise, I will definitely be able to convince the company to catapult you to stardom."

Of course Tao Mu had heard of Qin Dynasty Entertainment. It was named after Emperor Qin Shihuang who had destroyed the six states to unify the empire. That it was given such a name was enough to show the ambitions of Qin Dynasty Entertainment. It's a pity that Tao Mu also knew that in two years, Qin Dynasty Entertainment would fall apart due to high-level internal strife, many big-name artists would leave one after another and the company never recovered from then on.

"Of course I have heard of Qin Dynasty Entertainment. But I have been admitted to Beijing Film. According to the school's regulations, students are not allowed to take acting jobs without authorization while in school. So I have no plans to sign a managing company."

A slightly cold voice with a bit of huskiness sounded in sister Hong's ears like the whispers of a lover. The handsome boy stood there shirtless, but his bearing was not as young and inexperienced as that of a teenager. He looked a little exhausted, and probably because he just took off his headpiece his short wet hair also appeared a little disheveled. Fine drops of water dripped down from the tips of his hair, and then fell downward under gravity, trailling from the tip of his nose to pass pale lips, a sexy chin, and then sliding down his chest. With that vivid and evocative appearance, even sister Hong, who believed herself to have seen her fair share of handsome men, couldnt help feeling a little dizzy

At this moment, Wan Meihong clearly realized that the boy in front of her had absolutely sufficient capital.

She must sign him. Sister Hongs eyes flashed brightly. It was rare to see a type like Tao Mu in China's entertainment circle, an actor who practically burst with sex appeal and yet possessed an inexplicable fragility. He had the talents and qualities that a superb actor must have in front of the camera. But the most important thing was that face. While being overly handsome, it still didn't overshadow his performance in front of the camera. Wan Meihong believed that as long as his career path was handled properly, Tao Mu could definitely become a hit or even a big hit overnight.

Wan Meihong even dreamed of the scene when she became China's top talent agent with Tao Mu in one fell swoop. Red lips curved into a perfect arc as Wan Meihong looked at Tao Mu with scorching eyes that were full of ambition.

"You don't have to worry about these things. So long as you want to let me be your agent, I will do the communicating with the school."

Wan Meihong spoke confidently, but did not know that Tao Mu had no plans to sign with Qin Dynasty Entertainment. The information possessed by the two parties was not equal, so the more Wan Meihong showed interest, the more Tao Mu was indifferent, and even bored. Reflecting this, his expression revealed a lazy boredom that made one want to push him into a bed.

"But I don't want to violate the school rules." Tao Mu said decisively. He leaned on the door panel and then his eyes glanced mildly behind Sister Hong: "You dare to come over?"

Sister Hong turned her head, and saw Zhao Keping walking up with a smile, followed by Mu Huating with his head drooping and looking very reluctant.

Sister Hong's heart sank, and instinctively she knew Zhao Keping was also here to convince Tao Mu to sign with him.

"Mr. Tao is joking. With your manners and bearing, how could you do such a thing." Zhao Keping's eyes swept over Tao Mu's face and body subtly, and had to admit that the boy in front of him was indeed worth investing in. He also did not forget to mention Mu Huating: "In fact, I brought Huating over so that he can apologize to you. What happened today was due to unintentional impulsivity and it caused you unwarranted trouble."

Before Tao Mu spoke, Ye Yao who was standing beside him suddenly snorted coldly and sneered: "I don't think it was unintentional. How is he just being impulsive, obviously he was deliberate in his actions. Truly a vile character, so disgusting."

Mu Huating's face darkened and he glared at Ye Yao.

"What, don't want to accept the truth?" Ye Yao was also not to be outdone.

Sister Hong, who had always been strict with Ye Yao, stood by and said nothing. She was also very sick of things today. However, the main reason why she indulged Ye Yao in mocking Mu Huating was mainly to arouse Tao Mu's hatred. After all, Tao Mu suffered a lot because of Mu Huating. Young people didnt know how to manage emotions, and they were always quick to anger.

Unfortunately, sister Hong made the wrong calculation. Not mentioning the fact that Tao Mu had lived another lifetime, even in his previous life, when Tao Mu was only 18 years old, he had never had a moment of impulsivity. For a person who grew up in an orphanage, indulging in emotions was a luxury. If he had that extra time to indulge in emotions, then why not take up an extra part-time job.

"So, how are you going to apologize?" Wan Meihong glanced at Mu Huating, then turned to Zhao Keping, and said with a faint smile, "You don't just mean a verbal apology?"

Sowing discord in such an obvious manner. Mu Huating looked at Zhao Keping subconsciously.

Zhao Keping smiled calmly and said: "How could that be? In fact, I came here to sign Tao Mu into Summer Star Entertainment."

Zhao Keping looked at Tao Mu: "You should have heard of Summer Star, right? Last year's Golden Crow Award for best actor and actress were both from our company. If you are willing to sign to Summer Star, I will persuade the company to strongly support you."

Tao Mu lowered his eyes calmly. In his last life, he didn't manage to endure the water hose, not to mention complete the movements beautifully, and in the end was forgotten on the set like a dead dog. In this life, he ironically became a sweet pastry that everyone was scrambling to fight over.

"I was admitted to Beijing Film, and I don't want to join any talent agency at this time." Tao Mu's eyes were cold. In this life, he no longer planned to pass his destiny and future into the hands of others. He believed no one, including the talent agencies.

Tao Mu turned back to the dressing room and picked up the white shirt on the back of the chair. The cheap high school uniform shirt might appear sloppy if it was worn on others. But on Tao Mu, it actually appeared stylish and expensive. Slender fingers fastened the buttons up to the second one on the top, revealing a delicate collarbone, while the lines of his chest muscles and arms were faintly yet tantalizingly visible. It was as if he was a model who would be stepping out onto the catwalk at any time.

Not only was he handsome, he also looked good in anything.

Sister Hong and Zhao Keping, whose talent agent senses were very keen, lit up at the same time. Zhao Keping slapped Mu Huating on the back of the head. Mu Huating dared not say anything, and again uttered a reluctant apology: "What happened today, I'm sorry, I was too impulsive at that time. I wanted to get back at you for twisting my finger."

The words were all taught by Zhao Keping, admitting frankly about being a vile character.

Tao Mu chuckled. It was not surprising that this idiot could actually pull off a frank and free-spoken character image of a straight man under Zhao Keping's training.

There was a noisy sound of running and shouting outside the dressing room, and soon Da Mao and Xiao Pang, who had been dragged out of the crew by the casting director, rushed into the room. They circled Tao Mu like eager puppies: "How are you, brother Mu?"

"Brother Mu, are you okay?"

Both of them were very excited. While asking after Tao Mu's health, they glared at Mu Huating. The idea of pulling a sackcloth over a certain someone and giving him a beating could hardly be contained in their bearing. Tao Mu glanced over, and Da Mao and Xiao Pang who had originally wanted to scold loudly immediately stopped .

"I'm sorry, but I'm a little tired today, and I want to go back and rest." Tao Mu said with tired eyes, making clear that he didn't want to make small talk with the two well-known agents in the industry. He said straightforwardly: "As for signing the contract, if you really have this willingness, then let's talk about it later when I am in my third year of college."

According to Beijing Film Academys rules, students could take part in dramas and other work freely as a junior.

Tao Mu's words were not entirely used to fob off Zhao Keping and Wan Meihong. He was really ready to finish his freshman year and sophomore year in accordance with the rules of the Beijing Film Academy, and maybe even aim to get a scholarship. Because Beijing Film would cooperate with a certain governmental department of the country to shoot a movie two years from now. After the movie was released, the box office exceeded 700 million, and it became the runner-up in the domestic box office rankings that year. The leading actor and supporting actor both won the Golden Crow Award for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor respectively, which could be described as a double win for the film, critically and financially.

The most important thing was that in order to encourage students to focus on studying in school, Beijing Film recommended a large number of outstanding students to the crew when selecting actors. Among them, the actor who played the leading role was Liang Chenyi, a junior recommended by Beijing Film. And Liang Chenyi did not disappoint, becoming the most dazzling new star in the domestic entertainment circle through this movie. And with that as his starting point, he then successfully entered the Beijing circle, both his network of connections and resources such as coveted acting roles and luxury brand deals all soared.

With this second chance at life, Tao Mu's goal was not just to be an actor and make films. And since he was admitted to the Beijing Film Academy, he naturally didn't want to miss such a good opportunity.