The birth of an actor

Chapter 2 Returning to the Gates
The sense of security I once felt has become quite hazy in my memory of this moment.

I just remember that during the summer before I went to university, I went to visit Na Shun and met a woman with a southern accent who asked him if he wanted to be an actor.

I don't even remember why I refused back then.

But thinking about it... it must have something to do with it, right?

As He Xiuqiong asked the question, he turned his head and his gaze fell directly on her chest.

Admittedly, women in their early thirties do have a unique charm.

It was a complex scent, a blend of maturity and intellect.

In modern parlance, it's called "slaying men".

Slaying men, slaying young boys, slaying cute puppies, slaying dogs, slaying dog heads... that's roughly the gist of it.

A naive boy is easily attracted to an older woman who, while not a celebrity, is not unattractive either. Because he hasn't grown up yet, his understanding of the world is still quite simple.

Good is good and bad is bad.

Whether He Xiuqiong was a good person or not, An Xin from her past life didn't know. Even An Xin in the present life isn't entirely sure.

But her chest... or rather, the string of things hanging on her chest hidden under her clothes, was definitely broken.

She was so bad that An Xin from her past life had no good impression of her at all, and so bad that the horse she was riding had eyes full of suppressed anxiety.

He Xiuqiong naturally saw An Xin's gaze as well, and at that moment, she felt a strange sense of unease.

Speechlessness mingled with a hint of displeasure, displeasure tinged with a touch of understanding, and after that understanding came a somewhat exasperating warning:
"Hey, where are you looking!"

The warning words carried a hint of scorching heat, but there was no trace of shyness.

He's just a sixteen-year-old kid.

It's normal for a young boy to be so naive.

This is her idea.

Before she could finish speaking, An Xin turned her head back, swaying slightly on her horse, and said:

"Director He, how long do you plan to stay here?"

Before He Xiuqiong could answer, he continued:

"It would be best if you left in the afternoon. I see your license plate is from Chengde, right? If you leave around 2 pm, you can get back to the interior by 5 or 6 pm."

"...?"

He Xiuqiong was taken aback, and subconsciously blurted out:

"What do you mean?"

"Don't stay in Chifeng today."

"?"

He Xiuqiong, who was originally thinking about how to talk to the boy in front of her about the benefits of being an actor in order to explore his talents, was genuinely caught off guard.

Why are you suddenly concerned about your own schedule?

At that moment, she inexplicably felt a strange gaze upon her.

That gaze was reassuring. But... the way this child looked at me was strangely... awkward.

I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong with it, but it just makes me feel really uncomfortable.

It was a world apart from his sunny, clean-cut appearance.

The look in his eyes was completely different from when he was staring at his chest just now.

I can't quite describe the feeling, but I just feel uncomfortable.

It felt like being watched by some kind of beast.

But this gaze didn't last long; like an illusion, it vanished without a trace in an instant. Yet, to He Xiuqiong, it felt somewhat "long," as if this half-grown child had seen right through her from head to toe.

As if guessing what she was thinking, he stopped looking at her and focused on riding ahead, saying:
“You’re from inside the pass, so it’s fine. But Chifeng is outside the pass, and there’s an ancient battlefield here. The yin energy is a bit heavy at night. That dirty thing you’re wearing around your neck is a nuisance. It’s fine during the day, but at night it might attract something. So it’s best if you go back inside the pass tonight.”

"...?"

He Xiuqiong blinked, momentarily bewildered by this explanation.

What...what do you mean?
Yin energy?

Dirty... a scourge?
? ? ? ?
"What's the meaning?"

She asked, somewhat bewildered.

An Xin glanced back at her again, but this time her gaze was normal.

As he looked, he pointed to the faintly visible red string hanging around her neck and repeated:
"That thing on your neck is too dirty; it'll attract bad luck outside the Great Wall. So you'd better go back inside the Great Wall tonight, understand?"

"...?"

Does He Xiuqiong understand?

I can roughly understand what this so-called "dirty stuff" refers to. But...

"You mean this?"

She pulled the necklace she was wearing directly from her neckline.

It was a sign encased in a plastic shell, with a kind and compassionate Buddha on it.

Anxin's face showed a deep disgust. She waved her hand as if swatting away an annoying fly, and turned her head away with an attitude of "this thing stinks."

"Alright, alright, put it away. This stuff from Southeast Asia is disgusting to look at. These people will get their comeuppance sooner or later."

"!"

He Xiuqiong's eyes immediately became somewhat fixed.

This amulet was indeed brought to her from Thailand; it is mainly for attracting wealth and good fortune.

This kid...

She asked instinctively:
"How did you know... Ouch..."

"Shut up!"

Before He Xiuqiong could finish speaking, the chestnut horse beneath her immediately became restless, just as it had been when she was first ridden, trying to lift its front hooves and throw her off. An Xin, as if she had foreseen this, shouted a slogan while grabbing its reins.

"Phew~~~ Okay, okay, okay."

He quickly reassured her from his horse, saying:

"It's okay, it's okay, I'm here, I'm here..."

But this time the chestnut horse wouldn't listen, and kept shaking its head, no matter how Anxin tried to persuade it, it wouldn't calm down.

Left with no other choice, he dismounted and clung to the horse's head again.

But that still didn't work, so he decisively said to He Xiuqiong:
"Director He, please come down."

He Xiuqiong didn't dare to move at this moment, holding onto the mane tightly. After hearing these words, she obediently dismounted. Strangely enough, as soon as she got off, the chestnut horse immediately calmed down, nudged her with its head to reassure her, and after nudging her back a step, it raised its head on its own and galloped away.

"Look, it doesn't want to take you with it either. That thing around your neck is too dirty, it doesn't like it. If I hadn't been there, it would have kicked you just now."

"...This is a Buddhist amulet."

He Xiuqiong held up the Buddha amulet sealed in a plastic shell, looking puzzled.

An Xin took a step back as if dodging a pile of dung, and shook her head:
"This stuff is no good. It smells like some kind of Southeast Asian devil; I could smell it the moment you arrived. And you saw the horse's reaction just now..."

As they were talking, he spotted Na Shun riding up on horseback.

So he pointed behind her:
"I'll go urge the horses on first. Director He, you stay here and watch. I'm afraid the horses might get startled and charge at you."

He Xiuqiong turned around and saw Na Shun. Just as she looked away and was about to ask An Xin what had happened, she found that the other party had already mounted his horse and was galloping towards the herd of horses in the distance.

"..."

She was speechless and could only watch the other person leave before clutching the Buddha amulet, which was still warm from the person's touch, and examining it.

She's been wearing this amulet, which she brought from Thailand, for almost a year now. It's a masterpiece, so the craftsmanship goes without saying. Most importantly, it's believed to bring good luck.

For example, Bingbing.

When the project for "My Fair Princess" was first initiated, her first task as the executive director was to scout locations and cast actors. Then, she inadvertently saw a photo of Bingbing through Liu Xuehua.

At first glance, she felt that the other person was perfect for the role of Princess Ziwei.

So she contacted the other party directly and brought the girl with her, intending to observe along the way to see if the girl was suitable for the role of Ziwei.

For example... Anxin, this boy.

The other person's sunny, cheerful, and clean appearance was exactly like Ertai's.

See, isn't all of this just luck?

While it can't be entirely attributed to this Thai amulet, but...

Looking at the compassionate smile of the Buddha on the amulet, she was somewhat puzzled. Just then, Na Shun came galloping over with the sound of horses' hooves. She thought for a moment, intending to ask the boy about An Xin's situation, but just then... the neighing of a horse rang out.

He Xiuqiong instinctively turned her head and saw that the more than one hundred horses that had been grazing on the grassland were now wriggling like black mercury.

Her directorial instincts kicked in, and she immediately raised her camera, banishing the slight curiosity from her mind.

Amidst the clicking sounds, Na Shun, who had already walked up to her, saw that An Xin had started urging the horses on, and lost all interest in exchanging pleasantries with the pretty lady.
"drive!"

He quickly circled the wriggling herd of horses, and together with Anxin, began to urge them to run.

In He Xiuqiong's eyes, it was as beautiful as a painting.

……

He Xiuqiong's request was actually quite simple; she mainly wanted to see what the horses looked like when they ran. After Na Shun and An Xin worked together to drive the horses from one end to the other, regardless of what others thought, the horses were quite speechless.

Those two bastards not letting us eat our fill this morning is bad enough, but now they're trying to take us out to play?
That's a bit too much.

In the end, they simply gave up and let things take their course.

Anxin and Nashun then stopped driving the horses and returned to the vicinity of the yurt.

Looking at the two boys returning on horseback, He Xiuqiong said with a smile:

"Thank you."

Meanwhile, Sarina, who was standing to the side, chuckled and lifted the lid of the pot.

The meat is cooked, the milk tea is ready, it's time for everyone to experience the hospitality of the grassland people.

So they went inside to eat.

"Come on, come on, let's eat meat."

At Batu's call, Anxin and Nashun took the pieces of meat that Batu had cut and went outside together, throwing the meat into the air.

That was dedicated to the Eternal Heaven.

When he returned, there was an empty glass in front of him.

Then, amidst the strange looks from everyone, Na Shun picked up the bottle of Wuliangye liquor on the table and poured himself a full glass.

Fan Bing, standing to the side, was somewhat speechless:

"That's wine!"

Na Shun was taken aback, then nodded subconsciously:

"I know."

"...Are you an adult?"

"This little bit of wine is fine."

Na Shun grinned, seemingly a little smug, as if he wanted to show off.

As a result, Anxin nudged his arm:

"Alright, pour less."

"I'll just have one drink."

"……Fine."

Hearing their conversation, Fan Bing was even more speechless.

What do you mean by "just one drink"?
This drink should be at least two ounces of liquor, right?
This……

She couldn't help but look at An Xin and said:
"You want a drink too?"

"I don't drink."

Anxin smiled and waved her hand, about to speak, when Na Shun blurted out:
"He can't drink. Let alone baijiu, even beer, if he just takes a small sip, his whole body turns purple. It's terrifying."

"Ah."

Without any hesitation, I answered with a relieved "Yes."
"I am naturally allergic to alcohol."

"oh oh."

Fan Bing seemed to want to say something more, but after glancing at the smiling Batu, she shut up.

Even her father didn't say anything, so what could she say?
"Come on, come on, let's eat meat."

After his son filled his glass with wine, Batu finally picked it up.

The men of the grasslands don't stand on ceremony when facing guests.

A pot of hot mutton, a cup of hot wine.

The eagle soars over the grassland, first hanging a cup on one wing.

……

Whether the mutton from the grasslands is good or not can be judged by how much these guests enjoy their meal.

Everyone, including Fan Bingbing and He Xiuqiong, went from initially feeling uncomfortable with each person carrying a small knife to now having a pile of bones in front of them, which is enough to prove how excellent this pot of hand-pulled mutton is.

The atmosphere at the dinner table couldn't be dull, so after a sip of wine, the topic was brought up directly:
"Director He, how does it feel to be a star?"

He Xiuqiong's heart stirred, and her first reaction was to look towards An Xin.

Unfortunately, An Xin was busy using a knife to cut the boneless meat and didn't look at her.

Then her eyes flickered and she smiled:

"Of course it's great. Putting everything else aside, first of all, you can make a lot of money."

After she finished speaking, she tried to find a look of longing on Anxin's face.

However... Anxin didn't look up and continued to work hard on the ham bone, determined to shave it until even a dog would shed tears.

He Xiuqiong was speechless for a moment, but she quickly realized that the other person was just a child and it was normal for him not to understand the value of money.

So she changed her tune:
"It can also be liked by many people, especially girls."

Sure enough, as soon as those words were spoken, An Xin looked up, and Na Shun's eyes lit up. She finally saw the real curiosity in An Xin's eyes.

He thought to himself that he had hit the nail on the head.

Then Anxin asked:

"I heard... that the reason Andy Lau doesn't date is because he's afraid of hurting his fans, and some people even commit suicide? It's said that rich women who want to have dinner with Li Ming could line up all over the Great Wall? What about Jacky Cheung? How did he become one of the Four Heavenly Kings when he's so ugly? And Aaron Kwok, people say he's actually very short, and that he had his leg amputated and a piece of bone forcibly set, is that true?"

"..."

He Xiuqiong's lips twitched.

I thought to myself, has this outrageous gossip finally reached the Inner Mongolian grasslands?

Just as he was about to answer, Fan Bingbing suddenly chimed in with a grin:
"You're so interested? What? You want to be a star?"

He Xiuqiong's eyes lit up.

She was just wondering how to pick up the conversation again when Bingbing brought it up directly.

She looked directly at Fan Bing, but Fan Bing didn't look at her.

The boy holding the wine glass chuckled:
"Hehe, he can't be one."

"...Why? I think he's qualified."

Fan Bing's tone was full of confusion, but the latter half of her sentence gave a definitive conclusion.

He Xiuqiong immediately felt like she had found a mouth substitute.

This little girl's mind... is so insightful.

Just as I was thinking this, Na Shun shook his head:

"He's a shamanic disciple, and a top student who got into university at sixteen. Why would he want to be an actor?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

The people at the dinner table fell silent.

The entire crew of "My Fair Princess" immediately focused their attention on An Xin's face.

...?
Sixteen years old, skipping grades to get into university?

At this moment, Fan Bing's voice, full of questions, rang out:
"What is a shamanic disciple?"

The girl looked at the speechless boy at the table, her eyes filled with curiosity.

　I'm back. Two chapters a day!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)