Chapter 50 – What to Take Off

The dank and humid dungeon, with its overall dark tone, created an atmosphere of eerie wind and chilling gloom, enhanced by the low, oppressive background music.

“Xiao Fu, turn off the music,” Director Xu said. “We’re about to start shooting. Also, next time, wear headphones when you listen to music; this song is giving me the creeps.”

Fu Hengcheng turned off the eerie instrumental music playing on his phone’s speaker and laughed. “I was just trying to get into the mood with some music.”

Director Xu replied, “You’re not filming a horror movie.”

Fu Hengcheng made an ‘OK’ gesture and handed his phone to his assistant.

Shen Fubai changed into a long, pale white robe, his tall and slender figure exuding a certain elegance.

He voluntarily entered the cell and sat in the corner. One leg stretched out straight, the other bent, his right arm resting on the bent knee, ready for action.

Fu Hengcheng stood outside the cell, adjusting his state of mind. His expression changed. He wore a military uniform, his hands in black gloves, a pistol and whip at his waist, striking fear into those who saw him.

In an instant, the originally sunny and energetic young man transformed into a deep, ruthless military officer.

It wasn’t an empty reputation that Fu Hengcheng, a young and powerful actor, had earned.

As usual, many crew members were watching from the sidelines.

Jiang Heng sat on a small stool nearby, focused and highly alert.

In the script, Yu Tang was tortured for three days and three nights. Of course, it wouldn’t actually take three days and three nights to film it. It was merely a few shots.

But even so, shooting the entire sequence was exhausting enough.

Director Xu adjusted the camera, had the clapperboard slapped, and began filming.

This scene was genuinely challenging.

Fu Hengcheng needed to use his whip to draw blood on Shen Fubai. Naturally, the “blood” was smeared on the whip beforehand; it couldn’t possibly be Shen Fubai’s real blood. Bloodstains weren’t enough; he also had to tear the clothes — so the fabric of Shen Fubai’s robe looked high-end but was actually quite inferior. A slight force would result in the sound of tearing.

Although there was a thin layer of protection under the robe, it was almost negligible for the sake of realism. At most, it provided a cushioning effect, but it still hurt.

No wonder Jiang Heng was so worried.

For Fu Hengcheng to shoot this scene, he had to have exceptional control over his strength — he had to break through both Shen Fubai’s clothing and the protective padding to reveal the skin underneath, yet he couldn’t really hit hard enough to cause significant pain. It was a difficult balance to achieve.

To prevent putting pressure on Fu Hengcheng, Shen Fubai boldly said before filming started, “Don’t worry, go ahead. I can endure it. If you hit hard, I won’t even need to act.”

Fu Hengcheng shivered and said, “Your words make me even more scared.”

Mainly because Shen Fubai saying it was alright didn’t align with the look in the eyes of someone sitting on a small stool beside him.

That look was saying, “Try hitting harder, and I’ll kill you.”

Regardless, they still had to shoot the scene.

“You know the whereabouts of the Chu family,” Shen Nian said in a definitive tone.

The exceptionally handsome young man slowly raised his eyes, his voice calm. “I don’t know.”

Said Shen Nian, “No, you do.” –

When the first lash struck, Shen Fubai furrowed his brow but didn’t make a sound. This strike hadn’t drawn blood or broken the skin, and the clothes remained intact. It didn’t hurt when struck — this particular whip hadn’t been smeared with blood, and hitting someone required a gradual process, not starting with something brutal.

His furrowed brow was acting.

Fu Hengcheng gave a few light lashes, and Shen Fubai only lowered his head, shuddering slightly when the whip struck him, showing no other reaction.

This was Yu Tang’s endurance.

Fu Hengcheng stepped forward and kicked Shen Fubai’s shoulder with his boot — it seemed harsh, but it was actually gentle.

The frail young man instantly fell to the ground, his fingernails digging into the straw. He struggled to get up, but Fu Hengcheng lifted his chin with his toe and slowly smiled. “Indeed, you have a face of exquisite beauty; no wonder Chu Yu couldn’t bear to part with you. Unfortunately… you’ve fallen into my hands.”

He moved his leg, and his boot lightly pressed against Shen Fubai’s face. “I’m not very good at handling delicate beauties. If you know what’s good for you, tell me where the Chu family is.”

Shen Fubai curled up, struggling to utter two words. “I… don’t… know…”

Fu Hengcheng’s eyes were deep and somber as he took a deep breath and walked a few steps away.

“Cut!” Director Xu shouted at this point. “Change the whip.”

Fu Hengcheng stood in place, throwing the whip in his hand away. A staff member threw a blood-soaked whip over, which Fu Hengcheng caught steadily.

Jiang Heng sat on the small stool, his hands crossed under his chin, expressionless.

If he were truly Chu Yu, witnessing this scene, he could have shot Shen Nian right then and there.

Director Xu said, “Continue!”

They continued from the previous shot.

After Fu Hengcheng turned and walked a few steps, he suddenly turned around and fiercely lashed out at Shen Fubai.

Cloth ripped, revealing a streak of blood and the tender, snow-white skin beneath.

This was when Shen Nian truly began to show no mercy.

For Fu Hengcheng, it meant using a bit more force than before, enough to tear through the clothing and the extremely thin protective padding underneath.

The blood was fake, but the marks left on Shen Fubai’s body were real.

It did indeed hurt, but it was still bearable. Shen Fubai was now thinking about how Yu Tang should react — Yu Tang would writhe in pain, but he wouldn’t give in, not making a sound.

Okay, understood.

Shen Fubai portrayed it well, accurately displaying the reactions he should have. The onlookers listened quietly to the sound of the whip cracking in the silent dungeon, watching the beautiful young man lying on the ground, his clothes tattered, his body battered and bruised, barely clinging to life. They all showed expressions of pity.

The atmosphere on set was affected, each person’s heart heavy, as if weighed down by a large stone.

Jiang Heng remained expressionless, motionless, like a wooden statue.

Fu Hengcheng was starting to feel a little guilty. Shen Fubai looked truly pitiful, and he genuinely considered him a good brother. Seeing his brother transformed into a fragile beauty was for the plot’s sake, but it still weighed on his conscience.

As Fu Hengcheng’s guilt grew, he lost his sense of measure and struck Shen Fubai’s unprotected cheek.

A real bloodstreak instantly appeared on his face.

Jiang Heng nearly couldn’t sit still.

When Fu Hengcheng saw this, he was also frightened and was about to call for a break to have someone apply medicine to Shen Fubai’s face.

But Shen Fubai realized that this wouldn’t do. If they stopped now, wouldn’t his suffering have been in vain? Such a realistic strike must be captured on camera!

Shen Fubai quickly added a line before Fu Hengcheng could call a halt. “If you have the guts… kill me.” He lifted his eyes, his wounded cheek still shockingly beautiful, even containing a hint of mocking laughter. “I’d rather die than tell you.”

With this ad-libbed line from Shen Fubai, Fu Hengcheng was finally pulled back into character.

Fu Hengcheng’s eyes were fierce. “You have a tough mouth, but I wonder if your bones are still strong enough.”

…

Finally, after shooting the scene where the whip broke twice, Fu Hengcheng could step back. His part was over, but Shen Fubai’s wasn’t — he still had to shoot scenes for the following two days and two nights.

Sigh, it was truly tormenting.

Shen Fubai didn’t rest and immediately continued acting. His pitiful appearance after being tormented suited the upcoming state perfectly; he didn’t need to touch up his makeup, leaving it as it was.

A torture rack was placed in the dungeon, in the shape of a cross. When Shen Fubai was bound to it, he felt a bit like Jesus on the cross. Honestly, he wasn’t in much pain; he just looked miserable. Fu Hengcheng was also a professional actor, and except for the strike to his face, he had judged everything else accurately.

It was just that shooting several consecutive shots, rolling and writhing, was tiring.

He wanted to sleep.

Shen Fubai gathered his strength and finished the current shot first.

This shot wasn’t long, mainly capturing him fainting and then being splashed awake with cold water for further interrogation. In the script, it was a bit cruel, but in reality, it wasn’t a big deal.

He took cold showers every day anyway.

Shen Fubai himself didn’t think much of it, but some people were heartbroken.

Xiao Lin was seeing such scenes for the first time, clutching a tissue and wanting to cry. “Too tragic, too tragic. Brother Shen is so pitiful. I’ll never put mustard in his cake again…”

Xiao Zhang asked, “How much do you hate your big star Shen?”

Xiao Lin replied, “Sister Li said we shouldn’t let Brother Shen eat too many sweets and asked me to find ways to help him quit, so I could only put mustard and chili in it…”

Xiao Zhang said, “Didn’t you know that ever since Big Star Shen and Brother Jiang shared breakfast, lunch, and dinner together, Big Star Shen’s meals have been eaten by me?” And his portion, huh, belonged to Shen Fubai.

Xiao Lin responded, “…”

Xiao Lin’s crying failed to elicit comfort from Xiao Zhang; instead, their friendship fell apart due to the mustard issue, the boat of friendship capsizing at a moment’s notice.

“But wait,” Xiao Lin stopped crying halfway. “I’m so upset, why isn’t Emperor Jiang showing any change in expression? Could it be that he’s heartless?”

Jiang Heng sat there expressionlessly the whole time, looking indifferent.

Xiao Zhang said, “Do you know why he sits there unmoved like a mountain?”

Xiao Lin guessed, “Because he’s cold and heartless.”

Xiao Zhang corrected, “Because he’s afraid he might grab a stool and hit someone.” –

On the torture rack, the moonlit youth hung his head, unconscious. His tattered clothes and winding bloodstains were shocking to see. The jailer mercilessly poured a whole bucket of water over him. Water droplets clung to the youth’s long eyelashes, sliding down his cheeks. The magnified face was exquisite yet pale, incredibly beautiful.

Everyone involuntarily felt their hearts clench, as if that water was splashing on themselves, drenching them to the bone.

How painful that must be.

Shen Fubai found it quite… refreshing.

The refreshing kind of fast.

It was just that his face hurt a bit; the wound was real, and getting water on it surely wouldn’t feel good.

He slowly opened his eyes, pausing for a moment, then lowered his gaze again.

He still had the same answer.

“I don’t know.” –

“Cut!” Director Xu’s command signaled the official end of the morning’s shooting.

Almost everyone sighed in relief.

Finally, it was over.

It was too torturous.

Not just for Shen Fubai, but watching such a beauty suffer was also distressing for them. The atmosphere on set was so oppressive that no one could laugh.

The crew hurriedly went up to untie Shen Fubai and release him from the torture rack. Fu Hengcheng wanted to go up and apologize, but someone beat him to it, walking in front of Shen Fubai.

Jiang Heng, who had been sitting and watching all morning, finally stood up.

Water still clung to the tip of Shen Fubai’s nose, his body damp, mixed with blood, looking quite disheveled.

“It’s over,” Shen Fubai flashed a relaxed smile. “I’ll go take a shower first. My body feels sticky and uncomfortable… hey.”

In full view of everyone, Jiang Heng gave him a hug.

Shen Fubai was taken aback, feeling a bit embarrassed. “What’s wrong… so many people are watching. I’m dirty, don’t let me get you dirty too.”

Between two grown men, a brotherly embrace wouldn’t invite too much speculation. Others simply assumed they had a good relationship, but they themselves knew the truth.

Jiang Heng didn’t let go, whispering, “…not dirty.”

Your dedicated acting was clean enough.

Shen Fubai said, “Then… let me go?”

Jiang Heng indeed released him, his expression no different from usual.

Shen Fubai took a shower, changed into fresh clothes, and came out looking refreshed.

As soon as he came out, Jiang Heng caught him and took him to the break room to apply medicine to his face.

Shen Fubai tilted his head, allowing Jiang Heng to apply the medicine, his mouth not stopping. “I’ll talk to the director this afternoon and have the scene where we clear up the misunderstanding also filmed today. I just checked, and there are really some marks on my body, no need to paint them on…”

Jiang Heng’s hand trembled slightly.

Shen Fubai let out a soft hiss.

Jiang Heng hurriedly softened his touch and blew gently on Shen Fubai’s face.

Shen Fubai said, “It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt anymore. By the way, which district are you in in ‘Wandering Guests of the Martial World’? What’s your ID?”

Jiang Heng suspiciously fell silent for a moment.

In the thirteenth district of ‘Wandering Guests of the Martial World’, the number one player in comprehensive combat power, the ID was — Fubai’s Number One Fan.

He flew freely on his microblog account and was even more carefree in the game.

“What district are you in?” Jiang Heng evaded the question. “I’ll create a new character and level up in your district.”

Shen Fubai replied, “Thirteenth district, my ID is 999 Cold Relief Granules. The number one player in our district has an ID that suggests they’re my fan, I wonder if they’re more powerful than yours. But in my heart, you’re definitely stronger.”

Jiang Heng responded, “…” How much money did 999 Cold Relief Granules pay you?

He had originally planned to spend 68 yuan to buy a name change card, but since they were in the same district and he was the number one player… changing his name would be akin to admitting he had nothing to hide.

Jiang Heng put the medicine bottle on the table and then said, “Take it off.”

The topic shifted too quickly, and Shen Fubai didn’t react. “Take what off?”

Jiang Heng glanced at him. “Peel off the skin.”

Shen Fubai responded, “…”

Alright, he had asked a stupid question.