Tao Mu's martial arts skills have basically gained a good reputation after this period of publicity. In order to test Tao Mu's upper limit, Cheng Baodong and Wang Boyuan not only asked Tao Mu to perform a set of sword moves according to the guidance of the martial arts instructor during the audition, but also let Tao Mu perform freely and perform several sets of martial arts moves mainly based on fans.

Because the main weapons of the male protagonist played by Wang Boyuan in the movie are a sword and a fan.

Fortunately, Tao Mu had learned the "Eighteen Martial Arts" (Tai Chi, Tai Chi Fan, Whip Snap, etc.) when he accompanied Old Song for morning exercises in his previous life. Otherwise, he would not have been able to cope with Cheng Baodong's endless performance requirements.

After the audition, Wang Boyuan, who was sitting next to Director Cheng, gave applause generously in front of everyone in the crew, and before Cheng Baodong announced the audition results, he couldn't wait to canvass for Tao Mu: "I think our junior brother's performance was great. What do you think, Director Cheng?"

Cheng Baodong and Wang Boyuan both graduated from Beijing Film Academy. One of them is from the class of 1998 and the other from the class of 2001. One studied directing and the other studied acting. When Cheng Baodong was studying for his master's degree at school, Wang Boyuan was studying for his undergraduate degree. The two were a pair of partners who worked well together in school. Basically, in any stage play directed by Cheng Baodong, Wang Boyuan is chosen as the male lead. This tacit understanding continued until the two graduated. Cheng Baodong made a name for himself in the domestic director circle, and Wang Boyuan also squeezed into the top second-tier actor with the company's support. He then became Cheng Baodong's favorite leading man. Later, under the training of Cheng Baodong, he was fortunate to win the Golden Crow Award for Best Actor. Now he is also a big movie star.

With such a bad fate in mind, there is no need to say more about the friendship between the two. According to gossip paparazzi, the two live next to each other in Beijing. When the two male owners are filming outside, the female owners will even go shopping and walk the dog together.

So Wang Boyuan asked Cheng Baodong to stay before he could express his opinion. Cheng Baodong did not feel that his authority as a director was offended. He just glanced at his old partner with a half-smile, then looked at Tao Mu solemnly: "Your performance is good. I remember you once said that you wanted to concentrate on studying after school and not take on acting jobs. For this reason, you also declined several signing invitations from brokerage companies. Some of them are old and large companies. Is this true?"

Tao Mu was slightly stunned. Unexpectedly, the first question Cheng Baodong asked him had nothing to do with this audition. But he still nodded sincerely: "Yes."

Hearing Tao Mu's answer, Cheng Baodong sneered: "It's the end of July now. The registration time for new students of Beijing Film Academy this year is August 26th. The filming period of "Jianghu Zhiyuan" is half a year. If you pass the audition, you will have to stay in the crew for at least two months. How do you plan to arrange this time?"

Tao Mu was certain that Cheng Baodong was not only hostile to him, but also prejudiced against him.

Wang Boyuan frowned, and before Tao Mu could speak, he helped to solve the problem: "What's the problem? At most, I can just report and not participate in the military training. Anyway, there are no classes during the military training. Lao Cheng, don't be so serious. What if you scare the children?"

But if he really did what Wang Boyuan said, it would go against what Tao Mu had said to the agency before, that he didn't want to violate school rules during college and just wanted to study hard. In this way, in Cheng Baodong's mind, Tao Mu has undoubtedly become a villain who says one thing and does another!

Although he didn't know why Cheng Baodong had such a strong aversion to him, Tao Mu still calmly accepted the challenge: "If it's just to complete the martial arts filming, twenty days will be enough."

"Oh!" Cheng Baodong looked at Tao Mu: "Are you confident?"

Tao Mu's answer was very straightforward: "I have more than just confidence."

Cheng Baodong couldn't help being silent when he recalled that Tao Mu had absorbed the movements taught by the martial arts instructor in just over half an hour before the audition, and that he performed with such perfect performance in front of the camera. Then he continued to embarrass her, "But why do you think my crew will arrange the show schedule according to your schedule?"

"Jianghu Zhiyuan" is full of big names. Not to mention the male and female protagonists, even the supporting roles are veteran actors with great influence in the circle. Tao Mu is a newcomer, and he can't let so many teachers coordinate his schedule.

Facing Cheng Baodong's firm words, Tao Mu was also a little confused: "...Doesn't the male lead only have one fight scene?"

"Jianghu Zhiyuan" tells the story of Feng Jiuqing, the head of Qiwu Pavilion who likes to pretend to be a weak scholar, who meets a princess in disguise while traveling in the world. A series of interesting things happened when the two traveled together. It is a costume comedy in which the princess is abducted by the Khan of the grassland when they fall in love with each other. Feng Jiuqing goes into the enemy camp alone to rescue the princess. Finally, the two get married under the witness of the emperor.

Due to plot limitations, the heroine will have a lot of fighting scenes in the early stages of filming, while the hero, played by Wang Boyuan, plays the role of think tank and comedian throughout, with only one formal fighting scene at the end of the film. In addition, there are some details that need to be revealed to the audience that the male protagonist knows kung fu. All these actions don't take long. Tao Mu calculated that it would take about 20 days, which was enough to take into account Cheng Baodong's love for meticulous work when filming movies.

Cheng Baodong suddenly realized: That’s true. Oh, that's not right——

Cheng Baodong raised his eyebrows and looked at Tao Mu: "How do you know the plot? Have you read the script?"

Tao Mu: "..." Can I say that I have seen a movie in my previous life?

Obviously not. Tao Mu remained calm: "Before coming to the audition, Brother Gou briefly told me the plot outline. He said the male lead doesn't have many fighting scenes."

Gou Rixin is also one of the stunt doubles in the crew. He followed the crew for more than a month, and even though he hadn't read the script, he still knew some of the plot. Moreover, Gou Rixin did mention some aspects of the plot to Tao Mu before the audition. Even if Cheng Baodong asked Gou Rixin to verify, Tao Mu was not afraid.

Cheng Baodong explained his doubts and continued to embarrass Tao Mu: "But what if I drag your role to the back?"

"That's Director Cheng's problem." Tao Mu was being made difficult for no reason and was a little impatient: "I came to the audition just to let you know that I am capable of doing this job." As for the issue of shooting time, as long as Cheng Baodong didn't deliberately make things difficult for him, there would be absolutely no problem in finishing it within 20 days. Otherwise, Tao Mu would not have rashly participated in the audition.

Cheng Baodong stared at Tao Mu for a while, then suddenly laughed: "This is quite interesting. You were so smooth in "The Legend of Heroes". I thought you had no temper at such a young age!"

Tao Mu explained patiently: "It's not that I don't have a temper. It's just that there's no need to lose your temper."

Cheng Baodong sneered: "Then show me how angry you are!"

Tao Mu: "..." I'm so tired, I don't want to make friends anymore!

Wang Boyuan smiled and said, "It's good for young people to have a good temper. By the way, have we settled the audition?"

Cheng Baodong snorted: "I'll choose a stunt double for you. If you think he's good enough, it's fine."

Wang Boyuan looked at Tao Mu with a smile: "Old Cheng is like this. You will know him after getting along with him for a long time. Don't be afraid."

Tao Mu nodded obediently: "Thank you, Teacher Wang. Thank you, Director Cheng."

At that time, there was no custom of calling everyone "teacher" as it does in later generations. Wang Boyuan had been in the entertainment industry for many years and had been called "Old Wang next door", "Brother Wang", "Boyuan" and "Brother Yuan". He was not used to being called "teacher" so solemnly. Hearing Tao Mu's shout, he rubbed his arms subconsciously and said with a smile: "Don't call me so formally. We are all from Beijing Film Academy, just call me Senior Brother."

Tao Mu followed suit: "Brother."

Cheng Baodong snorted and signaled the staff to take Tao Mu to sign the contract.

The others also took their positions and started setting up the scenery and lighting.

The heroine Guo Yaning, who had been watching coldly, came over from the lounge chair, raised her eyebrows and asked with a smile: "How did this child provoke you to get so angry?"

A bunch of veteran actors who were watching the show came over to ask, "I think this young man is okay! He has good kung fu, a good temper, is steady, and very polite. Why do you dislike him?"

Cheng Baodong took a few gulps from his thermos cup filled with wolfberries and dates, and suddenly said, "It's not that I don't like him, it's that what Zhao Xin did was not right!"

How does this involve Zhao Xin again?

The crowd of big names were listening in confusion when they saw Wang Boyuan smiling and smoothing over his old partner: "Director Zhao also wanted to do this for the movie, there was nothing he could do."

Cheng Baodong snorted: "That's too bullying." He kicked someone out for capital, but still kept remembering his moves, and finally spent money to buy out the rights to shoot videos, turning the person from a role into a stunt double. What a trick. It's simply shameless.

A group of big names suddenly realized. If so, it was quite unkind of a thing to do. How can you bully others like this?

"Right! Even if the child is an orphan, you can't bully him like this! Besides, Old Chen has guaranteed the child. Even if he doesn't want to take care of the child, he has to consider Chen Yiqian's face, right?" Cheng Baodong became more and more angry as he thought about it. Suddenly, he said angrily, "This kid surnamed Tao is spineless. He didn't say a word when he was bullied like this. He even offered to pay money in exchange for the video. He is profit-driven, has no integrity, and is too cowardly. He doesn't have the temper of the men in Beijing at all."

Although Chen Yiqian was not from Beijing, he was not a graduate of a formal academic school. But he lives in the same community with Cheng Baodong, Wang Boyuan and others. We are old neighbors. Moreover, Chen Yiqian is as his name suggests, his temperament is as humble and helpful as his name, and he is also well-known in the circle for his good temper. Cheng Baodong was humiliated by Zhao Xin for no reason this time. He was angry at Zhao Xin for not caring about human feelings. He was also angry at Tao Mu for being too busy and lacking integrity. He also wanted to stand up for his old neighbor.

What Cheng Baodong disagreed with the most was that after Chen Yiqian knew that Tao Mu was going to audition for "Jianghu Zhiyuan", he specially called him and tried his best to recommend Tao Mu. It seemed that he was still feeling guilty about Tao Mu being kicked out of "The Legend of Heroes".

Cheng Baodong was puzzled. It was obvious that Zhao Xin and Tao Mu were the ones who were willing to fight and be beaten. What did Chen Yiqian have to feel guilty about? !

"That's not necessary." A group of big names tried to persuade Cheng Baodong. It's not worth getting angry about other people's affairs.

Wang Boyuan knew that his old friend had a sharp tongue but a soft heart, but he understood Tao Mu's approach.

To put it bluntly, the reason why Zhao Xin could do such a thing was that he didn't take Tao Mu seriously from the bottom of his heart. I guess in Zhao Xin's eyes, a little martial arts stand-in like Tao Mu who has no fame and influence should be allowed to be manipulated by them. When you need them, they work hard without complaint, but when you don't need them, you can get rid of them for just a few tens of thousands of dollars.

If Tao Mu had known better, Zhao Xin could have been more polite and said a few nice words so that they could part ways in peace. If I have the mood and opportunity in the future, maybe I can help you. If Tao Mu doesn't know what's best for him, it won't bother him at all. Anyway, if Tao Mu leaves an impression of being an ignorant and troublesome person in the industry, it will still affect him.

Actors, especially those who have not yet made a name for themselves, certainly cannot have as much personality as directors. Wang Boyuan himself had been through this, so he understood Tao Mu's approach. As for the fact that Tao Mu could do this at such a young age, it can only be said that children from poor families grow up early.

Guo Yaning, who had been silent, sneered, "Old Cheng, you've almost done it. I know that Director Cheng is very capable and has a bad temper, and he's very proud. But he's just a kid who just graduated from high school, and he's really unlucky enough to get into this. What can he do? If he doesn't swallow his anger and take more compensation, is he really going to make it so embarrassing for everyone?"

To put it another way, even if Tao Mu made a scene at that time, could the situation have turned around? Or does it mean that Chen Yiqian has gained face?

Think about it from another angle. Cheng Baodong scolded Zhao Xin for going too far, but aren't his current actions just taking advantage of Tao Mu's lack of background and confidence to vent his anger on other people's children?

After being criticized by Guo Yaning, Cheng Baodong became annoyed and kept silent.

——Just as Tao Mu expected, the fact that he was an orphan was a powerful weapon at certain times. People admire the strong and pity the weak, and Tao Mu happens to be both. Whenever he encounters some unfair things, there may be people who stand by and watch or even gloat over his misfortune, but there are also kind-hearted people like Chen Yiqian, Wang Boyuan and Cheng Baodong who feel it is unfair for him. Of course, all these righteous words must be based on Tao Mu's own strength.

If he were replaced by someone who is a hopeless case, who would still feel sorry for him?

Without further ado. The news that Tao Mu got a new job the day after he was kicked out of "Heroes of Legends" and was the substitute for the male lead in "Far Away", a martial arts movie with many big names, quickly spread throughout H Town at the fastest speed.

Tao Mu's phone rang again. Congratulations and phone calls and text messages kept coming in. But this time, no one asked Tao Mu to treat them - Tao Mu really didn't have time.

As soon as he signed the contract, he contacted the insurance company and consulted comprehensively about all the terms and conditions related to the accident insurance that the martial arts actors wanted to participate in. After some selection, he made an appointment with Gou Rixin at an insurance company before getting off work and bought him an accident insurance policy worth one million.

Gou Rixin didn't want it at first. He felt that he just made a phone call for Tao Mu and shouldn't have asked for such a generous gift. It's a pity that there is nothing Tao Mu can't do, except for things related to the surname Chen.

The dispute ended with Gou Rixin holding a million-dollar insurance contract in his arms and dragging Tao Mu to the hot pot restaurant where they had eaten last time to celebrate. Da Mao, Xiao Pang, Gou Rixin's martial arts brothers, and Yu Mei who had just returned from other places were all called over.

At the dinner table, Gou Rixin, who was a little drunk, probably because he was too excited, held a wine glass in his hand and drunkenly revealed a piece of news: "...I might become an actor!"

As soon as these words were uttered, the whole table suddenly fell silent. Immediately there was a burst of laughter.

"Yes, yes, yes, our Brother Gou will become a big star soon. Come on, Brother Gou, let's meet each other. Remember to keep in mind your friendship when you become rich and powerful!" No one, including Gou Rixin's martial arts brothers, took these words seriously. After all, Gou Rixin has always been a person who talks a lot when he is drunk.

But this time it seems a little different.

"I'm not bragging this time!" Gou Rixin burped and waved his bear paw drunkenly, "He's the director from Xiangcheng who's particularly good at shooting gunfight movies. He's the one who shot "Peace Dove" before. I used to be the stunt double for the male lead in his crew. Do you still remember him?"

Tao Mu was not very familiar with Gou Rixin, so he didn't know. However, the martial arts brothers who had been hanging out with Gou Rixin for many years all had the same impression: "It seems like what you are talking about happened two years ago, right?"

"Yes, that time." Gou Rixin slapped the table and said, "After the filming, Director Bai said that I had good qualifications and would look for me to work with him if there was a chance. I thought he was just being polite. I didn't expect that he actually called me yesterday and asked me to audition for a role."

Gou Rixin said, stretching out two fingers and dangling them in front of his chest to make a number two: "And he's the second male lead!"

As Gou Rixin spoke, he pounded his chest with a "bang bang bang" sound, and said with a very proud and sad smile: "Your brother Gou has made it this time."

"No way?"

“Is this true or false?”

"Oh my god, is it possible that our dog brother is really going to be rich?"

"Don't worry, everyone. Even if your brother Gou really becomes rich, he will definitely keep our friends in mind!" Gou Rixin said as he raised his glass.

A large group of people started to make a noise, some were drinking, some were joking. Only Yu Mei was skeptical: "Could it be that you were drunk and talking in your sleep again? If this is true, why haven't I heard you mention it at all?"

Gou Rixin came over with a shy smile: "I didn't have time to tell you. You got angry with me as soon as you got home..."

Yu Mei snorted coldly and pushed Gou Rixin away unhappily: "Am I the one who lost my temper? It's obviously you who is suspicious——"

"What do you mean I'm suspicious? If you and the assistant director weren't being affectionate and flirtatious downstairs in our house—"

"What do you mean by being so affectionate? He sent me downstairs in the middle of the night, how could I not say a few polite words? Don't you think about it, if I really had something going on with him, would I have come right under your nose?"

Yu Mei glared at him and Gou Rixin immediately became timid. He took Yu Mei's hand that was holding a thin cigarette and said with a smile, "Okay, okay, okay, I was wrong. Let's not talk about it anymore and just let it go."

After a pause, he smiled shamelessly and said, "You always think I'm useless. After I act in this drama, I think I can make a name for myself in the circle."

Yu Mei sneered, "Don't talk too early. I don't think Director Bai will hire you."

Gou Rixin chuckled and said, "We'll talk about whether to use it or not later. What I mean is, if I really become famous this time, you should stop thinking about filming. Just stay at home and live a good life in the future. I will make money outside and you can enjoy yourself at home—"

Yu Mei's face changed. "Who wants to be a shrew at home? Gou. I've told you so many times. I, Yu Mei, came to H Town to make a name for myself. I don't want to rely on men for a living, nor am I a woman who can't live without men. I also have my career and my job. Don't always take the initiative to arrange my life. Just take care of yourself. You don't have to worry about my business!"

Gou Rixin's face also changed: "I don't care? How can I not care! You are my wife, you want me to watch you go out every day to accompany drinking and smile for a small role with only a few lines? I tell you I can't do it. I'm saying this today. If you can live a peaceful life, we will get married. I, Gou Rixin, am definitely not a scumbag who abandons his wife when he becomes rich. If you can't settle down, and you still stick to those group leaders and deputy directors in your phone every day, we should break up as soon as possible, and I won't delay you-"

Yu Mei's face fell immediately: "Gou Rixin, what do you mean? Oh, you are so capable! You are not even famous yet, but you are already thinking about changing your wife. Okay, it's just a breakup. Do you really think that I, Yu Mei, can't find a better man after leaving you——"

"Hey, hey, hey, stop it! Stop it! Can we stop quarreling on such a happy day?" Seeing that the couple was about to fight, Gou Rixin's martial arts brothers hurriedly tried to persuade them: "Sister-in-law, don't argue with Brother Gou. He is drunk. Brother Gou will talk a lot when he is drunk. Besides, he is doing this for your own good--"

"What do you mean it's for my own good..." Yu Mei refused to give in and wanted to say something else. The martial arts brothers immediately changed the subject: "Sister-in-law, eat some vegetables, eat some vegetables!"

"Sister-in-law drinks..."

"Don't try this on me." Yu Mei angrily pushed the wine glass away, turned her head and asked Tao Mu: "Tao Mu, tell me, is this my fault?"

Why bring the war to me?

Tao Mu looked at the ceiling innocently and made a prompt decision: "... Brother Gou is drunk. You can't be angry with a drunkard, right? I think Brother Gou still cares about you. I bought insurance for Brother Gou today, and Brother Gou wrote you as the beneficiary. One million!"

"What?" Yu Mei really didn't know about this. She was stunned for a moment, then stretched out her hand to Tao Mu: "Where's the contract? Let me see it."

Tao Mu pointed at Gou Rixin's bag. Yu Mei immediately pulled her over and started searching her bag.

Taking this opportunity, Gou Rixin's martial arts brothers couldn't wait to change the subject: "...By the way, Gou Ge, since Director Bai called you, are you going to Xiangcheng for the audition this time?"

"No need!" Gou Rixin shook his head, his tongue a little slurred from being drunk: "Director Bai is coming to H Town to shoot exterior scenes. He told me to wait for the crew to arrive and audition directly in H Town."

"That's good, no need to bother." Daluo, who had acted opposite Tao Mu before, laughed.

With the one million insurance contract as a backup and these people's jokes, Yu Mei couldn't continue to get angry. Just sitting there drinking and texting.

By the time the dinner was over, Gou Rixin had already been drunk. Yu Mei ignored him and just picked up her bag and left. It was Tao Mu and his gang of martial arts brothers who sent Gou Rixin home.

It was already past one in the middle of the night when I came out of Gou Rixin's house. Tao Mu took Da Mao and Xiao Pang back to the rental house. After washing up, he watched the rise and fall of M shares and international futures for a while before going to bed.

The next morning, Tao Mu officially joined the crew of "Jiang Hu Zhi Yuan".

This time, Cheng Baodong didn't embarrass Tao Mu anymore. It was just that during the breaks in filming, Tao Mu was often called behind the monitor to let him observe Wang Boyuan's shots carefully, and he taught Tao Mu sarcastically: "Don't think about scheming around when you are young. Instead of trying to do everything, it is better to focus on acting. In the final analysis, an actor's acting skills are still important." This is the truth, but the reality may not be so. However, Cheng Baodong's willingness to say this meant that if Tao Mu's acting skills were up to par, he would definitely be willing to give Tao Mu a chance.

After all, Tao Mu is from Yanjing and a student of Beijing Film Academy, so he was born to be in their circle.

Tao Mu felt that Director Cheng was a good person except that he spoke harshly. At least it was easier to talk to than he thought - after all, in Tao Mu's plan, he might need more time to impress Cheng Baodong. Even before impressing Cheng Baodong, he had to spend more energy to dispel Director Cheng's prejudice against him.

But no one expected that Cheng Baodong would complete the mental journey of prejudice - facing it - supporting - being arrogant in just one day. The attitude changed so quickly that Tao Mu almost didn't react.

Tao Mu has always been a person of the character of "I respect others by one foot if they respect me by one foot". He came to be Wang Boyuan's stand-in, with the intention of making friends with Cheng Baodong and Wang Boyuan. Now that Cheng Baodong is willing to give him a chance, Tao Mu will naturally try his best to perform.

As a genuine actor of the best actor level, and with Cheng Baodong not afraid of the time and effort and spare no effort in meticulous carving, Tao Mu's efforts were like a stupid chicken and hazel mushroom meeting a firewood iron pot, which was unstoppable. Cheng Baodong and Wang Boyuan were also surprised to find that this young man who had not really learned acting was not much inferior to Wang Boyuan in terms of expressiveness in front of the camera. Even more exquisite in some aspects——

This is really amazing!

Cheng Baodong looked at Tao Mu who was constantly performing martial arts moves on the monitor, and always felt that some of Tao Mu's expressions and behaviors looked very familiar.

"What do you think?" Cheng Baodong turned around and asked Wang Boyuan.

The tall and strong Wang Boyuan leaned on the back of Cheng Baodong's director's chair, resting his arms on the back of the chair and scratching his chin with his hand: "I think he looks a little familiar."

The old partners frowned and pondered for a long time, and suddenly an idea flashed in their mind, and they said in unison: "Like Yan Sheng!"