As a daughter of the Xia family, Xia QingTian had enrolled in a horseback riding class during her summer break.
Riding was not difficult for her; she even had a little white horse gifted by Xia HongLang.
However, Xia QingTian didn't ride often because it was too troublesome. This little white horse was constantly boarded at a stable belonging to one of Xia HongLang's friends.
"QingTian, safety first in a moment," Cheng JinYun, who played Feng Cheng, had horseback riding experience and approached Xia QingTian first.
"It's not safe; there's a problem with the stirrup." Xia QingTian pointed to the clasp connecting the stirrup to Cheng JinYun, saying, "Most likely, it will fall off before I even get on the horse."
Xia QingTian deliberately exaggerated the issue.
The clasp was not securely fastened and would likely cause problems during the ride. However, it would probably only result in both of them falling off during filming.
"This!" Cheng JinYun's heart skipped a beat. As actors, they relied on their faces for their livelihood.
If he were to fall headfirst, not to mention the possibility of a concussion or cerebral hemorrhage, any damage to his face would ruin his future prospects.
With this thought, Cheng JinYun's expression instantly turned grave, and he immediately wanted to inform the director's team of the problem.
"It's fine." Xia QingTian raised her hand and re-fastened the stirrup's clasp, then adjusted the saddle. "It's fine now."
"Is it really fine?" Cheng JinYun asked uncertainly.
"It's really fine," Xia QingTian said with a smile, "Don't you want to know who tampered with the stirrup?"
Hearing Xia QingTian say this, Cheng JinYun calmed down instantly.
He was the male lead in this drama and had many scenes yet to film. Even if he reported the problem to the director and they switched horses, he didn't know how many other problems he might face later. It was better to find the culprit this time.
"Are you ready?" Wu HaiLong, the martial arts instructor on set, had been present throughout. He jogged over and said, "Let's try it first. If it doesn't work, we'll use multiple camera angles for a split shot. Don't be nervous, safety first."
"Okay, Teacher Wu," Cheng JinYun nodded at Wu HaiLong and then looked at Xia QingTian.
He had made up his mind.
Seeing this, Xia QingTian also smiled sweetly and nodded in acknowledgment.
Filming began. Cheng JinYun rode his horse towards Xia QingTian. After the camera smoothly moved into position, Cheng JinYun leaned down, took Xia QingTian's hand, and pulled her onto the horse. They then shared a passionate gaze. After the relevant cameras completed their circular shots, they moved on to the next scene of them galloping away.
Then came the director's shout, "Cut! Very good, next shot."
"Are you ready?" Xia QingTian asked in a low voice.
"What?" Cheng JinYun was still contemplating how to lure out the person who wanted to harm him when he heard Xia QingTian's abrupt question.
"Watch the people around you." After saying this, Xia QingTian pushed Cheng JinYun's chest, using the momentum to fall off the horse.
Fortunately, the horse had already stopped. Xia QingTian was also well-prepared. The fall was just a hard tumble, bruising her shoulder and knee.
Cheng JinYun was stunned. He hadn't expected Xia QingTian to be so bold as to use herself as bait, but he quickly reacted, his gaze accurately pinpointing the person responsible.
Seeing Xia QingTian fall, someone immediately rushed over and flusteredly helped her up.
Cheng JinYun also dismounted and joined the others in inquiring about Xia QingTian's condition.
"I'm fine, just stayed up late memorizing lines these past few days and didn't sleep well, so I was a bit distracted." Xia QingTian gave a dry smile to those around her, apologizing, "Sorry for worrying everyone."
Hearing Xia QingTian say this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"You rest for a while, and we'll film the next few scenes first." The director knew that new actors likely faced considerable pressure in such a crew.
Xia QingTian had done very well to reach this point.
Although she was a character who only appeared in flashbacks, she had quite a few scenes and a lot of dialogue.
"Okay, thank you, Director." Xia QingTian thanked him before looking at Cheng JinYun.
The latter nodded, indicating that he had indeed seen something.
Without further discussion, Xia QingTian was helped by a staff member to sit and rest.
The onlookers, seeing someone fall off a horse, also exclaimed, but as it seemed there was no serious injury, they continued their spectating and taking pictures.
Only a woman with a very short haircut curled her lips slightly, narrowing her eyes in Xia QingTian's direction.
Her fake fall was quite impressive.
She needed to observe further.
Just then, the woman's phone rang in her jacket pocket. She glanced at the caller ID before answering, "Sister, what's up?"
"Wen Jiu, can you be a little more reliable?" Wen Ning's voice came from the other end of the phone. "Didn't you promise to protect QingTian?"
"I didn't promise, I just said I would consider it." Wen Jiu's gaze remained fixed on Xia QingTian.
Even if she was her protection target, she had to first assess if the person was worth her protection.
As it stood, this Xia QingTian... was just so-so.
Wen Ning on the other end took a deep breath and patiently asked, "Then how much longer will you consider? Mr. Gu is still..."
"Bad signal, bye." Denying Wen Ning the chance to continue, Wen Jiu directly hung up the phone. As she was about to leave with her hands in her pockets, she heard someone nearby making a hushed phone call.
"Hello? Oh, oh! That little actor, we'll definitely handle it! Xia QingTian, right? Okay, okay, got it." Someone who looked like an extra was talking on the phone in a corner, "Tell President Yu not to worry."
Upon hearing the name "Xia QingTian," Wen Jiu's eyebrows slightly arched, and the corners of her mouth turned up in a subtle curve.
It wouldn't hurt to watch a little more.
Next was a chase scene, followed by Feng Cheng and Zarudo fighting for Princess Yingyue.
Princess Yingyue, after escaping the guards, would feign being held hostage by Feng Cheng, and they would flee the grassland.
This was also the last scene of the day.
When Princess Yingyue was cornered by the guards, some of the extras playing guards exchanged glances and moved closer to Xia QingTian.
This was a common occurrence on set.
Those female celebrities were all beautiful and noble, but they had all climbed into the beds of powerful men. What was wrong with them getting a feel for them? Who wasn't getting a thrill? Which woman in the entertainment industry was clean?
Normally, they would sneakily grope them at opportune moments. Today was different; today, they could get paid for it. How great was that!
This Xia QingTian looked like a new face, an unknown eighteen-line actress. Bullying her would be as easy as playing a game.
With this thought, their gazes fell upon Xia QingTian, their eyes becoming increasingly lecherous.