Chapter 780: Zhou Zhiyi! The First Pioneer Against Metaphysics!
"Cut!"
This scene ended smoothly.
Zhuang Hongyi looked at the monitor with a serious expression and nodded toward Xiao He: "This segment is OK."
"Okay."
Xiao He breathed a sigh of relief, and the cat he was holding seemed to know that this "torture" had finally ended. It looked up and let out a cry, then turned its rear toward him, frantically kicking Xiao He's chin with its feet to jump out of his arms without hesitation. It landed steadily and hissed at Xiao He, looking very angry and disgusted.
The black cat stared at Xiao He with its mysterious, nearly golden eyes, meowing as if it were cursing him. It only stopped when its owner ran over to feed it some dried fish.
The others were also very worried. Xiao Chen ran over to check Xiao He's face: "Brother Xiao, it didn't scratch your face, did it?"
"I'm fine, I just got kicked."
Xiao He said, somewhat caught between laughter and tears.
The pet's owner also hurriedly apologized to Xiao He: "Sorry, Brother Xiao. I don't know what's wrong; my cat master might have a bit of a bad temper lately."
Looking at the black cat allowing itself to be handled freely by its owner, Xiao He sighed and touched his forehead helplessly: "It's fine. Perhaps I really just don't please it."
A cat of such a special breed and appearance was quite rare in all of Hong Kong, so the Film Crew had a hard time getting in touch with this little actor.
But no one expected that after arriving on set, this cat, which was usually very friendly, would be so resistant to Xiao He's touch.
However, the filming task had to proceed, and this plot point had to be shot.
So, after earning two claw marks, Xiao He finally caught the cat and finished filming the scene.
Fortunately, the original plot was for Zhou Zhiyi to hold the cat by the scruff of its neck to make it stay obediently in his hands, so the actual filming was relatively easy for Xiao He.
Xiao He had originally worried that filming this way would cause the cat to become stressed. To his surprise, once they entered the scene and official filming began, the cat was exceptionally cooperative. It only cursed at Xiao He in cat language after they finished—to the extent that even if Xiao He couldn't understand cat language, he could guess the other party was insulting him.
This left Xiao He quite heartbroken.
"As I thought, I still prefer dogs."
Xiao He sighed.
If not for his busy work as an actor, he might have considered raising a pet.
But looking at it now, keeping a pet is still so much trouble...
"Black cats are spiritual; perhaps it just doesn't like the aura on you." An old man walked over, stroking his beard as he spoke, looking at Xiao He thoughtfully.
This was the actor who just played the "fake master" in the scene; he was from Hong Kong.
His true identity actually was a master, but compared to the formal members of the Celestial Master Association, he belonged to the unnamed, unorthodox path.
Originally, it was simply because his looks and temperament were very "persuasive" that he became a specialist in playing "masters." He had spent years drifting through different Film Crews, playing everything from mysterious old beggars to temple-sweeping monks, as well as roles like the true and fake Celestial Masters here.
As he kept acting, he gradually learned about Feng Shui and metaphysics. Thus, he evolved from "acting as a Celestial Master" into a "half-baked Celestial Master" with a bit of actual insight. Besides taking acting jobs, he also set up a fortune-telling stall in the old district to help with divinations.
This time, the Film Crew naturally favored his appearance and invited him to play the "fake master" at the beginning.
After all, this old man's looks were truly persuasive, and the Celestial Master Association would never give them a "real" one to play a "fake" one—wouldn't that be slandering their own people?
But this half-empty vessel truly makes the most noise sometimes.
For example, now—
"Black cats are spiritual; perhaps there is something unusual about Teacher Xiao He. Please be careful yourself, Teacher Xiao He. Cultivate your character, harmonize your energy, and settle your spirit."
Hearing the amateur master's words, Xiao He's lips twitched, and Xiao Chen retorted somewhat angrily: "What do you mean by that?"
Because the script "Mang" had some metaphysical elements, and Hong Kong itself had a certain cultural atmosphere, saying such things in front of everyone on set was actually very impolite.
It was as if he were implying something, suggesting Xiao He was "unclean."
"I didn't mean anything else." The amateur hadn't expected the young man from the mainland to have such a sharp temper, showing no respect for his elders by questioning him so directly. Facing the gazes of the people around him, he immediately waved his hands and gave a sheepish smile, "I was just speaking casually, just speaking casually."
"Hehe."
Xiao Chen was speechless.
If it were someone with real ability, he wouldn't say anything, but what was there for this half-baked old man to show off?
He was just flaunting his seniority and acting all mysterious.
Thinking their Brother Xiao is young, right?
Well, sorry, but this generation of young people doesn't buy that act.
Xiao He wasn't angry; he merely glanced sideways at the amateur master, then chuckled and said: "A black cat avoiding someone is mostly because it dislikes the murky, turbid energy around them or because its fate and aura are incompatible with someone present; it's not due to any single absolute factor. The true way of observing energy and reading people is never to use a cat for reckless speculation or to arrogantly judge someone's character based on appearances."
"Old gentleman, please don't cause such misunderstandings next time. In a place of turbid energy, making reckless criticisms might invite nightmares of gossip."
Once he finished speaking, Xiao He finally turned his head and looked straight at the other man with a sharp gaze.
At that moment, the amateur master was finally left speechless.
No matter how glib-tongued he was, facing the young man's cold eyes, all his struggles seemed like a ridiculous performance with his inner thoughts seen through.
Especially at this time, someone nearby cheered loudly: "Well said!"
Everyone turned to look and found a chubby middle-aged man wearing a large tank top, fanning himself every now and then.
After recognizing who it was, Xiao He was very startled: "President Mao? Why are you here?"
And the amateur master, recognizing who it was, turned pale and then flushed with embarrassment.
"To read a face, to read a person, to read a heart—the prerequisite is to first cultivate oneself."
He was clearly a smiling, Maitreya-like figure, but the words he spoke were equally stern. Though his gaze was gentle, it made the amateur turn bloodless.
"S-sorry, I was judging others by my own standards."
The amateur didn't dare speak again, fearing he would be targeted by this orthodox association president and have his future livelihood cut off. He didn't dare look at Xiao He again and left in a great hurry.
Fortunately, his filming work was already finished. The originally lively film set did not become quiet because of his departure; everyone continued with their own tasks, and no one paid any attention to the man who left.
Instead, Xiao He quickly walked up to President Mao and greeted him: "President Mao, why are you here today? Are you looking for Director Zhuang?"
"Haha, don't mind me. I just came here to take a casual look around."
President Mao waved his hand, signaling Xiao He to go about his business. "Don't let me affect your work. I just came here to enjoy some peace and quiet. You don't need to worry about me, and don't call Director Zhuang and the others over, lest they disturb my peace."
Xiao He immediately burst into laughter.
However, Director Zhuang had indeed been very busy lately. The Film Crew was a mixed bag of people, and even with Zhuang Hongyi personally overseeing things, there were many matters he couldn't finish handling.
Fortunately, this was already the third collaboration between Xiao He and Zhuang Hongyi. Regardless of how many problems there were outside of filming, their cooperation during the process was very seamless.
And the character Xiao He portrayed was also spot on—
Zhou Zhiyi, a disciple from an orthodox metaphysical sect, actually turned to the dark side because he had no competitiveness in the job market and couldn't win against the "old men" for fake master jobs. He made a decision that "betrayed his sect"—he would use scientific counter-measures to start a clash between science and metaphysics, exposing the true faces of those fake frauds. He would package himself with science, allowing his version to replace the frauds' metaphysics and become the new authority!
Don't think it's strange; because of cultural influences, Hong Kong people of that era not only believed strongly in Eastern metaphysics but also in Western science. On one hand, they felt guilty and feared karmic retribution, constantly praying to gods and Buddha for comfort. On the other hand, they praised the idea that "the West is advanced and science is omnipotent," regarding the West as a pure land. They mindlessly praised Western technology and even blindly believed many outrageous rumors coming from the West, following and admiring them blindly.
People of that era seemed superstitious yet not, scientific yet not.
From a fundamental perspective, it was actually a conceptual rift between the new and old generations.
The older generation believed in metaphysics, and that part of the market had already been occupied by others.
So Zhou Zhiyi stepped forward to use more "fashionable" science to earn money from young people, white-collar workers, and the middle class!