Chapter 83: A Dazzling Display of Skill

On the set, in the rest area.

The heavy physical exertion had drained all the strength from Lin Chuan’s body. He sat slumped in a chair, eyes tightly shut, hoping to recover some energy as quickly as possible.

Uncle Gao, worried, gently massaged his muscles and said, “Xiao Chuan, can you still hold on? Otherwise, I’ll go and talk to Director Abbott. Maybe we should stop filming for today?”

At these words, Lin Chuan slowly opened his eyes, forcing a faint smile. “It’s alright, Uncle Gao. I can still manage.”

Uncle Gao sighed and nodded firmly, saying no more.

Both men understood very well that this endorsement was of tremendous importance, not only for the company but also for Lin Chuan personally. For the company especially, leveraging the influence of the Cardi Corporation was a crucial opportunity to raise its profile.

With enough fame, Heaven and Earth Culture wouldn’t have to worry about attracting new talent—a vital matter for any agency on the lower rungs of the industry.

Lin Chuan understood this perfectly. Now that he had officially signed with Heaven and Earth Culture, he was determined to fulfill his responsibilities as part of the team. Though Director Abbott’s demands verged on unreasonable, he was not about to squander such an excellent opportunity unless absolutely necessary.

Their brief respite quickly came to an end. At the director’s call, all crew members returned to their positions, and Lin Chuan emerged from the rest area.

“Mr. Lin, we don’t have much time left,” Abbott said as he approached. “I hope you can seize this chance and strive for a single take… Also, let me remind you: when you run upstairs, you need to move like a true athlete. Your steps must be light, no sign of struggle, and most importantly, you cannot pause at any point. The camera will be tracking you the whole time…”

Before the take began, Abbott once again patiently explained the requirements.

Lin Chuan nodded, took a deep breath, and glanced up the staircase.

For the first time, he felt a sense of dread at the thought of climbing those stairs. Such a simple action had never seemed so daunting.

As soon as the director shouted “Action,” Lin Chuan spun and dashed into the stairwell, with the camera crew hot on his heels.

When he reached the first landing, a vivid image suddenly flashed through his mind. Instinctively, he pushed off the wall with one foot, leaping sideways across the turn.

The moment his feet touched the ground, he didn’t pause for even an instant. He pushed off the floor with both feet and continued sprinting upstairs.

The whole sequence flowed seamlessly, without any break in momentum. In the blink of an eye, he reached the fifth floor.

This time, Abbott, who was seated in front of the monitor, was stunned. He had never expected this Chinese youth’s movements to be so swift—he was a completely different person from before.

Based on previous takes, Lin Chuan’s speed would usually slow by the sixth floor and he would be visibly struggling by the seventh.

But this time was altogether different. Not only did Lin Chuan not slow down, he seemed even more explosive, as if filled with boundless energy.

By the time Lin Chuan reached the eighth floor in one breath, the set was silent. Even the ever-critical Director Abbott sat there, momentarily at a loss for words.

“Director, shall we… do another take?” Uncle Gao approached cautiously, lowering his voice. He had witnessed Lin Chuan’s performance from behind and, though amazed, did his best not to show it.

“Excellent! Mr. Lin, this one’s a pass!” Abbott stood and shouted into his microphone, his voice echoing up to Lin Chuan.

Hearing those words, Lin Chuan breathed a long sigh of relief—he had finally made it. Yet as he recalled what had just happened, his brow furrowed again.

Just as before, vivid images had appeared in his mind without warning. In the past, Lin Chuan had assumed this was simply a matter of becoming deeply immersed in the role, conjuring a sense of reality. But this time, it felt different—it was as if the images were instructing him on what to do next. Stranger still, when he followed the movements from those visions, they felt utterly natural, as if he had been born knowing them, his body moving in perfect harmony.

It was all far too uncanny, and he struggled to accept it.

When he came back down, Abbott was already organizing the crew to set up for the next scene. Lin Chuan, accompanied by Uncle Gao, returned to the rest area to wait.

Not far away, Jason and his superior stood beside their respective cars, watching everything unfold. Their faces bore entirely different expressions.

Jason had never intended for Lin Chuan to clear the first scene; he had been counting on using the failure as an excuse to launch a fierce counterattack.

Yet to his surprise, Abbott was already preparing the second scene. A sense of dread welled up inside him.

Miss Zhao, on the other hand, remained perfectly composed, as if Lin Chuan’s success had been well within her expectations.

She glanced at Jason with a smile. “Mr. Jason, it seems the next shoot will be even more interesting.”

“Zhao, nothing is decided until the end. I don’t believe that Chinese kid can complete the second scene… It’s impossible,” Jason replied, face dark.

Miss Zhao let out a soft laugh and shrugged. “Then let’s wait and see.”

Before long, the second set was ready.

It was an expansive open area, littered with all manner of random objects that created a labyrinth of seemingly impassable obstacles.

This was the second scene: traversing the obstacle course. Other crews, to avoid complications, might have kept the area clear, letting the actor simply leap and run through, with any needed effects added in post-production.

But Cardi Corporation’s team was different. They sought a sense of realism—the actor had to perform all the moves themselves.

Just as climbing the stairs earlier had not been mere director’s caprice, but a genuine demand for a certain standard.

Abbott was not the most famous director at Cardi, but he was among the most meticulous and dedicated. Even without Jason’s interference, winning his approval would be a formidable challenge.

Thanks to Lin Chuan’s flawless earlier performance, Abbott’s attitude had softened. He approached Lin Chuan and said politely, “Mr. Lin, as you can see, this scene is rather challenging. You’ll need to fully utilize your explosiveness and agility to cross to the far side of the obstacle zone.”

“Director Abbott, do you mean to make it across in one go?” Lin Chuan asked, frowning instinctively.

Abbott smiled. “Yes, all in one go. If you can maintain the same standard as before, I don’t think it will be too difficult for you.”

Lin Chuan laughed, but it was a helpless laugh. His earlier success had been pure luck; had those images not appeared in his mind, he might have had to repeat the scene countless times.

This time, however, he was far less certain, unsure if those strange visions would return to help him.

Abbott offered a few more instructions before leaving. Uncle Gao came over to offer words of encouragement as well.

Soon, the second scene began. All the crew gathered at the edges of the set, eyes fixed on this man with yellow skin, wondering if he might bring them another surprise.

Lin Chuan took a deep breath and stepped back to give himself a running start.

The nearest obstacle was a rectangular stone platform, about two meters long and a little over a meter high. Simply running across it would be easy, but Abbott had insisted he use some sort of technique to clear the first obstacle.

This left Lin Chuan at a loss. He was no athlete, had never mastered any fancy techniques, and certainly didn’t know any parkour moves.

As he struggled with these thoughts, images suddenly flashed through his mind—memories of parkour videos he’d watched in a previous life. He had been fascinated by the sport back then, even considered trying it himself.

But he’d failed—he lacked talent, and never dared to attempt such bold moves. Yet now, as those images filled his mind, his body felt as if it brimmed with power.

With everyone watching, Lin Chuan sprang into action.

At first, his pace was relaxed, a casual jog. Then, suddenly, he accelerated, moving faster and faster.

As he neared the stone platform, he pushed off the ground with both feet, leaping into the air. Halfway across the platform, his body began to drop.

A chorus of gasps broke out—some worried he might crash painfully onto the stone if he fell short. Others, like Jason not far away, were secretly gloating. He had assumed Lin Chuan was trying to clear the platform in a single leap, only to fall short—what a perfect chance to embarrass the brash young man, if not injure him outright.

But as Jason congratulated himself, something astonishing happened. Lin Chuan pressed both palms onto the surface of the platform, his arms bursting with strength, and, without letting his body drop, vaulted cleanly to the other side.

Just as he was about to clear the platform, he pushed off powerfully with his back foot, shooting forward like lightning.

“Wow!”

“Incredible! How did he do that?”

“My God, is he from another planet?”

“I can’t believe my eyes, that young man is amazing!”

For a moment, the foreigners chattered away, their faces full of shock and awe.

But just then, an even more astonishing scene unfolded before them.