"Stop!"
Director Sun's voice thundered across the set. His face was dark with frustration. "How can such a simple shot go wrong? You're supposed to run, got it? Turn around and run! Not just stand there like an idiot!"
The actor playing Li Qi stood frozen, head bowed under the weight of the scolding, lips trembling but unable to utter a word.
He wanted to perform as directed. He really did.
But the moment Li Si appeared, something inside him snapped. It was like stepping out of a safe zone and into the wilderness, locking eyes with a predator that had already decided his fate. A lion—hungry, silent, and certain.
Director Sun finally stopped berating him with a few last muttered curses, and turned to Li Si. Instantly, his tone shifted—gentler now, even admiring.
"You did well. But I have one more request. The killer's ferocity is already perfect. Now I want to see his restraint. He shouldn't just be a wild beast—I want a hunter, cunning and calculating."
Li Si's eyes narrowed slightly. He nodded thoughtfully, taking in the note.
Seeing his reaction, Director Sun gave a satisfied wave to reset the scene. Lights were adjusted, the camera resumed its position, and the countdown began again.
Li Si returned to his hiding spot.
"Action!"
Ten seconds ticked by in silence before Li Si emerged.
And in that breath of a moment, his whole demeanor changed.
Gone was the rage, the bloodlust. What remained in his eyes was stillness—frozen black ice. The chaos hadn't disappeared; it had simply gone underground. You could only glimpse it in the flick of an eye, the twitch of a lip. The killer wasn't charging at you now. He was studying you.
"Perfect!" Director Sun clapped his hands. "It's right on point!"
But while Director Sun was smiling, the actor playing Li Qi had once again frozen in place, his face ashen. His knees buckled before he collapsed backward.
"Hey!" someone cried. "Did he… faint?"
Li Si rushed over with smooth precision, checking the actor's breathing before carefully bracing his head and calling out, "Ambulance!"
The set fell into eerie silence, crew members exchanging uneasy glances. Director Sun's brows furrowed in frustration, wondering if the actor had concealed a medical condition.
When the ambulance arrived and the medics ran their tests, the truth turned out to be even more bewildering.
"He fainted," the doctor said flatly, pulling off his gloves. "Likely due to fear. Loud noises, emotional distress—anything like that?"
A beat of silence followed.
Then, as if on cue, everyone slowly turned their eyes toward Li Si.
"What?" Li Si looked up, confused, flashing a harmless smile. "Did I do something wrong?"
"This guy's not normal…" someone muttered.
The prop master's eyes welled with tears. Finally, someone said it.
Even Director Sun began to feel a sliver of doubt worm into his admiration. But damn it—Li Si's performance was phenomenal.
And the killer he portrayed… was unforgettable.
With Li Qi's actor now carted away in an ambulance, Director Sun had to pivot.
"Alright!" he clapped his hands to refocus the crew. "That was a minor hiccup. The actor's fine. Let's move on!"
He turned to the assistant director. "What's next on the list?"
The assistant director scanned the clipboard, his brow furrowing.
"The next scene is the male lead's close encounter with the killer—he escapes, just barely."
Every head turned.
The male lead—a pop idol trying to rebrand himself from 'Prince of Love Songs' to serious actor—stood off to the side, pale as a ghost. His eyes darted toward the ambulance that had only just disappeared down the road.
"I… I'm fine," he managed to say, forcing a shaky smile under Director Sun's hawk-like stare.
"Action!"
He ran through the jungle, tall grass slicing at his arms, the wind screaming in his ears. But louder still was the imagined sound of it—something cold and merciless right behind him.
He stumbled, his foot plunging into a shallow pool. The freezing water bit at his legs. He gasped, breath hitching.
The jungle around him fell eerily silent.
Then—movement.
He turned.
"Stop!"
Director Sun's voice cracked through the air again.
Li Si trotted over immediately, kneeling beside the fallen idol and checked his breathing.
"Call an ambulance!" he shouted.
A beat of stunned silence.
Then a few younger assistants scrambled for their phones.
When the ambulance arrived—same medics, same procedures—the doctor didn't even look surprised this time.
"Another one?" he muttered, already snapping on gloves. After a moment, he gave his verdict with a sigh. "He's unconscious. Fainted. Again."
He looked up, eyes narrowing. "Are you guys filming a horror movie or committing actual crimes?"
Once again, all heads turned to Li Si.
"I swear I didn't do anything!" Li Si exclaimed, his tone a perfect blend of innocence and concern.
"Something's wrong with this guy."
"This is the second one."
"Totally not normal…"
Murmurs spread like wildfire. Even the crew members who had been silent before began inching away from Li Si. But they couldn't deny it—his performance was too real.
And now, with both key actors down, Director Sun was running out of options.
"Damn it," he growled. "We'll swap in tomorrow's scenes. All of them! Push the schedule up—we can't afford to wait."
The assistant director flipped through his notes, hesitating. "Tomorrow is the heroine's chase scene. She's the only one who gets away…"
The actress turned white as a sheet.
No one envied her. No one volunteered to take her place.
She stumbled toward the clearing, legs weak, every step like walking toward a guillotine. Just as she braced herself and closed her eyes—
A voice cut through the tension like a blade through silk.
"Director Sun, I don't think everyone is in the right state to film right now," said Li Si, calm and thoughtful. "Why don't we rest a bit?"
The heroine opened her eyes, staring at him like he was an angel in human form.
Director Sun tilted his head. "Rest? You have a better idea?"
Li Si nodded slowly.
"I think it's inexperience. They're not used to these intense emotions. But I have a solution."
Director Sun raised an eyebrow. "What kind of solution?"
Li Si's lips curled into a small, serene smile.
"Desensitization therapy."
---
To be Continued...