Chapter 100.1: Filming Ends
Shen Xiu swallowed and weakly asked, “Director Shi, what are we filming?”
“Boxing.”
Hearing that word, Shen Xiu visibly relaxed a little.
Boxing wasn’t comfortable with too many clothes on—it felt restrictive. Most of the trainees Shen Xiu used to coach at the boxing gym preferred to wear just knee-length shorts during practice.
In Shen Xiu’s mind, that was perfectly logical. He wouldn’t walk out of the bathroom naked, wandering around or standing in front of the fridge drinking water, but he might wear just a pair of shorts and practice boxing shirtless.
The system wasn’t at all surprised by Shen Xiu’s way of thinking.
After Shi Buwen finished speaking, he seemed to remember something. “Do you know how to box? Don’t worry, you don’t need to be professional—just hit the punching bag a bit, no need to spar with anyone.”
Shi Buwen raised a hand and pointed toward the filming area outside. “There, that punching bag.”
It wasn’t uncommon to shoot boxing scenes in a professional studio, so naturally there was a punching bag available.
Shen Xiu followed Shi Buwen’s gaze and looked at the punching bag outside, silently thankful that he had learned a wide range of skills during his part-time jobs. He wasn’t sure how skilled he really was, but at least his boss had trusted him to teach others.
Shen Xiu nodded. “Yes, I can.”
“Tch.”
Shi Buwen clicked his tongue in amazement.
He really wanted to ask Shen Xiu if there was anything in the world that he couldn’t do!
“Good. The punching bag is just the first scene. There are still several more to shoot after this.”
Hearing there were more scenes, Shen Xiu felt a little more at ease. He had been paid a hefty sum—if they only filmed a little, he himself would feel it wasn’t worth it for the client.
“Alright,” Shen Xiu responded with a quiet hum, then picked up his clothes and headed to the changing room.
There weren’t many people in the makeup room, just two makeup artists getting everything ready for the upcoming scenes.
Less than a minute later, Shen Xiu came out of the changing room.
The moment he appeared, someone couldn’t help but exclaim, “Perfect!”
Just a simple pair of loose-fitting athletic pants looked completely different on Shen Xiu.
No matter how many times he saw it, Shi Buwen couldn’t help but marvel—this was truly a masterpiece crafted by Nuwa showing off her skills.
Shen Xiu: “…Thank you.”
Every time he saw Shi Buwen, Shen Xiu couldn’t shake the illusion that he was seeing Xiang Yueting—both were so overtly expressive that it made him want to avoid them.
The instant Shen Xiu stepped out, the two makeup artists struggled to keep their professionalism in check and quickly pulled out a chair. “Please have a seat. We’ll do your makeup.”
They had done makeup for countless celebrities and were hardly starstruck anymore, but in this moment, even they couldn’t help showing a glint of admiration in their eyes when looking at Shen Xiu.
“Thank you,” Shen Xiu said as he sat down.
He carried a naturally cool and distant aura, prompting the makeup artists to instinctively keep quiet and do their work in silence.
Shen Xiu’s facial features, bone structure, and even his skin were all outstanding. Strictly speaking, “makeup” was mostly just applying a thin layer of foundation—for the camera—and adding a bit of contouring to make his features appear sharper and more untamed on screen.
Before long, his makeup was done, and Shen Xiu walked toward the filming area.
Barefoot, Shen Xiu stepped out of the makeup room wearing only a pair of loose beige athletic pants. The Starlight Ring was now strung on a black cord around his neck, hanging just below his collarbone.
As he moved, Shen Xiu could distinctly feel the ring shifting and swaying against his skin.
The touch was cold, hard to ignore.
Shen Xiu had originally thought the Starlight Ring shoot would be similar to the previously released promotional photos—but now, seeing it in action, it was far, far beyond that.
Shi Buwen was adjusting the camera when he caught sight of Shen Xiu out of the corner of his eye. Without even lifting his head, he said to him, “The gloves are next to the punching bag. You can warm up a bit.”
He needed to capture scenes bursting with power. Without a proper warm-up, he was worried Shen Xiu’s explosiveness wouldn’t come through on camera.
“Alright,” Shen Xiu responded and walked over to the punching bag. He bent down to pick up the gloves on the ground, and as he straightened up, his gaze lowered. His hands moved smoothly and skillfully as he put them on.
Once the gloves were secured, Shen Xiu recalled Shi Buwen’s suggestion to warm up. He looked at the black punching bag in front of him, got into position, and threw a punch…
Thud—
First came a loud thud, like fabric being torn apart, followed by the sound of the contents of the punching bag whooshing out and pouring onto the ground.
Shi Buwen froze when he heard the noise. When he turned to look, all he saw was the contents of the previously hanging punching bag spilled all over the floor.
Sand, sawdust, cotton batting—everything had poured out into a heap, and all that remained hanging was the torn black shell of the bag.
Day one on the job and he’d already broken the client’s equipment.
Shen Xiu: “…”
Absolute social death. Why hadn’t the falling sand just buried him alive and saved him from this?
Shi Buwen blinked in disbelief, stunned. His mind was full of just one reaction: What the hell.
“!”
Shang Yu really wasn’t wrong—while other people were all show and no substance, Shen Xiu could actually punch someone—no, a punching bag—into oblivion.
Shi Buwen felt genuinely sorry for having worried earlier that Shen Xiu might not be wild or explosive enough.
The other staff: “…”
To avoid leaks, only two makeup artists, the cameraman Shi Buwen, today’s main subject Shen Xiu, and five client-side staff were allowed inside the studio.
All five of the client staff were now standing there, dumbfounded, eyes fixed on Shen Xiu in utter shock.
They had to admit—they hadn’t paid much attention when buying the punching bag since it was just a prop. After all, 99% of artists weren’t trained in combat sports. There was no way anyone would actually punch it to pieces.
Who could’ve predicted that today… no—
It was more accurate to say the punching bag had the misfortune of running into that rare 1%.
One of the staff members couldn’t help but raise a hand to cover their mouth, whispering in awe to a colleague, “An idol—not even an action star—throws a few punches and explodes the punching bag? Who would believe that if we told them?!”
Another staffer gave a short laugh, eyes sparkling as they stared in Shen Xiu’s direction.
They quietly retorted, “Sure, no one would believe it—if it were anyone else. But this idol’s name is Shen Xiu.”
A client-side staff member who was familiar with the Xiuologists nodded and added in a hushed tone, “The Xiuologists would definitely say, ‘Ah, it’s Boss Shen? Then no problem.’ And honestly, today’s events just prove it—no one understands Shen Xiu better than the Xiuologists. Idol or not, that title can’t hide the fact that Shen Xiu is a total powerhouse!”
It had already been a full minute since the punching bag burst, yet no one in the studio had said a word.
The heavy silence made Shen Xiu feel even more painfully awkward—he could barely breathe from the secondhand embarrassment.
Eventually, Shen Xiu snapped out of it, looking dazed as he mumbled, “Sorry…”
His voice was soft, but naturally carried a cool, crisp edge—just like the man himself. Even in a noisy setting, it would make people instinctively tune in and listen closely.
The staff finally recovered from their shock and rushed to reassure him:
“No, no, it’s fine! That bag was just poor quality.”
“Yeah, totally—it’s on us. We’ll get a new one right away.”
“This isn’t your fault at all. It’s the punching bag!”
“Don’t worry. The next one’s guaranteed to be sturdier!”
Shi Buwen, the last to come back to his senses, nodded solemnly. “Yeah, definitely the punching bag’s fault.”
Shen Xiu: “……”
Everyone was clearly trying to help him save face, but he still felt embarrassed about damaging someone else’s property. “I should pay for it.”
Shi Buwen quickly replied, “No need—it’s our fault. Besides, you were only following my suggestion to warm up.”
Even if that “warm-up” would be considered absolutely explosive by professional boxing standards.
While Shi Buwen was talking to Shen Xiu, the staff swiftly cleaned up the mess and contacted the warehouse to bring in a new punching bag. It was quickly installed and ready for use.
When Shen Xiu started hitting the new bag, he made sure to hold back—public embarrassment was one thing, but constantly breaking other people’s stuff was something else entirely.
Shi Buwen was also worried the bag might burst again, so after letting Shen Xiu review the filming requirements for the first scene, they went ahead and started shooting…
Five minutes later—
Shi Buwen stood rubbing his chin as he watched the footage on the camera, a satisfied expression spreading across his face.
Who said a ring had to be worn on the hand? Worn somewhere else, it could still be just as striking.
He could already imagine how much buzz this scene would generate once it was released.
And he was absolutely certain—Shen Xiu had received professional combat training. There was no other way to explain how flawless his punches were. Every feeling and detail Shi Buwen had wanted—was all there.
“Cut!”
Shi Buwen clapped his hands twice. “First scene done!”
Hearing this, Shen Xiu let out a quiet sigh of relief. After reading the shoot requirements for the first scene, he had been so focused on delivering the full intensity that Shi Buwen was looking for, he hadn’t dared to hold back.
He’d tried to channel every bit of the raw, fierce energy Shi Buwen wanted, while still carefully controlling the strength of each strike, and making sure his body movements didn’t look awkward on camera.
Throughout the whole shoot, Shen Xiu had been multitasking like crazy. His body wasn’t tired—but his brain? It was just a little bit fried.
After the first scene wrapped, Shen Xiu headed back into the makeup room.
After the makeup artist finished removing Shen Xiu’s makeup, they began applying a new look for the second scene. During this time, Shi Buwen came in and handed Shen Xiu the shooting requirements for the next segment.
Shi Buwen asked, “You can swim, right?”
Even though he knew Shen Xiu’s house had a swimming pool, Shi Buwen asked just to be sure. If Shen Xiu couldn’t swim, he had a backup plan ready for the second scene.
Shen Xiu was busy memorizing the shot requirements so he wouldn’t waste anyone’s time later at the filming site. Without even looking up, he responded, “Yeah.”
During summer break in high school, he had worked part-time at a swimming pool, keeping an eye on the kids and making sure they were safe.
Shi Buwen relaxed. “Great, that works.”
