Chapter 100 – Splitting Blade Through Water, A Unique Technique

Chapter 100 - Splitting Blade Through Water, A Unique Technique

Bombshell! In Xiangnan Star City, the Silk Thread Market gathers three thousand people for a contest between internationally renowned embroidery artist Wu Xia and actress Tang Fei!

Diversifying too much! With the shooting of "Happiness Hotel" imminent, Tang Fei is still unprepared for her role!

Shocking! The culprit behind the rush-hour congestion in Star City turns out to be none other than her!

Tragic! A top-notch embroiderer switches careers to become an actress—Is it a distortion of human nature or a decline in morality?

The major websites' eye-catching headlines were swiftly produced, and news about Tang Fei's involvement in embroidery soon flooded both mobile and desktop devices.

"I've been seeing news about Tang Fei every day recently."

"She's the hottest topic now."

"Even if you don't recognize her face, you'd know her name."

"One glance at the headline, and you're up to speed with Tang Fei's latest."

"News views in the billions? It's too easy to make money writing about celebrities nowadays."

"A top-tier beauty, I've even set her as my phone wallpaper. Take a look."

In related forums, Tang Fei's news and Weibo posts exploded! Fans and gossip enthusiasts flooded the threads.

It's blown up! The forum is stuck! Too much traffic, the server can't handle it!

[Entertainment][Celebrity Gossip] Tang Fei isn't filming or doing a show in Xiangnan Province, she's actually into Xiang embroidery! Let's discuss rationally, will her next role be that of an embroidery maiden? [Hot][29,297 replies]

[Entertainment][Beautiful Images] Exclusive shots of Tang Fei embroidering, collect them here! [Hot][76,943 replies]

[Trivia][Miscellaneous] A brief history and development of embroidery in our country, summarizing various techniques [Hot][4,635 replies]

[Entertainment][Fans] Star City Molten Sugar fans, join our QQ group! [Hot][11,202 replies]

"Molten Sugar, assemble urgently! Fellow fans in Xiangnan's Star City, take action! Rush to catch this premium pet, a wild Feifei awaits your capture at coordinates 110.1°E, 27.6°N."

"I don't understand anymore, this is my first time feeling so lost while chasing a star. Didn't we hear a leak that she was filming for a drama on Xiangnan TV? How did it turn into a reality show about Xiang embroidery?"

"Tang Fei's whereabouts rely solely on the efforts of countless fans digging for information. The company and her personal Weibo account have only posted a couple of updates since registration – it's a chilling indifference, leaving fans starved for news."

"Tang Fei is a star with massive appeal! Both the company and she must refrain from being too laid-back; such passivity will surely lead to obscurity! Please, for our sake, release more updates to nourish your fans! We humbly beg!"

Each photo in Tang Fei's beauty thread is a high-definition close-up, likely snapped by an admiring staff member at the store, sneaking in some personal enjoyment.

In the pictures, Tang Fei wears a white pom-pom beanie, her bare face still impeccable under the camera's unflattering angle – a flawless beauty with no weak spots, every snapshot worthy of being a wallpaper!

Her gaze is intense, her gestures professional, and even her tiny upturned nose is slightly flushed from the cold.

"The slightly reddened tip of your nose is so adorable."

"I simply adore the dedicated and diligent demeanor of Feifei."

Tang Fei sparked yet another collective frenzy among fans, passersby, and the media, with comments ranging from scathing criticism to effusive praise. Interspersed among these were a few educational tidbits about embroidery, enriching the discourse from various angles.

In the industry's forums, however, there wasn't much frenzy. Most speculated that Tang Fei was about to shoot a drama related to embroidery. From Zhou Weichuan's method of promoting Tang Fei and using her to trample on Yao Hui, thereby making Time Culture renowned both inside and outside the industry, one could tell that he was a meticulous planner, a deep thinker who carefully weighed his actions before moving forward.

A meticulous analysis of Zhou Weichuan's calculated moves in his strategic campaign to tarnish Tang Fei's reputation and punch up Yao Hui reveals that not a single action was without purpose.

So why would he randomly assign Tang Fei to embroidery? There must be a deeper meaning behind it!

Nine O'Clock probably already has a script prepared and is using this hype to kickstart production. They plan to maintain the buzz around Tang Fei from the beginning of filming all the way to the broadcast.

Not only did this trick work on those in the industry, but it also deceived Shen Fan from Yao Hui Productions.

In Yao Hui's building, Shen Fan, who had been forcing himself to pay less attention to Time Culture and Tang Fei, finally saw an opportunity.

Action speaks louder than words, so Shen Fan immediately summoned his investment department team.

"Nine O'Clock is planning an embroidery-themed drama. You need to find a production company we've collaborated with frequently and invest in a similar project. Beat them to it and finish filming within three months. Keep an eye on Nine O'Clock's title and synopsis, and make sure ours is similar enough. We'll air it before theirs."

"President Shen, it takes more than three months to create a script from scratch, let alone produce a low-quality show. The chances of losing money are high, and embroidery isn't a popular genre. I advise against investing in it," the head of the investment department stood before Shen Fan, his brows knitted.

"Are you my boss or your own? Am I paying you to argue with me? Get going now. Make it as hastily as possible. It'd be best if we ruin this genre. I want to give Nine O'Clock a headache, even if it means losing a bit of money," Shen Fan slammed his pen down on the desk.

"But, President Shen, this news hasn't been confirmed yet. Happiness Hotel is set to start shooting tomorrow, and they've chosen Tang Fei. I haven't heard anything about her dropping out. Could there be a misunderstanding?"

"There's no misunderstanding. Tang Fei is already on a field trip, experiencing life for the role. Which celebrity would bother learning embroidery for leisure? And spend energy creating such a big fuss about it?

Tang Fei? Competing with a high-ranking embroidery master? It might fool the uninitiated, but not us old-timers.

"Happiness Hotel" is a low-budget web series, directed by someone with no notable works. She's just the second female lead. After playing the lead in a grand production like "Psychic Frenzy," would she really stick to her commitment? If you were in her shoes, would you step back?

She took on this role before joining Time Culture. Now that it's bound to be a loss, who cares about integrity when you're a star?

Filming starts tomorrow, and she's still in Xiangnan. Can't you see through her obvious intentions? Are you that dense?"

Shen Fan laughed confidently, "After so many years in this industry, I can read their moves at a glance. Zhou Weichuan, a young upstart, thinks he can match wits with me?

I have plenty of money. Even if I lose, I'll sabotage them. What can they do about it?"

"But..."

"There's no 'but.' Just get it done."

...

After splitting the thread into 256 strands, everyone assumed Tang Fei would switch to another thread. To their surprise, she didn't stop! She was going to split it even further!

What was Tang Fei up to?

She had already separated the silk into threads, and now she wanted to go even further?

The lines were barely visible! Even with a phone's zoom, it was impossible to see them! Only by enhancing the contrast later could one catch a faint glimpse of the silk threads – and yet, she persisted!

This was sheer madness!

"Goodness, what is Tang Fei doing? I feel like I'm witnessing history in the making!"

At this stage, she was treading on uncharted territory.

Tang Fei focused intently, her eyes fixated on that nearly transparent thread. She relied almost entirely on the subtle sensations from her fingertips to discern the condition of the silk.

With her pinky raised, she touched the thread, following the silk's texture. Using a gentle tremor, she gauged the differences in weight across various sections, searching for the gaps between silk proteins.

Seeing Tang Fei's distinct movement, Lu Yan stood up from her seat and walked straight to the glass door. She longed to get a closer look, her eyes filled with both astonishment and delight. "It's the technique of Splitting Blade and Parting Water, my teacher's method. How does she know this?"

This was a unique silk-splitting technique invented by Teacher Lu Yan. It was a theoretical approach to dividing silk threads, a method still in the experimental phase when its creator passed away. It had never been successfully executed, nor had it been publicly disclosed!

Why would Tang Fei?

Did her teacher take on apprentices?

Lu Yan gauged Tang Fei's age and figured that when her mentor passed away, Tang Fei was likely around ten years old.

The more she watched Tang Fei's movements, the more familiar they seemed, as if they were taught by none other than herself.

Tang Fei must have inherited her techniques, and there had to be a connection between them.

Lu Yan laughed excitedly, as if she had discovered a precious pearl lost in the vast ocean.