At that moment, a man who was eating noodles in a restaurant saw Su Chengyang and the other person. His eyes immediately lit up, and he put down his chopsticks and rushed out.
“Hello, you two! Please wait!”
The man suddenly blocked their path, and because he was in a hurry, he almost fell. There was a greasy ring around his mouth.
His voice was not small, and many people around heard it and looked at them with suspicion.
Su Chengyang hurriedly lowered her head and hat.
Xiao Lu put her hands on her hips and glared at the man in front of her, “Are you trying to cause trouble? Don’t blame me if I act without mercy.”
The man hurriedly swallowed his food and explained anxiously, “No, no, you misunderstood!”
After speaking, he glanced at Su Chengyang’s face twice.
“What are you looking at?”
“Xiao Lu…” Su Chengyang tugged at her clothes, afraid that she would cause trouble.
The man suddenly remembered something and quickly took out a business card from his wallet and handed it to the two of them.
“You’ve got it wrong, I’m a screenwriter,” the man said.
“Screenwriter?”
Xiao Lu and Su Chengyang looked at the man suspiciously.
The man was afraid that they wouldn’t believe him, so he pointed to the playground behind him and said, “I’m not lying to you. I really am a screenwriter. The crew is filming at the university these days.”
Xiao Lu took the business card and handed it to Su Chengyang. When she looked at it, the man’s name was Zhang Hong, and he was indeed a screenwriter.
Xiao Lu asked again, “So what do you want us to do?”
Zhang Hong looked over her and glanced at Su Chengyang, saying, “To be honest, the crew has recently had a female actor who changed her mind and decided not to participate in the filming, which has slowed down the progress of the entire crew. Although the role is not big, it is still crucial. The crew hasn’t found a suitable candidate, so they’ve paused filming and are trying their luck at the university.”
After he finished speaking, he looked at Su Chengyang’s face again.
Although she was wearing a hat and a mask, her eyes that were revealed looked beautiful and her temperament was excellent. Even if she had some facial flaws, she could make up for them with makeup. Good temperament wasn’t something that could be developed overnight.
Xiao Lu raised her eyebrows and looked at Su Chengyang’s face as well, “So, brother, you’ve just gotten lucky.”
Zhang Hong nodded repeatedly, “Yes, I’m lucky! The role doesn’t require many skills, and it can be filmed in a day…no, no, it can be filmed in a few hours.”
Meanwhile, in a place where the three of them didn’t notice, a paparazzi was hiding in a corner and took a few photos of them.
Seeing that the two of them weren’t interested, Zhang Hong said eagerly, “You can name your price! Are you both from this university? It’s just helping out, and it will definitely be more convenient if you want to develop in the entertainment industry in the future!”
Xiao Lu smirked and turned to Su Chengyang, winking at her.
Who would have thought that we would end up shooting a film when we just went out for a stroll? Su Chengyang was born to be in this industry, right?
Su Chengyang felt a bit helpless. To be honest, when she first entered the entertainment industry, she was also discovered by a director on the street by chance, which became her opportunity to become an actress.
It wasn’t really Zhang Hong’s fault for having good eyesight and immediately noticing Su Chengyang. The key is that Su Chengyang has a special quality that is often referred to online as “storytelling”. Just one look from her can make people imagine a story with countless twists and turns in their minds.
“So, what do you think?” Zhang Hong was still waiting for Su Chengyang’s response.
Su Chengyang raised her nose and reluctantly replied, “Sorry, I can’t help you with this favor.”
After returning the business card to Zhang Hong, she said to Xiao Lu, “Let’s go.”
Xiao Lu shrugged at Zhang Hong and said, “Sorry, buddy. Money can’t move us. Good luck to you.”
Although the role had few lines, it was crucial, and the director was very demanding. They had already screened through the female students in their school, but none of them met the director’s requirements. So they decided to wander around the university town and try their luck. Now that he had finally found a suitable candidate, he wouldn’t give up easily.
“Wait, wait!”
As the two were about to leave, Zhang Hong caught up with them in three strides and pleaded, “Miss, saving a life is better than building a seven-level pagoda! If I don’t find an actress today, I’ll be fired! Please, for the sake of my family, help me out! I swear it won’t take up too much of your time!”
Xiao Lu said helplessly, “But today is our day off.”
“It won’t take up too much of your time! It’s just a few shots, at most an afternoon! Two beautiful and kind ladies, please help us out! Our director is so worried that he’s getting white hairs! He said if we can’t find actors, the entire crew will end up homeless.”
Although Su Chengyang knew his words were exaggerated, she still felt a bit soft-hearted. She had seen an actor quit at the last minute before, which caused the entire crew to fall behind schedule. The director and screenwriter were anxious and stressed, as the location and equipment all cost money, not to mention the many actors involved. Every minute lost was crucial.
Seeing that Su Chengyang was wavering, Zhang Hong doubled down and tried to make their situation sound even more pitiful.
Su Chengyang couldn’t bear to hear it. She was naturally empathetic and easily swayed by emotions. Moreover, she knew what it felt like to be homeless.
Anyway, she had less than a year left on her contract, and after that, she could do whatever she wanted. For now, she might as well help them out and earn some extra money for her “lying flat” fund.
After pondering for a moment, she asked, “How much will you pay me?”
Zhang Hong was pleased, thinking that she was just a naive student. He pretended to be generous and said, “I’ll give you a thousand! It’s rare to find an actor who would do a few shots for a thousand in our industry!”
Su Chengyang smirked and said, “Xiao Lu, let’s go.”
With that, she turned around and started to leave.
Xiao Lu suppressed a smile, wondering what Zhang Hong was thinking. Did he really think he could bribe Su Chengyang with just a thousand yuan?
Zhang Hong was completely taken aback when Su Chengyang walked away without a second thought. He stood there stunned for a moment before finally snapping out of it and running after her.
“Wait, wait, let me double the offer?” Zhang Hong has not yet digested his food, and his stomach hurts from running.
Su Chengyang stopped and turned to look at him, “Your crew needs someone for an important role, and I’m helping you out in a pinch. Is this all the sincerity you have? If you only need a background actor, you can find anyone. But since it’s an important role, can you find a suitable actor in the entertainment industry for only two thousand yuan?”
Zhang Hong: “…”
It was impossible to find someone for that price, let alone for an important role. Other actors would curse him for being crazy! Although the role wasn’t significant, they had already paid nearly a million yuan to the previous actor they signed.
Zhang Hong didn’t expect Su Chengyang to have some understanding of the industry. He had thought he could fool her, but it seemed that it wouldn’t be so easy.
But even if it was exaggerated, it was still cheaper than a million yuan. He gritted his teeth and asked, “Then, how much do you want?”
Su Chengyang smiled and said, “You’ll need to talk to my manager about that.”
Zhang Hong was confused, “Your manager?”
Su Chengyang extended her hand and said, “Hello, Mr. Zhang, I’m Su Chengyang.”
Zhang Hong was stunned, and his pupils gradually dilated, “You, you, you are Su…”
Xiao Lu quickly grabbed his shoulder, “Brother, keep your voice down. There are so many people here.”
Zhang Hong swallowed his saliva and stared at Su Chengyang in disbelief, “Su Chengyang?”
Su Chengyang nodded, “It’s me.”
At this point, he carefully examined Su Chengyang’s facial features and found them to be somewhat familiar.
“Wait a moment… Let me make a call first.”
Su Chengyang shrugged, “Sure.”
Zhang Hong calmed down his shock and called the director.
“Director! Guess who I just met!”
The director might have been eating, as his speech was a bit slurred: “Who?”
“Su Chengyang! Didn’t you contact Mr. Lin from Starlight Entertainment last night? He said Su Chengyang didn’t have time to reject us. I met her in the university town! And she said she can help us!”
“Is it true?!” The director slammed his chopsticks down, “How much is her appearance fee?”
“You have to talk to Mr. Lin about that.”
“Okay, you bring them over first, and I’ll contact Mr. Lin again.”
Su Chengyang and the other person were not far away and could hear the conversation clearly.
The two of them looked at each other, both seeing a hint of doubt in each other’s eyes.
“The director contacted Manager Lin yesterday?” Su Chengyang asked.
Zhang Hong nodded, “After the director watched your performance with Terry, he immediately contacted Mr. Lin and asked you to guest star in this role. He hoped that you could free up today’s schedule. But Mr. Lin said you have been too tired recently and he wants to give you time to rest, so he rejected us. The director even showed him the script.”
Su Chengyang was a little surprised. Lin Yu was looking at materials all the way home last night. Could it be their script? Why didn’t he tell her?
Xiao Lu looked astonished. Has her cousin brother become so kind in his work? She thought that he would spare no effort to help Su Chengyang get a job, especially since there was only one year left.
“Let’s go to the playground first and talk along the way.”
“Okay.”
On the way to the playground, Su Chengyang received a call from Lin Yu.
“Chengyang, are you in the university town?” Lin Yu asked.
“Yes, I even met a screenwriter named Zhang Hong who invited me to play a role.”
Lin Yu fell silent for a moment and asked, “What do you think?”
Su Chengyang said, “Based on what he said, it seems like the world would end if I don’t take this role.”
Lin Yu said helplessly, “I read their script last night, and the character positioning is not bad. You should be able to handle it, but today is your rest day. I hope you think about it carefully. Don’t forget, you have to go record a program tomorrow.”
Su Chengyang thought for a moment and said, “I can eat a little more tonight and make up for the rest time with food.”
Lin Yu: “…”
After a while, he laughed, “Su Chengyang, you…”
Su Chengyang stopped joking and said, “Manager Lin, I’m fine, I’ve rested enough.”
Su Chengyang likes to act lazy and dreams of being lazy. Before she can really be lazy without any guilt, she can endure any suffering.
Moreover, she enjoys acting, and enjoys experiencing emotions and life that don’t belong to her.
Since Su Chengyang is willing to sacrifice her rest time, Lin Yu didn’t say much and just told her that he would come over later.
After Su Chengyang said “OK” twice, she hung up the phone.
Zhang Hong immediately asked, “What did Mr. Lin say?”
To be honest, the director is very interested in Su Chengyang.
She is impeccable, whether it’s her facial features, figure, or temperament. Because of this, throwing her into the bustling entertainment industry is not really eye-catching, because there are too many beautiful faces in the entertainment industry. What really makes the audience remember them is their highlights, even a small flaw. But Su Chengyang doesn’t have these things. She is very malleable, and with the adornment of clothing or makeup, unexpected effects can be produced, which can accommodate everything.
With a little modification in appearance, she can become any character.
If the director hesitated before to offer her a role, on one hand, it was because he didn’t approve of her acting skills and was uncertain if she could handle the role. On the other hand, he thought her identity was somewhat sensitive and didn’t want to create too much controversy.
However, after witnessing Su Chengyang’s explosive performance last night, the director praised her endlessly. Perhaps because he had seen many actors who were more suitable for the role, it was difficult to find another artist to replace her. Therefore, the director became even more strict in the audition process but couldn’t achieve the desired effect until he met Su Chengyang by chance in the university town.
“Manager Lin has agreed,” Su Chengyang nodded.
Xiao Lu put her hand on Su Chengyang’s shoulder and sighed, “It’s such a rare rest time, and you don’t cherish it at all.”
Su Chengyang also sighed, “There’s no way. The opportunity is forced into my hands, and I can’t just throw it away.”
They arrived at the playground with Zhang Hong, where several tents were set up. The director, dressed like an uncle, stood under one of the tents and warmly beckoned Su Chengyang.
“Hello, hello.”
After they approached, the director walked two steps forward and extended his hand to Su Chengyang. “My surname is Wang, and you can call me Director Wang.”
Su Chengyang politely shook his hand and took off her mask and hat, “Hello, Director Wang. I’m Su Chengyang.”
Director Wang was ecstatic and couldn’t stop smiling. “Miss Su, this is fate! You and this role are meant to be together! Originally, I had no choice but to try my luck at this university, but unexpectedly, I bumped into you. Are you also a student majoring in performing arts?”
Su Chengyang shook her head and said, “No, Xiao Lu and I just came to take a look.”
“Great, great! That’s wonderful!”
It was clear that Director Wang was very happy to see Su Chengyang.
It was really despicable to do such impromptu filming. The crew must have done a lot of preparation beforehand. This way, all the efforts of the entire crew would be in vain.
Su Chengyang smiled and said, “Let’s get ready first. We only have half a day, and I have to go record a program tomorrow.”
“Sure, take a look at the script and get to know your character.”
The director led them into a closed room which was a dressing room.
“Teacher, you’ll be in charge of Miss Su’s makeup. As for the costume…” The director looked Su Chengyang up and down and saw that she was dressed casually, which was in line with the character, “No need to change clothes, let’s keep it simple. Don’t put on too much makeup, just highlight her complexion. I’ll go inform the departments and actors to prepare for filming.”
After saying that, he handed the script to Su Chengyang and left.
While the makeup artist was styling her hair, Su Chengyang started reading the script.
As expected, it was as Zhang Hong had said, a role that could be played without any special skills. There weren’t many lines, but the character played a key role.
According to the script, she was the male lead’s first love, a pure and innocent girl. Unfortunately, the male lead’s complicated background led to revenge from his enemies, which affected his first love. She fought desperately when she was about to be violated, but was eventually strangled to death. When the male lead arrived, she had already died tragically. In a fit of rage, the male lead killed one of his enemies and was imprisoned. However, the other criminals pinned all the blame for the first love’s death on him, and they remained unpunished.
The movie tells the story of the male protagonist seeking revenge for his first love after being released from prison. During the process, he is healed by the female lead and they fall in love, but there are two different endings.
One version has him persisting in seeking revenge for his first love, ultimately committing suicide out of fear; the other version has him letting go of his obsession and deciding to appeal to the law to bring the criminals to justice.
It’s not strange to prepare two different endings for the script, as the final version can be chosen based on audience reactions.
The role that she will play will only appear in the male protagonist’s memories and has few scenes, but is crucial to the story.
After reading the script, Su Chengyang realized that the part she was supposed to play only involved a plain romantic life with the male lead and lacked substance.
Upon reaching this point, Su Chengyang became a bit dissatisfied.
When the director came back, Su Chengyang asked him with the script in hand, “Director Wang, why don’t we film the scene where the character dies? I think only portraying the good old times won’t fully arouse the audience’s emotions, and the effect may not be as strong.”
Director Wang was stunned, “Because that scene is too intense and requires a certain level of explosive power. It’s not good for the actor’s image, and the previous female artist didn’t want to film it, so we deleted it.”
Su Chengyang looked up at him and asked, “Director, can we add this scene back in? With this scene, the male lead’s motivation will be more three-dimensional and easier for the audience to empathize with.”
Director Wang nodded, “We can add it back, but it will be at night, and it may delay your time.”
Su Chengyang smiled and said, “It’s okay. I can sleep in the car tomorrow.”
“Alright, are you guys ready? Our actors and machines are all in place.”
The makeup artist pulled Su Chengyang’s hair back behind her ears and replied, “We’re ready.”
Su Chengyang was led to the edge of the playground, where all the lights and cameras were set up, and a few actors were waiting on the side of the road.
“Hello!”
As soon as Su Chengyang walked over, a boy ran up to her to say hello.
The boy was handsome, with well-defined features. His right eyebrow was broken, and he looked quite aggressive when he wasn’t smiling.
“Hello,” Su Chengyang nodded to him. He should be the male lead of this movie.
Su Chengyang also had a naturally aggressive beauty, but the makeup artist softened her facial contours, making her look much gentler.
“I’ve seen your variety show. You’re really cute. Do you really like eating meat?”
Su Chengyang politely shook her head, “Of course not. It’s just for the effect of the program.”
“Pfft一”
Xiao Lu snickered from behind.
Su Chengyang turned around and glared at her.
The boy smiled, “I didn’t expect to work with you. If we can’t find suitable actors, the director was planning to give up on filming these scenes, but I think they’re quite important.”
Su Chengyang nodded and reminded him, “I just talked to the director earlier. The scene where I die will also be filmed, and you should have some lines in it. You should be mentally prepared for that.”
The boy looked at her in surprise.
The assistant director called them up ahead and decided to film a scene to test the effect.
In the end, they chose a scene where the two of them talked about their future together.
This scene had the most lines for Su Chengyang, and the assistant director gave her a few minutes to familiarize herself with the lines.
Su Chengyang had a good memory, and she had never forgotten her lines during filming.
Five minutes later, Su Chengyang found the assistant director and said she was ready.
The staff led them to the seats on the playground.
“Action!”
The clapperboard snapped, and the shooting began.
Yun Xiaoxi handed the mineral water in her hand to Lin Du who was beside her.
Lin Du glanced at her and couldn’t help but smile, “Why do you have time to come? Have you finished your review?”
Yun Xiaoxi shook her head, “No, I came to give you a bottle of water and then go back.”
When Lin Du heard this, he widened his eyes and hooked her waist with one hand, trapping her in his arms. “You’ve come all the way here, do you still want to run away? Don’t you want to accompany me for a while?”
Yun Xiaoxi turned her head and held up his face, which was resting on her shoulder. She rubbed his cheek. The tall and big boy looked difficult to deal with, but next to Yun Xiaoxi, he was as obedient as a big golden retriever.
“No pouting.” Yun Xiaoxi pinched his face. “You’re going to participate in the competition in a few days, so train well.”
“Are you coming to watch?”
“Of course, how can I not go to the competition of my cutest boyfriend?”
Lin Du laughed so much that his eyes disappeared, “So you’re not going to review?”
Yun Xiaoxi coaxed, “Review is not as important as you.”
Lin Du hugged Yun Xiaoxi contentedly, his eyes full of longing for the future.
“In the future, you might as well not work and just follow me to play matches every day.”
Yun Xiaoxi said in a disgruntled manner, “Did my parents work hard to send me to university just so I could watch you play?”
“I can support you. I can make you fat and happy every day, keep you by my side, turn you into a little lazy person, and who wouldn’t want you except me.”
Yun Xiaoxi glared at him and said, “You have such beautiful thoughts. Can you afford to support me?”
“I can! In the future, you can have a few babies for me… no, forget it. They say having a baby is very painful. You can just help me have one, or if you don’t want to have a baby, you can just make me delicious food every day and come watch me play basketball.”
Yun Xiaoxi pinched his waist with a red face and said, “Stop talking nonsense.”
Lin Du not only didn’t feel any pain, but also tightly held her hand in his palm and leaned in to lightly kiss her, “But I know you work hard, and I support you in doing whatever you want.”
“Cut!”
“You two were great! Your cooperation was fantastic,” the director stood up excitedly, “This scene can be kept entirely!”
Su Chengyang let go of the male actor’s hand and smiled at the director, “Thank you.”
The boy exclaimed in surprise, “Chengyang, your performance was much better than I imagined.”
Su Chengyang has always been confident in her acting skills and said to the director, “Director, let’s continue.”
“Okay, let’s continue!”
The rest of the shoot went smoothly, without much difficulty. However, Su Chengyang still wanted to do her best to portray the character’s inner feelings of love for Lin Du and expectations for the future.
The two of them worked well together, and there were not many NGs. By the time it was not yet 5 o’clock, all of their scenes had been filmed.
Director Wang and Zhang Hong were excited and flushed. With some time left before dark, they added a few more scenes for Su Chengyang to perfect her character’s image, showing her serious, sincere, and excellent qualities in life and study.
When Lin Yu arrived, Su Chengyang had just finished the last scene of the day and was sitting exhausted under the tent, even drinking water was difficult.
Su Chengyang looked at him weakly and said, “Manager Lin.”
Lin Yu frowned, “Are you okay?”
Su Chengyang shook her head, “Hungry, very hungry.”
Xiao Lu chimed in, “Chengyang only had a bit of stinky tofu for lunch.”
Su Chengyang was taken aback. She almost forgot that she hadn’t eaten lunch yet.
As she thought about it, Su Chengyang’s stomach felt very uncomfortable.
“No, I can’t move anymore. I’m going to starve to death,” Su Chengyang said with a mournful face.
In fact, Su Chengyang used to do this often, forgetting to eat while filming. For a period of time, she even speculated that the reason she couldn’t gain weight no matter how much she ate was due to long-term malnutrition.
When Lin Yu heard this, his face immediately darkened slightly, “Why don’t you eat properly?”
Su Chengyang saw that he seemed a little angry and shrank her neck, muttering, “I forgot. Manager Lin, I’m so hungry.”
Lin Yu was indeed angry, but he couldn’t bear to be angry when he saw her pitiful appearance.
