The Minute-Long Female Lead

"What's it to you?" Liao Kexin glanced at her, frowning and looking displeased.

The man in front of them is the male lead in their temporary cameo role in the web series.

However, the male lead in a short and fast-paced web series is less important than a minor supporting role in some serious dramas. In reality, the person in front of us is just a college student with some experience in filming web series.

The key point is that he also boasts of being incredibly handsome and has tried to talk to me quite a bit.

"It has nothing to do with me," the boy laughed. "I'm just reminding you guys that acting is acting, and reality is reality. Don't get caught up in the drama and get fooled. Don't be fooled by my character talking about billions of dollars all the time in the show. I actually want to laugh inside. It's too outrageous, you know?"

Liao Kexin and her senior exchanged a glance, too lazy to bother with this person.

The boy, however, made no attempt to be a stranger. He immediately found a small stool to sit down and began sharing his thoughts on the play.

"By the way, what year were you in?" he asked.

Liao Kexin and her senior classmate pretended not to hear and continued chatting amongst themselves, ignoring him.

The boy smiled, not taking it to heart.

"You young girls... By the way, who was that Young Master Zhang you were talking about? Hmm... You didn't run into him at a nightclub, did you?"

He was just talking nonsense.

However, Liao Kexin seemed to be offended by these words and became somewhat annoyed.

"Watch your mouth!"

"This... could I have guessed right?" The boy blinked, then chuckled, speechless. "You guys are bringing up that young master you met at the nightclub... that's really something..."

Liao Kexin took a breath, preparing to retort without hesitation, but suddenly her expression froze, and she looked into the distance.

"Young Master Zhang?"

"Are you alright, Kexin? If they didn't talk to you, they didn't talk to you. Don't take it to heart," the senior student comforted her.

"No, it really is Young Master Zhang!" Liao Kexin stood up in surprise.

In the distance, that tall and handsome figure—wasn't that Zhang Shao, the man who had entered and exited her heart countless times these past few nights?

"What?" The boy looked over curiously, then his expression froze.

The figure in the distance was incredibly handsome, just like the descriptions used for male protagonists in novels: sword-like eyebrows, starry eyes, and a graceful, elegant demeanor.

He considered himself handsome and relied on his looks for a living, but at this moment he couldn't help but feel inferior.

Does such a handsome and charismatic guy really exist in this world?

"So you girls really do care about looks, huh?" he said with a hint of sourness.

But at this moment, no one cared about what he said anymore. Both girls stood up and stood on tiptoe to watch from a distance.

A figure approached from afar, heading straight towards Liao Kexin.

"What a coincidence!" Zhang Yang greeted him with a smile.

"Young Master Zhang, what are you doing here?" Liao Kexin's eyes gleamed with undisguised joy, then she explained softly, "I'm here accompanying my senior classmate on a cameo role in a web series."

"Oh, that's good. By the way, your senior..." Zhang Yang looked at the girl next to him.

I still vividly remember the girl drinking herself into a stupor that night.

"Young Master Zhang, I'm alright now. I haven't had a chance to thank you yet..." The senior student expressed her sincere gratitude from the side.

"It's alright." Zhang Yang nodded.

A young man jogged over from the side, his face beaming with smiles.

"Mr. Chu, what brings you here?"

"I came with Mr. Zhang to take a look," Chu Qiang hinted. "Mr. Zhang is quite curious about filming... why did you stop?"

"Mr. Zhang?" The young man was taken aback for a moment, then looked at the tall and handsome figure in front of him, and immediately realized what was going on. His tone became even more enthusiastic, "Hello Mr. Zhang, I'm Xiao Wang, the director of this film. I'll get them assembled right away."

"No need, no need, you guys just film at your own pace," Zhang Yang said casually. "I'll just take a look."

"It's alright, Mr. Zhang. We weren't quite satisfied with the scene we just filmed, and we were just about to do it again," Director Wang said with a smile, then turned and waved his arm, "Come on, let's do it again, let's do the one we just filmed again."

The male protagonist stepped forward and muttered something under his breath.

"My emotions were at their peak just now, but this time might not be any better."

"What do you know?" Director Xiao Wang glared at him. "Do you know why director Wong Kar-wai shoots a film so many times? It's not that the filming is bad, but that he wants to find the best take. He strives for perfection, understand?"

The boy opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.

"You rascal," Director Wang said without hesitation, pulling him aside. "This is Mr. Zhang, the owner of the film studio, a billionaire with assets worth who knows how many billions! Don't ruin my plans."

The decline of Huaying Film and Television Production Base is relative.

At least for him, a small-time web series director, this was a big shot he couldn't even get close to.

"What?" The boy was stunned, his face burning. "Perform it again in front of him?"

He stammered.

"What's wrong? Hurry up, get yourself in the right state, get going." The director shoved him impatiently.

The boy stammered, but had no choice but to get started.

But... but the scene we're going to act in later...

A moment later, on the filming set.

Filming begins...

The male lead forced a smile, his lips twitching slightly. "N-I'm sorry, but I just... just bought this entire film and television base. It wasn't much, just a few... a few billion. Can you... you guys compete with me in terms of wealth?"

He was already quite adept at handling this kind of role.

But at this moment, facing the true owner of this film and television shooting base, this imposter trembled as he spoke.

My face is burning hot!

The supporting characters around them, who had been poised to attack, blinked and looked at each other, momentarily at a loss for words when it came to making their sarcastic remarks.

Off the field, Zhang Yang's expression was somewhat strange.

"Your show... I have a trillion dollars in 'simp gold'? The protagonist is a stuttering tycoon? That's quite intriguing. How did you discover this genre?"

He felt that for short video web dramas, melodramatic and clichéd plots weren't a problem, because those were their selling points and quite addictive. However, the lead actor didn't portray that kind of cool and edgy style; instead, he acted so haltingly.

That's bizarre, absolutely bizarre.

Director Xiao Wang stood to the side, looking extremely embarrassed, unsure of what to say.

"He's not usually like this. I guess... it's because he was... in front of you, the one in question."

"That's true." Zhang Yang suddenly found it amusing.

Hmm, it's really quite amazing when you think about it.

He, the true benefactor of the system and the real owner of this film and television base, watched as this makeshift troupe put on such a show, uttering lines that seemed so familiar.

Life is truly unpredictable.

He was immediately amused by the protagonist's clumsy performance.

"Young Master Zhang, this... this is your property, isn't it?" Liao Kexin suddenly asked cautiously.

The people nearby smiled kindly upon hearing this.

"Kexin, so you didn't know Mr. Zhang's identity!" Director Xiao Wang laughed. "What are you doing working for my little studio? Actually... if Mr. Zhang were willing to put in a good word for you, you could be the lead actress in a big production in no time."

"Ah? No, no, no, I'm just here to earn some income, I never thought about acting," Liao Kexin quickly explained.

Zhang Yang smiled to himself.

Right now, if he spends money and pulls some strings, he can definitely get the girl a supporting role in a big-budget production. If he were an investor, getting her the lead role wouldn't be a problem either.

But to say it happens in a minute is an exaggeration.

At the very least, he'll have to wait until this film and television base, which cost tens of billions to renovate, is completed before he'll have that kind of weight and influence in the entertainment industry.

"Alright, I'm not watching anymore." Zhang Yang indicated that he was about to leave.

Beside them, director Xiao Wang frantically tried to give Liao Kexin a meaningful look, while the senior student also quietly tugged at Liao Kexin's clothes to signal her.

"Wait a minute." Liao Kexin suddenly mustered her courage.

"Hmm?" Zhang Yang stopped and looked at the girl with a puzzled expression. "Is there anything else?"

"Um... um, my senior has always wanted to thank Young Master Zhang, so she'd like to invite you to dinner," Liao Kexin suddenly said, looking up.

The senior student sighed and rubbed her forehead.

Inviting her to dinner is certainly the right thing to do, but it's not that she cares about that; the main thing is that she doesn't want to be a third wheel.

"So polite? No need, right?" Zhang Yang looked at his senior with a bit of surprise.

He vaguely remembered that Liao Kexin had mentioned that her senior seemed to be short of money and urgently needed it.

"Yes, Young Master Zhang, we had originally planned to do this, but we felt it was presumptuous. Why don't we do it today?" The senior student glanced at Liao Kexin and, seeing the pleading look in Liao Kexin's eyes, had no choice but to say this.

Zhang Yang checked the time and nodded.

"Alright then, it's been a while since I've had street food, how about some skewers?"

"Huh? Skewers?" The senior student was taken aback, a hint of gratitude flashing in her eyes. "Okay, let's have skewers then."

A moment later, Zhang Yang bid farewell to Huaying Film and Television Base, picked up two girls, and left.

By the time we got back to the area within the Second Ring Road of Beijing, it was already around five or six in the evening.

"I know a place where you can have skewers and hot pot, it's delicious and not too crowded," Liao Kexin suggested enthusiastically.

"Okay, let's go there." Zhang Yang readily agreed.

He suggested eating at a hidden gem restaurant, partly because he didn't want others to spend too much money. She had drunk so much that night just to save some money; she must be really short of cash.

Secondly, after eating at so many Michelin Black Pearl restaurants, and even our daily meals are filled with high-end ingredients, we occasionally need to eat something down-to-earth and enjoy the feeling of everyday life.

Practice makes perfect.

On the way back, Zhang Yang was happy to ask a few more questions and chatted with them for a while. He also learned that his senior sister, Liao Kexin, was actually named Lin Hui.

The reason the two are so close is that they are not only from the same hometown, but also high school classmates.

Lin Hui was so short of money because her father had a physical examination a month ago and was diagnosed with aortic dilatation, to the point where he had to undergo surgery.

Short of money, quite a bit.

In a novel, this plot would be considered at least moderately melodramatic; in reality, it seems comparable to the story of a gambling father and a sick mother.

But in fact, it's not uncommon for middle-aged people, especially those who have been smoking and drinking for a long time and have high-risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar, to be found to have this problem during physical examinations.

"I dare not refuse treatment. If it had progressed to aortic dissection, there would have been no chance of saving me. At least now there is a chance," Lin Hui said with lingering fear.

"Has the surgery been scheduled? Do you have enough money?" Zhang Yang asked casually.

"It's a major surgery after all, and we got a bed at Fuwai Hospital. We have enough money though," Lin Hui said honestly. "If it weren't for your help, Young Master Zhang, this money..."

"Don't say that," Zhang Yang shook his head. "You earned it yourself."

A moment later, the car stopped on the side of the road.

"We need to go through the alleyway." Liao Kexin mustered her courage and took Zhang Yang's hand.

Nightclubs are nightclubs; the lighting, the alcohol, the atmosphere—it's natural that people will let loose more.

But at this moment, it wasn't that she didn't want to take the initiative, but facing such a god-like man, taking the initiative would require even more courage. If it were someone more timid, they would feel ashamed and dare not step forward.

As you approach the alley, you'll see a small shop with a copper stove set up outside.

An old man was busy grilling meat; on the grill, a row of lamb skewers sizzled and dripped with oil.

"How many of you are there?" the old man called out warmly as soon as he saw the guests.

"Three people."

"Please come in, you three!" the old man said.

The small shop had only five or six tables set up, and it was still early, so there were no customers yet.

The three of them found a table and sat down.

Liao Kexin sat down next to Zhang Yang, while Lin Hui consciously sat down to the side.

"Let's get some skewers, and set up a hot pot to cook some mutton," Zhang Yang said casually.

The menu isn't extensive; the barbecue mainly features grilled lamb skewers, but they do have the usual hot pot options.

Liao Kexin, familiar with the place, ordered a bunch of lamb skewers, as well as hand-cut fresh lamb, lamb shoulder, cabbage, frozen tofu, and other essential ingredients for hot pot.

"Their lamb is really good, it's from Inner Mongolia, I've eaten it several times." Liao Kexin skillfully set the table for Zhang Yang and poured him tea. "Young Master Zhang, you definitely won't be disappointed later."

She guessed that Zhang Yang must eat a lot of delicacies on a regular basis, and she was really worried that he wouldn't like this kind of roadside restaurant.

Actually, this is a misunderstanding of Zhang Yang.

He's not picky about food; he eats whatever he wants, from delicacies to street food, just for the sake of being relaxed and carefree.

They skewered it pretty quickly.

Before long, the sizzling, oily skewers were served.

Zhang Yang tried a skewer and indeed, the lamb was very fresh. The seasoning was simple, with only salt and cumin, allowing him to taste the original flavor of the lamb to the fullest extent.

Liao Kexin observed Zhang Yang's expression from the side.

Seeing him devour several skewers in a row, I smiled with relief.

As evening approached, the shop gradually filled up with customers, many of whom appeared to be students.

Zhang Yang's table was particularly conspicuous.

After all, it's a guy paired with two girls, and both of them are the kind that are super eye-catching.

Throughout the entire time, the girl just kept circling around the boy.

She helped pour water and prepared the sesame paste.

"That guy acts like a big shot, all he needs to do is have everything done for him... Holy crap, is he really going to feed him?" The boy next to him suddenly whispered, his envy rising.

Because he clearly saw that the sweet-looking girl pick up the mutton, gently blow on it, and then feed it to the boy.

Okay, he has to admit, that guy definitely has the looks.

These days, being handsome enough to make girls swoon is nothing special; being handsome enough to make guys admire you and even feel inferior—that's truly one in a million.

This guy can't be an ordinary boy; he has to be handsome.

Yeah, he's one in ten thousand handsome guys.