Shoot a Commercial

The sea breeze was cool, making people drowsy in the sweltering heat.

Just then, a burst of commotion came from not far away.

"This is the place. This beach is a bit smaller than the other one, but it'll do. And the two locations are far apart, so the fans won't be able to rush over all at once."

"Seriously, everything had already been arranged, but the fans blocked the roads so badly no one could get through."

The moment Xiao Ming turned his head, he spotted Qu An in the crowd. He seemed to be born under a spotlight, always standing out at first glance.

Realizing they had probably switched filming locations, Xiao Ming figured they were about to clear the area. He hesitated, intending to leave so he would not get in the way, but stopped when he saw Qu An walking toward him.

"What a coincidence. I didn't expect to run into you here." Qu An's eyes curved as he smiled. Whenever he spoke, he looked directly at the other person, making them feel as though they were deeply valued.

"I happened to be hanging around here this afternoon. Tonight, I'm taking the high-speed rail to the neighboring city for some fun."

"What time is your train?" The person beside him was probably his assistant. He glanced at Qu An several times, seemingly urging him along.

"Nine thirty."

"Do you have anything planned until then?"

"I was planning to watch the sunset by the sea before heading for the train, but it looks like you've requisitioned this whole stretch of beach." Xiao Ming's tone rose playfully at the end. It was clearly a joke.

Qu An's smile deepened, and there was a little more sincerity in it.

"So you have no plans yet. Then do me the honor of waiting for me. Once we're done filming, we can go eat some local seafood."

Xiao Ming knew Qu An had noticed how much he was looking forward to the sunset, which was why he said that.

The sponsor would definitely need to clear the area. The other beach was far away and packed with people, so there was no way he would be able to watch the sunset there.

"Gladly." Xiao Ming's lips curved upward, laughter in his eyes.

He was already good-looking, but when he smiled like that, it felt like an iceberg had melted to reveal a snow lotus, making people willing to give him everything.

Xiao Ming did not smile often. Or rather, he rarely felt happy enough to laugh out loud. Because of his parents, he had developed the habit of appearing calm and unruffled even when he was panicking inside.

Qu An's gaze was firmly fixed on Xiao Ming's face. It was only when Xiao Ming called out to him, confusion in his eyes, that he came back to himself.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. This is my assistant. Just call him Xiao Le. Stay with him for now. There isn't much left to shoot, so sorry to keep you waiting."

"It's fine, really."

Xiao Le looked like a fairly young guy, probably around the age of a recent college graduate.

Xiao Ming had completely forgotten that he was not much older himself.

"Hello. Sorry to trouble you."

"It's fine, babe. No need to be polite with me. Qu-ge's friend is my friend."

He was as lively as his name suggested, Xiao Ming thought.

Xiao Le found him a chair, positioned so he could get a clear view of Qu An's entire shoot.

This probably counted as being on the front lines, Xiao Ming thought for no particular reason.

The director's tone gradually became more irritable.

"What do you mean she's not coming because there are too many people? I hired her to work, not to throw a rich girl's tantrum! If she can't do it, she can get lost. What does she think this is, making everyone wait for her?"

The director was a somewhat overweight middle-aged man who looked fierce. The man speaking beside him was thinner, and his expression was not much better.

"What do we do now? We're about to start filming. How about we change the plot and get rid of the Mermaid?"

"Change it? How? The slogan at the end is tied to that Mermaid. I told you back then not to hire this sort of person. You said the investors demanded it, that she was obedient. And now? You call this obedient?"

The thinner middle-aged man's face darkened further. But every second was money, and they truly could not afford to keep wasting time.

Just then, he looked up and met Xiao Ming's bewildered gaze. A smile suddenly appeared on his face.

Sensing something ominous, Xiao Ming immediately looked away and sat up straight.

"Director, what do you think of that boy over there?"

Though he had lowered his voice, they were close, and Xiao Ming had good hearing. He caught every word.

"But the Mermaid in our setting is a girl."

"Changing the gender would still be better than cutting the Mermaid entirely. Besides, the effect might even appeal to a broader audience with two men."

The director turned around and examined Xiao Ming before nodding.

"He's better-looking than her. Fine."

Xiao Ming was a little stunned. Had they even asked him before deciding it was fine?

Sure enough, the thinner middle-aged man came over to strike up a conversation with Xiao Ming before long.

"Young man, do you want to become famous? There's an opportunity here for you to film a commercial with Best Actor Qu."

"No, thank you." His instinctive response was to refuse. He had no plans to enter the entertainment industry. He was rather boring, and he did not have any special talents.

"Don't refuse so quickly. You only need to shoot a few scenes, and we certainly won't underpay you. This is a chance to share the screen with Best Actor Qu. Think it over."

"No..." Xiao Ming waved his hand.

"What's going on?"

After finishing his makeup, Qu An noticed the commotion and came to stand beside Xiao Ming, his gaze fixed on the middle-aged man in front of them.

Only then did the middle-aged man realize Xiao Ming had been brought here by Qu An. He regretted not looking into things first, but he still forced a smile.

"I was just asking whether this handsome young man would be willing to act opposite you as the Mermaid."

Qu An frowned after hearing that. He rested a hand on the back of Xiao Ming's chair, adopting a protective posture.

"Wasn't the Mermaid role already set as a female character?"

"There was an issue on her end, so she couldn't come." The middle-aged man looked awkward. Clearly, he knew it was only an excuse. As a newly crowned Best Actor and their spokesperson, Qu An's time could not be wasted either.

"But isn't the Mermaid supposed to be a girl? How is my friend supposed to play the role?"

There were not no people in the entertainment industry whom Best Actor Qu would personally acknowledge as friends and protect, but there were very few.

The middle-aged man looked somewhat surprised, but he seized the opportunity.

"We can revise the script. If this handsome young man is willing to do it, we can make a few changes. The pay definitely won't be low."

"Producer Lin, let me talk to him."

Producer Lin nodded and agreed. He added, "Please be as quick as possible," before leaving, looking back every few steps with obvious concern.

"Xiao Ming, what do you think?" Qu An used his name, and his tone was serious.

Xiao Ming knew Qu An was genuinely considering his wishes and did not want to make things difficult for him.

Still, after their brief time together, he felt Qu An was a pretty decent person. Perhaps the impression from that morning had simply been too strong.

"Is it difficult? If not, I'll give it a try."

"I thought you didn't want to enter the entertainment industry?" Qu An was surprised, and he began wondering whether his judgment of Xiao Ming had been wrong.

He was usually good at judging people, wasn't he?

"Don't you need someone? Producer Lin looked like he was about to cry from anxiety." Of course, crying was impossible. Xiao Ming was merely making a teasing joke.

The coldness in Qu An's eyes was gradually covered by amusement. He had not judged him wrong after all.

"Alright~ Then I'll have to trouble you, little Ming."

Xiao Ming's role was that of a Mermaid, but unlike the bare-chested kind shown in films and other productions, the advertiser had prepared a sparkling ocean-blue shirt for him, along with matching pants. The pants would be edited into a mermaid tail in post-production.

Qu An was endorsing a soda brand he had represented for years. It had recently released a new mint sea salt flavor.

Xiao Ming was good-looking, and because he had been in a good mood lately, had not stayed up late, and had been eating and sleeping well, his skin was in excellent condition.

Something resembling fish scales was applied to the corners of his eyes, making him look like a Mermaid capable of bewitching hearts from the sea.

A few young girls nearby could not help gasping when they saw him dressed like that.

"So pretty!"

"Is he a newcomer from the company? Why don't I recognize him?"

"No. He seems to be Best Actor Qu's friend. He came over to save the shoot."

"Huh? What happened? Wasn't it supposed to be Yang Yiyi?"

"Please. She threw a spoiled rich girl tantrum and refused to come."

Another reprimand rang out, and the gossip gradually died down.

It was still early. A little past four was not too scorching, and before the sun went down, everyone got to work in full swing.

The Mermaid Xiao Ming was playing would lure Qu An over with his singing, then turn back and smile at Qu An before diving into the sea, leaving behind a bottle of the new soda.

After that, Qu An would walk over, pick up the soda, take a drink, and call out the slogan.

"Fresher! More refreshing! The taste of summer alone!"

It was not difficult, but because Xiao Ming had never performed in front of a camera like this before, he still had two NGs. His whole demeanor sank.

Qu An called him aside. He comforted him for a while before explaining.

"Is there someone you especially like?"

Xiao Ming shook his head, not understanding why Qu An was asking.

Seeing his blank, dazed expression, Qu An knew there was not. He changed his approach. "Is there something you really like, or something you desperately want?"

As he tried to process the question, Xiao Ming unconsciously tilted his head at Qu An and asked, "Can it be something I used to desperately want?"

The words "used to" inexplicably made Qu An's chest tighten, but he did not dwell on it. He assumed it was because of the weather and quickly adjusted.

"That works. When you film later, imagine that I'm the thing you once desperately wanted. Then make your expression a little more exaggerated."

With Qu An's guidance, Xiao Ming improved by leaps and bounds.

But the director was still not satisfied. He called Xiao Ming over. "You're supposed to like him, but hold it back a little. Don't look like you want to eat him alive. It should be more like a simple young girl's... ah, no, a young boy's fluttering feelings of first love. Add a little confidence."

The more Xiao Ming listened, the more confused he became. By the end, he looked even more dejected.

He had thought the imaginative approach would be enough. The director had actually said the previous take could be used, but he had not expected him to be so strict and want another take.

Qu An thought for a moment, then walked toward Xiao Ming. Time was not waiting for them. For now, he could only use an unconventional method.