There's Definitely Something Shady Going On!

"And New Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio is openly casting too. I sent in my résumé and didn't hear a thing."

Shen Qi pulled more information from his folder.

He knew how important connections were, but at this stage, unless he used his looks to catch a female celebrity's eye, he had no way to make any worthwhile ones.

And owing a female celebrity a favor was risky.

He never knew when she might turn on him.

Zhang Yi looked rough, but he was loyal enough. When trouble came, he actually stepped up.

Besides, he had fought dirty and hit hard just now. That was exactly Shen Qi's style.

Shen Qi decided, entirely on his own, that they were friends. He didn't bother asking Zhang Yi what he thought.

"I've got some information too. See if anything interests you."

Zhang Yi held nothing back either. The two squatted beneath a streetlight outside the print shop, exchanging industry leads like underground agents passing intelligence.

The only things men couldn't share were their wives, their cars, and their browser histories.

Shen Qi actually spotted several projects on Zhang Yi's list that weren't on his own.

"Want to try So Many Things to Fall in Love With? It's about four older women. They're calling it China's answer to Sex and the City..."

Zhang Yi glanced at Shen Qi's face.

If I looked that handsome, I wouldn't keep hitting dead ends.

"Forget it. I'm afraid they'd eat me alive."

Shen Qi waved the idea away.

Even Brother Jiao couldn't handle one Ximen Auntie.

Four older women... in Sex and the City? That was terrifying.

It wasn't hard to guess what sort of part he would play.

He'd definitely be the object of their desire!

"What about Ji Xiaolan 3? That one needs no introduction, right?"

"Pass. I don't want to wear a queue."

"Waiting Alone, then? I heard they've cast Xia Yu and Li Bingbing..."

"That's worth a try. Though Xia Yu's really been going downhill these past few years."

"No one stays on top forever. You could try My Own Swordsman too. They're short on actors, though the pay's lousy."

"Did you audition?"

"I did, but I didn't get in. A buddy from my dorm did, though. He got a part called Yan Xiaoliu."

Just talking about it left Zhang Yi frustrated.

If he'd been rejected for being ugly, then why had Xiao Jian, one of the troupe's "Three Uglies" alongside him, landed a role?

They were equally ugly...

Why did Xiao Jian get in?

There was definitely something shady going on!

"I'll send in a résumé and try my luck."

After sharing their leads, they both felt they'd gained plenty.

They exchanged QQ accounts and phone numbers, promised to look out for each other if either made it big, then hurried off into the night.

Zhang Yi thought Shen Qi was a good guy too.

He was just a little worried.

The kindergarten he'd attended had closed down. So had his primary school. His middle school had changed its name, and his high school had relocated.

Now he'd heard that the arts troupe he belonged to was about to be disbanded.

Nothing survived wherever he went!

Even among his close friends, hardly any had made it big.

Of course, that might simply be because he wasn't at a level where he could befriend anyone impressive.

In any case, he hoped Shen Qi, his new friend, could work a miracle.

A protagonist's lucky streak would be ideal.

Shen Qi rented a computer at an internet café and sent his résumé and photos to the email address Zhang Yi had given him.

The photos were "actor job-hunting portraits" he'd had taken at a Hengdian studio. He kept them on a USB drive so he could cast his net wide, on the off chance some production happened to be blind.

At exactly fifty-eight minutes, he logged off and returned his card.

This café fleeced newcomers. If he waited until the fifty-ninth minute, they'd definitely charge him for overtime.

For the poor, watching every penny was a required skill.

He couldn't sleep at the internet café again.

What if that blond-haired guy crept in while he was asleep and drew a little knife across his throat? What a miserable way to die!

So he shamelessly went to the hotel where the Legend of the White Snake crew was staying.

He claimed he was checking in early to make it easier to get his makeup done the next morning.

Even if his role didn't require a mold, he'd certainly need wax and prosthetics. It would be a major undertaking.

He'd have to start lining up before five, at the very least.

Put that way, the producer thought it made sense.

He arranged for Shen Qi to share a room with the second assistant camera operator.

Shen Qi was at least a supporting actor with a named role, so however reluctant the assistant was, he had to give up the other bed.

A private room was out of the question.

Shen Qi didn't rank that high.

But even a small twin room was heaven. It had a bed! A private bathroom!

When Shen Qi lay down, he nearly cried.

Damn it. For the first time in over half a month, he was sleeping in a real bed!

Life wasn't like the movies. Life was much harder.

Some people were born with everything, while others had to fight just to sleep in a bed they could stretch out on.

At five the next morning, Shen Qi squatted outside the makeup room, waiting his turn.

His look was complicated, involving his hair, eyebrows, and face. It took well over an hour to finish.

Then director Wu Jiatai arrived and immediately started picking it apart, demanding they redo it.

He played the impossible client to perfection.

Even Shen Qi, let alone the makeup artist, wanted to curse his mother.

Is your mother doing well?

But neither Shen Qi nor the makeup artist had the standing or the nerve to challenge the director. They could only follow his instructions.

"Now that's more like it."

Wu Jiatai was finally satisfied with the new look.

He'd started as a cinematographer and become a director in 1995. After more than a decade in the business, he knew a thing or two.

The new look he praised so highly really was far better than the first.

It was an entirely different style.

The Demon Dao Sage Lord played a major part in advancing the romance between the two leads.

Even so, he appeared in only one episode before being killed off. He was just an ordinary supporting character.

That was why his original look had been designed so carelessly.

After the director's sweeping changes, Shen Qi's Demon Dao Sage Lord had completely shed his tacky, small-town edge.

There was polish in his every movement, and his presence filled the room.

He practically radiated authority!

Even Shen Qi felt formidable.

White Snake, Fahai, come at me together!

At the set, Shen Qi drew a crowd. Quite a few people said he looked handsomer and more imposing than Nie Yuan's Demon Lord Seven Nights.

Of course, a great look alone wasn't enough. Whether the character worked depended on his acting.

"Scene seventy-one, shot six, take one. Action!"

The clapperboard snapped shut, and the actors quickly settled into their roles.

Adjusting Shen Qi's look had already delayed the scheduled start by more than half an hour.

They had no time to waste.

As dry-ice fog rose beneath the green lighting, Shen Qi slowly walked into frame.

He didn't use the magic book this time.

All he had to do was look cool without showing any expression.

"Okay, that's a take!"

Even after the shot was approved, Shen Qi stayed where he was.

They were about to start the next shot.

TV productions weren't as demanding as films. If a take was passable, the director rarely called cut.

If this had been a film, Shen Qi would have been lucky to get through it with fewer than thirty or fifty retakes.

"The Sage Lord has come in person. I should have been the one to pay him a visit!"

Liu Tao smiled as she delivered her line to Shen Qi.

The director frowned, but let the filming continue.

He thought Liu Tao's smile was a little too much. It didn't look like polite insincerity; it looked as though she had something going on with the Demon Dao Sage Lord.

"I heard you were back, so I thought I'd drop by."

As a former people's teacher, even one who had taught PE, Shen Qi held a Level 2-A Mandarin certificate.

His line delivery was perfectly fine.

Not that it mattered much.

For the sake of filming efficiency, Legend of the White Snake would dub all the dialogue afterward.

Even so, Shen Qi delivered his lines earnestly.

"What, you won't let me come in and take a look?"

Shen Qi moved forward along the prescribed path.

He thought he'd done well.

But the take was rejected.

"Cut! Cut! Cut!"

Director Wu Jiatai sprang up from behind the monitor and strode over to Shen Qi. His tone was sharp.

"Didn't your teacher teach you how to act?"

Shen Qi gave an embarrassed smile. "I graduated from a sports university."

"Damn it!" The director put a hand to his forehead. Then he looked at the appearance he'd put so much effort into designing and, resigned to his task, pointed at Liu Tao.

"You're playing opposite her, but you don't have to stare her down! Keeping your eyes focused isn't the same as watching her every move. You're not Hanamichi Sakuragi. You're the Demon Dao Sage Lord, and this is your territory. Act like you're at ease..."

Luckily, television didn't demand too much, and Shen Qi had some talent.

After Wu Jiatai coached him, Shen Qi still flubbed the occasional take, but at least he could act on his own.

That was right. Shen Qi did have a little acting ability.

All right, fine. ~_~

Legend of the White Snake had a high production budget, but the actual filming was second- or third-rate.

It was nowhere near as good as Lotus Lantern.

Besides, the director had spent so much effort redesigning Shen Qi's look that replacing him now would waste all that work. He wasn't going to kick Shen Qi out lightly.

So Shen Qi shamelessly learned by trial and error. Whenever he made a mistake, the director corrected him. Then he knew what he'd done wrong and how to fix it.

But when the retakes piled up, he secretly activated the magic book.

That was when the director would nod in satisfaction.

The kid can be taught!

I even taught a sports graduate to act.

I'm incredible!