The assistant director walked over and patted Song Shi'an on the shoulder. " Xiao An, good job. Next up is the bullying scene. We'll wrap up for today after that."
Song Shi'an nodded and looked at the extras standing in the corner.
They were clearly handpicked by the assistant director; each one had a buzz cut, wore their school uniforms open, and stood crookedly, looking exactly like a group of troublemakers just released from the disciplinary office.
But these troublemakers were huddled in a corner, their expressions increasingly somber, like college students realizing they hadn't opened their textbooks all semester before final exams.
"Do you think we'll be able to get any positive roles after this?"
"I don't know... but I'm definitely going to get scolded. My mom said she'll definitely watch my new drama when it airs, and if she sees me stepping on someone's face, she'll make me eat bamboo shoots with pork when I get home."
"You're lucky. My girlfriend is a fan of Song Shi'an. I didn't dare tell her what movie I was filming when I went out today. I lied and said I was playing the role of a top student's deskmate. When she saw the final cut, I'm single again."
The group exchanged a desperate look, then all turned to look at Song Shi'an, who was squatting next to the monitor drinking water.
The face, half-covered by bangs, was obedient and quiet, a stark contrast to what they were about to act out.
Everything is ready.
The filming location was the men's restroom at the end of the teaching building. The props team had already sprinkled water on the ground and adjusted the lighting to a cool tone.
Su Peng took a deep breath, flexed his fingers, and his expression, which had been "sorry, brother" before the camera started rolling, instantly switched to a fierce look the moment he tapped the clapperboard.
He grabbed Xia Yu's hair, slammed her against the wall, and said, "Damn it, I told you to bring money yesterday, did you bring it?"
Song Shi'an's face was pressed against the cold tiles, and his hair roots were pulled painfully.
He reacted as Xia Yu should, his face expressionless, but the little devil inside him was already dancing wildly.
Ouch! My scalp is being ripped off! This deserves a pay raise! This is a work injury! This definitely qualifies as a work injury!
Several troublemakers hurriedly rummaged through his bag and took all the money from the hidden compartment.
Su Peng spat, "That's all? Doesn't your rich dad give you any money? But then again, you're such a good-for-nothing, even your parents probably don't like you, hahahahaha!"
He laughed for a moment, then bent down and placed his foot on Xia Yu's chest, patting his cheek.
The frameless glasses slipped off his nose, revealing a pair of emotionless eyes underneath.
Su Peng's hand suddenly paused. Damn it!! We're all human, so why is this person on a completely different level from everyone else?
He can already imagine how much he'll be criticized after the show airs; the comments section will definitely be full of things like "Let go of that boy, let me have him" and "Your hands don't deserve to touch that face."
The director frowned behind the monitor, raised a megaphone, and shouted, "Cut! What's going on? Makeup artist, touch up your makeup!"
The makeup artist rushed in with her toolbox and squatted down in front of Song Shi'an to touch up the bruises on his lips and cheekbones.
After finishing the makeup, I stepped back two paces to examine the effect, and I was stunned by the result.
In real life, would anyone really have the heart to hit someone who looks like that? It's a miracle they don't treat him like royalty.
As soon as the director yelled "cut, "Song Shi'an felt like a shrimp vein had been removed, his whole body itching, rubbing his scalp and grimacing as he spun around in place.
My neck is stiff from being pinned against the wall for so long.
Su Peng stood to the side, his face full of guilt, poking two fingers at each other in front of him. He seemed even more nervous than when he was acting out being hit. "Teacher Song, I'm so sorry, did I hit you too hard...? Why don't you hit me back! Otherwise, I won't be able to sleep tonight!"
Song Shi'an was so startled that he dodged backward. What kind of act was this, pretending to fight back? He had only been tugged on the scalp, but this guy was acting like he was about to kneel down for him.
He quickly said, "Brother, it's not that serious, you're scaring me..."
Su Peng scratched his head sheepishly. "I'll try to pass the next round on my first try. I'm really sorry."
Sure enough, Su Peng's performance in the next scene was incredibly captivating. His movements were fluid and his lines flowed seamlessly. The director nodded in satisfaction behind the monitor, and the scene was perfect in one take.
"Cut! That's a wrap!"
Bai Siyao, who plays the female lead, stood on the sidelines, rolling up the script and tapping it against her palm. She looked at Song Shi'an in the corner, who was wiping the bruises on his face with a wet wipe, and sighed, "It's true that values follow appearances. If I were really that female lead, I would spend my whole life healing him from the moment I met him."
The assistant beside her turned pale and quickly lowered her voice, "Sis! Don't say things like that, people will write all sorts of things if it gets out."
Bai Siyao pouted. "I wasn't making this up. Although it was indeed a pity at first that he didn't play the male lead, it will be difficult to work with him again next time, barring any unforeseen circumstances."
Song Shi'an took the phone from Lin Fan, straightened his hair, and Lin Fan said, "Brother, your drama has started airing earlier than scheduled. It was originally scheduled for 6 PM, but it's starting at midnight now. Brother Yao asked me to let you know."
Song Shi'an checked the time; there were still five minutes left.
He didn't have much of a role after that; he just occasionally appeared in the classroom as a background character.
With his face still covered in bruises, he found a quiet corner to sit down and opened a video app on his phone to wait for the premiere.
Bai Siyao, carrying her lunch, passed by and saw him sitting alone in a corner, still wearing makeup. She went over and asked, "Lunch is ready, aren't you going?"
Song Shi'an shook his head. "Wait a bit, my last drama premiered, and I need to post comments to interact with viewers."
Bai Siyao was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "You can just leave these to your assistant. The company manages all the accounts. Why are you doing it yourself?"
Song Shi'an looked up in confusion. "Really? Why didn't anyone tell him?"
Brother Yao even sent him a message specifically asking him to interact himself. What does that mean? Could it be because he earns too little, and the company feels it's not worthwhile to assign him an operator to post the comments...?
Ji Shuyao was sifting through scripts in his office, sneezed.
He rubbed his nose, thinking that Song Shi'an must be talking about him behind his back.
Let this kid interact with the audience in the live chat during the premiere, let him experience what it's like to play the lead role, and maybe he'll change his mind.
He flipped through the stack of scripts in his hand, and the more he read, the more his head ached. Apart from Tushan Yan, all the characters played by Song Shi'an were dead, leaving no one alive.