That night, Song Shi'an leaned against the bed and reviewed the scene of jumping off the building that they were going to film the next day. He was thinking about which pose would be the most perfect when he heard Jiang Ye's phone ring.
The ringtone is an extremely sweet Korean girl group song.
Song Shi'an's head snapped around. How strange! He'd been in this dorm for over a month, and this was the first time he'd heard a girl call Jiang Ye.
Is his usual "my mom only sends money and ignores me" persona about to crumble?
Chi Xun was hunched over the table organizing Xu Che's materials when he caught Song Shi'an's gossipy eyes out of the corner of his eye. He leaned closer and whispered, "What are you looking at?"
Song Shi'an gestured with his chin toward Jiang Ye, his eyes clearly saying, "Tell me what's going on."
Chi Xun instantly understood and lowered his voice, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but that's Jiang Ye's sister. She calls him occasionally."
Song Shi'an was taken aback. Jiang Ye had a younger sister? How come he had never heard him mention it before?
Jiang Ye hung up the phone, leaned back in his chair, and let out a long sigh, "I'm really fed up. My little sister's grades slipped in the monthly exam, and she asked me to tutor her."
Chi Xun pushed up his glasses. "If you, as the older brother, don't go, who will? But isn't your sister a student at Jingchen Affiliated Middle School? She's a top student, so why does she need extra classes?"
"You don't know? She's completely overwhelmed now." Jiang Ye ruffled his red hair. "It's only been a short time since school started, and the class is full of top students. She used to be in the top three in junior high, but now she's at the very bottom. I told her I could just find her a tutor, but she insisted on me doing it, saying I explain things more clearly than the teacher."
Song Shi'an put the script aside and put his hands behind his head. "I filmed at the affiliated high school today. The school is quite big. I also filmed with a lot of students today. Those kids have a kind of domineering aura about them. They are obviously top students."
Pei Zhiyan looked up from behind the computer and, unusually, spoke up, " Jingchen Affiliated Middle School was originally intended to be a source of students for Jingchen University. To get in, you need good grades and a wealthy family background. You're not mistaken."
After hearing this, Song Shi'an felt a warmth from the corpse. Some people are born in Rome, while others are born like cattle or horses.
Those kids were already on a starting line he could never have imagined in his previous life, starting from high school, and they didn't forget to compete in grades, competitions, and all sorts of extracurricular activities.
Those with talent are working hard, while those without can only silently pick up the script and continue to study it.
The next morning, before dawn, Song Shi'an quietly climbed out of bed.
When they arrived at the school gate, Lin Fan was already waiting by the car, holding a cup of hot soy milk as usual.
When Song Shi'an got closer, he was shocked to see that Lin Fan's dark circles under his eyes looked like he had been punched twice, making him look like a giant panda.
" Lin Fan, what were you doing last night? Your dark circles are practically hanging down to your chin."
Lin Fan quickly waved his hand. "It's nothing, it's nothing. I just didn't sleep well. It won't affect my work today."
He stayed up all night watching the first four episodes of " The Emperor's Ambition," then edited a promotional video for Meng Zhen and posted it on his alternate account. By the time he checked the time, it was already past 3 a. m.
With my eyes closed, all I could think about was Meng Zhen's words, "Serving the Emperor above and wielding immense power below." I tossed and turned, and by the time I finally fell asleep, it was almost dawn.
Song Shi'an glanced at him suspiciously, but didn't ask any further questions. He took the soy milk and got into the car.
When I arrived at the film set, the school gates had just opened, the morning mist hadn't completely dissipated, and the playground was deserted.
He walked to the foot of the teaching building from yesterday, looked up, and saw that the wire harness had been set up on the edge of the rooftop, with several steel cables hanging down from the roof, gleaming silver-gray in the morning sunlight.
I never expected that wire work would be used even for a modern scene.
The stylist was already waiting in the dressing room. As soon as Song Shi'an came in, she pressed him into a chair. "Teacher Song, you look pretty good today, but your makeup needs to make your complexion look a bit paler."
Song Shi'an obediently closed her eyes and let the stylist work on her face.
I gently patted my face with the powder puff, applying two more layers than usual, which covered my originally healthy skin tone, turning it into a pale, grayish-white.
Lin Fan stood to the side, scrolling through the messages Ji Shuyao had sent on his phone, his eyes lighting up. "Brother, Brother Yao said a few variety shows want to invite you to be a guest star. Do you want to consider it? It's a great opportunity to boost your popularity!"
He could imagine his brother shining on variety shows, his face attracting fans just by standing in front of the camera, without doing anything.
Song Shi'an opened his eyes, and a powder puff almost poked his eye. A variety show? A program actually invited him to be on a variety show!
He quietly picked up his phone and searched under the table, looking up how much a nobody actor could earn per episode as a guest on a variety show.
The search results popped up, ranging from 10,000 to 50,000.
Phase 1! 10,000 to 50,000!
"Go! I absolutely have to go!" He coughed twice, turned off his phone screen, and tried his best to remain calm. "After I finish filming this scene, I'll go see Brother Yao."
Lin Fan nodded vigorously, already inwardly celebrating that his brother was finally about to embark on his adventures!
Upon reaching the rooftop, Song Shi'an walked to the edge and glanced down. From a height of over ten stories, the people below looked like small chess pieces. The wind whistled past his ears, and he quickly took a step back.
The stuntman chuckled and said, "Don't be afraid, young man. There are safety pads underneath, double the protection, it's very safe."
Song Shi'an walked over and tugged at the wire; it was very sturdy.
The instructor helped him fasten the safety buckle, checked it twice, and gave the director an OK sign.
The director, holding a megaphone, said, "This is a long take, following from the stairwell all the way to the edge of the rooftop. You can improvise freely; do whatever you want with the lung tubes."
Song Shi'an thought to herself that there was no need for deliberate acting; just standing here and looking down was enough to pierce her heart.
As soon as the director yelled "Action!", he took a deep breath and sank down.
The camera followed his back as he stepped from the stairwell onto the rooftop.
His steps were light, without hesitation or pause. He stood at the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the students leaving school below.
The crowd poured out of the teaching building entrance, dispersing in twos and threes, some chatting and laughing, some chasing and playing, and some riding bicycles rushing towards the school gate.
All sounds were far away from him.
This world seems to be unfair; what is youth for others is just daily torment for him.
Living itself is a source of suffering; happiness belongs to others, and he has never truly possessed it.
He slowly sat down on the edge of the rooftop, his legs dangling over the edge, the wind blowing and making the hem of his school uniform flutter.
He raised his hand and took off his glasses; this was the first time Xia Yu had taken them off voluntarily.
He's not actually nearsighted; he just feels safer wearing glasses.
Looking at the world through a lens seems to buffer all the hurt a little.
No, it's not needed now.
The evening breeze blew, lifting the strands of hair on her forehead and revealing a pair of calm eyes beneath.
The setting sun was sinking in the distance, its orange-red light spreading across the rooftop and onto his pale face.
Xia Yu finally smiled, a very faint smile, as if it were the only time in the past seventeen years that she had truly relaxed.
The next second, he leaned forward and fell.
The staff members nearby instinctively reached out their hands, and one young female stagehand even took half a step forward, almost blurting out "no."
Why leave this world! That smile had just lit up.