Wearing a mask, Cheng Che followed Su Jianqiu into the film and television base.
It was much bigger inside than he had imagined.
Several huge photography studios stood side by side in the center of the venue, with several trucks loaded with equipment parked next to them.
Workers carried tracks, light stands, and reflectors, moving back and forth between the sheds.
They went into one of the sheds.
The interior of the shed was decorated to resemble the inside of an office building, complete with cubicles, meeting rooms, and a tea room.
The camera was mounted on a track, the microphone boom was suspended in mid-air, and lights shone from all directions, illuminating the entire scene like an exquisite glass box.
Su Jianqiu pointed around, a hint of smugness in her voice:
"This is our filming location. ' North Star,' an urban workplace drama, I'm the female lead."
Cheng Che looked left and right.
It was his first time on a film set, and everything felt new and exciting.
The enormous camera was several times larger than any he had seen at the Mushroom House before; its tracks were laid out on the ground, and several production assistants were squatting beside it, adjusting it.
"How was it?" Su Jianqiu was even more smug seeing his reaction. "It's way more professional than that small-scale variety show, Mushroom House, right?"
Cheng Che nodded. "Indeed."
Su Jianqiu was satisfied with his reaction and was about to say something when a young woman with a ponytail jogged over.
" Sister Su, the director is calling you. It's your turn for the next scene."
"Okay." Su Jianqiu turned to Cheng Che and said, "This is Xiao Liu, my assistant. You can follow her around for a bit, I'll come find you after this scene is finished."
After saying that, she followed the production assistant to the filming area.
Assistant Liu looked at Cheng Che, his eyes lighting up, and lowered his voice, "You're Cheng Che, right? We met at the Mushroom House before."
Cheng Che nodded. "Hello, Sister Liu."
"Just call me Xiao Liu." She waved her hand. "Come on, I'll show you around; this place is quite interesting."
Assistant Liu led Cheng Che on a tour of the shed.
We passed through the prop room, the costume area, and the recording studio.
Cheng Che followed behind, finding everything new and exciting.
Those scenes you see on TV are actually built like this.
When the two reached the extras' dressing area, Assistant Liu suddenly stopped.
She clutched her stomach, her face looking rather pale.
"Um... Cheng Che," her voice was a little weak, "Wait here for me a moment, my stomach isn't feeling well."
"It's alright, you can go ahead," Cheng Che said.
Assistant Liu left in a hurry.
The makeup area for extras was in a relatively separate area, enclosed by temporary partitions.
Inside, there were several rows of folding chairs, and a few extras were changing clothes and rehearsing their lines.
The vanity next to me was piled high with foundation, hairspray, and eyebrow pencils. The air was filled with the smell of foundation and hairspray, making it feel a bit stuffy.
Cheng Che took off his mask.
He was already wearing a mask, and he didn't take it off when Assistant Liu led him away.
Now that he was alone and no one was paying attention to him, he casually pulled his mask down.
The [ Stars Surrounding the Moon ] phenomenon quietly took effect at this moment.
At first, it was just a stagehand passing by who glanced at him, then it was an extra touching up her makeup at the dressing table, and then it was two middle-aged actors standing at the door waiting for their scenes.
Everyone seemed to be drawn by something, their gazes unconsciously shifting towards Cheng Che.
A girl put down her script and whispered to her companion, "Is that a new actor? I've never seen him before?"
"I don't know. Someone this handsome shouldn't be unknown."
"Was he recently signed by some entertainment company? Did he cut in line? Is he a lead or a supporting actor?"
"Possibly. That aura... it's clear she's destined for stardom."
Several actors familiar with the extras in the show also huddled together and whispered:
"When did someone like this join our crew? Looking like this, there's no way we haven't heard of him."
Cheng Che upon hearing these words, but inwardly he smiled smugly.
Nobody recognized him.
Good thing.
Fortunately, I'm not so narcissistic as to think everyone in the country knows me.
Otherwise, if he were truly narcissistic and no one recognized him, he'd probably be internally roaring, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; don't underestimate a young man's potential!"
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps sounded inside the shed.
A middle-aged man wearing a baseball cap walked briskly over, carrying a stack of papers in his hand, looking around as he went.
"Hurry up, extras, get to your positions on the street first, so your poor positioning doesn't affect the main actors' shots."
He shooed the extras away, then his gaze swept across the crowd before suddenly settling on Cheng Che.
His eyes lit up.
"You! That tall guy!"
Cheng Che paused for a moment, then pointed to himself. "Me?"
"Yes, yes, it's you." The middle-aged man rushed up to him, looked him up and down, and nodded with satisfaction. "A special agent, right? Not bad looking. Come on, come with me."
"Wait a minute, I'm not --"
Before Cheng Che could finish speaking, the assistant director grabbed his arm and pushed him toward the dressing room.
"Don't be nervous, today's scene is simple, just a few lines. You can start getting your makeup done; I've put the script on the table."
Cheng Che was still dazed when he was pushed into the dressing room.
The dressing room wasn't big; it contained a mirror, a chair, and a dressing table.
The dressing table was covered with various bottles and jars, and a school uniform hung next to the chair.
The makeup artist, a woman in her thirties, was tidying up her brushes.
When she saw Cheng Che come in, she looked up, the brush in her hand stopping in mid-air.
Her eyes slowly widened.
"You..." She stared at Cheng Che's face for several seconds, "Aren't you that...?"
Cheng Che's heart skipped a beat.
Oh no, I've been recognized.
Before he could even think of an explanation, the makeup artist had already come over, circled Cheng Che, and the more she looked, the more something seemed off.
"Have I seen you somewhere before?" She frowned. "Featured actor? I've never seen you before. You're so handsome, there's no way I wouldn't remember you."
Cheng Che thought to himself, "Are they all just messing with me?"
Then I'll tease you guys a bit too.
Cheng Che thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "You probably met me when I was working as a featured extra on that film set."
The makeup artist nodded with some skepticism. "It should be. I'll never forget your face once I've seen it."
She sighed, a hint of regret in her voice. "You're so handsome, why aren't you a star? Are all those entertainment companies blind?"
Cheng Che smiled, didn't reply, and picked up the script on the table.
The script was only two thin pages long.
The character he plays is named " Zhou Xiaobei," a classmate of the male lead's sister.
The plot is simple: Zhou Xiaobei comes to the male lead's house to deliver study materials to his sister, but the male lead, who is in a bad mood, mistakes him for his sister's boyfriend and kicks him out after a few words.
This misunderstanding sparked an argument between the younger sister and the male protagonist.
Purely a tool.
He'd only say a few words, a couple of sentences, and then that was it—nothing more.
Cheng Che put the script down.
He thought it was alright; after all, it was just a few lines, and he could leave after the performance.
However, he muttered something to himself.
How much is the contract salary? Are you sure you're not just getting paid for nothing?
The makeup artist stood in front of him, holding a powder puff, but hesitated to use it.
"Your skin..." she leaned closer to look, "Is amazing. You don't need any makeup at all."
She gritted her teeth, and finally symbolically applied a thin layer of powder to Cheng Che's face, then took the school uniform next to the chair and handed it to him.
"Put it on. Your character is a student."
Cheng Che took the school uniform and went behind the changing curtain.
When he came out after changing, the makeup artist covered her mouth and took a step back.
"He has such a youthful vibe!" Her voice trembled slightly.
Cheng Che looked down at himself.
The blue and white school uniform was zipped up halfway, and the sleeves were a little short.
He thought to himself, "I just graduated from high school. I don't have the air of a teenager anymore, so how could I possibly have the air of an old person?"
"Are you done?" the assistant director's voice came from outside. "Come out when you're done and go over your lines with the male lead."
Cheng Che lifted the curtain and went out.
The assistant director, standing at the door, saw him and his expression immediately showed great satisfaction. He grabbed him and pushed him toward the filming area.
"Come on, come on, the male lead just finished filming a scene, let's get these takes done while he's still in the mood."
Cheng Che was pushed into the living room area of the office building set. A young man in casual clothes was sitting on the sofa flipping through a script. Hearing the noise, he looked up.
He glanced at Cheng Che, nodded, and said in a flat tone, "A newcomer?"
"I guess so," Cheng Che said.
"Don't be nervous." The male lead put the script aside, stood up, and said, "It's just a few lines. You come in, I'll kick you out, and then you leave. We'll call it a day after the performance."
Cheng Che nodded. "Okay."
Not far away, Su Jianqiu had just finished filming a scene and was sitting on a rest chair drinking water.
Assistant Liu walked over, clutching her stomach; her face was still a little pale.
Su Jianqiu glanced at her. "Where's Xiao Che?"
Assistant Liu was taken aback for a moment.
She had diarrhea so badly that her mind went blank and she completely forgot about it.
She turned around, looking around for someone.
Then she saw Cheng Che.
He was wearing a school uniform and standing opposite the male lead, while the assistant director was explaining his blocking to him.
He held the script in his hand, listening intently and nodding.
Assistant Liu's eyes widened, and he patted Su Jianqiu on the shoulder.
" Sister Su, look!"
Su Jianqiu followed her gaze and almost spat out the water she had just drunk.
She put down her water bottle, stared at the boy in the school uniform in the distance, and managed to utter a sentence:
"Why did he go into acting?"