Assistant Liu clutched her stomach, looking anxiously at Cheng Che, who was standing opposite the male lead in a school uniform in the distance.
" Sister Su, should we go and talk to the director? He's not an actor, he's just visiting the set."
Su Jianqiu leaned back in her chair, holding a water bottle, a playful smile on her lips.
"Go where?" she said slowly. "If he doesn't want to act, he can just refuse."
Assistant Liu was taken aback for a moment.
"It's good that the kid wants to experience acting." Su Jianqiu put down her water bottle and looked at Cheng Che in the distance. "Let him know that acting isn't as simple as it seems."
Her smile deepened.
"Hey-hey."
Assistant Liu opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed his words.
Su Jianqiu stood up, patted her skirt, and walked towards the director's monitor.
Zhao Min was looking down at the monitor playback when she heard footsteps. She looked up, saw Su Jianqiu, and smiled.
"What, not taking a break? Came to watch me direct?"
Su Jianqiu walked over to her and gestured towards the filming area with her lip. "See that one in the school uniform?"
Zhao Min followed her gaze.
Cheng Che was standing opposite the male lead, and the assistant director was telling him about his blocking.
A white shirt, a blue and white striped school uniform jacket, the zipper halfway up, revealing a clean-cut face.
Zhao Min stared for two seconds, then suddenly paused, stunned.
"This child..." She took off her glasses, wiped them, put them back on, and looked at him again. "Haven't I seen him somewhere before?"
Su Jianqiu smiled but remained silent.
Zhao Min looked for two more seconds, then suddenly slapped her thigh. " Cheng Che? That Zhuangyuan in the college entrance exam? The tennis player?"
"Right."
What is he doing here?
"They came to visit me on set," Su Jianqiu said casually.
Zhao Min looked her up and down, then suddenly gave a meaningful smile, "An old cow eating young grass?"
Su Jianqiu rolled her eyes:
"I want to eat other people, but they wouldn't even look at me. Stop talking nonsense, I'll just show you his acting skills."
Zhao Min looked at the monitor with a mixture of belief and doubt.
Over in the filming area, the male lead Lin Zhe, was looking down at his script.
He is 26 years old this year and has been in the industry for five years. He has played the second male lead in several popular dramas. This is his first time playing the male lead.
The director and investors were all pinning their hopes on this film to boost his career, so he was under considerable pressure.
"Come in a moment and knock three times," the assistant director instructed Cheng Che on his blocking. "After you enter, when you see Teacher Lin, greet him 'Brother.' Then he'll ask who you're looking for, and you'll say Chen Xiaoran. Next, he'll ask what your relationship with Chen Xiaoran is, and you'll say 'Classmate.'"
Cheng Che nodded.
The assistant director glanced at his face again, then left, satisfied.
Lin Zhe put down the script and looked up at Cheng Che.
Are you ready?
"Alright."
Lin Zhe nodded, signaling the stagehands to take their positions.
"All departments prepare--"
Cheng Che took a deep breath and silently recited a phrase in his mind.
"Open."
[ Total Concentration activated.]
[ The Boy of Many Styles has been activated. Currently available to unlock: "Sunny Boy ".]
He chose " Sunny Boy ".
Almost instantly, his demeanor subtly changed.
A subtle brightness appeared between her brows and eyes, and a slight curve unconsciously appeared at the corners of her mouth. She looked like a plant bathed in morning light, clean, clear, and full of natural vitality.
At the same time, [ Stars Surrounding the Moon ] and [ Sapiosexual Boy ] are operating simultaneously.
The lights in the studio are the same lights, and the set is the same set.
But Cheng Che stood there, everything seemed to be tilting in his favor.
The extras waiting nearby unconsciously turned their heads.
An experienced technician who was adjusting a microphone stopped what he was doing and looked over through the equipment.
Several stagehands who had been looking down at their phones looked up one by one.
A young stagehand muttered under his breath, "Who's this guy? He seems more like the main character than Lin Zhe."
The person next to him didn't respond.
He couldn't explain why, but he just felt that the boy in the school uniform standing there made the whole scene feel unbalanced.
Lin Zhe stood opposite him, his eyes slightly widened.
When he was rehearsing his lines earlier, the young man, though good-looking, was just "pretty handsome extra." But now, he seemed to be illuminated by a lamp.
That face, those eyes, that clean and bright aura—standing in this set, they looked more like a movie than any lighting or props.
Lin Zhe suddenly felt a lot of pressure.
"Action!"
Cheng Che pushed open the door.
He knocked on the door three times, his rhythm natural and unhurried.
After pushing the door open, he stood in the entryway, his gaze sweeping around the living room before settling on Lin Zhe.
"Hello, brother," he said.
His voice was clear and crisp, with a touch of student-like reserve.
"I'm looking for Chen Xiaoran; she asked me to bring her some study materials."
Lin Zhe stared at him, his brows furrowing.
According to the script, his character was just fired from his company today and is in a bad mood.
Seeing a strange boy coming to see her sister, she instinctively thought the worst.
"Who are you? What's your relationship with Xiaoran?"
Lin Zhe's tone was wary.
Cheng Che lowered his eyes slightly.
His fingers unconsciously rubbed the edge of the stack of documents in his hand, as if he were looking for a foothold.
"Classmate," Cheng Che said, "Just a classmate."
He spoke with a very open and honest gaze.
But in Lin Zhe's view, this openness seemed more like a cover-up.
" Xiaoran isn't here, you can leave." Lin Zhe's voice turned cold.
Cheng Che was slightly taken aback.
He didn't leave immediately, but looked down at the stack of documents in his hand, as if hesitating whether to put them down.
"Then I'll put the documents on the table--"
"I told you to leave." Lin Zhe interrupted him, taking a step forward, his tone even harsher.
Cheng Che was taken aback.
His eyelashes drooped, casting a small shadow on his cheek.
He nodded, gave a soft "hmm," placed the documents on the shoe cabinet, turned, and pushed the door open to leave.
There wasn't a single unnecessary line of dialogue or an exaggerated movement throughout the entire process.
But the shed was so quiet you could hear the air conditioner humming.
There was a moment of silence in the shed.
Then the female director's voice rang out:
"Okay! You got it in one take!"
She sat behind the monitor, her eyes flashing with an alarming intensity.
Lin Zhe was taken aback.
He subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, but then a complex emotion welled up inside him.
But then he sensed something was wrong.
When he was acting just now, his attention was completely drawn to Cheng Che.
He delivered the lines and his positioning was correct, but he didn't have control over his emotions.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say, "Director, let's do it again," but Zhao Min had already stood up.
"Good, one take." Zhao Min clapped her hands. " Cheng Che, come here."
Cheng Che walked back from outside the door, and his whole demeanor returned to normal.
He just turned off [ Boy of Many Styles ] and [ Total Concentration ], and his demeanor has returned to that of a handsome young man.
At the same time, he was incredibly excited. Was this what acting was all about?
It feels so good to live other people's lives...
But the staff inside the shed were still buzzing with discussion.
"Was that a special guest? Which company was it from?"
"I've been acting for so many years, and I've never seen anyone so photogenic."
"Didn't you notice? When he was acting with Lin Zhe, my eyes were glued to him; Lin Zhe just seemed like a background character."
"Don't talk nonsense, Lin Zhe is a professional actor too."
"I'm not making this up. Go watch the replay if you don't believe me."
"If this were a professional actor, Director Zhao would definitely have added more scenes."
Over there, Zhao Min had already walked up to Cheng Che and extended her hand.
"Hello, Cheng Che. I'm Zhao Min, the director of ' North Star '." Her tone was direct. "That scene you just acted out was very good."
Cheng Che shook her hand. "Hello, Director Zhao."
Those nearby fell silent for a moment upon hearing the name " Cheng Che ".
Then, as if a switch had been flipped, a buzzing sound surged in from all directions.
" Cheng Che? Is that Cheng Che?"
"The variety show heartthrob, the top Zhuangyuan in the college entrance exam, and the tennis Champion!"
"Holy crap! It's him? The one who was rumored to be dating Yan Ruanning? No wonder he looked so familiar!"
"He came to visit the set? I thought he was a newly signed actor."
Lin Zhe stood to the side, listening to these discussions, his expression growing increasingly complicated.
He did indeed know Cheng Che.
Although he wasn't allowed to bring his phone into the closed-off filming location, he still managed to see the news during his break.
A top Zhuangyuan in the college entrance examination, a tennis Champion, and rumored to be dating Yan Ruanning, he has made headlines several times.
It was trending for almost half a month.
Zhao Min looked at Cheng Che, her tone carrying a hint of admiration:
" Cheng Che, how about you take on another cameo role? I'll add a few scenes for you, and you can be considered a supporting character."
Wouldn't it be foolish not to capitalize on a trending topic?
Cheng Che's Weibo supertopic is almost as popular as some second-tier celebrities. If he were to actually act, his popularity would definitely increase even more.
Besides, this child's acting skills are really good. If she were to actually act in a film, she could be a talent scout.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Che paused for a moment, then said seriously:
"From featured extra to supporting role? That'll cost extra."