When Zhao Min heard the words "more money required," she was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"More money! Definitely more money!" She patted Cheng Che on the shoulder. "You're an interesting kid. Fine, you can play around with him as you like. Su Jianqiu, you take him with you."
Su Jianqiu smirked and walked over, grabbing Cheng Che's wrist.
"Come on, I'll take you to a nice place."
She dragged Cheng Che through the entire photography studio, heading towards the clothing area.
The staff along the way couldn't help but turn their heads, and several young girls stared wide-eyed when they saw Su Jianqiu pulling a boy in a school uniform along.
The clothing section was in a corner of the shed, enclosed by a huge partition, with several rows of clothes hanging inside.
There were people dressed in ancient costumes, Hyundai, workplace costumes, and school costumes, densely packed together, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Su Jianqiu let go of her hand and began to rummage through her clothes.
"Try this." She pulled a white ancient-style robe from the shelf and held it up against Cheng Che.
Cheng Che took it, looked down at it, and asked, "This one?"
Go change.
Cheng Che carried the clothes into the dressing room.
When he came out, Su Jianqiu was leaning against the dressing table, scrolling through her phone.
Hearing the curtain rustle, she looked up.
Then I almost dropped my phone.
Cheng Che was wearing a white robe, and although his hair was still short and Hyundai, his face and figure made him look like someone who had stepped out of an ancient painting.
The white robe made his skin appear even whiter, amplifying the handsome features of his eyes and brows. He exuded a cleanliness and aloofness that seemed out of place in this era.
"Holy crap," Su Jianqiu blurted out.
She immediately raised her phone and took several pictures of Cheng Che.
"Turn around once."
Cheng Che turned around.
"Let's go around one more time."
Cheng Che turned around again.
Su Jianqiu kept filming, muttering to herself, "If this were a real period drama, you could carry an entire series by yourself."
Cheng Che looked down at his robe and asked, "Does ' North Star ' have ancient storylines?"
Su Jianqiu blinked.
"Of course," she said confidently. "Didn't you read the script? It has a past life/reincarnation plot."
Cheng Che hadn't really read the script carefully; he only knew that he was playing a Hyundai supporting role.
He nodded, and believed him.
"What about this one?"
Su Jianqiu then pulled out a set of black tight-fitting clothes from the shelf, complete with leather wrist guards and a silver belt around her waist.
Cheng Che changed into it.
The black color made him appear even colder, and added a sharp edge to his eyes and brows.
He stood under the lights, his hands hanging casually at his sides, yet he exuded a sense of power poised to be unleashed.
Su Jianqiu took another set of photos.
"This one's for the chivalrous. Try that one instead."
She pointed to a light blue scholar's robe next to her, and then to a dark red battle robe.
Cheng Che changed outfits one after another, and Su Jianqiu filmed one outfit after another.
When they switched to the fifth set, Cheng Che finally couldn't hold back anymore. " Sister Su, what kind of drama is ' North Star '? How come it has everything?"
"Fictional world." Su Jianqiu said without changing his expression, "In a fictional world, any style is possible."
Cheng Che believed it again.
Su Jianqiu looked down as she flipped through the photo album, her lips curving into a wider smile.
She picked out a few of the best photos and sent them to Yan Ruanning with one click.
Three seconds later.
[ Yan Ruanning:?]
Su Jianqiu replied, "Your man is in my hands."
There was a full ten seconds of silence on the other end.
[ Yan Ruanning:...]
[ Yan Ruanning: Post more.]
Su Jianqiu laughed so hard her shoulders were shaking when she saw the message.
"A proud and arrogant girl."
She muttered something under her breath, then continued flipping through the photo album, selecting a dozen more pictures to send.
Cheng Che watched her post photos from the side, not paying much attention. He assumed she was just sharing costume ideas with her colleagues on set.
In the afternoon, Cheng Che left the film crew.
He received the complete script and a temporary contract.
Zhao Min gave him a piece of paper with his character " Lu Shi'an " written on it. He was a supporting character with few scenes, and he had a few scenes with Su Jianqiu's character.
The fee is 50,000 yuan, and the filming lasts for seven days.
fifty thousand.
Cheng Che looked at the numbers on the contract and sighed inwardly.
He only received three thousand yuan when he filmed the music video for " Midsummer Reply ".
The salary for a supporting role has now increased more than tenfold.
Indeed, in the entertainment industry, net worth and status are the most important things.
Over the next few days, Cheng Che's life returned to its two-track rhythm.
I get up at 5:30 in the morning and go to the park to practice.
After finishing your ball training, activate the [ Endurance Running Training Pack ] and run along the streets of Spring City.
Starting with 15 kilometers a day, I gradually increased it to 20 kilometers, then 25 kilometers.
He ran with increasing ease.
[ Natural Breathing Rhythm ] allows his breathing and steps to be perfectly synchronized, while [ Self-Healing Instinct ] repairs every tiny bit of fatigue as it is generated.
He didn't even need to activate [ Enduring Progress Without Fail ] to recover his stamina to finish the entire run.
That feeling was strange.
He was clearly running and his body was expending energy, but the rate of energy expenditure could never keep up with the rate of recovery.
He's like a perpetual motion machine; as long as he doesn't want to stop, he can keep running.
On the day of filming, he went to the film set.
After changing into costume and memorizing their lines, they rehearsed their lines with Su Jianqiu.
[ Boy of Many Styles ] proved very useful on set.
He switches between different personas depending on the situation.
When acting opposite Su Jianqiu, he chose the role of a "cool and aloof young man," perfectly portraying the taciturn character " Lu Shi'an."
When interacting with the extras, he chose the " Sunny Boy " image, and his whole demeanor instantly became warm and gentle.
Everyone on the film crew was stunned.
"Is this kid really acting for the first time?"
"I've been acting for ten years, and I've never seen anyone with such talent."
"Look at his eyes, so controlled and composed, more so than many formally trained actors."
On the seventh day, Cheng Che finished filming.
His last scene was a farewell scene with Su Jianqiu.
He stood at the intersection of the street scene built by the film crew. The setting sun shone through the edge of the set. He glanced at Su Jianqiu, said nothing, and turned to leave.
After Zhao Min yelled "Cut!", the entire studio was silent for several seconds.
Then applause erupted from all directions.
Su Jianqiu stood in front of him and patted him on the shoulder. "Kid, not bad."
Cheng Che smiled.
A veteran actor from the crew, who had been acting for over thirty years, came over, looked him up and down, and said seriously:
"Young man, if you really go down this path, your future is limitless."
Cheng Che nodded and said "thank you," but his mind was elsewhere.
Day 9.
In the morning, after finishing his run, Cheng Che sat on a park bench and opened the system panel.
[ Endurance Running Training Pack: Current progress 50000/50000. Completed!]
He clicked "claim".
[Congratulations, host, you have gained 1 point of any attribute.]
He added that attribute to his stamina.
[Stamina:72]
He moved his wrists and felt a faint warm current flowing through his body, like some kind of subtle upgrade was taking place.
Run faster, jump higher, recover faster.
The difference isn't huge, but they're definitely not the same anymore.
When I got home in the evening, Jiang Xue was busy in the kitchen.
" Cheche." She poked her head out. "Tomorrow's the marathon. Your dad and I are going to cheer you on."
Cheng Che was taken aback. "You guys are going?"
"What's wrong? Can't you go?"
"Yes." Cheng Che smiled. "Then be careful, there should be quite a few people."
He took out his phone; messages from Guo Xin were already flooding in.
[ Guo Xin: A few of us are going to the marathon tomorrow! Which district are you starting from?]
[ Guo Xin: I checked the route; it runs along Dianchi Lake the whole way, and the scenery is beautiful.]
[ Guo Xin: We'll be waiting for you at the finish line! You'd better run fast!]
Then came news about Lin Xiao.
[ Lin Xiao: Keep it up! I'll be filming the whole thing!]
[ Lin Xiao: Although I can't catch up with you, I'll chase after you on a shared electric scooter!]
Zhou Mingxuan also posted one.
[ Zhou Mingxuan: I've analyzed the route. Don't push too hard in the first half, as there are hills in the second half. Your strength lies in endurance, so the second half is the best time to exert your full strength.]
Su Qingyue's message was the briefest.
[ Su Qingyue: See you tomorrow.]
Cheng Che put down his phone and was about to go take a shower when it lit up again.
It's Yan Ruanning.
She didn't say anything.
It's just a selfie.
In the photo, she is wearing ordinary loungewear, her hair is loose, she has little makeup on, she is making a "cheering" gesture at the camera, and the corners of her mouth are turned up.
In the background of the photo, a familiar middle-aged man is sitting on a sofa looking at his phone.
A cup of tea sits on the coffee table, and a newspaper is spread out beside it.
Old Xu.
Cheng Che stared at the photo, momentarily stunned.
Then he laughed.
Cheng Che looked at the photo, his finger hovered over the screen for two seconds, and then typed a reply.
[ Cheng Che: Are you coming to the event tomorrow?]
The other party replied instantly.
[ Yan Ruanning: Depends on my mood.]
Cheng Che smiled.
He put his phone in his pocket, stood up, and went out onto the balcony.
A night breeze blew by, carrying a slight chill. In the distance, the lights of Spring City stretched out in a continuous expanse, like a layer of shattered gold spread on the ground.
Tomorrow, he will run more than 40 kilometers through the streets of this city.
And she, too, lived in the same city.
He leaned against the railing and chuckled softly.
"Watch me do it."