Chapter 17 – The Scene of Upsetting the Cart

Despite numerous issues during script readings, strangely enough, both Shen Fubai and Jiang Heng aced their performances in the official shooting without any retakes. Lu Yunqian watched from the sidelines, utterly impressed—almost to the point of kneeling in admiration. He diligently observed their acting and silently memorized all the details of camera angles and movements.

In terms of acting experience, Lu Yunqian had far more than Shen Fubai—he had played bit parts in various film crews. Unlike Shen Fubai, who started off as the second male lead in a major director’s film, with a role that was almost as significant as the male lead’s.

That was the gap.

Yet Lu Yunqian didn’t feel resentful. Firstly, Shen Fubai’s six years of trials in the idol industry weren’t for naught. Secondly, even without considering the experience, Shen Fubai’s acting far surpassed his by miles.

He was far too inferior for anger.

After observing for a round, Lu Yunqian recalled the online criticisms lambasting Shen Fubai’s acting, and he could only scoff at the irony.

People were always so quick to make baseless judgements based on their own understanding, without having experienced something themselves.

This scene’s conclusion announced the start of filming the portion they had rehearsed in the makeup room the day prior. This time, Yu Tang was no longer a fresh-faced ingenue. She was now the peerless beauty renowned all over Jinling. Shen Fubai, squeezed into the makeup room, received additional dazzling decorations on his hair accessories. With a few more strokes of makeup, the faint hint of youthfulness faded, and every smile and frown showcased an alluring magnificence.

Lu Yunqian crouched outside, silently memorizing his lines. In this scene, all he had was one line: “Brother Yu, you are truly beautiful.” Yet, even with just six characters for his line, he spent hours contemplating the right tone to deliver it. Astonishment seemed exaggerated, a grand tone sounded artificial, and a light voice was too plain. He practiced alone several times, finding every iteration lacking.

“Brother Yu, you are truly beautiful.”

“Brother Yu, you are truly beautiful.”

“Brother Yu, you are tru…”

“Why are you mumbling to yourself around here?” A person suddenly sat beside him, stirring a breeze and chugging down half of the mineral water bottle Lu Yunqian had left.

Staring at the man beside him, covered in dust like he had crawled out of a garbage heap, Lu Yunqian sincerely spat out, “…you are truly ugly.”

Muran Jinhuan’s face darkened instantly.

“After riding my bike so far to deliver your phone, this is how you treat me?!” Muran Jinhuan roared as he gently tossed the phone into Lu Yunqian’s arms.

Lu Yunqian was startled when he realized he had left his phone in Muran Jinhuan’s car that morning.

“Sorry, President Mu, thank you.” Lu Yunqian instantly became very obedient, “Where is your car?”

The fact that the esteemed CEO had to ride a bike was bad enough, and the bicycle parked there was a public one…How could this happen! This would severely impair his image; he might be expelled from the circle of CEOs if he wasn’t careful.

“On the way, I encountered a grandma who had fallen. I had the driver take her to the hospital and borrowed the assistant’s bike card to ride here.” Muran Jinhuan stylishly brushed his hair, revealing a scratch on his wrist.

His dust-streaked face added immensely to the pathetic scene.

Lu Yunqian: “…What happened to you?”

Muran Jinhuan quickly hid the wound again, blushing in irritation. “I wouldn’t ever touch a bike as a means of transportation if not for getting you your stuff. Isn’t it obvious I can’t ride it?”

He had taken a hard tumble.

“I can understand that, I can,” Lu Yunqian was truly touched and slightly worried, “What about that grandma they took to the hospital… Are you worried she might take advantage of you?”

It wasn’t that Lu Yunqian was too suspicious. After all, he was a twenty-year-old boy working by himself in the entertainment industry, who had seen and experienced far too many bad things. He couldn’t trust strangers so easily.

“What’s there to worry about?” Muran Jinhuan chortled, “If anyone tries to deceive me, I could sue them until they are left impoverished.”

Is this the confidence of a businessman? Lu Yunqian, who couldn’t even cover the lawsuit fees, could only think, “…”

The difference was too great, and he stifled his frustration.

The ordinary citizen Lu Yunqian pitied himself online.

Amid their conversation, the makeup room’s door opened, revealing a gorgeously dressed Shen Fubai to everyone’s sight.

Muran Jinhuan, after a quick glance, grabbed Lu Yunqian’s arm tightly and muttered in awe, “…Oh, my Fucking God!”

Lu Yunqian chimed in, “My dear child!”

Actors must possess the ability to respond immediately. For extras with few lines, this skill could only be honed in daily life. — A quote from “The Lu Yunqian Acting Handbook”

Muran Jinhuan continued, “Oh, it’s incredible someone can look so fine.”

Lu Yunqian responded, “Being both the mother and the father isn’t easy either.”

Shen Fubai’s current appearance could only be described with one word: beautiful.

He remained silent, standing there tranquilly with his eyes gleaming. His presence was so mesmerizing, it took away everyone’s breath. Like a poppy laden with venom, it ensnares anyone who tastes it; or like a scabbard studded with jewels, where any drawn weapon can deliver a killing blow.

An absolute beauty, a captivating enchantress.

Instantly, Lu Yunqian was immersed in his character, his gaze riveted and his murmur barely audible.

“Brother Yu, you are truly beautiful.”

—No need to contemplate the tone, just act naturally.

Shen Fubai’s beauty was mesmerizing, and everyone wished to praise him. Why would you need to act?

As a rule, no outsiders were allowed on set during filming, but perhaps because Muran Jinhuan’s appearance was too forlorn, coupled with his commendably handsome looks, he went unnoticed as an extra who hadn’t been cleared out.

With so many crew members bustling around, not everyone was accounted for.

Since he was already here, Muran Jinhuan decided to stay and watch the three share scenes.

Shen Fubai’s undisputable beauty spoke volumes.

Jiang Heng looked dashing in his military uniform.

Lu Yunqian, who was supposed to be just a background actor, was utterly overshadowed. He was too raw to match the aura of the other two.

Muran Jinhuan looked around, and ended up checking out the background objects.

Everyone was focusing on those two main actors, so he would care for the plebeians instead.

This scene was shot incredibly smoothly, and the final product was even better than the rehearsal in the makeup room the day before.

Director Xu smiled brightly at the camera, gazing at Shen Fubai as if he was a valuable gem.

“Little Shen, you have a bright future ahead.” Director Xu never hesitated to commend someone with potential.

Jiang Heng was already acclaimed as a talented actor by Director Xu, who admired how Jiang Heng immersed himself in his roles swiftly. Anyone who shared the stage with Jiang Heng would be inadvertently swept into the emotions of the scene. That empathetic ability was most frightening.

However, this circumstance brought a slight problem: When the acting level between the actors was excessively uneven, one would easily be led by Jiang Heng. If Jiang Heng dominated the scene, it would be alright. However, if someone else was the one driving the narrative, then Jiang Heng’s brilliant performance could overshadow that person’s role.

That was what was commonly called overpowering the scene.

But nothing could be done about it. Could an actor lower their standards to accommodate the other? That would be ludicrous. Throughout his acting career, Jiang Heng was always in full control of his dynamics. His performances were always perfect, but never surpassing his usual level, as if he was suppressing his true prowess.

It was because Jiang Heng was holding back.

There were too few actors who could completely match up. Whenever two people acted together, one side had to give way. Jiang Heng was powerful, so he was always the one to give way. A famous film critic once said, “Jiang Heng’s monologues are consistently better than group scenes because he can’t be outstanding since he has no opponent. He is the king.”

But today, Director Xu discovered another actor with similar talents, who was on equal footing with Jiang Heng, not backing down in the slightest.

The king had finally met his match.

The afternoon’s shooting ended here. Director Xu still had scenes to shoot with other supporting actors, so Jiang Heng and Shen Fubai could relax.

Shen Fubai had noticed Muran Jinhuan long ago, but he didn’t reveal it while acting. Now, after the shoot, couldn’t help but whisper to Lu Yunqian, “You sent your son to monitor us?”

Lu Yunqian: “…Yeah.”

Shen Fubai sized up Muran Jinhuan. “He seems injured?”

“Ahh, yes!” Only now did Lu Yunqian recall that Muran Jinhuan’s injury hadn’t been treated when he arrived. He felt guilty. “I’ll go buy some medicine for him…”

Jiang Heng interjected, “I have some medicine in my dressing room; we can treat him there.” It would save them from another trip.

After all,Lu Yunqian had just… Running around again would be too much.

Shen Fubai and Jiang Heng weren’t fools; how could they truly think Lu Yunqian was Muran Jinhuan’s father? A more likely scenario was that of a caged bird and his patron. They chose to pretend they knew nothing and tactfully went along with the act so as to keep from embarrassing Lu Yunqian.

Lu Yunqian: No! You really know nothing!

Who could have imagined that the charming and philandering President Mu, changing boys in bed every night, was doing it just to hear stories.

A seasoned superstar like Jiang would often get bruises and contusions during filming, so he always kept a supply of ointment on hand. He had given Shen Fubai medicine that very morning, which would come in handy once more in the afternoon.

Lu Yunqian was grateful beyond measure. “Thank you so much.”

When Muran Jinhuan heard Jiang Heng’s invitation to the dressing room to apply medicine, his first thought was that the little vixen was trying to seduce him.

This is how it’s always written in CEO novels.

It turned out not to be the case. Both Jiang Heng and Shen Fubai weren’t in the dressing room but cleared out the place for them to apply medicine.

Meng didn’t give up.

This was definitely a form of manipulation.

Muran Jinhuan’s injuries were incurred from the fall he took to deliver the phone. Lu Yunqian felt he had an obligation to help apply the medicine.

Lu Yunqian: “Lift your hand.”

Muran Jinhuan complied obediently.

Lu Yunqian carefully applied the medicine to Muran Jinhuan with a cotton swab. The touched spots felt itchy, a maddening itch.

The boy’s face was genuinely youthful—not as spectacular as Shen Fubai, nor as fresh as Jiang Heng, yet amazingly adorable.

So cute that Muran Jinhuan cast Jiang Heng and Shen Fubai aside into oblivion—what a scoundrel.

So cute that when President Mu realized his heart skipped a beat, he was horrified by his thoughts of lusting after a minor. He hastily dashed that hideous thought away.

Although Lu Yunqian was twenty years old, he truly looked so young. Soft and obedient like a lamb, a perfect sleeping pill with his bedtime stories.

President Mu couldn’t help but say, “Continue coming to my room at night…” Tell me stories.

Jiang Heng and Shen Fubai, who were about to come in to ask if their sessions were over so they could start removing makeup, tilted their heads: ?

Had they just overheard something they should not have?

Muran Jinhuan, facing the door, witnessed the scene. His expression changed: “I won’t—”

Seeing Lu Yunqian’s expression shift, Muran Jinhuan hurriedly added, “I’ll pay you!” I won’t let you work for free!

Jiang Heng and Shen Fubai: “…”

They seemed to have stumbled onto a scene of a quid pro quo transaction.