As they were chatting, Han Xue's assistant came over holding two cups of coffee. When she saw Qilin, her eyes lit up instantly. Ignoring Han Xue's outstretched hand, she naturally walked up to Qilin, handed him a cup, kept one for herself, and asked brightly, "Brother Qilin, when did you get here?"
Han Xue: "..."
Qilin, being his usual straightforward self, didn't think much of it. Although he wasn't a big fan of coffee, it was a kind gesture, so he took a big sip and said, "Just arrived."
He wasn't very familiar with the assistant, only knowing that her name was Xiaohuan. She was a young girl, a bit over 1.6 meters tall, with a bit of baby fat and always sporting a bun on her head, giving her a cute, somewhat naive look.
"Brother Qilin, how about we have lunch together? There's a little restaurant nearby that serves really good beef noodles!"
Qilin's eyes lit up. He loved two things in life: making money and eating! He worked so hard to maintain his body mainly to enjoy good food.
He smiled and agreed, "Sure."
Xiaohuan's eyes turned into beautiful little crescents when she heard Qilin agree.
Xu Xin, standing nearby, chimed in, "I've been craving beef noodles too. How about we all go together?"
Before Xiaohuan could refuse, Qilin had already nodded, "Sure! The more, the merrier. Lunch is on me!"
Qilin spoke generously, thinking to himself, "It's just a few bowls of beef noodles. How expensive can it be?"
With Qilin having agreed, Xiaohuan couldn't refuse, but she gave Xu Xin a slightly hostile look.
"Shameless! It's bad enough that you stole a kiss from Brother Qilin during the shoot, now you're tagging along for lunch too! You're like a sticky candy!"
Xu Xin noticed Xiaohuan's look but didn't care. Happiness is something everyone has the right to pursue. Why miss a chance if there's one? What if it works out?
After the small talk, Wang Xiaohua stepped in to interrupt, leading Qilin to the audition. It was more of a formality than an actual audition. When Qilin and Wang Xiaohua walked in, the director was idly flipping through the script. Seeing them, he was momentarily stunned but then put on a welcoming smile.
"Sister Hua, long time no see. This must be Qilin. He looks as impressive as in his photos!"
Wang Xiaohua, evidently familiar with the director, greeted him with a smile, "Director Wang, it's been a while."
She pulled Qilin forward, "I'm entrusting my silly brother to you!"
Director Wang modestly waved his hand, "The role of Ma Wencai has few scenes, it's relatively easy to play."
He then looked at Qilin, "Have you read the script?"
Qilin nodded earnestly, thinking it best to be serious in front of the director.
"Then show me the expression you’d have when agreeing to Zhu Yingtai’s three requests."
Recalling the 'study materials' Wang Xiaohua had provided, Qilin nodded slightly, adjusted his emotions, and slowly looked at the director. The moment the director made eye contact with Qilin, he felt goosebumps rise all over!
It wasn't that he was shocked by Qilin's gaze, but rather the 'love' that radiated from it!
"Yingtai, I promise you. Today is our big day. Whatever conditions you have, I will agree to them."
The lines were simple to the extreme, but each word was filled with overwhelming emotion!
The director was somewhat overwhelmed. Qilin's acting was impeccable. If a beautiful woman were delivering these lines, he would have enjoyed it, but hearing it from a tall, muscular man, he felt a chill run down his spine.
...
Qilin's audition was announced as successful, and the filming was scheduled to start on September 15th, giving him half a month to prepare. It was only then that Qilin found out Han Xue would be playing Zhu Yingtai. He was somewhat surprised and secretly wondered what her salary would be.
Wang Xiaohua didn't let Qilin idle during this time. She specifically found an acting coach in Beijing for Qilin, with one-on-one lessons eight hours a day. The tuition was reportedly steep, making Qilin feel the pinch deeply. He was so dedicated to the lessons that he even avoided bathroom breaks, thinking that he wasn’t just relieving himself but 'peeing money away!'
Even though the company would reimburse the cost, he couldn't bear it. He even asked if he could get cash instead, but Wang Xiaohua refused.
According to her, Qilin had impressive mimicry skills, which could dominate in his early career. However, once he reached a certain height, who would he mimic then? Only what he truly learned would be his own.
She believed Qilin's greatest strength wasn't mimicry but his learning talent. With such a gift, he had to hone his acting skills.
In these two weeks, Qilin made significant progress. Previously, he would use a set 'template' for different scenes. For instance, he'd use Template 1 for one type of scene and Template 2 for another. If he couldn't find a suitable template, he'd be at a loss, and switching between them was somewhat rigid.
This was fine for one or two films, even three or four, but after more films, the audience might feel he only had a few tricks. After the lessons, he fully digested the content Wang Xiaohua had given him, making it his own and switching seamlessly. He also learned some basic skills.
The acting coach was extremely satisfied with his progress, stating that Qilin's half-month improvement exceeded that of an entire semester for others.
And so, on the evening of September 14th, the crew had a meal together to get acquainted before the shoot. On September 15th, the crew officially started filming!
By six in the morning, everyone was on set getting their makeup done. Qilin met the actor playing Liang Shanbo, Hu Zichen. Hu was a very popular artist who started as a boy band member and later transitioned to acting. His acting skills were decent, better than some pretty boys but not by much. With his good looks and this kind of period romance film, he was more than adequate.
His agent had announced his role as Liang Shanbo on Weibo when he accepted it, and fans immediately declared him the most handsome Liang Shanbo ever, garnering tens of thousands of likes.
In his white scholar's robe, Hu Zichen indeed looked the part, like a delicate scholar, earning admiration from many staff members. However, once Qilin appeared, these same staff members quickly changed their allegiance!
"This is Ma Wencai? Is Zhu Yingtai blind? How can she not want someone this handsome?"
NEXT