Chapter 001 Shadow of the Movie King (1)
Tao Xing wrung the water out of her clothes, sat on a stool and looked up ahead, where cameras, lighting boards, etc. were constantly moving around a person in the middle, and staff were busy coming and going.
This is the filming scene of the crew.
"Host, the target of the mission is with the person surrounded in the middle." The mechanical voice of System 080 came in my mind.
Tao Xing had just come to this world a short while ago and had climbed out of... a pond not far away.
He subconsciously looked at the young man and saw that he had eyebrows like distant mountains and a very handsome face. When he raised his eyes, there was a kind of cold and independent air about him.
This person is surrounded by a circle of people. To be treated like this, he must at least be the leading actor of this play, so he should be somewhat famous.
It’s just… Tao Xing coughed lightly and talked to 080 in his mind: “No matter how you look at him, he looks like a human being.”
080: "Well... Host, I am the same as you. You are a newcomer and I am a new system. I don't know a lot of things." The system said in embarrassment, "This is what I detected here. He is a human, but the object of the mission is with him. This is the reminder given to us by the bureau. It can't be wrong."
Tao Xing is a new employee of the Interstellar Quick Travel Bureau and comes to the small world with a mission.
His mission was to rescue non-human villains. When the mission was issued, no one in the bureau took it. He looked left and right and found it strange. The salary for this mission was three times higher than others, so why didn't anyone take it? Were they taking care of him as a newcomer?
Tao Xing was secretly delighted. Since everyone was willing to give in, he would not be polite. After all, he was quite short of money.
Redeeming the villains? What's so difficult about that? Many tasks in the bureau are related to villains. Tao Xing has learned about them. They are not born villains. Most of them have tragic circumstances. All you need to do is give them love and care, warmth and kindness, and try your best to heal their spiritual wounds.
As for the villains being non-human, that’s not a big deal. They’re just other creatures that have become spirits. They can be cats, dogs, foxes, etc. They’re even cuter.
He applied for this task without thinking twice, and the bureau assigned it to him very readily.
So, he hummed a song with the system and came to this first small world, and then... he opened his eyes, gulped down a big mouthful of water, and while struggling instinctively, he found himself in a pond.
Fortunately, he could swim. He swam to the shore with great effort, dripping with water, and stood on the shore in a daze.
The original owner died so the quick traveler could come through. The original owner might have been drowned. However, the bureau never revealed the identity information of the original owner, so the quick traveler had to explore it himself, and he didn't know who the other person was.
He only knew that the original owner must also be called Tao Xing, and looked exactly like him. This was the custom in the bureau. There would be an original owner in each small world, with the same name and appearance as the quick traveler.
Just having a name is not enough, because the cell phone in the original owner's pocket was soaked in water and couldn't be turned on, and there was nothing else.
Fortunately, he met a fisherman on the shore. The fisherman didn't know him, but looked at his appearance, pointed to the left, and asked him if he was an actor from a nearby film crew.
There was no one else around, so why not go check out that film crew? Tao Xing nodded vaguely and walked in the direction for a while before finding the film crew filming in the suburbs.
As he approached, someone looked at him in surprise: "Xiao Tao, you don't have a role today, why are you here? What's wrong with you? You are soaked. Did you go swimming?"
It turned out to be an actor here. Tao Xing breathed a sigh of relief.
He didn't know what happened to the original owner and was afraid of being exposed, so he nodded. At this time, 080 said that the target of the mission was detected here.
He found the target as soon as he arrived. It was effortless. Tao Xing was delighted and quickly looked towards the person in the middle.
"Host, our mission targets are rather special. They may be hiding around people, in plain sight and within reach. The system does not have the identity information of the mission targets. We do not know what kind of monster they are, what identity they use to hide themselves, or why they are villains. The host needs to find and identify them by himself. The system can only help the host confirm whether there are mission targets in the nearby area.
But this is our first world, and there are tips for beginners. The target of the mission is currently locked on that person." 080 read according to the rules.
That's true. The monsters will hide in the human world and you won't be able to spot their abnormality at first glance. You have to observe carefully.
The original owner had no role to play today, and no one came to urge him to change clothes and do makeup and hair, so he should have gone back to rest. But since he had discovered the object of the mission, Tao Xing didn't want to leave. This was his first job, his first world, and he was very excited.
He sat on a stool and watched. It was common for actors who had no scenes to come and learn. No one was surprised. But his clothes surprised everyone. They couldn't help asking, "You're still dripping with water. Aren't you going to go back and change?"
"It's summer, it will dry up quickly." Tao Xing said. It's nothing, it's not cold, and the water is quite clear.
The person next to him glanced at the strands of hair dripping from his forehead and said, "Oh."
Tao Xing didn't care about other people's looks at him. He wrung the water off his sleeves and chatted with people casually while observing them.
From the conversation, Tao Xing learned that the original owner was not famous and had no background. Of course, this was obvious without even talking. After all, he was sitting here without any agent or assistant to ask about him, and the director had never even glanced at him.
I also learned that the leading actor in the middle is named Jiang Lin, an actor who has won several awards and is extremely popular.
The drama being filmed is a rather routine idol drama of the overbearing CEO type. Jiang Lin plays the male lead, a overbearing CEO, and Tao Xing plays the female lead's childhood friend. The drama includes some plots such as the female lead, who was born in a farming family, rescuing the male lead in distress, the main characters playing in the suburbs, and the female lead being kidnapped. All of the scenes were filmed in one go in the suburbs here.
Netizens and fans are puzzled as to why a big star like Jiang Lin would come to film this idol TV series where all the directors and actors are newcomers.
Tao Xing looked in the direction of Jiang Lin and thought to himself, "The target of the mission is on him. What kind of spirit is that?"
Tips for newbies: Confirm that Jiang Lin is a human, not the target, but he is related to the target. Tao Xing pondered: "Is it the cats and dogs he raised that became spirits, or the flowers and plants he planted? Could it be the rings and necklaces on his body, or the bowls and plates he used for eating?"
080: "Host, can dishes also become spirits? What if they are broken before they even start practicing?"
Tao Xing: “…”
A scene had been finished, and more people immediately gathered around Jiang Lin, some wiping their sweat, some touching up their makeup. Tao Xing's view was blocked, and she stretched her neck.
Suddenly, a hand waved in front of him. He turned around and saw a worker beside him sneering, "You've been staring at Actor Jiang for quite some time. What are you thinking about?"
This man was born with a loud voice, and most of the crew heard what he said and looked over.
Jiang Lin's gaze also followed the voice, and through the crowd of figures, he turned away before his eyes completely landed on Tao Xing.
Tao Xing shook her head: "I'm not looking at him."
The field worker raised his eyebrows with an "I understand" expression and said, "Okay, okay, okay," without even looking at it.
Everyone started to make a fuss for a while, but Jiang Lin still had no expression on his face, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry. He stood in the crowd like a lonely crane, as if these words had nothing to do with him.
It was just a joke and no one cared. However, the assistant beside Jiang Lin frowned and whispered, "Teacher Jiang, he might have some feelings towards you, right?" It's not his fault that he is suspicious. There are many men and women who have feelings for Teacher Jiang, ranging from here to abroad.
"Don't talk about irrelevant things during working hours." Jiang Lin said lightly.
The assistant covered his mouth and said no more.
The filming continued. The afternoon was basically all Jiang Lin's scenes, some with the other actor and some with himself. The other actor could leave after finishing the filming. As time went by, by dark, there were fewer and fewer people on the scene. Except for the crew members and Jiang Lin's personal team, there was only Tao Xing left who had nothing to do.
This afternoon, Tao Xing still didn't notice anything unusual. He held his chin up helplessly and said, "How can I find it?"
080 gave him some advice: "Maybe there are so many people around now, the monsters won't show up. Host, do you want to wait until there are fewer people around before exploring again?"
"That makes sense." Tao Xing waited patiently until the last scene was finished. The actors could go back first, and the staff still had to clean up the scene.
Jiang Lin finished work and returned to the hotel, and Tao Xing also stretched and stood up.
He had learned from the previous conversation that the original owner and Jiang Lin were both staying in a nearby hotel. This was the only hotel nearby and most of the crew stayed here. There was a small road between the hotel and the filming location, which was quite narrow and not as convenient as walking. Even the movie emperor had to walk this road.
Tao Xing planned to go back with him so that they could look for it again at night when there were fewer people around.
As soon as he stood up, Jiang Lin's assistant was displeased: "Teacher Jiang, this newcomer has no scenes today, but he still sits there for so long. He was wet when he came, and his shirt was sticking to his body. He looked so frivolous. I observed in the afternoon, and what the worker said was right. He was looking at you. Now that you left, he followed you. I think he has feelings for you."
Jiang Lin said: "He also lives in this hotel, so it's normal to live on the same road."
"Teacher, you are just too kind-hearted. In this circle, any random word or photo can cause a bloody storm." The assistant sighed and escorted him to the path, "Let's walk faster and don't wait for him."
The bright moon hung in the sky, casting mottled shadows on the trees on both sides of the road. There were a few street lamps scattered along the roadside, and the light covered the shadows of the trees like a thin gauze.
The person in front didn't seem to have any intention of joining Tao Xing and deliberately quickened his pace. Tao Xing gave up on greeting him as he didn't really want to meet the movie star.
You don't have to know him, just look for anything unusual around him. He walked slowly behind and looked at Jiang Lin's back.
The street lights stretched the shadows, and the black shadows fell on the gray-white concrete ground, appearing and disappearing from time to time depending on the distance between the street lights.
There were bursts of floral scents in the breeze, accompanied by the freshness of grass and soil. Tao Xing couldn't help but take a deep breath, and occasionally looked around, watching with interest the grass swaying in the wind in the night, and a few fireflies flying among the grass. He stretched out his hand and grabbed them, and a few fireflies fell into his palm.
The fireflies seemed not to be afraid of strangers, or perhaps it was because Tao Xing still had the natural scent of the pond on him. They were very fond of Tao Xing and stayed in his palms, not leaving.
In front, the assistant turned his head several times and whispered to the person beside him: "Really, I can't get rid of him. Teacher Jiang, if he comes to chat with me, please ignore him. I will talk to him." The assistant was ready to confront him.
After a few minutes, the man did not come to chat with me.
After a while, still nothing.
The assistant turned around again and saw that Tao Xing's eyes were fixed on Tian Ye, and he didn't seem to be looking at their actor. He didn't believe that this man had no intentions, and muttered: "Is he retreating to advance? He is holding a few fireflies, trying to brew some big moves. Does he think this is romantic?"
The road is almost at the end. The white street lights cast clear shadows on the people under them. Fog is slowly rising all around. The countryside grass and trees are immersed in the fog, making it hazy. The summer night breeze is blowing gently, like a dream, not very clear.
Still, there was no movement from the person behind him. This feeling was like a big rock hanging by a thin rope, waiting for it to fall to the ground and end it all. It was shaky but never fell. It was extremely uncomfortable. The assistant couldn't help but turn around, took a step forward, and simply spoke first: "Hello?"
Because of his footsteps, the shadows of the two people were pulled apart on the gray ground, and the outline of each person's fall was clearly visible.
Tao Xing turned around and followed the voice, confused for a moment: "Are you calling me?" As he spoke, his eyes moved towards Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin let the assistant talk and walked straight forward without stopping.
"Apart from you, is there anyone else?" the assistant asked. "I don't know what your intentions are. Let me make it clear. Don't set your sights on our teacher Jiang. Give up on this idea as soon as possible to avoid any scandals. Teacher Jiang has been in the industry for many years but has not had any scandals at all..."
Tao Xing's pupils dilated slightly and his expression changed in shock. He didn't hear a word of his assistant's chatter.
He looked at the shadow on the ground in shock.
Under the street light, the assistant's shadow followed the movements, raised his hands, tilted his head, pinched his waist...but the shadow of Actor Jiang, it... it didn't move.
The person was moving and walking forward, but his shadow on the ground did not move.
Exactly the same outline, that specially done hairstyle, the shape of the hair is exactly the same, retaining the last walking posture, one hand forward, the other hand behind, and the protrusion of the watch on the hand, so consistent, it can't be a visual illusion caused by other things.
Tao Xing was observing Jiang Lin all the way. He was sure that this movie star was not a ghost, because he had a shadow wherever he walked.
But at this moment, the shadow stopped and the actor was still moving forward.
The person walking in front now has no shadow under his feet.
Able to escape from the master's shadow!
"Host." 080 said excitedly, "Is his shadow a spirit? This must be our mission target!"
"Yes." Tao Xing was extremely excited. He had thought about many things, such as cats, dogs, flowers, plants, and even bowls and plates, but he had never thought that even a shadow could become a spirit.
This seemed a little beyond his imagination of the mission, but it was just a shadow and not scary.
"Can you hear me?" the assistant said, but he didn't respond.
"What did you say?" Tao Xing raised his eyes. He really didn't hear it.
"You..." The assistant was furious and rolled up his sleeves, "Do you believe me..."
"Xiao Wang." Jiang Lin finally stopped and turned around, interrupting his assistant, "Let's talk it over." He looked at Tao Xing, "Tao..."
"Teacher Jiang, his name is Tao Xing."
"Hello, Teacher Tao Xing." Jiang Lin took a step back.
"Well, hello." Tao Xing responded, and looking at the shadow, it indeed did not move.
Seeing Tao Xing's excited expression, the assistant pouted and said, "Tsk, Teacher Jiang, did you see that? As soon as you turned around, he was so happy. It's too obvious what he meant to you."
Tao Xing was puzzled: "Ah, what?" He was excited because he found the target of the mission.
Jiang Lin raised his hand and interrupted the assistant again: "Teacher Tao Xing, thank you for your attention to me. We are in the same crew. I am very happy to have the opportunity to learn from each other. I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation."
"Oh." Tao Xing nodded.
The shadow didn't raise his hand, and really didn't follow his master's movements.
"We also hope that we will be responsible for our own works, use the most sincere heart, and deliver the most satisfactory results, without being distracted by other things." Jiang Lin added.
"Oh oh." Tao Xing continued to nod perfunctorily, thought about it, and sighed.
The target has been found, but...how to save it? How can a shadow be a villain? What can it do?
Although it can break away from its owner, it has no eyes, nose or mouth. It is a flat black mass and cannot be touched or communicated with.
Tao Xing was in trouble again.
"Teacher Jiang, you see, as soon as you explained it clearly, he started to look worried. I don't think he will give up so easily. You might as well talk to the director and kick him out of the crew." The assistant continued.
Tao Xing finally moved her eyes back from the ground and looked at them straight in the face: "Teacher Jiang, you are overthinking. I have no interest in you. We are working in the same crew, you are the lead actor and I am a minor. It's like you are my boss. Who would fall in love with their boss at work? Isn't that asking for trouble? Besides, we are not familiar with each other. I don't even know your personality. How can I have any feelings for you?"
The fact that this movie star didn't know the original owner's name was enough to show that the two didn't have much in common.
"What do you mean? What do you mean you don't even know her personality? Why is it that our teacher Jiang's appearance is not to your liking?" the assistant asked angrily.
Tao Xing was puzzled: "You are also weird. Didn't you tell me not to hit on him? Why are you unhappy when I said I'm not interested in him?"
"This..." The assistant was speechless and hesitated for a while, "You said you were boring, but you watched Teacher Jiang all afternoon, and now you follow him, holding a ball of fireflies, what are you doing?"
"I'm going to the scene to learn in the afternoon. The whole afternoon is Teacher Jiang's play. If not him, who else can I watch? Now you are going back to the hotel, and I am going back to the hotel as well. We are just going the same way. I originally wanted to exchange filming experience with Teacher Jiang on the way, but you didn't want to wait for me, so I wouldn't rush to join you. As for these fireflies, they like me, and there's nothing I can do about it."
Tao Xing certainly wouldn't say that he did it on purpose, but his intention was definitely not towards this movie emperor.
But fortunately, this afternoon and night were not in vain, and the target has appeared.
"Xiao Wang, don't be rude." The assistant wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Jiang Lin again. The actor said to Tao Xing in a gentle voice, "Teacher Tao, we misunderstood. I'm sorry, please don't take it to heart."
"Forget it, it's okay." Tao Xing was not completely upright, so when the other party offered to take the step, he stepped down.
"Okay, then we'll see you later." The path ended and there was a main road ahead. Although it was very close to the hotel, there were still cars waiting for Jiang Lin at the intersection.
When the actor turned around and opened the car door, the shadow suddenly moved.
Tao Xing was startled.
I saw the shadow's head move slowly, as if it tilted its head, and then its arm raised and touched its head.
Afterwards, it began to move as a whole. It didn't walk, but rather a whole black shadow that flowed towards Jiang Lin like water, not very fast.
The black outline kept changing in the changing light and shadow, sometimes long, sometimes short, and the arms, legs and feet could no longer be seen. It was no longer in the shape of a human, but just a black, irregular shadow.
Although it was slow, fortunately the distance was not long. When Jiang Lin closed the door, it arrived at the car. The black shadow was half on the ground and half on the car. The outline of a human arm reappeared. As the other party closed the door, the shadow also raised his hand to close the door, and his movements were consistent with those of the actor.
No one paid attention to the shadow. Except for Tao Xing, no one noticed anything unusual, and Jiang Lin seemed unaware of it either.
The door closed, the car started, the person disappeared from sight, and his shadow disappeared without a trace.
Tao Xing stood there in a daze.
Although the shadow has become a spirit, it still seems to follow its master.
It seemed as if it had just been distracted for a moment and had forgotten that it was supposed to replicate its master's movements. Now that it had come to its senses, it continued with its job.
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