Chapter 035

[Wuwuwu! Host! Shen Xinghe is so miserable! His expression just now, he is about to break! ]

[Host, think of a way to help him! The lives of cannon fodder are also lives! ]

The little light ball in Yan Xi's mind was tearful. Yan Xi said nothing and watched Shen Xinghe filming quietly.

The mid-shot and long-shot of the big scene have been shot, and now we are changing the angle to shoot the close-up and close-up.

Most of these shots have nothing to do with extras; they focus on the protagonist and supporting characters, emphasizing their emotional changes.

But even with this kind of shot, Yan Xi saw that Shen Xinghe took the shot very seriously.

She and Qiao Yan stood behind the director. Through the monitor, Shen Xinghe's face had become so vague that his expression could not be seen clearly, and his facial features were blurred, but he was very focused on the set and did not lose any emotion.

Yan Xi glanced around and saw that on the stone block where Shen Xinghe had just sat was his sports backpack with the script on top.

Compared to the scripts of other actors, Shen Xinghe's script was thicker. Yan Xi flipped through it and found that it was not the script of "Los Angeles Showdown". Only the characters with names in the crew had scripts. For extras like Shen Xinghe who only had a few lines, the stage manager would at most give him a few pages of plot text.

So Shen Xinghe's stack of scripts is a collection of scripts in which he played supporting roles, all of which are densely covered with notes and annotations.

"This boy acted really well!"

When shooting another close-up of Fang Sui, the assistant director finally saw Shen Xinghe, who was silently behind Fang Sui. Even though his face was covered in blood and dirt, he had a pair of clear eyes, which was very attractive.

"Yes, it's not bad," the director had been watching the monitor and noticed Shen Xinghe.

[Host! Shen Xinghe was seen by the director! ]

The system was so happy that the whole ball was shaking: [As expected, gold will shine! Do you think the director will give him a few more shots seeing how serious he is?]

But after the director called "Cut", he called the makeup artist of the crew and pointed at Shen Xinghe, "Put some black powder on that guy and stand next to the male lead. We can't let him steal the male lead's role."

System: [……]

Yan Xi: “…”

Qiao Yan saw that Yan Xi's eyes were fixed on Shen Xinghe, and patted Yan Xi's shoulder, "The supporting roles have to give way to the protagonist, not to mention the extras. Ancient idol dramas are meant to highlight the male protagonist."

Her eyes fell on Shen Xinghe's sports backpack, which contained not only the thick script but also Shen Xinghe's resume.

In the resume, Shen Xinghe took off his dirty makeup, revealing a delicate face, very handsome.

The scout's attributes made Qiao Yan take a closer look and sighed softly, "He's 185cm tall, good-looking, and has great acting skills. He's a good candidate. Do you like him? I can ask the director to give him more roles, but he's just an extra. No matter how tall he is, I don't have the authority to restrict him."

Yan Xi asked curiously, "With Shen Xinghe's conditions, wouldn't you want to sign him?"

Yan Xi remembered that when she went to Xingyao to look for Zhou Qingyu, she also met Xingyao's scouts. These people were willing to sign a contract with her just because of her face.

"In the entertainment industry, luck is very important," Qiao Yan shrugged, "I can see that he is good-looking because I happened to see his resume. In the camera, look at the director's monitor, Shen Xinghe doesn't look that good in it."

"Besides..." Qiao Yan sighed, "I remember the name Shen Xinghe. This guy was banned before."

Yan Xi opened her eyes wide, looking curious.

Qiao Yan quickly opened the gossip box, grabbed a handful of melon seeds with one hand, and put his hand on Yan Xi's shoulder, "Xingyao hadn't been established at that time! I also heard about it while eating gossip! Shen Xinghe is good-looking, and when he was an extra, he was noticed by the boss of Huamei, who wanted to support him, but Shen Xinghe didn't agree, so he was banned by Huamei."

"Although Huamei is not a top entertainment company, no one is willing to compete with capital for a small actor. If you can give Huamei face, then give them face. Shen Xinghe was delayed in this way."

"In the past two years, many artists from Huamei have fallen from grace, and the boss of Huamei has also fallen, so there is no ban. It's just that the best years for artists are in those few years. Shen Xinghe is already 29 years old. Which company would be willing to spend money to support an artist of such age?"

"Life is full of chances."

"Bottom Line" was once Shen Xinghe's opportunity, but unfortunately he missed it.

——

After a few more close-up shots, the scene where the male protagonist attacks the imperial city officially ends.

There were a few muffled thunders in the sky. It was the hottest time of the year, and thunderstorms were most likely to occur. Soon, the rain began to fall with a loud bang.

Zhou Qingyu contacted Yan Xi and told her that her part had ended. She asked Xiao Meng to pick up Yan Xi in a nanny car, and the two of them took a private plane back to Haicheng together.

Yan Xi didn't bring an umbrella, so she found a building to hide in and waited for Xiao Meng to pick her up.

Feeling a gentle touch on her shoulder, Yan Xi turned around and saw Shen Xinghe standing behind her.

He had changed back into ordinary clothes, removed his hood, and washed off the dirt and blood stains on his face, revealing a clean face.

He pulled out an umbrella from his backpack. "Don't you have an umbrella? Let me lend you one."

"What about you?" Yan Xi took his umbrella.

Shen Xinghe smiled and said, "I just rolled around on the ground for a long time, and my body is covered in mud. It's okay to get a little wet."

Shen Xinghe looked up at the sky. It was covered with dark clouds and thunder rumbled. "You should go back quickly. A typhoon is coming. I estimate that there will be heavy rain after this rain."

As he spoke, he covered his head with his sports backpack and was about to rush into the rain.

Yan Xi suddenly called him, "Shen Xinghe!"

Shen Xinghe paused and turned to look at Yan Xi.

The rain fell along the eaves onto Shen Xinghe's black hair. Under the dripping hair was a ruffian but still sincere face. He had a pair of beautiful peach blossom eyes, which looked even more attractive when wet in this situation.

Yan Xi took a deep breath and said, "I am your fan, you have to keep working hard!"

Shen Xinghe was stunned for a long time, staring at Yan Xi, his beautiful peach blossom eyes turned red.

"Thank you," he said.

Yan Xi wanted to return the umbrella to Shen Xinghe, but he didn't take it. After saying thank you, he turned and left.

Looking at his back, the system in Yan Xi's mind was filled with tears.

[Wow! Host! Shen Xinghe is so handsome! His eyes are so bright, like the stars in the night sky! ]

[He worked so hard but still didn’t become famous! The entertainment industry is so unfair! ]

Yan Xi looked down at the folding umbrella in her hand and said, "Yeah, it's really unfair."

——

After a while, the thunderstorm stopped.

The sky gradually darkened, and in the distance there was a sunset glow like a flaming cloud, like a burning fire. A gorgeous rainbow appeared in the sky, with seven colors shining against each other, connecting the sky and the earth.

Yan Xi arrived at the airport in a nanny car. As soon as she got off the car, she saw Zhou Qingyu also arrived at the airport. She had changed back into her casual clothes, but she still had her hair in a bun. From a distance, she looked like an ancient beauty.

"A typhoon is coming to Hengcheng soon," Zhou Qingyu grabbed Yan Xi's hand and boarded the private plane, "We have to hurry. I don't want to take the high-speed rail. It's exhausting after a few hours."

Only after getting on the private plane did Zhou Qingyu feel in the mood to let the makeup artist continue removing her makeup and taking off her hair one by one. The ancient beauty turned back into a modern urban beauty.

The plane has taken off. Outside is a dark blue sky with large floating clouds drifting across the sky, brushing against the window like a veil.

After removing her makeup, Zhou Qingyu turned to look at Yan Xi. Her eyes were sharp and full of interrogation. "Tell me, you've been hanging around the crew for a long time, but you didn't come to visit me, but went to the crew of "Los Angeles Decision". Which young actor did you take a fancy to?"

Yan Xi said, "You know it!"

Qiao Yan would not hide this from Zhou Qingyu. Yan Xi had expected that Zhou Qingyu would know it, but she did not expect that she would tell the truth so quickly. She had just admired Shen Xinghe's beauty, and Zhou Qingyu knew everything the next moment.

Yan Xi took out her cell phone, which contained the photo of Shen Xinghe that she had secretly taken. "This young actor is quite handsome, isn't he?"

Zhou Qingyu looked at the screen of her mobile phone, which was full of Reuters photos of Shen Xinghe in "L.A. Showdown". He was wearing armor and his face was covered with dirt, so his features could not be seen clearly. But in the last photo, Yan Xi took a resume photo of Shen Xinghe, and Zhou Qingyu finally saw the clue.

"Isn't this the male lead that Jiang Tao chose before?"

"Yeah," Yan Xi looked at Zhou Qingyu eagerly, "When I watched the audition clip that Director Jiang shared before, I thought he was quite handsome..."

Zhou Qingyu curled her lips, "Were you seduced by him then? Nowadays, all men are vixen, using their looks to seduce young girls!"

Zhou Qingyu noticed Shen Xinghe's age on his resume. "29 years old, 9 years older than you. Isn't he a little old?"

Yan Xi was choked by the water and coughed twice.

Well, Shen Xinghe is 29 years old, what does that have to do with her? Why would I want to compare myself with her?

Yan Xi said seriously: "But Shen Xinghe is good-looking! You know, I am superficial and I just like good-looking people..."

"That's right," Zhou Qingyu nodded in agreement, "otherwise we wouldn't be able to become best friends."

Yan Xi: “……?”

Yan Xi shook off the question mark in her head and got the topic back on track, "The key point is that we can't see his works anymore. Director Jiang wants to replace Qin Li as the male lead. Shen Xinghe has no chance. What a pity..."

Zhou Qingyu asked, "Do you like him?"

Yan Xi corrected, "It's the fans' love!"

Zhou Qingyu smiled, "You should have said it earlier. Although suspense can't make a lot of money, if you like it, I will invest in Jiang Tao."

"We are the investors. It's just a matter of a word to decide who will be the male lead!"

Yan Xi felt embarrassed, "Twenty million is not cheap..."

Zhou Qingyu glanced at Yan Xi with contempt, "Who are you looking down on? Twenty million, do you think I can't come up with it?"

"Moreover," Zhou Qingyu raised her eyebrows, "Daga-jun's previous slander against you was most likely instigated by Qin Li."

"Why does he want to slander me?" Yan Xi asked naively.

"Who knows? This man is sick!" Zhou Qingyu cursed angrily, "He wants to play the leading role for someone who bullied me? He's dreaming! Even if Shen Xinghe didn't happen, he wouldn't be able to make it in the entertainment industry!"

The two chatted for a while, and Yan Xi listened to Zhou Qingyu talking about gossip in the entertainment industry. In just an hour, the plane had arrived in Haicheng.

When getting off the plane, Zhou Qingyu held Yan Xi and said, "You can live with me during the summer vacation, so as to avoid the embarrassment of returning to the dormitory."

Yan Xi was stunned for a second, "Why is it embarrassing?"

Zhou Qingyu looked at Yan Xi suspiciously, "Aren't you in love with your roommate's boyfriend?"

Yan Xi:!!!

Almost a week later, she had almost forgotten about it.

Yan Xi scratched her hair and hesitated, "It's a bit embarrassing... but my things are all in the dormitory, I have to go back to get them. In addition to participating in the variety show with you during the summer vacation, I also have to find an internship..."

"Okay, then I'll let Xiao Meng take you back to the dormitory to get your things, and you should come back early to accompany me."

"Okay~"

Zhou Qingyu went back to her big flat first. Yan Xi breathed a sigh of relief and got in the nanny car to go to Haicheng University.

On the way, the system popped up: [Host, are you trying to trick the young lady into supporting a man? ]

Yan Xi gave the system a look, "What nonsense are you talking about? If you invest in "Bottom Line", you will make at least 100 million in the future. How can it be considered a scam?"

The system was shocked: [You sounded so moved, I thought you were doing this for Shen Xinghe! ]

[So Shen Xinghe is the tool! Your goal is the "bottom line"! ]

"You can't say that," Yan Xi held her chin with one hand, looking out the window at the busy traffic, "Investing in "Bottom Line" can not only make money, but also help increase my luck points slightly, and maybe even help Shen Xinghe, killing three birds with one stone, why not do it?"

Of course, even without Shen Xinghe, Yan Xi was confident that she could convince Zhou Qingyu.

Zhou Qingyu has given her a lot of red envelopes over the years. She didn't accept the big ones, but she saved all the ones under 100,000 yuan. Before going to the crew of "Los Angeles Showdown", Yan Xi found a computer expert and paid him to photoshop the photos of Zhang Dajiajun and Qin Li's private meeting.

Then, she asked the system to send the photos to Wu Liao anonymously.

It is reasonable for Da Jiajun to look for the person behind the failure of his career.

As for whether the photo is real or not, it doesn’t matter. Yan Xi’s purpose is just to let Zhou Qingyu know that the person who actually framed her was Qin Li. That’s enough.

So even if Yan Xi hadn't taken a fancy to Shen Xinghe, Zhou Qingyu would have prevented Qin Li from becoming the male lead. Zhou Qingyu has always been a penny-pinching person.

Yan Xi came to the "Los Angeles Showdown" crew specifically to see Shen Xinghe, just to see if this person is worth helping.

If you can, help out.

If that doesn't work, it's okay to change the male lead.

——

It was already dark when Shen Xinghe left the set.

After separating from Yan Xi, he rushed to another crew and played the role of the heroine's brother who died early, with two more lines than in "L.A. Showdown".

In the past few years, when Huamei had not yet closed down, Shen Xinghe's situation was even worse, and he could only get roles as a background actor. Starting this year, Shen Xinghe finally got a role with lines, like the role of brother today, which not only has lines, but also a name.

But this is the last time.

In addition to the calls from the crew about my pay, there were also text messages from my aunt on my phone.

[Xinghe, your mother's condition has worsened. The doctor said that it would be better to send her to a large hospital for treatment. It is not convenient for you to take care of her in Hengcheng, right? This job is not stable, and you are too old. You should go to Haicheng. I will ask your uncle to find you a stable job in Haicheng, and you can still take care of your mother.]

Shen Xinghe clutched the phone tightly, his joints turning white.

After a while, he replied: [Sorry for the trouble, I will do as you say.]

The thunderstorm in Yokogawa stopped early, and the air was filled with moist warmth.

Shen Xinghe put his cell phone in his trouser pocket and walked into the alley between the ancient buildings. After turning several corners, he arrived at a barbecue stall.

This is a very famous barbecue stall in Hengcheng. It is open every night. The food is delicious and the price is not expensive. These extras often come here to have a bite to eat after finishing filming.

Jiang Tao sat in the corner, with the ordered skewers and two opened bottles of beer on the table.

"I'm sorry!" Jiang Tao asked Shen Xinghe to sit down and gulped down the bubbling beer. "When I turn things around, I'll definitely look for you next time!"

The shop owner brought over some sizzling grilled skewers that gave off an alluring aroma.

Shen Xinghe didn't eat. In order to maintain his figure, he hasn't had midnight snacks for many years. For extras, it's not necessary to maintain a good figure, but Shen Xinghe has always been like this. Every day after the filming, he will work out for an hour without fail.

Shen Xinghe poured a glass of beer and clinked glasses with Jiang Tao. "Director Jiang, if you hadn't transferred me the film remuneration in advance, my mother's medical expenses would still be unpaid. I owe you. You have helped me a lot. As for the film remuneration... I will find a way to pay you back."

When he first auditioned for "Bottom Line", Shen Xinghe didn't hold out much hope, as the possibility of an extra getting a leading role was slim. But when he learned that Jiang Tao wanted to sign a contract with him and was even willing to pay him in advance because of his mother's illness, Shen Xinghe felt as lucky as if he had won the lottery.

Now that the "bottom line" has been lost, everything has returned to square one.

Shen Xinghe sometimes feels that perhaps this is the truth.

Become famous overnight?

This is so unrealistic.

Jiang Tao waved his hands, "Since Strawberry.com wants to invest, it doesn't need your salary, just take it. Aunt's illness is more important."

"Besides, if you can't play the male lead, I still have other roles in this script! Huamei has closed down, and there is no one to embarrass you now..."

Shen Xinghe held the cup tightly, his eyes taking on a dark color.

After a moment, Shen Xinghe let go of his hand and said, "Director Jiang, I want to quit the entertainment industry."

Jiang Tao was surprised, "Because of your mother?"

Shen Xinghe nodded.

If he had the role of the male lead in "Bottom Line", he would have enough salary to change his mother to a better hospital and hire a nurse to take care of her. But if he didn't have this opportunity, Shen Xinghe would probably have to find a stable job and take care of his mother by himself.

As for medical expenses, he had to find another way since his mother didn't have health insurance.

"The actors are too unstable. Even if we shoot, it will take time to air," Shen Xinghe said with a wry smile. "This is the best I can do."

"But you obviously like acting!" Jiang Tao muttered.

In real life, Shen Xinghe is like a socially phobic person with no sense of existence, but when he stands on the set, when the camera is focused on him, he immediately comes alive, and those pale words become concrete in an instant.

Jiang Tao has seen too many actors, most of whom entered the industry relying on their good looks, perhaps for money or for fame. There are very few who truly love acting and are good at it.

As for Shen Xinghe, he is perfectly suitable in terms of both appearance and talent, and he also works hard.

All he lacked was opportunity.

But opportunity is the most important thing in this industry.

Jiang Tao felt very sorry. Qin Li was not a bad person, but he could obviously have a better choice.

Not knowing what to say, Jiang Tao could only take another gulp of the beer in the glass. He felt his beer belly getting bigger.

Shen Xinghe also drank a glass of wine and stopped eating. Years of habit had formed, and he even drank very little water, fearing that he would get edema tomorrow.

Suddenly, a ringtone rang. It was Jiang Tao's cell phone.

Jiang Tao drank a lot of wine and was drunk. He answered the phone in a daze, "Who is this? It's late at night. Can I have a midnight snack?"

The person on the other end of the phone was silent for two seconds. "Hello, Director Jiang. I am Fang Yue, the project director of Xingyao. Our company is interested in investing in your project."

"Xingyao? Zhou Qingyu's company?"

Jiang Tao pointed at his phone and complained to Shen Xinghe with a smile, "It's Zhou Qingyu's company! The young lady actually wants to invest in me. Hahaha, I must be hallucinating! I'm old, but I get so drunk after just a few drinks..."

Shen Xinghe glanced at Jiang Tao's mobile phone screen, which showed a string of unknown numbers. He didn't think much about it, but poured Jiang Tao a glass of water to sober him up.

"Liar!" Jiang Tao cursed at his phone, "You pretended to be Zhou Qingyu to deceive me? I just recorded a variety show with her yesterday! She didn't even tell me about the investment! You liar! I have no money, don't even think about cheating me of my money!"

Having said that, Jiang Tao hung up the phone angrily.

"The scammers nowadays are so shameless!" Jiang Tao cursed, "They come to cheat a small director like me! They deceived me into investing before! Now they come to cheat me of my money again! I just want to make a good movie! Why is it so difficult for me!"

It was a midnight snack, originally Jiang Tao and Shen Xinghe were supposed to pay for it, but in the end it was Jiang Tao who got drunk and complained.

After supper, Shen Xinghe helped Jiang Tao walk out of the barbecue stall.

It was dark at night, and apart from the crew filming a night scene, there was no one on the road.

A taxi stopped not far from the barbecue stall. Xiao Yu hurriedly got out of the taxi and took Jiang Tao from Shen Xinghe.

"How much did you drink?" Xiao Yu complained, "Lao Jiang? Lao Jiang? Are you still awake?"

"Not much," Shen Xinghe said truthfully, "just two bottles of beer."

Xiao Yu: “…”

"No one can drink as much as you can," Xiao Yu patted Jiang Tao's cheek, "Old Jiang! Wake up, we are going to Haicheng tonight!"

Jiang Tao stood up straight, "Wife, are you stupid? We gave us two days! Why are we going to Haicheng so early?"

Xiao Yu slapped his head and said, "So why did you drink so much? Jiang Tao, listen carefully! Xingyao wants to invest in us, let's go to Haicheng to discuss the investment!"

——

After splashing cold water on his face, Jiang Tao finally came to his senses. He walked out of the bathroom, and Xiao Yu and Shen Xinghe were standing outside the bathroom.

Jiang Tao rubbed his hands excitedly and moved closer to Xiao Yu. "Wife, is this true? Zhou Qingyu wants to invest in us?"

Xiao Yu nodded. "I was also surprised when I received the call from Xingyao, and I asked Qingyu on WeChat. Qingyu said it was true, but they had only confirmed the investment, and the investment amount had not yet been determined. They had to look at our project before they could determine the investment amount."

“yes!”

Jiang Tao clenched his fists excitedly. He looked at Shen Xinghe beside him and said, "Xinghe, don't quit the circle! Let's change the investor. This way, the male lead can still be you!"

Shen Xinghe nodded blankly. He had experienced so many ups and downs in one day that he couldn't react now.

Shen Xinghe asked, "Ms. Zhou, you won't invest in Bottom Line for nothing, right? Don't you have any other conditions?"

"Of course there are conditions." Xiao Yu said calmly, "How can it be so easy to invest without conditions?"

Jiang Tao's face drooped, "Are you going to force someone else into the role again? Who? The heroine? I've already told Zhou Qingyu that she's not suitable for the heroine of "Bottom Line"! I might as well use Qin Li instead of her!"

Shen Xinghe's heart sank. He had read the script and knew the character of the heroine. If he really had to choose, it would be much better to use Qin Li as the male lead than Zhou Qingyu as the female lead.

It’s not that Zhou Qingyu is bad, but the character of the heroine doesn’t match Zhou Qingyu’s image.

Jiang Tao admired Shen Xinghe very much, and Shen Xinghe knew this. But he knew that Jiang Tao would eventually choose a better solution for the project.

"Bottom Line" is a very good script, and of course we have to choose the most appropriate configuration.

Thinking of this, Shen Xinghe didn't want to embarrass Jiang Tao, "Director Jiang, it's getting late, I'll leave first."

He turned to leave, but Xiao Yu suddenly called him, "Xiao Shen, come back! Why are you all so depressed? I haven't told you the conditions for Xingyao yet!"

Jiang Tao didn't want to expose Shen Xinghe's wounds, so he poked Xiao Yu slightly and said, "Wife, don't you know the true face of capital? How good can something like this be?"

Xiao Yu blinked, "But the person from Xingyao Fortress is Xinghe!"

Jiang Tao was stunned.

Shen Xinghe was also stunned and didn't react for a long time.

Xiao Yu looked at the two of them and smiled, "The only condition Xingyao put forward is that the male lead of "The Bottom Line" must be Shen Xinghe."