You have already been chosen for the position.

Xu Lin began by rehearsing the first scene—the one where he gets bullied—since it wouldn’t be finished today, and he only needed to shoot that segment for now. The rest, where Chu Qingchan, as the teacher, provides guidance and the character undergoes a transformation, would be saved for the following days. Of course, it was flexible; if filming progressed quickly, the work might wrap up in two days, but if it dragged, there was no telling.

Once the set, props, and lighting were arranged, Xu Lin was placed on a bench to begin settling into his role. The character he played was deeply introverted, suffered from a slight hearing problem, and was somewhat insecure—a boy who admired the female lead, herself newly cast as a deaf-mute.

In this scene, he overhears several troublemakers mocking the heroine, speaks up in her defense, and a confrontation ensues, leading to him being beaten. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, having just searched for the emotional state he needed on his phone, and began adjusting his feelings. Or rather, he simply recalled his own past; in elementary and middle school, he hadn’t had hearing issues, but he certainly was a withdrawn child.

He slipped into the mood quite swiftly; within seconds, a heavy, restless, oppressive sensation welled up inside him.

“Cut!”

But the director suddenly shouted, breaking his concentration. He looked up at the director, who was now glaring at Marvin and the others standing nearby.

“What’s going on with you?”

“Director Sun?”

“Marvin, you need to act more maliciously. Why are you walking so effeminately?!”

The director launched straight into criticism. Marvin’s face darkened; he hated being called effeminate, but dared not retort. After all, Sun Jianren was famous for both talent and temper. Marvin had a decent fan base now, and his agency backed him, but that didn’t mean they’d side with him just because he was upset. He’d have to swallow his pride—he would endure!

After nodding, his expression and gait, fueled by his inner frustration, instantly fit the character much better.

“That’s it, just like that. Remember how you feel right now!” the director said.

“Xu Lin, keep your state, good job!”

Beside them, Chu Qingchan and Chu Fengyi watched Xu Lin, sensing that he was truly embodying his character—his personality shone through.

Then Marvin approached, and a minor conflict arose, with Xu Lin’s lines remaining fairly simple. They began acting together, but barely exchanged two lines before Marvin abruptly halted, pulled out his script, and glanced at it.

Thus, they staggered through their dozen lines, with Marvin checking the script ten times—a sign he hadn’t memorized a single line.

“Alright, Marvin, go memorize your lines. You only have two scenes; how can you not remember the lines for the first one?!”

The director was merciless. Xu Lin, meanwhile, felt he could abandon any attempt at ‘kindness’ after his initial encounter with Marvin.

“Xu Lin, come here.”

“Okay.” He walked over to the director, who patted his shoulder. The director’s harshness melted away, replaced by warmth.

“Not bad, Xu Lin.”

“As long as you think it’s alright, director.”

“You know your lines well. When he gets them wrong, you quickly adjust and keep up; your expression and mood hold firm. Are you really acting for the first time?”

“Yes, it’s my first time. I haven’t officially started yet; maybe I’ll crack under the camera.”

Xu Lin was modest. Sun Jianren nodded, glanced at the black-haired screenwriter nearby, who was grinning ear to ear.

“Kid, once you finish this scene, I have something to discuss with you.”

“Alright.” Though he didn’t know what the screenwriter wanted, he agreed.

Xu Lin then ran through the lines with Marvin two or three more times, and filming officially began. With another scene scheduled for the afternoon, they aimed to finish this part before noon.

When the cameras rolled, Xu Lin didn’t feel nervous under the lights; he was rather excited. Marvin, though not Xu Lin’s favorite sort of idol, hadn’t reached the level of reciting lines mechanically; he took the task seriously.

After two or three takes, they nailed it. The extras who had just helped ‘beat’ Xu Lin now rushed to pull him up.

“You acted the beating so well, we thought we really hurt you.”

“Haha, you did a great job, Xu!”

“I get beaten often enough to know how to make it look real,” Xu Lin replied, glancing at Chu Fengyi. He noticed she wasn’t looking at him, nor fiddling with her phone, but sitting with her eyes half-closed, lost in thought.

She couldn’t be pondering something strange, could she? From this morning’s events, she seemed to have calmed down. Maybe he was overthinking.

After exchanging a few words with the other young actors, Xu Lin walked back to the director, where the black-haired screenwriter was typing rapidly on a laptop.

“Do you know why old Black wants to see you?” the director asked.

“No idea. Maybe he wants to revise the lines? If so, I’ll make sure to memorize them tonight.”

“No, no, it’s good news.” The director looked at Xu Lin, growing increasingly impressed with him. Old Black had good taste.

Good looks and good acting, but most importantly, a great attitude. He knew Chu Qingchan, and any boy she liked had to have decent character. If Old Black really wanted to use him, it would be a wise choice. Still, Xu Lin hadn’t acted before—his lines were stiff.

“By the way, your acting is solid, but the lines are a little dry. Did you notice?”

“Dry? Please teach me.”

“Your expressions and emotions are very genuine, really bring the mood, but your lines are dry—you’re forcing emotion into them.”

Xu Lin was stunned, recalling how, during his performance, he intentionally injected emotion into his dialogue to make it look good on film. Ironically, this made his tone sound fake.

“Seems you understand. The state you had when running lines just now was much better.”

“Sorry, I have an idea now.” The black-haired screenwriter paused his typing, set his laptop aside.

“Sit down, I have something to discuss with you.”

“Alright.”

“Do you want to act?”

“Aren’t I acting now?”

“No, I mean, do you want to play the lead?”

“I’m just an ordinary student. I can handle short films, but real movies… I’m not up to it. You’re overestimating me.”

“No, no. Actors with poor skills can be trained, but if they don’t fit the role—even if they’re highly skilled—it will still feel off.”

“But I…”

“No need to refuse yet. I’ve already chosen you. You don’t have to worry about school, either; I’ll talk to them for you.”

Xu Lin was bewildered. What had he done to impress them? His acting wasn’t extraordinary, nor was his appearance particularly outstanding. At best, his charm hadn’t reached the highest levels—so what did they see in him?

“I’ve also spotted someone suitable for my female lead. Can you introduce me?”

“Who?”

“Miss Chu Qingchan’s younger sister.”

“Her… you’d better not approach her.” Instantly, Xu Lin pictured Miss Chu Fengyi rampaging through the set.

“I know she’s from a wealthy family, but please introduce me. I have to at least try.”

“…Alright, but please don’t upset her.”

“Ha, how could I possibly anger a young lady?”

“That’s not what I meant…”