Chapter 10: Is This Reasonable?

Shen Xici was a little worried. After losing his memory, Sheng Shaoyan’s brain didn’t seem to be working very well.

But he couldn’t ask directly. After all, in his current persona, he didn’t know that Sheng Shaoyan had amnesia at all.

He briefly scrolled through the links Sheng Shaoyan had sent him. They were all self-media articles that you could find thousands of with a simple keyword search, with similar content. In a thousand words, nine hundred and ninety were just padding the word count, finally elevating the theme with a sentence like “the most important thing is to love yourself first.”

It looked like it was pushed by big data. Perhaps Sheng Shaoyan had registered a new account after getting a new phone, so the big data’s user profile for him was still a bit off. Plus, with Sheng Shaoyan’s brand-new brain, he had never read this kind of thing before, was amazed by it, and immediately shared it with him?

After thinking it over, he couldn’t dampen Sheng Shaoyan’s enthusiasm for learning new things. Shen Xici cautiously replied, “Okay, I’ll read them carefully.”

Under the large tree that took two people to encircle outside the set’s makeup room, Sheng Shaoyan, still wearing a baseball cap and a black mask, took advantage of his height to pull down a branch. He selectively picked some leaves from it, and once he had a full handful, he put them into the hood of his thin jacket.

Shen Xici stood at the entrance of the makeup room. Thinking of Sheng Shaoyan’s brand-new brain, he felt uneasy and gave Lan Xiaoshan an extra instruction, “When I’m filming, help me take care of A’Shao a little more.”

Lan Xiaoshan, with a serious face, nodded vigorously and said loudly, “Don’t worry, Brother Shen!”

The matter of the female lead, Wen Yage, approaching Sheng Shaoyan to talk was not done in secret, and many people had seen it, including Lan Xiaoshan. He felt a great sense of responsibility, thinking that he must guard against any trouble in the backyard while Brother Shen was filming.

However, Brother Shao was really reliable. He had been with many film crews and had seen how fragile romantic relationships could be in this circle, but he didn’t expect that Brother Shao would remain unmoved in the face of the temptation of money and a bright future.

Thinking of this, Lan Xiaoshan looked at Sheng Shaoyan, who was approaching with a hood full of fresh leaves, and praised sincerely, “Brother Shen, your relationship is truly stronger than gold!”

Could “stronger than gold” be used like this?

Shen Xici was just worried that there were too many props and equipment on set. Sheng Shaoyan already seemed like his brain had been damaged a bit. If his head got hit or knocked again, suffering a second blow, it would be very difficult to handle.

But remembering that Lan Xiaoshan had said his Chinese language grades were often failing, Shen Xici confirmed, “Are you trying to say that A’Shao and I have a very good relationship?”

Lan Xiaoshan nodded vigorously, “Yes, yes, yes!”

Shen Xici patted Lan Xiaoshan’s stiff shoulder. Mm, there was a reason for his failing Chinese grades.

In the makeup room, the makeup artist had already neatly arranged the tools to be used. While combing Shen Xici’s hair, she asked, “Teacher Shen, would you like some coffee to refresh yourself? Today, not only do we have coffee, but also milk tea. There were two new flavors of milk tea yesterday that we didn’t have. We tried them, and they are both quite delicious.”

The packaging of the coffee and milk tea on the table was very familiar. Shen Xici asked, “Is Teacher Xu treating?”

The makeup artist smiled, “Yes, yesterday’s afternoon tea was also from Teacher Xu. He’s especially generous. I’ve been with many crews, but the abundance of coffee, milk tea, and desserts in this crew makes me worry I’ll gain ten pounds by the time I leave!”

When the makeup artist went to get the clothes Shen Xici was to wear, Lan Xiaoshan whispered from the side, “Brother, these past two days you weren’t here, when I went back to where the crew is staying, I heard Young Master Xu’s assistant saying while waiting for the elevator that after the sandbag incident, Young Master Xu’s face was terrible, as if he had gunpowder in his mouth. He was writing and drawing on a piece of paper with a pen, but it was unclear what he wrote.

But just the next day, I don’t know if Young Master Xu had thought it through, but he specifically went to apologize to Department Head Ji. He said he was young and insensible, that it was just a prank, and that he realized he was wrong and hoped Department Head Ji could forgive him this time. After the afternoon tea was delivered to the set, he even took a portion specifically to give to Department Head Ji.”

Shen Xici was reading the script. Hearing this, he lost the mood to continue reading. “Did Department Head Ji say it was a small matter and that since it’s over, it’s forgotten?”

A film crew is like a small pyramid, with clear class divisions. The high-status people suppress the low-status ones, and the low-status ones, in order to finish the project and get paid, often have to swallow their anger and suck up. Otherwise, a simple word from someone above could cost them their job.

Lan Xiaoshan was surprised, “Brother Shen, how did you know? That’s exactly what Department Head Ji said! But, if I were Department Head Ji—”

Receiving a look from Shen Xici, Lan Xiaoshan immediately stopped talking and rubbed the back of his head. “I know, Brother Shen.” Although he wasn’t old, he wasn’t completely ignorant either. “As long as Young Master Xu doesn’t cause trouble, has fewer ‘No Good’ takes, and passes scenes in a few tries so everyone can get off work earlier, and there’s coffee and milk tea to drink, then he’s a good young master. Everyone will still flatter him.”

“He already said it was an insensible prank, and he apologized to give Department Head Ji face, and even spent a lot of money to treat everyone.” Lan Xiaoshan’s tone was gloomy. “I was just thinking, is this really how the world is?”

On the other side, standing in front of the male lead Zhong Yue’s private makeup room, Xu Lingjia held his script and waited patiently. Not two minutes later, the door opened, and Zhong Yue’s assistant came out, apologizing, “I’m sorry, Teacher Xu, Teacher Zhong is memorizing his script. The next scene has a lot of lines.”

Xu Lingjia’s eyes drooped in disappointment, but he quickly smiled again. “It’s okay, I know Teacher Zhong is very busy. I’ll just try to figure out how to act this scene myself. I won’t trouble Teacher Zhong.”

The assistant had watched the parent-child variety show Xu Lingjia participated in as a child and had a good impression of him. She had also drunk a lot of the coffee he provided these past two days to stay awake, so she couldn’t help but comfort him, “You’re already very good. You performed so well in your first time acting. You’ll definitely get better and better in the future!”

Xu Lingjia showed a well-behaved smile, “Thank you, sister. I’ll work hard!”

After leaving Zhong Yue’s makeup room, Xu Lingjia clearly felt that many people’s attitudes towards him had improved a lot. He thought to himself that the new method he had figured out was indeed very useful.

Although he hadn’t had much luck in the past week, the sandbag did indeed leak. If no one had interfered, the lighting rig would definitely have fallen. Didn’t this once again prove that his dream was real and his line of thinking was correct?

He was the one chosen by fate.

Waking up from the initial excitement and uncertainty of having precognitive dreams, Xu Lingjia suddenly realized that his previous actions were not subtle enough, he was too impatient, and his thinking was too shallow.

This was a dream that foretold the future! As long as he used this information well, it would be enough to elevate him to a height greater than his parents and godmother, perhaps even to the top of the entertainment industry!

As for Shen Xici? With such a poor background, the truth about the baby swap not being exposed, no connections, no good resources, and playing a small role destined to be criticized, what did he have to compete with him?

He had indeed been trapped in the impression from the dream, which was why he was so wary of Shen Xici.

Right now, Zhong Yue was the important one. Zhong Yue had just won the Best Actor award at the Jinyun Awards last year. He was a professionally trained graduate from the Beijing Film Academy and was highly favored by the Beijing circle’s capital. According to the development in his dream, Zhong Yue’s next movie, “Divine Capital Heist,” was invested in by Mingyu Pictures, the company behind him. Zhong Yue himself also invested fifty million. It became the box office champion during the Spring Festival holiday that year. The second male lead of the movie was also an artist from Mingyu Pictures, who had little fame before but became an overnight sensation with “Divine Capital Heist.”

After walking some distance, and making sure that many people around had noticed the situation here, Xu Lingjia looked back at the closed door of Zhong Yue’s makeup room. A sad expression appeared on his face, but he wasn’t worried at all in his heart.

It didn’t matter if he was ignored now; he had plenty of ways.

On the filming set, Du Yu, the investigation team member played by Wen Yage, followed Shen Xici to an earthen house.

Compared to the village chief’s house, this courtyard was very small but very tidy. In the northeast corner was a clean stone mill, and next to it was a water tank carved from a stone, with a few fish swimming inside. Several pottery jars were placed against the courtyard wall, with a few bunches of withered wildflowers in them.

Du Yu’s back was straight, her temperament sharp and calm. In college, her combat scores surpassed her peers, her marksmanship was exceptionally accurate, and she also studied criminal psychology.

This trip was to accompany the mute boy home to get something. She stopped and asked, “Are you the only one at home now?”

The mute boy nodded and also stopped, then pointed to the fish in the stone tank.

Du Yu guessed, “Are you trying to say that those are the fish you caught? You’re very good at catching fish?”

The mute boy didn’t expect Du Yu to understand at once. The smile in his eyes deepened. He took a few steps and pulled out a thin branch from the pile of firewood by the wall. He drew a simple portrait in the dirt of the courtyard—long hair, very gentle eyes, a smile on the lips.

Du Yu bent down to look and asked the mute boy, “Is this your mother you’ve drawn? She’s very beautiful.”

Guessed correctly again. The mute boy was pleasantly surprised. He quickly drew a pot next to it and looked at Du Yu expectantly.

Du Yu was uncertain, “Your mother cooks fish very well? You really like to eat the fish your mother makes?”

The mute boy nodded emphatically, his clear eyes sparkling with a smile. The blue crystal dangling from his ear swayed with his movements, looking exceptionally lively.

Du Yu looked around. On the west side of the courtyard, a single white homespun robe, the same style as the one the mute boy was wearing, was draped over a clothesline made of thin branches.

She casually retracted her gaze and asked the mute boy, “Then where did your mother go, and when will she be back? I heard you also have a younger sister.”

The smile in the mute boy’s eyes dimmed for a moment, then he seamlessly smiled again. He wrote a crooked character for “wait” on the ground, with strokes missing.

“Are you saying you’re waiting for your mother and sister to come home, is that right?”

The mute boy looked at the portrait of the gentle, smiling person on the ground, his gaze exceptionally soft. He looked up, nodded heavily, and then seriously wrote a few more simple, crooked words—I am waiting, I miss them very much.

“Cut,” Director Wan stood behind the monitor, clapping his hands, in a very good mood. “This take is good. Very well acted. Actors go rest. Props team, come over and tidy up the set.”

Standing to the side waiting for the next scene, Wen Yage took the menthol cigarette her assistant handed her and took a drag.

In his past life, Shen Xici learned during his second collaboration with Wen Yage that because she found it too easy to get into character and too hard to get out, this acting fanatic had come up with this method.

It was like a switch. Once she smoked the cigarette, she would completely detach herself from the character.

Wen Yage carefully reviewed her own and Shen Xici’s performance just now. There were no omissions. Then she debriefed, “That expression before you started writing, why did you handle it that way? I thought you would act it out more obviously.”

Debriefing after a scene was also one of Wen Yage’s habits, and Shen Xici was very used to it. He recalled it as well, “The camera can’t contain a performance that is too full. The big screen will magnify all details a thousand times over—on the face, in the eyes, everything will be seen very clearly. When water is full, it overflows. If the emotion is too full, it will lose its sense of proportion.”

This was something he had concluded not long after he started acting in his past life. He had practiced countless times in front of a mirror how to control his most subtle expressions, and then repeatedly tested how much emotion to release through those subtle expressions to get it just right.

Wen Yage looked at Shen Xici in astonishment, “What kind of monsters are the newcomers these days?”

This was the first time she had truly acted opposite Shen Xici, and the feeling was completely different from being an observer. In the scene just now, she didn’t feel like she was “acting” at all. It was as if the person making eye contact with her, chatting with her, and arousing her curiosity and uncertainty, was the mute boy himself.

It wasn’t a fragmented performance with disjointed emotions, but a direct presentation of the “person” of the mute boy.

Acting with an actor of this caliber was simply a pleasure for both body and mind. She had originally intended to give him a few pointers, but she didn’t expect that he already understood it better than anyone could.

“The close-up on your eyes before you wrote the words, and the close-up on your expression when you looked at the portrait at the end, you controlled the measure perfectly.” Wen Yage realized immediately after saying it, “Don’t tell me you knew those two seconds were your close-ups?”

“I knew. The two cameras on me were a 50mm prime and a 100mm macro.”

“So as soon as they were on you, you started adjusting your expression?” Wen Yage was truly shocked. Comparing people really is infuriating. When she first started acting, she didn’t know a damn thing!

She said with certainty, “At your school, your professional course grades must have been first every time, right? Which school are you from? Who is your teacher? Let me see if I know them, how did they hide you so well.”

Shen Xici answered honestly, “Xiajing Medical College. The professor who gave me the opportunity to do research internship is Professor Bai Qingyuan.”

“Oh, Xiajing Medi—” The spark on Wen Yage’s cigarette was almost shaken off. “Medical College? You’re from a medical college?”

Sitting not far away, Sheng Shaoyan, who was looking at stocks on his phone, looked up. Shen Xici was a medical student? So that’s why Shen Xici said that no doctor in the county hospital could suture a wound better than him?

Measuring vital signs once in the morning and once at night, a mask always on. This morning before going out, he had also seen a blood routine test report under the storage basket by the door. There were no abnormalities, and the test date was the afternoon the chair was delivered.

A thoughtful look appeared in Sheng Shaoyan’s eyes. Was it because he studied medicine that he had such obvious health anxiety?

Wen Yage took a deep drag of her menthol cigarette and cursed with a laugh, “Damn, what kind of world is this? A medical student with such good acting skills, is this reasonable? Does your school really not have an acting department?”

“It really doesn’t,” Shen Xici’s tone was proud. “But, I can perform peeling a grape without damaging the pulp and suturing the inner membrane of a raw egg using dissecting forceps and grasping forceps.”

Wen Yage was amused by him, and her eyes glanced over, “Get lost, get lost, who wants to see peeling grapes and suturing eggs?”

As they chatted, a long-lost sense of familiarity welled up in Shen Xici’s heart.

In his past life, after Wen Yage was confirmed as the female lead for the movie “Sky Heist,” she unreservedly recommended Shen Xici for the role of the second male lead.

At that time, due to the Xu family, Shen Xici had very few scripts to choose from, and even fewer good roles. In the end, he seized that opportunity and, with the role of the second male lead, won the Golden Leaf Award for Best Supporting Actor that year.

When having dinner with Wen Yage, Shen Xici had asked why she recommended him.

At that time, Wen Yage was holding a ladies’ menthol cigarette, her palm propping up her fluffy, long curly hair, and she answered lazily, “Can’t it be that like-minded people cherish each other? I’m not helping you for any particular reason, I just simply don’t want you to be buried by this trashy business. It was obvious from Director Wan’s movie that your acting is very good. I like people who can act well and act with their heart. In this circle, you should be the most shining pearl. I hate seeing pitted, broken stones trying to pass themselves off as valuable.”

“Being able to use whatever forceps and tweezers to peel things is also fine. In the future, when you go on variety shows for promotion, you can bring it out to shock the audience.” Tapping the slender cigarette, Wen Yage raised her delicate eyebrows, “Now that you’ve come to this circle of fame and fortune, don’t leave. You’re like a pearl among the gravel on the beach, distinguishable at a glance. You shouldn’t be buried.”

Sheng Shaoyan’s fingers tapped quickly, operating to sell a stock. He gazed at Shen Xici, dressed in a white homespun robe, his eyes flickering with the glint of crystal blue under the porcelain-white earlobe.

This person named Wen Yage, although she always spoke without a point when talking to him before, she did have one good quality—

Her judgment was very good.