Studio Superstar: Chapter 76

Xue Xiao didn’t know how to move his hands and feet. Shen Ling reminded him, “Xiao Xiao, you have to settle it quickly.

…Then it wasn’t known what Xue Xiao was thinking, but he glanced blankly at Shen Tingyan.

Shen Tingyan who received this look: “…..”

It felt pitiful like he was being bullied.

Sheng Tingyan felt a bit amused but also felt pity.

He didn’t want to put too much psychological burden on Xue Xiao.

The reason why he handed over the casting rights of Mu Sheng to Xue Xiao was because he didn’t want to use his status as mentor to force Xue Xiao to do something. But it would be wrong if this transfer of rights turned into pressure on Xue Xiao.

After thinking about it, he calmed down slightly and commented rationally and objectively, “The actor selected by Shen Ling is Jiang Liyang. You might’ve seen the criminal investigation drama that he acted in that was aired in the first half of the year.”

“His acting skills are good, and he fits well with Mu Sheng. He should have no problem acting opposite you. He is also very interested in the script.”

Xue Xiao silently watched Shen Tingyan and didn’t say anything.

After the latter finished speaking, he lowered his eyes.

Shen Ling’s eyes were full of meaning, while the assistant director and cameramen were as quiet as chickens.

Shen Tingyan tapped the script lightly with the pen in his hand. Once he looked up again, he said, “However, I think my fit with Mu Sheng is also good. I can act better than Jiang Liyang.”

“Director Xue,” the man slowly said these words, making Xue Xiao even more ashamed. “Consider me.”

What else was there to say?

Xue Xiao’s lips curled up. He took a deep breath and said solemnly, “…I want to act with you, Shen Tingyan.”

A smile appeared in his eyes, and Shen Tingyan’s lips curled up.

—

Once the roles were decided, the progress sped up quickly.

Ordinary Noise was Xue Xiao’s solo performance, but it had many supporting roles. The part that involved the school drama required a large number of extras.

Shen Tingyan contacted the assistant director he knew well. The other person was often responsible for contacting the extras on the set.

They would go on to shoot the high school scenes tomorrow. Before arriving, the assistant director needed to help arrange the scenes for the high school students who were extras.

In the afternoon, the makeup artist arrived at the villa and helped Xue Xiao test the makeup.

Xie Jia in college didn’t need any makeup. Shen Tingyan planned to let him film without makeup directly. In any case, Xue Xiao’s face had no blemishes and his skin was tender and dewy.

However, Xie Jia in high school needed a makeup artist to adjust Xue Xiao.

Xue Xiao was really no different from a high school student after he changed into a school uniform but… Xie Jia, the college student, had to be distinguished from Xie Jia, the high school student.

Thus, the makeup artist modified Xue Xiao’s facial outline. After finishing the makeup, everyone came forward to take a look.

Oops, whose family did this sweet baby belong to? So soft.

The young man’s eyes were clear and harmless. His facial lines had become softer than usual, and the tip of his nose seemed more upturned. He looked like a cute version of a BJD doll.

Shen Tingyan crossed his arms and stared at Xue Xiao for a long time. Then he smiled and asked, “Did you really look like this in high school?”

Xue Xiao tried to recall it. “…It seems to be?”

He had grown since he was in high school, but he didn’t think it was much different from when he was an adult. Xue Xiao really didn’t remember being much different from he was now.

“Yes.” It wasn’t known what the man was thinking, but he said in a flirtatious tone, “You should have a photo album from high school at home.”

Xue Xiao: “……”

He suddenly started to think seriously. Perhaps Shen Tingyan took him home using the excuse of ‘official business’ in order for him to also ‘reciprocate’…

—

The Shen family’s villa had become a battlefield, and everyone was busy.

Shen Tingyan disappeared later. He was probably busy integrating this short-term crew. Meanwhile, Xue Xiao opened his laptop and found some video materials to study.

Xie Jia’s hearing was gradually decreasing.

At first, he started to unknowingly speak louder. He couldn’t hear clearly, so he thought he was speaking softly. Even though he later found out that he was going deaf, it was difficult for him to control his volume.

So people around him laughed at him in a loud voice.

Later, he gradually learned how to read lips and became accustomed to communicating with others by staring at other people’s mouths. However, he was disliked and avoided by others because of the strange position of his gaze.

He didn’t know much about sign language and didn’t learn it specifically.

Once he met Mu Sheng, his words were clearly swallowed.

This was a slow process of change. Xue Xiao couldn’t act too abruptly.

Throughout the afternoon, he studied and practiced silently in front of the computer.

After dinner, Shen Tingyan took him to briefly review the characters. As for the specific rehearsal, they had to wait until tomorrow when they arrived at the filming site.

It was 10 p.m. when they finished work today.

Yang Liuyi and Shen Jingyang didn’t come back in order to not disturb them.

Xue Xiao walked up to the second floor and heard the assistant director and cameraman talking in the bathroom.

Perhaps it was because the bathroom on the first floor was occupied, so the two of them came to the second floor and chatted casually after solving the problem.

The cameraman said, “…The scale is so big. Doesn’t it cost a lot of money?”

The assistant director replied, “That’s for sure. Let’s not talk about the group performers and extras. This script has transitioned so many times, and the venue has to be rented. All of this costs money.”

“I heard that the battle of the other groups seems to be quite big, but they are all using their strength on inviting big stars for friendship performances. Only this group is really making the short performance of 10-20 minutes into a movie.”

The assistant director said, “Teacher Shen has put a lot of effort into this. He really wants to win the championship with Xue Xiao.”

……

Xue Xiao gripped the corridor handrail.

The next second, a pair of hands pressed on his shoulders, startling him.

He turned around and saw Shen Ling secretly smiling at him with a triumphant look. After smiling, he asked, “What are they talking about?”

He only knew that Xue Xiao was eavesdropping on the conversation between the two people not far away, but he couldn’t hear their voices clearly.

Xue Xiao pursed his lip and hesitated before saying, “It’s nothing.”

Shen Ling looked at his expression and asked him, “Are they talking about how much Brother Tingyan spent this time?”

Xue Xiao showed a look of surprise.

Shen Ling said, “I heard someone talk about this matter today. Do you care about it?”

Seeing that Xue Xiao was silent, Shen Ling blinked before saying, “What is there to care about? The thing that Brother Tingyan has never been lacking since he was a child is money.”

Xue Xiao: “……”

“No matter how much effort and money is put in, it is fine as long as it is worth it in the end. You should know my brother well enough. Even if he doesn’t win the championship in the end, he will never regret spending so much effort in preparing this movie.”

“As long as you have fun acting.”

Xue Xiao smiled.

He whispered, “You make your brother sound like a foolish king.”

Shen Ling wondered, “Then have you adopted the role of the demon concubine?”

Xue Xiao: “……” He was choked up and red-faced in an instant!

Shen Ling laughed lightly. “Xiao Xiao, no matter whether it is now or in the future, as long as you are happy when acting.”

Xue Xiao pursed his lips and smiled. Then he joked, “It doesn’t matter if I don’t make money?”

Shen Ling shook his head. “You and my brother are both people with the basic qualities of an actor. We know what it means to act well and what it means to act badly. So as long as you are happy acting, it is absolutely impossible for the movie to fail and make money. The audience’s eyes are sharp. It is just a matter of making more or less money.”

Shen Ling spoke firmly. On the one hand, Xue Xiao felt that Shen Ling trusted him a bit too much. On the other hand, he felt that Shen Ling actually wasn’t wrong.

Act happily, have fun, and present the best side to the audience. The audience was bound to feel what they wanted to convey and give positive feedback.

It was a bit tacky to talk about money when it came to art, but if he wanted to live, he had to make money. Xue Xiao felt that he wouldn’t be the type of unlucky employee who brought down the entire company.

If he made more money, they would have more funds that could be used to make good movies and provide entertainment to the audience members.

As long as there was sincerity, this could be a virtuous cycle.

Xue Xiao thought about it, and his eyes became firm.

Of course, the first step in this cycle started now.

Let’s take this last part of the competition as a starting point.

……

The next day, the entire crew traveled from many places and gathered at a certain high school at 8 a.m.

It was summer vacation, and there was no one in school. In order to shoot this short film, the assistant director specially contacted people from the school’s administration office and called more than 100 students who were idle at home and had nothing to do.

By the time they arrived, all the students were already waiting in the classroom.

The assistant director gave Shen Tingyan a warm hug after seeing him. Shen Tingyan led Xue Xiao over to introduce him.

“No introduction is needed. We have known each other for a long time. I have watched every performance of yours. This young man’s acting is really good.” The assistant director patted Xue Xiao on the arm and encouraged him. “Study hard with Teacher Shen from now on, and you won’t have to worry about the future.”

The two veteran actors playing Xie Jia’s parents were also invited by Shen Tingyan.

The two of them used to film together with Shen Tingyan. They looked at him as if he was their own child. Now they naturally looked at Xue Xiao as if he was their child. They had an easygoing attitude and caring words.

After helping Xue Xiao identify the people, Shen Tingyan led them to rehearse the scene twice.

The students were very cooperative.

They might have all been excited, but they were immersed in the drama the moment the rehearsal officially began.

—As for Xue Xiao, his entry into his performance was even more amazingly fast.

The role of Xie Jia was so special that any actor who wasn’t experienced enough in filming might get stuck a few times before getting into the right state.

However, the moment Xue Xiao heard Shen Tingyan shout, ‘Action,’ his aura suddenly changed.

He immediately changed from the obedient and gentle young man to Xie Jia, who was struggling alone in a world far away from ordinary noises.

He sat in the front row with a serious look on his face. He listened hard to the teacher’s lectures, but he often instinctively turned to look at his deskmate because he couldn’t hear clearly.

Xie Jia was taking notes carefully while his deskmate was hesitating to speak. Finally, he chose not to disturb his deskmate. He scratched his head and struggled to read the teacher’s lips.

The teacher called his name three times before he heard it. He raised his head as if startled and said loudly, “Yes!”

The sound echoed through the classroom.

……

Watching Xue Xiao act in a variety show and watching him act live were completely different.

The assistant director and two veteran actors looked on, somewhat amazed by Xue Xiao’s acting ability. It was more powerful and spiritual than they imagined.

It was no wonder that Shen Tingyan liked him so much.

They were professionals and had been involved in major film studios all year round. However, they couldn’t help being amazed by Xue Xiao’s performance, let alone the students who were participating in acting and making contact with actors for the first time.

During the break, Shen Tingyan instructed Xue Xiao and a girl in the back seat to arrange a scene.

The girl might’ve been a bit nervous. She failed to perform well after trying it twice. Xue Xiao comforted her. “Don’t be nervous. How do you usually talk to your deskmate? Just talk to me like that.”

The girl looked at him blankly before saying, “…You are speaking so normally.”

Her deskmate immediately complained. “Brother Xiao was acting just now. It is normal for him to speak normally!”

The girl immediately blushed. “You acted so well. The moment filming started, I felt like you were actually like that. Then I was a bit shocked…”

Xue Xiao smiled. “Try not to think about things outside the play? Just think of me as I am. If such a Xie Jia sits in front of you for a semester, how would you get along with this classmate?”

The girl thought about it seriously, nodded, and said, “I’ll do it again!”

Perhaps Xue Xiao’s kindness eased her tension. Once she focused, the girl’s demeanor became much more natural.

……

Once the crew officially started filming, gossip quickly spread on the Internet.

By noon, fans were blocking the outside of the school.

The assistant director led people to evacuate the crowd and advised fans not to block traffic there, which could easily lead to safety problems.

It just so happened that they were going to shoot a scene on the campus’s forest road.

The moment Shen Tingyan appeared in the sunlight, his tall figure caused crazy screams outside the school gate. Fans roared his name at the top of their lungs.

Xue Xiao thought in his mind that if it was him a few months ago, he might’ve been too embarrassed to shout like this when he saw Shen Tingyan but he would be reluctant to leave…

Then he heard another burst of screams. A girl screamed, “Xiao Xiao—Xiao Xiao—Xiao Xiao, ahhhhh!”

Xue Xiao was shocked and turned his head to look.

The moment he turned his head, the shouts outside the school gate became stronger.

“Xiao Xiao is so cute!”

“Xiao Xiao is great!”

“Xiao Xiao, jiayou!”

There was a voice that clearly belonged to a man. Shen Tingyan, who had been unresponsive in front, suddenly made a cold glare.

The next second—

The male fan shouted, “Yanxiao is the sweetest!!!”

Xue Xiao: “………”

Shen Tingyan paused and retracted the glare in a dignified manner.