Chapter 70

Shi Lulu also knew about Qin Yun's divorce, and she knew more than Lin Yao—even that Qin Yun left the marriage with nothing. Because a good friend of hers in Beijing happened to be Song Ya's close friend.

A Land Rover Defender worth over a million—this clearly wasn't pre-marital property but bought after the divorce; could Qin Yun have won the lottery?

Although Shi Lulu was curious, she could tell Qin Yun's attitude toward her wasn't warm, even a bit cold. If she asked him for a loan, she'd be rejected for sure—better to observe for now.

Too bad he came at the wrong time; he still had to work for Lin Yao. He should've just stayed away.

Suppressing her dissatisfaction, she began helping Lin Yao clean the shop. Nearby, Qin Yun watched Shi Lulu work for a while, silently shaking his head—clearly someone used to lying around at home.

When the time came, Qin Yun drove to a restaurant and met Lin Yao's childhood friend.

"Ah Yao, you showed up without even telling me ahead of time."

Jia Tian looked lean, his eyes bright; he immediately hugged Lin Yao.

"Didn't you just contact me? How are you doing now? I heard you're a group head—making money?"

"Pretty good." Jia Tian's gaze landed on Qin Yun and Shi Lulu. "Aren't you going to introduce them?"

Qin Yun smiled and extended his hand. "Lin Yao's senior, Qin Yun."

Shi Lulu also introduced herself: "I'm Shi Lulu, Lin Yao's classmate."

Jia Tian shook hands with both, warmly and generously: "Friends of Ah Yao are my friends. I've already reserved a table—let's eat and chat."

In the private room, Jia Tian clearly knew the owner well—the owner treated him with great courtesy. And Jia Tian, skilled in socializing and eloquent, soon was calling Qin Yun "brother."

Learning he wanted to experience being a background actor, Jia Tian patted his chest and assured him it was no problem; they immediately exchanged contact information.

Jia Tian said: "Qin Ge, what the outside world knows—the kind of background acting tourists can experience—is all put out by us. We let them pay to experience it; they're happy, we make money—perfect for both sides."

"Won't the director object?" Qin Yun had never really understood film crews—he'd only glanced at entertainment news now and then.

"Hahaha." Jia Tian laughed. "Qin Ge probably doesn't know much about background actors. Actually, background actors are ranked in tiers."

"Oh, explain in detail." Qin Yun became interested.

Talking about his own field, Jia Tian warmed up.

"Background actors can be roughly divided into three categories. The most basic are the ones who just stand as scenery—no requirements at all. Even if you're ugly, it doesn't matter. Hengdian has the most of these. The kind we let tourists experience is this type. But don't think just because there are no requirements, anyone can join—you must go through our group head. This is now a rule in Hengdian; film crews only hire us."

"That makes sense." Qin Yun nodded. The logic was simple enough.

"A better tier are those with a chance to appear on camera—these require height and looks, and naturally earn much more than ordinary background actors."

Beside him, Shi Lulu listened with wide, sparkling eyes and asked: "So are bit players background actors?"

Jia Tian shook his head. "Background actor—you can tell from the name. They're background figures, there to fill scenes and create atmosphere. The camera rarely focuses on them. But bit players are different—they may have small roles, but they have lines, screen time, and actual scenes."

"Oh, I see." Shi Lulu understood. "I heard there's also a type called special guest actor in Hengdian—what kind of actor is that, Jia Brother?"

Qin Yun was also curious and listened attentively.

"You've definitely heard of 'running dragon roles,' right? But you never hear 'running background actors.' Because background actors are scenery, bit players are characters, and special guest actors are a tier above bit players but below supporting roles—essentially a minor supporting role. They already have simple storylines, and only professionals can handle them. Most tourists who come to Hengdian to experience acting are just background boards."

He looked at Qin Yun. "Qin Ge, your appearance is excellent—you could be a foreground figure. Tomorrow I'll arrange a light role for you."

Qin Yun quickly thanked him: "Jia younger brother, thank you so much."

"Haha." Jia Tian laughed. "What's there to thank for? As a group head, I have to find background actors anyway—who I find doesn't matter."

Even so, Qin Yun didn't take it for granted—he ended up paying for the entire meal.

With the background actor job settled, his check-in task now had a solution; Qin Yun felt good.

……

The next morning, before six, he received a call from Jia Tian.

"Qin Ge, there's a historical drama needing a background board of a rakish scholar in a brothel, to set off the main character. With an actor's license: three hundred. Without: one hundred."

Qin Yun didn't hesitate—he agreed immediately. He wasn't in it for the money; whether it was a lot or little, he'd do it even if he had to pay himself.

"Good. I'll send you a location. You'll need to pass the casting director's interview, but your appearance is definitely fine."

"Got it. I'm on my way."

Qin Yun quickly finished breakfast and drove to Jia Tian's destination.

He parked, and after walking a few steps, saw a crowd gathered nearby—Jia Tian was picking and choosing. A few other group heads stood nearby, pointing and selecting suitable candidates.

Seeing Qin Yun, Jia Tian waved: "That's enough. Everyone else, disperse. Those selected, follow me."

The crowd scattered instantly, heading toward other group heads.

"Qin Ge."

"Jia younger brother, had breakfast? I brought you a few meat buns."

"Perfect timing—I'm starving." Jia Tian didn't refuse; he took the buns from Qin Yun's hand and ate them.

Behind him, the few background actors remained silent, occasionally glancing curiously at Qin Yun, guessing his occupation.

"Qin Ge, today's scene is a historical drama—a brothel sequence. You're purely a background board—just watch the performance. The director's team will tell you exactly what to do."

"Got it."

Jia Tian finished his buns in a few bites and turned to call: "Follow me."

Following Jia Tian, the group soon arrived at the interview site.

The casting director looked frantic, his lips blistered; he scolded Jia Tian: "I need scholars gathering in a brothel—how can ancient scholars be ugly? You brought me a bunch of crooked melons and rotten…."

Before he could finish the word "dates," he spotted Qin Yun—and his eyes lit up.

"This one's perfect. Height and appearance are ideal. Use this as the standard."

Jia Tian's expression turned strange. "Liu Director, are you sure? My guy here could be the lead—where am I supposed to find someone like him?"

The casting director finally realized his mistake and slapped his head. "I got carried away."

He quickly confirmed Qin Yun's role as a foreground figure. Of the other four Jia Tian brought, only three were selected; the other four were rejected.

Then Jia Tian led the four into the crew's makeup room, where Qin Yun saw a long line—twenty or more people waiting.

"Qin Ge, I've got other things to handle. Just wait for your assignment—I won't be around. Call me if you have problems."

"Jia younger brother, don't worry about me—go take care of your business. Thanks."

With a wave of his hand, Jia Tian hurried away.

After all, he was a group head; coordinating people and finding them according to the casting director's requirements wasn't easy.

Qin Yun curiously surveyed everything around him, waiting quietly.

He waited a full hour and a half before it was his turn for makeup and styling. But the styling itself didn't take as long as he imagined—after all, he was just a background extra; why would they give him a complex look? Just something that met the era's needs was enough.

Though the styling took little time, his reflection in the mirror changed dramatically.

A wig and headpiece were placed on him, his makeup lightly applied—and instantly, he became the image of an ancient scholar.

Then came more waiting. According to Jia Tian, background extras spent ninety-nine percent of their day waiting, because they were nothing more than props, insignificant.

He wasn't in a hurry either; for the sake of completing his check-in task, and to experience the fun of being an extra, it was quite interesting.

While waiting, he chatted with a few other extras standing nearby. He found all of them had come to Hengdian with dreams of stardom, but reality was cruel—not everyone could be Wang Baoqiang.

Most of them kept going because they had no special skills, but being a regular extra required no special skill at all—at least it let them survive.

"Qin Ge, us guys are fine, but the girls are worse—if they haven't made it by thirty, they usually just go home and get married."

Qin Yun gained some understanding of how brutal this industry was, then he asked, "What about you?"

"Me?" The young man speaking was Hu Lin; he'd come here right after high school and had been an extra in Hengdian for two years. "I'm learning acting every day. My goal is to become a featured actor."

Qin Yun patted his shoulder: "I believe you can do it."

"Hehe, Qin Ge, how much did you pay the group head to get this experience?" Hu Lin leaned close to Qin Yun and lowered his voice.

"I didn't pay anything—I'm getting paid." Seeing Hu Lin's shocked expression, Qin Yun laughed. "The group head is my friend."

"Alright then. But Qin Ge, with your looks, it's a waste not to be an actor. I think you could become a big star if you tried." Hu Lin's naive flattery made Qin Yun burst out laughing.

"By the way, what's the name of this drama?"

"It's called The Legend of Tianyun Mountain—a wuxia drama. The male lead is Xiao Zhan, the female lead is Zhao Liying."

"Oh!" Qin Yun exclaimed. "Big production! Those two are top-tier actors."

Qin Yun had thought Jia Tian had arranged some low-budget web movie, but unexpectedly it was a drama with big-name stars.

"I heard this drama was already sold to TV networks and video platforms—the investors have already made a fortune. With Xiao Zhan and Zhao Liying on board, the drama will definitely be a smash. If you can even get a minor role in a drama like this, you're set." Hu Lin looked envious.

Just then, a crew member walked in and shouted: "Foreground actors, follow me."

Qin Yun watched a few people leave, still not reacting—until Hu Lin reminded him, and he quickly stood up, remembering he was also a foreground actor, and hurried after them.

The filming location was a brothel, clearly Ming Dynasty architecture. Under the crew's guidance, they went to change clothes. Special costume designers assigned each of them different outfits.

Qin Yun wore a blue lan shirt, with a crossed collar and right lapel, reaching down to his ankles.

The moment he put it on, the costume designer's eyes lit up—she felt as if an ancient scholar had stepped straight out of history, and she couldn't stop praising him.