Chapter 71: Why Did My Screen Time Increase So Much?

Early in the morning, Shi Lulu came to find Lin Yao.

Lin Yao was delighted; he had been in Hengdian for a while, but Shi Lulu rarely saw him except when asking to borrow money.

He felt his luck might finally be turning—perhaps Shi Lulu had developed a different impression of him, and he put even more energy into cleaning and tidying up his appearance.

"Ah Yao, why did your senior come to Hengdian?" Shi Lulu asked tentatively.

Lin Yao said, "I asked Yun Ge for a loan to open a shop, and he happened to come along to check it out."

Shi Lulu's eyes lit up at this: "How much did you borrow from your senior?"

"One hundred thousand."

"Why didn't you borrow more?"

"What?"

Shi Lulu had spoken her true thoughts aloud and quickly added, "Nothing—I was just thinking, one hundred thousand probably isn't enough, why didn't you borrow more?"

"It's enough—I'm not hiring anyone for now, I'll handle everything myself, and once things stabilize, I'll hire help and have the money for it." Lin Yao had planned well, but to Shi Lulu's eyes, it seemed utterly foolish.

"Why did your senior suddenly get so rich? Do you know why?" Shi Lulu had her own calculations.

Although Lin Yao still had some money left, she intended to treat it as a long-term income source, not drain it all at once. Accustomed to spending lavishly, Shi Lulu looked down on small sums; she chose the proxy shooting business because she'd heard many seniors used it as a stepping stone to connect with stars.

She believed her looks and figure were good enough—otherwise, Lin Yao wouldn't have been so obsessed with her.

So while still young, she wanted to see if she could find a path to wealth through it.

"I don't know!" Lin Yao wiped the stainless steel door of the fridge. "Your senior's so capable, and he's built his career in Beijing—saving up some money is normal."

Shi Lulu sneered; if she hadn't learned about Qin Yun's situation from a friend, she'd have believed him. If she were Song Ya, under those circumstances, she wouldn't wait for Qin Yun to propose divorce—she'd sue him herself.

"Um… Ah Yao, could you do me a favor?"

Shi Lulu bit her lip, crouched beside Lin Yao, and placed her hand on his arm.

Lin Yao swallowed hard—he'd never seen Shi Lulu like this, begging him for help, not even when she asked to borrow money last time: "Say it—I'll help if I can, you know how I feel."

Shi Lulu pretended not to understand: "Um… I and a few other proxy shooters want to start a small company. With a team, we can operate more efficiently and make profits faster."

"But renting a space costs 240,000 a year—we each need to contribute 80,000. Can you ask your senior for another 100,000 for me?"

…

Under the crew's arrangement, Qin Yun sat in the main hall of the brothel, holding a folding fan, flanked by two other young gentlemen of similar appearance. Looking around, the entire hall—ignoring the crew and cameras—looked exactly like a scene of scholarly gentlemen in a brothel.

He'd just glanced at the monitor position; the person sitting in the director's chair was unfamiliar to him. He only knew a few film directors and recognized a handful of TV directors—the bearded ones—so not knowing him was normal.

The assistant director, who introduced himself as Xie, explained the scene to Qin Yun and the others: movements, positions, emotional cues. Most importantly, he emphasized repeatedly: no looking at the camera.

If a background actor looked at the camera and ruined a take, he'd be screamed at to death by the director.

After hearing Assistant Director Xie's instructions, Qin Yun understood his role well: no lines, no sound allowed—just watch the performance, wave the fan, and maintain an aloof demeanor.

As Assistant Director Xie was still speaking, a shouting voice suddenly came from the monitor side.

"Does he even want to survive in this industry? Says he won't come, and just doesn't show up—he thinks he's the lead?"

Qin Yun saw Assistant Director Xie shudder, then rush over, only to be scolded mercilessly by the director. When he returned, his face was grimy and defeated.

Several background actors sensed the tension and dared not approach. But Qin Yun didn't care—he was here just for the spectacle.

"Assistant Director Xie, what happened? Why is the director so angry?"

Assistant Director Xie, still good-natured, sighed helplessly: "One of the guest actors had an emergency and called to say he can't come."

As he spoke, he glanced at Qin Yun—and suddenly, the image of that missing role flashed in his mind. He froze, then his eyes brightened.

"Brother, how many years have you been a background actor?"

"..."

When someone suddenly becomes so polite, there's always an ulterior motive. Qin Yun immediately grew wary, leaning back: "I'm a tourist, just here to experience it. What do you want?"

"A tourist?" Xie Fei's expression stiffened, then collapsed. He waved his hand. "Never mind."

I thought so—someone this handsome couldn't possibly be a background actor; he'd be perfect as a lead.

After finishing his instructions, Xie Fei left. Qin Yun and the other background actors continued waiting.

An hour passed, then two, but the scene still hadn't started filming. Meanwhile, on the stage ahead, the female lead portraying the brothel girl, along with other actors, was rehearsing under a coach's guidance.

The female lead was naturally Zhao Liying. Qin Yun knew of her and had watched several of her dramas. She was said to be a highly motivated actress, rising from humble origins, much like Wang Baoqiang.

Online, when people spoke of motivated actors, they always said: men had Wang Baoqiang, women had Zhao Liying.

But for women to climb in this industry, it wasn't as simple as for men. They had to work far harder, and sometimes even traded certain things.

Qin Yun didn't understand these things, nor did he speculate. He simply watched the performance on stage with appreciation.

In her ancient costume, Zhao Liying's skin was hidden, only her face exposed. A classic oval face, smooth and full contours, beautiful features—especially when she smiled, she radiated warmth.

Zhao Liying ignored the gazes of the crowd below. This scene depicted the male lead helping the female lead assassinate her enemy—the beginning of the plot's climax. Though she was now hugely famous, she remained serious about acting.

Despite many flaws, no one could criticize her dedication to her craft.

"Liying, take a break."

Zhao Liying nodded but didn't leave. She looked toward the director's side. She'd heard the director's shouting earlier—would filming proceed smoothly today?

At that moment, a figure suddenly approached.

"Zhao Liying, hello, can I take a photo with you?"

Zhao Liying turned and saw it was a background actor—but this background actor was far too handsome.

"Of course."

Zhao Liying squatted down right on stage. Qin Yun grinned, leaned over, pulled out his phone, aimed it at the two of them, and snapped the picture.

"Thank you—I love your performances."

Zhao Liying froze. That wasn't the kind of thing a background actor would say—it sounded like a fan: "You're not a background actor?"

"I'm just here to experience what it's like to be an actor. I planned to be a background prop, but they said if someone this handsome isn't in the frame, it's a waste."

"Pfft—!" Hearing Qin Yun's shameless words, Zhao Liying burst out laughing.

That said, with her years of experience in the entertainment circle, she also felt that Qin Yun was genuinely handsome. And not just handsome—his build was good too; to put it bluntly, he was easy on the eyes and well-proportioned, a promising seedling for an entertainer.

Qin Yun edited it briefly and posted the group photo straight to his Moments.

【Came to Hengdian to play today, ran into a celebrity I like】

The moment he posted it, he noticed a comment appear above: "?"

From a friend he'd added last time—Chen He!

Qin Yun didn't chat much with Zhao Liying. Although she was polite on the surface, who knew what she was thinking inside, so a light touch was enough—after all, he wasn't a real fan.

But the moment he turned around, a WeChat call came flying in.

"Hey, He Ge."

"Qin Ye, you're in Hengdian?" Chen He's loud and carefree voice came through. After adding each other last time, the two had actually been chatting quite often. The other fellow's nature was rather frank and open—perhaps because he'd become a variety-show regular.

"Yeah, I'm working as an extra on the Tianyun Mountain Legend crew right now, hehe."

"You should've said so earlier. Wait for me, I'm coming over to find you now."

With that, the call ended on the other end.

Zhao Liying was right beside him, and the voice on the phone was loud, so she only felt that the voice was oddly familiar, but couldn't recall it for the moment.

Qin Yun gave her a smile, then returned to his spot.

The extras beside him crowded over one after another.

"Brother, you've got some nerve—actually striking up a conversation with Yingbao?"

"Yingbao is so cute, but I didn't dare."

"Brother, is Yingbao easy to talk to?"

Just as they were talking, the director over there stood up with his megaphone: "All foreground actors, come over here."

Qin Yun and the others immediately walked over—there were a good ten or so of them, give or take.

The director spoke through the big megaphone: "There's a featured extra who has something come up today and can't make it, so we need to find a temporary replacement on the spot." After he finished, he didn't even ask if they were willing—after all, asking would be pointless; which extra here doesn't have a star dream?

His gaze swept across their faces one by one, then he picked three people, Qin Yun among them: "You three stay, the rest of you go back to your spots."

The few others, whose eyes had been full of hope just moments ago, instantly dimmed.

Director Xie Fei's gaze lingered on Qin Yun for a moment, then he leaned close to the director and said something in his ear.

The director nodded and said without a change of expression: "On the surface this character is the villain's friend, but in reality he's a disciple of the Huashan Sect, so the image can't be lacking—he needs both the elegant air of a refined scholar and the bearing of a martial artist. The three of you are all passable in terms of image, so we need to have the action director audition you to see if you're a fit."

After the director finished speaking, Qin Yun noticed that the two guys on his right were breathing heavily, their eyes filled with longing, as if they'd seen a ladder to the heavens.

But Qin Yun felt nothing—whether he got picked or not was just another character quest for his check-in mission.

Then, under the director's arrangement, a staff member came over to take them to find the action director and action choreographer.

Not long after they left, a figure in fashionable clothes walked in.

After greeting people he knew, with plenty of "He Ge" calls along the way, Chen He was long since used to it. He chatted with the director for a bit first, scanned the whole set, but didn't spot the person he was looking for, so he headed straight for Zhao Liying, who was performing.

"Liying."

"He Ge, it's really you." Zhao Liying's eyes widened, an expression of disbelief on her face—so that was why the voice had sounded so familiar.

"What do you mean 'really me'?" Chen He was puzzled, then asked, "Where's Qin Ye? Wasn't he just taking a photo with you?"

"Qin Ye?"

……

*Bang—! * Qin Yun, long sword in hand, planted a foot on the tabletop, his whole body leaping into the air, twirled out a sword flourish, then delivered a flying kick, his whole body descending through a full three-sixty in midair.

Steady as an old dog!

The action director, the action choreographer, and the other two extras watching this scene were completely dumbfounded.

Without hesitation, the action director said: "You're the one."

Compared to Qin Yun's grace and crispness, the other two extras could only be called ugly in their own inventive way—there was simply no comparison.

Qin Yun returned the prop to a staff member nearby, then followed the action choreographer back to the brothel set to find the director again.

And the moment he came back, he saw a familiar figure chatting with Zhao Liying.

The action choreographer said a few words to the director. Though somewhat puzzled, the director was still very pleased: "Good, this role is yours. Someone will tell you later what lines you have and how to perform—no real acting needed, no particular expression either, just stay cool."

Qin Yun thought to himself that it was supposed to be just a foreground extra role, watching the show would have been fine, but now not only did he have screen time, he also had lines—this was really making things hard for him.

"Director, does this role pay more?"