Chapter 1: Gentle Smile

March 2010, Modu Ligong Daxue, set of the film "Love Announcement."

"Camera, shoot at a 15-degree angle to the side; this highlights the character's three-dimensionality and enhances the atmosphere."

"Yifei, speak your lines more brightly, don't sound so weak and listless."

"Wang Laoer, that was excellent!"

Fang Hong wanted to say something at the end, but stayed silent.

He was only a stand-in cameraman; they were the real director, financier, and lead actor—he couldn't afford to offend them.

Under his professional guidance and coordination, the crew quickly adjusted, and Liu Tianxian took a deep breath and began acting with Wang Laoer.

Fang Hong sat on the director's chair, legs crossed, watching the two leads' awkward performance on the monitor without saying a word.

It's good enough; say too much and they'll hate you, make them leave.

It's not about how much money this job pays—it's about acting as director, one person below, hundreds above!

If he went to another set, he'd be nothing but a servant!

His original position was intern assistant director; his job was assigning tasks to extras according to the shooting schedule and picking up and dropping off actors.

In short, he was a driver and errand boy.

For some reason, an assistant director suddenly quit; Wang Laoer couldn't find anyone to replace him, and delaying the shoot by one day meant losing hundreds of thousands—he was frantic.

He heard Fang Hong was from Beijing Film Academy's Director Department, so he hastily pulled him in as a substitute.

Unexpectedly, Fang Hong managed the crew with perfect order, and the footage he shot was better than any previous assistant director's work—this surprised Wang Laoer, so he decided to let Fang Hong take over filming.

Wang Laoer was directing for the first time and was highly unprofessional, so he hired many professionals to assist him.

His ability was limited, so he needed experts to handle the actual filming.

Money lets you be this arbitrary!

Fang Hong knew so much about filmmaking because he was a reincarnator, 22 years old, a senior at Beijing Film Academy's Director Department.

When he reincarnated half a month ago, he was already interning on this set.

He remembered that in his past life, after graduation, he had no prospects, so he drifted among various sets, doing photography, screenwriting, lighting, makeup, focus pulling—he did everything.

Unfortunately, his family background was ordinary, with no high-end connections; after years, he achieved nothing, his career stagnant. Just as film industry pay rates surged, even supporting roles paid tens of thousands, so he switched to acting.

It was normal—many people in film did everything; if there was no work, they took supporting roles anyway.

In this industry, if no set hired you, you had no work, no food—it wasn't like a regular job with guaranteed income.

After acting for years, he saved up some money, just as the traffic boom hit and web dramas exploded.

So he became a director and producer, forming a team with friends to shoot web dramas.

When web dramas were just emerging, censorship was loose—horror films could feature actual "ghosts."

After regulations tightened, as long as the plot was passable, the leads were good-looking with perfect bodies, and they showed a little skin, they could make money through borderline content.

With sharp instincts, Fang Hong struggled in the industry for over a decade, finally becoming the boss of a film and television production company.

He could smoke cigars and had the privilege to seduce actresses!

But before he could enjoy it, he died in a car crash.

After dying, he reincarnated back to this very beginning—the moment just before leaving school, when he had to start his hard struggle from scratch.

Thinking about it made him frustrated.

"Cut!"

Seeing a scene end, Fang Hong immediately grabbed the megaphone and shouted.

"That's it for today," Wang Laoer stepped out of character, waved his hand, signaling the crew to pack up.

Hearing the real director's order, the crew's faces lit up; the set was filled with a relaxed atmosphere.

Previously, they worked twelve hours a day; since this "fake" director arrived, they now finished shooting in just eight.

Quickly, the crew methodically packed equipment—boxing, loading, all bustling activity.

Fang Hong saw Wang Laoer and Liu Tianxian walking toward him; he politely stepped aside, yielding the director's chair.

He pointed to the monitor: "This is the footage we just shot—take a look."

Wang Laoer naturally sat in the director's chair and began reviewing the footage.

Liu Tianxian stood with her hands behind her back, slightly bending forward, watching the monitor.

Fang Hong studied her curiously—she wore simple clothes, no-frame glasses, her face delicate as if it could be popped, her entire aura fresh and ethereal, very pleasing to the eye.

She was filming without makeup—truly naturally beautiful!

In his past life, Fang Hong was already a boss, but he had never met Liu Tianxian in the industry.

Their circles were too far apart—he shot either terrifying horror films or web dramas with chest and thigh exposure; how could he ever connect with her world?

"Not bad—the lighting looks fresh, very atmospheric," Liu Tianxian praised.

The scene filmed was at sunset: she held a bicycle with both hands, walking and chatting with Wang Laoer.

Sunlight bathed the frame, creating a soft, hazy beauty.

"These are just aids—the real credit goes to you two; your acting was natural, not forced," Fang Hong said offhandedly, even though he'd just been mentally mocking their awkward performance.

Hearing this, Liu Tianxian looked up at the man—no one had ever praised her like this before; was it genuine or just flattery?

She knew her own level well.

Fang Hong met her gaze and gave her a gentle smile.

The smile was contagious; Liu Tianxian looked away, tapped Wang Laoer on the shoulder, and said, "I'm heading back."

"Alright, go slow," Wang Laoer waved casually.

The current Liu Tianxian had endured online abuse and lay dormant for two years; this was her first drama after her comeback, and her entire demeanor had changed.

She became indifferent to things, as if nothing mattered, losing the lively, cute charm she once had.

Maybe she'd just matured.

Wang Laoer found Fang Hong's words pleasing; he stood up and said, "Good job! Keep it up."

Though it was encouragement, his tone was rather flat.

Fang Hong didn't mind—it was normal on set for someone of low status; he'd experienced far worse in his past life.

"If the director is satisfied, that's the greatest affirmation for me," he said.

Wang Laoer smiled and leaned in, whispering, "I want to add a kiss scene at the end—what do you think?"

"Oh, does Miss Liu know?" Fang Hong asked.

"She doesn't know. You go tell her," Wang Laoer said.

This LSP, already in his fifties, still wants to kiss some young girl—and won't even tell her himself.

"Fine, I'll go talk to her."

Fang Hong paused, then added, "But Director, I'm short on cash right now—could you give me a raise?"

"No problem, added!" Wang Laoer agreed.

(End of Chapter)