This Star Only Wants More Money - Chapter 45
Xu Feng had already gotten into character by this point, instinctively preparing to deliver his lines and follow the script’s directions with Liu Haoyuan for their scene. But then, he had a sudden flash of inspiration and thought he could do better than the scripted dialogue!
It was a memory from his past life.
The thought came in an instant, and putting it into action took only a moment. Xu Feng was incredibly calm inside, his face showing the standard, polite smile of a coffee shop employee.
His voice was also in that classic customer service tone.
Looking at Liu Haoyuan’s finger pointing at the middle cup, Xu Feng smiled and corrected, “I’m sorry, sir, but this is a large size.”
Xu Feng didn’t follow the script’s directions for tone, attitude, or actions. His service attitude was flawless; nothing could be criticized. He certainly didn’t achieve the director’s intended “provocation” in the traditional sense.
Yet the fleeting mockery in his eyes, the unchanging smile on his face, and the earnest way he corrected the protagonist’s “mistake” actually made Liu Haoyuan feel his blood pressure rising.
But the most shocked were those watching on set!
As soon as the scene began, all the background noise that had been present suddenly disappeared.
Xu Feng had the audacity not to follow the script’s dialogue and actions!
That’s a bold move, especially considering he had never acted before. How could he dare to “improvise”?
In such cases, where an actor deviates from the script during a scene, the director will either shout “Cut!” and reprimand the actor or be so impressed that the improvisation is adopted, becoming a classic moment in film history.
There are many such examples, including directors deliberately not shouting “Cut!” to see if a magical chemistry develops.
So… whether Xu Feng’s improvisation would be deemed acceptable depended entirely on Song Shi’s opinion.
But when everyone saw this moment, they had an instinctive reaction.
Xu Feng’s improvisation seemed to evoke even more emotion than the original script, perfectly meeting the “provocation” requirement!
Director Song Shi certainly didn’t shout “Cut!”
He was practically leaning forward over the desk, eyes glued to the scene, his trembling fingers the only indication of how impressed he was.
This meant he approved of the scene.
He was even shouting internally, “Liu Haoyuan, don’t just stand there! Keep acting!!!”
Fortunately, in such situations, a moment of shock is a normal reaction. When Liu Haoyuan saw that the director didn’t shout “Cut!”, he braced himself and began to improvise.
He pointed again at the three cups on the counter and said, “But aren’t there three sizes here, small, medium, and large? I want the one in the middle, the medium!”
Xu Feng, already fully in character, responded with that difficult-to-describe smile, patiently and kindly correcting him again, “I’m sorry, sir, but that’s actually the large size. The sizes go from medium, large, to extra-large…”
I don’t need you to tell me that! Everyone knows, okay?
This is infuriating!
Even knowing they were acting, Liu Haoyuan couldn’t help but feel his face flush red with anger. A nameless fire flared up in his heart as he interrupted Xu Feng, his voice filled with genuine frustration, “I don’t care what you call it; I just want the medium cup out of the three! Don’t you understand?”
Had his rationality not reminded him this was just acting, imagining himself really in the scene of buying coffee, it would have taken all his self-control not to start a fight.
Xu Feng, ever patient, as if explaining to a preschooler or someone not fully mentally developed, said word by word, “I’m sorry sir, but what you want is the large size. The smaller one here is the medium.”
When the words fell, the set was silent once more.
Liu Haoyuan stared in a deathly glare for three full seconds.
Xu Feng returned the look with a smile that could only be described as “benevolently caring for the mentally challenged.”
Tension gripped Liu Haoyuan’s fists, clenched so tightly they trembled!
He felt the urge to smack himself a few times—not because he didn’t want to hit Xu Feng, but because he’d get arrested for assault.
At this moment, Song Shi finally picked up the megaphone and shouted, “Cut!”
It wasn’t until he heard this that Liu Haoyuan snapped back to reality, unconsciously shaking his head to clear it.
Terrifying, too terrifying! Xu Feng’s expressions, his improvised lines, his attitude of treating him like a child… it had really made him act out of pure instinct.
This is what “provocation” is! This is what provocation looks like!
It had pulled in even those watching from the sidelines!
When someone treats your intelligence with contempt and educates you on basic common sense with a superior attitude, the feeling of humiliation instantly transforms into anger.
It can even become infectious, spreading irritation.
“Perfect! Absolutely perfect!” Song Shi jogged over, not holding back his praise, “Xu Feng, did you think of this idea beforehand? Is that why you were so confident about taking on this role?”
Xu Feng took a sip of mineral water and answered honestly, “That’s just my job. You’re paying me a thousand yuan for a ten-second scene; shouldn’t I do my best?”
Song Shi, momentarily taken aback by his answer, laughed and cursed, “You brat, so if I offered a hundred yuan, you’d have just half-assed it? Stop thinking about your gigs all the time! Do you really think of yourself as a mercenary?”
After saying this, he still couldn’t help but ask again incredulously, “Really, you never practiced this privately before?”
How could a newcomer deliver such a vivid performance? How could he channel an emotion that captivated the entire set?
Xu Feng glanced at the system, which had yet to process, and replied truthfully, “I didn’t. You guys must have already dug up everything about my background; how could I have had time for that?”
That sounds familiar; Lin Shenghuan had asked him the same thing before…
“Genius!” Song Shi gave a concise evaluation of two words. “We’ll discuss a few things later. For now, let’s review this scene.”
Yan Wei suddenly sprang up, her eyes sparkling, and added, “Teacher Xu Feng, your improvisation wasn’t just simple—it was brilliant acting, too! How to enrage someone in three sentences, this is the textbook answer! Teacher Xu Feng, you’re amazing!”
The other actors who had gathered around also looked at Xu Feng with noticeable change.
Previously, they had respected Xu Feng as a collaborator and a talented creator; now, there was a new layer of reverence toward someone whose skill surpassed theirs!
Maybe acting really does require talent?
Why does Xu Feng have all this talent rolled into one?
The actors crowded around, their eyes fixed on the short ten-second interaction scene, afraid of missing even a moment.
If they couldn’t beat someone in talent, they could at least try with hard work!
“I feel like the impression is excellent, the provocation is complete… but there seems to be something, um, just a little off?”
“I think so too; Teacher Xu Feng’s improvisation was perfect, but something about the scene feels a bit unharmonious?”
“What is it?”
“Teacher Xu Feng really did great.”
“…”
Just as everyone was preparing to discuss this enthusiastically, Song Shi suddenly said, “You see, even now, you’re all focused on Xu Feng, forgetting that Liu Haoyuan is supposed to be the main character! Now do you see what feels off?”
With one sentence, everyone suddenly realized, and they turned their attention back to Liu Haoyuan.
They had almost forgotten that he was even there.
Yan Wei slapped her forehead, “Oh! Right, we almost forgot Liu Haoyuan is the male lead!”
Liu Haoyuan, who had been hit while lying down, felt a bit drained. “You all are a bit much. Did you forget all those times I treated you to milk tea?”
He wasn’t actually angry.
Because even he realized, thanks to Director Song Shi’s reminder, that when watching the playback, he had subconsciously ignored himself in the scene.
Even the male lead had ignored the male lead.
It was a bit of a blow; he suddenly felt like he might want to quit acting altogether.