This Star Only Wants More Money - Chapter 46
There is something even sadder than being ignored by others: ignoring yourself. In this situation, you don’t even have the chance to deceive yourself—it’s just that you’re not good enough.
If it were just a matter of not being good enough, that would be fine. After all, none of the other professional or part-time actors on set could solve the problem with this scene either. None of them were as good as Xu Feng; everyone looked bad together, so there was no one to be embarrassed.
“The problem is, I’m the one doing the scene with Xu Feng! Everyone else isn’t even on camera!”
Without comparison, there is no harm. Standing next to Xu Feng was the greatest damage to Liu Haoyuan.
Director Song glanced at the other actors and said earnestly, “Look, Xu Feng, a complete novice with no prior practice, managed to act better than all of you… Acting isn’t just a job; it requires a certain spirit and personal investment. Without a soul, whatever you act won’t feel grounded.”
“Xu Feng’s performance demonstrates this perfectly. Sometimes, being true to oneself brings out the most outstanding results.”
After speaking, Song Shi turned his gaze to Liu Haoyuan, his tone a bit mysterious, “This scene is excellent—if you only look at the frame, I am very satisfied. But the biggest problem is that the male lead’s performance didn’t keep up. If we put this in the series, it will be too jarring.”
Liu Haoyuan took another hit: “…”
He had acted in several films, each above the average level in terms of reputation. Since his debut, he had seen many trendy stars and always looked down on them. This was the first time he had become the weak link in a crew!
He had always been proud of his acting skills.
Today, that pride was shattered.
And it was shattered by Xu Feng, an outsider just coming by for a stroll.
He was very unconvinced. He thought he had been thrown off by Xu Feng’s impromptu performance, which led to his own subpar performance. If they did it again, he was sure there wouldn’t be any problem.
“Director, let’s do it again! I don’t believe it!”
Song Shi looked at Liu Haoyuan with a bit of pity and sighed, “Alright, let’s shoot it again.”
He didn’t have the heart to say directly, “Even if we shoot it a hundred times, it won’t make a difference,” which would have been too demoralizing.
From any angle, Xu Feng’s presence in this scene far overshadowed the male lead.
Moreover, when Liu Haoyuan decided to give his all and use all his strength against Xu Feng, who was just an amateur, he had already lost.
Sometimes, it’s genuinely enviable how some people are gifted… a starting point higher than many people’s endpoint after all their efforts.
Liu Haoyuan had worked very hard, but he still couldn’t match Xu Feng’s flash of inspiration. That was the gap between them.
Song Shi shook his head and clapped the slate: “Scene 113, take 17, action.”
At the command, everyone instinctively quieted down, eyes glued to the performers on set.
The previous joking atmosphere vanished without a trace.
No one looked at Xu Feng’s performance with a playful or mocking attitude anymore.
Even if Xu Feng’s success was partly due to luck or a fluke, his acting still passed the mark!
While he might not yet match the veterans, he was certainly above the qualified level.
And this was his first time acting!
Everyone stared at Xu Feng, now evaluating his performance with a critical, professional eye, yet they couldn’t find any flaws—his lines, his acting, everything was exactly as it was before.
Even after two takes, the feeling of wanting to laugh and punch this annoying barista remained just as strong.
It was as if he really meant what he had said before, since the director gave him a one-thousand-yuan bonus, he would deliver a performance worth exactly that—no more, no less, with remarkably consistent quality.
But… everyone’s faces showed unease, and even Director Song’s brow was furrowed as he shook his head lightly while watching the footage.
Because the same problem remained. While the scene itself was excellent, it felt out of place within the context of the entire series. How could the male lead be overshadowed by a mere barista?
Song Shi helplessly shouted, “Cut.”
“Director Song, how was it?” Liu Haoyuan hurried over, his eyes and voice filled with anticipation like a high school senior waiting for college entrance exam results. “Was my performance okay this time?”
He swore he had given 120% effort; it was definitely an exceptional performance!
Song Shi, not wanting to discourage the hardworking actor, waved his hand, “Go rest. I’ll consult with the scriptwriter and modify the scene a bit. I have a new idea. Let’s have the supporting male actor play opposite Xu Feng instead. After all, his character is already portrayed as someone who gets bullied; it fits perfectly.”
As the upright senior brother of the protagonist team, being suppressed by a mere barista didn’t make sense. However, if it was the already weak supporting character getting bullied, the scene would instantly become reasonable.
“Modify the plot a bit? Is that necessary?!” Liu Haoyuan’s voice wavered, “If you’re not satisfied, I can do it again. You’re just going to change the script?”
An improvisation by an amateur actor made the director willing to adjust the script?
This was unheard of!
It also showed just how much Song Shi liked the scene—he’d rather alter the script to keep it.
Song Shi said no more, giving Liu Haoyuan a meaningful pat on the shoulder, instructing everyone to take a break while he went to find the screenwriter to make adjustments.
That gesture spoke volumes: he was telling Liu Haoyuan not to struggle any further—the gap between them was too great; there was no way he could keep up with the performance.
Instead of wasting time, it was better to replace him with an actor who wouldn’t mind being outshone. After all, Xu Feng’s scene lasted just 15 seconds; with no opponent, there’d be no one to steal the show.
That small gesture hurt more than a million harsh words…
While Liu Haoyuan doubted himself, someone from the crew approached Xu Feng.
It was the crew’s finance lady. She handed him a slip of paper, saying, “Mr. Xu Feng, here’s your payment slip… When we’re done today, you can take it to our office to collect your fee.”
Usually, extras were paid through their agent, who dealt directly with the crew, but Xu Feng’s case was special, so they handled it directly.
When Xu Feng realized it was the precious proof of his compensation, he gingerly took it, carefully folded it, and placed it in his pocket.
Then, he walked over to where the crew members were.
Before he could even speak, the others instinctively stood up, “Mr. Xu Feng, what can we do for you?”
With his payment secured and receiving praise from his employer, Xu Feng was in a good mood and casually remarked, “I’ve found that acting, like singing, is a physical job; it’s quite exhausting.”
“Mr. Xu Feng is even more exhausted… Creating is a mental job!”
With that, Xu Feng carefully placed the meticulously folded payment slip into his pocket, and zipped it tight, showing how much he valued it.
But this small action was keenly observed by Liu Haoyuan, who was sitting there, mulling over his doubts.
What could be in that slip of paper? Why was Mr. Xu Feng treating it so seriously?
This was the same Xu Feng who had walked away after the top five and avoided countless officials by doing parkour at the campus concert—someone who seemed not to care about anything! What kind of magic did that little slip of paper hold to warrant such serious attention?
Liu Haoyuan immediately thought of a possibility—the understanding of a character by an actor, or in other words, the effort to increase immersion and reduce any sense of dissonance while acting. An actor usually needs to fully immerse themselves in the character from all dimensions.
Details such as the character’s personality, habitual actions, and which tone of voice fits the persona… all this would be documented, even rehearsed at home until the filming ended.
Could it be that Xu Feng had already been doing his homework while watching the performance, noting down everything about this mere 15-second role?
Such dedication… no wonder he could succeed!
At that moment, Liu Haoyuan felt an intense curiosity; he wanted to see what was recorded on that slip of paper praised by the director as a genius.
He was eager to know what was on that paper, what Xu Feng’s thought process was, and if he could learn something from it!
Perhaps that was the secret to success!