Lu Wen followed Qu Yanting all the way, entered the office, and closed the door. He felt like a delinquent student who had first been harshly criticized by his homeroom teacher and was now about to have a private talk with the dean of discipline.

"Sit," Qu Yanting said.

Lu Wen sat down, staring at the chipped corner of the desk. He still remembered what Qu Yanting had said at the production start-up banquet: "You'll only know if you regret it or not after filming begins."

He couldn't hold anything in and blurted out, "Teacher Qu, do you regret choosing me?"

Qu Yanting pulled out a chair on the other side of the desk. After several meetings, this little actor who was garrulous, cocky, and prone to blunders was finally being genuinely honest for once.

He didn't answer, asking instead, "Feeling crushed?"

Lu Wen nodded. "Besides my dad, this is the first time someone has criticized me so mercilessly."

Qu Yanting crossed his legs. "Your dad does it for your own good, and so does the director."

Lu Wen said, "I understand Director Ren's good intentions, but did he have to say it in front of everyone? And get so worked up about it."

Qu Yanting said, "Award-winning directors are never easy to deal with; each has their own brand of strictness. Director Ren excels at slice-of-life dramas and places a greater emphasis on natural acting."

Lu Wen hadn't expected Qu Yanting to comfort him with kind words instead of scolding him.

Thinking back, when he was being criticized by Ren Shu, it was Qu Yanting who stepped in to mediate; when he was standing awkwardly in the classroom, it was Qu Yanting who called him out; and now, Qu Yanting wasn't mentioning his acting at all, but was instead trying to enlighten him.

Could it be that Qu Yanting approved of his performance?

A bit of confidence surged in Lu Wen. He stopped staring at the corner of the desk and looked directly at Qu Yanting. "Teacher Qu, you wrote the script, so you understand it best. What did you think of my acting?"

Qu Yanting replied, "Unsatisfactory."

Lu Wen's expression stiffened. That little bit of confidence vanished into thin air, and he sheepishly stared back at the corner of the desk.

Qu Yanting asked, "Is it that big of a deal? Is this the first time you've been criticized?"

Lu Wen answered truthfully, "I used to play minor supporting roles with few scenes. Before the director could even notice me, I'd already wrapped up my part."

"What was the last project you filmed?"

"The historical drama, 'Ten Thousand Years of Autumn'."

Qu Yanting said, "That's not bad, it qualifies as a major production historical drama. What role did you play?"

"The male lead's," Lu Wen took a dramatic pause, "...bodyguard."

Qu Yanting glanced at his watch, still asking unhurriedly, "Is this your first time playing the male lead?"

"Not exactly," Lu Wen replied. "Actually, I starred in a movie last year."

He was embarrassed to even mention it. It was a low-budget, idiotic thriller, and quite shoddily made. He played the male protagonist, responsible for protecting the female protagonist from all harm, while also expressing his die-hard devotion to her.

The entire film was like a gathering of Z-list celebrities; no one had ever heard of anyone else.

The nature of such a film was self-evident. Qu Yanting cut straight to the heart of the matter: "Did your dad invest in it for you?"

"Of course not!" Lu Wen immediately clarified. "The female lead's dad invested in it. If my dad had invested, she would have been the one loving me to death."

Qu Yanting went along with it, "Why doesn't your dad invest in you?"

"My dad... My dad doesn't have that much money." Lu Wen's words were half-truth, half-lie. The first half was a lie, but the second half was true. "He doesn't support me at all."

Qu Yanting didn't question its authenticity. "Why doesn't he support you?"

Lu Wen replied, "He just looks down on me. Ever since I was little, he's never supported anything I like. No matter what I do, he says I'm not cut out for it. I asked him what I am cut out for, and guess what he said?"

Qu Yanting guessed, "Scrap material?"

"Damn." Lu Wen's face flushed. "You didn't have to be so spot-on."

Qu Yanting pressed his lips together, suppressing a laugh that almost escaped, and asked, "So you don't listen to him?"

Lu Wen said, "Why should I listen to him? The more he looks down on me, the more I want to prove myself. So what if I don't have his support? Didn't I still become a male lead?"

This time, Qu Yanting smiled, the corners of his mouth lifting. "Does your dad know?"

Lu Wen thought Qu Yanting was also happy for him and said without reservation, "Of course. The moment I was chosen, I informed him and laid down the challenge that I would definitely prove my abilities to him."

Qu Yanting: "Anyone else?"

Lu Wen said, "Also my childhood friends, classmates, relatives, neighbors, and even the security guards in my residential complex. When the casting news from the production team came out, I immediately shared it in all my group chats. Everyone who knows me knows that I've become a male lead."

Suddenly, Qu Yanting said, "Have you ever thought that maybe your dad is right?"

Lu Wen was taken aback. "Huh?"

Qu Yanting said, "Parents raise children out of love and responsibility, but it's also like an investment. Your father should be the person who knows your worth best. If the return on investment is too low, why engage in a losing business?"

Lu Wen was stunned for a few seconds. "What do you mean... Just because I'm not famous now doesn't mean I'll never be famous. What gives you the right to determine that I won't succeed? What gives you the right to determine that investing in me is a loss?"

"Then on what grounds will you succeed?" Qu Yanting asked. "On the fact that you can't even get through two scenes after six takes? On your emotionally inadequate acting?"

Lu Wen was suddenly choked up. From consolation to idle chat, he had almost forgotten what led them here. Who would have thought that Qu Yanting would circle around and cut back to the main topic so abruptly?

Before he could think of an answer, Qu Yanting jumped to another topic, "A lot of young girls came outside today. Any of your fans among them?"

'Damn it, I'd rather continue the last topic.'

Lu Wen answered, "No."

When one loses face, one tends to lose reason as well, leading to even more tragic actions. Lu Wen stubbornly added, "Most of my fans are overseas."

Qu Yanting didn't call him out on it. "What do they like about you? Your face? Your figure?"

Lu Wen's scalp tingled. "I think it's my substance."

"In what aspect?" Qu Yanting analyzed calmly. "There aren't many straight-A students among actors. You don't even do your homework, so your grades probably weren't very good when you were in school."

Acting skills, popularity, education—all of Lu Wen's weak points had been thoroughly and three-dimensionally poked. But what Qu Yanting said was also the truth. More than anger, an irrefutable sense of shame rose in his heart.

Lu Wen got up from his chair, thinking that leaving was the best course of action. "Teacher Qu, I'll be heading back first."

Qu Yanting raised his eyelids, his tone consistently soft as he said, "Did I give you permission to leave?"

How could a minor actor dare to disobey a major screenwriter? But Lu Wen was an exception.

All his pent-up frustration erupted at once. He ran his mouth off, "My legs are my own. I'll leave if I want to, why do I need your permission? You're powerful, I can't afford to offend you, but can't I at least stay away from you? My acting sucks, you scold me, I'll accept that. But you humiliate me, why should I have to take that too? You want me to be obedient, right? Fine, just add a hundred million to my salary first!"

After yelling it all out in one breath, Lu Wen threw caution to the wind, waiting for Qu Yanting to blow up.

However, Qu Yanting remained seated, neither angry nor annoyed, as if he had just listened to a tongue twister.

He skipped over the earlier parts and answered the last sentence, "Are you worth it?"

Lu Wen ripped off his jacket and threw it aside. "I'm not worth it! I quit!"

Qu Yanting picked up the school uniform. "You can quit the role. Just pay the breach of contract penalty. If things move quickly, the production team can announce the recasting tonight."

Lu Wen didn't want to stay for another second. "Whatever!"

He turned and walked to the door. Just as he gripped the doorknob, Qu Yanting's voice came calmly from behind him, "From the moment you leave my production, everyone in the industry will know you were replaced after filming began. That will be the peak of your fame. If you offend me, no director in the mainland will ever hire you again, and no screenwriter will let you take their script."

In other words, after being unofficially blacklisted, he'd be on his own.

Lu Wen froze there, his hand gripping the doorknob, petrified.

Qu Yanting stood up. "But that's all for later. After the production team releases the recasting news, it's more important for you to first share it in every one of your group chats, lest your childhood friends, classmates, relatives, neighbors... who else was there?"

Lu Wen said in a low voice, "The security guards."

With a snap, the string in his mind broke.

Losing his job right after filming started, even being blacklisted to the point of leaving the industry—how could he face the folks back home? Especially his dad. After all his big talk, wouldn't he be unable to hold his head high for the rest of his life?

Perhaps...

...it was better to endure the humiliation in front of one person than to be utterly disgraced in front of everyone.

Releasing his hand, Lu Wen turned around tragically.

Qu Yanting dusted off the school uniform and said, "Come here, put your jacket on."

Lu Wen shuffled back, suddenly realizing that Qu Yanting wasn't having a heart-to-heart with him at all. From probing to laying the groundwork, he had calculated that Lu Wen would have no way out, and then proceeded to humiliate him in every way imaginable.

He asked, unwilling to accept it, "If you look down on me so much, why did you still choose me to be the male lead?"

Qu Yanting answered breezily, "You're cheap."

Lu Wen's dignity shattered completely. "Just because... I'm cheap?"

"Did you know," Qu Yanting said, "your salary is less than a third of Ruan Feng's."

Lu Wen went completely rigid. For the first time, he felt embarrassed about money. A belly full of emotions with no outlet made his chest feel tight.

Qu Yanting looked at his watch and said, "In any case, whether you stay or go is up to you."

The various crews had already returned to their positions. Qu Yanting went back to the classroom first and sat down in front of the monitor again.

Ren Shu said, "I didn't see you and Xiao Lu just now. Did you go give him some private tutoring?"

Qu Yanting said, "As long as you don't blame me for overstepping."

Ren Shu said, "I asked you to supervise the acting precisely to save myself some trouble. How was it? Xiao Lu isn't deep enough into the character. We have to help him find the feeling of being Ye Shan."

Qu Yanting said, "Let's try one more take."

Two minutes later, the script supervisor called everyone, and they began filming the seventh take.

Lu Wen returned to the set, the change in his state visibly apparent. When the camera pushed in for a close-up, Ren Shu was satisfied in an instant. Before the first scene was even halfway through, he praised, "He's in character."

Lu Wen was aggrieved to the extreme. The feeling of being helpless in the face of humiliation, the battle between self-esteem and reality, the feeling of having no choice but to submit... He couldn't tell if he was playing Ye Shan or absentmindedly playing himself.

The first two scenes were filmed smoothly. In the third scene, Ye Shan was forced to request a move to the corner in the last row.

The casting for Ye Xiaowu was fitting, because if Ye Xiaowu's acting wasn't natural, he would definitely be annoying. But the introverted Ye Shan was difficult to play. No matter which newcomer took the role, they would inevitably need the director's hands-on guidance.

The effect in such a short time was remarkable. Ren Shu asked, "What did you say to him?"

Qu Yanting replied, "I wouldn't call it a lecture. We just chatted."

Ren Shu was an expert. "Seeing Xiao Lu's genuine emotions, you must have had a pretty harsh chat, right?"

Qu Yanting said, "As long as he remembers this feeling, he can play Ye Shan well."

He was well aware of Lu Wen's problem. A rich kid who had never felt financial hardship wouldn't understand the pain of spending twenty yuan on a book; someone who had the capital to lash out when humiliated wouldn't understand what kind of expression forbearance required; an optimist whose self-esteem had never been trampled wouldn't understand whether that kind of powerlessness was a pain or an itch.

What was missing was a sense of empathy born from shared experience.

When "cut" was called, Lu Wen didn't get up. He just buried his head and slumped over in his seat, like an eggplant hit by frost.

Ren Shu chuckled. "The blow seems a bit big. Does he know you're helping him find the feeling?"

Qu Yanting said, "He doesn't need to know."

Unknowingly, dusk was approaching. The remaining two scenes probably wouldn't be a big problem. Qu Yanting had spent the entire afternoon in a crowd and was feeling uncomfortable, wanting to return to the hotel early to rest.

He quietly left through the back door. In the hallway, he saw Sun Xiaojian pacing back and forth, holding a water bottle and snacks, looking just like a grandmother waiting for her grandson to get out of school.

Turning at the top of the stairs, Qu Yanting went down and happened to run into a crew assistant coming up from the first floor.

Xiao Zhang said, "Screenwriter Qu, you're leaving? Have you called for the driver?"

Qu Yanting grunted in acknowledgment, brushed past him, and suddenly stopped after going down two steps.

He called out to him. Xiao Zhang quickly asked, "Screenwriter Qu, what are your instructions?"

Qu Yanting said, "Lu Wen only brought his agent?"

Xiao Zhang replied, "Yes, he keeps things simple."

Qu Yanting thought for a moment, remembering the phrase "It must be awesome to sit next to you," the bowl of steaming hot millet porridge, and also the overlapping silhouettes of Lu Wen and Ye Shan.

He instructed, "Assign him an assistant from the production team until he wraps up filming."