By linking my account to the check-in system, I became a leisurely traveler.

Chapter 46 The Self-Cultivation of an Extra
Li Younan didn't forget to call his mother. A few years ago, when he was with Yang Ting, he contacted his mother much less frequently. Looking back, he realized that the only person who had truly been watching over him all along was his mother.

After entering society, Li Younan never encountered anyone like her mother again, someone who chatted simply for the sake of chatting. During their conversations, there was only laughter and joy, no criticism, no lecturing, and no forced opinions.

Chatting with my mom is really relaxing.

Li Younan lay in bed, sharing his experience as an extra in Hengdian with his mother. He mentioned that he was a stunt double for the male lead and even had a scene with a very dedicated female lead. Although it was just a short shot, in his mother's eyes, it was as if her son had become a big star.

After hanging up the phone, Li Younan didn't forget the arrangements for the next day. After all, this time the task involved experiencing three different minor roles for a day.

According to Sherlin's classification, extras are divided into three types: featured extras, background extras, and the most ordinary extras. So what exactly does his role as a stunt double count as? Li Younan checked the progress and found that the system had categorized today's actors as featured extras.

That's quite good, because featured actors clearly have the highest entry requirements. Normally, they would need to undergo an acting audition. Featured actors have lines, performances, and might even act alongside the main characters.

For example, the innocent woman who is wrongly accused in one episode; or the doctor who tells the female lead that he has a terminal illness. They don't have many scenes, and their scenes might only last a few minutes in the episode before filming wraps up, but if they lack acting skills, the audience will be instantly pulled out of the story.

Following the usual procedure, it would have been very difficult for Li Younan to land a featured actor role, since he only had the looks but absolutely no acting skills. However, this time, he unexpectedly completed the featured actor role, making the subsequent roles as a background actor and extra much easier.

Li Younan was lucky; he found work again the next day, once more through Xie Lin's connections. Actually, getting roles as an extra isn't difficult, but many professional extras often need at least a day off after each day of work because the work schedule is just too unbearable.

When Xie Lin was helping Li Younan find work, he actually found several options for him to choose from. Three of them were for foreground actors, but Li Younan chose the lowest-level background extra.

Xie Lin was puzzled: "Brother, even if you want to experience it, you should find a background actor to experience it! Besides, the work of this extra is much more tiring today. You'll see tonight."

Li Younan received a modern drama role the next day, which was good news, meaning he wouldn't need to wear any other clothes. The clothes he was wearing as a stand-in today were new; after all, he was representing the lead role, so he was relatively lucky. Ordinary extras, on the other hand, weren't even sure if the previous actor had athlete's foot.

However, the schedule for the second day was even tighter than the first. They had to get to the location at 4 a.m., when the starlight was completely obscured. Li Younan carefully drove the car to the filming location.

Xie Lin didn't need to get up so early today. He didn't get back until two or three in the morning last night. If he stayed up all night, his body simply couldn't take it, so he probably just fell asleep now.

Just like yesterday, Li Younan was constantly recording his life with his phone. Today, he brought his camera with him because the role he was playing didn't restrict him to it; he was just playing a tourist walking around, so carrying a camera was perfectly reasonable.

It was still very dark.

In this corner of Hengdian, several huge lights hang in mid-air, their beams of light forcefully piercing through the thin night mist, illuminating a man-made street scene as if it were daytime—a white so white it was almost bluish, a blinding white.

Under the lamplight, the figures appeared exceptionally clear and also exceptionally tired in the strong light.

Li Younan stood there, his gaze fixed on a film crew. They must have been filming all night, with a makeshift tent set up at the edge of the scene.

Piles of cardboard lunch boxes were stacked high, the oil stains having silently seeped into the boxes, emitting a stale, musty smell unique to leftover food, a mixture of greasiness and a slightly sour odor.

Several extras dressed in drab clothes were dozing off on plastic stools in the corner. One of them, an elderly extra with gray hair, was nodding his head like a chick pecking at rice, as if he was about to fall into a deep sleep at any moment. However, the faded Republic-era long gown on his shoulder stubbornly kept him between the role and the exhausting reality.

Li Younan suddenly thought of Xie Lin, and a complicated thought popped into his mind: many years later, Xie Lin might become him?
He took out his phone and captured the image of the old extra at that moment. He opened the camera's preview interface, and anyone who saw this scene would be moved.

The second day of life officially began, and it was much longer than the first day.

It was already sweltering before dawn. The group admin had provided plastic stools, but after the sun rose, they were burning hot to the touch. The assistant director, drenched in sweat, yelled at everyone to take their positions. Li Younan looked left and right; everyone looked like wilted vegetables being poked around.

Most of the time was still spent waiting for my scene to start; sweat clung to my eyelids, impossible to wipe away. When filming began, I walked back and forth under the scorching sun, pretending to chat, my throat parched. Unlike yesterday's spotlight, today nobody was watching; I was just a moving backdrop.

The lunchbox smelled a bit sour, so Li Younan didn't eat it. He was just there to experience it, so there was no need to make himself feel so bad. He went to the side and bought a pancake, squatted under the shade of a tree, and stuffed a few bites into his mouth.

In the afternoon, we changed venues, but we still had to wait. The roar of the machines and the cursing of the venue staff mingled with the chirping of cicadas, making my head buzz.

As darkness fell, we finally finished work.

The wages were paid in cash, specifically 100 yuan, to make it easier to distribute. After deducting the money for the pancakes, I only earned 90 yuan today.

Unlike the first day, today was purely an experience, but he still enjoyed it.

Although it was a difficult day, it wasn't his own life after all; he was merely observing from an objective, detached perspective. Without this trip, he probably would never have known how these people lived.

When Li Younan finished work, Xie Lin came to pick him up and asked with some ill intent, "How was it? Was it tough? I told you today's scene wasn't easy, but you wouldn't listen."

It seems that in Xie Lin's mind, Li Younan should be unable to endure such hardship.

Li Younan smiled with some relief; indeed, he didn't need to suffer like that. Li Younan suddenly asked, "By the way, Xie Lin, what are your plans for the future?"

Sherlin was stunned for a moment.

Li Younan then realized that he had underestimated Xie Lin.

Xie Lin said with a smile, "It's impossible to be an extra forever. Ju Hong and I have been saving money, and we should have enough in about two or three years. Then I'll take her back to my hometown to get married, rent a storefront, and open a breakfast shop or a barbecue stall."

Sherlin smiled sheepishly, "Isn't that pathetic?"

Li Younan lowered his head and said, "How could that be? Breakfast shops and barbecue stalls are very profitable. You have a good plan."

Sherlin chuckled: "I've been planning this for seven or eight years."

Li Younan suddenly thought of Xie Lin from junior high school. Who would have thought that the silly boy from back then would be so mature now?

Li Younan was exhausted after a long day. He went to Xie Lin's house for a meal and then went straight back to his hotel to rest.

The work on extras and featured actors is complete; only the last foreground actor is needed to finish the task.

When Xie Lin learned that Li Younan was going to be an extra for another day, he was completely stunned. He asked with a strange expression, "Wait, buddy, are you planning to stay here permanently?"

Li Younan didn't explain much, only saying, "Today is the last day. I want to be a foreground actor one more time. It's quite interesting."

Sherlin thought for a moment and said, "Perfect timing. The production team you were in the day before yesterday is recruiting foreground actors today. Why don't you go back to that production team?"

Li Younan thought about it and readily agreed.

(End of this chapter)