Chinese Entertainment King: Starting as a Fat Boy and Becoming a Singing King

"I can take pictures, but... just a light touch, I... can't accept kissing..."

Bai Lu's ears turned red when he said this.

It wasn't because of the rain, it was because of Xu Yao.

From the ring toss scene in the morning onwards, the way she looked at Xu Yao changed.

She agreed to the kissing scene only because the other person was Xu Yao.

Feeling grateful is fine, but the other person is indeed very handsome and a very nice person, so it doesn't seem like a bad idea.

Xu Yao spoke up from the side: "Director, isn't it against the rules to make demands on set?"

"Teacher Xu, what do you mean?" Director Cat Tree thought to himself, I've already persuaded the female lead to add a kissing scene to increase the MV's exposure, but you're now disagreeing?

Xu Yao said seriously, "It costs more money."

Director Cat Tree paused for a moment, then smiled: "No problem. Let's add ten thousand, Ms. Bai Lu, is that alright?"

Bai Lu's eyes widened: "Eighteen thousand? That much? That's amazing!"

Bai Lu's voice suddenly rose, revealing his canine teeth, completely forgetting that he had just been shy.

Eighteen thousand yuan, and she even kissed Xu Yao, seems like she made a fortune, right? How many outfits do she need to shoot?

If you had said that earlier, wouldn't the problem have been simpler?

Director Cat's Tree was both amused and exasperated: "Teacher Bai Lu, it's not 18,000, it's plus 10,000—ba, third tone."

Bai Lu then realized what was happening, smiled sheepishly, and blushed again: "Okay, thank you, director."

After she finished speaking, she secretly glanced at Xu Yao.

This guy is still thinking about giving her more money at a time like this, that's just too cool!

Director Cat Tree clapped his hands, turned around and walked back behind the monitor, his voice filled with barely concealed excitement: "All teams, get ready. One take. Rain—keep going."

The water pump on the sprinkler truck started up again.

Rain fell through the gaps in the sycamore leaves, enveloping the entire old street in a hazy mist.

On the monitor, Xu Yao and Bai Lu stood face to face under the eaves, both soaked to the bone.

Rainwater dripped down the tiles, weaving a thin curtain of water between them.

Xu Yao raised his hand and brushed away the wet stray hairs from Bai Lu's forehead.

Her eyelashes trembled when his fingertips touched her forehead.

The two of them stared at each other, their hearts pounding and their faces flushed.

Bai Lu felt like she wanted to hold her heartbeat for the first time in her life. Why was her reaction so exaggerated? It made her extremely nervous.

Then Xu Yao looked down at Bai Lu and lowered his head, while Bai Lu stood on tiptoe and closed his eyes.

It's still raining.

The two young lovers kissed.

The coolness of the rain lingered between their lips, carrying a hint of evening chill, but it was quickly melted away by their body heat.

Bai Lu's mind went blank.

She had thought about what a kissing scene would feel like, and when the director said "just a light touch," she felt ready.

But when she actually encountered it, she found that she hadn't prepared anything.

Xu Yao's breath was right on her nose, carrying the scent of rain and grass.

Her fingers gripped the hem of her skirt tightly; she was so nervous that she was afraid she would lose her balance.

Just then, Xu Yao pressed his lips together slightly, as if confirming something.

Bai Lu's eyelashes trembled violently.

She felt her entire body, from her ears to her neck, burning so hot that even raindrops falling on her would evaporate.

Her heartbeat quickened, thump, thump, thump. She was sure Xu Yao had heard it, because the corner of his mouth seemed to twitch.

Did you laugh?

Was he laughing at her for having a loud heartbeat?

Bai Lu wanted to open her eyes and glare at him, but her eyelids felt as heavy as lead.

So, when you kiss, you can't move?

How embarrassing!

The whole process takes only about three seconds.

But Bai Lu felt as if a long time had passed, yet it also felt like only a moment.

When she opened her eyes, Xu Yao's face was still in front of her, raindrops dripping from his eyelashes and onto her cheeks.

Bai Lu noticed that Xu Yao's ears had also turned red, and suddenly felt less nervous.

Turns out he wasn't completely unnerved after all, haha, I feel better now.

"Card!"

Cat Tree stood up from behind the monitor and led the applause.

The entire crew on set applauded.

In the rain, under the eaves, on the ladder of the lighting unit, everyone was laughing and clapping.

It wasn't just polite applause; it was genuine applause because the scene just now was so beautiful.

"Perfect! Absolutely perfect!"

The cat took off its baseball cap and swung it hard.

"That feeling just now is exactly what I wanted. The innocent, tentative, and slightly ambiguous atmosphere of turning around and smiling—this music video will go viral."

He turned to the photographer and asked, "Did it survive?"

The photographer gave a thumbs-up, his eyes still glued to the viewfinder: "I got three shots. The last one, with those fluttering eyelashes, was absolutely amazing."

Bai Lu was still standing under the eaves when she heard the words "eyelashes trembled," and her face turned even redder.

So that tremor was captured so clearly in the video?

Xu Yao had already taken a step back.

He cleared his throat and called out towards the tree where the cat was, "Director, can we turn off the rain now?"

"Turn off! Turn off!" Cat Tree shouted into the walkie-talkie. "Rain, go! All groups, call it a day!"

The water pump on the sprinkler truck stopped with a hum.

As the last few drops of rain fell from the sycamore leaves, the old street slowly quieted down.

The cat walked up to the two people, looked at Xu Yao, and then at Bai Lu.

Both of them were soaked, their hair plastered to their foreheads, and their clothes were dripping wet.

"Filming's wrapped. You two go change quickly, don't catch a cold. You've worked hard today."

Bai Lu nodded, not daring to look at the cat-like tree, much less at Xu Yao.

She lowered her head and turned to walk towards the dressing room.

After taking a couple of steps, I realized that my canvas shoes were full of water, and they made a squeaking sound with every step.

She walked even faster, almost running away.

The dressing room was a temporary structure made of mobile prefabricated houses, with separate rooms for men and women.

When Bai Lu opened the door, the costume teacher had already prepared dry towels and a change of clothes.

She took the towel, wrapped it around her hair, and sat down in the chair.

Her face was reflected in the mirror.

Her face turned as red as if she had been drinking.

A faint sensation lingered on my lips—cool, soft, and carrying the taste of rain.

She touched her lips with her finger, then quickly put it down.

"Professor Bai Lu, your face is so red, do you have a fever?"

The fashion designer walked over with a dry sweatshirt and reached out to touch her forehead.

"No, no, it's just that I got caught in the rain and it's a bit hot."

Bai Lu quickly took the sweatshirt and buried her face in the towel.

She changed her clothes, folded her soaking wet white dress, and put it in a bag.

My hair was half-dry after blow-drying, so I just tied it into a ponytail.

Xu Yao had also changed his clothes and stood on the stone slab of the old street, where he saw Bai Lu holding two cups of hot ginger tea.

"Here, some ginger tea, to warm you up."

"Thanks."

Xu Yao took the cup, held it with both hands, and took a sip.

The aroma of ginger hit him, making him squint.

Bai Lu still didn't dare to look at him.

Her face turned red when she saw him.

My cheeks turned red, and my heart started racing.

My heart is racing, and all the images from under the eaves are flooding back.

The touch of his fingers brushing aside her hair, the warmth of his palm on her shoulder, the coolness of the rain on his lips.

She tried to press these images down, but they floated back up, like a ball being pushed into water.

"Let me tell you..." Bai Lu finally spoke, her voice soft, her eyes fixed on the ginger tea in her cup, "I didn't agree to the kissing scene for ten thousand yuan."

"I know."

"I'm grateful to you for giving me this opportunity and teaching me acting. The director said that the kissing scene could enhance the effect of the music video. I thought that if this music video could become a hit and your song could become a hit, then I would be repaying you."

"I know."

"And another thing," her voice trailed off, "this is my first kissing scene. I'm not a casual girl, I never do kissing scenes. No, I've hardly ever done any acting."

"I know."

Bai Lu finally raised her head and glared at him.

"Besides saying 'I know,' can't you say anything else? This makes me feel very awkward."

Before the two could continue their pleasantries, Xu Yao was sent away by his assistant.

Having signed all the artists from Dream Voice, time no longer belongs to oneself.

A black minivan was parked at the entrance of the old street.

The car door was open, and Sister Lin was sitting in the back seat, holding a tablet computer in her hand, the light from the screen reflecting on her face.

She saw Xu Yao walk over and flipped the tablet over, placing it face down on her lap.

"Get in the car."

Xu Yao got in and closed the car door.

The heater was on inside the carriage, creating a world apart from the cool night outside.

Sister Lin didn't speak immediately.

She looked at Xu Yao, her gaze lingering on his face for two seconds.

"Was filming successful?"

"smoothly."

"The director said that girl was in great form today," Sister Lin said calmly. "Especially during the rain scene in the evening."

Xu Yao didn't respond.

Sister Lin did not continue the topic.

She picked up the tablet, tapped a few times, and turned it to show Xu Yao.

The screen displays an itinerary, densely packed with dates and locations.

"Your itinerary needs to be adjusted. You're not going to Beijing?"

Why?

Xu Yao was somewhat puzzled as he looked at the itinerary. This trip to the capital was of great significance to him.

"The Spring Festival Gala," Sister Lin paused, swiped her finger across the screen, and highlighted the Spring Festival Gala link in gray, "you probably won't be able to get on."

The minivan drove smoothly on the elevated road.

Xu Yao was stunned when he heard the news.

(P.S., to keep up with the exciting plot, I'm posting this chapter as soon as I finish writing it, not waiting until tomorrow. Reading during the new book's run is very important; it's a competition system, and you only get traffic for reading more. I'm begging you all to read it every day during the new book's run. Zhou Shen said he'll personally thank you all for your great kindness!)