Uneasy daily life

"?"

Huh? Isn't this exactly what the commander described? Angelina looked at the other person, then froze.

He really is tall and thin, is he 1.9 meters or 2 meters? To exaggerate a bit, he looks like a bamboo spirit. Wearing a fitted suit, his thinness is even more pronounced. His expression is indeed very expressionless, making people wonder if he has facial nerve necrosis. All these factors combined make people feel a sense of intimidation when they look at his leaden gray eyes.

What's even stranger is that the other person is carrying a long, rectangular box on their back. It looks quite heavy. Doesn't it get tiring?

Angelina stroked her chin, feeling that it matched her expectations of the members of the mysterious organization—each possessing unique skills. Yet, there was a subtle feeling—if they weren't superpowered, would this be considered chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)? Would it be considered social death?

For example, shouting "Tiga" while holding a sparkler on a dark street at night, or waving a magic wand and chanting a spell to transform into a magical girl...

Angelina looked a little disheveled.

"Yo, Phantom, mouthpiece, haven't seen you in a while."

Bai Ying cheerfully reached out and waved.

“It has been a long time since we last met, Xu Bai.” Puppet Shadow nodded slightly and took off his hat. “Miss Christine, like me, is very happy to see you again.”

A black cat peeked out from under the hat, its emerald green eyes blinking gently. It licked its paws and greeted Jin Chi elegantly, "Meow."

"Oh, it's been a long time, Miss Christine."

The white figure took a step back, dodging the black cat that leaped out of the hat: "Control yourself, control yourself, otherwise I can only suggest that Phantom find you a bunch of young and strong male cats..."

“Meow——!!”

The black cat instantly lost its elegance, immediately chasing after the white shadow, circling around it.

Phantom watched quietly, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Oh, so it's not facial paralysis after all...

As Angelina was observing, she suddenly felt a shadow loom over her.

Looking up, Angelina was startled by the face that resembled a dead man's and took a step back. A little flustered, she greeted him softly, "Um, hello... I'm 9527..."

The white figure dodged a cat-like aerial kick and shouted, "Mouthpiece! This is a top-tier rookie! Hurry up and finish your stupid questions—Miss Christine! Calm down, or I'll bark!"

"Top-tier newcomer?"

The voice of the throat sounded rather hoarse and low.

Angelina quickly adopted the same earnestness she had when she heard the teacher coming in elementary school: "Yes, yes!"

"Then, may I ask," the mouthpiece cut to the chase, "what is beauty?"

"?"

Angelina was momentarily stunned, but subconsciously remembered the official's reminder: "I don't know."

With an expressionless face that betrayed no emotion, he continued, "What is art?"

Angelina: "I don't know."

Mouthpiece: "What is interpretation?"

Angelina: "I don't know."

Mouthpiece: "Xu Bai, or Bai Ying, what bad things did she say about me?"

Angelina: "You're saying you have facial paralysis?"

Huh? Angelina was a little embarrassed; she'd let her mind wander and accidentally blurted it out!

"Say something bad about him." The mouthpiece pointed at the white figure being chased by the black cat.

"Uh... is the commander a big liar?"

“Very good. From now on, you will be an external member of the Scarlet Troupe and can participate in theatrical preparations.”

Angelina: "?"

So, the job entrance exam was actually a way to badmouth your boss?!

The mouthpiece turned and asked, "Xu Bai, where's the stage?"

The white figure, hiding behind the puppet, circled around with the swaying black cat: "What do you need a stage for? Just find an open space, gather some audience members, and start performing. I think you're just a poor student with lots of stationery."

"Without hard work, there's no applause. Who's in charge here?"

"Go directly to the Chitanda family and ask them to build a stage for you—Phantom will come over this afternoon to lend me a hand and be the host of the game."

"can."

Phantom crouched down, and the black cat leaped onto his shoulder, stood firmly, glanced at the white figure a few times, and meowed a few times.

Bai Ying shook his head and sighed, "Why are you yelling at me? All those cat-swearing phrases you taught me are useless. I haven't even settled the score with you for that yet."

"Brother Bei—!!!"

A shout filled with surprise rang out.

That familiar, slightly off-key dialect...

Bai Ying turned her head and looked at him: "Brother Guan Gu - you've really gotten quite plump!"

The chubby uncle started running from the village entrance, sprinting and then panting heavily before slowly making his way over.

Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Second Youth

"I took some time to look into Brother Guan Gu's works, and I didn't expect you to have such an artistic talent."

"Hey, that's just silly artistic talent. It's just writing about things I've seen and experienced. It doesn't count."

"If you can express your experiences to others, that is creation—this guy tears open his scars, writes about the past with blood on his hands, dissects himself to reflect on others, which is much better than those who are keen on forging diaries to boast about themselves."

"Sigh... I just wanted to encourage others to be braver and not make the same mistakes I did."

"Brother, let's speak Japanese. I can understand Japanese, but I might not understand Chinese."

"Huh?! I'll seriously look for a teacher to teach me Chinese after I go back to China!"

"Brother, some dialects are like poison; once you're hooked, there's no cure. In my opinion, you're already afflicted with all five poisons. Even the best oral English teacher would shake their head and say, 'You need some good medicine; you're hopeless.'"

"Ahem—what have you been doing all these years, brother?"

"I went on free bicycle tours with the theater troupe in junior high school, and now I'm a high school student."

"Huh? Oh, I almost forgot, little brother, you really are a student. You went to a theater troupe in junior high? Can you act? Want to come to the crew and try your luck with a role?"

"Acting? I'm not very good at acting."

"Hey, it's okay, it's just a minor role or a character who appears briefly in the crowd—are you a fan of celebrities? I have Mai Sakurajima's autograph here."

"Thank you, I won't pursue it."

I'm just a hater passing by.

However, going to the film set to observe is indeed a good way to know the enemy's strengths and weaknesses, so let's take advantage of Brother Guan Gu's opportunity.

The mouthpiece went to the Chitanda family to entrust them with stage matters. While chatting, the four people and the cat arrived at a school that had been discontinued and temporarily abandoned.

Such schools are not uncommon in the region. They open for a while, but then close down when there are no students or teachers. With a little cleaning, they can be used as filming locations. When we arrived, we could already see many crew members preparing.

"Wait a minute, bro, I'm going to find the director."

Guan Gu Chun looked around and ran excitedly toward the film crew.

With nothing else to do, Bai Ying simply took out her phone and browsed through various accounts to see if there was any opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

Mai Sakurajima

[Filming officially begins today. The costumes fit the crew well. Good luck! (Costume photo.jpg)]

Bai Ying immediately launched an attack, fiercely assaulting the woman amidst a chorus of fans praising her beauty and youth.

[Bai Liang Bai Ying: As an actor, this is simply ridiculous! Shouldn't costume photos be taken during filming? What if they get dirty or damaged, causing delays? Do you think you're letting down the crew's trust? Do you think you're letting down the hard work of the crew's support staff? Young people these days are really messing around. They don't act properly, but they're very good at making up scenes. I advise you to think twice.]

As expected, he was quickly surrounded and attacked. Bai Ying fearlessly used his keyboard skills, but he felt something was off—where was the straight man? Where did the group leader's straight man go? Come out and confront me, and escalate the battle! Tsk, at this critical moment, the group leader is doing nothing. It seems that a change of leadership is not far off.

[Xiao Mazi: @Bai Liang Bai Ying, so you knew? What if it's just a publicity stunt by someone else's production team? Making malicious speculations so easily, I think you should be the one to watch your step.]

Hey, isn't this a traitor from the anti-fan group?

[Bai Liang Bai Ying: @Xiao Ma Zi, look where this is! This is a film set. How come I didn't know the film set was up to this? Film set picture.jpg]

[Bai Liang Bai Ying: @Xiao Ma Zi, as a fan, I dare not stand up for the emperor and offer honest advice. Instead, I've joined forces with him and fueled the flames. Do you know who is best at pleasing the emperor? The treacherous eunuchs!]

That person who wanted to be a bunny girl had some insight; only through debate could the scope of influence be expanded, turning the topic into a whirlpool that would draw in more people and create a bigger controversy.

He's quite talented; we can give him a management position later.

While Bai Ying charged into battle online, Angelina was a little dazed. Suddenly, she remembered that there seemed to be another person—the Phantom Shadow, whom she hadn't greeted yet. However, the other party's presence had been too low-key along the way, and he hadn't said a word to her.

"Um...hello?"

Angelina looked over and tentatively raised her hand to greet them.

Phantom was gazing quietly into the distance, lost in thought, seemingly oblivious to her question. Instead, the black cat on Phantom's shoulder raised its paw and meowed, "Meow~"

"Hello." Phantom seemed to snap out of his daze, nodded slightly, gave a gentle greeting, and then continued to stare blankly at the sky.

"..."

so weird.

Angelina sensed something was wrong and quickly moved to nudge the white figure engrossed in typing with her elbow: "Sir, sir, what's wrong with Phantom?"

"Didn't I tell you? He looks like an artsy young man."

Bai Ying watched as the topic swirled to 'what makes a true actor,' and put away her phone with satisfaction. Once this kind of discussion, which resembled a battle of established concepts and subjective standards, started, it would never end.

Brilliant! That's so true to me.

Angelina asked doubtfully, "Looking like an artsy youth means you're not actually an artsy youth, right?"

"That's right, he's a young man from the second year of the Cultural Revolution."

"?"

"Looks like I've been holding it in for a long time, I need to let it all out."

The white figure stepped forward and called out, "Phantom! Give me a 'Cat' song! Miss Christine, join me—here! Phantom! Sing!"

The black cat landed on Phantom's shoulder and crouched on the ground like an actor taking his place.

The white figure stretched its body, displaying a flexible movement, and nimbly transformed into a reptilian creature.

Phantom cleared his throat and spoke.

Angelina's eyes widened. Had everyone gone mad? Should I distance myself to prove my innocence?!

……

……

As an ambitious director, Okita Masashi, now in his forties, has never cared about his past works—they were all box office flops anyway.

If watching it makes you sad, it's better to relax and not watch it at all.

Can his shots hit the audience's sweet spot? Can they serve as a standard for a successful film? Okita Masashi doesn't know.

In short, let's focus on getting our shots done first, and leave the box office results to fate and the market.

The filming went quite smoothly. A celebrity guardian with considerable popularity took a liking to the script and actually applied for an audition. This person was a child star who has been popular all the way to the present, which is truly rare in the fame and fortune of the entertainment industry. Nine out of ten child stars just make quick money from tickets and then fade into obscurity.

The original author has a certain literary foundation and, driven by passion, served as the script supervisor, personally adapting the original novel into a screenplay. The other party's family also had considerable influence in the production, making negotiations regarding filming locations and recruiting student extras go smoothly, without the occasional unpleasant incidents of the past. The chubby guy is truly kind and generous; during the preparations for the production, he treated the crew to several barbecues.

Okita was full of fighting spirit. Could this be Okehazama? Was he finally going to achieve unparalleled feats like Oda Nobunaga and ascend to the stage of the world?

The kind-hearted script supervisor came over: "Director! Let's add an actor! Let my little brother come in and play a role!"

"..."

So I was Imagawa Yoshimoto?!

"Guan Gu, you can't make a movie like this. You can't just replace someone or add a character on a whim..."

"It's alright, it's alright, let him play a minor supporting role as a student," Guan Guchun said honestly, scratching his head.

Okita tried his best to reason with him: "The main characters in this movie are students and teachers. How old are you, little brother? Playing a student?"