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

Chapter 40 Foreground Actors
Li Younan was busy in the kitchen. Originally, Li Juhong planned to make scrambled eggs with tomatoes and eggs, stir-fry shredded beef with green peppers, and make a soup with pork belly and cabbage—a dish that northerners often like to make. In this way, there would be meat and vegetables, and the colors would look appealing.

But when Li Younan saw these ingredients, his culinary spirit ignited, compelling him to come up with some new ideas. He made a tomato-braised beef dish with tomatoes and beef, a simple stir-fried pork belly with green peppers, and a steamed egg dish and a famous Xinjiang dish—spicy and sour cabbage—with cabbage and eggs.

It's not that the four dishes he made were particularly high-class, but Li Younan was confident that, apart from some high-end restaurant chefs, ordinary people couldn't compare to him in terms of controlling the heat and seasoning. Otherwise, Li Juhong wouldn't be helping out at their hotel, but would be the head chef.

Li Younan was busy inside when Li Juhong, who had just returned, complained to Xie Lin in a low voice, "Why didn't you stop Brother Li just now? How can we let the guests work in the kitchen while we rest outside?"

Xie Lin said with a straight face, "What's wrong with that? My relationship with Li Younan is fine. Let him be busy if he wants to. But let's make it clear first, when his dishes are served later, no matter how good or bad they are, you have to praise him."

Li Juhong lowered her head and asked curiously, "You and he were classmates in junior high school. It's been so many years. How good can the relationship between junior high school classmates be?"

These words made Xie Lin fall silent for a moment; there were some things he didn't know how to explain. Li Younan was extremely popular in their class. Whether they were high-achieving or low-achieving students, boys or girls, students or teachers, everyone liked him. Frankly, being able to become friends with a boy like Li Younan was already quite incredible.

In truth, Xie Lin knew that to Li Younan, he was just one of his many friends, nothing special. If it were anyone else, Li Younan would probably call to meet up. But for Xie Lin, Li Younan meant something different.

Back in junior high, he was immature and would say funny things and make exaggerated gestures in class. He was content as long as it made his classmates laugh. He didn't care if people mocked or teased him. But Xie Lin knew very well that none of those who laughed at him on the surface considered him a true friend.

Only Li Younan was different.

So even though Li Younan was just a junior high school classmate, he was still incredibly significant to Xie Lin. Moreover, none of his friends were as high-quality as Li Younan. Subconsciously, he probably felt that having a friend like Li Younan would be a source of great pride.

He said solemnly, "You don't understand male friendship, unlike you girls, who have superficial sisterhood."

Li Juhong lowered her head deeply, thinking to herself that her boyfriend was really manly, and male friendship was so cool; she had been too superficial.

Not long after, the noise from the kitchen stopped, and Li Younan opened the door and said, "Dinner is ready."

Li Juhong hurriedly got up to serve the dishes, Xie Lin's instructions etched in her mind: praise Li Younan's cooking. But as soon as she stepped into the kitchen, she froze. The rich aroma wafted over, and it's no exaggeration to say that her cheeks tingled and her mouth watered.

The planned scrambled eggs with tomatoes was gone; instead, a dish of braised beef with tomatoes, rich in sauce and vibrant in color, was served. At this moment, Li Younan took the hot and sour cabbage out of the pot and ladled it out.

Shering poked his head in and exclaimed, "Holy crap, buddy, you really did this?!"

Li Younan calmly took off his apron and said, "It's nothing special, just something to eat."

……

After dinner, we chatted for a while.

Li Juhong focused intently on her food. Seeing that Li Younan and Xie Lin had both put down their chopsticks and looked full, she finished off all the rice in the pot with the tomato-braised beef. The other dishes had long since been gone.

Li Younan mentioned that she planned to try being an extra here.

Schelling understood this sentiment; many tourists shared similar ideas. For tourists, being an extra for a while was fine, a taste of what it's like to be in a TV drama. If it wasn't a long-term means of making a living, it was probably quite enjoyable.

Xie Lin patted his chest and said, "Brother, don't worry, this is a small matter for me. Hehe, I've been working here for so many years, I still have some connections."

To showcase his connections, Sherlin immediately picked up his phone and called someone he knew.

Over the phone, Xie Lin briefly explained the situation. Due to a sound leak, the other party's reply came through the receiver: "No actor's certificate, right? I do have two openings for tomorrow, but they're both for background roles, and the screen time might be quite long. How does your friend look? If he's as shabby as you, that won't do."

Xie Lin glanced at Li Younan somewhat awkwardly, coughed, and quickly said, "Don't worry, Brother Zhou, my brother here is a handsome guy who's over 1.8 meters tall. He'd be more than capable of playing the lead role for you guys."

The other party snorted coldly: "These kinds of jokes are not allowed. Bring him for the interview tomorrow. Like I said, if his looks or height don't meet the requirements, he won't do."

Xie Lin thanked him several times on the phone before hanging up. He then said to Li Younan, "Brother, it's all settled. Don't worry, you'll definitely pass tomorrow."

Li Younan said, "Thanks, brother."

Xie Lin said with a straight face, "What are you talking about? This is a small matter for me. After all, I've been here for so many years and I still have some connections, hehe." Xie Lin continued, "If an ordinary person comes here, they need to book an actor's pass in advance, otherwise they can't get one. They also have to join a guild. If they want to get roles on their own, without any connections, they simply can't get any."

Li Younan had some prior knowledge of Xie Lin's situation; although Xie Lin was a bit boastful, what he said was basically true. Li Younan was also starting to look forward to it—what would it be like to be an extra?

Construction started earlier than expected.

At 6 a.m. the next day, Li Younan followed Xie Lin to Hengdian again.

As soon as the two arrived at the casting call location, they heard the casting director yelling, "Are you kidding me? This film is about a gathering of intellectuals, a place where handsome men congregate! What kind of ugly ducklings have you brought me! Re-interview!"

Before Xie Lin and Li Younan could even go inside, a man wearing glasses and a baseball cap rushed out and bumped into Xie Lin. He immediately grabbed Xie Lin and said, "Xie Lin, you've come at the right time! Where are your people? Director He is furious right now. Don't you dare mess things up for me!"

At this moment, Li Younan was looking around with great interest.

(End of this chapter)