Reborn as a comedic artist

Nighttime, the studio.

Wang Shuo's snoring was deafening.

This guy really put in a lot of effort during today's shoot. He was so tired when he got back that he just washed up a bit and went straight to sleep.

"Da, da, da."

Li Feng's fingers tapped out a crisp rhythm on the mechanical keyboard, while the mouse cursor danced wildly across the editing software.

At this moment, he is stitching together a video about "poverty and fantasy".

Cheng Ming brought over two glasses of milk, placed one of them next to Li Feng, and looked at the screen.

In the video, Wang Shuo, covered in dirt and grime, is yelling at the camera, his face contorted from the force of his shout.

That tension was palpable; you could almost smell the sweat and feel the despair through the screen.

"You know what, fat guys can be surprisingly impressive sometimes..."

Cheng Ming took a sip of milk, his gaze lingering on the screen for a long time.

"Indeed, this guy is a born actor...!"

Li Feng didn't turn his head, his fingers still flying across the keyboard shortcuts, his voice hoarse:

"Give him a stage and he'll shine. When we cut to the part where he almost fainted while carrying cement, I thought he was really going to die there..."

Cheng Ming chuckled softly, but didn't reply. He simply leaned against the edge of the table, watching the progress bar advance little by little.

"but……"

Li Feng paused, turned his gaming chair around, and frowned slightly.

"Old Cheng, aren't these lyrics a bit too... depressing? The beginning is so tragic, then it's all about hanging and going crazy later on. Won't it pass the censors...?"

"Feeling down...?"

Cheng Ming put down his water glass, looked at Li Feng, and said quietly:

"In this era where everyone shouts 'positive energy' but secretly suffers from so much anxiety that they need melatonin to fall asleep, acknowledging pain is itself a form of healing..."

He stretched out his finger and gently tapped the image of Wang Shuo, whose face was covered in mud, on the screen.

"We're not filming something depressing; we're filming a mirror of reality. Those white-collar workers sitting in office buildings drinking coffee, and Old Liu on the construction site, are essentially both carrying cement, just one in a tangible way and the other intangible. Besides..."

"Our work is 'abstract art,' primarily for entertainment. As long as it's absurd enough, the censors will turn a blind eye, especially since we're now a VIP on the platform..."

........

Li Feng nodded in agreement.

He found himself increasingly unable to understand Cheng Ming.

Throughout his four years of university, this guy was just a pretty face and basically just coasted through life.

But ever since that "comeback", especially in the period leading up to graduation, it's like he suddenly had an epiphany!

Their perspectives on problems, their methods of doing things, and even their grasp of human nature have become increasingly sophisticated.

This feeling was both unfamiliar to him and gave him a strange sense of... security.

It's as if as long as you follow this guy, even if there's a cliff in front of you, a bridge can be built.

Cheng Ming patted him on the shoulder: "Alright, stop thinking about it. Just embellish the final climax, I want to see the effect...!"

"Okay."

Li Feng took a deep breath, turned to face the screen, and his eyes sharpened again.

"Rendering complete, preview mode enabled."

The screen flashed.

The scene shifts abruptly from harsh reality.

The color tone instantly changed from a dark, cool gray to a highly saturated golden yellow, even carrying a cheap, plastic-like brilliance.

On the screen, Wang Shuo faced the camera and sang that final high note—

"It's time to dream, let's go to sleep together...!"

The image freezes for one second, then flashes back rapidly.

The tattered vest Wang Shuo was wearing was gone, replaced by an ill-fitting, even somewhat tight, black suit.

He wore a thick gold chain around his neck and three Rolex watches, their authenticity unknown, on his wrists, which were dazzling in the sunlight.

He stood in front of a red SUV, its paint so garish it was almost gaudy, yet it was the dream car of countless men from the lower classes.

Beside him, Zhao Yufeng, who made a cameo appearance as a "beautiful woman in a luxury car," made her appearance.

She wore a red sequined dress, her long, wavy hair cascading over her shoulders, and held a fan shaped like banknotes. Her figure was stunning, and her eyes were alluring yet somewhat nonchalant.

This extreme gaudiness, in contrast to the ruins of the construction site, created a visually explosive impact.

"Merciful Father, I have entered a land of abundance...!"

Wang Shuo clasped his hands together, facing the sky with an expression as devout as a believer, yet he uttered the most absurd lyrics.

.....

The camera zooms out.

While scattering stacks of prop banknotes, Wang Shuo twisted his fat body on the hood of GG Merchant's red SUV.

Zhao Yufeng then made an exaggerated "gold digger" expression, but his heroic eyes held a mocking look at the absurd scene.

The lyrics are extremely extravagant, and the visuals are extremely flamboyant.

But this contrast between extravagance and debauchery, every frame exudes a sense of despair.

Because everyone knows that this is a delusion he had before his death.

It was the last beautiful dream woven by the cerebral cortex for the man who carried cement until he suffered from heatstroke, before he lost consciousness.

It was a final burst of energy before death.

The video suddenly froze.

Start inserting GG's endorsement.

Wang Shuo suddenly had a bottle of a well-known beverage in his hand, and facing the camera, showing off his two gold teeth with screen protectors, he sang:

"Refreshing and invigorating, this beverage is praised by the benevolent father...!"

......

The seamless integration of this GG (Girl) element, yet perfectly breaking away from the heavy sense of tragedy, fully embodies the concept of "abstraction."

Immediately afterwards, the screen went black.

The music suddenly stopped.

Only the whistling sound of the wind blowing through the ruins could be heard.

A line of white text slowly appeared on the screen; the font was not fancy, but rather the most ordinary Song typeface:

[A tribute to every worker who shoulders the burden of making a living.]

At this moment, abstraction and reality, humor and seriousness, are perfectly intertwined.

The feeling is like being slapped hard in the face and then given a piece of candy.

The sugar is sweet, the face hurts, and the heart is sour.

Li Feng pressed the save button and breathed a sigh of relief.

The progress bar has reached the end, and the file has been generated.

"Awesome..."

Li Feng took off his headphones and muttered to himself.

This isn't a parody at all! This is clearly a realistic blockbuster disguised as a parody!

"Oh, right."

Cheng Ming suddenly remembered something, turned to look at Li Feng, and his tone returned to its usual languidness.

"There's another scene tomorrow, can you handle it...?"

Li Feng paused for a moment, then straightened his back and pushed up his glasses.

"No problem, you can rest assured about anything related to filming."

I only filmed two scenes on short notice, and Lao Cheng treated me quite poorly.

The feeling of being trusted and valued was more intoxicating to him than money.

"Okay, then hurry up and export the video first. We'll talk about it after this scene is finished tomorrow. It'll still be Lao Liu's side, but this time we won't be carrying cement."

"If you're not carrying cement, what are you going to film...?"

You'll find out then...!

.......