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

Bai Lu had already gotten off the bar stool and was standing next to the bar drinking water.

Hearing what the cat-tree director said, she put down her water bottle.

Director Cat Tree walked to the center of the set, holding a storyboard, and made a few strokes on it.

"Bai Lu, we're only filming you now. Xu Yao won't be in the shot. You'll be sitting alone in the bubble tea shop, drinking bubble tea and scrolling through your phone."

Xu Yao can hum the first few lines of the lyrics: "I'm sorry you were hurt, I'm sorry you are waiting for the right love, I'm sorry I didn't have time to hide you away."

"You're waiting for someone, but that person hasn't come. So you're just sitting here, because you don't know what else to do besides sit, do you understand?"

Bai Lu nodded and held the milk tea cup carefully.

The cat retreated behind the monitor.

"Three, two, one, begin."

The clapperboard is struck.

Bai Lu sat on a high stool, head down, fingers swiping across the phone screen.

She flipped through a few pages, closed it, opened it again, and closed it again.

His lips were pursed, and his brows were slightly furrowed.

Cat Tree stared at the monitor for a few seconds, then picked up the walkie-talkie.

"Card."

Bai Lu raised his head, looking somewhat nervous.

The cat tree stood up and walked up to her.

"Bai Lu, your brow is furrowed again. What are you thinking about?"

"I'm wondering... should I act even sadder?"

"No need." Cat Tree shook its head. "You've waited so long, you don't show your sadness on your face anymore. Your furrowed brow is impatience, not sadness."

Bai Lu nodded thoughtfully.

The cat returned to the monitor.

"One more."

The clapperboard struck again.

Bai Lu lowered his head again, his fingers swiping across the screen.

This time, her brows weren't furrowed, but her shoulders were tense, and she sat very straight, as if waiting for something important to happen.

The cat picked up the walkie-talkie.

"Card."

Bai Lu's shoulders slumped down.

"Director, did I make a mistake again?"

"You're sitting too upright," Cat Tree said. "You've been waiting a long time, this isn't your first date. Your body should be relaxed, that 'I've given up hope' kind of relaxed. Slouch, lean back in the bar stool, do whatever makes you comfortable."

Bai Lu took a deep breath, shifted his weight back, and sank into the high chair, leaning against the backrest and relaxing his shoulders.

Cat Tree stared at the monitor, not calling "action," but turning to the lighting technician and saying, "Turn the lights down a bit, don't make them too harsh. Don't have any shadows on her face, make them soft."

The lighting technician adjusted the angle of the softbox.

Bai Lu's face softened on the monitor, her skin glowing faintly under the lights.

The cat picked up the walkie-talkie.

"Three, two, one, begin."

Bai Lu lowered his head, his finger swiping across the phone screen.

This time her movements were very slow, the kind of mechanical movements that made her feel like she didn't know what she was looking at, but she didn't know what to do if she wasn't using her phone.

Her shoulders were slumped, and she was huddled inside her hoodie like a cat hiding itself.

The cat, focused on the monitor, didn't call "cut."

"I'm sorry you were hurt in the past..."

Xu Yao began to hum softly.

On the monitor, Bai Lu's finger paused for a moment.

She didn't look up, but her finger paused on the phone screen for a second.

"I'm sorry you're waiting for the right love..."

Her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't make a sound.

The cat's tree didn't call a halt.

"I'm sorry I didn't have time to hide you away..."

Bai Lu turned her phone over and placed it face down on the table.

She looked up and gazed out the window.

The city night view outside the window hadn't been composited yet; it was also just a green screen.

Bai Lu got up and walked to the bedside. Her gaze had already passed through the curtain, as if she was reminiscing about someone.

The cat stared at the monitor, remaining silent for a long time.

"Card."

Bai Lu ran behind the monitor, bent down and stared at the screen, her eyes slowly brightening.

"Director, is this okay?"

The cat tree did not answer immediately.

He rewound the video and watched it again.

"It's a little better, but it still feels a bit off." Cat Tree sighed.

"How about a few more?" Bai Lu asked apologetically.

"That's all for this morning, we'll continue filming this afternoon."

Everyone started leaving get off work on the spot, waiting for lunch.

Xu Yao leaned against the bar counter when a new message popped up on his WeChat.

"Sister Lin is coming over."

It was sent by my assistant, Xiao Zhao.

Xu Yao frowned, but before he could reply, the studio door was pushed open.

Sister Lin walked in, her high heels clicking loudly in the empty shed.

She held a folder in her hand, her face expressionless, and walked straight to the cat's tree.

"Director Yuan, how's the progress?"

Cat Tree sat behind the monitor, took off his headphones, and glanced up at her.

"good."

Sister Lin didn't reply, but turned to look at the set. Everyone was clearly not in a working state.

Sister Lin looked at it for a few seconds, then looked away, whispered a few words to the cat tree, and then turned around and walked towards Xu Yao.

"Xu Yao".

"Sister Lin."

Sister Lin stopped, tucked the folder under her armpit, and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

She glanced in Bai Lu's direction, her tone neither too loud nor too soft.

"That girl, is she the one you picked at first sight?"

"Yes, Sister Lin."

There was a hint of impatience in Sister Lin's tone: "How is she doing now?"

Xu Yao paused for a moment: "Still getting into the swing of things."

Sister Lin didn't speak, stared at Bai Lu for a few seconds, and then turned to look at Xu Yao.

"Let me tell you, if that girl is still not in the zone this afternoon, we'll switch to another one. Every time the cameras are turned on, it costs money. Studio rent is calculated by the day, and lighting technicians, cameramen, makeup artists—aren't they all paid by the day? Every day we drag it out means another day's worth of money."

Xu Yao nodded.

"Okay, Sister Lin."

Sister Lin glanced at him again, her tone softening slightly.

"Your side is fine. You wrote the song yourself, which saved a lot on production costs. The company's budget is already tight; they only approved so much, and we simply can't afford to delay."

After she finished speaking, she pulled out a piece of paper from the folder, glanced at it, frowned, and then put it back.

"I really don't understand why you chose a young person who hasn't even debuted yet and has absolutely no experience. Alright, just film well. Let me know if there are any problems."

Xu Yao nodded.

Sister Lin turned and left, the sound of her high heels on the floor fading into the distance.

The studio door was pushed open and then closed, and the studio became quiet.

Xu Yao leaned against the bar, mentally reviewing the bill.

The production budget for a music video for a contestant from The Voice of China is 20,000 to 30,000 yuan per day for a medium-sized studio.

The team consists of lighting technicians, cameramen, makeup artists, and stagehands, totaling over a dozen people. Each person earns between one or two thousand and three to five thousand yuan per day.

Post-production editing, color grading, and special effects add another layer of complexity.

The cost of producing such a music video can reach 50 to 150 yuan.

The company's budget for him was three days and two nights. If Bai Lu can't get into the zone this afternoon, and they have to continue filming tomorrow, then it will exceed the budget.

Bai Lu jumped down from the high chair and walked up to Xu Yao.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, "I think I've slowed things down."

Xu Yao leaned against the bar counter, looking at her; her eyes were a little red.

"No," Xu Yao reassured him.

Bai Lu looked up at him, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

"I just heard from Sister Lin," her voice even softer, "that if it still doesn't work this afternoon, we'll have to find someone else."