Amateur talent show? Top mentors are my students.

On the sixth day of filming the dialogue scenes, we finally arrived at the "home" scene.

Marcus's house appears in the first half of The Piece—it's an old house in Pasadena with gray walls and a kitchen window that opens onto a small lawn in the backyard.

Only three scenes in the script take place in this space.

The first scene is a casual late-night chat between Marcus and Sofia. Sofia is cooking in the kitchen while Marcus sits at the dining table flipping through documents. The two chat about some trivial everyday things.

The second scene is when Langdon comes to our house for dinner. Sophia makes a pot of stewed beef, and the three of them sit around the table, eating and chatting.

The third scene is the last shot before Sofia is kidnapped—she's standing in the kitchen washing dishes, Marcus is in the living room answering a phone call, and then the plot becomes tense.

These three scenes combined are less than ten minutes long in the final cut, but He Xu knows they are important.

Because Sofia is the core of the whole story—she was kidnapped, which is why Marcus started the investigation and the whole movie came about.

Vivian Morrison, who plays Sofia, is one of Hollywood's most adept actresses at playing "supportive female roles."

Vivian Morrison, in her early forties, has a face that is unforgettable—dark hair, dark eyes, sharp but not angular cheekbones, and a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes.

She has a story that suggests she has been through a lot, yet she also possesses a gentle quality that makes people willing to trust her.

Vivian's resume is impressive: two Oscar nominations, a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, she has played a cool police officer in a suspense film and a widow who starts a new life after her husband's death in an art film.

She has a special quality that makes viewers believe she is experiencing a real life the moment they see her on screen for the first time.

The last time He Xu saw her was a month ago during a costume fitting.

She was wearing a beige cardigan, sitting on a folding chair in the corner of the studio, holding a cup of tea, and looking down at her phone.

He Xu walked over and greeted her. She looked up, smiled, and said, "Hello, I've heard Carter mention you," her tone neither warm nor distant.

But for some reason, she seems very easy to get along with.

Then they went about their own business and didn't chat much.

He Xu thought at the time: This person looks like he's a very good cook.

And that seems to be the case.

When He Xu arrived at the set, the lighting crew had already been busy setting up the kitchen scene for over an hour.

The "kitchen" was set up inside the photography studio, with three walls and no ceiling.

But the stove really does produce fire, the faucet runs water, and there are even several boxes of food with expiration dates on them in the refrigerator.

He stood at the edge of the set and felt that the space was much more "real" than he had expected.

Vivian Morrison has arrived.

She wore a loose linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her forearms, and her dark hair was loosely tucked behind her ears.

When I stood in that kitchen set, it looked like I had been there for many years.

She was confirming the angle of the stewed beef with the prop master—the prop master was squatting next to her adjusting the decorations around the bowl, and she was looking down at him, occasionally saying something like, "The celery could be a little greener" or "This bowl will block the light if it's placed in this position."

As He Xu walked over, Vivian looked up at him and then smiled naturally: "Good morning, you look much more energetic than when you had your makeup done last time."

"Training's over, so I slept a lot." He Xu stopped beside her, following her gaze to the pot of stewed beef. "You still want some celery?"

"Of course. How well the food looks on camera can influence the audience's perception of the entire scene. Marcus's kitchen should be the kind of place where you'd believe the food was made there." She said, glancing sideways at the overall color scheme of the set. "Do you usually cook at home?"

He Xu thought for a moment: "Not really. It's mostly takeout, or I just cook some noodles."

"Then you'd better be careful when you're acting later—you have to act like you eat here all the time." Vivian said, and without waiting for his reply, she turned and walked back to her seat.

He Xu stood there, watching her back, and suddenly realized that the way she spoke was exactly as he had imagined.

Jonathan walked in from the other side of the set, holding a cup of coffee. He had already changed into Marcus's costume—an old leather jacket, a gray shirt, and sleeves rolled up to his forearms.

He walked over to He Xu and stopped beside him, then followed his gaze to Vivian, who was adjusting her position: "She's a nice person, isn't she?"

"Um."

"She's even better when she's acting." Jonathan took a sip of his coffee. "Don't overthink it, just go with the flow—she's a pro."

The sound of the clapperboard brought him back to reality, and everything started anew.

Just as He Xu was about to reply, Carter's voice came from the direction of the monitor: "Actors, in position!"

The three people stood in their respective positions.

"Scene 3 of The Piece, Shot 1. Action."

Vivian had her back to the camera, looking down at the stewed beef in the pot.

Her profile was bathed in warm light, and her posture in front of the stove exuded a natural, unpretentious charm.

"About your case," she began, speaking at a measured pace, "any progress today?"

Jonathan didn't look up: "Still investigating. That informant didn't show up today."

"You said the same thing yesterday."

Yesterday is yesterday.

Vivian put down the wooden spoon, turned around and leaned against the edge of the counter, gently cupping her hands in front of her.

She ignored Jonathan's words, her gaze sweeping across the dining table to He Xu: "Landon, what are you standing there for? Come in and sit down. Dinner will be a while longer."

He Xu walked in and sat down opposite Jonathan.

He placed his water glass on the table and asked, "Do you need any help?"

"No need. You're a guest." Vivian had already turned back to the stove. "If you really want to help, just bring that plate of bread over there to the table."

He Xu reached out and picked up the plate of bread, placed it in the center of the table, and casually uttered his lines: "That doesn't sound like you're entertaining a guest."

"You think I really consider you a guest?" Sofia didn't turn around when she heard this, but her shoulders twitched slightly, as if she was suppressing a laugh. "This plate of bread is burnt on the edges, and you call that serving guests?"

He Xu glanced down at the plate of bread—the prop master had done a good job of aging it, and the edges did indeed have a slight burnt color.

He picked up a piece, took a bite, chewed it a couple of times, and said, "...I think it's pretty good."

"That's because you're hungry." Sophia finally turned around, carrying a shallow bowl to the table.

She glanced at him, seemingly amused by the way he was intently chewing his bread, and smiled slightly. Then she reached out and took the empty bowl in front of him, scooped in a spoonful of stewed beef, and put it in naturally, without asking him if he wanted it.