Amateur talent show? Top mentors are my students.

He Xu looked down at the beef in the bowl, which was covered in broth, scooped it up with a spoon, put it in his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and swallowed it.

Then he spoke, reciting his lines with sincerity: "It's delicious, better than what I usually eat."

That line is indeed in the script.

But he didn't stop immediately after he finished speaking. Instead, he added naturally, "Last time I cooked noodles, the pot burned, and the noodles stuck to the bottom of the pot. I couldn't scrape them off."

Sofia paused for a moment.

Her hand holding the soup spoon froze in mid-air, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment longer.

Then she sat down, picked up her bowl, and took a sip of beef soup: "Then you can eat here from now on. Anyway, Marcus doesn't often come back for meals, and I can't eat much by myself."

This line wasn't in the script either.

She answered casually, as if Sofia would actually say such a thing—the woman who was used to taking care of others at the dinner table.

He Xu's eyelashes twitched.

He lowered his head, scooped up another piece of beef and put it in his mouth. As he chewed, the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

"Then I'll take it seriously," he said.

This line isn't in the script either.

Behind the monitor, Carter's earpiece was hanging on one ear, with the other ear sticking out.

He did not call a halt.

But the first assistant director sitting next to him put down his script and glanced at Carter.

That look in his eyes spoke a silent message—"He's improvising."

The play is coming to an end.

Carter's finger paused on the edge of the monitor, then he leaned back in his chair.

"……stop."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough in that quiet gap.

He Xu raised his head and looked past the dining table toward the monitor.

Carter took off one earphone, wrapped it around his finger, and his expression was somewhere between satisfaction and "should I say something to you?"

He looked at He Xu, remained silent for two or three seconds before speaking: "The last take was right in terms of emotion and rhythm. Your improvisation was good, like something Langdon would say. As a performance, I can't find any fault with it."

He Xu's lips were about to move.

Then Carter added, "But do you even know what you just did?"

He Xu's smile faded again.

"You improvised for two whole rounds." Carter leaned forward slightly, tapping his fingers on the edge of the table. "The other actor took over—but it was all luck. You know what's most dreaded on set? Someone taking matters into their own hands."

He Xu's lips moved slightly.

"Just because you acted correctly doesn't mean you can change it." Carter's voice wasn't loud, and there was no blame in his tone, only a warning. "You're acting—if you change one line and no one can follow along, the whole take is ruined. A whole room of people will have to do it again with you. Your improvisation is slowing down the entire crew's progress."

He Xu lowered his gaze and placed it on the spoon, his fingers tightening slightly.

He neither responded nor offered an explanation.

But the corners of his mouth turned down slightly—like a cat that had been slapped on the head, scolded even though it hadn't done anything wrong.

"—Did you listen to what I said?" Carter asked.

"...I listened," He Xu said softly.

"Alright." Carter leaned back in his chair, his tone shifting from serious to normal. "You acted very well, but next time before you improvise, give me a look. If I nod, you can add something; if I don't, you stick to the script."

He Xu looked up at him and said, "...I understand."

Vivian was leaning against the edge of the kitchen counter, holding a bowl of soup in her hand, a smile that she hadn't quite managed to suppress, carrying the relaxed yet cautionary tone characteristic of a senior: "You're lucky, I'm a professional actress—if it were Jonathan, he might have messed up."

"Hey, I'm your senior!" Jonathan retorted, feigning displeasure. "In terms of expertise, I'm definitely ahead of you!"

The atmosphere on set returned to a relaxed state after this little incident.

After everyone had laughed, they went back to work.

As soon as the second act wrapped up, Vivian came over with a cup of coffee.

She sat down in the folding chair next to He Xu, placed her coffee cup on her lap, and turned her head to look at him, her eyes filled with undisguised admiration.

"Hey, you know what? Those two impromptu pieces you just did," she whispered, as if sharing a secret, "even though Carter said he couldn't just change them, he was definitely secretly pleased. That kind of stubbornness—living alone, not knowing how to take care of himself—tsk tsk tsk."

He Xu was bending down to unscrew the cap of a mineral water bottle when he paused, his expression showing a hint of shyness and embarrassment.

"...I didn't think that much about it, the words just came out of my mouth."

"That's even more impressive." Vivian held the coffee cup in her hands, leaning forward slightly. "The hardest thing about acting is 'not wanting'—like someone like you with an empty mind, but with talent."

He Xu's fingertip paused on the bottle cap for a moment.

He turned his head to look at her, his gaze serious: "Do you improvise when you're filming?"

"It depends on the other person." Vivian smiled. "If I encounter someone who can keep up, I'll give them a little more. But if it's someone who can only recite lines..." She shrugged, "I'll just stick to the script."

She paused, turned her head to look at He Xu, and said with genuine regret in her eyes, "To be honest, I really wanted to film a few more scenes with you."

He Xu listened but did not respond immediately.

"What a pity," Vivian stood up, brushed off non-existent dust from her pants, took two steps toward the dressing room, then turned back to look at him. "Now it's your men's job. Warehouse, gunfights, masked brawls—I'm not getting involved."

She spoke in a deliberately relaxed tone when she said the last sentence, but the admiration in her eyes didn't fade: "But after you finish filming, if Carter doesn't redo it, how about we arrange a scene together?"

He Xu's lips finally curved into a smile: "Then it's settled."

Vivian waved to him, turned and walked towards the dressing room, leaving behind a lighthearted remark: "Remember to have Jonathan show you the way."

He Xu sat on the folding chair, watching Vivian's figure disappear into the dressing room door.

He unscrewed the water bottle, took a sip, then stood up, pushed the folding chair back to its original position, and walked back to the film set.

Just as we reached the edge of the set, the assistant director was already shouting, "Next scene—car chase! Team A, get ready! He Xu, Jonathan, be in the parking lot in thirty minutes to set up!"

He Xu didn't stop walking. He turned the corner in the corridor and bumped into Jonathan.

The man was putting on an old leather jacket. Seeing him approach, he gave a familiar, slightly smug smile: "What, missing Vivian?"

"……No."

"You can tell from your face." Jonathan patted his shoulder lightly. "Don't worry, there's more to come. I haven't figured out how to throw you in that warehouse scene yet."

He Xu looked at him, paused for a moment, and then said, "Then you'd better think it over—because I won't let you throw me so easily anymore."

Jonathan paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, the sound echoing down the corridor for several seconds.

"Fine, now you dare to challenge me?"

"I've always dared to do it," He Xu said, "It's just that I couldn't beat you before."

He missed Jonathan and walked toward the parking lot set.

The laughter behind me was still ringing out, mixed with the sounds of crew members moving equipment and the shouts of the assistant director in the distance, creating a warm and noisy atmosphere.