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Chapter 21.2
Editor: Jodi
So Mu Nan threw himself into busier work to distract himself. He was currently preparing his new album, spending his days on tedious activities like ads, magazines, variety shows, and selecting and writing songs.
However Wilder suddenly called one day, “Do you remember the second male lead in [Intern Lawyer]?”
“Of course.” Mu Nan asked, “They’ve decided on the cast?”
Wilder seemed hesitant, but Mu Nan wasn’t bothered, “I didn’t get the part, right? It’s fine, I didn’t really want to do it anyway.”
“No…” Wilder said, “You got the part.”
“Huh?” Mu Nan was shocked, “What about Xi Qing? Didn’t you say he acted really well?”
Wilder was also surprised by how things had turned out, “We didn’t really fight for this project before, so we didn’t keep your schedule open. So if you want to do it, you’ll have to rearrange your schedule.”
“Give me a moment to think.”
Then after hanging up, Mu Nan found himself in a dilemma again.
Taking the role had its pros and cons. The good side was that it would be a decent stepping stone to break into acting, which was a direction he had always wanted to go in.
The downside was, considering the relationship between the screenwriter and the male lead, the atmosphere on set might not be too harmonious.
Mu Nan knew that when he’d said he wasn’t going to do it before, it was just out of anger. So now that the opportunity had come knocking, he was hesitating.
—To act or not to act, that was the question.
Mu Nan was currently in talks for a music variety show, and since the investment wasn’t that big, the price Mu Nan’s team had set was a bit high for them. But Mu Nan’s side couldn’t lower the price easily either, as lowering his appearance fee would mean lowering his value, so both sides were still negotiating.
But if he didn’t take the show, he’d have enough time to finish filming a drama.
So the next morning, after a night of indecision, he called Wilder, feeling a bit sheepish.
“How about… we just take that role?” After all, face wasn’t as important as good opportunities.
*
Half a month later, [Intern Lawyer] started filming officially.
Mu Nan hadn’t slacked off during the lead-up to filming. He’d found a teacher to learn acting, read the original novel seriously, and memorized the script, causing him to feel that he had prepared enough.
With the help of his teacher, he’d adjusted his portrayal slightly, making the second male lead seem less annoying and more like the cute “puppy” character from the original work.
On the first day of filming, Mu Nan had a scene with the female lead, which was the perfect chance to test what he had learned.
The female lead was Du Ling, a first-tier young actress who had quite the attitude and who usually ignored everyone on set.
The scene was their first private conversation after entering the law firm. The female lead had been bullied by the lawyer mentoring her, and Mu Nan’s character, the second male lead, told her that if anything happened, she could come to him and he would protect her.
The two were sitting in a café. Du Ling had her head down, looking glum, while Mu Nan comforted her carefully, deliberately trying to make her laugh.
Mu Nan’s biggest advantage was his looks. He was extremely cute when he smiled, instantly brightening people’s moods.
“He’s so cute.” One of the staff whispered.
“Yeah, yeah, I really wish I had a son like him.”
“No wonder he has so many ‘mom fans,’ I finally get it.”
As they were talking, someone hurried past them and bumped into one of them.
“Hey!” The person who got bumped into was about to say something but was pulled back by another. “Let it go, don’t get involved with her.”
A small woman with long hair draped over her shoulders had walked up to the director. This was Qiu Yun, the scriptwriter and the original author of the novel.
She grabbed the director’s megaphone and shouted, “Cut!”
Mu Nan was acting seriously when the sudden interruption left him momentarily stunned— even Du Ling looked a little surprised.
And holding the megaphone, Qiu Yun shouted at Mu Nan, “Mu Nan, do you even know how to act?”
“Could you tell me what I did wrong?” Mu Nan asked, confused.
Qiu Yun shook the script in her hand loudly, for everyone on set to hear. “You’re the second male lead, do you get that? The second male lead! Your character wants to sleep with her, not marry her, got it?”
Hearing this, Mu Nan was completely stunned.
This was a character Qiu Yun had created herself, so even if it wasn’t her own child, it should at least be like a godchild to her. Why did she have such animosity toward this character? In the original novel, this character was really cute!
Then as he followed Qiu Yun’s gaze and noticed the male lead, Xu Shang, sitting in the shade behind her, he suddenly understood.
And Xu Shang, seeing him looking over, gave him a mocking smile as if to say, “You’re really very stupid.”