Chapter 5: Filming in Progress
Yang Shu carefully held his new costume, his expression uneasy. “Brother Lu, are these for me to wear?”
Lu Xu nodded lightly.
Yang Shu: “…”
He had never worn such expensive clothes before.
When Lu Xu said he could lend him clothes, Yang Shu was already feeling a bit anxious. After all, he was an avid internet user and had long heard of Lu Xu’s reputation.
Rumor had it that back in Verse, Lu Xu often bullied his teammates. Verse’s Xie Qingyang, Gu Sinian, and Meng Qin had all been his victims.
If not for the rarity of this acting opportunity, Yang Shu wouldn’t have wanted to collaborate with Lu Xu at all. Yet, Lu Xu was only playing the second male lead, while he himself ended up as the first male lead.
Before joining the crew, Yang Shu couldn’t help but imagine the miserable life he was about to endure for the next few months. He resolved to keep a low profile and avoid provoking Lu Xu.
But to his surprise, Lu Xu was actually willing to provide him with costumes.
Yang Shu originally thought Lu Xu was just being polite and that the clothes he brought to the set were probably cheap stuff.
Since graduating from university, Yang Shu had worked in various productions, big and small. Although celebrities earned a lot, not all of them were generous. He had even seen someone sell second-hand cheap items to fans at exorbitant prices.
But he never expected Lu Xu to bring an entire truckload of clothes, enough for all four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter. A glance at the tags revealed they were all from top luxury brands, the kind that made Yang Shu’s hands tremble just looking at the price.
…Did Lu Xu really have to be this sincere?
Now Yang Shu was deeply worried. If he damaged the clothes, would Lu Xu demand an enormous sum from him as compensation?
After all, his paycheck for filming My Baby Prince was only 100,000 yuan. Xia Xuewen’s paycheck was about the same, but this pile of clothes was worth many times his paycheck. He truly couldn’t afford to pay for them.
Fortunately, Lu Xu didn’t seem like someone with a bad temper.
Before Yang Shu joined the crew, he had mentally prepared himself. However, after arriving, he discovered that Lu Xu displayed none of the arrogance one might expect from a former member of Verse. Lu Xu’s features were relaxed, his eyes shimmering like they could gather starlight, his nose straight, and his contours well-defined. In reality, his appearance was even more striking than on camera.
In fact, without the heavy makeup of an idol, Lu Xu looked many times better than when he was performing as one.
Yang Shu, being a professionally trained actor, had seen plenty of incredibly handsome young actors during his four years in university. Yet, even among such a crowd, Lu Xu’s looks were undeniably at the pinnacle.
He couldn’t understand why Lu Xu had seemed so unremarkable when standing among the entire Verse lineup.
That morning, when Yang Shu greeted Lu Xu, the latter responded politely, which eased some of Yang Shu’s anxiety. Still, he couldn’t fully relax, fearing he might inadvertently give Lu Xu a reason to lash out.
When Yang Shu’s gaze drifted slightly, he noticed Lu Xu holding a pen, writing something in the script.
Lu Xu’s lips were pressed into a tight line, his expression serious, and even the angle of his profile was flawless. However, Yang Shu didn’t think for a second that Lu Xu was earnestly studying the script. From a rational perspective, My Baby Prince’s script was so poorly written that it hardly warranted any serious analysis.
…
After the preparation phase ended, My Baby Prince officially began filming.
Once the actors had finished their makeup, Yang Shu caught, from the corner of his eye, his co-star Xia Xuewen frequently glancing in Lu Xu’s direction.
Yang Shu’s thoughts roared in dismay.
Lu Xu was already stunning without makeup, but after putting it on, his looks utterly crushed Yang Shu, the supposed male lead!
Even while sitting quietly, Lu Xu exuded a calm and commanding presence. Yang Shu couldn’t help but feel that Lu Xu didn’t seem like someone acting for the first time. On the contrary, he carried himself as if he had years of experience in front of the camera.
…
The first scene in the script was the meeting between Pan Lingfeng, played by Yang Shu, and Zhong Baobei. In this encounter, ordinary girl Zhong Baobei arrives at the prestigious Ariel Academy for the first time, only to cross paths with the school’s lone rebel, the horse-riding aristocrat Pan Lingfeng, who is the only one not wearing a school uniform.
Their eyes meet, and an inexplicable connection sparks between them.
In Zhong Baobei’s mind, the scene conjures the image of a white horse galloping across the plains, a memory of her childhood spent with her grandfather.
This plot point existed solely because Pan Lingfeng was originally meant to make a grand entrance in a luxury car, but the production team couldn’t afford to rent one. Instead, they decided to film a brief horseback-riding sequence to splice in during post-production.
Neither Yang Shu nor Xia Xuewen were naturally gifted actors, their performances falling squarely into the “average” category. After the first scene wrapped, director Hua Zhu didn’t offer much feedback, simply calling it a pass and moving on.
The next scene was an interaction between Zhong Baobei and Yu Wei.
While Xia Xuewen continued filming, Yang Shu was free to rest but chose to stay on set.
He was quite curious about how Lu Xu would perform. Yang Shu knew his own acting in the previous scene had been mediocre at best, but surely, in terms of acting skills, he had to be better than Lu Xu, right?
After enrolling in Ariel Academy, Zhong Baobei participates in the school’s debate competition, which leads to her first interaction with Yu Wei, the student council president.
In Ariel Academy, Yu Wei is the only man who can rival Pan Lingfeng.
At the director’s call of “Action,” the camera focused intently on Yu Wei’s back.
This was a hallmark of low-budget web dramas: using long, slow-motion shots to create a “handsome” atmosphere around a character. Post-production would then enhance the scene with glowing effects, pink bubbles, and other embellishments. Even if the actor wasn’t conventionally good-looking, the crafted vibe could still tug at the audience’s romantic imagination.
Unlike the bold and flamboyant Pan Lingfeng, Yu Wei exuded a reserved and somber aura. To those who didn’t know him well, he even appeared a bit melancholic.
Slowly, Yu Wei turned around.
The script described Yu Wei falling in love with Zhong Baobei at first sight the moment he laid eyes on her.
Dressed in the school uniform’s white shirt, Yu Wei was nothing like Pan Lingfeng, who would roll up his sleeves or wear the uniform carelessly draped over his shoulders. Yu Wei’s shirt was buttoned all the way to the top, his calm demeanor exuding an air of restraint.
But when Zhong Baobei appeared, his pupils subtly dilated. A statue-like figure suddenly came to life. When he looked at Zhong Baobei, there was no intoxicated fascination or shy awkwardness—traits that didn’t align with Yu Wei’s character. Yet, it was unmistakable: in that moment, his heart had already been captured by Zhong Baobei.
This wasn’t the result of post-production magic; it was the feeling conveyed through Lu Xu’s performance.
His portrayal made it clear to everyone on set that Yu Wei had fallen for Zhong Baobei.
Yu Wei’s momentary lapse lasted only a brief second before he returned to his usual composure, his melancholic aura intact. However, across from him, Xia Xuewen, playing Zhong Baobei, suddenly stumbled in her delivery. She failed to continue her line, forcing Hua Zhu to call “Cut.”
Yang Shu found it hard to suppress his astonishment as he looked at Lu Xu.
Truthfully, from the moment the camera started capturing Yu Wei’s turn, Yang Shu had felt as though Lu Xu wasn’t simply playing Yu Wei but was Yu Wei himself. When the shot reached the moment of eye contact between Yu Wei and Zhong Baobei, Yang Shu, as an observer, felt as though he was directly facing Yu Wei’s emotions.
An introverted man had found his soulmate in that instant.
Yang Shu could clearly feel Yu Wei’s love at first sight for Zhong Baobei.
Even though the director had called for a pause, Yang Shu couldn’t shake the impression that Lu Xu’s performance didn’t resemble that of someone acting for the first time. On the contrary, the emotional depth of his delivery was something Yang Shu had only seen from seasoned veterans.
The My Baby Prince crew was as poor as a production could get. Neither the director nor the actors held high expectations for the filming quality. Yet, with just one glance, Lu Xu gave Yang Shu the illusion that they weren’t on the set of a low-budget web drama but rather part of a well-funded production with a stellar cast and exquisite sets.
Even though the chairs and tables were ordinary and the school uniforms failed to convey the atmosphere of a prestigious academy, Lu Xu’s portrayal of Yu Wei exuded the commanding presence of someone who truly belonged in such an elite institution.
While acting opposite Xia Xuewen, Lu Xu didn’t seem like someone without formal training. On the contrary, he appeared more experienced than Xia Xuewen herself.
Reflecting on his own performance earlier, Yang Shu felt a pang of guilt. After all, My Baby Prince was a throwaway drama likely destined to air in some obscure time slot on an obscure platform. His dedication to his role wasn’t even on par with the effort he put into a minor supporting role in a proper production.
In stark contrast, Lu Xu was infinitely more serious and committed.
…
When the scene restarted, Yang Shu became even more convinced: Lu Xu’s acting far exceeded his expectations.
It wasn’t the kind of performance one might call “transformational” because, physically, Lu Xu needed no transformation. In fact, Yang Shu thought Lu Xu had the power to elevate the visual quality of the production. For example, their school uniforms, mass-purchased by the production crew at just a few dozen yuan per set, looked as though they were worth thousands when worn by Lu Xu.
By the time the scene wrapped, even Xia Xuewen had been subtly drawn into Lu Xu’s rhythm, her performance elevated by his influence.
Yang Shu suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure.
While Lu Xu was filming, Yang Shu had been secretly searching his name online. The search results were dominated by insults from fans of other Verse members, using the harshest words to deride Lu Xu. Gu Sinian’s fans, in particular, mocked him for his audacity in pursuing acting.
But from what Yang Shu had witnessed on set, strictly from an acting perspective, Lu Xu’s performance was leagues ahead of Gu Sinian’s.
Still, none of the trending searches mentioned Lu Xu’s acting skills. The real-time trends were filled only with scorn for his so-called downfall.
Yang Shu and Xia Xuewen hadn’t escaped the public’s wrath either. The two of them, being relatively unknown, had somehow landed the lead roles in My Baby Prince, and the harsher the ridicule they faced, the worse it made Lu Xu’s situation appear by association.
…
For Lu Xu, acting was just a part of his daily routine. When portraying Yu Wei, he didn’t feel his performance was particularly remarkable. He simply analyzed the character as usual and delivered his interpretation at his own pace.
After finishing the first scene, Lu Xu felt he had at least regained some of his sense for acting.
He was about to approach Hua Zhu to discuss the script when Yang Shu quietly came up to him, holding out his phone. “Brother Lu, can I add you on WeChat?”
In truth, Lu Xu and Yang Shu were about the same age. If calculated precisely, Lu Xu was only two months older.
But as Yang Shu liked to say, “Even if you’re older by a day, you’re still ‘Big Brother.’”
Lu Xu scanned the QR code and added him.
“How about a follow on Weibo too?”
“Add me too!” Xia Xuewen chimed in, sidling over eagerly.
For some reason, after Lu Xu’s scene today, the two of them suddenly felt he was more approachable. Their instincts turned out to be correct. At their suggestion, Lu Xu immediately followed them back on Weibo.
Only then did Lu Xu notice that his Weibo account was still following the other Verse members, Yao Yuan, and a few managers from Lin Ge Entertainment—managers who now represented Xie Qingyang, Gu Sinian, and Meng Qin.
Without hesitation, Lu Xu unfollowed all of them before adding Yang Shu and Xia Xuewen.
Given that Lu Xu had been at the center of public scrutiny lately, it didn’t take long for marketing accounts to notice his social media activity.