Chapter 109: The 9.9 Recording Studio Experience...

Page 1/3

Lin Ze glanced into the rearview mirror, suddenly surprised by the person inside. He pushed the door open and stepped out, gently nudging his driver aside. Lin Ze bent slightly, tilting his body as he scrutinized the man before him.

“Bao… Ge?” Lin Ze grinned broadly.

Chang Zheng paused when Lin Ze called his name, startled at first, then his surprise melted into sheer joy.

“President Bao, he…”

“Ah, it’s nothing, we’re brothers,” Lin Ze waved off his driver with a smile. “Forget it, forget it.”

“Thank you, President Bao!” Chang Zheng quickly forced a smile.

“Ah, I remember you had some talents back in school, didn’t you? You could sing, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Lin Ze pulled out a business card from his pocket and placed it in Chang Zheng’s hand.

“Look at this image.”

As he spoke, Lin Ze patted Chang Zheng’s cheek and casually ruffled the gelled hair on his head.

“Isn’t this exactly the grassroots talent we’re looking for? See how grassroots he is.”

Chang Zheng’s smile faded, but he said nothing as Lin Ze continued to toy with him.

Lin Ze straightened his collar, and at that moment, Chang Zheng caught sight of the former campus beauty who used to chase after Lin Ze, sitting in the back seat.

A wave of bittersweet memories surged through him, and he gripped the business card tightly.

“Oh, right, old classmate. Want to chat for a bit?”

Chang Zheng quickly shook his head. “No, no, thanks.”

“Alright then.” Lin Ze patted his shoulder again, a warm smile tinged with a hint of mockery playing at his lips. “Bao Ge, you must come, okay?”

...

“Xiao Lin’s acting is quite impressive.”

Chen Weiguo nodded in satisfaction.

“Didn’t we see that before? His portrayal of the old lady was spot on — the expressions, the tone, everything,” Bai Qiong chuckled nearby.

“A guy like Xiao Lin deserves to be famous; he’s got acting chops, singing skills, and creative talent. If he doesn’t succeed, it’d be a travesty.”

The cameras on set shifted focus, capturing Chen Weiguo and Bai Qiong’s faces.

It wouldn’t do for the internet audience to cut up the entire scene before the filming was even done.

[Wow, the judges’ praise is off the charts.]

[But honestly, the old fans already know — Xiao Lin’s portrayal of the old lady is legendary.]

[Portraying an old lady doesn’t prove acting skill. Enough with the hype already. The Lin fanboys are everywhere, it’s so annoying.]

Su Zitan stood just outside the set, holding a towel and a bottle of water, waiting for Lin Ze. As soon as he stepped down, she handed them to him.

Page 2/3

“Oh, it’s nothing, Sister Zitan. I’m not boxing or anything, why the towel?”

“It’s so hot out here, I’m sweating just standing,” Su Zitan said, patting the back of Lin Ze’s shirt, which was already damp under the short sleeves.

“Heh, wiped my sweat?” Lin Ze brought the towel to his nose and sniffed. “Smells good.”

“Ew, you pervert! The cameras are rolling!”

Su Zitan flicked Lin Ze playfully, then whispered, “Maybe our parents are watching on TV right now…”

“I learned it from my godfather,” Lin Ze said matter-of-factly. “Last time we were at home, while godmother was cooking in the kitchen, I saw how godfather did it!”

“…”

Su Zitan imagined the two of them, and immediately fell silent.

...

Filming itself was somewhat dull and tedious. Sometimes a single shot had to be repeated five or six times, often out of sequence.

But few of the live-stream viewers had ever experienced being on set. Watching groups chat and shoot a movie did seem a bit interesting to them.

Meanwhile, Ji Chen was having an even tougher time.

His head was throbbing from stress these past two days. Every expense had to be approved by Pei Xue.

Too expensive for lunch boxes? Denied. Props too costly? Denied.

They both knew that filming was basically a money pit.

But if nothing got approved, they couldn’t get anything done.

“Xue! Please!” Lin Chunshui was nearly begging, clutching Pei Xue’s leg. “You didn’t approve the recording studio budget…”

[Haha, same as my office. They say the pens for signing are too expensive, told me to buy cheap ones.]

[The finance manager is always some relative of the boss. Last time I asked for gas money reimbursement, I almost knelt at her desk.]

“It’s not that I won’t approve it, you’re just asking for too much. We don’t have much to spend,” Pei Xue repeated her usual line.

Ji Chen slumped helplessly onto the office sofa.

“This recording studio standard is already pretty decent. It can’t get any worse; otherwise, the sound quality will be a problem.”

Pei Xue calmly walked to the water dispenser, grabbed two disposable cups, and poured water for them.

“You guys, why don’t you just think a little?”

“These are all external studios, right?”

She set the cups in front of them.

“Does your company or Xiao Lin’s company have any recording studios?”

The two men froze.

As the saying goes, “Not family, no entry.” Neither quite understood what Pei Xue was implying.

“Well, yes, but the director said we couldn’t use them,” Ji Chen answered honestly.

Page 3/3

“Ah…”

[Ah…]

[Looking at their clear, innocent eyes, you can tell these two are a pair.]

[What are they saying? I don’t get it either.]

“Your company isn’t busy right now, and suddenly you think of launching a group-buy deal for a 9.9-yuan recording studio experience day. How great would that be?”

Pei Xue looked at them carefully, confirming they seemed to understand. “Your company’s promotional event — what does it have to do with us?”

“Our company…”

They fell silent for a moment.

“Oh! Right! Got it, got it!”

The director, upon seeing this, was visibly displeased — this was clearly exploiting a loophole.

The cameraman pulled out his phone, dialing the director’s number.

“Hey, no, you can’t do that. You can understand the rules however you want, but you can’t just bend them like this!”

Director Zhang’s voice was stern as he reprimanded the three.

“Heh.”

Ji Chen was nearly bursting from frustration and ignored Director Zhang.

“Mind your own business. What does your company care if we give discounts?”

“Exactly,” Lin Chunshui chimed in. “Am I not allowed to buy cheap stuff?”

“…”

Impressive.

Director Zhang sighed.

“No, if that’s the case, then you might as well shoot a big-budget movie now. Shoot a billion-yuan film — after all, the boss can afford it.”

“You guys can treat one yuan like it’s a billion.”

Ji Chen curled his lips. “Who’s that rich…”

Director Zhang was momentarily speechless. He couldn’t very well reveal Su Zitan’s family affairs.

“Anyway, you can’t do that. When we play the game, we have to respect the rules.”

“Then what do you suggest? How are we supposed to survive? We can’t even buy water that costs more than three yuan a day.”

“Let’s… talk it over.”

…