37 They Have Arrived

"Sister Lin descended from the sky."

"Like a soft cloud peeking out of mountains."

"They say that Brother Jia is frivolous and without culture."

"But, in reality, his every bone exude elegance."

As the birthplace of Shaoxing opera, the number of Shaoxing opera performances happening in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region was too much to count. Even a northerner like Lu Ze grew fond of this pleasant Wu dialect melody after hearing it a few times and even hummed along a bit.

The small speakers that came free with his new phone were playing the melody. He, who had never had the pleasure of listening with good-quality earphones, felt that these speakers sounded pretty good.

Pouring a bucket of water over his body, wiping his body with the towel, and humming along with the speakers, he was feeling quite cozy.

It was still November, and his contract would not come in effect after another half a month.

His originally short hair had nicely grown out. His hair grew quite fast, and since he never cut it, his bangs were almost reaching his eyes, making it just the right moment to cut them.

He changed his clothes, placed his trusty one-year-old bag on his shoulders, made sure that he had not forgotten anything, drank water, locked the door, and left.

"Sis, can I have a haircut?"

His go to place was a small hair salon nearby. Try not to think about anything weird. The lady boss operated an honest business. Lu Ze always tried to save money, and so, he would always come here for haircuts. This time was no different.

"Oh, Lu? My, my… your hair has grown so much? Why didn't you come earlier? Are you that busy nowadays with shooting?"

"It's not that. It's a requirement of a role I've gotten. Leave it long, and just give it a nice touch. Trim a little from the sides, and just thin out a little from the middle."

Reclining on the washing chair, Lu Ze felt a strange comfort as the hot water poured over his hair. This sister… although a little older, still had hands that were still quite soft. As she massaged Lu Ze's hair, he soon dozed off.

At this point, Lu Ze discovered that he was thinking about women. He was no greenhorn. Having experienced that feeling, no matter how busy he was, it was hard to not desire it.

Not wishing to think down that line, he forced down the superfluous thoughts and before long, the haircut was finished. It was a usual style seen everywhere, only given a bit of finishing touches. A small shop like this definitely could not provide one with stylish services.

Handing over fifteen yuan, Lu Ze smoked a cigarette, and headed to Hengdian.

He spotted a group of people crowding around, spectating something. In any case, he did not have a big workload today, and could easily spare some time to join the bustle.

When he peeked his neck out, he felt discomforted. Why? Because they had come.

It was the launch of My Commander, My Regiment. The name was written on the backdrop in huge letters, and he had already spotted Gu Mingde leading the main cast for photos. A dozen reporters were taking pictures without a single pause. 

Click!

Click!

Click!

Click!

Lu Ze had no idea that today was the launch of the series. After all, he neither had that many scenes, nor was he a part of the main cast or had any form of fame and so, the crew had no reason for his participation to keep up appearances.

The group of main leads were not superstars, but they were brilliant domestic actors who could put out powerful performances.

It had to be said that Gu Mingde had indeed selected a good cast. Their hairs were long as required by the series, and Lu Ze could tell at a glance who was playing which role.

This was because Lu Ze had gone through the novel a dozen times, and there were many lines that were on his fingertips. The second reason was that the temperament of these actors matched that of the characters in the novel quite well.

After a short while, the director, screenwriter, producer, and others began their speeches. It was basically a formal talk without anything special. They showed their hopes for the future, but did not reveal much.

Then, it was time for the ribbon cutting ceremony. There was a video camera with a red scarf… no… a red cloth flower tied on both sides standing right by the four bigshots of the crew.

The four bigshots raised the huge scissors together, and snap! The red cloth was cut, followed by exploding fireworks. The sound of crackling fireworks echoed for a long time, creating a festive atmosphere.

For a moment, the extra, Lu Ze underneath the stage almost considered himself as a part of the crew. Accompanying the fireworks was a huge applause, causing the bigshots on the stage to smile and thank everybody with waves of their hands.

Although the series was launched, Lu Ze was quite clear that there would not be many war scenes in the movie. The crew would not be staying in Hengdian for more than half a month.

Lu Ze had to report to the crew half a month later before his scenes would be shot.

Eating the melon, Lu Ze left the scene. He found himself three to five days worth of work with a crew, but had already begun to dream about playing himself as Zhang Lixian.

From that day, Lu Ze had repeated encounters with the cast of "My Regiment". There was one time that even Guo Mingde took notice of him.

That day, Lu Ze was shooting a war scene, and the crew of "My Regiment" was right next to the set. Gu Mingde was resting, causing his eyes to accidentally fall on Lu Ze who was leaving the set. The more he looked at Lu Ze, the more familiar he felt to him. Then he suddenly recalled, 'Isn't this the guy playing Zhang Lixian."

 He recalled this extra's name with little effort. After all, Lu Ze had left a deep impression on him. Not thinking much, he called out, "Lu Ze?"

"Oh, Director Guo, it's me."

Lu Ze had just gotten off the shoot. The next scene did not include his character. He roamed through the crew, measuring the shooting conditions where he would be working in the next few days. When he heard Director Gu's call, he immediately responded.

Gu Mingde sized him up. Hearing his shout, the other members of the crew turned their gazes on Lu Ze as well.

"Are you shooting for another job?"

"Yeah, I'll be with them for a few days."

Lu Ze's body was covered in filth. The extra's costume was covered with dirt and soil. Gu Mingde gave him a glance but showed no aversion. After all, an actor had to do all sorts of roles. Since Lu Ze was playing a war soldier, his mud-covered appearance was natural.

Only, the atmosphere between the two was a bit awkward.

"In that case, how long before you complete this shoot?"

Lu Ze thought for a bit, swiveled his eyeballs around and replied, "Three to four days more."

"How's your script going?"

'Rest assured, Director Guo, there will be no problem. I go through it every day."

Gu Mindge nodded slightly and waved his hands, indicating for Lu Ze to leave. He had only casually asked and would obviously not change his shooting schedule just because Lu Ze was free at the moment. After all, the other supporting characters also had their own schedules which could not be changed at a whim.

However, after that day, Lu Ze began to 'drop by' more and more. Everybody realized that he was a supporting character in the series. Since Gu Mingde did not stop him, nobody tried to block him and allowed him to freely enter.

Lu Ze started out by silently observing, gaining a clear understanding of the main leads. Lu Ze had to admit that they were the strongest he had seen amongst all the cast he worked with. Moreover, they did not utter a word even after suffering all kinds of suffering. Just this attribute put this cast above ninety percent of the casts.

At the same time, they imposed huge pressure on Lu Ze. Their acting was extremely good. The difference between them and the actors under them was as clear as day. Lu Ze did not wish to be casually suppressed by others.

Thus, he picked up the script again and began practising from that day onward, completely forgetting what was sleep and hunger. He repeatedly practised his dialogues before the mirror. Driven to win, he eagerly waited for the moment when he would be able to pit himself against this bunch of powerful actors.

And finally… the moment came.