For the sake of fairness, the show team had edited the video materials provided by everyone. They wanted to make sure that each student presented themselves for around the same amount of time.
Many of Xue Xiao's scenes had been cut. The shots of several background characters in front of him flashed by and only this last shot was kept intact.
They knew what the hot point was.
The participants present were both male and female. All of them covered their mouths, their faces flushed and their eyes wide open.
They had seen many beautiful men in ancient costumes, but no matter how 'beautiful' the man, most of them were ugly when their hair was disheveled. Some were even ugly to the point of causing anger.
But perhaps it was because the quality of Xue Xiao's wig was too good or his face was so soft that he was indistinguishable from a man or woman in this scene, but he looked really beautiful.
There were even many people who turned their heads and compared it to Xue Xiao, who was sitting obediently in the corner with his knees crossed. Then they looked back at the big screen and couldn't believe that this was the same person!
In reality, Xue Xiao looked like an obedient boy but the person on the screen revealed a trace of desire in his pure heart. There was obviously no seductive meaning in his eyes. They were even a bit cold but he was terribly seductive. Certain gay comrades were embarrassed to see it!
A girl suddenly exclaimed, "Ah, I remember. This scene was on the hot search, right?"
Hearing this, more people were surprised and envious.
There had never been times when the many extras here were able to get on the hot search!
"Brother, are you still a background actor now?" The brother next to Xue Xiao had extremely red ears as he stammered, "Y-You haven't signed with a big company yet?!"
Xue Xiao smiled.
He was a bit embarrassed when the show first came up with this type of operation, but now he was calm.
In particular, he had seen a lot of similar reactions to this semi-nude scene, whether it was filming or when it aired. He had long been accustomed to it.
Xue Xiao said calmly, "Just this one shot can't explain anything."
"But this shot is very godly! Very godly!"
"That is also the director's credit."
"By the way, which drama is this?"
Xue Xiao reported a name.
The brother blurted out, "Ah, I know it. But isn't this a thunder—"
The photography brother happened to move over with the camera. The black lens aimed at the two of them and the brother immediately stopped talking.
Xue Xiao suddenly laughed.
He pointed to the microphone on his collar and signaled that the brother should pay attention not only to the camera, but also to the fact that every word they said now would be picked up.
The brother was so suffocated that his face turned purple and he quietly mouthed to Xue Xiao.
'But isn't this a famous thunderous drama?'
He hadn't seen it but he had heard of it.
Xue Xiao thought about it and said objectively, "Director Jin's aesthetics are very powerful and he has his own pursuit when filming."
This aesthetic and pursuit of it often deviated to outer space, so that normal Earthlings didn't understand it, but it wasn't a fact that the director was filming bad dramas with a perfunctory attitude.
For example, the scene where Xue Xiao emerged from the circle was when he was playing a monster, the leader of the river monsters.
As a background actor, his scenes weren't much. After this half-nude scene, he went ashore in phantom clothes, led many little brothers and sisters into the woods and was ambushed and killed.
If it was changed to another fast-paced costume crew, the director might not pay much attention to this short scene. The assistant director would just come out to point out a few sentences and it would pass in one or two takes as long as there were no big problems.
But at that time, Director Jin specially approached Xue Xiao to analyze it for him.
River demons were monsters who seduced all beings. They were extremely beautiful, so beautiful that they made people lose their minds and kill each other. This was the reason why people wanted to kill them. People felt that as long as there were river monsters, this world would never change or be peaceful.
Therefore, the actor must be convincingly beautiful here. They must be emotional but not lustful?
What was emotional but not lustful?
Just don't smile in a greasy manner, don't wink, don't twist his neck, don't open his mouth and pant as if he was acting in a third-grade film and don't look like he thought he was the most beautiful person in the world. This was too irritating to the eyes.
Remember, it was okay to show his body generously and to show a sense of alienation that was different from ordinary people with his languid posture.
"Why didn't I go find those handsome actors and instead came to you? It is because the leader of the river monsters is like other river monsters. It isn't just women but also men. If I let a straight man seduce a group of straight men and said it was successful, the audience definitely won't accept it.
"What about you? Your face doesn't look so eye-catching but you actually have a very classic beauty. Your figure is also just right. There is a type of attraction that will make men and women shout 'I can.' So don't be exaggerated and don't make redundant expressions and movements. Just make good use of your face and figure and keep acting, understand?"
Then Director Jin found an assistant to fetch… his special collection of men's wigs for ancient costumes. He also asked the makeup artist on site to change Xue Xiao's makeup before letting Xue Xiao act.
The brother next to Xue Xiao was stunned when he heard this. "So it really is a very high-quality and unique wig?
Xue Xiao nodded honestly and said in a low voice, "You know that most of the wigs for extras in the crew are very…"
The brother felt sorry for him. He covered the microphone and said, "Not only does it look like straw but there might be lice hidden in them, I wear several bags on my head every day."
For this type of straw wig, any actor wearing it would look like a beggar, no matter how beautiful and even though he was wearing a beautiful river monster.
In addition, the costumes of the extras couldn't be washed after being worn 800 times. It was fine when they were covered with mud and soil and they would even become rancid in the summer.
Xue Xiao and the brother looked at each other and sighed in unison.
Then the two of them laughed at the same time.
"Hey, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Chang Yun and I've been acting as an extra for three years," Cheng Yun said. "In addition to you, there are 26 people so far. It seems that they are all plain people who are extras."
The show seemed to have specially arranged the artists who had signed with entertainment companies to appear in the back.
Sure enough, once 30 people arrived, the 31 person who arrived at the studio was a contracted artist.
This entertainer was very reserved when he entered here.
He looked like he was in his early 20s and it wasn't known if he had graduated from college or not. He politely and modestly greeted them, "Hello, brother and sisters. Then he sat down in a low-key manner in the front row.
The moment the resume came out, most people didn't know him. There were too many people in the entertainment industry and only a few people could remember all their names.
However, everyone still greeted each other in a friendly manner. The young artist sighed with relief before smiling and chatting with the people around him.
Chang Yun sighed and said in a low voice, "It is too difficult to get ahead in this circle. I would treat a shot like yours as a family heirloom but you still can't sign with a big company."
There were also a large number of unknown names among those who had signed with a company.
Xue Xiao was seriously watching other people's video highlights. Once he heard this, he encouraged the other person, "But there will indeed be more drama appointments with a good shot."
"No matter how many drama appointments there are, you are still a background actor. Do you want to be a background actor for the rest of your life?"
Xue Xiao shook his head. He changed his sitting posture and folded his hands and forearms over his knees. Then he told Chang Yun seriously, "The road is always taken step by step. We've only been trying for a few years. How did we get to the point of talking about 'for a lifetime'?"
He counted with his fingers, "XXX was a background actor, right? It took him ten years playing a supporting role and another five years playing a male lead. XX is from a professional major and she played a supporting role in a popular drama as soon as she debuted. However, she didn't play a leading role until more than ten years later…"
"After all, it is only a minority who becomes popular overnight. Leaving aside these few cases, the fact that we can get an opportunity to be on this variety show at this age is already very lucky," Xue Xiao said very quietly. He pursed his lips and smiled. "Brother Chang, don't be too discouraged. Jiayou."
Chang Yun covered his heart. "Xiao Xue, you are so good at talking. I am convinced. Now I feel that I am quite amazing!"
Xue Xiao was happy. "It is amazing. I also think I am amazing."
—
Among the artists who came to the scene later, some of them didn't like to talk to these amateurs. They greeted the audience with a smile but then they found a corner by themselves and looked like they didn't want to chat to anyone.
There were also artists who really thought they were 18th tier unknowns and soon integrated with everyone.
A girl came in and her eyes swept over the audience. Then her gaze miraculously fixed on Xue Xiao.
Once her resume was released on the big screen, the 23 year old girl called Jiang Lianlian, who had signed a contract with a large company, was so excited that her cheeks turned crimson. She sat down next to Xue Xiao and said excitedly, "Xue Xiao! You are Xue Xiao, right?!"
Xue Xiao was a bit surprised and extended his hand in a friendly manner. "I am Xue Xiao. Hello."
"Hello, hello." Jiang Lianlian shook Xue Xiao's hand hard. Her mood was the same as when a fan saw an idol. She covered her mouth and said, "I didn't expect you to come to this show. I really like the scene where you played the river monster. I also screenshot it as a wallpaper for my computer and mobile phone. I haven't changed it until now. You see!"
She took out her phone and showed it off. "I've always wanted to see you act more. I like you so much."
Xue Xiao's ears turned red.
It was the first time he was told 'I like you so much' to his face.
Maybe she was too surprised but Jiang Lianlian didn't feel nervous at all. She had many words. Chang Yun was also a talker. The two of them chatted until their mouths were dry.
Xue Xiao sat between them. He listened to the left and right and was very happy.
After around two hours, the studio finally became crowded.
Suddenly, someone said, "49, there is still one last person left."
"Hey, they're coming in."
Xue Xiao instinctively turned his head. He looked at the back door and paused.
A familiar figure appeared there.
PART 2
Jiang Lianlian immediately closed her mouth.
The audience fell silent.
Fan Xue was 1.8 meters tall and wore a loose and casual white shirt and ripped jeans, he had a stud earring in his left ear and wore refreshing makeup. He looked particularly handsome.
Popular energy was a very metaphysical thing.
There were many people who believed that popularity would nourish people. So once an ordinary person became popular, his temperament and aura would be very different from the past. The gap with ordinary people would increase even further.
A celebrity stood with a bunch of Internet celebrities and many people could easily tell the difference.
Fan Xue already had a bit of this taste.
Obviously, many people wore makeup today. A rough guy like Chang Yun changed into a handsome outfit, let alone the young artists who had signed contracts. They had many accessories such as necklaces and rings.
However, Fan Xue looked different from everyone else in the audience.
This was the gap in aura.
The atmosphere that instantly quieted down didn't affect Fan Xue in the slightest. He bowed calmly and said with a humble smile, "Hello everyone, I am Fan Xue."
Then he walked past Xue Xiao without squinting. He walked to the front and sat down.
Chang Yun lowered his voice and said, "It is worthy of being a popular star. He feels different. The perfume on his body smells quite good. I don't know what brand it is…"
Halfway through his words, he felt that the atmosphere was a bit wrong and glanced at Xue Xiao and Jiang Lianlian. "Why aren't you talking?"
Jiang Lianlian glanced at Xue Xiao.
It was a coincidence that she had a friend who was an extreme black fan of Fan Xue. This friend had been lurking in Fan Xue's super talk for a long time to get first-hand information. Through this friend's mouth, Jiang Lianlian immediately knew about it when Fan Xue and Xue Xiao had a conflict on set.
This incident itself wasn't a big deal. Only fans of Fan Xue jumped up and down in the super talk, saying that a little background actor dared to rob the male protagonist's scene. They said that the little background actor called Xue Xiao had most likely climbed into the director's bed and wanted to replace Fan Xue as the male protagonist.
It was outrageous.
Some fans these days didn't just like to spread bad rumors about female stars. They also liked to do it with male stars, as if they couldn't live without such rumors.
As an industry insider, Jiang Lianlian didn't believe this type of rumor with no evidence.
The conflict between the two of them might be true and it was hard to say who bullied whom, but there was a high probability that Xue Xiao, a background actor, was more likely to be the one who ended up unlucky later.
So she was really surprised when she saw Xue Xiao in this studio.
But it was also at this time that her mind returned… the show chose Xue Xiao. Did they really fancy his potential or did they fancy the hype potential of the contradictions between him and Fan Xue?
It was hard to say.
Xue Xiao wasn't famous. Even if he climbed to the tail of the hot search, he was forgotten by the public in two or three days. However, once he entered the same show, it didn't matter who he was. As long as there was contradiction then there was traffic.
However, if the show really wanted to create hype then the one who would receive the script of the sacrifice was Xue Xiao.
Thinking of this, Jiang Lianlian glanced at Xue Xiao with worry.
Xue Xiao's mentality was much better than Jiang Lianlian imagined.
Zhang Chengyu had always been worried about Fan Xue when he first received the email from the show team.
"Does Fan Xue know that the show chose you as a participant?"
At this time, an extras sister said, "I think he must know now. He is trying to ban Xiao Xiao. How can he let Xiao Xiao appear on such a big show?"
Another older brother said, "He doesn't know now but he must know later. If he knows, will he kick Xiao Xiao off the list?"
"It is very possible…"
However, until the show was about to start recording, Xue Xiao never received any notice of changes from the show.
"Then there is only one possibility." Zhang Chengyu analyzed it. "The person behind Fan Xue might be able to persuade the leaders of the guild to block Xiao Xiao but the other person's connections aren't enough to interfere with this show."
"In any case, it is already a fact that he can't stop you from being on this show." Zhang Chengyu patted Xue Xiao's shoulder. "Of course, the matter between the two of you might be dug up when the show is aired. It is difficult to say how the direction of public opinion will change, but everything in this world involves both risks and opportunities."
Xue Xiao's tone was very calm. "Don't worry, Master. I know."
—
Sitting in the back row, Xue Xiao just glanced at the back of Fan Xue's head before turning his gaze to the stage in front.
Once all the participants arrived, the host finally appeared.
The audience shook and everyone became excited.
Jiang Quan was the ace host of Guantian. He was 44 years old this year. He was tall and straight and had a strong aura. He took the microphone on the stage, waved to everyone and said with a smile, "Hello everyone, welcome to the stage of Guantian's self-made variety show, Studio Superstar."
Jiang Quan's hosting style was quite natural and friendly without the rigid recitation of the show's promotional text. This alleviated the tension of many people.
"I can see that 50 participants have gathered and everyone has their suitcases. You are all ready for the next closed training, right?"
"Yes!" Everyone responded loudly.
Jiang Quan smiled. "Here are some more familiar faces—"
In the front row, the cameraman carried a machine to sweep over the faces of some contracted artists.
These people had signed with companies and had resources, so they all played some supporting roles.
"There are also some participants carrying folding chairs on their backs. Where are you from?"
"Someone shouted, "We are all extras!"
Perhaps it was due to the excitement but the last sound was particularly exaggerated and this amused the audience.
"There are also some participants who seem a bit nervous and tense."
Jiang Quan's eyes shifted to a certain trainee on a seat.
The participant said, "I-I haven't acted seriously. I only acted in dramas in elementary school but I am very interested in acting!"
"It is a participant with zero foundation." Jiang Quan nodded. "So here we have amateurs, extras, background actors and some newcomers who have signed with companies to debut but have encountered difficulties."
"Everyone is different but everyone is united by their love of acting."
"From now on, no matter your previous identity, your identity at this moment is all 'zero'."
The big screen behind Jiang Quan suddenly turned into a blank sheet of paper. The center of the white paper was a huge, black and solemn '0.'
Everyone quietly held their breaths while their hearts were stirring in their chests.
Jiang Quan raised an index finger and said forcefully, "Studio Superstar provides a stage for everyone who wants to act starting from zero. As long as you work hard, you might become 1, 10, 100 or even infinity!"
"Do you have confidence in yourself?"
"Yes!"
"What is your goal?"
"Infinity!"
Jiang Quan took two steps back and said with a smile, "Did the four mentors hear the shouts of the participants?"
Everyone was stunned.
Once the big screen changed and four figures that everyone knew appeared, the audience was in an uproar.
Xue Xiao, who was sitting in the back row, extended his neck sharply. His eyes widened and shone.
The hands resting on his knees couldn't help curling up.
It was obviously another studio.
It was a much bigger, theatrical studio than theirs.
The camera was facing the four mentor seats at the front of the studio.
On the first left was the beautiful Best Actress winner, Guan Ruoying. She had wavy, black hair and a beautiful appearance. She wore a well-designed black dress and had a graceful figure.
Perhaps she also saw the participants on the screen on their side. Then she greeted them with a smile, "Hello everyone, I am Guan Ruoying."
The participants screamed. Guan Ruoying was a well-known killer of both men and women. All the gays and lesbians present were extremely excited on the spot!
The woman on the far right was around 27 years old. She had handsome, short hair and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of her nose. She was slim and upright in a women's suit.
"Hello everyone, I am Su Shijin."
Su Shijin was a famous screenwriter of suspense themes. In an environment where domestic screenwriters couldn't intervene in the crew, she was able to fight her way out and lead the entire crew.
In the studio, Chang Yun was so excited that he shook Xue Xiao hard. "Su Shijin, if I can be seen by her and become her royal actor then I will be truly invincible!"
Xue Xiao's facial features flew wildly. "Brother Chang, don't shake, don't shake!"
The two people sitting in the middle were even more heavyweight.
One of them was in his 30s and was elegant and stable. He nodded toward the camera. "Hello everyone, I am Feng Wei."
"Ahhhhhh!"
"Director Feng, ahhhh!"
'Director Feng, I want to act in your movie!"
Feng Wei was a genius director who won an award for his first movie in his 29s. Now he was just in his 30s and had already secured the position of a famous director in China.
Among the people here, forget the amateurs. How many among the signed artists dreamed of acting in Feng Wei's movies?
But even Fan Xue, who had the highest position among the participants in the audience, might not be qualified to interview for a role in Feng Wei's movie!
Fan Xue gulped and tried to maintain his composure, but his quietly clenched fists already revealed his nervousness and excitement.
The last one—
"Ahhhhhhhh!:
"Teacher Shen ahhhhhhh!"
"My male god. Help, I'm going to faint!"
"Teacher Shen, I love you. Ahhhhh!"
In the midst of the crazy screaming of the audience—or under the close-range attacks of Jiang Lianlian and Chang Yun on his left and right sides—Xue Xiao covered his ears in pain.
He heard the sound of his heart beating faster.
He held his breath and stared in a motionless manner at the man on the screen.
When submitting his resume to the show, Xue Xiao never expected that… this person would be among the mentor group invited by the show!
His handsome and impeccable eyebrows, his pair of long and narrow pair of eyes with a natural light color and a bit of coldness, the straight nose bridge, the thin lips and the elegant and sexy jawline—everything seemed to be carefully outlined and was perfect to the point of being indescribable.
He had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, a tall figure and a pair of long legs wrapped in suit pants that had nowhere to rest behind the mentor's desk. Every part of his body was a full score.
There was once a marketing account who engaged in a selection of stunning male stars in internal entertainment. The results were undoubtedly that Shen Tingyan was in first place and the gap with second place was like the difference between heaven and earth.
To have such a male artist in this century was a blessing for internal entertainment, a passerby once said.
It was exaggerated but it was recognized by countless people.
Xue Xiao liked Shen Tingyan and longed for Shen Tingyan not because of his appearance but because of his ability and acting skills.
This man was a three-time Best Actor and his acting ability was unique in domestic entertainment.
On the screen, a slender and bony hand closed the roster of participants.
Shen Tingyan leaned lazily against the chair and raised his eyes slightly. His lips opened and his voice was cold and low. "Hello everyone, I am Shen Tingyan."
Xue Xiao's palms were sweating.
Shen Tingyan was his goal on the road of acting.