The Stand-in Side Character Only Wants to Make Money – CH5

Chapter 5 – Gold Coins

The night passed in silence.

After all the late-night activity, Chen Bai finally managed to fall asleep around 3 or 4 a.m. When he woke up the next morning, the sun was already high in the sky.

He got up, grabbed some buns from last night for breakfast, threw on a jacket, and headed out. As he walked downstairs, he checked his phone.

For convenience, he had exchanged WeChat contacts with the assistant he had spoken to over the phone. That morning, the assistant had sent him a file.

Though his body had been up for a while, his brain wasn’t fully awake yet, so he put the phone back in his pocket without opening the file. Instead, he pulled out the key to the lock shop.

The sunlight was bright, flooding the shop with warmth. Chen Bai pulled up a chair, slouched against the counter, and basked in the sun.

Munching slowly on a bun, he absentmindedly rolled up his left sleeve to check a wound that had already healed.

It still ached a little. Yesterday’s workload had been too much, after all. He made a mental note to find a better balance in the future.

Just as he glanced at the wound, footsteps approached. A tall figure passed by.

Still half-asleep, Chen Bai lazily propped himself up on the counter and squinted at the passerby, spotting the familiar sight of his gray-coated neighbor.

Tall, long legs, hat pulled down low—there was no mistaking it. As Chen Bai let his sleeve fall back down, the bun still in his mouth didn’t stop him from greeting the person.

He waved a hand while holding the bun, catching the attention of his passing neighbor.

A single dark eye, the only visible part of his face, glanced over at him. Chen Bai waved and mumbled, “Morning.”

Objectively, it wasn’t really morning anymore, and he didn’t look fully awake.

Basking in the sunlight, Chen Bai had become one with the counter, a bun from last night still in his mouth.

The sunlight caught the ends of his tousled hair, turning them a light golden color. His half-closed eyes, unfocused and gray, made a feeble attempt at greeting, as if he still hadn’t completely woken up.

Considering he’d been up making buns at 2 a.m., it made sense that he was sleepy now.

Xu Sinian glanced at the person lying on the counter and the still-extended hand. He nodded slightly and returned the greeting, “Morning.”

Having received a response, the person at the counter finally withdrew his hand in satisfaction, placing it under his head. After finishing the last bite of the bun, he closed his eyes peacefully, basking in the sun.

A wonderful morning that started with falling asleep at work.

“…”

“…Such beautiful light and shadows, so pretty.”

“Stop talking and just take the picture, we still need to head back.”

The bustling sounds of the old neighborhood gradually grew clearer. The person lying motionless on the counter stirred, vaguely hearing voices, and finally opened his eyes.

After napping for a while, his groggy mind finally cleared.

Though his brain had woken up, the bun he had been eating was gone, and his good neighbor, whom he had greeted earlier, had also disappeared. Lifting his head, Chen Bai saw two young girls standing by the door of the shop.

Apparently, they hadn’t expected him to wake up so suddenly. The two girls were holding cameras, lenses pointed right at him. Clearly, they had been taking pictures of him and were now frozen in place, flustered and apologizing repeatedly.

Chen Bai didn’t mind. He yawned and sat up from the counter, propping his head on his hand with a relaxed smile. “Just remember to delete any ugly ones.”

His attitude was easygoing, and his smile was casual. Bathed in the sunlight, he seemed warm and relaxed, showing he really didn’t care.

One of the girls hesitated for a moment before, with a bit of shyness, stepping forward and smiling slightly, “Do you want to take a look? All the pictures came out great, no ugly ones at all.”

Chen Bai tilted his head and obligingly glanced at the photos on the camera screen.

The other girl also came over, and Chen Bai’s natural tendency to chat kicked in. While looking at the pictures, he began making small talk with the two girls.

It turned out that the girls were journalism and photography students from a nearby university. They needed portrait photos for their assignment, so they had come to the old neighborhood for inspiration. Too shy to take pictures of awake people, they had spotted him sleeping and figured it would be okay to take a few shots.

After reviewing the photos, Chen Bai gave his opinion, “Good thing I don’t drool in my sleep.”

The two girls laughed.

Though the conversation was pleasant, it didn’t last long, as the girls had class to attend and had to rush back after taking the photos.

After saying goodbye to them, Chen Bai finally got down to business. He took a couple of lock-picking jobs, and during some downtime, he opened the file sent by the assistant earlier that morning.

The assistant had indeed compiled some information about Bai Yueguang for him.

The book content he had crammed into his brain was a chaotic mess, and the supporting character in the story had been involved in a one-sided, emotionally intense relationship with Cai Shenhuo, paying no attention to anything else. As a result, he had no useful reference points.

He wasn’t interested in a melodramatic same-sex love story; he just wanted to succeed in his high-paying post-tax job. To do that, he needed to understand Bai Yueguang fully.

According to the assistant’s recollections, ‘White Moonlight’ was a quiet, soft-spoken person with a gentle demeanor. His health wasn’t great due to some conditions, and, most importantly, he didn’t like physical contact with others.

Though the assistant hadn’t said it outright, Chen Bai could infer that this aversion to touch likely included Huo Chuan as well.

It turned out that dodging the other day in the restaurant had been the right move.

After finishing the file, just as he was about to close the document, a phone call came in.

It was the landlord, calling from a noisy place that sounded crowded.

“Hey, Xiao Chen, I’ve got a situation…”

Chen Bai listened to the landlord’s explanation, grabbing a sheet of paper and a pen to jot down the key points.

Having just completed two jobs, another one came in.

Someone needed a locksmith, and they had called the landlord. However, the landlord was at the hospital, busy taking his grandson for vaccinations and unable to leave, so he asked Chen Bai to handle it.

The job was close by, just down the street in the old neighborhood.

After arriving with his tools, Chen Bai saw the metal barrier that spanned across the street, and only then did he remember hearing shopkeepers mention a film crew working nearby.

It seemed the lock he needed to open was for something related to the film crew.

Standing at the door, Chen Bai called the phone number the landlord had left him and gave a brief update.

After hanging up, just as he was about to put his phone away, he saw a tall, thin person running out from behind a tightly closed door in the distance, scanning the surroundings as soon as they stepped outside.

For a brief moment, their eyes met. Chen Bai was about to raise his hand to signal, but the tall, thin man immediately looked past him and continued scanning the area.

Not finding who he was looking for, the tall man pulled out his phone and tapped the screen a couple of times, making a call while looking around again.

Chen Bai’s phone rang.

The distance between them wasn’t far, and the tall man noticed it too. Realizing that Chen Bai was the one receiving the call, he finally looked over, his eyes filled with uncertainty. After a moment of hesitation, he cautiously asked, “…Are you the locksmith?”

Chen Bai pointed to the tool bag slung over his shoulder.

“…”

So it really was him.

The tall man knew the prop master had called in someone to help, but he hadn’t expected it to be someone like Chen Bai.

Hanging up the phone, the tall man walked over, and after getting a close-up view of Chen Bai’s face under his messy hair, his eye twitched slightly in disbelief. “Has your profession become this competitive?”

Chen Bai: “Huh?”

It seemed like the tall man was too stunned to continue explaining, and Chen Bai didn’t push. Instead, he asked where the lock needed to be opened.

The tall man led him to the door for registration, then walked toward a certain direction. “It’s the prop storage room.”

The tall man was part of the props team, and one of his jobs was to manage the props inventory. There were two keys to the prop room—one was with him, and the other was with his department head. When he had temporarily left the room during inventory, he had absentmindedly left the key inside. By the time he returned, the door had closed, either due to someone’s mistake or just the wind blowing.

The department head’s key had been lent to an actor as a prop, and after use, it had also been left in the room. Now both keys were locked inside, along with some camera equipment the photography team needed for their next shoot. With no way to get in, he had called the nearest locksmith for help.

Regarding the tall man’s predicament, Chen Bai could only pat him on the shoulder and reassure him that it was a common occurrence.

As they chatted, Chen Bai glanced at the film crew again.

“Looking for stars?” The tall man, having had enough experience, knew very well what people usually wanted when they entered the crew. He kindly reminded him, “You won’t see them at this time; the second unit is still shooting, and the first unit’s actors are in their dressing rooms and shouldn’t be disturbed.”

“Not really.”

Chen Bai appreciated the tall man’s kind reminder and glanced at the busy workers passing by, saying, “I’m just looking to see if there’s any work I can do.”

He then asked, “So, friend, how’s the pay in your line of work?”

The tall man looked puzzled. “…?”

After a brief silence, he finally spoke, but Chen Bai couldn’t hear what he said.

A louder voice from nearby drowned out their conversation. Following the source of the noise, Chen Bai spotted a person wearing a vest not far away, seemingly yelling at someone, their face and neck flushed red.

Chen Bai felt a sense of admiration.

The person, who appeared to be of some age, could still project such a powerful voice.

Following his gaze, the tall man said, “That’s the director. He’s in a bad mood right now, so don’t go bother him.”

Intrigued by the gossip, Chen Bai nearly stifled a yawn he had just been about to let out.

This wasn’t something particularly confidential; the tall man went on to explain. He said that one of the actors in the crew, a supporting character, had been messing up their lines. Though their role wasn’t substantial, they had a scene with the main character. Due to various issues, they had fallen behind schedule, and when they finally showed up, they had mixed up their lines, making a complete mess of their performance.

In a fit of anger, the director had replaced the actor, but the previous substitute had already scheduled other work, leaving them to audition for someone new. They had spent half a day auditioning but hadn’t found a suitable replacement yet.

Additionally, because of someone who had accidentally left the keys to the prop room inside, they were now unable to access it, which could potentially delay the production.

“…”

The tall man spoke, wiping his face in frustration.

Chen Bai comforted him, patting his shoulder. “I’ll try to open it quickly.”

When he said “quickly,” he meant it.

The lock on the room was a standard one that didn’t require much effort to open, and with a few turns, it could be done.

With a “click,” as the tall man watched, Chen Bai, who had been half-squatting, stood up, took out his phone, and smiled brightly. “Friend, your payment is 50.”

Those who receive large sums of money always smile most sincerely when collecting.

Not far away, the director, who had been loudly venting, finally paused.

It wasn’t because he had calmed down; it was just that the second unit had taken a break, and the assistant director had come over to check on the situation.

The director waved his hand dismissively. “What situation could there be? There’s not a usable one among them.”

With the pay for the roles set, they couldn’t afford the expensive actors, didn’t have time for the suitable ones, and the cheaper ones were not up to standard. They had auditioned intermittently throughout the day and were still lacking.

Though the character they needed to fill was a supporting role with limited screen time, it was crucial. The character was a patient living on the same street as the female lead—sickly yet gentle and cheerful. They had minimal screen time but were essential to the story. An actor trying too hard could come off as contrived and overly affected, while one who didn’t fully engage would lack the necessary emotion.

The assistant director understood the director’s frustration but also saw the reality of the situation. “Let’s settle for someone; we can’t delay any further.”

After he finished speaking, his gaze fell on someone at the end of the street, and he paused, asking, “Is that also someone here for the audition today?”

“What?” The director turned to look, recognizing the figure after a few moments. He paused again and said, “No, it’s not.”

He wouldn’t forget a face he had seen before.

The props team had mentioned they would find someone to unlock the door, and since that was where the props were stored, the person should be the locksmith.

They watched as the person who had been half-squatting now stood up and turned slightly toward them.

The person was slim, and their bright smile was almost blinding.

In a flash, the director stood up.

Just as Chen Bai was about to leave with his toolkit, he was suddenly called over by the director.

The director asked if he would be interested in auditioning.

Chen Bai was only interested in the money. He had a clear self-awareness and could guess what the audition was for based on the context.

Knowing what he could earn and recognizing that he wasn’t suited for roles that didn’t fit him, he politely declined.

The director said, “Just play a gentle and cheerful patient; the audition is free. If you pass, I’ll pay you.”

Chen Bai replied, “I’ll give it a try.”

The two reached an understanding on some level.

The tall man and the assistant director watched in surprise as the two of them walked away, momentarily stunned.

Once their brains caught up, the tall man remembered to go back inside to retrieve the keys, while the assistant director followed the two who had already walked some distance to see what was happening.

Chen Bai followed the director to the other end of the street. The director pointed to a gray-white building covered in greenery. “Go up to the second floor. There’s a window over there; do you see it?”

This building was supposed to represent the patient’s home, with the window leading to the patient’s room. Chen Bai’s task was to go up to the second floor, write at the window, and when he saw the female lead pass by, to open the window and show her what he had written, and then smile.

Since it was just an audition, the female lead wouldn’t actually be there to cooperate; he needed to pretend she was passing by.

Chen Bai asked, “What should I write?”

The director glanced at the time and said, “You can write anything, as long as you have that motion. You can start as soon as you’re ready.”

Chen Bai understood and turned to enter the building.

Though he wasn’t entirely sure, he felt that aside from the cheerful aspect, this character was quite similar to ‘White Moonlight’, so perhaps it would be worth a shot.

This house also seemed to be one of the filming locations, with various items piled up on the first floor and photography tracks still in place.

Avoiding the clutter on the ground, he went up to the second floor and found the room the director had mentioned.

On the windowsill, a few sheets of paper and a pen were already set up as promised. Standing here and looking down, he could clearly see a group of people gathered below.

The camera was ready, the director was present, and there were quite a few others around, creating a serious atmosphere that could easily make one feel nervous.

However, a natural social butterfly like Chen Bai was never intimidated by the crowd; in fact, he found that the more people there were, the easier it was for him to perform.

He flexed his wrist, closed his eyes, and then opened them again, bending down to pick up the pen.

Below the window, on the street, the director and the crowd finally saw a figure appear at the window.

The appearance of the figure signified that the audition had officially begun.

Today, the sunlight was bright and warm, illuminating the dark wooden windowsill. The glass had been wiped clean but still bore mottled water stains, blurring the outline of the person standing by the window, revealing only a slender silhouette.

The shadows of the trees swayed slowly, and time seemed to stand still, except for the pen that was subtly moving behind the window.

“…”

The pen, moving slowly, came to a halt. The person behind the window seemed to notice something, slightly raising their downturned eyebrows and lowering the pen.

The window was pushed open, and the previously blurred figure suddenly became clear. The person by the window had pale skin reflecting the sunlight, and their light gray pupils gazed toward the roadside across, following something moving, then stopped, momentarily appearing to shine.

Those standing below unconsciously followed his gaze, only to find that there was no one there, just a pile of clutter.

The assistant director glanced at the director, noticing that the latter had straightened up and was no longer looking away.

When they turned back, the person by the window had put down the pen and was handing a piece of paper out of the window, their expression relaxing, offering a faint smile.

The light filtering through the shadows of the cotton tree cast dappled patterns; it was calm and peaceful, yet they inexplicably felt they could hear the sound of leaves rustling and even capture the shape of passing clouds.

Some people stood there, making the air feel fresher as if a gentle breeze had blown through.

Everyone’s gaze naturally fell on the paper being handed out from the upper floor, eager to see what was written on it.

[Can the God of Wealth explode more gold coins?]

[Let’s make some dumplings tonight.]

The first line was crossed out by a horizontal line, leaving only the second sentence.

Everyone: “…”

The breeze that had seemed to whisper in their ears instantly vanished, along with the refreshing feeling, plunging them back into reality.

Not only did they learn the most plain and simple desire deep within his heart, but they also inadvertently discovered his dinner plans for the night.

When asked to write something casually, this person had truly expressed himself freely, showing no reservations.