The Stand-in Side Character Only Wants to Make Money – CH57

Chapter 57: New Clothes!

Chen Bai felt that his good neighbor’s guess was surprisingly accurate.

There was still a little time left, and he slowly chatted with his good neighboor. When dinner time rolled around, he realized it was time to eat, so he said goodbye and hung up the call.

An uneventful half-day of rest passed, and soon it was back to a full schedule of work.

All the scenes in the inn had wrapped up, and the crew took a brief sigh of relief before diving into other shooting schedules.

At all times, they were pushing for progress and keeping on schedule. When Chen Bai chatted privately with his friend Qian Jin, he objectively felt that, in a way, this resembled high school math—like how the math teacher would say they were already behind from the first step into the classroom at the start of the semester.

His friend laughed, echoing his sentiment.

—Then his friend could hardly laugh anymore.

After weeks of early mornings, Qian Jin seemed to be floating in a state of calm indifference, speaking with a tranquility that reflected a disdain for worldly matters. As long as there was a paycheck, as long as there was tea or black coffee to sustain him, Chen Bai, the hardworking worker, remained unchanged, diligently vibrant and lively.

As the weather grew colder, it also got brighter later outside; sometimes, it wouldn’t start to lighten until halfway through the morning work, making the morning sun warm the bodies like corpses.

After finishing a scene, they happened to catch some sunshine. Qian Jin slumped in his chair, going into his daily state of mental emptiness, soaking up the sun to chase away the humidity.

The black coffee was nearly gone, and the new tea leaves lacked potency; without anything to sustain him, Chen Bai took a couple of sips from his thermos filled with tea, lying back in the sun beside him.

The figure next to him turned and looked over, their gaze drifting to his thermos, asking, “Just when I’m hungry, what good stuff do you have in there? Let me have a sip.”

This was no longer a quaint inn near the small town but a remote and unknown place with no shops around. There weren’t even many people; to buy anything to fill their stomachs, they’d have to drive back to town, and no one in the crew had the time to make that trip during this hour.

Chen Bai generously passed his thermos over, saying, “It’s just some tea that doesn’t really wake you up.”

Qian Jin then retracted his hand, saying, “Then I’ll wait for lunch.”

Chen Bai took back the thermos, smiling as he stood up and bent over to turn the chair of the sunbathing figure so they faced away from the sun.

The figure opened their eyes. “You’re so cruel.”

With the adjustment made, they had to turn back themselves, and upon doing so, claimed they would be the first to eat lunch today.

Cruel Chen Bai hugged his thermos and lay back in his chair again, to which the other merely responded with a simple acknowledgment.

The morning hours dragged on, especially since they had significantly more scenes to shoot today.

The lunch delivery vehicle arrived close to noon.

The meal was personally delivered by the owner of a restaurant in town because it was a large order, and delivery was included. The staff helped distribute the food, confirming that everyone had their share before the owner left.

The one who had claimed he would be the first to eat lunch was still filming; the rest, who weren’t working temporarily, started eating first while he continued to perform in a fierce fight scene.

His assistant brought his meal and placed it on his chair, trying to soak up the sun to maintain its warmth.

Whether or not it stayed warm was uncertain, but all the others who received their meals ended up satisfied.

The restaurant owner was quite honest, fearing that after their high-intensity work, the usual portion wouldn’t be enough, so he had added quite a bit to the servings, leaving plenty leftover by the end.

After eating their fill, the group still working finally wrapped up for the moment.

Chen Bai was seated in his chair when he saw his friend Qian Jin rushing back, nearly flying to his seat and grabbing the lunch that was placed on the seat.

“That was close, I almost starved to death…”

His friend started speaking but then stopped. Chen Bai turned to look, seeing his friend had lost almost all color, appearing pale and staring blankly at a single direction.

Now he truly looked like a corpse.

Following his friend’s gaze down, he saw the lunch that had been eagerly anticipated for the entire morning sitting on the side of a box.

It was indeed lunch. Both in terms of the overall and the individual aspects.

Lunch consisted of rice and vegetables separated into two boxes: one box of rice and another box of vegetables. However, his friend’s lunch have one box of rice, and the other box was also rice.

Qian Jin “…”

No one expected such a rare meal option to appear, leaving even the surrounding assistants stunned as they unconsciously glanced at the food they had already finished and thrown aside.

Each person received a portion for lunch, and the restaurant owner who delivered the food had already left. If they wanted to exchange it for something else, they would have to wait for someone to return.

It was far from the town, and by the time the owner arrived, the food would likely be gone.

The collapse of a wealthy young master often happens in an instant; in a flash, Qian Jin felt like he could shed tears like wide noodles.

In a way, his ability to offer such a rare meal was comparable to Chen Bai’s bad luck. Chen Bai stuffed a few bites of rice into his mouth and extended his hand to comfortingly pat his shoulder, saying, “It’s okay; we can still salvage it.”

The pale figure’s color warmed up a bit as he weakly asked, “How can we salvage it?”

Then he watched as the white-haired man casually ruffled his hair, making his already messy hair even messier.

At first, he didn’t understand what he was doing until the person took his lunchbox, turned to his manager, cleared his throat, and spoke:

“Good Samaritan…”

The voice was filled with age, the emotions sincere, and the styling and props on point—more professional than the occasional street performers one might encounter.

Qian Jin: “…”

His manager, Gao Qian, who had just picked up her chopsticks for lunch: “…”

They often joked about how this outfit made him look like a beggar; now, it seemed he really had gotten into character.

Taking advantage of a moment of silence, the white-haired man kindly reminded him, “No need for rice; just some vegetables will do.”

Gao Qian found herself momentarily at a loss for words and silently sent a piece of vegetables to rest on the white rice.

Following the manager were two assistants, then a group of friendly colleagues who had just begun eating, and even the director didn’t escape unscathed.

He made a small circuit around the crew, and the once empty rice box was now piled high with vegetables, while a cameraman who had been sent by the unfortunate director captured the entire transformation, watching the meal gradually become lavish.

Along the way, Chen Bai finally passed by Chu Mingyuan, who was also just starting his meal.

Having filmed action scenes all morning, he was physically drained, and the director had arranged for an extra chicken leg for him, making his meal look far more luxurious than the simple box of rice Chen Bai had.

Their eyes met, and before he could say anything, his good colleague unexpectedly offered, raising his head to ask, “Want one of these?”

His “this” referred to the chicken leg the director had added.

After contemplating the chicken leg for two seconds, Chen Bai decisively turned away, saying, “I don’t eat leftovers from others.”

Hustling was still hustling; it was labor. The box of rice in his hand was the result of his own efforts, and he couldn’t let a chicken leg break his work ethic.

As long as he got the vegetables himself, he didn’t need the chicken leg someone sent him. It showed he was a man of principles.

The people around couldn’t help but laugh, while the cameraman behind him struggled to suppress his laughter, his shoulders shaking. Chu Mingyuan also smiled slightly.

Feeling that the box of rice in his hands was enough for his little friend, Chen Bai didn’t continue wandering around the crew. He made his way back to his seat, returning the labor he earned to his still-hungry friend.

This portion of food, both in variety and quantity, was already considered unbeatable luxury. He never expected to eat in this manner; Qian Jin’s impending tears of noodles came to a halt.

What started as a simple lunch had turned into an ultra-luxurious meal. He held his chopsticks, still somewhat in disbelief, first opening his eyes wide to express gratitude before tentatively reaching out with his chopsticks.

Beneath the vegetables, white rice was still hiding; though it had drastically changed, it was indeed his portion of lunch.

He then lowered his head, eagerly digging in, finally voicing the joy of finally starting the meal amidst the busyness.

Kind-hearted Chen Bai sat down beside him, slowly sipping his not-so-awakening tea while unfolding the script, quietly enjoying his hidden achievements.

Once the meal started, people naturally felt chatty. After his stomach was filled, Qian Jin’s eating speed noticeably slowed, and he began chatting as he ate, inching closer and saying, “You really have great connections.”

The unremarkable social genius humbly scratched his head, replying, “It’s alright.”

Leaning in a bit more, Qian Jin asked, “Have you been getting along pretty well with Chu Mingyuan lately?”

Flipping a page in the now twice-thick script he held, Chen Bai glanced sideways, “What makes you say that?”

Qian Jin pointed to the meal he was holding, saying, “He actually gave you a chicken leg.” Although it ended up not happening.

He then began listing, “He actively sought you out to practice lines before, and didn’t he chat with you when I wasn’t around?”

Finally willing to lift his head, Chen Bai objectively analyzed, “In the end, the chicken leg was meant for you, and practicing lines was to reduce the chances of NGs, which means he isn’t confident about acting with me. You see, he hasn’t practice with you much, right? That could mean trust.”

He retorted with a question: “Have you been getting along pretty well with him lately?”

His analysis surprisingly made sense, leaving Qian Jin momentarily stunned, as his mind couldn’t process it all. He vaguely felt something was off but couldn’t pinpoint what.

Once his brain finally caught up, he opened his eyes wide, saying, “You’re pulling my leg.”

Setting aside everything else, the last sentence about Chu Mingyuan trusting him was already explosive enough.

Trust my foot!

If he truly trusted him, he wouldn’t need to be overly cautious and careful every time they practiced lines together, fearing he might accidentally mess up.

Such nonsensical talk failed to fool anyone, so Chen Bai just smiled, lightly brushing off the topic.

This morning had been heavy with tasks, and the afternoon wasn’t much better. However, since he and his friend had fewer scenes, it was relatively easy. In a light-hearted atmosphere, he made the most of his outfit, privately acting as a poor beggar and a wicked landlord for half the afternoon.

The two managers observed the two of them performing energetically, left speechless, and chose to look away.

In a way, he had finally discovered the true use of this outfit.
Unfortunately, happy times are always fleeting.

In other words, good times don’t last long. Just as he had discovered the true use of his beggar outfit and hadn’t had enough of playing the poor beggar and the wicked landlord, Chen Bai learned that night that he would be changing skins.

The crew had been applying to rent a royal mansion in the city for shooting locations. The mansion had been under renovation, but it was finally completed in the last few days, and the application was finally approved.

It was approved, but time was tight; the mansion would reopen to visitors in two weeks. The local cultural tourism bureau had already announced the opening date, which couldn’t be changed, so the crew needed to finish filming all the scenes set in the royal mansion within those two weeks. Originally, the opening date had been set for a week later, but considering the crew’s situation, it had been pushed back by another week, which was the maximum time extension they could manage.

On a positive note, the scenes at the mansion weren’t too numerous, so two weeks would be sufficient.

The unfortunate part was that for the scenes at the royal mansion, he would need to change into another costume. He hadn’t seen the outfit, but he could guess it would differ greatly from the current beggar outfit. It was disheartening that just as he hadn’t had enough of the stories of the poor beggar and the wicked landlord, it would come to an end.

That evening, the coordinator worked overtime to revise the shooting schedule. Some people stayed behind to continue following the previous plan, while others set off to the royal mansion in the city.

Chen Bai was among the latter group. The announcement was made that night, and they were set to depart the next day.

They left early the next morning before dawn, with everyone except the driver catching up on sleep in the car.

As they traveled from the small town to the city, the scenery outside gradually changed. By the time the passengers woke up, the sky was already brightening, and the low buildings and rolling hills outside had transformed into towering skyscrapers.

The first light of morning rose behind the buildings, reflecting off their shiny exteriors and creating a slightly dazzling effect.

At seven in the morning, several vehicles stopped in front of the hotel.

It was hard to keep the large crew’s schedule a secret; even after just one night, many people had gotten the news and were waiting at the hotel entrance, causing a slight commotion when the actors got out of the car.

Chen Bai was still half asleep, accompanied by his manager and assistant on either side. He didn’t register much of what was happening and entered the hotel like a sleepwalker, with his eyes barely open.

The makeup artists and some other staff had left the night before and had already spent the night at the hotel. The makeup room was ready, so they could start working as soon as the actors arrived.

Just like in the small town, he shared a makeup room with his friend Qian Jin.

His friend was already in that outfit, skillfully putting it on. Once dressed, he lay in the makeup room like a corpse. Chen Bai wasn’t able to do that yet; he was still in the next room changing clothes, acting as a clothes hanger.

The layers of clothing made him briefly reminisce about the past.

His assistant knew him well and got him a cup of black coffee, which saved his life during the outfit change.

After downing half a cup of black coffee, he finally got dressed.

Although it was a bit cumbersome, the outfit was actually a simple white robe without complicated styles, though it did have many little details.

His manager was observing along with other staff, looking at the effect. Their eyes widened slightly as they took a closer look, pondering aloud, “So you look this good.”

The two assistants nodded in agreement, glancing at him before turning their gazes away.

They had become so accustomed to seeing him in the beggar outfit that it had replaced their memory of how handsome he looked in ancient attire, which had been validated by the director and the audience.

Chen Bai “…”

Faced with his good manager and assistants who had forgotten what he looked like, Chen Bai chose not to comment.

Once he was dressed, he was moved into the adjacent makeup room.

His friend Qian Jin had been sitting there for a while, getting his hair styled. He was looking down at his phone, and upon hearing the commotion, he finally glanced sideways.

As Chen Bai entered, their eyes met.

There was a pause in the air for a couple of seconds.

Qian Jin’s fingers, which had been typing on his phone, froze. His lips moved a couple of times, looking like he wanted to say something but hesitated. Finally, he spoke: “You… so this is how you look.”

Chen Bai: “?”

He was surprised to receive his fourth comment today from someone who didn’t quite recognize him, so he took a big sip of black coffee.

The stylist led him to a chair.

Today’s hair styling was more technically intricate than his usual messy look; the stylist seemed to be much more serious about it, and the progress was slower than usual.

While the progress was slow on his end, Qian Jin was making quick progress next door and even had time to peek in and watch for a moment.

However, he only managed to observe for a brief moment before his manager whisked him away.

Chen Bai had fewer scenes, so he could arrive later at the filming location, but Qian Jin couldn’t afford to delay. He had to do scenes with other actors and had no time to chat further.

Once his friend was taken away, the social genius who could chat with anyone began to chat with the stylist and makeup artist.

Having arrived last night and gotten a good night’s sleep, he was in a good mood, complimenting them while chatting away.

The originally slow time seemed to fly by as they conversed. During the chat, the manager stepped out to take a phone call regarding other matters, and she was gone for quite a while.

When she returned, the conversation in the room had already gone through two rounds, shifting from mutual compliments when she left to discussing how to handle a mistake made while adding egg yolks when making small cookies.

Gao Qian “…”

For a moment, she thought she had walked into a cooking exchange class. After confirming that the people inside were indeed those she recognized, she stepped into the room.

She returned at just the right time; the makeup artist had just finished the final touches and looked up at her, smiling and saying, “All done.”

The manager turned around and glanced over.

As she looked, the person sitting in the chair lifted their gaze.

With hair as white as snow, the person at the mirror had white hair cascading down loosely in front of them, the pure white light penetrating through their long eyelashes and falling into their light gray pupils.

For a moment, it felt as if he had crashed into a world covered in snow-capped mountains. The mountain wind was biting cold, and the view was nothing but desolation.

The slight upward curve of those pupils met her gaze through the mirror, and emotions instantly flickered in his eyes, his pale lips slightly parted.

Before anyone could speak, the manager quickly reacted, having learned to jump in with answers. She waved her hand and said, “Very handsome and cool! Don’t say anything yet; let me admire you a bit more.”

The spell was interrupted, and Chen Bai’s mouth, which had been about to speak, closed again.

The makeup artist nearby was also looking, wanting to admire the results of her efforts a little longer. She realized that there was indeed a huge difference in feeling when someone was speaking versus when they were silent. With a hint of regret, she remarked, “It’s a pity that your eyes will have to be covered later.”

The atmosphere was just right, and nothing suddenly disrupted it. The manager finally got to appreciate him completely. After taking enough time to look, she glanced at her watch, raised her eyebrows, and said, “We can’t stay here any longer; it’s time to head to the filming location.”

They still had a while until the originally scheduled time to go to the crew, but they happened to hit the morning rush hour. Since she hadn’t been to this city before, she wasn’t sure if there would be traffic. If they ran into congestion, their time might become tight.

A staff member nearby said, “It doesn’t seem to get too congested in the mornings here; there are only occasional jams.”

There might be traffic, but the likelihood was low.

—Then, the low-probability event happened to them.

“…”

As they left the hotel, crawling slowly in the long line of traffic, the manager, sitting by the window, turned to glance back at the hotel building still standing behind them, then turned again to look at the seemingly endless stream of cars ahead. Finally, she decided to contact the crew and inform them they would likely arrive later than planned.

They had just arrived and were already racing to catch up, and the crew was also dealing with unexpected situations, making their progress slower than anticipated. Their delayed arrival would still be manageable.

While they were anxiously communicating, the white-haired actor had closed his eyes to sleep.

It wasn’t that he didn’t care about work; it was just that he couldn’t see anything. Before leaving the hotel, the stylist had tied a blindfold over his eyes. The strap was made of a thin cotton-linen material, allowing him to see nearby shapes and shadows but preventing him from looking at his phone or the script.

Unlike the casual way he had been tied up before, this time the knot was a masterpiece the stylist had spent a while perfecting, and it couldn’t be removed casually.

With nothing to see, he simply closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Fortunately, the traffic jam only lasted for a short stretch. After getting through that road, they turned onto a side street with fewer cars, and the vehicle’s speed picked up significantly.

——

Royal Mansion Courtyard.

The quiet courtyard was bustling with people, and staff members moving equipment could be seen everywhere.

Having just finished a scene, Chu Mingyuan returned to the resting area, took the water offered by his assistant, and sat in a chair, surveying the surroundings.

There were many extras today, and people were scattered around. He spotted Qian Jin, who was accompanied by his manager and assistant, with no one else around.

After taking a sip of water, he turned to his manager and asked, “Where’s Chen Bai?”

The manager, always in touch with most of the crew’s news, replied, “It seems he’s stuck in traffic.”

That was an unexpected situation, as no one anticipated that this normally unobstructed area would experience congestion today.

He glanced at the time and said, “If there’s traffic, he should be arriving soon.”

On the other side, Qian Jin also seemed to be waiting for someone. Instead of playing on his phone, he was reading the script and occasionally glancing toward the courtyard’s arched entrance.

After responding, the manager turned and asked, “Why are you asking about that?”

Chu Mingyuan withdrew his gaze and replied, “Nothing, just haven’t seen him, so I asked.”

The manager nodded, “He should be here soon.”

His words weren’t always reliable.

Not long after the conversation, a staff member wearing a vest quickly passed by and headed straight for the courtyard’s arch.

Just a moment after the staff member walked by, Qian Jin, who had been reading the script from a distance, stood up and turned toward the entrance.

Someone was coming. Other staff members and extras near the courtyard also peeked over to take a look.

The light was just right, with green shadows dancing. A white figure was being supported by someone as they stepped over the gray stone threshold.

—
Author’s Note:
P.S.: “A meal offered for free” doesn’t equal free food! This chapter just borrowed a bit, so please interpret it in its actual meaning! (Bows)