Chapter 16: A-O-O-O!
Ao Chen: “…”
“Are you going to be an actor?” Ao Chen asked, subconsciously glancing at Wang Ming’s face.
Wang Ming: “…”
“Do I look like one?” Wang Ming asked Ao Chen, more perplexed than anyone else.
Ao Chen: “…”
“Because I heard you say a van would pick you up downstairs,” Ao Chen explained.
“Yes, that’s right,” Wang Ming nodded.
“I have indeed joined the entertainment industry, but I’m just going to buy boxed lunches for the crew. The crew chief is pretty good to me. He heard that I live on the way, so he gave me a ride,” Wang Ming explained.
Ao Chen: “…”
“Okay, I see,” Ao Chen nodded.
While they were talking, Wang Ming’s phone rang.
“Hey, little brother, we’re almost there, head towards the agreed-upon intersection!”
Wang Ming answered the call; a very enthusiastic voice on the other end reminded him of the time.
“Okay, thanks, bro,” Wang Ming responded, tidied himself up, bid farewell to Ao Chen, and went to work.
Wang Ming arrived at the appointed intersection. He always preferred to arrive early rather than make others wait.
After a while, a van screeched to a halt in front of Wang Ming.
“Are you Little Wang?” A bald man poked his head out of the van and enthusiastically asked Wang Ming.
Wang Ming: “…”
Why are you insulting me? Wang Ming thought, though it seemed unintentional.
So Wang Ming nodded and said, “I’m Little Wang!”
“Oh, oh, Wang Lao Di (Brother Wang),” the bald man seemed to realize his words had a double meaning and changed his address.
“Come on, get in the car, let’s go buy boxed lunches, don’t keep them waiting. There’s an actor in the crew who likes to act like a big shot, and he’ll secretly curse us if we’re late, so let’s avoid that,” the bald man said.
“Okay,” Wang Ming quickly got into the car, and it sped off.
——
A day flew by in Wang Ming’s busy work.
By the time they wrapped up for the night, Wang Ming was completely exhausted.
“How’s it going, little brother? I see you’re in good shape, you can handle night shoots,” the bald man said admiringly, patting Wang Ming’s shoulder hard enough to almost knock him to the ground.
Wang Ming: “…”
If you don’t pat me, I’ll still have some breath left, Wang Ming thought despairingly.
To be honest, it wasn’t as physically exhausting as his previous construction work.
It’s just that the work was rather fragmented.
Especially the demands of the big-shot male lead the bald man mentioned—from Wang Ming’s perspective, they were quite strange.
However, Wang Ming didn’t complain, receiving a decent daily wage. Though mentally tired, escaping the “eating soft rice” label was worth it.
“Yeah, it’s alright,” Wang Ming said humbly.
“Here’s the work schedule for the next few days. Here’s a copy for you so you won’t be late,” the bald man said, giving Wang Ming a schedule.
“Thank you, bro,” Wang Ming thanked the bald man.
“Brother Wang is very quick-witted, you’re diligent and hardworking. I’ll definitely look for you again in the future!” the bald man guaranteed with a flourish.
Wang Ming was pleased, thinking he might get a slightly more stable job.
He was happy, so he worked even harder, and before he knew it, everyone had left the set.
Wang Ming: “…”
Wang Ming decided to go home quickly, otherwise the bun shop and cold noodle stall would close, and other stalls were too expensive for him.
Wang Ming hurried towards the elevator.
Unexpectedly, two people were standing in the corner of the elevator.
Wang Ming recognized one of them—the assistant who had picked up boxed lunches from him before. The other person was tall and thin, and looked weak; in Wang Ming’s opinion, he was the type who couldn’t survive on construction work.
Wang Ming: “…”
Wang Ming nodded at the assistant, but strangely, the assistant seemed to make a gesture like slitting someone’s throat.
Wang Ming: “???”
Before Wang Ming could question this, the elevator doors closed.
Wang Ming looked at the assistant again, but found him looking straight ahead, completely ignoring the outside world.
Wang Ming: “…”
Maybe there are some taboos in the entertainment industry, it doesn’t concern me, I’ll just pretend I don’t know, Wang Ming thought.
Because they were filming a fashion drama in a high-rise office building, the elevator was slow.
Wang Ming pulled out his work schedule and looked at it.
The moment he took out the paper, the tall, thin man in sunglasses, the type who couldn’t possibly work construction, made a “tsk” sound.
“What kind of people are they hiring? No signing!” the man said.
Wang Ming: “…”
Wang Ming looked up at him in shock, but actually saw nothing.
The man was wearing a large mask, sunglasses, and a hat.
Even if it was a ghost hiding under the clothes, Wang Ming probably couldn’t tell, let alone a person.
Wang Ming then realized.
This must be the big-shot male lead.
He thought I was a staff member here to get his autograph? Wang Ming thought.
Wang Ming: “…”
Wang Ming calmly unfolded his schedule and started reading it.
The male lead: “…”
The assistant: “…”
I saw nothing, I saw nothing, I saw nothing, the assistant frantically repeated in his mind.
The elevator finally reached the underground parking lot in an awkward atmosphere.
Wang Ming was about to leave when the tall and thin male star pushed him into a corner.
Wang Ming: “…”
What did I do to you? Wang Ming thought, then, like a sardine unwilling to submit to fate, squeezed out of the elevator.
He saw a luxurious car, the type usually used for weddings and funerals, parked nearby.
The car door was slightly ajar, and a beautiful woman could be seen inside.
Wang Ming: “…”
The male star: “…”
The assistant: “…”
“Ao… Ao…” the male star uttered in disbelief, pulling off the three-piece face covering.
Wang Ming: “…”
What is this guy doing? Wang Ming thought. Is he one of us? If so, what kind of animal is this? A wild wolf?
“Mr. Ao,” the male star finally found his voice, respectfully greeting Ao Chen.
Ao Chen’s expression was stern; he ignored the shocked male star and waved at Wang Ming. “Wang Ming, I’m here to take you home.”