Chapter 149: To Earn This Money, Just Go Straight with the Standard Answer

Du Qifeng’s interview video was soon posted online.

From his answers, it was clear—he was well aware of the box office battle between Su Mu and Lin Haoming this year. Yet, he simply didn’t regard it as significant. At least for now, not only himself but most people saw Du Qifeng as the dominant figure. In the presence of Lin Haoming and Su Mu, he was unquestionably the stronger party. Whether it was box office achievements or the trophies and honors he had won, he overshadowed the other two easily. So indeed, he had every right to dismiss them.

Moreover, he openly stated that his purpose for returning was to seek a collaboration opportunity with Dong Xuefei. It was evident that he had far more long-term plans in mind.

...

“I really didn’t expect Du Qifeng to suddenly come out of nowhere.”

“But Su Mu is competing against Lin Haoming, not Du Qifeng.”

“This might actually affect our drama’s box office.”

“Sigh, it’s obvious that when films premiere simultaneously, the market competition is fierce.”

At this moment, the crew was abuzz with discussion, though most conversations carried a pessimistic tone. Simultaneous box office competition was intense to begin with. Often, one film’s gain meant another’s loss. If a strong production emerged at this time, it would inevitably overshadow others released concurrently.

Everyone assumed Su Mu’s mindset might be affected by this. Yet no one expected that after arriving on set, he still ate three bowls of rice at lunch, took filming seriously, delivered genuine comedy, and committed himself to building muscle. He paid no heed to Du Qifeng at all.

Right now, Su Mu had indeed dedicated most of his energy to the shoot, fully immersed in his role. Ultimately, whether there would be any real impact depended on the results. And the most direct influence on results was the quality of the content.

He had spent months honing his skills and live-streamed to craft a humorous persona. There was no way some newcomer’s arrival would disrupt that.

Those familiar with Su Mu knew the more money he had, the stronger he became. This time, he was sure to take home over a hundred million. Even if he deserved that sum, he still had to outperform all others released simultaneously.

...

On set.

Su Mu and Zhang Huaimou sat together, watching the director’s monitor. Actors Song Chuan and Lu Juan were performing the scene in the small grove.

The storyline unfolded thus: After Charles kissed Autumn, he forced Yuan Hua to swap seats with him in class. Yuan Hua, frustrated, retreated to the small grove at school and happened to see Autumn, leading to a classic exchange between them…

“Cut!” Zhang Huaimou stopped the scene halfway through.

“That’s not right. I feel this scene should be really funny, but the performance is off.”

Su Mu nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Though Song Chuan and Lu Juan were comedy actors with decent acting skills, they hadn’t captured the essence of this scene. They had already flubbed it four or five times.

All eyes turned to Su Mu.

Lately, Su Mu had become a sort of textbook model. Whenever any classic scene from these characters was poorly acted, Su Mu would step up and demonstrate.

What was remarkable was that every time Su Mu performed, he would have everyone in stitches. His timing and subtlety—whether in delivering punchlines, expressions, or gestures—were impeccable. Once he finished, simply following his lead usually guaranteed success.

This surprised Zhang Huaimou, Zhuang Yan, Wang Ouyi, and others internally. They knew Su Mu was a fine actor, but his experience was mostly in serious roles. Who would have guessed he was also so adept at comedy? That was impressive.

Now Su Mu rose and walked forward. Seeing him ready to demonstrate again, many fetched small stools to watch the show.

Su Mu approached Song Chuan and Lu Juan and said, “Yuan Hua’s scene has BGM, so when the camera focuses on you, your eyes must be glazed over with melancholy to create the right effect.”

Song Chuan asked, “Assistant director, how do I make my eyes look glazed?”

“I’ll show you,” Su Mu replied.

He was about to demonstrate.

In fact, the correct answer was already in his mind. In the previous version of this film, the actor who played Yuan Hua had truly embodied the character’s essence.

So Su Mu copied that performance faithfully. With his current skill level, he could easily master the required techniques.

The so-called glazed eyes were actually a slick yet shy expression. Yuan Hua liked Autumn, but was upset she had been kissed by Charles. Unable to confront Charles physically, he felt resentment but still wanted to act cool in front of the one he liked.

This complex inner turmoil was exactly what brought so many laughs.

Su Mu put his hands in his pockets and turned around with an exaggerated, overly dramatic twist of his body. This affected the scene’s subtlety perfectly, making the audience’s skin crawl with its silliness, yet laugh uncontrollably.

“Autumn~” Su Mu’s face contorted comically as he punched the tree, “I’m so frustrated, suddenly turning into a crybaby fool… no longer the model student or exemplary class cadre… I only touched your hand, but he kissed your lips! No! No!!!”

[Line +1]

[Laughs +1]

[...]

“Ha ha ha.”

“Ha ha ha! Damn, this is hilarious!”

Su Mu’s demonstration had everyone around doubled over in laughter.

He looked at Song Chuan. “Do you get it?”

Song Chuan nodded admiringly. “Thank you, teacher, I understand!”

Su Mu nodded. “Then keep going.”

They returned to Zhang Huaimou’s side.

Zhang Huaimou smiled, giving a thumbs-up. “Not bad, that’s the feeling.”

Zhuang Yan said, “Big, bold, with control and restraint.”

Wang Ouyi added, “Explosive yet nuanced, very good!”

Hearing their praise, Su Mu was astonished. “I didn’t even say anything out loud, and you could tell?”

Zhuang Yan smiled. “Of course, we’ve been in this business for years.”

Wang Ouyi said, “Your technique is already at a high level, but from now on it’s about mindset. You need to keep your energy steady.”

Su Mu thought about it. He did rush some parts earlier. Since this scene required no sound, controlling intensity was tricky. Yet even from over ten meters away, the richness of his performance was palpable—quite impressive.

“Do you two often perform like this?”

Zhuang Yan said, “We rarely use your style.”

Wang Ouyi nodded. “Mostly on stage, we release emotions and interact spontaneously.”

Su Mu was shocked. “How do you do that in front of so many people?”

Zhuang Yan said, “No, the more the audience, the better.”

Wang Ouyi: “Yes, more people excite us, helping us perform better. Our voices are much louder than usual.”

Su Mu: “I’ve learned something new.”

Zhang Huaimou said, “Alright, cut! Wait, what’s that smell... Su Mu, did you just fart?”

Zhuang Yan: “!!!”

Wang Ouyi: “...”

[Comic payoff +1]

[Absurdity +1]

[Skill points +0.01...]

...

September passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, October approached.

After nearly two months of filming, the movie had reached its final stages.

As the cast delved deeper into the comedy, something unexpected happened.

At some point, when watching Su Mu as Charles, people found themselves unable to laugh as easily.

Of course, Su Mu’s performance remained very funny.

But the deeper their understanding of the script and story became, the more a subtle, bittersweet feeling emerged...

P.S. Thanks to the heartfelt yet generous voice actor for the ten-thousand-yuan tip! Thanks to everyone for your support!

(The End of this chapter)