Second Take On Romance - The A-List Actor Wants Me
Chapter 158 : The Internal Competition

Chapter 158: Chapter 158 : The Internal Competition

Yan Renzhong heaved a sigh of relief.

No sooner had the current scene wrapped than filming for the next one began. Shen Jingwei could not catch a break at all.

Meanwhile, Wu Jin, who did not have any more scenes to shoot today, came down from the tower and greeted Yan Renzhong.

"Hey, Brother Yan!" He hollered while striding toward the other man. "Fancy seeing you here so early!"

According to the schedule, Yan Renzhong was not supposed to arrive until tonight. Although Vice Director Qin was equally surprised, he attributed it to Yan Renzhong’s flawless work ethic.

Instead of greeting Wu Jin in return, Yan Renzhong gave him a look bordering on a glare, making Wu Jin’s skin prickle.

Wu Jin gave him an incredulous stare accompanied by a frown.

"What’s with the hostile look?"

Yan Renzhong closed his eyes for a moment and drew a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, he already schooled his face back to neutrality.

"Wu Jin, long time no see."

"Now that’s more like it," Wu Jin chuckled as he draped an arm around Yan Renzhong’s shoulder. Together, they watched the filming of the next scenes.

"I wonder what happened to Shen Jingwei just now. Does he have acrophobia*?" Wu Jin asked, his voice lowered to a whisper.

Yan Renzhong did not answer.

It was possible, he thought to himself. And that was not good at all. The phobia was possibly triggered by his awful experience during the Winter Solstice scene shooting.

"That won’t be good, because Xie Jianyu has quite a few scenes in the air," Wu Jin commented further. "There are also scenes when he has to fight in the air."

"..."

Wu Jin was right. Shen Jingwei’s acrophobia was a looming threat to his performance as Xie Jianyu. Vice versa, filming at such heights could intensify his fear even further.

"There is no need to worry about his performance," Yan Renzhong said despite his own growing concern. "Shen Jingwei will overcome his obstacles."

Just like he overcame the others, Yan Renzhong told himself.

Wu Jin whistled.

"You have a lot of trust for someone who isn’t even signed with CNC Studio."

Yan Renzhong narrowed his eyes at Wu Jin.

"So what? Am I not allowed to care for co-stars who are signed with other companies?"

"Oh, no, no. Of course not. I care a lot for Shen Jingwei myself. He is, how can I say it... rather adorable."

Yan Renzhong was immediately reminded of the stupid stitch video.

"You are pretty close with someone who is not signed with CNC Studio yourself," Yan Renzhong said in return.

Wu Jin broke into a chuckle.

"I can’t help it. I gave some basic singing lessons for the cast and crew yesterday, and he insisted on joining. At the end of the class, I issued a pitch challenge to all my students, and he said he would only do it if I was there to cheer him on."

"..."

Yan Renzhong’s face remained impassive, but even the most oblivious could sense the murderous aura radiating from him.

"Really," he said, his honey-sweet voice laced with venom. His eyes were trained on Shen Jingwei, who was standing on an enlarged Winter Frost prop, shooting the escape scene through the woods. "He must be an avid fan of yours."

Wu Jin cackled.

"Who isn’t? The background actors and actresses here are especially friendly and generous with their compliments. I mean, I am sure you know it. You have gone through five shooting periods before this one, haven’t you?"

"..."

If one must compare the two celebrities, one would say that they were as different as day and night, as heaven and hell. Not to say that Wu Jin possessed all the charm in the world and Yan Renzhong none. Their contrasting personalities simply appealed to different audiences.

Those who favored cheerful, outgoing celebrities were drawn to Wu Jin, while those who appreciated a more reserved, elegant demeanor admired Yan Renzhong from afar.

Wu Jin loved being surrounded by fans, while Yan Renzhong valued privacy at a much deeper level.

Fans did not have any problems finding out Wu Jin’s favorite underwear pattern, but they might have to hire a private investigator to find out the name of Yan Renzhong’s mother, for example.

"I am glad that you enjoy it so far," Yan Renzhong remarked with a faint smile. "I never thought that you would end up playing the role of the First Demon King."

How ironic, Yan Renzhong mused. Wu Jin just had to occupy the role of Xie Jianyu and Zhang Fengxi’s biggest nemesis.

"Me too!" Wu Jin exclaimed. "It is my first acting role. I thought they were going to make me play a cannon fodder or something, but the management is even kinder than I thought!"

Yan Renzhong scoffed in his heart.

It was not the management per se. It was Shang Ruohan, who pulled invisible strings behind the curtain to grant Wu Jin this role. This way, he managed to hit two birds with one stone.

The first one was undoubtedly to sabotage Yan Renzhong and Shang Ruohai, and the second one to introduce Wu Jin to the world of acting.

"Your success depends on your performance," Yan Renzhong remarked. "If I were you, I would not attempt anything funny."

"Would I?" Wu Jin seemed genuinely baffled by Yan Renzhong’s words. "Funny how? Like when you released your singles a week ahead of me every single time?"

Yan Renzhong smirked.

"You can’t be ahead of everyone every time, Wu Jin."

"Well, that was some shitty move, coming from my fellow CNC Studio star, all I am saying."

Though their tones were even, the words they exchanged were like a duel of wits, each sharper than the last.

"If you are confident in your ability, Wu Jin, you wouldn’t care that much. I also said nothing about you snatching the modelling contract for Mirror magazine from under my nose last year."

Wu Jin snickered.

"What can I say, they wanted the more handsome one."

"Really."

Yan Renzhong’s lips twisted into a sneer.

"Then your appearance must have deteriorated after only one year, because they offered me the contract as soon as yours expired."

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Author’s note :* Acrophobia = phobia for height