Chapter 5 005 Shooting in Progress

Chapter 5 005 Shooting in Progress

Yang Shu carefully held his new costume, looking uneasy. "Lu bro, are these for me to wear?"

Lu Xu nodded slightly.

Yang Shu: "..."

He’d never worn anything this fancy before.

When Lu Xu said he could borrow clothes, Yang Shu had already felt a bit nervous. He was, after all, a top-tier internet user and had long heard of Lu Xu’s reputation.

Word on the street was that back in Verse, Lu Xu used to bully his bandmates all the time. Xie Qingyang, Gu Sinian, and Meng Qin had all been victims of his bullying.

If it wasn’t for this rare acting gig, Yang Shu would’ve avoided working with Lu Xu like the plague. Yet, Lu Xu was only the second male lead, while he himself had become the male lead.

Before joining the crew, Yang Shu couldn’t shake off the image of the miserable months ahead. He decided to keep a low profile and try not to provoke Lu Xu.

However, to his surprise, Lu Xu was willing to provide costumes.

Yang Shu had originally thought that Lu Xu was just saying it casually and would bring cheap stuff to the set.

After graduating from college, Yang Shu had spent some time in various big and small crews. Although many stars earned a lot, not all of them were generous. He had even seen someone sell second-hand cheap goods at high prices to fans.

But he never expected Lu Xu to roll up with an entire wardrobe—seasons’ worth of designer labels that made his hands shake just looking at the price tags.

...Was Lu Xu always this straight-up?

Now he was very worried that if he damaged the clothes, would Lu Xu ask him to pay a lot of money?

After all, his total pay for this *My Dear Noble Son* was only 100,000 yuan. Xia Xuewen’s pay was about the same, and this pile of clothes was worth many times more than his pay; he really couldn’t afford to pay for it.

Luckily, Lu Xu seemed pretty chill.

Yang Shu had mentally prepared himself before coming, but after joining the crew, he found that Lu Xu had none of the arrogance one might expect from a former member of Verse. Lu Xu’s expression was relaxed, his eyes capable of gathering starlight, his nose straight, his features well-defined. In person, Lu Xu looked even better than on screen.

Actually, Lu Xu without the idol makeup looked way hotter than when he was an idol.

As a drama school graduate, Yang Shu had seen too many strikingly handsome young actors during his four years at university. But he felt that even among drama school actors, Lu Xu’s looks were definitely top-tier.

He didn’t understand why, when all the members of Verse appeared together, Lu Xu didn’t stand out.

This morning, when he greeted Lu Xu, the other man politely greeted him back. Yang Shu felt a bit more at ease, but he was still walking on eggshells, worried he might give Lu Xu a reason to snap.

Yang Shu’s gaze shifted slightly and saw Lu Xu holding a pen, writing something on the script.

Lu Xu’s lips were set in a tight line, his face serious, and his profile was practically flawless. But Yang Shu didn’t consider that Lu Xu might be studying the script—to any sane person, the script for *My Dear Noble Son* was so terrible it wasn’t even worth reading.

...

After the preparations were completed, the filming of *My Dear Noble Son* officially began.

As soon as the actors finished their makeup, Yang Shu caught Xia Xuewen sneaking glances at Lu Xu.

Yang Shu’s heart raced.

Even without makeup, Lu Xu was already handsome enough, but with makeup, Lu Xu’s appearance completely overshadowed him, the male lead!

Right then, Lu Xu sat there quietly, radiating this calm, collected vibe. Yang Shu even vaguely felt that Lu Xu didn’t seem like someone who was filming for the first time but rather like someone with years of experience.

Ordinary girl Zhong Baobei arrives at the prestigious Ariel Academy and meets Pan Lingfeng, the school's only student who doesn’t wear a uniform—the horse-riding noble young master.

Their eyes lock, forming an instant, unique bond.

In Zhong Baobei’s mind, she sees a white stallion galloping across the grassland, a memory from her childhood with her grandfather.

Originally, Pan Lingfeng was meant to arrive in a luxury car, but budget constraints led to a horse-riding scene instead.

Both Yang Shu and Xia Xuewen gave only passable performances, as they weren’t naturally gifted actors. After the first scene was shot, Director Hua Zhu didn’t comment much and simply gave the go-ahead for both of them.

The next scene involves Zhong Baobei’s interaction with Yu Wei.

Xia Xuewen has to continue filming, while Yang Shu can take a break, though he doesn’t leave.

Yang Shu is quite curious about Lu Xu’s acting skills. He knows his own performance was just average, but surely, he should be a better actor than Lu Xu, at least in terms of skill?

After enrolling in Ariel Academy, Zhong Baobei participates in a debate competition and crosses paths with Yu Wei, the student council president.

At Ariel Academy, Yu Wei is the only one who can stand up to Pan Lingfeng.

As the director calls “action,” the camera lingers on Yu Wei’s back.

This is a typical problem in low-budget web series. The use of long, slow-motion shots creates an atmosphere that makes the character appear handsome. Later, through the use of halos, pink bubbles, and other embellishments, the mood is further enhanced. Even if the actor’s face isn’t particularly striking, the aura of a handsome guy has already been established, pulling at the audience's heartstrings.

Unlike the flamboyant and arrogant Pan Lingfeng, Yu Wei is restrained and deep. To those unfamiliar with him, he might even appear somewhat melancholic.

Yu Wei slowly turns around.

The script describes that from the moment Yu Wei sees Zhong Baobei, he falls for her at first sight.

Wearing a school uniform with his white shirt buttoned up to the top, unlike Pan Lingfeng who rolls up his sleeves or casually drapes his clothes over his shoulders, Yu Wei’s serene expression radiates an air of self-control.

The moment Zhong Baobei appears, Yu Wei’s pupils widen slightly, as if a clay figure suddenly came to life. His expression isn’t one of admiration or shyness—it doesn’t fit Yu Wei’s character—but it makes you feel that his heart has been captured by Zhong Baobei.

This isn’t a scene enhanced by post-production effects, but rather the feeling brought about by Lu Xu’s performance.

His acting makes it clear to everyone on set that Yu Wei has fallen for Zhong Baobei.

Yu Wei’s trance lasts only a moment before he returns to his usual calm demeanor, still carrying that sense of melancholy. However, opposite him, Xia Xuewen, who plays Zhong Baobei, suddenly stumbles over her lines, and Director Hua Zhu has to call “cut.”

Yang Shu can’t help but look at Lu Xu in astonishment.

To be honest, from the moment the camera focused on Yu Wei turning back, Yang Shu had the feeling that Lu Xu was Yu Wei himself. And when the camera captured the moment Yu Wei and Zhong Baobei made eye contact, as a bystander, Yang Shu felt as though he was directly facing Yu Wei’s emotions.

The reserved man had found his true love.

Yang Shu could truly feel Yu Wei’s love at first sight.

Even though the director called for a pause, to Yang Shu, Lu Xu’s performance didn’t seem like it came from someone who had never acted before. On the contrary, this kind of emotionally charged acting was something he had only seen from seasoned actors.

The crew of *"The Noble Young Master"* was already as poor as could be, and neither the director nor the actors had high expectations for the quality of the production. Yet, with just one look, Lu Xu made Yang Shu feel like they were on a high-budget production, not a low-budget web series.

Even with the ordinary tables and chairs and the lack of aristocratic flair in the school uniforms, Lu Xu’s portrayal of Yu Wei was filled with the aura of a master of the elite academy.

When acting opposite Xia Xuewen, Lu Xu didn’t seem like someone who wasn’t professionally trained. On the contrary, he appeared more experienced than Xia Xuewen.

Yang Shu reflected on his own performance. *"The Noble Young Master"* was, after all, a poorly made web drama, likely to be broadcast on some trash platform at a bad time. He wasn’t even as serious in this performance as when he played an extra in a more significant drama.

Lu Xu was indeed much more serious than he was many times over.

……

After the scene was restarted, Yang Shu became even more certain that Lu Xu's acting was far better than he had thought.

Lu Xu's performance couldn't be called makeover-style acting, because in terms of appearance, Lu Xu didn't need any changes at all. Yang Shu even felt that Lu Xu could elevate the costume design. For instance, their school uniform was mass-produced by the crew, costing only a few dozen yuan per set, but Lu Xu made it look like it cost thousands of dollars.

After one scene was shot, even Xia Xuewen was influenced by his performance.

Yang Shu immediately felt a ton of pressure.

While Lu Xu was filming, Yang Shu had been secretly searching Lu Xu's name online. The top results were still fans of other members of Verse throwing shade at Lu Xu, and some fans of Gu Sinian roasting him for daring to become an actor.

In Yang Shu's opinion, when it came to acting alone, the Lu Xu he saw on set was... far superior to Gu Sinian.

There wasn't a single mention of Lu Xu's acting in the trending searches, and real-time searches were full of mockery about Lu Xu's downfall.

Yang Shu and Xia Xuewen also received their share of insults, as they were considered small fry who had landed the lead roles in "Young Master." The more they were ridiculed, the more it showed how badly Lu Xu was struggling.

……

For Lu Xu, acting was just part of his daily routine. When portraying Yu Wei, Lu Xu didn't feel that his performance was particularly outstanding. He was simply used to analyzing his character and then interpreting the role in his own rhythm.

After the first scene was shot, Lu Xu finally got back into the groove of filming.

Just as he was about to discuss the script with Hua Zhu, he saw Yang Shu quietly walk up to him and raise his phone: "Bro Lu, want to connect on WeChat?"

In reality, Lu Xu and Yang Shu were around the same age. If calculated carefully, Lu Xu was only two months older.

But as Yang Shu put it, even a day older makes you a bro.

Lu Xu scanned the QR code and added him on WeChat.

"Want to follow each other on social media as well?"

"I'll follow too!" Xia Xuewen chimed in.

For some reason, after Lu Xu finished filming today, they both suddenly found Lu Xu more approachable. Sure enough, their intuition was right. As soon as they mentioned following each other, Lu Xu followed them back.

Lu Xu then realized that he was still following other members of Verse and Yao Yuan on Weibo, as well as agents from Ling Ge Entertainment—they had become the new agents for Xie Qingyang, Gu Sinian, and Meng Qin.

Lu Xu unfollowed all of them and then followed Yang Shu and Xia Xuewen.

Lu Xu had been at the center of a storm recently, and his actions quickly caught the eye of gossip accounts.