Chapter 111: A Sense of Satisfaction

Chapter 111: A Sense of Satisfaction

Among the crews Lu Xu has been part of, Feather of Youth was considered quite poor, with tight budgets and unable to afford big-name stars—though upon closer inspection, he hadn't been part of any particularly wealthy crews either.

Regardless of the budget, directors always made sure every penny was well-spent, without splurging on unnecessary expenses.

Feather of Youth was indeed a youthful crew, with the director, screenwriter, and actors all being quite young. After joining the crew, Lu Xu realized he was actually the most experienced member by far.

He found this quite unsettling at first.

But the atmosphere on set was indeed very relaxed, reminiscent of his time filming The Noble Son.

Lu Xu wasn't aware that before he decided to join Feather of Youth, it was just an unremarkable, overlooked youth film. However, after he took on the role of Yin Pei, the other roles in the film immediately became highly sought-after for various talent agencies.

After all, The Deception was a hit, and even without considering overseas box office, its domestic box office performance was quite impressive.

At least within the industry, The Deception wasn't predicted to be a "guaranteed hit."

Moreover, with Lu Xu as the lead in Feather of Youth, he would shoulder the responsibility for the film's success or failure. For other actors, this was a relatively safe bet.

On the first day on set, Lu Xu introduced himself to the other actors. His character was named Yin Pei, a badminton player who has two close friends in the film. One of his friends was played by Hu Yan, an artist signed to Ningshi Entertainment.

Ningshi had previously worked with Lu Xu. The Empress had two male leads signed under Ningshi, but unfortunately, The Empress was completely eclipsed by The Path of Bones, becoming a project Qiao Mengyao preferred not to mention in her acting career.

Those two actors who claimed to have "made it big" also gradually faded into obscurity.

However, Ningshi was adept at securing roles. Shortly after Lu Xu was confirmed for Feather of Youth, Ningshi managed to secure the role for Hu Yan.

This time, Ningshi Entertainment kept a low profile. Lu Xu was no longer the relatively unknown actor he once was, and even if Ningshi wanted to compete with him, they had to be prepared for the possibility that Hu Yan might not end up in Feather of Youth.

Between Lu Xu and Hu Yan, the crew's choice was a no-brainer.

Another actor, Guo Yingyu, was signed under a famous director's studio. Undoubtedly, among the newcomers in the industry, she stood a better chance of making it big.

Although, in the eyes of many young actors, Lu Xu was the gold standard for young actors.

When the actors first met, they were just getting to know each other, and the atmosphere was a bit stiff. As Lu Xu went to discuss the plot with the director, Guo Yingyu couldn't help but message a friend: "I met Lu Xu in person! He's super handsome!!"

"Get me an autograph, thanks."

"No problem, but I don't dare ask now. He seems a bit intimidating, you know, that unapproachable vibe that really handsome guys give off."

"I get it, it's the barrier between handsome guys and us mere mortals, hard to cross."

"[Handshake][Handshake][Handshake][Handshake]."

Guo Yingyu genuinely felt a bit intimidated by Lu Xu. In her imagination, Lu Xu was the type of strict, self-disciplined workaholic who would take acting very seriously and wouldn't tolerate any slack from his co-stars.

Her agent had reminded her of this before she joined the crew.

She had secured this role partly due to her agency's efforts, but Guo Yingyu had also worked hard to stand out among the competition.

Her appearance at least fit the role, and her acting wasn't bad either.

Guo Yingyu glanced at Hu Yan sitting across from her. Ningshi had previously targeted Lu Xu, something most insiders knew about, so for Hu Yan, joining the Feather of Youth crew might not be a good thing.

No one really knew Lu Xu's true personality. While rumors suggested he was easy to get along with, only a few actors had actually worked with him, and rumors are only half-true at best.

"Feather of Youth" was made on a shoestring budget and had a straightforward production, using a university gym and sports field. Before joining the crew, Lu Xu put in some serious training, hitting the badminton court hard under a coach’s guidance for about twenty days. He noticed his arms were stronger and his legs were more toned.

The crew thought about getting a stunt double for Lu Xu, but since badminton isn’t exactly rocket science and it played a big part in the movie, Lu Xu felt it unnecessary.

He wasn’t exactly on par with a pro athlete, but Lu Xu wanted his swings and hits to look sharp, so he trained even harder.

He didn’t want the audience to think the movie was phony.

Even after joining the crew, he made time to practice badminton.

Thanks to his cycling routine, his legs were pretty solid, and after practice, his game got a lot better.

"Next time, you should hit up the celebrity sports meet," suggested director Feng Rui. "I see many people participate every year."

Guo Yingyu: "..."

The director probably didn’t realize that the celebs at the sports meet are nowhere near as famous as Lu Xu.

Showbiz is cutthroat. Lu Xu’s swamped every day, juggling one script after another, while most folks in the biz are just twiddling their thumbs.

She’d been to one celebrity sports meet.

But after signing on for "Feather of Youth," her agency axed all her side gigs, keeping her laser-focused on the film.

Just the other day, some marketers put out a list of up-and-comers, and she actually made the cut.

What a lucky break!

Although Guo Yingyu couldn’t help but chuckle to herself.

And so, "Feather of Youth" kicked off its first scene.

Guo Yingyu stopped giggling and didn’t have time to send messages to her friends. She tackled this scene with serious focus, and Hu Yan looked like he was sweating bullets.

In contrast, Lu Xu appeared much more relaxed.

In this scene, Yin Pei and his friends Wang Zixiang and Qin Jinwei face the final moments of high school. For others, graduation symbolizes fulfillment and a new life, but for Yin Pei, it's the beginning of a nightmare.

He can no longer be an athlete.

He has been practicing badminton since elementary school, initially just to keep fit, but gradually he fell in love with the sport. He wanted to go higher and further, to join the national team, and not long ago he had even received a call-up to the second team, almost making it.

But now, he has completely lost hope.

The scenery of the national team, he will never see in this lifetime.

For ordinary people, Yin Pei's injury isn't fatal, but for an athlete aiming for the world stage, it's a nightmare.

When Wang Zixiang and Qin Jinwei find Yin Pei, he is alone in the empty training ground, silently stringing a racket. The training ground is quiet, and the silent Yin Pei is like a wandering spirit.

He is still doing what a badminton player should do—treating the racket as his life, picking up the shuttlecocks one by one... but his friends clearly see that his hand holding the racket is trembling slightly, as if despite all his efforts, he still can't accept this outcome.

"Yin Pei..."

Wang Zixiang calls out to Yin Pei, who looks up gently, but his eyes are unfocused, filled with confusion.

Not long ago, when he talked about being selected for the national team, his eyes sparkled, full of anticipation for the future.

In this scene in the script, Yin Pei does not cry, but somehow, his eyes and body language convey a sense of despair, letting his friends know that he is in extreme despair.

Perhaps it was because he was so overwhelmed with sorrow that he couldn't even cry.

Yin Pei had always been the little sun among his friends. As an athlete, he was usually the one encouraging his friends, Wang Zixiang and Qin Jinwei, when they were feeling down.

On the court, Yin Pei always played with the most optimism, even when at a disadvantage. He would calmly catch up, point by point.

His friends had never seen Yin Pei like this. At this moment, they wished he could just cry.

After a long while, Yin Pei finally stood up and gave them an apologetic smile, "Have you been waiting long? I'll be there soon."

His smile was strained, and his friends could tell.

"Yin Pei..."

This time, it was Qin Jinwei who called out his name. This was the opening scene of "Feather of Youth," the film they were shooting, and Guo Yingyu had already memorized her lines. To ensure a good performance today, she had even rehearsed her movements and expressions.

However, at this moment, all the rehearsals from yesterday, the pauses in her lines, and the expressions Qin Jinwei should have when looking at Yin Pei were all forgotten. The moment she locked eyes with Lu Xu, she felt as if she was witnessing Yin Pei's pain firsthand—and she truly became his friend.

Tears spilled out uncontrollably.

Yin Pei was injured and had lost his dream, but it was Qin Jinwei who couldn't hold back her tears. In the end, it was Yin Pei who patted Qin Jinwei's shoulder and comforted her softly, and the three of them ended up crying together.

After what seemed like an eternity, Director Feng Rui finally called "cut," and the shoot came to an end.

Guo Yingyu wiped away her tears.

She was stunned, unsure of how she had started crying. At that moment, she truly couldn't control her emotions. Whether it was Lu Xu's performance or the overwhelming sadness of Yin Pei's character that moved her, she couldn't help but be moved.

But—this was indeed the most immersive moment she had experienced as an actress.

Having been signed to a major director's studio and being chosen to star in "Feather of Youth," Guo Yingyu was naturally not without talent.

However, she felt that Lu Xu's dedication and connection to the character were unmatched among her peers. During this time, he had been practicing badminton, and he was no longer as lean as in the media photos taken before joining the crew. Yet, he still managed to capture the fragility of the character.

She deeply felt Yin Pei's pain and helplessness in that instant.

It overwhelmed her like a tidal wave, engulfing her completely.

It was truly... remarkable.

She now fully understood why Lu Xu had won the Best Actor award at the Star Awards.

His performance was on par with any of the senior actors she had worked with before.

Before joining the "Feather of Youth" crew, her manager had assured Guo Yingyu that she would learn a lot from Lu Xu—though he hadn't worked with many young actors, those he had worked with, like Shao Yao, Zheng Xiao, and Wei Yi, had all carved out their place in the industry.

Even if they didn't become household names, at least they had all become competent actors.

"Excellent!"

Feng Rui couldn't help but clap.

For the first scene, he had originally planned to let the actors get comfortable with each other and find their rhythm. However, the first scene turned out to be unexpectedly powerful, with both Lu Xu and Guo Yingyu delivering stellar performances, and Hu Yan also performing above the standard.

As a director, he naturally had higher expectations for these young actors in the crew.

That day, Guo Yingyu rarely chatted with her friends.

Her friend on WeChat kept reminding her to get Lu Xu's autograph, which she had promised. She would naturally get the autograph.

But compared to the autograph, and compared to her previous concerns about Lu Xu's temperament and whether he was easy to get along with, she was more focused on the emotions she had felt during today's scene.

Actors usually have a clear sense of their own performances.

Guo Yingyu felt that she was on the verge of becoming a great actress. With just a bit more effort, she could deliver even better performances.

This exhilaration was hard to describe.