Chapter 71: Filming Accelerates

The entire crew was in a state of utter cluelessness, so any suggestions were warmly welcomed. Xiao Qian took the lead and applauded, “Let’s give a round of applause to Teacher Wu for his invaluable guidance!” The others followed suit, enthusiastically clapping along.

Wu Miao had been acting since childhood, and by rights, nothing should embarrass him anymore. Yet, since meeting Mo Fei, he’d felt awkward twice already—once when he was poisoned and socially ruined in the “Fungal Poison” incident, and now again. Brother Mo was truly a remarkable person, with an equally remarkable group of friends.

Wu Miao cleared his throat and began, “First, I suggest hiring a lighting assistant, so he doesn’t have to keep reading the manual all the time.” He pointed to Ji Xingyu, who was frantically flipping through the instruction booklet.

Ji Xingyu had always used simple fill lights before; the most complicated thing was changing the lampshade. Now, faced with such a large machine, he had no choice but to consult the manual, though it was making his head spin.

After Wu Miao made his suggestion, Ji Xingyu calmly closed the manual. “I think he’s right. I can cover the assistant’s salary.”

“No need for you to worry about that. It’s just an assistant—I’ll take care of it,” Xiao Qian jotted down the item in his notebook. “Anything else?”

“There’s one more thing…” Wu Miao asked the soul-searching question, “Do you have a script supervisor?”

The script supervisor may be an unremarkable position, but they are absolutely indispensable in a crew. Simply put, anything can be asked of the script supervisor, and they have to manage everything. Every crew needs such a manager—someone akin to a housekeeper.

Having worked as a script supervisor in this crew would surely be a badge of honor on any resume. If you could keep things in order here, what couldn’t you handle?

“Script supervisor…” Xiao Qian pondered for a moment. “I think the Class President could do it.”

“I don’t think so,” Ji Xingyu set aside the lighting manual. “The Class President went abroad last year and is now a war correspondent. Did you forget?”

“Oh, right,” Xiao Qian suddenly remembered. “The last time he got blown up and landed in the hospital, we even went to visit him.” He sighed, “But the only person I know who can straighten out all these messy affairs is the Class President.”

Wu Miao watched from the sidelines, not daring to speak. No matter which script supervisor he recommended, it felt like that person would come hunting for him later.

Mo Fei clapped his hands, “I’ve got someone in mind.”

Everyone’s gaze focused on him.

“My experience tells me, besides the Class President, there’s one other person in this world who can keep things in order.” Mo Fei raised a single finger and declared, “Mom!”

The entire room fell silent, a collective hush.

Ji Xingyu looked around and sighed, “Anyone present who has a mom, please raise your hand.” Wu Miao took two seconds to react, then shot his hand up high. Xiao Qian slowly raised his hand as well.

Strangest of all was the short-haired, tattooed girl, who hesitated, unsure whether to raise her hand. Noticing the attention, she frowned and asked, “Does a mom count if you’ve severed ties with her?”

Wu Miao was amazed. Spectacular, truly spectacular. With so many people in this crew, they couldn’t even muster two mothers; what a hellish joke…

But that wasn’t the point. It felt as though nothing in this group could surprise him anymore.

Xiao Qian nodded resignedly, “Looks like I’ll have to ask my mom for her opinion.”

“Auntie used to work in the theater, and she has administrative experience. If she’s willing to help, there shouldn’t be a problem,” Ji Xingyu reassured him.

Others nodded as well. Xiao Qian was a good director—generous, eager to learn, easygoing—but he was slow to act. If someone decisive joined, progress would surely pick up.

“Your advice is invaluable. Thank you so much,” Xiao Qian said gratefully, hugging his notebook to Wu Miao.

Wu Miao chuckled awkwardly, “No problem, no problem…” Best not to mention that those suggestions were his. It was a bit embarrassing.

As for Lü Chunqiu, he had already grown numb. This childish arrangement…well, as long as it was profitable, lawful, and didn’t cross any moral lines, it was fine. No need to expect too much from these silly kids.

Once the candidate was settled, Xiao Qian wasted no time contacting her. Before filming officially began, Wu Miao hadn’t forgotten his own purpose for coming, and he consulted Mo Fei about card tricks.

Mo Fei held nothing back, sharing all his techniques—sleight of hand, palming, shuffling, fancy cuts. Essentially, performing card tricks was all about speed; other magic tricks were much the same. Either you were fast enough, or your props were reliable and your stage presence strong.

Magic, after all, is a form of deception, albeit one focused more on spectacle.

The “Phantom Thief’s” speed was unmatched among all the cards currently available. If Mo Fei wished, he could snatch Wu Miao’s phone from his pocket in a passing moment. But that would be illegal. Mo Fei had no intention of becoming a criminal.

After warmly seeing Wu Miao off, Madam Qian arrived at the scene at Xiao Qian’s request. She seemed quite pleased to be helping with the shoot, and Xiao Qian explained the duties of a script supervisor to her with his notebook.

Madam Qian summarized it all in one sentence, “So I’m just doing odd jobs?”

Xiao Qian was momentarily speechless, “Uh—”

“No matter,” Madam Qian rolled up her sleeves and smiled, “Good thing I wore clothes that are easy to move in. I’ve done everything before, you know.”

Madam Qian had always dreamed of being a famous actress, but she wasn’t fixated on that alone.

After Madam Qian took charge, the crew and equipment became neatly organized, and even the new actors Xiao Qian had signed were properly assigned. Such execution and integration skills were extraordinary.

Lü Chunqiu quietly sidled up to Xiao Qian and asked, “May I ask what your mother did before?”

“She was the company’s Chief Executive Officer, the king of all workaholics.” Xiao Qian regarded his mother at work with a mixture of awe and resignation. “Now that she’s here, we’ll all have to work harder whether we want to or not.”

His smile held a touch of bitterness. Who knew better than him how competent his mother was? He hadn’t wanted to bring her in precisely because he didn’t want the extra pressure. But now, there was no way he could let his own comfort hold back the rest of the team. The company’s hungry workaholics were waiting to get back to work.

“This is what you’ve accomplished after all these days?” Madam Qian looked over Xiao Qian’s notebook, her brow furrowed tight. “If I’d had such a slow employee back in the day, I’d have sent you home to play by yourself.”

“Get over here; I’ll assign you some tasks!”

Xiao Qian put on a serene smile and, under Lü Chunqiu’s gaze, walked bravely up to Madam Qian.

Mo Fei, munching on sunflower seeds, stood by Lü Chunqiu. “How come mother and son are so different in temperament?”

Before Lü Chunqiu could reply, Madam Qian called out, “Lead actor, get over here too!”

Mo Fei hurriedly stuffed the seeds in his pocket. “…Coming!”