After the Pretty Cannon Fodder Was Coveted by the Best Actor - Chapter 1

His upper body was slumped over the man’s lap.

“Get the hell out of here right now.”

Xian Sui instinctively raised his head to look at the owner of the voice.

Everything happened far too abruptly. Just a second ago, he was discussing upcoming projects with his roommate, but now, simply by accidentally bumping his head against the desk, the scenery before him had shifted drastically.

His knees rested on the floor of the room, and his upper body was draped over the lap of a man wearing a police uniform. Viewed from this angle, the man sat half a head taller than him, casting a heavy shadow that pressed down on him, causing Xian Sui to subconsciously take a quiet, deep breath.

Xian Sui swore he hadn’t done anything. The moment he opened his eyes, he was met with this unsettling scene.

He immediately moved to back away, but the man reacted a step faster, forcefully grabbing his collar. The man’s gaze looked as though it wanted to pierce two holes right through his face. “I am not falling for your tricks. Let me say this again. Get out.”

Xian Sui was forced to meet the man’s eyes. Under this invisible pressure, he scrambled up from the man’s lap and bolted toward the door of the room, as if afraid that moving a second too slow would spell trouble.

Although he had no idea about the cause and effect of the current situation, Xian Sui felt utterly awkward.

Before leaving the room, he caught a stray glance at the doorplate hanging by the entrance, realizing only then that the place he had just been in was a lounge. In addition, the characters Gu Fanzhou were clearly written on it.

A very familiar name. Xian Sui walked down the corridor, beginning to piece together every memory in his mind associated with that name.

Some time ago, for a course assignment, his roommates had requested a mountain of materials from the senior students in the same department. Xian Sui got along well with them, so he naturally received a copy as well. He casually clicked open the document. It should have been a classic academic text, but after reading for a good while, Xian Sui realized something had gone horribly wrong. The document in his hands had transformed into a Boys Love novel, and he shared the exact same name as the wicked cannon fodder character in it.

Because of this coincidence, Xian Sui felt an inexplicable spark of interest and continued reading.

The protagonist gong in the original story, Gu Fanzhou, had achieved fame at a young age. Ever since stepping onto the silver screen, he rapidly skyrocketed to popularity thanks to his exceptional acting prowess and superior physical appearance. To put it exaggerately, Gu Fanzhou was a rare living legend within the industry. Furthermore, as a producer, many of the projects Gu Fanzhou invested in and produced had set stellar records.

Meanwhile, the Xian Sui in the book was merely a nameless, insignificant minor actor. Since entering the industry, he hadn’t even played a single decent role, and his head was filled with underhanded schemes, attempting to climb the social ladder through connections to secure opportunities.

This impatient little actor happened to spot Gu Fanzhou at a charity gala, and in order to claw his way up, he immediately hatched a scheme.

He tried every possible means to approach Gu Fanzhou, even going so far as to frame Gu Fanzhou’s original partner, the protagonist shou. After discovering the truth, Gu Fanzhou exposed Xian Sui’s dark secrets, presenting crystal-clear evidence including photos, videos, and recordings. With the minor actor unable to defend himself in any way, he ultimately suffered total social ruin and lost everything.

Xian Sui fished his phone out from his pocket. The black screen reflected his facial features, which were completely identical to how he looked before transmigrating, down to the tear mole right beneath his left eye.

Clearly, Xian Sui had transmigrated into the book along with his physical body, taking over the original owner’s identity.

He glanced back at Gu Fanzhou’s lounge not far away. Good thing he ran fast, or who knows what consequences would have followed if he had truly enraged Gu Fanzhou.

According to the original plot, Gu Fanzhou only truly made a move against a small fry like him after Xian Sui harmed the protagonist shou. He touched his nose, firmly believing that as long as he stayed out of trouble, no issues would naturally arise from Gu Fanzhou’s end.

As far as he was concerned, it would be best if he never even appeared in front of the man, especially since his wicked cannon fodder self had just attempted to offer himself up before getting mercilessly chased out. Setting aside whether Gu Fanzhou would roll his eyes at him, Xian Sui himself didn’t much feel like facing that.

Yet the very next second, reality went against his wishes. The moment Xian Sui reached the end of the corridor, someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind. He instinctively turned around to see a young man half a head shorter than him rushing over anxiously, panting heavily from time to time as if he had just sprinted all the way. “Brother Xian Sui, why are you out here? I have been looking everywhere for you. Filming is about to start.”

“Filming?” Xian Sui blurted out, but he quickly caught his own slip-up. Since he had already walked out of a set lounge, there was naturally a production being shot.

“Brother, did you lose your memory?” The young man widened his eyes. “There is still a river-jumping scene coming up. Even though there are no lines, it is a full three-minute sequence.”

It seemed the original owner genuinely had a tough time scraping by in the entertainment industry.

Along the way, the assistant kept handing Xian Sui water and asking whether he wanted to put on an extra layer of clothes. Xian Sui vaguely guessed that the young man must be his personal assistant, and quite a thoughtful one at that.

In truth, as a minor cannon fodder who rarely appeared in the original work, Xian Sui only showed up during crucial moments with virtually no deep characterization, leaving the original owner’s interpersonal relationships rather vague.

Even with his appearance altered, no one around him questioned his identity, saving him plenty of trouble.

After briefly skimming through the script alongside a few impatient instructions hurled by the director, Xian Sui roughly understood what kind of scene he was about to face.

This was a cop-and-robber action film. The police officer played by Gu Fanzhou chases a youth to a riverbank. Facing the unfathomable depth of the water, the youth instinctively stops in his tracks. In that split second of hesitation, the youth takes a bullet to the arm and recklessly leaps into the river anyway.

With safety crew stationed by the river, there wouldn’t be any genuine safety hazards, but given that it was still early spring and a lingering chill remained in the air, Xian Sui’s plunge into the water was guaranteed to be miserable.

“Brother Xian Sui, I will go find you some dry clothes first. Make sure you do not catch a cold once you get back ashore.” The assistant dashed off the moment he finished speaking.

Consequently, Xian Sui’s unretrieved gaze drifted far away to land on Gu Fanzhou, who was dressed in a police uniform. Noticing Xian Sui’s stare while conversing with the director, the latter cast a slight sideways glance.

Knowing full well that Gu Fanzhou wasn’t looking at him with any kind expression, Xian Sui quickly averted his gaze and looked down at his script.

Before long, all crew members were in position and preparations began. Xian Sui started running from the edge of a small slope toward the river, looking back from time to time at Gu Fanzhou, who was hot on his heels.

Gu Fanzhou drew his service weapon, pointing it at the back of Xian Sui’s head while shouting a stern order to halt, but it clearly had no effect. Panicking, Xian Sui fled all the way to the riverbank and, following the script’s instructions, instinctively came to a dead stop. At that moment, his ears were filled with nothing except the sound of his own heavy breathing.

The exact instant he froze, a gunshot practically pierced his eardrum. Fresh blood began to gurgle freely from his arm, serving as a stark warning that continuing to hesitate would spell certain doom.

Left with no choice, he closed his eyes and decisively plunged into the river.

“Cut. That segment was good, we will take it in one go.”

Only then did Xian Sui slowly crawl up from the river. His white shirt was thoroughly soaked, clinging tightly to his fair skin and outlining his slender youthful frame.

Armed with a thick coat, the assistant threw it over Xian Sui’s shoulders regardless of anything else. “Brother, are you freezing?”

“I am fine.”

“Brother Xian Sui acted wonderfully just now. This is actually my first time seeing you nail a scene in one take.” The assistant’s eyes sparkled with pleasant surprise. “In the past, you used to need multiple retakes even just for falling to the ground.”

His assistant seemed just a little too brutally honest.

Originally, he still had a year left before graduating from drama academy, yet a simple bump to the head meant he had somehow entered the workforce early.

Xian Sui returned to the changing room, slipped into dry clothes, and gave his hair a quick wipe before heading back to the set.

Since he had no more scenes for the day, coming back out was purely to observe and learn from the sidelines, a habit Xian Sui had maintained ever since his academy days, refusing to leave right away even after filming wrapped up.

Gu Fanzhou’s performance in front of the camera truly left zero room for criticism. Even as an outsider watching from the sidelines, Xian Sui found himself almost completely drawn into the scene by the man.

As shooting concluded, Xian Sui pulled back his gaze, accidentally locking eyes with a woman standing across from him. She smiled warmly and curved her lips at him, and Xian Sui politely returned the gesture.

Seeing the crew members busy packing up equipment, Xian Sui gathered his things and prepared to leave, only to bump right into Gu Fanzhou conversing with the very same woman he had just noticed.

“Him?” Gu Fanzhou let out a light, cynical scoff. “I am not denying that his three-minute performance was decent, and he managed to convey the right emotions without a single line. But can you guarantee he will perform well under any given circumstance?”

He added at the tail end, “If he really possessed that kind of capability, you and I wouldn’t have gone years without ever hearing his name.”

“I understand your concerns, but I do not want to give up on a good candidate just because of that.” The woman paused in thought for a moment. “Among all the people I have auditioned, his physical appearance is the absolute closest match. The very first time I laid eyes on him, I thought to myself: He is Jian Shuyu.”

“Does he even have the competence to become Jian Shuyu?” Gu Fanzhou wore his skepticism completely on his sleeve.

“I can.”

An electric current seemed to spark through Xian Sui’s mind, prompting him to respond instantly, even though he knew nothing about the project.

Gu Fanzhou clearly had no desire to lay eyes on Xian Sui, his expression instantly freezing over into a stern look, though he refrained from verbally chasing him away.

“Little Xian, right?” The woman greeted him naturally, introducing herself as Yu Zhifu. She explained that she was currently preparing to direct a queer-themed film which could not pass domestic censorship and needed to be sent overseas to compete for international awards.

Xian Sui and Yu Zhifu found a spot to sit down nearby. Through their conversation, Xian Sui gathered quite a bit of information regarding the film.

“As one of the main protagonists, Jian Shuyu spends almost the entire movie dressed in women clothing,” Yu Zhifu introduced the character to Xian Sui without holding back. “He conceals his identity, making a living by working as a dancer. Having heard far too many sweet nothings, it is not until he crosses paths with Fu Minglou that he learns what sincerity truly means.”

Yu Zhifu invited him to audition, and Xian Sui agreed almost without hesitation. Even back in his academy days, opportunities to play lead roles were never handed out easily.

“However, Little Xian, there are quite a few intimate scenes in the film. Are you certain you can handle them?” Yu Zhifu paused briefly before adding a final note, “No sensitive areas will be exposed, so rest assured.”

As an actor, one had to adapt to any shooting scenario. That was Xian Sui’s mindset, and he quickly gave an affirmative reply.

The audition was settled just like that. Yu Zhifu looked to be in high spirits. “Fanzhou will also be coming to observe the audition and casting process. Since he is both an investor and the male lead, it is only right for him to pay close attention.”

Xian Sui couldn’t help freezing in place for a moment.

If Jian Shuyu’s role hadn’t been cast yet, then the main lead played by Gu Fanzhou was obviously none other than Fu Minglou, the man romantically entangled with Jian Shuyu.

He secretly swept a sidelong glance toward Gu Fanzhou’s gloomy expression nearby, finding it hard to imagine what kind of bizarre situation it would be if he actually had to shoot intimate scenes with this Best Actor.

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