Leisurely Traveler with Check-in System-Chapter 38: The Task Is to Experience a Day as an Extra
Strictly speaking, Xie Lin’s appearance is quite ordinary. Standing at 1.7 meters tall, he’s not ugly, but calling him handsome would be far-fetched. He’s the kind of person you could lose in a crowd and never find again.
When he saw Li Younan, Xie Lin was a bit stunned. Back in middle school, Li Younan was about the same height as him, he never expected Li Younan to have grown so tall now.
Over the past ten-plus years, Li Younan indeed grew into a handsome figure, resembling an internet celebrity, which made Xie Lin feel gratified, indicating his judgment was right, as he always thought Li Younan was the most handsome boy in the class.
Yesterday, when Li Younan sent a message, Xie Lin was so excited that he couldn’t sleep the whole night. Middle school for him was already a nearly blurred memory, with most people and things dissipating into oblivion.
He didn’t read much, if he were educated, he would describe his middle school years as a utopia.
In reality, he didn’t have many friends in the class back then; the only one he could still remember vividly was Li Younan. When Li Younan said he was traveling to Jinhua City and wanted to meet him, Xie Lin indeed wanted to see Li Younan.
But in truth, he didn’t know why he was so eager. He was very aware that back then, Li Younan was the best student in the class, while he was merely a middle schooler. By comparison, Li Younan surely had already graduated from university and had become a completely different world from him.
Nevertheless, Xie Lin really wanted to see Li Younan, without a tinge of inferiority.
For the occasion, he dug out the set of denim jacket and jeans, along with the pair of Martens boots, which he bought together with his girlfriend, because his girlfriend had said this outfit was his most handsome ensemble.
Li Younan stood up, waved at Xie Lin with a smile that felt as familiar as ever. Xie Lin laughed heartily and quickly walked over. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
Li Younan said, "Long time no see, you seem not to have changed much."
Xie Lin casually pulled out the chair in front of him and sat down, saying, "You, on the other hand, have changed quite a bit, but I could still recognize you at a glance, you’re even more handsome than you were in middle school."
Li Younan laughed heartily.
Xie Lin asked, "Have you eaten yet?"
Li Younan nodded.
"Perfect, we should meet up at noon, are you free?" Li Younan asked.
Xie Lin hesitated for a moment, the expression was brief but caught by Li Younan.
Li Younan asked, "Am I interrupting anything?"
Xie Lin hurriedly shook his head, "No, no, I have a notice this afternoon, but it’s fine, I can postpone it." Saying that, Xie Lin took out his phone and made a call, "Hey, Uncle, about this afternoon’s... maybe find someone else."
Xie Lin’s phone had severe leakage, Li Younan heard the voice from the receiver, "What’s going on this afternoon, you have a line this afternoon!"
Xie Lin’s expression showed some difficulty, but he resolutely said, "It’s alright, there’ll be another chance next time."
Li Younan asked, "What time in the afternoon is your notice?"
Xie Lin guessed, "Three o’clock."
Li Younan checked the time, still early, then said, "No problem, in the afternoon you do what you need to do."
Xie Lin frowned, "How could that be proper? Your first time in Jinhua City, of course, I need to accompany you. We haven’t seen each other in so many years."
Li Younan shook his head, "It’s all good, I can come along with you. Honestly, I am quite curious about what Hengdian is like, perfect opportunity to see what acting is all about."
Xie Lin hesitated, "You really think so?"
Li Younan resignedly said, "Isn’t Jinhua City most famous for that?"
Li Younan indeed thought this way, moreover, the system’s clock-in task was also at Hengdian.
Hearing Li Younan say that, joy sparkled in Xie Lin’s eyes, he said to his uncle on the phone, "Uncle, I’ll still go over then."
After hanging up, Xie Lin delightfully began recounting his experiences as an extra.
"Bro, don’t look down on the extras; I’ve acted in quite a lot of blockbusters."
Li Younan laughed heartily, "I believe that."
"I’ve played the vendor who disappears after shouting a few times on the street, played the soldier, played the backdrop, but honestly, I’m best at playing the corpse. Lie on the ground, whether the sun is scorching or the rain is soaking, I stay perfectly still, as long as the director doesn’t call cut, I won’t even blink." Xie Lin said proudly, "One time, even with a cold running a 38-degree fever, I could lie in the rain. Amazing, huh?"
Xie Lin really thought he was remarkable, Li Younan was stunned for a moment, lowered his head and said, "Remarkable!" feeling somewhat complicated.
The two ordered food, chatting while eating. After talking for a while about his own matters, Xie Lin asked, "Let’s not just talk about me, bro, what have you been up to over these years?"
Li Younan chuckled speechlessly, took a sip of tea and replied leisurely, "I haven’t had as exciting a life as you; just studying, advancing academically, then studying again, and briefly working."
Li Younan put the teacup down, "Recently I resigned, planning to go out for a bit."
Xie Lin didn’t quite know what Li Younan meant by "going out for a bit", but he was sure students from prestigious schools like Li Younan wouldn’t lack good jobs, nodded and said, "I’m really happy that you came to find me and remembered me, let’s have a drink."
Since Xie Lin had to work in the afternoon and Li Younan didn’t have the habit of drinking, both of them clinked their drink bottles, spilling some drink.
The district of Dongyang City is not far from Hengdian; after lunch, they arrived at Hengdian town by around two.
The start of work wouldn’t be so punctual, and around this time, Li Younan happened to get a chance to stroll through the attractions.
Xie Lin parted with him temporarily; Xie Lin, with an actor’s certificate, needed to report to the production crew while Li Younan joined the crowd of tourists entering the scenic area.
The majesty of the Qin Palace, the vastness of the Ming and Qing Palace, the colonial style of Guangzhou Street, the neon signs of Hong Kong Street... these landscapes, originally belonging to different eras and different places, stood in a peculiar proximity.
Besides that, there were many performances within the scenic area. Actually, without these performances, Li Younan might even suspect he was in the Forbidden City... though he had never been there.
He naturally received the system’s clock-in task. But seeing this task, Li Younan was momentarily speechless. Currently, this task turned out to be the most troublesome among all the tasks he had accepted: Experience a day as any three types of actors at Hengdian.
Even if everything goes smoothly, staying here would require at least three days.
Li Younan then realized, there are categories even within extras. However, surprisingly, his mood lifted. He was curious about what life was like for those people on TV screens. If he could experience being an actor, it could be quite fun. Moreover, Xie Lin has been an extra here for over ten years, he could definitely learn a thing or two from him.
...
Xie Lin was somewhat disappointed.
Today ended early, the line wasn’t delivered.
To say he didn’t mind at all would be false. Every time he got a notice, even if it held just one line, like "Report—Enemy is coming!" or "Master, Madam requests your presence!", he’d lose sleep out of excitement, repeatedly contemplating how to deliver the line.
Unfortunately, upon arriving on set, due to various reasons—large crowd, camera angles, director’s last-minute changes—the line got cut again, back to the silent backdrop.
Disappointment was unavoidable, but his uncle often said in this line of work, you must accept fate and cherish, as long as there’s a movie to shoot and food to eat, keep working steadily.
Nevertheless, Xie Lin’s mood improved because Li Younan was already waiting for him outside.
Thinking of his long-lost friend Li Younan, Xie Lin found solace. He called his girlfriend, asking her to buy some groceries downstairs at the market, so they could have a good gathering in the evening with Li Younan.
