Chapter 90: No Special Treatment, No Consoling Words, Action!

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November 17th, Thursday, Egret Island Dexing Hotel.

“Mr. Lin, please take a break. Tonight, our crew is hosting a welcome dinner…”

Ma Wen had personally come to pick up Lin Xing today. With a smile, he said, “There won’t be anyone else tonight, just the main cast. You can get to know each other first.”

“Alright, Mr. Ma, you go ahead. I don’t have any special requests—whatever you need from me, I’ll cooperate. There’s no need for special treatment,” Lin Xing replied with a smile. “I’m really not that particular.”

“Haha, you’re too polite, Mr. Lin. This is all my duty. I’ve always said I’m here to keep things running smoothly for you all,” Ma Wen laughed heartily. “Alright then, see you tonight.”

“Okay.” Lin Xing nodded lightly.

Once Ma Wen had left, Xiao Nan started checking things again, as meticulously as ever.

After all, for Xiao Nan, Brother Xing was even more popular now, so she needed to be extra careful.

“Brother Xing, everything’s fine. Please take a rest,” Xiao Nan said hurriedly. “I’ll call Sister Dao, then check in with the crew to find out the details of the shoot.”

“Alright.” Lin Xing waved his hand. “Go ahead.”

For “Portraits for Justice,” the crew had booked out the entire Dexing Hotel. This time, Lin Xing was the undisputed male lead and the biggest star in the cast, so naturally, they had arranged the best accommodations for him.

Originally, Ma Wen had reserved a room for Lin Xing alone at the neighboring five-star hotel, but Lin Xing politely declined.

This was evidence of how much “Portraits for Justice” valued him; this kind of treatment was standard for top celebrities.

They usually never stay at the same hotel as the rest of the crew.

Everything is extra for them.

Sometimes, these top stars seem to treat filming as a vacation—sometimes even ending up sharing a bed with the leading actress while shooting.

But Lin Xing was different. He was here to act, to work.

If he stayed in the presidential suite of the five-star hotel next door, never mind the special treatment—would he really come over for crew meetings or script discussions?

It would be too inconvenient.

Besides, Lin Xing wasn’t that delicate. Back when he did charity work in Dafeng Mountain, he could sleep in a mud house just fine.

Kong Tian had once told Lin Xing that if an actor loses touch with reality, his performances will never convince the audience again.

Why else do so many actors start off playing small characters brilliantly, only to become increasingly exaggerated after becoming famous?

Lin Xing remembered this well.

That’s why he declined the special arrangements and chose to stay in the same hotel as the crew. He just took a better room on a higher floor, like the other leads.

It was simpler and more convenient.

After Xiao Nan left, Lin Xing didn’t rest. Instead, he checked Weibo.

Today was the official finale of “Farming Life.”

The finale was split into three parts, and this last episode was like a fireside chat.

Except, instead of a fire, it was hot pot.

Lin Xing made a rabbit hot pot.

As everyone ate, they discussed how their lives changed before and after joining “Farming Life.”

Guan Peng admitted he originally joined “Farming Life” just to pass the time, never expecting to actually farm. He even lost thirty or forty pounds, and now he was about to star in a new drama, “Learning Dad and Mom.”

Hong Fei said he wanted people to know him as an action actor. Now, he’d landed a role in an anti-fraud film, “Fishing Operation.”

Duan Hai thanked the show for giving him exposure; he was already preparing to release an album.

Ding Yi and the others were equally grateful.

…

After the finale aired, it immediately trended.

A miracle.

Old Zhong, who had once explained why people watched “Farming Life,” also shared his thoughts.

“‘Farming Life’ really is a miracle. Producer Feng Gang had just left Tan Province TV. The main cast was either washed up or unknown, but after Lin Xing joined, it gradually broke out.

Sometimes, success is just a breath away—if you can hold on a bit longer, you might make it.

Take Guan Peng: before joining, he was so out of favor he had no roles. But now, his new drama with an award-winning actress is launching at the end of the month.

Hong Fei, once a marketless action actor, now has another chance.

Duan Hai, Ding Yi—these previously invisible entertainers have all gained a wave of attention.

If they’d given up before, where would their opportunities be?

You could call it luck, but how many people can seize luck when it comes?

Some still say Lin Xing’s comeback is down to luck?

I think Lin Xing quietly honed his craft, so when luck arrived, he was ready to seize it.”

…

With the official end of “Farming Life,” even Old Zhong posted a heartfelt essay, full of positivity.

Guan Peng, Hong Fei, Duan Hai, Ding Yi, and even Lin Miaoyin all posted their own reflections.

Everyone finally had a bright future ahead.

Just like farming in the show: after planting, fertilizing, watering, and weeding, each person now reaped their own harvest.

Lin Xing also posted a Weibo, putting a period on “Farming Life.”

“Beautiful—it really feels beautiful. How can a variety show move me to tears?”

“Everyone wants effort to be rewarded, but in reality, hard work doesn’t always pay off. That’s why ‘Farming Life’ feels so wonderful—because in farming, effort always leads to a harvest.”

“That’s right—the world doesn’t always reward the hardest worker. I remember someone once said, ‘We struggle under heavy burdens because someone else enjoys peace on our backs?’”

“And another: ‘Suffering flows to those who are willing to suffer.’”

…

“Sometimes, it’s worth believing that perseverance leads to success. Like Old Zhong said, sometimes you need to seize luck, but only if you have the strength to do so.”

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“That’s right, life needs a little passion.”

“Watching the finale of ‘Farming Life’ really is heartwarming. Everyone has a bright future, whether it’s the harvest in the show or the opportunities outside of it.”

…

Many viewers who watched “Farming Life” from start to finish felt emotional. It’s like finishing a drama—audiences always feel reluctant when it ends.

Some were playful about it, referring to Lin Xing’s rabbit hot pot and joking, “Rabbits are so cute, why not make them into hot pot?”

While Lin Xing was browsing Weibo, he received a WeChat message from Zhou Wei.

Zhou Wei: “Mr. Lin, have you arrived at the hotel?”

Zhou Wei was the other male lead in “Portraits for Justice.”

Since the show had two male leads, Lin Xing and Zhou Wei had exchanged WeChat contacts, though they weren’t very familiar yet.

With filming starting the next day, Zhou Wei wanted to chat with Lin Xing in advance.

Zhou Wei had arrived at Egret Island the day before and took the opportunity to sightsee.

He was part of the middle generation of actors—still had some popularity, but not enough to be recognized on the street.

When it came to acting, he was much better than the traffic stars, but just average compared to veteran actors.

Most importantly, Zhou Wei had a square-jawed look, making him unsuitable for idol or traffic dramas, so he mostly played serious roles.

But he never got the best resources, and mediocre projects never made him a breakout star.

So at thirty-seven, Zhou Wei was stuck in the middle—neither at the top nor the bottom.

He was never short of roles, but they were either small-budget, or minor roles in big productions.

When “Portraits for Justice” invited him to play the lead, Zhou Wei agreed without hesitation.

He’d never had a chance at the lead before; his biggest roles had been as the second male.

Inviting Lin Xing was to boost the show, while inviting Zhou Wei was to give him a lift.

Zhou Wei took the project seriously—he’d already discussed it with Director Liu Zhou, screenwriter Wang Yi, and understood the script. He also recognized Lin Xing’s importance to the production.

With two male leads, Lin Xing would bring traffic, and Zhou Wei would bring acting skills.

Today, after coming back from outside, he wanted to check if Lin Xing had arrived so he could reach out.

After Zhou Wei messaged and saw Lin Xing’s reply, he smiled.

He genuinely felt Lin Xing was different from other top stars. Just the fact that Lin Xing didn’t demand special treatment made Zhou Wei like him.

In less than two minutes, Zhou Wei stood at Lin Xing’s door.

“I’m staying next door. I figured you’d be arriving around now,” Zhou Wei said, smiling as he entered.

“I’ve only been here about half an hour,” Lin Xing replied. “Mr. Zhou, you can call me Xing or Lin—‘teacher’ is too much.”

“Haha, then I’ll call you Xing,” Zhou Wei laughed. “I’m older, so you can call me Brother Zhou.”

“Alright, Brother Zhou, when did you arrive?”

“I got here yesterday and did a bit of sightseeing. But unlike you, I just need a bit of disguise—hardly anyone recognizes me anyway. As for you, Xing, even if you disguise yourself, people would still recognize you.”

It was a joke, but also the truth.

Lin Xing was just too popular now.

Zhou Wei stayed for about half an hour, mainly to chat and get to know each other, expressing his hope for smooth cooperation.

“Alright, Xing, get some rest. See you tonight,” Zhou Wei said as he got up to leave.

“See you tonight,” Lin Xing replied.

Soon after Zhou Wei left, Xiao Nan returned.

“Brother Xing, I checked—the crew rented a nearby factory and set it up as a police station set. Most of the police station scenes will be shot there,” Xiao Nan explained. “Other locations are all close to the hotel…”

Lin Xing nodded to show he understood.

Since it was a low-budget web drama, everything was focused on practicality.

Often, a whole show could be shot in one studio, with all sorts of sets giving the illusion of different locations.

For Lin Xing, as long as the script was solid, that was his job.

That night, Lin Xing attended the welcome dinner with the main creative team.

Producer Ma Wen, Director Liu Zhou, Screenwriter Wang Yi, and Old Liu were all familiar faces. Besides them, there were the main actors from “Portraits for Justice.”

“Xing, nice to finally meet you,” Wei Fei greeted him first, shaking his hand. “Still as handsome as ever.”

“Hello, Sister Fei,” Lin Xing replied, shaking hands.

“Come, let me introduce you. This is Lu Quan, this is Ning Rong…”

Wei Fei introduced three main actors.

No need to introduce Zhou Wei—they’d already met.

Lin Xing already knew from the group chat: Lu Quan played the deputy captain of the criminal police, Ning Rong played a psychologist, and Li Chuang played a forensic doctor.

The dinner was just a welcome banquet for everyone to get acquainted.

“The script is in Old Wang’s hands, and the filming is up to Director Liu,” Ma Wen said, raising his glass. “Let’s work together to make this drama great.”

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“Let’s work together,” Liu Zhou echoed, raising his own glass. “We’ll be relying on you for coordination, Ma.”

“No worries, just let me know what you need at any time,” Ma Wen nodded. “I’ll make sure everything runs smoothly for the next two months.”

So the meal was spent eating, chatting, and drinking, but since filming started the next day, no one drank much, and everything wrapped up by 9:40.

“See you tomorrow,” Lin Xing said his goodbyes one by one.

The next day, “Portraits for Justice” began shooting at the factory.

It was a low-key event.

Unlike the grand opening of “Eradicating Crime,” which invited media for interviews, this time the launch was kept quiet.

There was no media presence.

After a brief ceremony, they took some official photos for future publicity.

As a small-budget drama, “Portraits for Justice” wouldn’t start early promotions.

None of the cast was prominent enough to carry the show.

Promoting now would be pointless.

Lin Xing had traffic, but it needed to be used wisely.

“Now, I declare ‘Portraits for Justice’ officially in production,” Director Liu Zhou announced, uncovering the red cloth on the camera.

Thunderous applause erupted.

Even if it was just a web drama, for actors like Zhou Wei and Lu Quan, it was still important.

All the more so for the lesser-known actors.

A start means work—a job.

After the morning ceremony, there was a “kickoff banquet” at the restaurant next door.

“No drinking today. After this meal, we’ll officially begin filming. Thank you all for your hard work. We’ll celebrate properly once shooting wraps,” Director Liu Zhou said.

Everyone clapped in agreement.

Lin Xing was busy during the meal.

Many people came to greet him—not just the main cast, but also guest actors and even extras.

Apart from actors, there were also crew members.

“Alright, everyone, you’ll have plenty of chances to see Mr. Lin later. If you keep crowding him, he won’t even be able to eat,” Ma Wen said, shooing people away.

He then turned to Lin Xing and said, “Mr. Lin, you can’t be too easy-going on set. Some people will take advantage if you are.”

Lin Xing smiled, “Thank you, Mr. Ma, I understand.”

Ma Wen knew Lin Xing probably wouldn’t change, but he’d already decided to look out for him more on set.

As producer, Ma Wen felt the most pressure for this project.

Aside from everything else, Lin Xing was key to the whole show. If anything happened to him, the shooting schedule would be affected.

“Mr. Lin, we start filming at 2 p.m. I’ve arranged a trailer for you, so you can rest during breaks…”

Before he could finish, Lin Xing interrupted, “Mr. Ma, I said I don’t need special treatment.”

Ma Wen paused. “But this isn’t special—it’s standard.”

Even beyond traffic stars, even veteran actors used trailers.

Some actresses would even nap in the trailer on the way from the hotel to set.

“Mr. Ma, I really don’t need it,” Lin Xing said, waving his hand. “I’m not being polite or pretending—I just don’t need it. During breaks, I’ll just review the script or watch others act.”

Ma Wen hesitated. “Well…”

He was genuinely stumped.

Star trailers were normal—even Wei Fei had her own, though she bought it herself.

To Ma Wen, Lin Xing was the one who needed the most protection, so arranging a trailer was only natural.

But Lin Xing wasn’t used to it; he preferred to watch and learn from others on set.

“Alright, then,” Ma Wen finally agreed. But he’d already decided to hire more security.

At 2 p.m., shooting officially began for “Portraits for Justice.”

The very first scene was a confrontation between Lin Xing and Zhou Wei.

Lin Xing’s character, forensic artist Guan Feng, is brought in for interrogation—unaware that a portrait he drew led to the death of an undercover cop.

A forensic artist can predict how a three-year-old will look as an adult. Guan Feng drew an image of a child, believing the request came from someone whose child had been abducted.

In reality, the photo was of an undercover officer. When Guan Feng completed the portrait, the officer was murdered.

The undercover officer was Zhou Wei’s mentor, which is why Zhou’s character is especially furious.

Both were in full makeup, and when the clapperboard snapped:

The first scene of “Portraits for Justice” began.

…

…

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(End of chapter)