SFBF CH101

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For a while after that, Shen Qing stayed fairly busy.

It was mainly because some of his endorsement fees had landed in his account.

After all, this was the first huge sum of money he had earned on his own since coming to this world. Shen Qing wasn’t strapped for cash, but he still felt genuinely happy.

He didn’t skimp, either. He handed out bonuses and picked gifts for all the staff members around him and throughout the entire household. Then, after Duo-duo’s training camp wrapped up, he took the whole family on a half-month vacation.

The trip was actually Shen Qing’s idea in the first place.

Back in his past life, he never had time to enjoy himself. Living all those years without seeing much of the world, he naturally wanted to travel more while he was still young.

Shen Qing also deeply agreed with the common belief that bringing children along when they were too young was pointless because they wouldn’t remember anything anyway.

Except the cub in his family was different. His cub actually could remember. And the moment Shen Qing mentioned going, Ao-zai didn’t hesitate for a second to tag along—aside from his big brother, Ao-zai was now tighter with Little Dad than anyone else on earth.

After a moment’s hesitation, Duo-duo expressed his desire to go too.

Even though, prior to departure, he downloaded a mountain of courses onto his child-friendly tablet and meticulously picked out several books, making his travel preparations far more thorough than any adult’s.

As for President Gu, Shen Qing initially advised against him joining. Traveling was exhausting, after all, and they would only be apart for half a month.

But President Gu insisted on going, so Shen Qing had no choice but to bring him along.

In the end, the whole family set off in grand style, accompanied by Auntie Zhang, Assistant Li, and the bodyguards.

Before the trip was even halfway through, half the group had been baked dark as coal, with the most energetic and mischievous Ao-zai suffering the worst of it.

Young children were naturally full of energy when playing. As a human cub with an unusually high level of stamina, Ao-zai was even more fierce.

He would get sleepy, but after a short nap, he’d be recharged and tire-free, making him the most enthusiastic no matter where they went or what they did.

Although Gu Duo was focused on his studies, his time at the training camp had taught him the importance of broadening his horizons. Expanding his life experience had thus become Young Master Duo’s main focus. Along the way, he tried to observe as much as possible, joined in on everything, and asked questions whenever he didn’t understand.

A Duo-duo like this also got quite a tan.

President Gu, who had always looked pale, saw no change at all.

As for the lazy Shen Qing, who laid down whenever he could, did nothing but lie around or eat, and bundled himself up tightly with a hat and a mask, he didn’t get tan either.

Perhaps due to getting older, Shen Qing was only interested in flora, fauna, and unique natural scenery when going out. Amusement rides, famous influencer check-in spots, and the like held zero appeal for Teacher Shen. He felt there were too many people, and standing for too long was just exhausting.

Only occasionally, when he bumped into something particularly fun, would he participate a bit—like riding in a submarine, trying out a hang glider, or test-piloting a small plane.

For everything else, Shen the Salted Fish completely flattened out, sipping fruit juice and drinking coffee alongside Gu Huaiyu while waiting for the cubs to finish playing.

Living up to his core value: providing moral support!

Fortunately, they brought a large squad of bodyguards this time, and plenty of them were more than willing to accompany the young masters on rides… After all, it was a trip on the company dime, with all expenses covered for food, drinks, and fun… Ah, no, no, no, that wasn’t right!

After all, the boss paid such a ridiculously high salary that the loyal, grateful bodyguards all insisted on helping out wherever they could. Taking the young masters to queue up for rides or hit popular spots was a job they were eager to handle!

So after the entire trip, Shen Qing didn’t feel tired at all.

Instead, after a few days, he gained several pounds… You couldn’t just drink water while waiting around, which meant he ended up eating roughly five meals a day.

Everywhere they went, he might not have played to the fullest, but he certainly didn’t miss a single local delicacy…

Because he wasn’t tired and had even put on weight, Shen Qing packed the schedule for the second half of the trip pretty tight.

This was probably a classic case of having big ambitions despite low stamina.

Still, because they visited so many places, the cubs conscientiously checked off sights on their own, and Shen Qing collected a huge trove of photos.

He began updating his Moments daily, blocking everyone from the entertainment industry with whom he wasn’t close, leaving the posts visible only to parents and teachers in the school group, as well as a few non-industry friends.

The school originally advocated for parents to take their children out more during the summer break. Every time Shen Qing posted on Moments, he received a barrage of likes and praise, which made him feel a little light-headed with pride.

Sure enough, human beings were vain.

At least, Shen Qing admitted that he, as a human, certainly was.

Haha.

Instead, Shen Qing’s “big ambitions despite low stamina” left the cubs somewhat perplexed—Little Dad filled the itinerary to the brim, yet at every single location, he chose to lie flat. So did Little Dad actually like going out to play, or did he prefer lying down?

—He probably liked going out and lying down at the same time.

After some deliberation, the two cubs unanimously reached this conclusion.

At first glance, the two seemed contradictory. If he was lazy, why bother traveling?

Yet their Little Dad managed to blend the two seamlessly, making the whole thing look completely natural.

…As expected of Little Dad!

From then on, during every holiday—no matter how busy they were—the cubs would always carve out time to accompany Little Dad to go out and lie flat.

.

After traveling around, Shen Qing threw himself back into work upon returning to Huacheng.

He had finished reading the two scripts Assistant Li gave him earlier. To be honest, both were indeed solid scripts. Even as an outsider to the industry, Shen Qing could tell they were great—one was a tear-jerker, and the other was genuinely exhilarating.

So, after some discussion, Shen Qing accepted one of them, which would start shooting at the end of the month after next.

Two months sounded like plenty of time, but during this period, Shen Qing not only had to study the script but also take acting lessons and learn how to perform. He was the type of person who either laid flat and did nothing at all, or pushed himself to do things right if he was going to do them, never sloppy. This made the schedule quite tight.

Still, being busy brought a sense of fulfillment.

Having had enough relaxation, it was time to do something proper; otherwise, it really would be too boring.

Moreover, compared to other artists or actors, Shen Qing felt he was already extraordinarily lucky—he had good resources, didn’t have to rush around for endless commercial gigs, had plenty of time to learn and hone his acting skills, and, most importantly, he was wealthy enough.

Taking a role didn’t require considering income or financial return, nor did he have to worry about tuition or expenses when studying. Everything proceeded unhurriedly and systematically.

Working to earn money versus doing work you enjoyed while earning money on the side felt completely different.

In the past, Shen Qing worked purely to pay off his mortgage.

Back then, the pressure was immense, and he didn’t dare slack off, yet he couldn’t say he made any real self-improvement. Mentally, he had felt even more defeated and demoralized.

Having that past to compare with made him cherish his current blessings even more. Though he hired the most expensive teachers, he was also the most diligent and relaxed student.

Under these circumstances, Shen Qing’s progress was actually much faster.

While preparing for his new project, Shen Qing occasionally accompanied Ao-zai on commercial gigs.

Lin Wanjue was a very reliable manager.

Just two days after becoming Ao-zai’s manager, a highly detailed “career plan” was delivered directly to President Gu’s desk.

By the time Shen Qing’s family of four returned to Huacheng from their trip, Mr. Lin had already negotiated a deal. Two days later, Ao-zai was brought straight into the studio.

That gig was a commercial for a children’s food product—coincidentally, Ao-zai’s favorite child-friendly cheese sticks.

The concept of the ad was simple: three children sitting together, each saying a few lines, while devouring cheese sticks to their heart’s content.

For President Ao, this task was a walk in the park.

Because he could understand adult instructions well and was disciplined, Ao-zai cooperated fully throughout the shoot, performing even better than the two kids who were older than him.

In just one day, Ao-zai wrapped up the shooting, earning praise from almost every auntie and uncle on set.

The only hiccup was that during filming, Ao-zai gobbled down a vast quantity of cheese sticks. That evening, he suffered indigestion and couldn’t eat dinner.

This made Grandma Zhang feel so distressed that she scrambled to find child-friendly digestive tablets for the young master, demanding to tag along for the next shoot to look after his diet.

Shen Qing, who had gone along and also devoured a ton of cheese sticks: “…Burp.”

Although the pay for this commercial was meager—not even enough to cover the travel and labor costs for the bodyguards from auditions to the official shoot—the good news was that Ao-zai’s outstanding performance in the studio caught the attention of a director filming a TV drama next door, who invited Ao-zai over for an audition.

In the film studio, child actors aged seven or eight and above were quite common.

Most kids in that age group could understand instructions, grasped what acting meant, and could at least regulate their words and actions in front of the camera to cooperate with the director. Consequently, many kids in that bracket applied to audition.

However, finding kids under four was tough.

Whether a child got camera-shy on set, whether they could remember lines and movements, and whether they could cooperate effectively were all critical factors.

Some children were afraid of the lens and didn’t dare go on stage; some loved to perform but forgot their lines and movements the moment they stepped up, completely lost; others burst into tears calling for their mothers at the slightest disagreement.

To avoid delaying progress, many directors simply opted out of looking for very young child actors.

Even if they needed to portray a three- or four-year-old child, they would rather hire a seven- or eight-year-old as a substitute. If audiences felt something was off, there was nothing to be done—let them criticize if they wanted.

However, a few production teams refused to compromise or be too sloppy.

Xia Zhengtian’s upcoming project was a serious, historical period drama.

Because the male lead was a classic prodigy who could compose prose at three and write poetry at four, and during this period his family suffered a major upheaval, there was a lot of plot involved. The ideal choice was a young actor who genuinely looked three or four years old, beautiful, smart, experienced, and full of natural spirit to carry the weight.

Yet in the entire entertainment industry, only a handful of young actors fit those criteria. Either their schedules were booked solid, their parents demanded astronomical prices making negotiations impossible, or they had been three or four years old two or three years ago and were now six or seven, having grown too tall to fit the role anymore.

It was extremely hard to find the right fit.

To search for such a child actor, the start of production had been pushed back repeatedly.

The crew had held two public auditions previously, but they never found a suitable candidate.

Xia Zhengtian was exceptionally strict with his work and truly couldn’t accept casting an older child for the role. Just as he was scratching his head in frustration, Lin Wanjue contacted him, asking if he still needed a three- or four-year-old child actor to play the young lead.

Having suffered through two rounds of public auditions, Xia Zhengtian was honestly on the verge of giving up. He had even started discussing script revisions with the screenwriter—planning to change the snowy-skinned, adorable, chubby-cheeked three-and-a-half-year-old male lead into a slightly more mature seven- or eight-year-old with just a hint of childishness.

So when Lin Wanjue first reached out to him, Xia Zhengtian wasn’t particularly enthusiastic.

Over the past two months, countless parents had contacted him claiming their children were extraordinarily talented.

Among them, quite a few brought along professional teams and managers to negotiate with him.

Yet in the end, very few children even passed Xia Zhengtian’s first round of screening.

However, after looking at Ao-zai’s photos, Xia Zhengtian—who had already given up—changed his mind slightly. After all, the child in the photo, with his chubby cheeks, big dark grape-like eyes, and little hands tucked together, was genuinely adorable!

Still, photos nowadays relied heavily on editing. Even videos could be deliberately recorded by parents and production teams. In reality, one had to see the person in real life.

As luck would have it, on the day Ao-zai filmed his commercial, Xia Zhengtian also had to go to the film city. So he accepted Lin Wanjue’s invitation and stopped by to catch a glimpse of Ao-zai’s shoot.

And after just a few glances, Xia Zhengtian had an intuition—this child could play his lead.

By the time Ao-zai finished a single shot, Xia Zhengtian’s heart was practically screaming: It’s him! It’s really him!

If he hadn’t been bound by his own rule of mandatory auditions, he would have signed a contract with the child’s parents or manager right then and there!

But haste makes waste. Xia Zhengtian contained his excitement and systematically sought the opinions of Ao-zai’s manager and parents, setting up an audition time with them.

Director Xia was in a rush, so after finishing the commercial and resting at home for a single day, Ao-zai was brought over to audition.

He was brought by his manager, Uncle Lin, while Shen Qing accompanied him as a parent.

During the trip, Shen Qing had also participated in an online livestream event, which was another promotional format for the historical romance drama—several main actors joined a group voice call to chat live on major platforms like Weibo.

Throughout the livestream, he maintained a low profile, remaining humble and polite. Everyone who noticed him was captivated by his refreshing, comforting demeanor.

As a result, Shen Qing gained another wave of popularity, and his reputation surged even further.

Under such circumstances, it wasn’t suitable for Shen Qing to wander around in public.

However, the film city was filled with production crews and didn’t easily host media or fans, making it perhaps the quietest and safest place… As an actor who had performed in TV dramas, Shen Qing’s presence in the film city was entirely above reproach.

Besides, this was Ao-zai’s very first audition. No matter how fearless Little Ao-zai was, he was still only four years old—there was no way Shen Qing wouldn’t tag along.

And facts proved that Shen Qing’s worries were justified; the waters in the entertainment industry ran deep indeed.

Only upon arrival did the group realize that the production crew wasn’t auditioning Ao-zai alone today. Three or four other children were auditioning before him.

The director’s assistant came out specifically to welcome them, quietly explaining the situation to Shen Qing and Manager Lin. It turned out those three or four children were either relatives of the producer, young masters from sponsor families, or the nephew of a certain movie king—all coming with formidable backgrounds.

These children had all been interviewed by Xia Zhengtian before, but none had reached the audition stage.

Some were filtered out based on appearance and lack of natural flair, passed over immediately upon meeting in person;

Others failed the interview stage because the kids simply had no interest in acting and were forced there by their parents. In such cases, Director Xia wouldn’t hire them at all.

Since they weren’t being considered, there was no need to waste time auditioning. Yet Director Xia couldn’t bluntly tell people that their kids weren’t up to par and didn’t need to bother auditioning.

That would offend the producer, sponsors, or the movie king far too much!

Director Xia, feeling discouraged at the time, was considering revising the script, so he simply gave the excuse that the script was being changed, no young actor was needed, and thus no auditions were necessary.

“…But then didn’t he take a shine to our little Ao-zai? As soon as word got out about an audition, the parents of those kids got upset. So today, those families sent their kids over again, insisting that everyone must audition together,” the director’s assistant explained, rubbing his hands together in embarrassment.

Hearing this explanation, Shen Qing nodded without saying anything.

If the assistant was telling the truth, he understood.

Director Xia’s strictness toward his work was one thing, but as someone who had navigated the entertainment industry for years, it was impossible not to be tactful.

Even though he only wanted to audition Ao-zai, since the big investors and resource-connected figures insisted on auditioning as well, it was normal for Director Xia not to refuse.

“Then we’ll wait,” Shen Qing said.

“Ah, alright then! Thanks, Brother Shen. Truly sorry for the trouble.”

Seeing how surprisingly easygoing Shen Qing was, the director’s assistant couldn’t help but sigh in relief, bowing directly to Shen Qing.

These days, some parents treasured their children so fiercely that they couldn’t stand the slightest grievance. Waiting even a little longer felt like an insult to their child. The assistant was genuinely terrified that Ao-zai’s father would cause a scene.

Yet facts proved that Mr. Shen was indeed just as the internet described him—a gentle, refined gentleman with impeccable manners!

Only to hear Shen Qing follow up with: “We should be thanking your Director Xia for giving Ao-zai this opportunity. Saying he’d change the script before and now re-opening auditions must have offended quite a few people.”

When Director Xia claimed he was changing the script and canceling auditions, how could the financial backers and the movie king not see through his intentions? But Director Xia was adamant about revising the script, and as the head director with sufficient clout, others couldn’t force him.

Now that he reopened auditions, wasn’t he essentially telling those investors, I found a better kid, better than yours, so I’m not changing the script anymore? …It wasn’t hard to explain why the big investors got angry and sent their kids overnight to audition.

That was why surviving in the entertainment industry was tough—one had to balance interests from all sides and find ways to preserve everyone’s “face,” requiring high emotional and intellectual intelligence.

Some people weren’t incapable of producing good work or achieving great results; they were simply too entangled in human relations, making them appear mediocre their whole lives.

It was much like office politics.

As a former corporate worker, Shen Qing understood that feeling of being stuck in a quagmire and constantly drained by those around him, immediately empathizing with Director Xia’s struggles.

Hearing that Shen Qing actually understood Director Xia’s plight, the assistant nearly cried from emotion.

Ultimately, though, he said: “That’s also because Director Xia is picky with casting and doesn’t want to compromise. He can’t help offending the investors… To be frank, if little Ao-zai doesn’t perform well later, then, then, then…”

He wanted to say that if little Ao-zai didn’t perform well, Director Xia wouldn’t be able to hire him either.

But before the words fully came out, he suddenly felt it was incredibly rude to paint a bleak picture before the child had even auditioned!

Many parents were extremely sensitive about this, refusing to let anyone speak ill of their child, even in a hypothetical scenario.

During the last public interview, the young assistant—fresh out of school—had suffered from this exact mistake, nearly being torn to shreds by a pair of fierce parents!

Thinking back to that horrific experience, the young assistant’s face flushed bright red… He didn’t know what came over him. Facing Mr. Shen, pinned under those warm, jade-like eyes, his mind simply stopped filtering his words.

He felt compelled to tell Mr. Shen the absolute truth, even venting about the big investors!

Yet Shen Qing had no negative reaction to his slip-of-the-tongue. Instead, he gave him a reassuring smile and said, “Of course. If that really happens, we’d be too embarrassed to cling around anyway.”

Shen Qing didn’t say this out of a people-pleasing personality or to insincerely cater to the young assistant.

He truly thought so.

If it didn’t work out, there was no need to be persistent; after all, his Ao-zai was just out having fun.

Besides, after unexpectedly regaining popularity purely out of interest, Shen Qing began to believe that growing up in a relaxed, pressure-free environment allowed his cub to shine wherever he went.

However, Shen Qing didn’t expect that his easygoing nature and smile would appear in the assistant’s eyes as the ultimate expression of cultivation, grace, and breadth of mind.

Especially when Mr. Shen smiled, revealing bright teeth and clear eyes with slightly uptilted corners—dashing yet exceptionally gentle. That confident, composed appearance left the assistant momentarily dazed…

“Teacher Shen, if I may ask… could I get your autograph?”

Working in the entertainment industry, fully aware of its dark side and thus never idolizing stars, the assistant asked almost reflexively.

—Whatever! He was officially becoming Teacher Shen’s fan!

At the same time, the assistant also noticed Manager Lin beside Shen Qing.

Only then did he register: hadn’t he been talking to Manager Lin just now? …

Normally, when it came to audition procedures, he communicated with managers first.

Only when a child actor’s parent acted as their manager would he deal directly with parents.

As for those with dedicated managers and teams, parents usually didn’t understand the intricacies of the entertainment industry and mostly deferred to the manager.

Yet when he spoke to Lin Wanjue, it was Mr. Shen who responded and made the decisions directly…

The key was that while Mr. Shen made decisions, Manager Lin stood quietly to the side, looking entirely obedient to Mr. Shen! … Although Mr. Shen was also in the industry, whether dealing with child stars or adult actors, set assistants usually communicated much more with managers…

Most importantly, although Manager Lin wasn’t particularly famous in the industry, he was known for his strong personality and hard-working nature.

Otherwise, Director Xia wouldn’t have kept his contact information.

Basically, anyone who could speak directly to Director Xia—even without fame—possessed genuine capability.

Under such circumstances, Manager Lin still deferred completely to Mr. Shen…

This left the assistant slightly astonished.

…So Mr. Shen was the one in charge of this team?

Did he know even more than Lin Wanjue, the manager?

With a tiny question mark in mind, the director’s assistant left.

With no outsiders in the room, Lin Wanjue finally spoke up indignantly: “Some people are really going too far! Director Xia clearly chose our young master, yet now they’re barging in to interfere! These people really think they’re the ultimate capital, not even looking at whose opportunity they’re trying to steal! Madam, we…”

Shen Qing suddenly raised a finger to his lips, signaling Lin Wanjue not to continue.

This was, after all, just a venue temporarily borrowed by Director Xia. Anyone could pass by or enter at any moment, and with so many eyes and ears, it was inappropriate to say more.

Lin Wanjue obeyed immediately, shutting his mouth.

In his mind, putting aside the identity of President Gu’s husband, Teacher Shen himself was exceptionally intelligent. For instance, observing people’s expressions was an essential workplace skill for a manager, but Mr. Shen clearly possessed it too.

Beyond that, Teacher Shen indeed possessed great breadth of mind and a sense of the big picture. Without needing extensive contact, just a few words and small actions were enough for Lin Wanjue to see it and marvel—as expected of the man who successfully bagged President Gu!

—Manager Lin’s ability to observe was also top-tier.

So whenever Madam brought the young master out for work, Lin Wanjue generally kept quiet.

And this time was no different. Although Manager Lin hadn’t finished his sentence, Shen Qing had already picked up on what truly angered him:

What upset Lin Wanjue the most was that those people had cut in line ahead of Ao-zai.

—They originally agreed with Director Xia to audition at ten, but despite arriving early, they were told others were auditioning first and they needed to wait, clearly getting cut in front of.

After all, this audition came about because of Ao-zai. Even if other children wanted to audition, Ao-zai should have gone first.

If there was a scheduling conflict, it should have been communicated in advance, rather than making them wait here.

Yet they were arranged to be the very last to audition, which felt even more outrageous upon reflection.

The order itself wasn’t important; it was the manipulation of wealth and class behind it that sparked anger.

In the resume Lin Wanjue submitted for Ao-zai, he hadn’t mentioned how wealthy his big dads were.

People only knew he was the cub from Shen Qing’s family. Even though Shen Qing was popular again, with a restored reputation and a decent fanbase, his current status still couldn’t catch the eye of true capital, let alone compete with a famous movie king.

In other words, Ao-zai’s presence here relied entirely on the cub himself.

While others were relying on their parents.

Those relying on their parents were placed at the front, while the cub relying on himself had to wait.

Just thinking about little Ao-zai suffering such unfairness made Lin Wanjue unable to contain his rage.

…This was the little crown prince of their Xingcheng!

Moreover, for such an innocent and cute child, how could those capital figures have the heart to reach their hands out to bully kids!

If Madam and President Gu hadn’t insisted on letting the young master develop freely without disclosing his background for now, Lin Wanjue would have gone straight over to argue with those line-cutting parents!

Manager Lin was young after all. Though smart and capable, his personality was a bit too straightforward, occasionally failing to suppress his temper.

Straightforward yet righteous, seeing things in strict black and white. In the industry, this personality suffered easily, but Shen Qing actually appreciated such people.

As for Ao-zai getting cut in line today, Shen Qing—who had long seen through the ways of the world—felt no strong emotion for the time being, only a sense of sadness: if it were another, more ordinary child encountering this today, what then? What if they met a director who wasn’t as principled and characterful as Director Xia?

Thinking about it, it was indeed quite dark.

Yet capital operations were just like that; the world had light and dark, and Shen Qing wasn’t so grandly minded as to eradicate all injustice in the world.

All he could do was ensure his own cub wouldn’t be eliminated or bullied due to various unspoken rules.

If Ao-zai’s audition truly fell short today and failed to meet Director Xia’s expectations, then so be it.

However, if Ao-zai proved suitable, but ended up being pushed aside due to various underhanded reasons…

“What’s the budget for Director Xia’s drama? What was the initial investment? How much did the current largest investor put in?” Shen Qing asked out of nowhere.

Lin Wanjue: ?

Stunned, he looked up to see Mr. Shen standing there, tall and elegant, looking like a celestial being even without period costumes.

Lin Wanjue answered instinctively: “I… I really don’t know that, but I can go ask. However…”

“Madam, why are you asking about this?” The manager couldn’t figure it out.

Shen Qing narrowed his almond eyes, glanced sideways, and suddenly smiled, his tone entirely relaxed: “Just in case, of course.”

—He simply didn’t have much emotion right now.

If unspoken rules really crowded his cub out, then he would just have to sponsor Director Xia and become their largest, most authoritative investor.

Realizing Madam’s underlying meaning in a flash, Lin Wanjue: …gasping in shock with his mouth wide open.

Was this the mindset and scale of the truly wealthy!

…

There were plenty of rich people in Huacheng.

Yet parents willing to throw money around like dirt for their cubs in this manner were few and far between.

Especially when Teacher Shen clearly wasn’t doing it for his own pride or acting out of impulse, but to fight for the young master’s rights.

An intention like that earned Lin Wanjue’s genuine admiration.

“Little Dad, what are you guys talking about?”

Ao-zai, who was lying nearby passionately painting, asked.

Influenced by Shen Qing, who maintained his painting routine despite his busy schedule, Ao-zai had grown increasingly fond of painting lately.

Even when coming for an audition, he insisted on bringing his small drawing board and oil pastels.

Although Ao-zai preferred oil painting,

Out and about, Young Master Ao wasn’t one to demand too much—President Ao had always maintained low expectations of his environment.

For instance, right now, even in a temporary dressing room, a painting-deprived Ao-zai could pull out his small drawing board and lie across an old sofa to paint.

Hearing him speak, Shen Qing walked over to accompany him.

“We weren’t talking about much… Do you still remember what to do in a little bit, Ao-zai?”

“I remember!” Ao-zai perked up his little body, answering in a crisp voice: “Listen to the bearded uncle! Whatever uncle tells me to do, I’ll do!”

“Mm-hmm.”

Shen Qing patted the baby’s head upon hearing this and said, “Just improvise freely.”

Ao-zai: “Okay!”

Shen Qing: “Alright, keep painting then.”

Ao-zai replied politely: “Mmm-kay.”

Immediately, using his tiny hand that was barely the size of an adult’s palm, he picked up an oil pastel. With one hand tucked against his chest to support his tiny body in a crawling position, he concentrated on painting with the other hand.

Lin Wanjue, standing beside them: …

“Improvise freely” was Madam’s sole requirement, instruction, and preparation for the young master’s audition.

Lin Wanjue had seen plenty of parents bringing kids to auditions, but someone as hands-off as Madam was truly rare.

Everyone hoped their child would perform a bit better, be a bit more outstanding, and earn the director’s favor to join the cast.

Otherwise, why bother going through the trouble of auditioning?

Even if someone initially just wanted to bring their child to try it out, how many could resist the dazzling temptations of the entertainment industry? In the end, most people couldn’t help taking it too seriously.

Teacher Shen, however, was an anomaly.

He never forced his expectations onto the cub, and he knew what the cub truly needed.

Even right now, Teacher Shen had the tranquility to let the young master paint… Ordinary parents at this point would be anxiously guiding their child through lines and emotional prep, yet Teacher Shen not only had the young master’s drawing board brought along, but also calmly told him to improvise freely…

Setting everything else aside, Teacher Shen’s psychological composure alone proved he was no ordinary person!

And Lin Wanjue seemed to gradually grasp the truth behind Teacher Shen’s previous near-withdrawal from the circle, as well as his refusal to engage in marketing hype after regaining popularity—it was probably just being too zen.

Earlier, Lin Wanjue had found it fascinating, feeling that Teacher Shen possessed a go-with-the-flow attitude toward results. Though he could easily become even more popular with a bit of effort, he always maintained an attitude of “let fame come as it will.”

Based on Teacher Shen’s unusual approach, Lin Wanjue initially assumed it was because he was President Gu’s husband, treating his entertainment career as a mere hobby, which was why he cared so little about outcomes.

However, after spending more time together recently, he realized that wasn’t the case.

—Teacher Shen could be so zen entirely because of his extreme clarity of mind and his remarkably strong psychological composure!

When an opportunity arose, Teacher Shen would seize it. Once seized, he gave it his all.

When there were no opportunities, he laid flat, doing nothing, simply relaxing and enjoying himself.

In short, he avoided internal friction completely, refusing to add unnecessary trouble to his life.

This was the workplace attitude and lifestyle Lin Wanjue admired and respected most.

Yet very few people could achieve this.

Or rather, far too few.

After all, besides requiring strong psychological composure and the patience to wait out opportunities, one also had to endure loneliness and overcome laziness when it was time to take action.

As a workplace worker who had seen countless celebrities, Lin Wanjue felt that only Teacher Shen held this balance so flawlessly!

And under Teacher Shen’s zen education, the young master’s mindset was equally tough as nails.

Lin Wanjue had noticed it two days ago during the cheese stick commercial shoot. The young master possessed a very independent personality, held his own views, and stood by his ideas without fearing that voicing his opinion might offend others—

Even though he was merely a four-year-old human cub.

Yet sometimes his insights were surprisingly sharp.

And despite appearing independent, the young master never slackened when it came to work. Whatever he promised the director uncle he would do, he accomplished earnestly and fiercely. For instance, two days ago, the young master ate an enormous amount of cheese sticks!

No matter how delicious cheese sticks were, eating too many would make anyone sick of them, especially a child. Usually, once fed up, they wouldn’t eat another bite, no matter how much they were pressed.

Yet the young master needed no pressure or negotiation. When it was time to work, he did his job, finishing that commercial shoot even while burping from fullness!

Under such a clear-headed working style, the young master achieved maximum efficiency.

Lin Wanjue, watching from the sidelines, felt both pained and moved.

That was precisely why Director Xia firmly reopened auditions, determined to get the young master into the cast.

It had to be said that this current opportunity was truly won by the young master himself!

Shen Qing had brought a book with him. Having nothing else to do, he sat to one side and started reading.

In truth, Lin Wanjue was right—Shen Qing simply possessed exceptional psychological composure and wasn’t nervous in the slightest.

However, his stable mindset wasn’t innate, but built on several external factors: first, he didn’t rely on Ao-zai becoming a child actor to earn money for the family.

Second, he already understood Ao-zai too well to think the cub would get nervous during the upcoming audition, so there was no need for comfort or guidance.

The only extra instruction needed was to tell the cub to listen to the director uncle, as Ao-zai possessed a natural affinity for the camera.

Finally, Ao-zai was smart and had sat in on two of Shen Qing’s acting classes. Though just auditing, the cub possessed genuine acting talent, earning praise even from Shen Qing’s teacher.

With such prerequisites, simply being obedient and improvising freely was more than enough.

The dressing room fell quiet, filled only with the sound of Shen Qing turning pages and the occasional cute, babyish coos coming from Ao-zai.

—When painting, human cubs loved talking to the images they created.

For example, today Ao-zai drew a tree, so he chattered away with his Big Tree Uncle.

Most of the time, though, Ao-zai just painted quietly,

Looking extraordinarily focused.

Anyone entering the room couldn’t help glancing a few extra times at this little child, who had his little butt sticking up as he painted intently.

Mainly because the child was painting with such intense focus, entirely unaffected by the outside world, that one couldn’t help wondering…

Wasn’t this the dressing room Director Xia temporarily borrowed?

Wasn’t the child here supposed to audition in a moment?

Did they walk into the wrong set??