Chapter 107: A Good Son-in-Law Who Can't Act Is No Good Cook?

“You're a bit too tense right now; you don’t need to be so nervous...” Chen Weiguo patted Chang Zheng’s arm with both hands. “Just remember to truly listen, truly watch, and truly feel.”

“Bring out that sense of frustration you had before. Even if you feel that way inside, on the surface you need to smile along.”

Chang Zheng quickly nodded. Indeed, in front of so many stars and cameras, he was feeling somewhat anxious.

“It’s okay. I’ll give you ten minutes to quietly find that feeling.”

“All right! All right!” Chang Zheng nodded and moved to the side.

[Can he pull this off? This guy looks pretty average, doesn’t he?]

[He’s quite handsome, actually—a kind of disheveled, charming uncle vibe.]

As for the other extras, they were easy to find; their roles were small. Chen Weiguo borrowed many from a director.

Zhao Funing noticed Chang Zheng sitting there, restless and unable to settle into silent acting, so he walked over and sat beside him.

“Don’t be so nervous,” Zhao Funing said, picking up a small twig from the ground. After wiping it with his sleeve, he handed it to Chang Zheng.

Chang Zheng took the twig, momentarily stunned.

“This is a cigarette,” Zhao Funing explained.

“Huh?”

“Right now, you’re holding a cigarette. You know how to smoke, right? Smoke it.”

Hesitant, Chang Zheng took the twig and pulled out a lighter from his pocket, flicking it twice.

Then, he put the other end to his lips and took a couple of puffs.

“See?” Zhao Funing held his fingers as if clutching something.

He then rummaged in his pocket and pulled out his hand as if holding a lighter.

In that brief moment, Zhao Funing’s expression turned deep and contemplative, his gaze distant as if lost in thought.

His fingers came to his mouth, and he lit the invisible cigarette with the lighter.

Zhao Funing inhaled deeply, then expertly exhaled a plume of smoke.

[Wow, a real pro, huh?]

[Wait, isn’t Brother Zhao a chef? A chef who can’t act isn’t a good chef, right?]

[Stop it, this scene makes me want to take a few drags myself.]

Chang Zheng’s pupils widened slightly.

Is this what acting skill is?

Why, even though there was no twig in his hand, it seemed as if he truly held and smoked a cigarette in his eyes?

---

“Got it?” Zhao Funing’s left hand mimed holding a lighter, while the other shielded the wind as he brought it close to Chang Zheng’s face.

Taking a deep breath, Chang Zheng’s hands trembled slightly as he brought the twig to his lips.

At that moment, he suddenly understood. He pretended to inhale twice from the twig, even showing a faint expression of relief as if the cigarette smoke had touched his lungs.

“That’s right,” Zhao Funing smiled beside him.

“I heard you used to sing in a bar. Actually, you should have had similar experiences for this role, right?”

Zhao Funing’s eyes were sincere; he wasn’t mocking Chang Zheng’s past.

Chang Zheng nodded vaguely, his gaze shifting constantly, then a faintly ingratiating smile appeared on his face.

He nodded again toward Zhao Funing.

“Not bad, not bad!” Zhao Funing’s eyes lit up. “Exactly that feeling, very good. You really have some talent.”

Chang Zheng smiled shyly. “Thank you, Teacher Zhao!”

“No need for the formalities—just call me Brother Zhao. I’m only a few years older than you.”

...

“The next time we meet, I’ll hold you tight...” Lin Ze sang passionately on stage, when suddenly he caught sight of something flying up from the audience.

He quickly reached out but ended up grabbing a plastic bag, inside which was a tea egg.

Then a half bottle of mineral water flew up from somewhere in the crowd.

Lin Ze had just finished the last line; the audience was engrossed, their emotions at the climax—when suddenly his voice cut off abruptly, leaving only Su Zidan to sing the final line.

Many students saw the scene—Lin Ze had ended the song empty-handed, holding only a tea egg.

He instantly understood what was happening. Many of Lin Ze’s fans in the crowd twisted their heads, trying to spot who had thrown the tea egg.

The auditorium grew chaotic.

“Are you okay?” Su Zitan quickly came over to check Lin Ze’s body.

After the incident in Tong County where Lin Ze was hit by a slingshot, Su Zidan was still a bit worried.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Lin Ze smiled as he brushed past her. “Not sure which student felt sorry for me and ‘rewarded’ me with a tea egg. Thanks to the generous ‘boss’.”

The disorder in the auditorium immediately calmed.

“I had a good breakfast this morning, so I’m not eating this.”

The principal, having just realized what happened, hurriedly came onstage.

---

“Everyone saw the show, right? This week’s schedule has been a bit tight, so we won’t take up more of the senior students’ time, okay?”

“Okay!”

The principal turned off the microphone and escorted the two offstage.

“Sorry, sorry. I’ll definitely give you both an explanation about this.”

“No worries, it’s fine,” Lin Ze waved his hand. “It’s not a big deal. If they’d hit me with a slingshot again like last time, I wouldn’t have let it go so easily.”

“This time they waited until I was almost done singing before throwing things—at least they gave me some face,” Lin Ze chuckled.

The art teacher approached with a camera. “Principal, shall we take some photos?”

The principal looked a bit embarrassed but went along as Lin Ze and Su Zidan led him to the edge of the stage.

They had the auditorium lights turned on, standing with their backs to the students.

The art teacher captured a photo of the three with the students in the background.

The principal apologized again before escorting the two out of the auditorium. Xiao Qian was already waiting at the door. After saying goodbye, the three left the school accompanied by Teacher Wang.

Outside the school gates, a crowd had gathered. Lin Ze and Su Zidan took some time before getting into the car.

“I shouldn’t have sung. I was doing pretty well,” Su Zidan pouted in her seat.

“Alright, alright, don’t be upset,” Lin Ze took her hand.

“Good thing we didn’t come to middle school, or we might have been bombarded so badly we couldn’t leave the stage.”

“Why did it have to be like this?” Su Zidan was still a little angry. “If you hadn’t stopped me, I would have asked their homeroom teacher to call their parents.”

“Show a little leniency to the younger students. If they find out who did it, and it turns into a bullying case, who would be responsible?”

[Lin Ge’s really positive.]

[I’d be furious.]

[When it comes to visiting, I trust Lin Ge completely.]

“We still have to check out the filming site.”

Regarding this microfilm, Lin Ze had already seen the footage with his own eyes.