Chapter 58: Do You Want to Be an Actor?

After Cameron finished shopping, he settled into the passenger seat of Ou Xiaolu’s car. He was just about to speak when he sensed something odd behind him. Turning around, Cameron saw a tiger and a Black man staring at him resentfully. It was clear the man was being squeezed uncomfortably by the tiger.

As Ou Xiaolu buckled his seatbelt in the driver’s seat, he glanced at the three of them. “Oh, you’ve met Charles, right? That tiger is my pet, Arrow.”

“Heavens, Ou, why on earth would you bring him out in public? Aren’t large pets like this supposed to stay at home?” Cameron couldn’t help exclaiming.

“I’m studying at Shixi campus now. Do you think I can just leave him at school and let him roam around by himself?”

With that, headlines of the next day’s news flashed through Cameron’s mind: “Shixi Campus Student Chased and Attacked by Tiger—Tiger Goes on a Rampage…”

“All right, you have a point. But can you really guarantee everyone’s safety?”

“Didn’t you see Charles sitting in the back? Honestly, if you weren’t so fat, you’d be the one back there.” As Ou Xiaolu spoke, he entered the address and the car began to drive itself.

Once on the road, Cameron’s attention shifted from the tiger to the car itself. He listened closely and immediately identified the engine model and the state of the wheels. After commenting on these details, Cameron declared with confidence, “If I were driving this car, you’d see what it can really do.”

Ou Xiaolu shot back, “I’ve already seen you roll a car three times.”

“Let’s not talk about that. We’re still good friends.”

“All right, then let’s talk about that film crew you joined.”

This crew actually belonged to Cameron’s old friend, Steven. The two had been friends since childhood. As they grew older, Steven started learning how to make films, while Cameron took up driving. When they had free time, they’d go out for drinks together.

If Cameron hadn’t rolled his car twice in a row—so badly he lost his job—he wouldn’t have ended up hanging around Steven’s crew, eating and drinking for free. This was Steven’s first time managing his own project, so he wanted everything done perfectly and as cheaply as possible. His best friend Cameron was at loose ends, so Steven was glad to have someone he trusted keeping an eye on things.

They drove out to the outskirts of Xinxian, where a large number of film studios were located. Most of Amideji’s movies were shot there.

Under Cameron’s directions, Ou Xiaolu circled around a couple of times and pulled up near a small studio. Cameron directed the parking, then was the first to jump out, followed by Charles, who looked thoroughly squashed.

Opening the trunk, Cameron shouted for people to come help with the goods, while Charles started grumbling on the side.

Just as Ou Xiaolu was getting out with Arrow, Steven appeared with his crew. Spotting Cameron from afar, he shouted, “You lazy fatso! Where’s the stuff? Where’s the stuff I asked for?”

“It’s all here. Are you blind? I scoured all of Chinatown to get it for you. Damn, my car nearly got totaled.”

“No way—you managed to roll a pickup? You call yourself the Schumacher of big rigs, but lately you’re flipping cars left and right.”

“Who rolled the car? If you say that again, we’re not friends. This time, someone else’s car rolled onto mine. If I’d still been driving a big truck, I’d have crushed them flat.”

Watching these two, whose combined ages were nearly a hundred, bicker back and forth, Ou Xiaolu felt his trip here had been pointless. With a crew like this, he doubted the film would be worth seeing.

He decided not to head inside. Standing by the car with Arrow, he waited for Cameron’s people to unload everything so he could leave.

At that moment, Steven noticed Ou Xiaolu and Arrow. As if discovering a rare treasure, he pushed past his crew, circled the car, and approached Ou Xiaolu without the slightest fear of Arrow attacking.

Ou Xiaolu was startled to see a middle-aged white man walk up to him, but then noticed the man’s gaze fixed on his hand, which annoyed him. Just as he was about to speak, the man said directly, “Would you like to be in a movie?”

Ou Xiaolu glanced at Cameron, who wasn’t even looking their way, then shook his head. “Not interested.”

“Don’t be so quick to refuse. You have a great look for it. I need a slightly larger minor boss for my film—a forest hunter, one-handed, mainly fighting and stopping the protagonists from entering the deeper forest. I was going to hire someone to film the hunter’s scenes and then add a powerful animal in post-production. But seeing you, you’re perfect.”

Ou Xiaolu glanced at the man, then at his own hand, then at Arrow behind him. “Oh,” was all he said.

This made the middle-aged man anxious. He’d said so much, and all he got was an “oh.” What did that even mean?

At this point, Cameron jumped in. “Ou, don’t hesitate—this is a real opportunity. I’ve read the script; the role suits you perfectly. And it’s just one or two scenes—it won’t take much of your time.”

Ou Xiaolu was about to refuse again when another car pulled up. A man got out, and one of Steven’s crew ran over. “Director, the actor for the forest hunter audition is here.”

Steven glanced at Ou Xiaolu and Arrow, then at the newcomer, who looked strong but otherwise unremarkable. He shook his head. “Send him back.”

“But he’s the best the actors’ guild could provide. He’s really good at playing amputees.”

“What’s the point of faking it? Just look—put a black cloak on this guy and he’s got all the presence you need. Now look over there—does anyone else have a head like that?”

Steven muttered to his assistant. The others compared Ou Xiaolu and the new arrival, and all nodded in agreement.

The man who’d just arrived saw what was happening and his face darkened. But as an actor, he knew the director’s word was final. He shot Ou Xiaolu a fierce look, spat a curse, then turned and drove off.

Steven turned back to Ou Xiaolu. “Listen, man, you saw that—you’re the perfect fit. Why not give it a try?”