“Chen Cheng, not bad. Many young fellows can’t even last three days, but you’ve already stayed with the film crew for a week.”
“Uncle Leng, please don’t praise me. I’ve been exhausted these past few days. Still, I have to thank you. If you hadn’t given me advice and encouragement from time to time, I probably would have packed my bags and left after two or three days.”
A brand-new day began, and Chen Cheng woke up feeling full of energy once again.
This made Uncle Leng envious, and he kept saying that it was wonderful to be young.
But Chen Cheng knew exactly why.
If not for the System.
Even if he had rested as well as possible, he probably would not have been able to hold on.
After all, a Stagehand’s work was no easier than an actor’s.
Some people said actors worked hard, but what a load of crap.
The ones who truly suffered were the Stagehands.
Purely physical labor like this, carried out continuously, was something very few people could endure.
“Heh, young people really are modest.”
“I still have to learn from you, Uncle Leng.”
“Learn what? Are you planning to become a Stagehand like me every day after you learn?”
“There’s nothing wrong with being a Stagehand.”
“Come on. If you really wanted to be a Stagehand forever, you wouldn’t keep running to the film set whenever you had nothing else to do.”
“Well…”
Chen Cheng was somewhat embarrassed.
That was true.
These past few days, besides working as a Stagehand with the film crew, Chen Cheng had spent most of his free time running to the film set whenever he was off duty.
He did not go to the film set because he wanted to act.
Having acted in far too many productions in his previous life, he was not that eager to act anymore.
He was there to watch.
He was not only watching the actors; he was mainly observing how the Director filmed each scene.
Perhaps it was because he was looking at things from a different angle.
Now that he was observing filmmaking from another perspective, Chen Cheng discovered that he seemed to have gained many more insights into the process.
Even…
These past few days, because he had watched so much filming, some of his other attribute points had increased as well.
Chen Cheng’s current attribute points were as follows:
Host: Chen Cheng.
Sex: Male
Age: 19
Physique: 55+1.6
Writing: 70
Art Department: 40
Cinematography: 30+0.1
Acting skill: 65+0.3
Director: 35+0.1
Aside from the increase in his physique attribute,
his Cinematography, acting skill, and Director categories had also increased somewhat.
Although the increases were not large—only a few tenths—they were enough to delight Chen Cheng immensely.
“Ha, Uncle Leng, listen to yourself. I just had nothing better to do, so I watched them film to pass the time.”
Chen Cheng found an excuse.
Uncle Leng did not expose him. Looking ahead, he said, “All right, all right. Once today’s filming is finished, we’ll tidy things up and get off work.”
“Okay, Uncle Leng.”
Chen Cheng replied cheerfully and prepared to get to work.
“Chen Cheng, come give me a hand.”
The two of them arrived at the work area.
Uncle Leng tried several times to lift the stone lion in front of them, but it was simply too heavy and would not budge.
“Uncle Leng, what kind of prop is this? Why is it so heavy? Is it solid?”
“Who knows? I’d guess it weighs at least two hundred pounds.”
“Come on, let’s lift it together.”
Chen Cheng prepared to help Uncle Leng.
But the space was too narrow, and the two of them could not exert their strength properly together.
“Those guys in the props department could at least make props out of plastic.”
Chen Cheng grumbled.
But he also knew
that although some plastic props were convenient, they were not very realistic and looked fake.
That was why the props department sometimes used real ones.
And this was one of those cases.
The stone lion prop in front of them had genuinely been cast from cement.
“Uncle Leng, put it down. I’ll do it.”
“All right, you do it. Be careful, and don’t strain your back. If you really can’t manage it, I’ll call over a crane.”
“Mm.”
Chen Cheng nodded.
He took a deep breath, then placed both hands on the stone lion.
“Lift…”
All right.
It did not move.
Chen Cheng felt somewhat awkward.
“Lift again.”
The stone lion rose slightly off the ground, but Chen Cheng soon could not hold on and set it down.
“Again…”
“That’s enough.”
Seeing Chen Cheng use every ounce of his strength, Uncle Leng stopped him. “If you keep lifting it like this, your back will definitely suffer when you’re older. I’ll go call the crane.”
“No, Uncle Leng. Let me try again.”
Chen Cheng waved his hand.
Although he really had failed to lift the stone lion just now,
still,
when Chen Cheng exerted all his strength, he discovered that the physique data on the system panel was rising rapidly.
His physique had originally been 55+1.6, an increase that had taken many days to accumulate.
But after those few attempts, Chen Cheng checked and saw that his physique had become 55+3.1.
In other words,
in just a few minutes, Chen Cheng had actually increased his physique by 1.5 points.
Although Chen Cheng did not fully understand what was happening,
he roughly understood that the System had probably detected him exerting all his strength and had begun stimulating his potential.
That was why Chen Cheng decided to try a few more times.
“Lift…”
He took another deep breath.
With a shout of “Lift!”
This time, he still managed to raise the stone lion about ten centimeters off the ground, but Chen Cheng soon could not hold on.
However, just as Chen Cheng had predicted,
although he had not been able to hold out,
after bursting forth with all his strength, Chen Cheng discovered that his physique attribute had increased once again.
55+3.2.
55+3.3.
55+3.4.
As Chen Cheng tried again and again,
the stone lion left the ground time after time.
At the same time,
Chen Cheng’s physique attribute kept refreshing.
55+4.0
55+4.3
55+4.5
55+5.0.
Until,
when Chen Cheng’s physique reached 60 points,
a System notification appeared with a double prompt: “The host has stimulated their potential. Reward: double strength.”
“Lift…”
At the same time,
under the effect of this notification, Chen Cheng completely lifted the stone lion prop off the ground.
…
“Damn, Chen Cheng, you’re incredible!”
Seeing Chen Cheng lift the stone lion, Uncle Leng gave him a thumbs-up.
He was thoroughly impressed by Chen Cheng.
Although the stone lion was not completely solid and was hollow in the middle,
it still weighed over two hundred pounds, nearly three hundred. Chen Cheng had carried it more than ten meters in one go, possessing strength practically comparable to that of a weightlifter.
Chen Cheng only gave an embarrassed smile and said that he was young.
He certainly was not going to say that it was because of The Goldfinger.
However,
after this attempt, Chen Cheng had also discovered the correct way to use the System.
Previously,
Chen Cheng’s various attribute points would also increase naturally.
But the rate of increase was extremely slow.
Take his physique, for example.
Most of the time, it increased by only 0.1 points per day.
As for the other attribute points, sometimes they would not increase by even 0.1 points.
However,
if Chen Cheng exerted all his strength in a particular category, the System would increase the attribute points several times over.
Thus,
during the days that followed,
Chen Cheng devoted himself wholeheartedly to his work as a Stagehand.
As a result, Chen Cheng’s physique attribute was refreshed almost every day, reaching a value of 70 after one month.
This brought considerable changes to Chen Cheng’s physical condition: four abdominal muscles appeared on his stomach.
At the same time, his entire body became more well-proportioned. His originally somewhat round face gradually became more angular, possessing an especially pleasing, defined beauty.
Chen Cheng looked at himself in the mirror and clicked his tongue in surprise.
With this facial structure, combined with the acting skill he had accumulated in his previous life, he might be able to reach the top ranks of third-tier actors and advance toward the second tier.
However…
I’m going to become a behind-the-scenes powerhouse in the future.
I’m not going to continue playing the role of a mere underling like an actor.
He rubbed his chin.
Chen Cheng indulged in a little self-satisfaction before washing his face.
A new day.
Today’s Stagehand duties were about to begin again.