Everyone in the café had woken up early—or perhaps, none of them had slept well.
Himeko glanced around. "Where's Silver Wolf?"
March 7th rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Ah~~~! I think Su Chen called her yesterday to work on some special effects?"
"In the end, Su Chen took everything upon himself." Kafka applied light makeup and put on her favorite outfit.
"It's already 7 AM. Scott will definitely arrive by noon.
If we had rushed yesterday, we might have been able to put something together.
But Su Chen insisted we rest properly and even told us to wear our favorite outfits today.
I've met many people in my life, but I still can't figure him out!"
Himeko took a sip of freshly brewed coffee. "True. Yesterday, he somehow convinced Asta and Herta—
and even invited them to join the web series."
"Herta actually agreed? What was the price?"
"Su Chen promised to personally handle all future construction work for the facilities!"
"Wedding Tomato, are you joking?"
"Purple Eggplant, do I look like I'm joking?
Not only that, he also promised Herta a groundbreaking technology."
Just then, Dan Heng, who had been absent for days, pushed open the café door.
"Haha! Dan Heng!" March 7th immediately ran up to him. "Where have you been these past few days?"
"Uh, didn't I say? Yingxing and I were working as chauffeurs. We were supposed to work today too, but Miss Himeko called me back."
Faced with Dan Heng's question, Himeko smiled faintly. "Not me. Our boss called you back!"
"Boss?!"
At the same time, Firefly read a message on her phone aloud. "The boss wants us to gather at the target location."
...
——
The location Su Chen sent Firefly wasn't far from the café. After a ten-minute walk, the group arrived at a building.
"Wh-what is this? I don't remember this being here before!" March 7th stammered, staring at the unfamiliar structure.
"March, you're right. There was nothing here before."
At that moment, everyone's eyes widened.
March 7th was incredulous. "Just how much money does it take to build a whole structure overnight?"
Firefly recalled yesterday's events. "I had no idea the boss was this rich. So why is he so stingy?"
Though Dan Heng's reaction was more subdued, cold sweat still formed on his forehead.
"This place has to be several hundred square meters!
Is there really construction technology this miraculous?"
However.
When they slowly pushed open the door, they froze in place as if hit by a paralysis spell.
"Wow! Wow! Wow! Miss Himeko, am I dreaming? This isn't a real space station, is it?!" March 7th could no longer tell if what she was seeing was reality or illusion.
Firefly covered her mouth in shock. "It's so realistic!"
"Sorry, everyone!"
They turned toward the voice and saw Su Chen, followed by Asta, Arlan, and a sleep-deprived Silver Wolf with dark circles under her eyes. In a corner were a few extras—
Though not real extras, just temporary helpers Asta had brought from her company.
"Little Wolf, what happened to you?" Kafka chuckled at Silver Wolf's exhausted state.
"Ask him!" Silver Wolf weakly pointed at Su Chen. "For just a few seconds of footage, I had to work overnight until just now! Didn't even get a sip of water! Old Kafkaaa!"
"What… what footage?"
"Everyone, quiet." The moment Su Chen spoke, all attention shifted to him.
"The building we're in was indeed built through my efforts, but that's not the focus right now.
Actually, Scott's words yesterday reminded me—we can start with a one-minute teaser trailer.
A full web series episode would be around 40 minutes. Even just making a pilot would require massive costs.
So, I want to use this location to film our first video.
A teaser format not only reduces costs but also lets us test the market.
I plan to use this approach more often in the future. Let's call it a 'PV'!"
"PV?!" March 7th scratched her head. "What does that mean?"
"It stands for 'promotional video,' but the content focuses more on highlights. There are different types—character PVs, scene PVs, story PVs..." Dan Heng immediately answered.
Su Chen raised an eyebrow:
As expected of you, Cold-Faced Little Dragon!
Even in this world, you're a walking encyclopedia!
Kafka looked at Su Chen gently. "There's one thing I don't understand.
If the goal was to save costs,
why build such a realistic space station set?"
Asta stepped forward. "Let me explain!
This place isn't just for filming.
Once reconstruction is complete, we'll open it to the public.
It'll become an entertainment hub where visitors and fans can explore and interact."
"Everyone, let's start filming! A Short Play—Action!"
——
"March, Dan Heng, Asta, Arlan,
though your screen time is only a few seconds,
don't slack off, but don't overthink it either.
Like I said, you're the actors my script has been waiting for.
Just be yourselves!"
Su Chen's words greatly eased their nerves.
After all, Himeko's group were professional actors, but Asta and Arlan had been roped in last minute.
Hearing this, Asta and Arlan felt much more at ease.
Su Chen walked up to Kafka but didn't say anything.
Her face already radiated calmness and ease.
Suddenly, Kafka booped Su Chen's nose.
"Huh? Uh..." Su Chen was momentarily speechless.
"Sorry, I was a little nervous just now. I feel better!"
Su Chen awkwardly replied, "N-no problem. As long as you're happy!"
"But let me say thank you."
——
After that, Su Chen arranged the camera positions, lighting, sets, and actor placements...
Once everything was ready, he sat in the director's chair, eyes fixed on the monitor.
Everyone was amazed by his professionalism and versatility.
Soon.
Filming wrapped up, and Su Chen was thoroughly satisfied with the footage.
Almost every shot was perfect in one take—even March 7th, who could be a bit clumsy, fully immersed herself.
Su Chen checked his watch.
10:30 AM!
Only an hour and a half until that menace arrived.
Silver Wolf yawned. "I only had one line! Couldn't I have said it first and then gone back to sleep? Staying up late gives me acne!
Hey! What are you doing, Su Chen?!"
Su Chen grabbed Silver Wolf's arm with a perfectly innocent smile.
"You still owe me the special effects footage. And you're coming with me to edit."