Chapter 39 – Drama Fiend Mi Li
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Mi Li successfully won the role of protagonist for the movie “The Blessed Cat” and took the first step into the film and television industry.
[ I am a cat destined to become a movie king! ] Mi Li vigorously waved the cat’s paws.
Xi Baichen stuffed a piece of dried fish into her mouth.
“Xi Da, I didn’t expect this kitten to be raised by you.” Lan Fei ate her meal elegantly and smiled at Mi Li at the same time.
Xi Baichen took out a piece of facial tissue, folded it twice, and handed it to Mi Li. Mi Li leaned forward and wiped away the food residue on her mouth.
Lan Fei: “…” All the chicken nuggets fell from her chopsticks.
[ Old Bai, water. ] Mi Li pawed at his arm.
So Xi Baichen helped pour her a glass of water, inserted a straw, and placed it in front of her.
Mi Li sat on the sofa like a Buddha statue, with two hind legs hooking the bottom of the cup, two forelimbs holding the cup body, mouth biting the straw, and drank water happily.
Heavens, what sort of divine cat is this!
Lan Fei excitedly took out her cell phone, took a video of the kitten drinking water, and posted it on the internet. She also tagged Ever Elusive Xi Da.
It’s no wonder that Xi Da had become a cat slave. This kind of godly cat, it wouldn’t be too much even if it was worshipped by an entire regiment!
After eating, Xi Baichen bade farewell to Lan Fei, and returned to the hotel where he was staying with Mi Li.
The filming period was expected to be two months. The film did not require too many special effects, and the filming location was not large in scope. The leading actors and important supporting actors were also experienced actors. The film’s progress depended mainly on the kitten’s cooperation.
The kitten that appeared in the opening scene was a milky white cat that looked very similar to Little Bai. It was abandoned by the mother cat and picked up by the boy. Then the boy and grandma clashed over raising the cat. The kitten’s footage was interspersed. There wasn’t much difficulty; the cat ears only needed a bit of editing in post-production.
Little Bai did not need to appear in front of the camera the past few days. Whenever she was free, Mi Li would train Little Bai according to the script. After all, she couldn’t always replace Little Bai, and he would have to rely on himself to act most of the time.
As the number of possessions increased, the tacit understanding between her and Little Bai also got better and better. No matter what she became, Little Bai could find her at once. Before he became an “international superstar”, he had already become a dedicated radar for Xi Baichen.
The filming officially started today, and Mi Li happened to be possessing Little Bai’s body. Xi Baichen picked her up and prepared to go on the set.
[ Wait, you’re going in this outfit? ] A white T-shirt with a black skull, a pair of dark blue slacks, and a pair of white sneakers. Although they were all designer brands and the clothes were neat and tidy, they didn’t exhibit any fashion sense when matched together. His entire look relied on his appearance.
The film and television circle and the fashion circle were inseparable. Xi Baichen didn’t care about it, but Mi Li didn’t want the man she raised to be looked down upon.
[ This one, this one, and that one. ] Mi Li opened the closet and helped him reselect his clothes.
A black shirt, a pair of dark gray casual trousers, a pair of casual English leather shoes; simple and elegant, mature but not stiff. His half-length hair was freely combed back, and his drooping eyebrows revealed hints of his detached nature. His tall and fit figure exuded a masculine charm that made people unable to close their legs.
[ Ah, my Old Bai is handsome~~ ] Mi Li held his face with her paws, licked his nose, and then used her paws to help fix his collar and the folds on his clothes.
“Don’t randomly lick others later, not even a finger!” Xi Baichen squeezed her paw and reminded seriously.
[ I’ll try my best. ] Feline instincts were not so easy to control.
“Don’t try your best, just do it.” His evil spirit was only allowed to lick him.
Xi Baichen put her in the passenger seat and drove towards the studio.
Xi Baichen was also well-known in the film and television circle, but not many people had actually seen him. When he walked into the set holding Mi Li, most people thought that he was a star, an industry giant with an aura of 1.8 meters.
“Everyone, come and get acquainted. This is Xi Da, the author of ‘The Blessed Cat’,” the director said cheerfully.
“So it’s Xi Da, I’ve admired you for a really long time.”
“Hello Xi Da, I am a fan of your books.”
Everyone came over to say hello in the very friendly atmosphere.
[ What? “The Blessed Cat” was written by you? ] Mi Li looked at him in surprise.
“An early work,” Xi Baichen moved his lips slightly. “The Blessed Cat” was created after the death of the old cat he raised. The writing was relatively immature, but the sentiments were sincere.
[ Amazing. Brother, you really have many different styles. ]
After the greetings, the director called a 13 or 14 year old boy over and said to Xi Baichen, “This is Nuo Rang who plays the male lead in his youth. You should let him and your kitten get acquainted. It is best to establish a friendly relationship.”
Nuo Rang had a handsome and adorable appearance, but his eyes were full of the profoundness of a mature youth, which was quite in line with the protagonist’s character.
Xi Baichen stared at him for a long while, then put Mi Li on the ground.
Nuo Rang squatted down, randomly grabbed a toy, and shook it in front of Mi Li. He had a smile on his face, but his movements were very strange. It could be seen that he had no experience with pets, and he might even dislike them.
Mi Li raised her paw and slapped away the toy in his hand.
Nuo Rang: “…”
He picked up another toy, and it was slapped away by Mi Li again as soon as he proffered it.
Nuo Rang: “…” His smile gradually faded.
Mi Li raised her chin and walked proudly to his right. Pushing something with her hind leg, she squinted at him: [ Your master only likes this one. ]
Nuo Rang picked up the feathered cat wand and looked back and forth.
“Meow!” [ Shake it, stupid human. ]
“You want this?” Nuo Rang held the feathered cat wand in front of Mi Li, who pressed it beneath her paw in a single swipe.
“If you like it, I will give it to you.” Nuo Rang let go with an “I am very understanding” expression.
Mi Li: “…” I have never seen a person so ignorant about how to play with cats!
“Heh!” There was a sneer from the side and immediately a pale and powerful hand was seen stretching over. It picked up the cat wand and shook it in front of Mi Li.
“Meow~~” Mi Li immediately rushed over, jumping around and chasing the feathers, and began a boisterous performance.
Nuo Rang watched a person and a cat playing the childish game without any fluctuations in his heart.
Mi Li took a moment to glance at him and felt that this boy seemed to lack the passion and vitality that a young man should have. He was actually indifferent when he saw such a cute cat!
“Nuo Rang, you and the kitten come over and try a few shots.” The director called Nuo Rang over. “Just shoot this scene. You bought a piece of bread with money earned from collecting garbage. Sitting on your front steps, you share it with the kitten.”
Nuo Rang put on makeup and sat on the steps with his filthy body. He opened the bag, carefully tore off a piece of bread, and held it next to Mi Li’s mouth.
Mi Li looked at the dirty hands in front of her and really didn’t have the courage to take the bread from his fingers.
“Little Bai, eat,” the audience urged quietly.
Mi Li did not listen to them, but turned and ran away. Everyone sighed and was about to start over, but then saw Mi Li running back again with a small bottle of mineral water in her mouth.
Nuo Rang looked at her suspiciously: Giving me a drink?
Mi Li jumped onto his leg, scratched at his palm with her paw, pointed at the mineral water bottle, and then made a washing action.
Nuo Rang looked at his dirty hands and suddenly realized: Is this for washing my hands?
He picked up the mineral water bottle, unscrewed the bottle cap, and tentatively poured the water on his hand. He saw the kitten squatting quietly beside him, looking at him with a pair of clear eyes which seemed to contain a trace of encouragement.
Encouragement? Nuo Rang felt that he must be seeing things.
He washed his hands in a complicated mood, then picked up the bread again and tore off a piece, handing it to her.
The kitten finally opened her mouth this time, and ate the bread obediently.
Everyone was stunned by the kitten’s unusual performance.
The director excitedly said, “This is good, well done! The hand-washing scene not only shows the kitten’s cleverness, but also shows the protagonist’s love for the kitten. The boy is all dirty, and only his hands that feed the cat are clean. It makes a nice contrast.”
As he spoke, he looked at Xi Baichen again, “Baichen, your cat is really great. I’ve never seen such an intelligent cat.”
Xi Baichen didn’t say anything. Seeing the scene was finished, he immediately waved to Mi Li, “Come here.”
Mi Li ran over, stepped on Xi Baichen’s extended hand, and steadily jumped onto his knees.
“Oh my god, he’s as obedient as a dog.” The people around sighed in envy and jealousy.
Xi Baichen gave Mi Li a sip of water. “Rinse your mouth.”
Mi Li puffed her cheeks, swished a few times, then spat the water into the small bowl that Xi Baichen handed over.
Everyone: “…” Are you sure you are a cat? How come your habits are better than humans?!
“You didn’t eat much just now, did you?” Xi Baichen asked.
[ It’s okay, Little Bai is already an adult. Occasionally eating bread will not affect his health. ] As one of Little Bai’s poop shoveling officers, Mi Li naturally paid attention to his diet.
“I’ll give you a bath when we get back.” Xi Baichen took a towel and wiped off her fur. Because of the protagonist’s living environment, Little Bai could not keep clean like other pets, especially in the middle and late stages. In order to find food for the grandmother, Little Bai would go out to dig through the trash every day, and his body would become even dirtier.
Next, Mi Li took a few more shots, mostly with Nuo Rang. With the cooperation of Mi Li, the shooting went very smoothly.
After a few hours, the entire crew had become fans of Mi Li.
A certain female fan praised sincerely, “I have never seen a cat with such good acting skills!”
Mi Li: [ Hehe, you flatter me. ]
Xi Baichen: “…” You drama fiend.
Within five seconds of being proud, Mi Li crossed back into her world. Fortunately, today’s filming was over, otherwise Xi Baichen alone would not be able to direct Little Bai.
After the filming, the crew also cooperated with some publicity. In addition to the still photos of several important characters, they mainly included Little Bai’s cute photos, videos and daily anecdotes.
Folded-ear cats were originally very popular. Now that one was about to appear on screen, cat fans were naturally looking forward to it.
The director, actors, and related staff all published their privately taken photos and videos of the folded-ear cat on their Weibo. Various cute states, various emoticons, and various funny interactions… Even if one was not a cat fan, it was difficult to resist his charm.
The film had not yet been released, but it had already attracted the attention of countless people.
However, the netizens who were dazzled by the cat’s cute appearance all overlooked an important point.
This film was a tragedy.
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This film was a tragedy.
I laughed cruelly at this sentence.