The Stand-In

Back home.

Little An'an was inexplicably locked out of the room.

She couldn't figure out what her parents were up to. Why did they have to shut her out?

Curious, she sneaked a peek, unable to hide her desire to secretly watch Teletubbies.

Inside the room.

Chen Pingsheng mysteriously pulled Song Yanxi onto the large bed. The head of the bed was next to a window, draped with pink curtains.

The room wasn't big, but it was cozy.

"Honey, what are you up to in broad daylight?"

Song Yanxi thought he was in the mood for that. Ever since they had their daughter, their intimate moments had become rare.

Mainly because the apartment was too small—there was no soundproofing.

To put it bluntly, the conditions simply didn't allow it.

"Yanxi, I'll transfer today's earnings to you first."

As a devoted husband, handing over his income to his wife was a given.

Chen Pingsheng usually kept only 500 yuan in his account for personal expenses. If nothing unexpected happened, that was enough to last him a whole month.

After all, he had no major expenses. His only fixed cost was a daily pack of 7-yuan Lao Baisha cigarettes.

As for clothes and shoes, his wife bought them for him.

"Ding! Your Alipay account has received 4,000 yuan."

Song Yanxi frowned slightly, surprised. It wasn't unusual for her husband to give her all his earnings—it was a routine.

But 4,000 yuan in one day? That had never happened before!

The highest he'd ever made was during the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, when selling durians earned him a little over 3,000 yuan in a single day.

"Honey, did you do something shady?"

"Of course not! I just helped someone move and delivered a truckload of durians along the way."

Chen Pingsheng had already prepared his excuse. He coughed lightly and added, "Yanxi, I might start making this much every day from now on. You'll need to get used to it… and start enjoying the feeling of being a rich wife."

Enjoy what?

Although she was skeptical, Song Yanxi couldn't hide her happiness. For a family like theirs, nothing was more exciting than earning more money.

"Honey, how about we treat ourselves to one of those fancy candlelit dinners your little sister always talks about?"

Song Yanxi rolled her eyes. "What for? Waste of money. We can just cook at home, light a candle, and enjoy our own candlelight dinner."

Uh… That actually sounded nice.

Without hesitation, Chen Pingsheng went downstairs to the convenience store and bought a red candle.

When he came back, Song Yanxi was already going through their finances.

With today's earnings, their total savings now stood at 386,000 yuan.

It looked like a lot, but in reality, it was the result of five years of extreme frugality since their marriage.

"Honey, just 120,000 more, and we'll have enough for a down payment!"

Song Yanxi's voice was filled with anticipation.

In 2012, in Beijing's Third Ring Road area, the average housing price was around 25,000 yuan per square meter.

Their plan was to buy a small 80-square-meter apartment—just enough for the family to live comfortably.

That would cost about 2 million yuan, with a down payment of 500,000 yuan.

"Once we get our own place, we can be as romantic as we want."

Song Yanxi was even more frugal than him. She had been wearing the same clothes for years.

A fancy candlelight dinner costing a few hundred yuan? She could never truly enjoy it—she'd be heartbroken over the wasted money.

Chen Pingsheng didn't insist.

Just as he was heading to the kitchen, his sister-in-law, Song Wu, sent him a message.

She was inviting them to spend the New Year at their parents' house.

Honestly, going to the in-laws' when you're not well-off was pure torture.

Anyone who's been there would understand.

Dinner Time

When dinner was ready, Song Yanxi set up their little candlelight dinner, lighting the red candle.

Little An'an was puzzled.

She thought they were about to bring out a birthday cake.

But there was none.

Just her parents, sitting there, laughing in the dim candlelight.

She was too young to understand.

They weren't laughing at the candle or the dinner.

They were laughing at hope—at the tiny glimpse of a brighter future.

Nightfall

That night, Song Yanxi let An'an watch Teletubbies at full volume.

Once the little one was fully absorbed in the show, she quickly dragged Chen Pingsheng into the bedroom.

Time was of the essence.

Who knew when their daughter might come knocking?

No matter how fast he was, he was still a strong young man.

Anything less than thirty minutes was out of the question.

It left Song Yanxi utterly satisfied, her eyes tearing up from joy.

The Next Day

After dropping his wife off at work, Chen Pingsheng immediately opened the movers' group chat.

Now that he had a clear financial goal, he was more motivated than ever to make money.

Inside the chat, a guy named Shaoshuai—his childhood friend—was complaining.

Shaoshuai: "Got a job—moving a washing machine up seven floors, no elevator, 100 yuan. Damn it."

A job like that was exhausting. On a rainy day like today, when selling durians wasn't an option, they had to rely on odd moving jobs.

Some days, they got lucky. Some days, there was nothing.

Another guy, Dajiang, chimed in.

Dajiang: "I have a job—moving furniture, 300 yuan per day. Anyone interested?"

Shaoshuai: "Screw that. I'd rather take a stroll around Xidan. Who knows, I might come back with a girlfriend."

Chen Pingsheng ignored their chatter.

They were all country boys who had made it in the city, earning over 10,000 yuan per month on average.

Small jobs didn't excite them anymore.

Just then, Zhao Liying, the girl he met yesterday, sent him a message.

Zhao Liying: "Chen-ge, are you busy?"

Chen Pingsheng: "Not at all."

Zhao Liying: "There's a special extra role available today—2,000 yuan per day, no need to show your face. Want to give it a try?"

Hell yes.

This was exactly why having connections mattered.

Even though Zhao Liying was still an unknown extra in the industry, she had been hustling for four years.

She knew a lot more people than a total newbie.

An opportunity like this? He wasn't going to pass it up.

Still, he had to ask:

"Do I need acting skills for this?"

Zhao Liying laughed and said it was just physical labor—no acting required.

Which made sense. Regular extras earned at most 300-500 yuan a day.

If a job paid 2,000, there had to be a catch.

At the Film Set

The assistant director didn't even ask for his name.

"Take off your shirt."

This job was brutal.

It was -4°C, and he had to jump into a freezing lake and act crazy.

Originally, the main actor was supposed to do it.

But when the young idol felt the water temperature, he immediately refused.

No way was he risking his health for a scene.

His fans would cry if he caught a cold.

With no choice, the assistant director turned to a stand-in.

Several people had already tried, but none lasted more than a minute before shivering uncontrollably.

There was no way they could shoot like that.

That's when Zhao Liying recommended Chen Pingsheng.

He had the physique and the stamina.

When he stepped into the lake, the icy water cut through his bones.

The assistant director snapped, "Can you do this or not? If not, get lost!"

His whole body was almost stiff from the cold. Fortunately, Zhao Liying handed him a bowl of freshly made ginger soup.

No one understands a worker better than another worker.

She was still just an extra, playing yet another maidservant role.

She had lost count of how many times she had played a maid. She had also lost count of how many people had told her she was destined to be one.

"Brother Chen, come warm yourself by the fire and take a break," she said, handing him a white towel.

After changing into his own clothes, Chen Pingsheng felt much better.

"My wife is about to get off work—I need to go pick her up," he said, motioning for Zhao Liying to go collect his payment from the production team.

If it weren't for these two thousand yuan, who would willingly suffer in this freezing weather?

Zhao Liying nodded and quickly brought him the money.

This was a major production with an investment worth billions, so no one was too concerned about such a small sum.

Just as he was about to leave, the assistant director approached him.

"You did a great job. Do you have a business card? If we need someone for another tough role, I'd like to call you."

A business card? What a joke. He was just a guy selling durians on the street.

But money was money. Chen Pingsheng still gave the man his number.

As long as there was money to be made, he was willing to do just about anything.