The young man, who was pondering what felt off, also noticed Xia Yu’s actions.
Everyone watched Xia Yu, unsure of what he was about to do.
Xia Yu took a step forward and charged again into the path filled with stones and branches. This time, he didn’t dodge, but instead barreled straight ahead, knocking aside everything blocking his way.
The stones were made of foam, and the branches were real.
“That cat was pretty smart just now, so why is it acting so dumb now?” one staff member said.
“Maybe it just thinks crashing into things is fun?” another staff member replied.
“Hey, could it be that something was wrong with the cat food, causing the cat to act strangely?” a group of elderly onlookers, eager for some excitement, speculated.
Everyone turned to look at the young man, who furrowed his brows in silence for three seconds before suddenly slapping his thigh, exclaiming, “That’s it! That’s the feeling!”
“What feeling?” the cameraman asked, puzzled.
“The script is off—we need to revise it thoroughly!” The young man took out a pen, scribbled a few changes on the script, and instructed the staff to reset the scene.
He turned to look at the black cat, puzzled in his heart: Had this black cat suddenly darted out because it sensed the problem and was trying to warn him?
Impossible. It was probably just a coincidence—maybe the cat just wanted to play.
Shaking his head, the young man discussed the new script with You Xue and resumed filming.
Xia Yu took a step forward again, but this time, he didn’t rush toward the cat food. Instead, he charged toward the braised fish.
A brief commotion arose on set, but the young man quickly silenced it. Because of what had happened earlier, he now held a slight sense of anticipation for the black cat.
When he saw the black cat eating the fish while glancing at the cat food in the distance, he slapped his thigh again and shouted, “Exactly! This part needs to change too!”
“How so?” the lighting technician asked.
“It should drop the fish in its mouth and rush through the thorns to chase the cat food. That kind of emotional expression will be much stronger!” the young man explained.
“That’s way too hard! How can a cat possibly give up something it already has for something else? You didn’t mention this before. Do you expect the cat to improvise on its own?” Before the lighting technician could finish speaking, they saw the black cat put down the fish and head down the other path.
“What the hell!” the lighting technician couldn’t help but curse.
After Xia Yu reached the cat food, ate it, and the scene concluded, the young man called for a stop. The commercial was now complete.
After reviewing the footage, the young man excitedly approached You Xue: “That was amazing!”
You Xue had no experience in scriptwriting, so she was confused about the changes made during filming. In her eyes, it seemed like the young man and her little black cat had just messed around randomly.
Still, she felt that the latter part of the shoot looked more natural than the earlier one.
If she had to explain why it felt better, perhaps it was just because her black cat had more screen time?
This was how outsiders viewed professionals. Outsiders could sense whether something was good or bad, but they lacked the ability to analyze exactly why. If they insisted on analyzing it, they would end up like You Xue, drawing amusing conclusions.
“Oh, right, I haven’t had you sign the contract yet,” the young man suddenly remembered something he had forgotten. He pulled out the contract, paused for a moment, and then tossed it into a nearby trash can.
Turning to his assistant, he said, “Print a new contract—change the payment to five thousand.”
The sudden raise didn’t bring You Xue joy but rather made her a little nervous.
“Two thousand is enough,” she waved her hand.
“No, no, two thousand isn’t enough,” the young man originally thought the black cat was just a bit clever, but now he realized—it was a cat with serious acting skills!
This black cat had the potential to become a star. In the future, its appearance fee might start at a hundred thousand.
While the cat wasn’t famous yet, he wanted to leave room for goodwill, making future negotiations easier.
Yan Wei stood aside, watching You Xue and the black cat earn five thousand within just an hour, astonished.
Her family’s noodle shop made only twenty thousand yuan in profit per month, and that was after working themselves to exhaustion.
Even more importantly, how could this black cat be so incredible?
Unlike You Xue, Yan Wei could recognize the cat’s true value.
On the way home, Yan Wei held Xia Yu, repeatedly examining him.
Xia Yu swatted away her prying fingers with a paw and jumped onto You Xue’s shoulder.
In You Xue’s right hand was a bag of cat food—it was leftover from the props.
“Meow!” Xia Yu called out to Yan Wei and pointed at the cat food bag in You Xue’s hand.
Yan Wei pointed at herself, confused: “Me?”
Xia Yu nodded.
Still in shock, Yan Wei took the cat food bag from You Xue’s hand.
Could it be that this cat could actually give instructions to people?
After dropping You Xue off at home and returning to the shop, Yan Wei continued to ponder over the black cat.
If this black cat was already so demanding, wouldn’t marrying into its family make me its slave?
But this cat was also a member of the Xia family. She needed to find a way to build a better relationship with it.
The next day, Saturday, Yan Wei brought a can of cat pâté and headed to the Xia family’s house.
“Big Sis Wei, come quickly! The commercial is out!” You Xue and Xia Yu were watching it together on a phone.
Peering behind the two, Yan Wei saw the finished commercial.
The opening scene showed the black cat standing at the starting point, gazing at two diverging paths.
A narrator’s voice began:
“On a cat’s journey through life, there are always many crossroads.”
The camera then zoomed in on the two paths. The left path was filled with “boulders,” dark and intimidating. The right path was smooth, wide, and brightly lit.
“Logic tells me the right path is the correct choice.”
The black cat took a step forward and walked down the smooth path, arriving in front of a plate of braised fish and beginning to eat.
“But, is this really what I want?”
The camera focused on the cat food on the other path with a close-up shot.
“Is life truly fulfilling if it’s just correct?”
A slow-motion shot appeared, showing the black cat turning its body.
The scene resumed normal speed as the cat charged into the dark path, branches snapping under its paws.
“Even if this path is full of thorns.”
Another slow-motion shot showed the black cat knocking aside the “boulders.”
“Even if this path leaves me battered and bruised.”
The footage resumed normal speed as the black cat sprinted forward.
“I still march forward with determination.”
Finally, the black cat passed through the thorny path, climbed the “mountain,” and reached the cat food.
“Because this… is what I truly desire.”
Lowering its head, the black cat began eating the cat food.
The camera shifted again, revealing the cat food packaging.
“Wolf Mountain Cat Food—nutritious, delicious, loved by all cats.”
The Wolf Mountain Cat Food logo filled the entire screen.
“Purchase now and enjoy a 10% discount. We have five stores in Zilang, located at the Development Zone, Tongsheng Avenue…”
After watching the commercial, Yan Wei and You Xue remained deeply moved.
On set, they hadn’t felt much, but after post-production editing and the narrator’s explanation, they finally understood the brilliance of this advertisement.
They picked up the black cat joyfully and began playing with it.
“Meow meow meow?” the black cat looked confused.
Smiling, Xia Yu stood up and returned to his bedroom. He clicked on a link and logged into An Siyao’s account.
He had accumulated enough game points, and he had nearly completed learning the songs. Today, he would finally reach level 4!
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