Brian Foster was stunned as well, staring blankly up at Adam Bennett, who was half a head taller than him and carried both the aura of a man and a boy. The smile on his face was utterly sincere, almost making Brian Foster forget that this was just acting.

Brian Foster hesitated, but still reached out his hand, which the other grasped quickly and firmly.

“Now you have one.”

“Come tomorrow, I’ll buy you an iced mocha.”

“That’s enough.”

The moment Alan Brooks called cut, Brian Foster immediately withdrew his hand and said thank you to Adam Bennett, who returned to his usual restrained smile and walked back to his seat.

Mark King’s expression was different from when she first came in. She gave Brian Foster a genuine smile, but Brian Foster wasn’t sure if she was like this with the other actors as well. Alan Brooks’s expression, on the other hand, didn’t change much.

After a few brief words, Brian Foster left the room.

He hadn’t gone far when Emily Thompson came up to him. “How did it go? You were in there for quite a while.”

Brian Foster showed little expression and answered honestly, “One monologue, one scene test, but they didn’t say anything.”

Emily Thompson looked a bit disappointed, but it was within her expectations. This opportunity was just too sought after, and all the auditionees were well-known names. Ethan Carter’s biggest advantage was his good looks and popularity, which had caught the attention of many investors.

However, for this kind of art film, his shortcomings were enough for the director to veto him outright.

Emily Thompson gave Brian Foster a symbolic pat on the shoulder. “No matter what, it’s good to give it a try. There will be more chances like this in the future.”

Brian Foster didn’t even hear what Emily Thompson said; he was talking to 0901.

“0901, since these characters are all from the system, you should be able to read their thoughts, right?”

0901 replied unhurriedly, “In theory, yes, but you’d need to pay five thousand points in exchange.”

Five thousand? He only had four hundred right now.

Brian Foster gave up on the idea of probing for information through the system AI.

0901: “But Mr. Xu, I think your acting was quite good.”

Brian Foster gave a wry smile—probably only when it came to these unrequited love scenes...

By the time he came back to his senses, Emily Thompson had already dragged him out of the hotel.

Group idols are different from other artists; they have to squeeze two and a half days into one. It was already 10:40 p.m., and Brian Foster still had to return to the company to rehearse with his teammates.

After running through half of the dance formation, the five of them sat in a circle on the floor of the practice room to rest.

Luke Harris held a pack of throat lozenges, broke one off, and popped it into his mouth. “Feels like my throat is about to catch fire these past two days.”

Sitting across from him, Brian Foster reached out his hand. “I want one too.” Luke Harris broke off another and tossed it to him. “How did it go on your end?”

The lozenge tasted weird—sweet and spicy—but he still kind of liked it. “Probably not going to make it.”

Eric Grant patted Brian Foster’s hunched back. “Hey, it’s not that fast. Acting is such a mysterious thing. If you really don’t believe it, we’ll just build up experience one project at a time.”

Scott Turner was more direct: “It’s fine if you didn’t get picked. Saves you from getting scolded again and feeling bad.”

Chad Sullivan threw a damp towel onto Scott Turner’s forehead and laughed, cursing, “Worry about your own variety show first.”

Scott Turner had been chosen as a guest for the new season of an outdoor competition reality show because of his athletic talent and good physique, but as someone from an idol group, no matter how masculine he was, there were always going to be dissenting voices.

“I’ve got thick skin, let them say what they want.”

Chad Sullivan kicked Scott Turner, then leaned over and collapsed onto Brian Foster.

When writing, to occasionally stir up some drama and because teammate CPs are inevitable in idol groups, Brian Foster had created the somewhat devilish character of Chad Sullivan without hesitation. But actually meeting him, he realized he really couldn’t handle this kind of personality.

Brian Foster quietly shifted his leg, causing Chad Sullivan to fall straight to the floor, drawing wild laughter from Luke Harris: “Your hair is all sweaty, and you just had to wipe it on Mengze.”

Brian Foster waved his hand with a smile. “No, my legs are just sore.”

After a decent rest, the five were dragged up by the choreographer to continue rehearsing. It was the middle of the night by the time they got back to the dorm, but they could only sleep for a little over three hours, since they had a magazine cover shoot in the morning.

On the way to the studio, Brian Foster watched everyone joking around in the car, feeling a strange emotion inside, but it wasn’t negative.

He had never been good with words since he was a child, always unable to form close relationships or fit into the larger environment. Over time, he realized he didn’t really have any friends.

Suddenly, with a new identity, he’d gained this special relationship with his teammates. Amid the novelty, he felt a bit happy.

After the group shots, it was time for each member’s solo part. Brian Foster could rest for a while. He curled up on a sofa in the corner, both sleepy and hungry, grabbed a dessert from the coffee table and stuffed it into his mouth. A female staff member nearby covered her mouth and laughed, “So Mengze really doesn’t care about body management at all.”