Chapter 68: Filming a Movie

“Left, right, left! Left, right, left!”

On a winter morning, a group of people jogged around the track, shouting in unison. The white mist of their breath mingled with the cold air and quickly vanished. This was the mandatory morning exercise at the Anyang City Training Base, aimed at improving the physical fitness of both trainers and police dogs. Perhaps because of this routine, illness was rare among both humans and canines at the base.

Sun Xiaobin ran at the back of the group, frequently glancing at the time on his watch. Every now and then, he pulled out his phone from his jacket to check it, as if waiting for something.

Suddenly, a melodic ringtone rang out. Sun Xiaobin’s eyes lit up with delight. He quickly stepped off the track, pulled out his phone, and answered the call.

“Hello, Director Cheng? You’re here already? At the gate? Got it, I’m coming now. Just wait a moment!”

After hanging up, Sun Xiaobin ran over to Zhang Meng and said, “Instructor, the film crew is here. I need to step out for a bit.”

Zhang Meng waved him off. “Go ahead.”

Sun Xiaobin jogged toward the front gate and soon arrived. A seven-seater van was parked outside, and a man in a black down jacket stood beside it, leaning over to speak with someone inside the vehicle.

“Grandpa Zhang, could you open the gate and let them in?” Sun Xiaobin entered the guardroom and found Grandpa Zhang sitting alertly at the computer, watching the van on the surveillance feed. Clearly, he found their presence a bit suspicious.

As soon as Sun Xiaobin spoke, Grandpa Zhang relaxed. He pulled out a remote and pressed a button. The base gate slowly opened, allowing the van to enter.

Sun Xiaobin led them to a parking spot. Once the vehicle stopped, several people got out. Standing in the center was a slightly chubby, middle-aged man of average height wearing black-rimmed glasses—this was the film’s director, Cheng An.

As Sun Xiaobin stepped forward to greet him, he noticed that Director Cheng looked utterly exhausted. Dark circles ringed his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept for several nights.

Perhaps Sun Xiaobin’s curiosity was too obvious, because the assistant director standing nearby whispered, “Officer Sun, our Director Cheng is incredibly dedicated. He just pulled several all-nighters.”

So that’s what it was. Sun Xiaobin suddenly understood. No wonder he looked so worn out. He couldn’t help but wonder if the man would be able to stay awake through the day.

But his concern turned out to be unnecessary. The moment Director Cheng saw the healthy, energetic police dogs gathered together, his eyes lit up with joy.

His film needed dogs with intelligence and personality. As for their appearance not quite matching the image of stray dogs in the script, that wasn’t a problem. The makeup artists on the crew could handle that.

“Officer Sun, when can we start the auditions?” Cheng An asked without even turning his head.

“Morning training is almost over. We can start shortly. Why don’t you tell me which breeds you’re leaning toward?” Sun Xiaobin asked.

Cheng An’s gaze shifted back and forth, clearly indecisive. After a long pause, he finally made up his mind. “Let’s go with German Shepherds and Labradors.” Other breeds weren’t as common, and casting them as strays might make it harder for audiences to connect emotionally.

Sun Xiaobin went over to speak with Zhang Meng, who nodded and signaled for everyone to gather. Then, all the German Shepherds and Labradors were kept behind.

They called it an audition, but it wasn’t quite the same as a human one. For dogs, it was more about demonstrating obedience. Each police dog came forward to perform commands like shaking paws, spinning, standing, and heeling. When it was Aofeng’s turn, he made sure to behave just like the others, cautiously avoiding anything that might give him away. He didn’t mind helping out with short videos for the base, but starring in a movie? That really wasn’t his thing.

Once all the selected police dogs had demonstrated their skills, Sun Xiaobin turned to Cheng An, waiting for him to make a choice.

But Cheng An didn’t decide right away. Instead, he beckoned to a man who had been silently standing behind the group the whole time.

It turned out that Cheng An hadn’t just brought the screenwriter and assistant director—he’d also brought the lead actor. His name was Feng Jiajun, a relatively unknown figure who had only played minor roles in various films. No one knew how he landed this lucky break, but he was now the lead in Cheng An’s new movie. With this role, his exposure would skyrocket. If he could back it up with solid acting, he might just ride the wind and soar ninety thousand miles high¹.

Feng Jiajun valued this opportunity deeply and was determined to play the role well. When he saw Cheng An motioning to him, he quickly stepped forward.

“Feng, go interact with the dogs a bit. See which one you connect with the most. That’ll be the one we go with,” Cheng An said.

Feng Jiajun was a little nervous. Since the start of his career, he’d never made such an important decision. But since the director had spoken, there was no changing it. He had no choice but to do his best.

The police dogs sat neatly beside their trainers, watching Feng Jiajun as he slowly approached. Their eyes held a range of emotions—curiosity, wariness, even stern appraisal.

Feng Jiajun felt uneasy under their collective gaze. His eyes scanned the dogs until one sitting at the far end caught his attention. Unlike the others, this dog wasn’t staring at him. Instead, it was focused on a nearby flower bed, where a chubby orange cat lay lazily basking in the sun.

“That one… that’s Aofeng, right?” Feng Jiajun said. He had spent the previous night watching every short video from the training base and remembered clearly that the German Shepherd with a tuft of white fur on his chest was the base’s star dog, Aofeng.

Aofeng whipped his head around. What the heck? This guy knows who he is? Could he be a hardcore fan? Aofeng had always assumed he looked pretty similar to other German Shepherds in human eyes.

Could this guy have come specifically for him? Aofeng stared intently at Feng Jiajun, trying to figure out what this thick-browed man was really thinking.

Feng Jiajun, unnerved by the intense stare, had the urge to pull out his phone and double-check if this really was Aofeng. Honestly, if he had to choose a partner, Aofeng would be his top pick. In this age where popularity rules, no dog could match the draw of Aofeng, who already came with a built-in fanbase. With the right promotion, they could easily attract a huge audience of Aofeng fans to the theaters.

He also noticed that Aofeng performed impressively in the short videos—at times, it even seemed smarter than a person, and that intelligence was clearly genuine. Feng Jiajun had dabbled in short video content himself, and he could tell that the clips released by the Training Base had very minimal editing, mostly limited to transitions. It was nothing like those influencers who chopped their videos frame by frame.

Beyond that, he found Aofeng to be especially composed. A stranger had squatted so close, staring at it without blinking for so long, and yet there was no sign of aggression. Aofeng simply stared back calmly. For a brief moment, Feng Jiajun even had the illusion that he was being watched by a person. The more he looked at Aofeng, the more certain he became of his choice.

Everyone present was a bit confused. Feng Jiajun and the dog in front of him had been locked in a staring contest for several minutes now—why did they both look frozen like statues?

“Xiao Feng?” Director Cheng An couldn’t help calling out.

Snapping out of it, Feng Jiajun suddenly walked up to Cheng An with an excited expression and declared firmly, “Director, it’s this one!”

Huh??

Aofeng twitched his ears in disbelief. Did he hear that right? How did it suddenly become him? Did something happen while he was just zoning out? He knew it—this guy really had come for him!

Actually, it wasn’t just Aofeng who didn’t understand. No one else could quite follow Feng Jiajun’s train of thought either. Was it really love at first sight just from a long stare? Judging by the eager look on his face, it was like they were about to shoot a heartwarming man-and-dog romance².

“Are you sure?” Cheng An asked, a bit frustrated. He hadn’t expected Feng Jiajun to be this unreliable. If he’d known, he wouldn’t have handed over the decision. But he was a man of his word—once he said something, he wouldn’t take it back.

Feng Jiajun nodded firmly. “Director, I’m absolutely sure!”

“Alright then, this dog it is. Officer Sun, since the dog’s been chosen, let’s find a place to discuss how we’ll work together,” Cheng An said.

Sun Xiaobin nodded and led him to Director Li’s office. Matters like this were, of course, up to Director Li to decide.

Aofeng stood in place, watching them walk away. He blinked, still a little dazed. So… just because they locked eyes in a crowd, he was going to be in a movie now?

Translator’s Notes