Chapter 117: A Look of Canine Contempt
"Hehe, let’s not talk about Erhei. He’s busy cleaning, and if you disturb him, he’ll get angry. Everyone, please, come have some tea. This tea I have should be quite good," Ye Xing said with a faint smile as he put some tea leaves into the tea set and poured hot water to brew the tea.
"Your little black dog is truly special. If you let him act, he’d be an absolute hit. As his owner, that would benefit you too," Director Zhang Yilin continued, trying to persuade him.
"I won’t let Erhei act," Ye Xing replied with a faint smile.
"Why not? We’d only need him for a few days for the movie, and I’m willing to pay a high fee," said Director Zhang Yilin. The movie he was filming was titled *Divine Dog*, and whether he could cast an incredible dog was crucial to how well the film would turn out. He had searched for many dogs before, but there was always something missing with each one. After a long and fruitless search, he had finally stumbled upon the video of the "Divine Dog" online and found the perfect candidate. Naturally, he wasn’t about to give up and was determined to keep persuading Ye Xing.
Ye Xing said thoughtfully, "I assume you did some research on me before coming here. If so, you should know that I’m not short on money."
"Uh, well..." Director Zhang Yilin was at a loss for words. He then said in a low voice, "I did indeed do some research before coming. You’re the supplier for Immortal Flavor Old Fish. Out of curiosity, I went to try it myself, and I have to thank you for allowing me to taste such a heavenly delicacy."
After a pause, Director Zhang Yilin thought for a moment, then steeled himself. "How about this," he said. "If you let the little black dog star in my movie, I’ll put an ad for Immortal Flavor Old Fish in the film to help you promote it. Your Immortal Flavor Old Fish has a great reputation, but as they say, ’even the finest wine is no good if it’s hidden in a deep alley.’ This film has a massive budget, and we’ll be casting many A-list stars. Once it’s released, I’m confident that the brand awareness for Immortal Flavor Old Fish will explode nationwide."
Ye Xing was tempted. ’Getting a famous director to include product placement, even if it’s just a brief mention, is an extremely rare opportunity. He’s clearly sincere. Immortal Flavor Old Fish has only been around for two or three months. While its reputation has been steadily growing, its fame is still pretty much confined to Fujian Province. If Director Zhang’s film promotes it, it’s foreseeable that the brand will expand rapidly across the country. Once its popularity increases, money will come pouring in from Immortal Flavor Old Fish. I might not be impressed by a payment of a few million, but if it was in the tens of millions, that would be another matter entirely. Once the brand’s fame spreads nationwide, the profits are sure to grow exponentially.’
"Alright, Director Zhang, your offer is certainly compelling. I’ll let little Erhei act in your film. However, I have to make a few things clear. I guarantee that while promoting Immortal Flavor Old Fish is an ad, it will have absolutely no negative impact on your film. When viewers who learn about it from your movie go and try it, I’m confident they’ll sing its praises. They might even thank your film for introducing them to such a delicacy. We can call it a win-win," Ye Xing said, his eyes glinting with confidence.
There are many types of advertisements. If a product is garbage or low-quality, the audience will naturally be repulsed. But if the advertised product itself is top-notch, the audience generally won’t mind the ad, and might even consider it a good one.
"Haha, of course! If your Immortal Flavor Old Fish wasn’t so incredibly delicious, I wouldn’t have proposed this condition. After all, I have a responsibility to my own film," Director Zhang Yilin laughed.
"When does filming start, Director Zhang?" Ye Xing asked.
"Soon. In about three days," Director Zhang Yilin said, his eyes glinting. "But before that, would I be able to test little Erhei?"
"Sure, no problem!" Ye Xing smiled.
Director Zhang Yilin immediately and excitedly turned to little Erhei. "Erhei, what’s one plus two? Bark out the answer!"
As the test for little Erhei began, everyone else in the living room pricked up their ears. They were all incredibly curious about this little "Divine Dog" that had become a legend online, eager to see if he was really as incredible as the rumors claimed.
Standing to the side, Ye Xing rolled his eyes. "Director Zhang, seriously, that question is too childish. You could ask any normal dog that. It’s not a challenge for Erhei at all! Here, let me test him for you."
Ye Xing immediately called out in a deep voice, "Erhei, come here! Cross your legs for them!"
"WOOF!"
Little Erhei instantly dropped the rag from his mouth, gave a bark, and with a push from his short little legs, leaped onto the sofa beside Ye Xing. He sat his roly-poly body down and crossed his right hind leg over his left. He looked so cool it was off the charts.
"Holy shit, he’s actually crossing his legs!"
"He understands what people are saying?"
"How did you train him? That’s fucking incredible!"
Every one of the dozen or so crew members wore a look of shocked excitement, their spirits soaring.
"Hehe, that’s nothing," Ye Xing said, a smile playing on his lips. "Erhei, give them the ’dog looking down on people’ look. Stare at them with utter contempt!"
"WOOF!"
Little Erhei barked once, nodded his small head, and then his eyes rolled. He shot them a perfect side-eye, his gaze angled upward at 45 degrees. It was a look of pure, unadulterated contempt. The impact was simply devastating.
"Holy shit!"
"Holy shit! Holy shit! That’s unreal! That look is just unreal!"
"A true Divine Dog! That expression is so human!"
"I bow in defeat. He’s the professional actor here; I’m just an extra!"
"Damn it. After all these years of acting, I just got shown up by a little dog."
Inside the living room, the film crew was completely and utterly astonished.
"So, Director Zhang, what do you think? Are Erhei’s acting skills up to snuff?" Ye Xing asked.
"Up to snuff? It’s absolutely perfect! If acting this incredible isn’t good enough, then none of us actors are," Director Zhang Yilin said, clucking his tongue in admiration. "I have no idea how you trained him. Little Erhei is a true Divine Dog. He’s not just smart and brave—that expression, that performance... it was unreal! I’ve never seen a dog this amazing. This has been a real eye-opener."
Director Zhang Yilin was beyond satisfied with little Erhei’s performance. If not for a few other things that still needed to be prepared, he would have started filming on the spot to get the dog on camera.
"Ahem, can I be honest?" Ye Xing said. "The truth is, Erhei wasn’t acting. He was genuinely looking down on you all!"
"..." Director Zhang Yilin.
"..." The film crew.