"Bin, tell Hah’Er to pick up these bricks." Not long after they entered the zoo, Xu Ye had everyone stop in front of a small pile of bricks. It looked like they had probably arrived late last night to start setting up.

’So he really is having Hah’Er move bricks.’ Shen Yibin immediately understood Xu Ye’s intention. ’So that was your plan!’ He had to admit, Xu Ye’s idea was far more brilliant than his own previous notion of having Hah’Er hug a donation box.

’But with Hah’Er’s small frame, he probably can’t carry many bricks at once.’ Shen Yibin bent down and picked up two bricks. "Hah’Er, come move bricks with me." He took the lead and showed him what to do.

"Nn!" Dressed in his little worker’s outfit, Hah’Er waddled his short legs over to the pile of bricks, mimicking Shen Yibin. He picked up two bricks, and from the looks of it, it didn’t seem too difficult for him. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"Good. Take a couple of steps forward, let’s see." Xu Ye pointed ahead. Over there was a short, collapsed section of a wall. A small pile of bricks was also placed by the wall, along with props like cement and a trowel. From the camera’s angle, it would perfectly capture the effect of Hah’Er carrying bricks to go repair the wall.

"Come on, Hah’Er, keep up." ’I should’ve changed my clothes if I knew this was coming,’ Shen Yibin grumbled internally while mimicking a construction worker, carrying the bricks toward the wall.

Hah’Er had gotten used to his new outfit by now. He treated the whole thing as a fun game, giggling foolishly as he followed behind Shen Yibin. He looked just like a happy Little Prince of brick-moving.

Xu Ye rapidly pressed the shutter, capturing shots of Hah’Er carrying the bricks and walking. But looking at the results in the camera, he grew a little dissatisfied. "Stop. Bin, have Hah’Er put the bricks down. Something feels off to me."

"Hm? What’s wrong?" Shen Yibin told Hah’Er to put the bricks down and leaned in to look at the camera’s display. ’Wow, he’s a national treasure for a reason. He even looks cool and cute moving bricks.’ "I think it looks great. What’s the problem?"

"Don’t you think Hah’Er looks a little too happy?" Xu Ye pointed at Hah’Er’s face on the screen. The little guy was grinning from ear to ear. "Hah’Er is supposed to be playing the role of an animal forced to do manual labor to fix up the zoo because of budget cuts. His mood should be a little downcast. But look at these photos—the little fella is having the time of his life. Anyone who sees this will just think he’s having fun. How is that supposed to arouse sympathy and get people to donate to the zoo?"

’Well, the little guy *is* having fun.’ Still, Xu Ye did have a point. "I’ll try to talk to him." ’How am I supposed to convince Hah’Er to look miserable? Should I tell him there’s no beer at lunch, or what?’

"It’s not just about being downcast. It should be a mix of melancholy and fortitude. Just playing the pity card isn’t enough. We need to show that even in this situation, he’s maintaining a positive attitude." Xu Ye was really getting on a roll, treating Hah’Er like a professional actor. As he spoke, his brow furrowed again.

’What is it now? What else did we do wrong?’ ’If there’s a problem, just say so. Don’t wait until Hah’Er has picked up the bricks again. My heart will ache for him.’

"He also seems a little too clean, don’t you think? You’ve been to a construction site, right? What kind of worker is that spotless?" With that, Xu Ye stood up from behind the camera and called over to the makeup artists. "Makeup! Smear some dust on Hah’Er’s face and body. Uh... and put a little cement near his nose! That’s what a hardworking laborer should look like!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Isn’t that going a bit too far!" ’What the hell? How dare you treat Hah’Er like that? I’ll fight you!’

"My apologies, my apologies! I misspoke," Xu Ye quickly said. "I don’t mean actually smearing dust and cement on him. Our makeup artists can create the same effect with cosmetics. I guarantee it won’t harm Hah’Er’s fur or skin."

’That’s more like it.’ Shen Yibin waved his hand, signaling his agreement with Xu Ye’s suggestion. The two capable-looking, stylish women immediately surrounded Hah’Er again. They took out makeup cases of all sizes from their bags, dipped their brushes into pressed powders, and began meticulously applying it to Hah’Er’s face, arms, and legs.

After nearly half an hour of work, Hah’Er’s brand-new look was finally complete. His face was now smudged with black and yellow patches that looked just like mud and cement. His legs and arms were a dirty grayish-brown. Oh, if it weren’t for the fact that the little guy already had black fur, he would probably look even filthier.

His face was done up the same way. The most convincing touch was the two cement-colored splotches applied to either side of his nose. With one look, you’d think he had been toiling on a construction site all day. It was enough to make your heart ache.

"Great, the effect is excellent. Bin, it’s your turn to talk to him." Xu Ye gave the two women a thumbs-up.

’Makeup truly is one of the three great sorceries of East Asia. The result is freaking mind-blowing.’ Shen Yibin was thoroughly impressed. He nodded at Xu Ye and walked over to Hah’Er to give him a good long talk.

He resorted to a series of threats—no lunch, no beer with lunch, being left behind on the next outing—and finally managed to get Hah’Er’s mood right.

When Hah’Er picked up the bricks again, the corners of his mouth were turned slightly downward, as if worried about the zoo’s situation. But his arms, holding the bricks, were strong, and his eyes were fixed on the wall ahead, his gaze filled with determination. It was as if he were saying, ’Don’t worry, you can leave this to me.’

"Good! Hold that expression! Walk forward slowly. Not so briskly. You need to convey a sense of hardship and exhaustion. Stagger your steps a bit more... Yes, yes, yes, just like that! Good, put the bricks down there. Take off the safety helmet, turn your head back slightly, and give me a gesture like you’re wiping away sweat..." Xu Ye issued a stream of commands while rapidly clicking the shutter.

Meanwhile, Shen Yibin demonstrated each action according to the instructions, and Hah’Er copied him, fulfilling all of Xu Ye’s requests one by one.

The big one and the little one went back and forth moving bricks several times until Xu Ye finally captured the feeling he wanted. He praised them loudly, "Excellent! Absolutely perfect! The first scene is a wrap. Take a break, have some water, and get ready for the next scene."

PFFT! Shen Yibin, who had just taken a sip of mineral water, spat it all out. ’Damn it, all that work and it was only the first scene? How many scenes are you planning to shoot? Are you trying to kill me? I don’t care if I get exhausted, but if you wear out Hah’Er, I swear I’ll fight you to the death!’

"Just now we shot the brick-moving theme. For the next theme, we’ll shoot Hah’Er mixing cement and repairing the wall!" Xu Ye announced, holding up the shooting plan.