Chapter 158

"What are you doing here?"

Lu Yan He walked closer and looked at Wei Zhuoran and Qu Yousong with an unkind expression.

These two were standing outside the rehearsal room, sneakily taking photos inside with their phones, and were caught red-handed by Lu Yan He who had just returned.

Wei Zhuoran and Qu Yousong turned to see Lu Yan He, didn't take him seriously at all, and said indifferently, "What does it have to do with you what we are doing here? Who are you? When is it your turn to manage us?"

Lu Yan He said with a straight face, "This is the rehearsal room I reserved. You ran to my place to sneak photos, and I can't even ask?"

Wei Zhuoran immediately stiffened his neck. "Sneak photos? What kind of fart are you talking about? Which eye did you see me sneak photos with? I'm taking photos of my own teammate, taking them openly."

Lu Yan He glanced at Chen Jing practicing dancing inside the glass wall and said nothing more.

He passed Wei Zhuoran and Qu Yousong, pushed the door open, and went in. "Chen Jing, how is your practice? I'm going to take a break."

Chen Jing stopped immediately and said, "I'm about done too. You take a break. Thank you for lending me the rehearsal room."

"Huh?" Lu Yan He was a bit surprised when he heard this name.

"Oh, so that's how it is." Lu Yan He thought to himself, no wonder; he hadn't seen Li Zhibai and Yan Liang say they wanted to eat fried chicken before, so it turned out there was someone else.

"No, it's nothing." Chen Jing pressed stop on the audio, thanked Lu Yan He again, and left in a hurry.

Lu Yan He shook his head, indicating that there was no need to be so polite.

Lu Yan He shook his head.

"Can celebrities skip the line? Do they have privileges?"

Li Zhibai was an artist with a certain degree of autonomy and would not be led by the nose by the management team, but some artists were more miserable, completely becoming tools of the management team, having to listen to the team for everything.

Lu Yan He saw him covered in sweat, and his T-shirt was soaked with sweat.

He took off his mask and sighed. "To be able to recognize me even with a mask on, I'm really too popular."

"She's quite responsible. This afternoon, Zhou Ping'an got me another commercial performance. Guess what kind of job it is again?" Li Zhibai asked.

Li Zhibai clicked his tongue.

Lu Yan He replied with an OK.

Yan Liang looked at him speechlessly and said, "You too, why explain so much?"

Yan Liang also nodded in agreement. "Even if they occasionally recognize us, they just want to take a photo with us, which doesn't count as trouble."

"That's a celebrity, right?"

"What kind of problem could there be? At most, he just twisted his foot," Li Zhibai said immediately.

Worried that one portion of fried chicken wouldn't be enough for four people, Li Zhibai also ordered a pork chop.

Unimaginable.

Lu Yan He didn't think much more about it. After he left, he locked the rehearsal room door and prepared to rest for a while.

Li Zhenzhen used to be an assistant director under Chen Biqiu and often had contact with artist management teams, dealing with many of them.

The waiter explained that they had booked a table in advance.

"Yeah," He Shuyi nodded. "Now close your eyes and follow my voice. First, I want to ask you: can you imagine a warm, justice-filled image in your mind?"

Li Zhibai sent him a message asking if his class was over. If it was, he would see him downstairs at the company later; he would come to pick him up, and they would go eat fried chicken together.

"As a newcomer actor, you must first learn to figure out the character," He Shuyi said, almost hand-holding Lu Yan He to analyze the script. "You are still very young and have no experience. You can't act every scene with the ease of a mature actor, so you must learn to find the key points. For example, what is your first impression of the character you play in 'The Golden Age'?"

"Chen Jing?" Lu Yan He looked at this person in surprise.

Lu Yan He had imagined this scene before, but actually, no matter how he thought about it, it felt a bit pretentious.

Chen Jing didn't expect to run into Lu Yan He either and stood up in a hurry.

An artist with such a strong self-personality is really rare in the entertainment industry.

Li Zhenzhen felt that the three of them were quite real, rare artists who didn't really think of themselves as celebrities.

At this time, Li Zhibai said, "Actually, even if some people recognize us, it doesn't matter. We aren't popular to the level of a national superstar, so how could we be unable to go out? At most, people stare at us a few more times."

Lu Yan He nodded.

After saying that, he smiled at Lu Yan He.

Yan Liang: "Then why did he suddenly stop recording the program?"

Lu Yan He nodded.

Facing such an artist who trampled himself into the dust, Li Zhenzhen really didn't know how to respond.

After observing for a day, Li Zhenzhen had discovered that this handsome and popular male idol was actually just a child who hadn't grown up much yet. He had been pampered by his family since he was a child, his temper and personality were easily explosive, and he was always saying one thing while meaning another.

Because they had ordered things in advance, not long after they sat down, the fried chicken, drinks, and fruit were served.

Zhou Ping'an was like this; in order to make money, he didn't even consider that this kind of work would have a negative impact on Li Zhibai's image.

The elevator waited for several trips and was still overcrowded; they couldn't squeeze in.

But his nature was not bad.

Lu Yan He thought about the Chen Jing he had just seen; he didn't look like he had any physical problems at all.

After Lu Yan He sent He Shuyi away, he returned to the rehearsal room to pack his things.

Li Zhenzhen said, "You are from the same company. If you really want to know what's going on, just find someone who knows and ask."

"Producer Li, why did you go to South Korea before?" Yan Liang asked.

Although Lu Yan He spoke up for Chen Jing, it didn't affect the fact that the two of them still speculated about Chen Jing with a negative impression.

"Now, put yourself into that person's shoes," He Shuyi's voice continued to guide Lu Yan He. "Okay, now open your eyes."

At this time, many office workers in the company were getting off work.

Not recording anymore?

It's estimated that Chen Jing's bad mood had something to do with this. Chen Jing was still practicing dancing extra at noon for this program, but in the end, he wasn't recording anymore. Wasn't all his hard work in vain?

Li Zhibai clicked his tongue and said, "Why do you care what's wrong with him? Maybe he just didn't want to record anymore and found such an excuse. Anyway, you know that bunch from MX; after they became popular, they would quit whenever they wanted. Even if they quit, it doesn't matter; they are popular, and there are plenty of programs begging them to appear."

Li Zhenzhen smiled awkwardly.

"The second point I want to teach you is to put aside all theories," He Shuyi said. "Acting is a technique of constant practice. Third-rate acting is crying on command; first-rate acting is when you act to that point and naturally cry. You are a newcomer, and the biggest taboo is learning eighteen kinds of martial arts and then acting very devotedly, but completely failing to move others. In every scene, you must figure out where the 'eye' of the scene is. For example, in 'The Golden Age,' in the first scene where you appear, you walk in from outside the classroom. Where do you think the 'eye' of your character is?"

Anyway, the floor he was on wasn't very high.

After observing for a day, Li Zhenzhen hoped even more that Li Zhibai would join her program.

Not to say that everyone thought highly of themselves, but they certainly weren't like Lu Yan He and Yan Liang, who were so sober that it made people feel they were self-deprecating.

Lu Yan He pondered for a moment, looked at the two of them, and said, "You overestimate us too much. Except for Li Zhibai, not many people actually know Yan Liang and me. It looks like we have some fans online, but in reality, scattered in various places, the people who know us are just better than nothing; it's not enough to affect our travel. How could we be that popular?"

"Why did you guys suddenly think of eating fried chicken tonight?" Lu Yan He opened the car door and sat in. Only after getting in did he see that there were not only Li Zhibai and Yan Liang in the car, but also Li Zhenzhen. "Producer Li, you're still here!"

"Wei Zhuoran and Qu Yousong were outside just now," Lu Yan He said to Chen Jing.

The sunset had completely turned orange-red, drawing deep and shallow twilight colors across the vast sky.

"Aren't you supposed to be recording a program? Why are you still here?" Lu Yan He asked.

Lu Yan He: "Learning what good acting is in the morning, and learning how to act well in the afternoon—one is theory, one is practice."

Lu Yan He understood what He Shuyi meant.

By the time He Shuyi finished his class, it was already evening.

Lu Yan He thought for a while and said, "It shouldn't be Chen Jing quitting."

Lu Yan He thought for a while and said, "This scene is the first time the female lead, played by Sister Yuqian, sees me. In the script, it mainly shows Sister Yuqian falling in love with the person I play at first sight."

"Physical reasons?" Lu Yan He was even more surprised.

Lu Yan He sighed.

Among the three of them—Lu Yan He, Li Zhibai, and Yan Liang—it could also be seen that Li Zhibai had the most distinct personality and rarely restrained himself; no matter who he was in front of, he was always that energetic self.

There were really quite a lot of people at the fried chicken shop.

"Yeah, can you believe it?" Li Zhibai said, full of temper. "It was all about how much money they gave. Anyway, I'm idle anyway."

The people waiting for seats looked at Li Zhibai in confusion and helplessness.

The artists of this age she usually met all had some pride in them.

Li Zhenzhen said, "South Korean variety shows are very successful, and I also want to learn from their experience. I have always wanted to make my own program, but if I don't improve myself, it would probably take seven or eight years to grind out the qualifications until I can make a program myself. After this study trip, it just so happened that Director Chen strongly supported me and helped me be the producer, so I got the green light for this program."

Lu Yan He: "Then are you going?"

Today's idol artists are all too perfect and distorted.

"Yeah," He Shuyi nodded. "Since your appearance and personality are very similar to the character, for this kind of scene that requires your most natural state, of course, you should do whatever makes you comfortable. This is the importance of finding the 'eye' of the scene. You must fully analyze what the requirements are for every scene your character appears in. Some scenes require you to act exaggeratedly, some scenes require you to act more restrained, some scenes will require you to give your most authentic self, and some scenes will require you to completely put yourself aside and act with another personality. Only when you find the right direction does effort have meaning. Just like the scene we just talked about, if you are single-mindedly trying to look handsome and dashing in this scene, wanting to move a girl's heart at first sight, then you're in trouble; you will only act more and more ugly and more and more annoying the harder you try, and no matter how hard you work, it will all be empty."

Li Zhenzhen showed a slightly speechless expression.

Indeed, very few people can taste both the peak and the valley at the age of seventeen or eighteen.

The two of them didn't have a good impression of MX, and consequently, they didn't have a good impression of Chen Jing either.

Lu Yan He and Yan Liang rolled their eyes in unison.

"In the afternoon, MX's official account issued a statement saying that Chen Jing had to be absent from the recording of 'Ace Brawl' due to physical reasons," Yan Liang explained.

Lu Yan He looked at He Shuyi in confusion. "Teacher He, according to what you said, then actually there's no need to act at all, just do whatever makes me comfortable?"

"Ah?" Chen Jing's reaction was a bit strange, actually frowning as if he had some concerns.

"Very good, then do you think you are like this person in the script?"

"Huh?" Yan Liang was a bit surprised that Lu Yan He would speak up for Chen Jing at this time. "Do you know what's going on?"

Lu Yan He said, "He was still practicing dancing in the rehearsal room I reserved all noon today. If he values his performance in this program so much, he shouldn't quit for no reason."

"Could it really be a physical problem?" Yan Liang asked in surprise.

Li Zhibai said, "What if this matter is spread online later as me having celebrity privileges? They recognized me."

He thought for a while and decided to take the fire escape down.

He Shuyi said, "Then why do you think the screenwriter wrote this scene?"

He Shuyi said, "This is the first point I want to teach you: acting requires building a sense of belief in the character. To put it bluntly, it means believing that you are this character, and then finding a point of entry. A person's best acting is substitution and empathy, especially for young characters, where emotions often outweigh complexity. You must find the commonalities and differences with the character through this dialogue with yourself. The commonalities are the entry point for you to substitute into the character, and the differences are the places you need to smooth out with techniques."

Lu Yan He was a bit enlightened.

"How come I didn't know you could book a table in advance?"

Lu Yan He slowed down his pace.

This kind of commercial event for a building opening is purely commercial in nature, and the stage is usually very low-end, so there's no such thing as stage design.

"He... is more mature than me," Lu Yan He said. "And he is also more forbearing than me. I can't do what he does, but when reading the script, I was thinking, I hope I can become such a person."

He looked back and saw that Wei Zhuoran and Qu Yousong, who were outside the door just now, had already left.

"What's wrong?"

It can only be said that different people will do different things, and the relationships between different artists and different management teams are also strange and varied, with all kinds of things.

"Are you a warm, justice-filled person yourself?" He Shuyi asked.

Someone recognized Li Zhibai.

"Why ask? What's there to ask? Their MX business has nothing to do with me," Li Zhibai said immediately.

Perhaps it has something to do with their experience of going downhill since they debuted?

When that talent show was broadcast back then, they were also genuinely popular.

Sleepiness had already swept over, and his eyelids were fighting.

In the afternoon, He Shuyi took Lu Yan He to rehearse the scenes of "The Golden Age," starting from the first scene.

"I don't know. I've actually thought about it a lot, but I feel that no matter what expression I make or what action I design, it seems very pretentious and redundant."

Fortunately, Li Zhibai booked a table in advance.

Li Zhenzhen's long hair was tied up, her eyes curved, and she asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Are you unhappy to see me?"

Evening rush hour, the road is a bit congested.

"She arranged a lot of classes for me, Wen Minglan, and Tu Song, and everyone is taking classes," Lu Yan He said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "They are all making us build a foundation."

"Uh, didn't you say you booked a table in advance?"

The three of them complained about Zhou Ping'an without avoiding Li Zhenzhen at all.

I don't know what's going on with this program recording either.

"That's a pity. 'Ace Brawl' is quite popular. I heard that MX negotiated for a long time before both sides agreed," Li Zhenzhen said. "Originally, MX could have participated in the recording with all members."

Li Zhibai said, "A building opening, asking me to warm up the venue."

Lu Yan He thought seriously and said, "I have always wanted to be such a person."

"No, it's just a bit unexpected. I thought you had already gone back," Lu Yan He asked. "Have you been following Li Zhibai all day today?"

He actually understood Li Zhenzhen's thoughts.

As soon as Li Zhenzhen said the four words "stranger in a strange land," he suddenly became enlightened.

Without waiting for Lu Yan He to speak, Chen Jing walked upstairs, brushing past Lu Yan He, as if afraid that Lu Yan He would pursue the question.

"That's right, so the key to this scene is that you have to give the audience the impression that it's a matter of course for you to be liked by Jiang Yuqian as soon as you appear," He Shuyi said. "At that time, there will be lighting, editing, music, makeup, and other departments to set this off, just to achieve the effect I just mentioned. So as an actor, how should you act to achieve this effect?"

"You're right to think so," He Shuyi said with a smile. "As long as a boy makes expressions and actions with the purpose of looking more handsome, the final result will be that the audience thinks he's showing off or being pretentious. Especially in 'The Golden Age,' your identity is a university student, and you are liked by a girl at first sight in the classroom environment, so the key to the key is three words: 'unaware of oneself'."

Li Zhibai said, "You can't always refuse. I've refused seven or eight before. If I keep refusing, I think he's going to explode. He doesn't refuse any of these low-end performances."

Li Zhibai's foot was about to step into the shop door. Hearing everyone's discussion, he pulled his foot back, turned around, and said, "Make a phone call, order dishes in advance, and pay the bill, and you can book a table in advance. Aren't there guides online? Next time you come to eat at this kind of internet-famous shop, look at the guides more. Coming to this kind of restaurant, isn't it obvious that you have to wait for a seat? If you don't want to wait, think of a way."

"Are South Korean variety shows very successful?"

Lu Yan He went downstairs, walked out of the company gate, and came to the roadside.

When he walked to the third floor, he suddenly saw someone sitting on the stairs.

"I, I'm not recording anymore," Chen Jing replied in a hurry, lifting his leg to leave. "I have something else to do, I'm leaving first."

Li Zhenzhen asked curiously, "Do you guys often come out to eat together?"

Although Li Zhenzhen also felt that Zhou Ping'an was a bit excessive about the things Li Zhibai complained about, compared to other things she knew, it was still a minor matter.

"What are you learning every day now?" Li Zhibai asked.

"Should be coming out a few times a week."

"Aren't you worried about being recognized by fans? Is it troublesome?" Li Zhenzhen asked again.

Li Zhibai had been complained about by many fans online for taking such jobs, appearing too low-end.

Li Zhibai's car was already parked on the side of the road, waiting for him.

He also practiced dancing all noon today.

The few of them went directly into the shop, which made people have great opinions, asking one after another why they could go in first.

"Yeah, their environment is different from ours in China. Their place is small, and the market is also relatively small. There are many artists, and several TV stations compete fiercely with each other, but the production budget for a program is actually just that much, and they can't be like some of our programs that spend money to smash big-name artists to participate. In order to stand out, they can only constantly innovate and think of creative ideas," Li Zhenzhen said. "Actually, making variety shows is about conforming to the trend of the times and finding points that can touch everyone's commonality. Many programs go completely for comedy because this is the most mainstream, and audiences of all age levels like it, but the homogenization is too serious, which also makes comedy programs very competitive. I was also staying in South Korea by myself, unfamiliar with the place and people, and had a sense of loneliness as a stranger in a strange land, and suddenly I thought of the concept of young people living together. I hope to make such a program, gather some young artists together, and it would be best to make it a perennial program, find a time every year to gather together, shoot this program, let the artists grow with the program, and the program can also grow with the artists, just like the three years you three lived together. If someone recorded it, ten or twenty years later, it would definitely be a very warm memory."

A string of people waiting in line sat at the shop entrance.

Lu Yan He opened his eyes again, with a moment of bewilderment in his eyes.

"Chen Ziyan is really attentive to you."

He put on his backpack, turned off the lights, closed the door, and left.

Lu Yan He: "... He still gets you this kind of commercial performance?"

He subconsciously lowered his head and looked away, which instead made Lu Yan He notice that his eye sockets were a bit red, as if he had just cried.

Lu Yan He followed He Shuyi's instructions, outlining a figure in his mind.

"Yeah."

"I don't know," Lu Yan He also shook his head, and Chen Jing, whom he saw when he went downstairs just now, appeared in his mind. "Maybe some accident happened."

"Warm, full of justice," Lu Yan He said immediately.

Lu Yan He looked blank and shook his head. "I don't know."

Only a fool couldn't see that Chen Jing's mood was very bad right now.

After Li Zhibai finished speaking, the corners of his mouth curled up, and he walked in under their gaze, looking calm and composed.

"Yeah, but he stayed in the room all day and didn't go out," Li Zhenzhen sighed. "So I suggested coming out to eat fried chicken together in the evening, my treat."

Yan Liang flipped through his phone and said, "I don't know what happened to Chen Jing either."

That person heard footsteps and looked up.

Yan Liang: "Also true."

People need friends, but not everyone is lucky enough to meet true friends.

If a program is done well, it can become a comfort.

Feeling the kind of friendship that cannot be experienced in reality from the program is also a comfort.