Chapter 52: Yan Li: I Especially Loved the Jin Suo You Played

In front of the hotel elevator

Liang Guanhua is a kind man; he got along well with Yan Li, learned he was new, and voluntarily introduced him around to help him integrate into the crew as soon as possible.

"This is Yan Li, also part of our crew, playing Song Dian."

Then he complimented two actresses: "I don't need to introduce these two to you, do I?"

Yan Li certainly didn't need Liang Guanhua to introduce them—he knew both of them already.

Zhang Ting, famous from two dramas, "The Legendary Twins" and "Love Across Time," is now considered one of the industry's hottest young actresses.

Fan Xiaopang, one of the Three Beauties of "My Fair Huanzhu Gege," though the least prominent among them, has built considerable fame and, with decent recent career progress, a very promising future.

"Hello, teachers."

Yan Li greeted them politely; when meeting someone for the first time and not familiar, he always addressed them as "teacher."

There was no choice—especially with young female artists, calling them "beauty" or "MM" seemed too frivolous, calling them "sister" or "older sister" was awkward without knowing their age or whether they'd accept such terms, and using their names risked misjudging closeness.

Liang Guanhua, with his age and seniority, could afford to act as a senior; Yan Li, a young newcomer, could only play the role of the junior.

Perhaps because she saw a good-looking man, Zhang Ting was much livelier than when facing Liang Guanhua, laughing cheerfully.

"Don't call us teachers—you'll make us sound old."

Fan Xiaopang was more formal, extended her hand for a handshake, and uttered a polite phrase about looking forward to working together.

This was probably related to the fact that Yan Li's character, Song Dian, had many scenes opposite her character.

Yan Li also extended friendliness: "I'm truly honored—I especially loved the role of Jin Suo you played in 'My Fair Huanzhu Gege.'"

"Really?"

A faint, almost imperceptible dimming crossed Fan Xiaopang's pretty face.

It was just an accidental encounter; after exchanging a few words, the two women left. Before stepping into the elevator, Yan Li couldn't resist turning back to watch their laughing, chatting figures recede.

Speaking of which, Yan Li felt he had a certain affinity with "My Fair Huanzhu Gege."

He'd only acted in three dramas so far: in Hengdian, he met Qin Lan, the new Xiao Yanzi and Ziwei, and even met Xiao Jian; now he'd encountered the original Jin Suo.

But Fan Xiaopang in person differed slightly from Yan Li's memory of Jin Suo.

In his memory, Jin Suo was a timid little maidservant, always crying.

Now, Fan Xiaopang, perhaps grown into her beauty, was far prettier than during her "My Fair Huanzhu Gege" days.

Her skin was fair and smooth, her features refined and sculpted, her small, oval face pure yet bright—Yan Li was slightly taken aback by her beauty.

As for Zhang Ting, forget it—she wasn't Yan Li's type.

Liang Guanhua noticed Yan Li's gaze and assumed the young man was dazzled by beauty, chuckling teasingly.

"Hey, snap out of it—these two aren't easy to chase."

Yan Li chuckled silently; he meant nothing else—just surprise at Fan Xiaopang's transformation and simple admiration for beauty.

He hadn't even won over Qin Lan in Jingcheng yet—how could he have time to flirt with other girls?

But seeing Liang Guanhua's misunderstanding, Yan Li didn't explain—only grinned foolishly.

"I wouldn't dare chase them—I'd rather chat with teachers like you. Women are too troublesome."

"That's not the right attitude."

Liang Guanhua patted Yan Li: "You're a young guy, good-looking too—why be afraid of girls? I'll teach you a few tricks later, I guarantee you'll find a girlfriend."

Yan Li politely declined: "I think being single is fine."

"You're still young, you don't understand—you'll know once you have a woman. Come on, let me tell you, don't look at how I am now, back in my day…"

Liang Guanhua felt a connection with Yan Li, and the latter's constant "teacher" address had awakened his desire to mentor, so he began lecturing Yan Li on how to court women using his own youth as examples.

Yan Li was exasperated—he'd come to ask Liang Guanhua about acting, not dating advice.

He didn't need to learn this!

…

In the afternoon, Yan Li tried on his makeup.

His character, Song Dian, was the governor of Suzhou during the Yuan Dynasty, so most of his costumes consisted of official robes and armor.

To reflect Mongol elements of the Yuan Dynasty, they'd also given him an absurd fur-lined hat.

Yan Li accepted it well, mainly because he'd seen the official makeup photo of the male lead, Shen Wansan.

Zhang Weijian's hairstyle—except for the slightly longer back, the front bangs were identical to modern styles—immediately showed Yan Li the costume and makeup standards of "The Ju Bao Pen."

Not even giving him a Qing Dynasty official robe would've been bad enough—why even mention a bicycle?

Though the costume and makeup were mediocre, Yan Li's face and physique carried it well—every outfit looked good, especially the armor, which made him look tall and handsome; the makeup artist even worried he'd steal the spotlight from the lead.

Zhang Weijian was once handsome in his youth, but now he leaned into his acting skills and humor—he couldn't possibly compete with Yan Li.

Finally, Cheng Lidong, who had arrived upon hearing the news, declared: "An Song Dian, this handsome man, failing to win over a woman while Shen Wansan succeeds only proves the male lead's greater charm."

Yan Li gave a thumbs-up: "Only you, Cheng… Director."

That evening, Cheng Lidong took time to host a small welcome dinner for Yan Li; by the time they returned after eating, it was nearly eleven.

Since he was new to the crew, Yan Li still cared about gathering information, so he took out his script to review it, then waited for today's updates.

In "The Ju Bao Pen," Yan Li's character is Song Dian—a generally tragic villain.

Song Dian achieved success early, held high rank and power, and was good-looking, but the woman he loved, Zhao Xuee, insisted on marrying Shen Wansan, then just a poor boy, and thus they became enemies.

Later, Song Dian allied with Su Bancheng, the villain played by Liang Guanhua, and conspired against Shen Wansan, even marrying Su Bancheng's sister, Su Linniang.

Yes, Su Linniang also loved Shen Wansan, and later, consumed by love turned to hatred, she descended into madness.

This was one point where Yan Li struggled to connect with the character—he'd never experienced such tragic circumstances.

Song Dian suffered repeated emotional blows, and his career fared no better!

When Zhu Yuanzhang's forces reached Suzhou, Song Dian, a former Yuan official who had once served Zhang Shicheng, was captured; thanks to Shen Wansan's plea, he was spared death but lost his office and one leg.

Returning to the Su household, Song Dian, now powerless and disabled, had no value left—so his wife and brother-in-law tormented him relentlessly; in the end, filled with regret and despair, Song Dian shared a reconciliation meal with Shen Wansan, then jumped into a lake to kill himself.

This character is not particularly likable, but his repentance and suicide have somewhat salvaged his image.

Yan Li also chose this role because he was drawn to its final outcome, feeling that Song Dian had a certain depth, not merely a one-dimensional villain.

So far, Yan Li has memorized all of Song Dian's lines and has done some analysis and interpretation of the character.

The overall performance difficulty is not great; the only noteworthy part is the suicide scene, which Yan Li wants to use to make the character's image more vivid.

After reviewing the script and contemplating and marking the scenes for the next few days, it was already midnight, so Yan Li opened the system.

【Daily Information 1: Fan Bingbing, because the other two female actresses in The Huanzhu Gege Returns have outpaced her career, and because her role is a maid with an awkward position, has complex feelings toward her signature role, Jin Suo, and dislikes being reminded of it; Yan Li accidentally touched on her sore point, causing Fan Bingbing to have a very lukewarm impression of Yan Li…】

(End of Chapter)