27: Insight into people's hearts, undercurrents

“System, use [Junior Interpersonal Insight Card] on the target ‘Intern Xiao Wang’.”

As Lin Da silently recited the command in his mind, an imperceptible stream of light flashed in his eyes.

The image of Intern Xiao Wang became clear in his mind, and several lines of text, visible only to him, appeared beside it:

Target: Wang Xiaoshuai (Intern Xiao Wang)

Personality Traits: Cowardly, timid, slightly vain, easily swayed, easily incited by others.

Current Emotions: Nervous (8/10), Guilty (6/10), Fear (7/10), Admiration for Host (3/10).

Attitude Towards Host: Fear (primary), slight hostility under duress (already wavering).

Key Interpersonal Relationships: His distant cousin is the deputy head of the crew’s props department, through whom he entered the crew as an intern. He has been in frequent contact with actor Sun Hao recently.

Recent Abnormal Behavior: Last night, under Sun Hao’s coercion and temptation, he accidentally “sullied” the host’s costume. He has been uneasy ever since.

Just as expected!

Lin Da’s gaze subtly chilled, but his face still maintained that calm, unruffled expression.

It seemed that Sun Hao was the mastermind behind last night’s “accident,” and this Intern Xiao Wang was merely a pawn pushed to the forefront.

“Lin… Lin Da Teacher, you… you acted really well this morning!” Xiao Wang saw that Lin Da was just looking at him without speaking, making him even more nervous. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his voice stammered slightly.

“Is that so?” Lin Da smiled faintly, picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of food, and ate slowly, as if completely unaware of the other person’s abnormality. “I just acted casually, it’s incomparable to the professionalism of all the teachers.”

His calm and indifferent attitude, on the contrary, made Xiao Wang even more restless. He always felt that behind Lin Da’s calm eyes, there seemed to be a sharp insight that could see through everything.

“No… no, Lin Da Teacher, you are too modest!” Xiao Wang quickly waved his hand, “I… I heard all the teachers in the crew say that your portrayal of Eunuch Wei was particularly impactful, just like… just like he walked out of the script!”

“Oh?” Lin Da put down his chopsticks and looked at him with interest, “Then what do you think, where was my portrayal of Eunuch Wei most impactful?”

“Ah?” Xiao Wang didn’t expect Lin Da to suddenly ask back, and for a moment he was speechless. He stammered for a long time before finally managing to blurt out, “It’s… it’s that kind of… that kind of intimidating aura without being angry, and also… also your gaze when you look at people, it’s especially… especially expressive!”

As he said this, his eyes darted around, not daring to meet Lin Da’s gaze.

Lin Da smiled slightly, picked up a tissue from the table, wiped his mouth, then leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice to a volume only the two of them could hear: “Xiao Wang, I see you’re not very old, just out of school, right?”

“Yes… yes, Lin Da Teacher, I just graduated not long ago.” Xiao Wang answered subconsciously.

“Mm, young people, it’s good to be ambitious.” Lin Da’s tone was still gentle, but his gaze was like an invisible hook, catching Xiao Wang’s heart. “However, our industry is very deep. Sometimes, one wrong step could affect your whole life.”

Xiao Wang’s face instantly turned somewhat pale, and the hand holding the bento box trembled slightly.

“Lin… Lin Da Teacher, I… I don’t understand what you mean,” he said, forcing himself to remain calm.

“Don’t understand?” Lin Da chuckled softly, picked up the teacup in front of him, and took a small sip. “Last night, that bottle of ink in the costume room, you knocked it over, right?”

“Clang!”

The bento box in Xiao Wang’s hand fell to the ground with a clang, scattering food everywhere.

The color drained from his face, his lips trembled, and he stared at Lin Da in horror, unable to utter a single word.

The surrounding crew members who were eating were all attracted by the sudden noise and looked over.

Lin Da, however, acted as if nothing had happened. He bent down and helped Xiao Wang pick up the scattered chopsticks, his tone still calm: “Xiao Wang, don’t be nervous. Young people, it’s inevitable to make a small mistake. As long as you’re willing to correct it, there’s always a chance.”

He paused, his gaze becoming meaningful: “However, some mistakes cannot be made up for with just an ‘accident.’ Don’t you agree?”

Xiao Wang looked at Lin Da’s eyes, which seemed to be able to see into people’s hearts, and his psychological defenses completely collapsed.

He knelt on the ground with a “thud,” his voice choked with tears: “Lin Da Teacher! I’m sorry! I was wrong! I was really wrong! That bottle of ink… it was… it was Sun Hao Ge who told me to deliberately knock it over! He said… he said that as long as I did that, it would make you look bad, and he could… he could put in a good word for me in front of Director Zheng, so that I could have a chance to play a role with lines in the future…”

As he spoke, he raised his hand and slapped himself, filled with remorse.

In the makeup room, there was an instant uproar.

No one expected that there was such a hidden story behind last night’s “costume accident”!

Sun Hao! It’s Sun Hao again!

Some crew members who had previously been dissatisfied with Sun Hao’s arrogance and domineering behavior now looked at him with contempt and anger.

As for Sun Hao himself, upon hearing Xiao Wang’s tearful confession, his face instantly turned ashen. He never expected that this seemingly weak and incompetent intern would dare to expose him in public!

He was about to open his mouth to defend himself, but Lin Da stopped him with a cold glance.

“Get up.” Lin Da looked at Xiao Wang kneeling on the ground, his tone calm, showing no emotion. “To know one’s mistakes and be able to correct them is the greatest good. In the future, use your brain more when doing things, and don’t be used as a pawn without even knowing it.”

He didn’t say anything more, nor did he pursue Sun Hao’s responsibility. He simply picked up his bento box in silence and turned to leave this place of contention.

Some things, it’s enough to just hint at them.

He believed that Director Zheng Guofeng would make his own judgment.

And what he needed to do now was to rest and prepare for the afternoon’s filming.

The major scene corresponding to the ink-stained costume, thanks to the timely delivery of the backup costume, would officially begin filming this afternoon!

Lin Da knew that this was not only a test of his acting skills but also the most powerful counterattack against those who tried to bring him down with despicable means!

He would use his strength to prove who was the true golden supporting actor, and who would be the final winner in this invisible war!

The afternoon sun, filtering through the studio window, shone on Lin Da’s calm and resolute face.

A new storm was about to arrive.