2: Chapter 2 "I Am a Fish"

After putting down his phone, Lin Chuyan slept until noon the next day, and only then did he feel that he had truly come alive after transmigrating.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to just go into the bathroom and take a proper shower.

Just as he finished washing up, a knock sounded at the door, accompanied by a man's voice.

"Xiao Yan, are you awake yet? It's me."

Lin Chuyan searched his memory and realized it was his manager, Wu Yue, who had been with him since he first debuted.

He opened the door.

A burly man of about 40 came into view.

Wu Yue didn't even look at him and walked straight inside. He placed two boxed meals on the table and pulled up a chair to sit down.

"You must be hungry, come and eat something."

The boxed meal was a simple two-meat, one-vegetable affair: braised pork belly, salt and pepper spare ribs, and a serving of baby bok choy. It didn't look too bad.

The two of them started eating. Wu Yue asked while chewing, "Tell me, what's going on with Weibo? It doesn't seem like your style."

Lin Chuyan certainly couldn't say the system made him do it, but it wasn't exactly a lie either: "Actually, it's nothing, Brother Yue. I just don't want to keep coasting through life anymore."

Wu Yue stopped eating, his eyes full of surprise—didn't he know Lin Chuyan's personality better than anyone?

A quiet person, a bit fragile, and easily influenced by public opinion.

"It's a good thing you think that way." After saying this, as if he were still worried, he added, "Don't worry about public opinion; after all, things can't get any worse than they are now."

Once they had finished eating and were full, Wu Yue started talking about business.

"A web movie temporarily needs a male actor to fill in, so I recommended you, and they agreed it was fine. The pay isn't much, but having the play is a good thing. Although the director is from the web movie circle and isn't exactly mainstream, I watched a few films he shot before, and they were not bad."

"What kind of web movie? Is it the male lead?"

"...What are you thinking?" Wu Yue took out a script and handed it over.

"It's billed as the third male lead, but it's actually just a plot device. The screen time is very short, there are hardly any Lines, and it doesn't require any Acting. This film doesn't have much money but needs some popularity. They considered that point and immediately agreed. To them, you're a decent choice, so they even skipped the audition."

Lin Chuyan twitched the corner of his mouth: "I still have popularity?"

"You don't if you aren't Acting, but if you are, you still have some."

Wu Yue didn't say it too bluntly; after all, there were still plenty of people wanting to see Lin Chuyan make a fool of himself.

Lin Chuyan took the script and started flipping through it.

It was a suspense film.

His scenes were in the middle.

In the process of investigating the case, the male lead loses the trail. While attending the victim's funeral, he notices that this character is behaving very strangely, so he questions him and subsequently finds a breakthrough in the case.

That's it.

It was that simple.

To put it bluntly, even someone with a deadpan face could try to act it out.

However, Lin Chuyan, being new here, didn't want to let any opportunity slip by.

"Thanks, Brother Yue. I'll definitely act well."

Wu Yue nodded and stood up to leave: "Then study the script more. The main thing is to research the character. I'll go contact them, just wait for my news."

"Oh, right, Brother Yue, one more thing. I'd like you to help me find an Acting teacher."

Wu Yue looked at him as if he were seeing him for the first time, his eyes filled with a bit of relief: "Sure, but I reckon you'll be joining the crew soon, so it might not work out this time."

Before leaving, he patted his shoulder and pulled open the curtains.

"How many times have I told you? You need to get more sun. It's good for your health and your mood. When your mood is good, you won't be so depressed, and you won't be influenced by what others say."

Sunlight spilled in, and the whole room instantly brightened.

It shone on him.

It was warm.

Lin Chuyan didn't say anything. Two men couldn't say those sentimental words, but sometimes a single action was enough to feel it.

"I know, Brother Yue, thanks."

He started to research the character.

The first scene for this character named Fang Mo was at the funeral parlor. While everyone else was mourning, only he was smiling, which was why the male lead noticed him.

As for why Fang Mo wasn't sad, the script gave a simple explanation.

It was nothing more than having had some unpleasant experiences with the victim while she was alive, hence the abnormal behavior.

But the script didn't say what exactly those were.

The second scene was even simpler; he just needed to state the clues he knew when questioned by the male lead.

In total, there were only a few short Lines to memorize.

A typical plot device.

It seemed... not a big problem?

He only had one question: what kind of experiences did Fang Mo actually have with the deceased? Just because the script didn't explain it didn't mean he didn't need to figure it out.

In the script, this female victim named Xiao Qian was proficient in smoking, drinking, and perming her hair. She had a colorful nightlife and a very questionable lifestyle, eventually bringing disaster upon herself after a night of drinking.

Lin Chuyan had never acted before, so he could only rely on his own imagination.

Perhaps they had a relationship? Maybe it was love turned into hate?

Combined with the deceased's lifestyle, it wasn't impossible.

Or perhaps she played with his feelings? Cheated on him with several others?

And Fang Mo couldn't take it after finding out, maybe they even had a fierce argument?

Or even, did Xiao Qian once verbally insult him fiercely during that argument?

But now that the deceased was gone, remembering the bits and pieces of their time together, hatred and love surged at the same time, which was why he acted abnormally at the funeral parlor?

He hated her, but if someone killed her, he would absolutely not let them go, which was why he provided evidence to the male lead.

Wouldn't that be reasonable?

...

He really hadn't learned Acting before. Even thinking about it like this, he had no confidence and felt very anxious.

Better to treat a dead horse as if it were alive!

A good memory is not as good as a bad pen. Lin Chuyan simply found a notebook and wrote down everything he could think of. He didn't know if his thoughts were right or useful, but he planned to play it by ear after joining the crew.

Ding! The system's voice suddenly sounded at this moment.

[Congratulations to the host for completing the novice tutorial task 1]

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining a treasure chest (novice exclusive)]

It seems the comments on Weibo have passed a thousand. Keep going, Haters!

Lin Chuyan silently cheered them on in his heart, then couldn't wait to open the treasure chest.

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining 10 basic attribute points (can be freely distributed)]

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining 10 special skill points (can be freely distributed), unlocking the special skill "Crying Scene"]

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the complete Songwriting for "I Am a Fish"]

A good song, and it's not hard to sing. Hmm, that's the main point.

Lin Chuyan was satisfied and continued to look at the virtual panel, discovering that there was new content inside.

Basic Attributes:

Lines: 5

Acting: 9

Singing Ability: 5

Songwriting: 0

Special Skills:

Crying Scene: 0

Lines and Singing Ability are both 5 points, which is probably just the level of an average person.

But this Acting actually has 9 points... could it be that I have some talent after all?

As for Songwriting and Crying Scene... hmm, if I don't know it, I really don't know it.

After thinking about it, Lin Chuyan decided to save the basic attribute points and make plans after joining the crew; after all, there was no option to respec points.

As for the 10 special skill points, he unhesitatingly put them all into Crying Scene.

System, max it out for me!