52: Chapter 52 I didn't save the galaxy in my past life either.

...

Passing the audition only meant he was more suitable for the role than others; it didn't mean he had completely grasped it.

Lin Chuyan began using his old method. He delved deep into the character, jotting down whatever came to mind in his notebook.

First, the parents of this character (Xie Yu) were very typical; in a word, they were wealthy but had failed in their discipline.

Xie Yu's parents only appeared in one scene in the script: being called to the police station for questioning, where they immediately said, "My son has no problems; it was all the girls at school who seduced him."

Absurd.

Did that mean Xie Yu's corruption was excusable? Should he play that aspect up?

Lin Chuyan began to deliberate.

He didn't know what the director was thinking, but he personally held a negative attitude toward that idea.

"the hovering blade" was originally a film about young criminals not receiving just punishment. What was its essence? Wasn't it to expose this phenomenon? One shouldn't put the cart before the horse.

Bad is bad; don't look for too many excuses.

If you find excuses for the bad guy, who will find justice for the victims?

In that case, he had to be thoroughly bad.

Making the audience hate this character, making them feel the injustice, and consequently prompting some reflection—that was what he should do, and that was what would give the film some social significance.

So, how should he play it?

Lin Chuyan began searching for information and real-life cases.

He then discovered that the biggest commonality in these cases was... these little brats knew before committing the crimes that they wouldn't be severely punished.

Consequently, they became even more lawless and emboldened, acting with even less restraint and more recklessness.

What else?

He thought of the few girls and male classmates in the script.

All of them were weaklings.

Hmm, deep down, he should be the type to bully the weak and fear the strong.

After this analysis, he realized he had already played the role quite well in the two audition segments.

To sum it up: when it was time to be ruthless, he had to be ruthless enough to make people afraid and disgusted; when it was time to be cowardly, he had to be cowardly enough to make people feel nauseated and contemptuous.

That's how he'd do it!

...

His eyes were a bit swollen from reading the script. After taking a short break, it wasn't long before Zheng Hai called.

He mainly wanted to ask if Lin Chuyan was selling the newly registered "people and people." He didn't even need to listen to the quality of the song first, offering 500,000 immediately.

It was the same offer as "Similar to Love" back then.

Lin Chuyan was tempted for a moment, then flatly refused.

He really didn't think he was that short of money; he just felt that his current situation was already much better than in his past life. Life was still long, and he still needed to have some long-term spiritual pursuits.

Zheng Hai wasn't annoyed at being refused. They chatted a bit more about "people and people," and after learning it wasn't a love song, he decided not to include it in the EP.

"By the way, there are two points for the upcoming promotion of 'rebirth.' One is releasing the MV behind-the-scenes footage, which you don't need to do anything for. The other requires your cooperation. You're not in Beijing, right?"

"Yeah, I'm in Shancheng."

"You might need to clear a day this month to come back to Beijing to promote your EP."

Lin Chuyan agreed readily: "Sure, just let me know in advance so I can ask the director for leave. What do you need me to do?"

"I'm planning to organize a listening party for your new album."

"A listening party? What's that for?"

Lin Chuyan really didn't understand the ins and outs of this.

"Well, it's just Singing the songs from the EP. Oh, right, even though 'people and people' isn't included, you could sing it too, right? Send me the song later, and I'll make the backing track for you."

"Sure, I'll send it to you now."

"Yeah, the people invited to the listening party will all be industry insiders." Zheng Hai specifically explained, "If we just sell it directly, I'm afraid the effect won't be good. It's best to let music critics release the first wave of word-of-mouth."

"I understand... but Brother Zheng Hai, you really have confidence in me. You haven't even considered that the reputation might be bad, have you?"

"Hahaha, it's you who lacks confidence in yourself."

"Alright, I'll listen to you. But this is basically equivalent to revealing my identity, right?"

"Yeah, you've been on the hot search, and the atmosphere has been built up enough. It's time to put the name Lin Chuyan out there. I'm very curious about the public opinion then, hehehe."

After hanging up, Lin Chuyan sent the Songwriting for "people and people" to Zheng Hai.

Just then, Ruan Xingyu was free, and they took the time to chat on the phone for a while.

They mainly reported on their daily work routines from the past two days.

Ruan Xingyu's voice was very sweet: "Boyfriend, you really are amazing!"

"Why are you praising me all of a sudden?"

"I knew you would definitely get the role, and it turns out you did. Isn't that amazing enough? How do you know how to do everything?"

Not bad, the emotional value was maxed out.

Lin Chuyan's mouth was almost grinning up to the wall.

"You're a bit too good at praising people, girlfriend."

"So, do you like it or not?"

Lin Chuyan always felt that Ruan Xingyu on the other end of the phone was acting coquettishly; it was killing him.

"Of course I like it, hehe."

"Hee hee hee, what are you doing?"

"Reading the script. You?"

"Rehearsing songs. So, what role are you playing this time?"

Lin Chuyan was a bit embarrassed: "To tell you the truth, I'm playing a high school student this time."

"Hahahaha, will that work?"

"If I dress up, it's still doable. In fact, very few crews really look for high school students to act. Usually, they look for people like me, um..."

"What's wrong?"

Lin Chuyan intended to shut up: "Never mind, I'm embarrassed to say it; I'm afraid you'll make fun of me."

Seeing him say that, Ruan Xingyu became even more interested: "Say it, it's okay, I promise not to make fun of you. Like you, what?"

"It's just..." Lin Chuyan couldn't help but laugh first, "Like me, having a youthful vibe."

"Hahahahahaha, you're being vain again, Lin Chuyan."

Ruan Xingyu on the other end of the phone laughed super loudly.

"What happened to the promise not to laugh? Isn't it true? Otherwise, would the director have chosen me?"

"I was wrong, brother, you're right."

"Hey, what did you call me?"

"Brother."

"Good girl, kiss you."

Lin Chuyan couldn't say why, but he just liked hearing Ruan Xingyu call him that, and in his heart, he felt justified and had a clear conscience.

So what if he was a few years younger than her? A little flirting between people in love is normal, right?

"Hmph, the first one was a slip of the tongue, and the second was an apology for laughing too loudly. In any case, it's been retracted now." Ruan Xingyu changed the subject, "So, what about the high school student you're playing? Puppy love?"

"It'll scare you to death if I tell you. I'm playing a juvenile delinquent. A girl was toyed with to death by me, and then the girl's father wants revenge and comes thousands of miles to chop me up."

"Huh?"

"Yeah... so there might be passionate scenes or something, maybe... I don't know how the director will arrange it."

The more Lin Chuyan spoke, the more guilty he felt, but this was a problem they both had to overcome.

That's how the acting profession is; many times, good roles are hard to come by.

A truly good actor always considers whether the role is brilliant, challenging, and can be acted well... It's impossible to give up a good role because of inexplicable things like "having kissing scenes."

That would be disrespectful to the character and an unprofessional performance.

Seeing the silence on the other end of the phone, Lin Chuyan thought Ruan Xingyu was unhappy.

Just as he was about to say something, she spoke up.

"Lin Chuyan, do you care a lot about my feelings?"

"Of course!"

He didn't hesitate.

"That's enough, isn't it?" Ruan Xingyu's clear and bright voice came through, as if to soothe him, and she emphasized again, "You'll take the initiative to tell me, and you'll worry about me being unhappy... which shows that you care a lot about my feelings, and that's the only thing that matters."

Lin Chuyan didn't know what to say.

In his past life, he was just an ordinary wage earner; he hadn't saved the galaxy.

"Xingxing, I really want to see you."

"Hmm?"

"I want to give you a big hug."

"Hee hee... and also, you like being an actor, don't you? This is something you like yourself, so you should do it well and take it seriously. Just like me, I wouldn't give up Singing for you either."

That's great!

She really understands him!

She wouldn't try to change him, nor would she want to be changed by him.

They were able to see the merits in their lover, and they appreciated and respected each other.

Lin Chuyan suddenly realized...

This must be the benefit of finding an older sister type!

She loved him, maybe even clung to him, and of course, she would get jealous, but at critical moments, she wouldn't get confused, and would instead turn around to soothe and encourage him.

Lin Chuyan didn't know what to say, so he could only secretly hide his love in his heart, waiting to present it all to her when they met.