6: Chapter 6 Qiao Wei, you're finished.

Lin Chuyan's second take of this scene showed some changes.

Under Director Zhang Qian's guidance, he reined it in a bit at the beginning, his expression hovering between a smile and a blank stare, and immediately after, a tear welled up and slowly rolled down.

If you were to say that the emotion in this Crying Scene was particularly rich or moving, you would be overthinking it.

However, it was perfectly sufficient for this web movie.

"Not bad..." Director Zhang Qian sat behind the monitor, looked back at Wu Yue, and asked, "These tears came right on cue. How long has he been practicing?"

Wu Yue looked bewildered. "I don't know..."

Director Zhang Qian felt even more disdain in his heart. What kind of manager is this?

Qiao Wei's manager, Chu Chu, sat quietly to the side, and for some reason, a sudden, ominous premonition washed over her.

In the shot, Qiao Wei walked towards Lin Chuyan, feeling like he'd seen a ghost. "Damn! How did he manage that! Didn't everyone say his acting was terrible???"

The more he thought about it, the worse he performed. Just as he opened his mouth to deliver his Lines, he heard the director call "Cut."

"Qiao Wei, give me some expression! Don't space out!"

"Sorry, Director, let's do it again. I guarantee I won't make that mistake again."

After being reprimanded by the director, Qiao Wei had no choice but to silently adjust his mindset.

Damn it, I'm the lead actor! Forget Lin Chuyan, don't let him affect me, don't let him affect me...

Believe it or not, this psychological suggestion actually worked a little.

On the third take, Lin Chuyan's tears were once again perfectly timed. Qiao Wei stepped forward to reveal his identity as a police officer and began to probe, but Lin Chuyan didn't even look at him, didn't turn his head, and only slowly lowered his head, replying indifferently, "Let's talk somewhere else."

His voice was low, inexplicably carrying a hint of hoarseness.

"Good, that take is a wrap!" Director Zhang Qian slapped his thigh, feeling pleased.

Chu Chu, watching from the side, stared intently at the monitor and finally understood where that inexplicable, ominous premonition had come from.

As a web movie, as long as there were no major issues with the acting, the director wouldn't just call "Cut" randomly.

Qiao Wei looked like he was performing passably, but the person acting opposite him was truly not just slacking off!

It was fine without comparison, but once you compared them...

This Lin Chuyan seemed to have completely overshadowed Qiao Wei...

On one hand, Qiao Wei was clearly affected by Lin Chuyan's performance, and his displayed ability wasn't up to his usual standard.

On the other hand, Lin Chuyan's interpretation had indeed given this tool character more possibilities, making his performance much more eye-catching.

However, Qiao Wei was supposed to be the lead actor.

Although she knew that what she was about to say was overstepping, Chu Chu couldn't help but speak up:

"Director Zhang, could we give Qiao Wei another chance? I feel like he could do better on this take."

Director Zhang Qian turned to look at her without saying a word, his eyes carrying a hint of amusement.

What a joke! Are you the director or am I?

He turned back and called into the walkie-talkie, "Prepare for the next scene!"

The extras nearby were chatting during this break.

"Buddy, is this the washed-up little idol you said couldn't act and told me to wait to see Director Zhang lose his temper?"

"No, hey, how should I put this… damn, something's not right here. Seriously, trust me, buddy, he really wasn't like this before..."

At noon, Lin Chuyan and the others picked up their boxed lunches to eat. Director Zhang Qian beckoned him over to eat together and asked as soon as they met, "What are your thoughts on your next scene?"

Lin Chuyan tilted his head and thought for a moment, saying exactly what was on his mind, "Director, it seems there aren't many Lines."

"What if I add more scenes for you?"

"Huh?"

"I'm the one who calls the shots here. If I think you can do it, you can. Of course, it won't be much, just enough to make the character of Fang Mo stand out more, rather than just being a pure tool character like he is now."

Lin Chuyan put down his boxed lunch. "I have no problem with that; I should be thanking you. I quite like the character of Fang Mo. Seeking revenge for love and all that is actually pretty compelling."

Director Zhang Qian nodded. "I've already asked the screenwriter to make changes. I'll send it to you as soon as it's done."

Lin Chuyan thought for a moment. "Director Zhang, I have a few personal thoughts regarding Fang Mo's scenes. May I share them?"

Director Zhang Qian raised an eyebrow. "Of course."

Lin Chuyan took a piece of paper out of his pocket. These were some thoughts he had about the character of Fang Mo when he first read the script, and he had written down everything that came to mind at the time.

"I was thinking, could Fang Mo's subsequent actions be more proactive?"

"Reason?"

"Still because of love. And just as you said, after Xiao Qian died, Fang Mo would remember her kindness even more. He himself is eager to catch the killer, rather than just being content with being interrogated by the police."

Director Zhang Qian didn't reply, his gaze instead drawn to the paper in his hand. "Let me see?"

Taking the paper, he saw that it was densely packed with various expansions and analyses of the character Fang Mo...

This Lin Chuyan really put in the effort.

Seeing someone so dedicated to his work, Director Zhang Qian became more and more moved as he read—

Lin Chuyan had actually written a character biography for Fang Mo, a tool character no one cared about!

Hardworking young people are always easy to like.

Especially since his views coincided with his own.

Right then, Director Zhang Qian pulled Lin Chuyan aside to chat for quite a while, and the more they talked, the more in sync they felt. Damn, whoever calls Lin Chuyan a loser in the future, he's going to fight them!

Wu Yue watched from the side, his scalp tingling. That look Director Zhang Qian was giving Lin Chuyan, why was it so... intense?

After finishing lunch and having Little Meng remove his makeup, Lin Chuyan planned to leave. Before he left, Director Zhang Qian specifically found him to add him as a friend and urged him to practice his Lines more, saying it would be needed for the next scene.

Wu Yue, who had been bursting with questions, finally had time to ask, but Lin Chuyan brushed him off with a single sentence: "Brother Yue, I just had a breakthrough."

What, are people not allowed to have a breakthrough? Who can say for sure how these things work?

Wu Yue was, of course, too happy to contain himself, humming a tune the entire drive back while taking Lin Chuyan home.

————

As the lead actor, Qiao Wei naturally wasn't as relaxed as Lin Chuyan. This movie had a shooting schedule of only three weeks, and the group worked until 12 AM before getting off work.

After an exhausting day, his spirits were originally a bit low, but he didn't expect to see several fans waiting for him when he came out of the set.

Sitting in the car, he greeted the fans, and his mood improved quite a bit.

However, his manager, Chu Chu, was clearly quite unhappy.

She had risked offending the director today to fight for an opportunity for Qiao Wei, only to be predictably ignored by the director. However, she was an old hand in the industry and didn't take such a small matter to heart at all.

The person who made her unhappy was someone else.

"I heard that Director Zhang Qian is going to add more scenes for Lin Chuyan. Do you know about this?"

Qiao Wei was clearly taken aback. "Adding scenes last minute? On what grounds?"

"Because he's the director. Also, you saw Lin Chuyan's performance today. Do you have nothing to say about it?"

When it came to this, Qiao Wei also felt frustrated. "Sis, the rumors were wrong. Didn't everyone say he was useless at everything?"

"That certainly wasn't a rumor. That's exactly the kind of person he was back then; it couldn't be fake. However..." Chu Chu hesitated. "People always change. Take a look at his Weibo from the past few days."

Qiao Wei picked up his phone and searched, his jaw nearly dropping. "What kind of move is this? He's so crazy!"

"After being silent for so long, I didn't expect him to change so much either."

"What is he trying to do? Sis, I don't get it."

"Who knows." Chu Chu pursed her lips and glanced at Qiao Wei again. "I'll ask you one question: in what way do you think Lin Chuyan is inferior to you?"

Qiao Wei blurted out without thinking, "Acting."

"...Think before you speak."

Qiao Wei finally realized what she meant.

Right, the past was the past, but now this kid has acting skills.

He couldn't help but curse, "Damn!"

"He's better looking than you, his acting currently doesn't seem worse than yours, and the director is going to give him more scenes. Tell me, what are you going to do?"

So Qiao Wei couldn't help but exclaim again, "Damn!"

Chu Chu rolled her eyes so hard they nearly reached the sky.

How should she put it, the vocabulary of kids these days is indeed quite limited.