9: Chapter 9 "Similar to Love"

Lin Chuyan had a very regular routine. The filming schedule arranged by Director Zhang Qian was concentrated over these few days. His daily itinerary involved shuttling between the company apartment and the set. After filming, he would go home, shower, and collapse into bed, not even bothering to pay attention to the Haters.

However, just because he ignored them didn't mean things were quiet over on Weibo.

His Weibo super-topic, which used to be very quiet, had become increasingly lively recently.

On one hand, it was because he had become active on Weibo; on the other hand, it was because candid photos of him smoking had been posted in the super-topic.

Originally, it was meant for the small circle to enjoy, but unexpectedly, it triggered negative comments.

Although it didn't trend, Haters swarmed into the super-topic, Acting wildly and hurling insults. They seized upon the point that "as an idol, he was caught smoking" and mocked him relentlessly, which infuriated Qi Bing and others.

Some original fans even hoped Lin Chuyan would come out to clarify, to stand up and shout, "I, Lin Chuyan, did not smoke!"

...

What kind of nonsense was this?

Lin Chuyan twitched his lips as he read it. He didn't want to spoil these people, whether they were Haters or fans.

Some things were better stated directly; he didn't want to build some perfect persona, only for it to backfire on him in the end.

So, he posted directly in the super-topic:

"First, I will start learning to be an actor, not the idol you imagine. Second, I personally do not like smoking, but I can smoke at any time for a role. Fans who can't stand it can leave, and Haters who use smoking to make a fuss are also very funny."

Lin Chuyan closed Weibo after posting. What confused him even more, however, was that Qiao Wei had been the one to tell him about this.

This kid, why was he following his super-topic?

Wu Yue also sent a message saying that he had renegotiated the payment with Director Zhang, which was 20,000 yuan more than before.

Tsk tsk, 20,000 for 3 days. Lin Chuyan didn't know what level this was considered, but compared to the working stiffs who worked themselves to death without earning much, making money was indeed much easier...

However, the blow came faster. Wu Yue told him that this 20,000 yuan had to be taxed first, and then the company would take the lion's share, so there wouldn't be much left for him in the end.

It was truly difficult. Lin Chuyan looked at the number in his bank card; there really wasn't much left.

On the night he finished filming, his part was officially wrapped. The crew thoughtfully had staff members present him with a bouquet. Lin Chuyan took the flowers, and before he could say anything, someone started clapping, and everyone followed suit.

When Lin Chuyan first joined the crew, who could have imagined he would complete it so well?

Regardless of how he did it, everyone saw it—if a person had both looks and Acting skills, then the rest was merely a matter of luck. Whether sincere or not, no one would be stingy with their applause at this moment.

Director Zhang Qian felt a bit emotional. After spending these few days together, he truly liked a young person like Lin Chuyan who had Acting skills, especially since the young man was also very sensible.

Additionally, to speak selfishly, this web movie was no longer lacking in topics thanks to Lin Chuyan's performance.

The idol who used to be unable to do anything had changed so much; he was looking forward to seeing how the outside world would evaluate it. Based on this, he was becoming more and more confident in his work. So what if it was a web movie? Couldn't a web movie make money? Couldn't it produce a good film?

Qiao Wei also felt very emotional. Great, the person stealing the spotlight was finally gone.

Lin Chuyan felt even more emotional. This was a very wonderful experience for him. Fortunately, the web movie's requirements weren't high, and he had successfully completed the director's filming requirements.

However, what he was more concerned about was that, theoretically, the filming was finished after the wrap, right? Plus, the director approved of him, so the system reward should be given, right? He wondered what good things he could open up.

After saying goodbye to the crew and returning to the artist apartment, the system's voice sounded as expected.

[Congratulations to the Host for completing Newbie Guide Mission 2]

[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining the reward: Treasure Chest (Newbie Exclusive)]

No need to say more, open it directly.

[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining 10 points of Basic Attributes (can be freely distributed)]

[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining 10 points of Specialized Skills (can be freely distributed), unlocking the specialized skill "Eye Acting"]

[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining the complete Songwriting for "Similar to Love"]

System-produced, must be high quality.

A good song. Lin Chuyan really liked its lyrics, especially the line "I am crossing the road, where are you?" When he first heard it, he just thought it was indescribably wonderful.

It's just a pity that he couldn't keep it for himself to sing this time.

Ding!

[Newbie Guide Mission 3 triggered]

[Mission Requirements: Release a song and gain widespread acclaim]

[Mission Reward: Treasure Chest (Newbie Exclusive)]

It just said release, not perform. It should be fine if he doesn't sing it himself, right?

The three tasks were posting on Weibo, filming, and releasing a song. Lin Chuyan suspected this might be the last newbie guide mission.

Ding! The system sound rang again:

[Dynamic Traffic Value: Red (937) Black (13639)]

[Congratulations to the Host, this round of Dynamic Traffic Value settled at 10000+, which can be exchanged for 2 points of Basic Attributes or 1 point of Specialized Skills. Please confirm as soon as possible.]

[Dynamic Traffic Value has been cleared]

Sure enough, as the Dynamic Traffic Value increased, the things that could be exchanged also increased.

Lin Chuyan thought about it and chose 2 points of Basic Attributes. The 10 points in Specialized Skills should be enough; on the contrary, there were many places where Basic Attributes needed to be added.

Opening the virtual panel, the personal information was currently displayed as follows:

Basic Attributes:

Lines: 11

Acting: 14

Singing Ability: 5

Songwriting: 0

Specialized Skills:

Crying Scene: 10

Eye Acting: 4

What? Eye Acting was only 4 points? Lower than a passerby level? Lin Chuyan was a bit unconvinced.

He tried adding 1 point to Eye Acting.

There was no reaction.

After thinking about it, he added another 5 points to round it off, making it 10 points, on par with Crying Scene.

He tried to activate the "Eye Acting" skill, but unfortunately, there was still no reaction. Lin Chuyan guessed it might be because there was no target.

He would find someone to try it on later.

The remaining 12 points of Basic Attributes and 4 points of Specialized Skills were still left for later.

His current plan was very simple: he wouldn't consider Songwriting for the time being; taking ready-made works would do.

Acting and Lines were important strategic targets, and he would add points to Singing Ability if needed depending on the situation.

According to Lin Chuyan's own guess, if he added all the remaining Basic Attributes to Singing Ability, singing "I Am a Fish" should be no problem. After some audio editing, it should be about enough, right?

Next...

Lin Chuyan opened Aiyue.com, first organized and uploaded the complete Songwriting for "Similar to Love" provided by the system. After confirming the copyright, having nothing else to do, he opened the forum section, which was still very lively inside.

"My new song "Hidden Night" is looking for a lyricist master. There is only one requirement: Chinese style!"

"The movie "assassination" is looking for an ending theme song! Please!"

"To the person above, you've been looking for a suitable ending theme song for this movie for so long, are you still planning to release it?"

"Tianxing Entertainment is collecting songs! Collecting in large quantities, bosses please feel free to submit, the price is absolutely the highest in the industry!"

Whoa, this Tianxing Entertainment has been collecting songs.

Lin Chuyan retained the memories of his predecessor and knew what kind of company this was—

One of the top record companies in the country, and at the same time, it was slowly developing in other directions. It had many popular Singers under its banner. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it occupied nearly half of the Chinese Entertainment Industry music scene. No wonder it was so wealthy.

The newbie guide mission had to be completed, but relying on himself to release "I Am a Fish" was a bit far off. Anyway, "Similar to Love" needed to find a good buyer, so why not...

Lin Chuyan clicked his mouse lightly and clicked into the post made by Tianxing Entertainment.