I Want to Become the King of the Silver Screen [Entertainment Industry] Chapter 19 part 1

Chapter 19: Pineapple Rice

Perhaps because Fang Xiao was the first “acquaintance” he met after transmigrating, apart from Chen Dan, Jiang Yin felt a faint sense of closeness towards her. If it were someone else, he would have definitely looked away and walked on. More importantly, Fang Xiao was the female lead, and her emotional state could potentially affect the upcoming filming.

Jiang Yin really liked this drama. He hoped to present this work perfectly. While he didn’t expect it to surpass “Baili Lotus,” he at least wanted to make it competitive.

He appeared nonchalant about losing the role on the surface, but deep down, he held a grudge. In essence, he was quite possessive. In his previous life, when the Fifth Prince tried to take away a picture book given to him by the Crown Prince, he had poured ink over it to destroy it, not giving it to him even though he received a harsh scolding from the Emperor afterwards.

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Perhaps because she was currently upset, Fang Xiao didn’t lift her head, keeping her face buried between her knees motionlessly.

She remained still, and so did Jiang Yin.

After about ten minutes, Fang Xiao finally calmed down. Muttering, she asked, “Why are you standing here?”

Her tone clearly indicated that she recognized him.

Jiang Yin was puzzled as to how she could identify him without looking up. He responded, “I’m standing here to shield you.”

He wasn’t sure how to console someone who was heartbroken, but he believed that at times like this, girls probably didn’t want others to see them in disarray, especially since Fang Xiao was a celebrity. He wanted to help shield her from the public’s gaze.

Fang Xiao looked up, seeing the upright figure of the young man. Tears welled up in her eyes, even though she wasn’t actually crying much; she was more angry. She had crouched down to take a moment to calm herself before potentially losing her temper. However, Jiang Yin’s words shattered her composure. Amid tears and laughter, she said, “Thank you.”

Unaware that she had just been crying moments ago, Jiang Yin assumed she was still upset. Hearing her voice mixed with laughter, he felt relieved and handed her the tissues he had prepared for a long time, passing them behind him. “Here.”

Much later, Fang Xiao mentioned their first meeting in an interview: “That day, I was feeling really bad, really upset. But there was work, the press conference for ‘Fateful Encounter.’ Facing journalists and fans, I had to put on a smile. After my part was over, I found a corner and squatted down. Then Jiang Yin walked over. At that moment, I was a bit impatient, who knew he would just stand there, we were in that small corner, one squatting and one standing, neither of us saying anything. I was quite irritated at the time. I thought if you want to stand, just stand, ha ha…”

“After about ten minutes, I asked him why he was standing there. He said, ‘I’m standing here to shield you.’ Oh, I lifted my head and saw him with his back to me. Tears just welled up. I was really, really upset that day. But I thought I had to endure it for work. However, as soon as he said that, I couldn’t hold back anymore…”

Later on, Jiang Yin watched the interview and appeared on another variety show to add: “Actually, there’s something else. When we were walking back later, I asked her how she recognized me. She said she looks at shoes. She said she looks at people’s shoes first, especially when it’s men. It was the first time I heard someone say that, and found it quite interesting. That’s when my interest in collecting shoes began.”

Of course, at that moment, neither of them knew that they would become such close friends in the future.

As it turned out, Fang Xiao’s emotional resilience or, one could say, her professionalism was stronger than Jiang Yin had thought. When Director Wang called for the start of the filming, she immediately transformed into the female lead and immersed herself in the scene.

The first scene they shot was the one where the female lead exposes an affair. It had nothing to do with Jiang Yin. Out of habit, he brought a small stool to watch. However, Zhao Yanjun soon replaced it with a small sofa that was usually on set, complete with mineral water, a small fan, and a charger. Seeing the crew’s accustomed glances, Jiang Yin suddenly realized that he was already receiving star treatment.

Because the drama didn’t involve any melodramatic love triangles, and the story focused solely on the one-on-one romance between the male and female leads, there were no second male leads or second female leads. All the remaining characters were categorized as supporting roles.

Some of these supporting roles were familiar actors to the audience, such as the parents of the male and female leads, the male lead’s colleagues, the female lead’s boss, and so on. Another portion of the supporting cast consisted of younger students that Director Wang had recruited from his alma mater, portraying friends of the male and female leads.

The seasoned actors hadn’t joined the set yet, and the young students were a bit reserved. They formed small groups on the sidelines. Jiang Yin occupied the central spot in the observation area all by himself. Reflecting on his treatment during “The Legend of Empress Lu,” and even more, he found it slightly difficult to adapt.

And once he observed a scene, he realized that his discomfort wasn’t limited to just that. First and foremost, the two crews had vastly different styles. “The Legend of Empress Lu” had a very serious tone throughout the set. Even the crew members were focused on their tasks, adhering to the director’s commands. In contrast, “Fateful Encounter” was much more relaxed. The main creative team was composed entirely of young people under the age of forty, including Director Wang himself, who had a carefree personality. He wouldn’t reprimand the actors too much for making mistakes, so the atmosphere on set was quite cheerful.

However, it was clear that there was a lack of rigor. Jiang Yin noticed a difference in the dialogues. Because this drama wasn’t recorded live on set, many actors didn’t put much effort into their lines. For instance, the actor playing the ex-boyfriend of the female lead was not up to par in terms of acting or dialogue, in Jiang Yin’s opinion. However, Director Wang only corrected him three times before letting it go. If it were Director Liang, the scene would likely have been shot eight or ten times until it met his standards. Even Qi Baijia, with his minimal role, had stayed with the crew for a whole month.

Of course, these two dramas couldn’t be directly compared. “Empress Lv” was a high-budget, star-studded drama—it wasn’t lacking in funds. On the other hand, “Fateful Encounter” was just a low-budget web drama. If they followed the same meticulous approach as Director Liang, they’d probably go bankrupt after filming three episodes.

However, after spending so much time in a strict environment and growing accustomed to high standards and demands, suddenly transitioning to a more relaxed setting caused Jiang Yin to experience a bit of a gap in his heart.

Fortunately, not all the actors were like this. Fang Xiao’s acting was very good, including her delivery of lines. Even if the lines weren’t being recorded, she wouldn’t skimp on them. The actress playing the role of the protagonist’s love rival was the same. Even though she only appeared in the background, her subtle expressions were spot-on.

After observing for a whole morning, Jiang Yin gradually adjusted his mindset. Different crews had different standards, and different types of dramas required different approaches. He couldn’t generalize. As an actor, his role was to adapt and cooperate, just like Fang Xiao, performing his role well.

Nonetheless, Fang Xiao’s scene of shedding tears upon appearing onstage shook him.

In that scene, Fang Xiao’s character, Gu Mi, discovers her boyfriend and her best friend betraying her and throws them out. Angry, she grabs a pair of scissors and starts cutting her bedsheets and pillowcases. While doing so, she receives a call from her mother, and the emotion overwhelms her, leading her to tears.

This was a solo scene, without any interaction from other characters. As Fang Xiao picked up the phone, it was as if she teared up at the very first word she heard. Her tears started to fall, one after another, down her cheeks. Yet, she couldn’t let the “mother” on the other side of the line perceive it. She held back, and her face twisted slightly from the effort.

When she hung up the phone and accidentally touched a bag containing medical records, her emotions crumbled completely. She sat down on the floor and burst into loud sobs.

It wasn’t a wailing devoid of dignity. Although there were cries, they weren’t grating. Coupled with Fang Xiao’s good looks, it conveyed a unique sense of beauty. Her appropriately timed movements made her performance exceptionally impactful. The mixture of distress, pain, and restraint caused everyone watching to tear up as well.

Jiang Yin was shaken. This was the first time he had witnessed such explosive acting up close—a performance with powerful emotional outbursts. Before inheriting this body, he had only appeared in guest roles in family dramas where the roles typically involved parental relationships. His acting hadn’t demanded much more than superficial emotions.

Even in “Empress Lv,” which had emotional scenes, the atmosphere remained solemn and subdued. Director Liang wouldn’t push for an emotional explosion. The same applied to other actors; their emotional performances were introverted.

Seeing Fang Xiao perform an outwardly emotional crying scene like this was his first time.

This shock left Jiang Yin feeling a bit dazed.

“Well, practice then. Do you think everyone’s acting talent is innate?” Jiang Ai suggested, trying to help him. “Just think about things that make you sad. It would be best if it becomes reflexive. Whenever you have to perform a crying scene, you can recall that feeling and cry accordingly. It’s like using a template.”

Jiang Yin pondered for a moment and shook his head. “I don’t have anything that makes me sad.”

Crying in the palace was pointless. If he cried, the palace servants would just kneel in fear and wouldn’t console him or share his sorrow. After his wet nurse, the only person who would comfort him, left, he never cried again. And he didn’t have anything that made him particularly sad— even the deaths of the emperor and empress, while he did shed tears, were merely for show.

However, as soon as the words left his mouth, he abruptly remembered that he was not speaking as himself.

Thankfully, Jiang Ai didn’t dwell on it. She tilted her head in thought and responded, “Yeah, seems so.”

Her brother had always had a big heart, and except for the times he got spanked as a child, there hadn’t been much that could make him cry uncontrollably.

“Or…?” She leaned in. “Should I punch you? So you can remember the feeling of getting beaten up and crying? Use that as your template?”

Jiang Yin: “…”

Yet another round of sibling bickering ensued.

Jokes aside, crying scenes did become a concern for Jiang Yin. While crying in an understated and elegant manner, similar to “Empress Lv,” wasn’t difficult, and he could muster up some tears, he struggled with the more outward and expressive crying scenes—those that required synchronization of emotion, expression, and action.

Especially in idol dramas, even while crying, the tears had to look aesthetically pleasing. Despite the anguish, the expressions couldn’t be overly contorted. Otherwise, when two handsome men or beautiful women embraced while shedding tears, if one expression looked worse than the other, the audience wouldn’t find it sweet or dreamy. The crying also had to be emotionally resonant, not too artificial, but achieving that balance wasn’t straightforward.

In “Fateful Encounter,” Jiang Yin’s role as the male lead involved several crying scenes. So, starting from that day, he began practicing how to cry in front of a mirror. More accurately, he practiced how to cry beautifully.

For this purpose, Jiang Yin specifically sought advice from Qi Baijia, who had a deep background in idol dramas. However, when they met, Qi Baijia immediately threw himself at Jiang Yin and burst into tears.

“Let go.” Jiang Yin pushed him away.

Qi Baijia wiped his tears. “Yin, I’m so sad. I got dumped.”

“You got dumped again?” Jiang Yin asked.

Qi Baijia: “…”

Jiang Yin flipped through his memory and cleared his throat. “Sorry, I forgot that you and your girlfriend made up.”

After a moment’s thought, he realized that what he said was actually correct. Losing a relationship wasn’t the same as being dumped again.

“That’s what I thought.” Qi Baijia took a sip from his beer bottle, looking dejected. “Do you know what she told me?”

“What did she say?”

Qi Baijia sighed, “She said she tried it again and felt like she was sleeping with a minor. She couldn’t bear the guilt in her heart, so she had to break up with me for her soul to be redeemed.”

Jiang Yin: “…”

Tried it again?

Qi Baijia took a swig from the beer bottle and looked utterly despondent. “Girls’ thoughts are too hard to figure out, seriously. She didn’t like my baby face, so I grew a beard to look more mature. But then she said that was even funnier. But I can’t help it if I look young; what can I do?”

With half the bottle of alcohol gulped down, he poured out his grievances, “I suggested getting plastic surgery, but she said she didn’t like people who had surgery. Yet she herself had double eyelid surgery. I’m really at a loss here. It’s so difficult to be in a relationship, really. Let me tell you, don’t rush into a relationship. Focus on your career first…”

Jiang Yin was puzzled. “Then why did you get together with her?”

He didn’t understand. If that girl was as difficult as Qi Baijia described, why did he like her in the first place?

Qi Baijia’s expression became distant for a moment. “You don’t know, the first time I saw her, she was making a nest for a stray cat in the rain in our neighborhood. I was thinking, how could there be such a kind-hearted girl in the world…”

Jiang Yin: “… Are you sure you haven’t been affected by residual effects from acting in too many idol dramas?”

Qi Baijia choked, “Why do I feel like you’re mocking my intelligence?”

“Never mind.” He sighed deeply after giving Jiang Yin a melancholic look. “You single dogs wouldn’t understand.”

Jiang Yin: “…”

Although he was mocking, it was evident that Qi Baijia was genuinely hurt this time. Glass after glass went down, and he looked different from his usual energetic self. He kept up his cheerful demeanor, but he couldn’t hide the sadness in his eyes.

“Why aren’t you trying to console me?” After downing another glass, his words slurred, Qi Baijia asked Jiang Yin with a thick tongue, “Why are you staring at me?”

Jiang Yin: “I’m observing your expressions.”

Qi Baijia looked bewildered.

Jiang Yin: “I’m playing a role in a love story, but I have no experience. I thought I could observe your expressions to gather some material.”

Qi Baijia: “…”

Are you a devil?

*Pffft—*

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