When Jian Yang returned to the set, it was rare for him not to be scolded. Wen Ye was sitting in front of the monitor, propping his chin, while Jian Yang sat behind him on a small stool. Wen Ye pointed at Jian Yang on the screen. “This scene, when you first meet Su Jin, the desire is too obvious. You grew up in a family full of crises. Even if you’re interested in Su Jin, your first reaction should be to investigate and explore, not to try to befriend him. Do you understand? Perhaps Su Jin is a spy sent by the enemy, deliberately getting close to you. Or maybe Su Jin is here to assassinate you. Or Su Jin might despise warlords and deeply dislike you. At that moment, many thoughts should flash through your mind. You need to tone down your emotions here, it’s too obvious. This is not a romance film. Your family behind you is far more important than your feelings.”

Jian Yang: “It’s so simple to understand!!”

But… how can you portray the feeling of a thought flashing through your mind with just a glance?

It’s just a shot of turning his head.

“Your eye color adjustment looks good. Since we’re just starting, changing it now is not much trouble. You… take a day off, go back and reflect.”

Jian Yang felt like he was struck by lightning. For an actor, being scolded means there’s still hope, but being told to take a break… meant… it was almost the same as being given up on.

His life experience really couldn’t support this role. Su Jin came over and patted Jian Yang on the shoulder. “If you want, observe someone who has had similar experiences. I remember Bai Yingdi^[1]“Bai Yingdi” (柏影帝) refers to a title that could be given to an actor who is highly regarded, with “影帝” translating to “Best Actor” in English. Bai is his … Continue reading played a role where he killed someone. His eyes in that scene were pretty good.”

Jian Yang forced a smile, “Actually, Bai Yingdi has already talked to me about the scene.”

“Ah,” Su Jin sat down on the empty space next to him. “Some roles need life experience to support them. For me, Su Jin is just a student, and you’re the main character. Otherwise, I might have been replaced too. But it’s fine. You’re not short of drama offers. If not this one, there will be another. Can Mr. Guan let you not act?”

And he might be replaced.

Jian Yang lowered his head in silence. Even Su Jin could see it—replacing him might be the best choice.

Maybe it would be faster to replace him with an actor who had richer life experiences, someone in their late twenties, looking young.

“Do your best tomorrow! I’ll go back and think things over.” Jian Yang said goodbye to Su Jin and returned to the hotel.

The crew couldn’t help but glance at him.

Jian Yang had never faced such a huge setback in acting. He felt deflated. Dong Dong brought the medicine for lunch. “Young master, we should call Mr. Guan! This is outrageous! How could they replace someone from the investor’s side?!”

“Do you also think I got this role because of Mr. Guan’s connections?” Jian Yang shook his head. “No, it’s because Wen Ye believed in me, and that’s why the shooting resumed. He chose me, and that’s why Mr. Guan treats me so well.”

Chosen, and then abandoned.

Everyone thought he was just a puppet propped up by capital.

“I didn’t mean that, young master.”

“I’ve told you not to call me that!” Jian Yang snapped but soon calmed down. “You can go out now. I won’t have dinner tonight. Don’t disturb me.”

Jian Yang sulked alone for ten minutes before picking himself up. The opportunity was in his hands, and it wasn’t a reason to give up without trying. What others thought didn’t matter. He knew, it wasn’t because Mr. Guan pushed him into the role. It was because he fought for it himself!

Jian Yang took some paper and a pen and immersed himself in the world of Gu Yan Jun. He began to write about Gu Yan Jun’s past, what kind of bad things he might have experienced as a child, how he cleverly dealt with them, the prestige and responsibilities of being a warlord’s son.

Gu Yan Jun was not the rich young master raised in a happy home. He studied military strategy, learned horseback riding, and practiced martial arts. When necessary, he would replace his father and brother at the Hongmen banquet. He was not strictly a good person and had a level of cunning beyond his years.

He could kill, but also sacrifice his life to save a child, like he did for Su Jin.

Jian Yang kicked the stool aside and walked to the bathroom. He kept thinking about Gu Yan Jun’s past and future while staring at the mirror. He realized his previous performances were wrong. Gu Yan Jun wouldn’t genuinely feel happy. Su Jin allowed him to relax momentarily, which is why he liked being with Su Jin.

His gaze was too pure and not repressed enough.

Jian Yang flipped through Bai Shun’s works but couldn’t find any reference. He realized, this time, no one was there to safeguard him. There was no template to learn from. Wen Ye had given him a completely new role, something never done before, and he had to figure it out himself.

Returning to the bathroom, Jian Yang looked at the mirror again and finally felt a sense of understanding.

Yes, Gu Yan Jun was the same. He accepted his family responsibilities but didn’t approve of the warlord society. He was lonely, confused, and Su Jin’s presence not only offered him companionship but also spiritual enlightenment, inspiring him to build his ideal society.

He, like Gu Yan Jun, needed to be alone.

Jian Yang looked at his own eyes in the mirror and felt a strange familiarity. His mind suddenly flashed to the image of Guan Ciyan sitting by the roadside.

That night, on the back mountain of the villa, he chased after the summer downhill, and Guan Ciyan sat by the road. His eyes were wandering, yet they didn’t seem weak. Even when he showed vulnerability, his aura didn’t diminish. Even if one day, Guan Ciyan fell into despair, no one would dare to disrespect him.

Jian Yang moved his lips, thinking of something.

Guan Ciyan’s mother was seen as a disgrace by the old master Guan, and now no one knew where she was. The old master had high expectations for Guan Ciyan, hoping he would rebuild the Guan family and then hand it over to Guan Jingyu. But wasn’t Guan Ciyan just another lonely person?

He was the youngest of the Guan family, and when the family fell, he fell with it.

If the Guan family didn’t fall, the filth within would always weigh on him.

That’s why he was unpredictable, indifferent by nature, always putting interests first.

Jian Yang’s mind was like a camera, capturing countless expressions of Guan Ciyan: stern, indifferent, pretentious, gentle… The rare gentleness seemed embedded in their interactions.

Guan Ciyan’s life mirrored Gu Yanjun’s past, and Jian Yang imitated Guan Ciyan’s gaze. In the mirror, a strange face appeared—though the features were the same, the combination of them felt completely different, as though a sunflower had bloomed in the shade of the mountain.

Just before dawn, Jian Yang took a two-hour nap on a bed full of materials to improve his skin condition, making it easier to apply makeup. This was his last chance. Wen Ye would not endlessly teach him how to act.

Today’s scene involved Gu Yanjun and his father, General Gu, attending a banquet hosted by another prominent family. During the night, under the Chinese-style roof, the setting created an atmosphere of danger and terror. Gu Yanjun, amidst the clinking of wine glasses, noticed hidden guards. He took out seven of them by himself and safely returned with his father.

Compared to the scene with Su Jin, this one was a bit simpler. Jian Yang thought about the Guan family’s old mansion, where beneath the youthful faces, there were many hidden thoughts. Using his “naive” face, he explored other people’s courtyards, his expression changing as quickly as a rolling curtain.

His eyes always concealed an unseeable mystery.

“Cut—”

Jian Yang finished off the last person and ran over to the monitor. “Teacher Wen Ye, how was it?”

“Hmm… it’s got the right feel,” Wen Ye muttered to himself.

Jian Yang secretly rejoiced, proud of this significant progress. Wen Ye couldn’t help but praise him for the effort he’d put in practicing all night.

“This way of interpreting is fine,” Wen Ye asked, “Did you figure it out on your own?”

“Yes, I wrote a character biography last night. Since I’ve always liked reading novels, I…”

“Then keep going. Express the emotions more precisely,” Wen Ye instructed.

“Got it.”

Jian Yang stood aside, and Wen Ye said, “Aren’t you leaving yet? Tomorrow’s shoot is at the film city.”

Jian Yang: Is that it?? Aren’t you going to confirm anything?

“If the director doesn’t need anything from me, I’ll leave.”

“Go ahead.”

Jian Yang was still puzzled. Wen Ye hadn’t seemed very sharp at first, but when it came to filming, he was so aloof. Thankfully, he had passed the test; otherwise, he might have been thrown out with his belongings today. Su Jin came over to cheer him up. They had a deep connection in the film, and their off-screen relationship was good too. They packed up together.

The second half of the day had more indoor scenes filmed at Guan Ciyan’s film studio, where Wei Wei was also present. Jian Yang informed Wei Wei in advance that he would meet him after the shoot for dinner.

It was still hot pot.

“Bro, this time I’m treating you no matter what. Also, for the last movie, I gave you an 18.8% profit share, just consider it an investment. Jiang Ke knows, and she’ll probably tell you about the money matters.” Wei Wei had been in contact with Jiang Ke a lot recently. Before the New Year, they finalized the investment, and after the holidays, his project would be presented at the Rejuvenation Hall, and then the money would come through.

“It’s okay. Why are you giving me money? Guan Ciyan didn’t lose anything. You’ll definitely make money for him, and this is just you repaying him a favor,” Jian Yang said.

“Of course. There’s no need to talk about favors between us. Let’s make money together,” Wei Wei said confidently about his work. Although it hadn’t become a big hit, it had never failed to perform well. “But you’re still so polite with Guan Ciyan. That little bit of money would just slip out of his fingers.”

Jian Yang thought of Gu Yanjun and Guan Ciyan’s past, feeling lucky to have met Wei Wei. He could make close friends right after arriving in this world. It made him feel even more sorry for Guan Ciyan. “He’s not having an easy time. The Guan family… doesn’t really accept him. He seems to be struggling, and sometimes I can tell. He’s very lonely and really sad.”

Wei Wei gave Jian Yang a strong pat on the head. “Bro, do you know what’s the worst?”

“When Guan Ciyan ends things with you, and he pulls all the investments from you. You won’t have a job, no income, and two years of no offers. When you’re borrowing money to pay rent, then you can pity your husband. No matter how miserable he is, he’s still crying in a 30 million RMB luxury car. We’d really be starving on the streets, you know? So stick to my 18.8% share. Don’t stupidly invest in Guan Ciyan.”

Jian Yang shuddered. “Good times really make people fall into temptation.”

He still pitied Guan Ciyan? Guan Ciyan saw him as a tool for making money. In two years, they would part ways, and he would still be Mr. Guan. If Jian Yang didn’t become a big star, and if he couldn’t fight against the original storyline, he’d really be in trouble.

“Hmm,” Wei Wei bit a peanut. “Otherwise, who wouldn’t want to be the young master of the Guan family?”

At this point, Jian Yang sighed again. “But not everyone is willing to sell this kind of face.”

“What’s wrong?”

Jian Yang whispered, “When I first met Director Wen Ye, I thought he was very easy-going. But when filming, he was so fierce. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. To be honest, I almost got replaced. Yesterday, after all that hard work, he only said I should keep trying. He didn’t express anything.”

Wei Wei was used to it. “That’s because you haven’t seen how I scold actors. You’d think I’m hard to approach too.”

“Hey, you guys are all tough to deal with.”

“Then let me give you a little inside information,” Wei Wei said with a smile. “Directors can only be said to be experienced and able to control the overall situation, but they can’t guarantee the audience will buy it. So they tend to scold more and praise less. Especially directors with aspirations, they wish they could force all the things they imagine onto the actors. But that’s impossible, they can only get frustrated.”

“Huh? I thought, with Wen Ye on the job, it’s bound to be a big hit.”

“Well, that’s what you think, and that’s what everyone thinks, so Wen Ye’s pressure will be even bigger. He doesn’t like to use experienced actors. His buff is full, so you don’t have to treat him like an authority. If you’re good at acting, share your thoughts with him, give him new ideas, and he will thank you. Don’t deify anyone; the market is equal for everyone.”

“Is that so??” Jian Yang’s illusion about Wen Ye shattered a bit.

However, he still felt that his acting ideas were correct and wanted to continue observing Guan Ciyan’s personal habits. He took out his phone and sent a message to Guan Ciyan:

“Sir, I’ve arrived at the film studio, much closer to you now.”