Chapter 36.2

Soon, Ning Yunfan came out of the audition room, his expression solemn, as if he had messed up. If he managed to conceal his joy, Yan Zhao might have been fooled.

In a sense, Ning Yunfan was also a natural actor.

Ning Yunfan said lightly, “Yan Ge, keep it up. Director Yu has high expectations for you.”

Yan Zhao walked past him without pausing: “Don’t worry, I won’t let her down and will secure the role.”

Inside the audition room sat Yu Youyi and other influential figures from the production team.

After watching a dozen or so performances, Yu Youyi was already feeling tired. Ning Yunfan’s performance just now exceeded her expectations. Although it hadn’t reached her ideal level yet, it could be refined and adjusted later.

Some had already met the qualification threshold, and she felt somewhat relieved, but she still focused her attention on observing Yan Zhao’s performance.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with her, Yan Zhao got down to business.

The scene for the audition was the male lead being announced banned and bidding farewell to everyone outside the final venue.

“Only five years,” Yan Zhao chuckled nonchalantly. “I started playing chess when I was five years old. It took me two five-year intervals before I stood on the Tianyuan Cup stage for the first time.”

That being said, he also understood that at 21 years old, he was already at the tail end of the peak state for a chess player. With increasing age, a player’s physical and mental abilities would rapidly decline, and the opportunities to compete against high-level players would diminish. Climbing to the throne is challenging, but falling from it is easy.

His friends from the chess academy naturally refrained from uttering discouraging words and tried their best to console him.

Yan Zhao heard the broadcast of the competition inside the venue, pushed his friend forward, and said casually, “Alright, I’ll be back. You go watch the game.”

To prevent him from causing trouble in anger, the tournament organizers did not allow him to enter the venue.

However, this arrangement seemed unnecessary. Yan Zhao wasn’t someone who would act unreasonably. Before engaging in a physical altercation with his opponent, he had already prepared himself for any consequences.

Regardless of the four consecutive championships, Go is a competition governed by rules, and he, who did not abide by the rules, had no right to enter the arena.

But for his fans, this was unfair. He took action because the other party insulted Chinese Go world first, and it was not a personal grudge. However, he had to pay a heavy price for this impulse.

He could have created a legend.

Yan Zhao heard someone crying. A 1.8-meter-tall man, with swollen eyes, held a small flag with his name printed on it.

Yan Zhao handed him a pack of tissues without saying much.

He found a place outside the venue, sat down, took out a newly bought cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and then choked.

It was his first time smoking, and he was very uncomfortable with it. He choked until his eyes were red.

He sniffed, crushed the cigarette butt, and left the place without hesitation.

This day marked the end of a legend and the beginning of another myth.

…

It was just an audition, no one had scenes with Yan Zhao, except himself, everything was his own idea.

Sometimes, he admired his own ability to imagine scenarios. All of this stemmed from his childhood experiences. While other boys were playing with firecrackers, flying Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards, or racing toy cars, little Yan was pretending to be a one-armed hero with his mother’s curling iron…

Clearly, his imagination was remarkable, and he performed the monologue excellently. Applause intermittently rang out, then merged into a continuous wave.

Yu Youyi’s drowsiness was completely dispelled; her heart pounded. Her artistic intuition told her that the male lead she had been waiting for had appeared!

Yu Youyi exclaimed excitedly, “I didn’t expect you to change that smoking gesture!”

In the script, the male lead quietly smoked a cigarette and then left. Yu Youyi’s idea was that the male lead should maintain his style but not appear too aloof. Smoking was a good way to convey that.

Yan Zhao said, “I just feel that a male lead who is too divine is too remote from the audience.”

The male lead rarely showed negative emotions, like an invincible Buddha statue, but he needed an opportunity for the audience to glimpse into his heart. Getting choked by smoking was more subdued than silently shedding tears, yet more emotionally stirring than just smoking. It was a very small detail, but he preferred the latter.

This happened to coincide with Yu Youyi’s thoughts. She nodded, “The end of a hero’s journey is not only sad for his companions but also for himself.”

Excitedly, Yu Youyi pulled over a chair and asked Yan Zhao to sit with the crew to discuss the details of the character’s arrangement. Yu Youyi was relatively introverted in daily life, but when it came to the script, she beamed with joy, as if she was a different person.

The assistant director said, “Youyi, there are still people waiting outside.”

Compared to the grand auditions of big productions, there weren’t many people auditioning here, so the crew informed the actors that they would receive results right after auditioning.

Yu Youyi said, “Go ask. Those who have confidence in their acting can audition, but if they don’t believe in themselves, they might as well leave.”

The assistant director nodded and went outside to ask around, but surprisingly, no one came to audition.

He was a little helpless. Although two popular figures came today, the rest of the actors didn’t have to run away like this.

Ning Yunfan caught up to him and asked, “Has Yan Ge been confirmed for the role?” Otherwise, why would the assistant director come out to drive people away?

The assistant director felt a bit embarrassed. He had just praised Ning Yunfan earlier. After all, among a group of mediocre acting, occasionally, encountering someone decent made him stand out.

The assistant director said, “It should be confirmed…”

Ning Yunfan clenched his teeth, and forced a smile on his face. “Help me out and congratulate him.”

The assistant director comforted him, “Don’t be discouraged, Yunfan, we still have the second male lead. But it’s a bit of a waste for you to come and play a supporting role…”

Ning Yunfan paused for a moment, murmuring to himself, “Right, there’s still the second male lead.”

…

The crew gave Yan Zhao a month to prepare. He appeared on several shows, practiced singing and dancing with the other members of the MU group for a concert, and studied the script. Time flew by quickly.

The script was related to the game of Go, so Yan Zhao had to learn some basic knowledge, both to memorize his lines more easily and to better portray his character.

Moreover, he had to memorize some game sequences… not all of them, but he had to remember those crucial moves that could change the game’s outcome to avoid any inconsistencies.

When Shen Yuanting returned home, he hung his coat on the coat rack. In the living room, Yan Zhao was arranging pieces on a Go board.

Shen Yuanting glanced over and reminded him, “You’ve placed them wrong.”

The black and white stones were mixed up. Yan Zhao looked at the board, and felt a little dizzy. “Which ones?”

Shen Yuanting moved the black stones to the correct positions. Suddenly, Yan Zhao remembered that Shen Yuanting hadn’t even looked at the game script, so how did he know he had made a mistake?

Yan Zhao asked, “Have you played Go before?”

Shen Yuanting replied, “I know a bit.”

Yan Zhao expressed doubt about this.

After rehearsing his lines all afternoon and feeling mentally exhausted, Yan Zhao refused to absorb any new knowledge. He tugged at Shen Yuanting’s sleeve and suggested, “Let’s play chess.”

Shen Yuanting nodded, “As black or white?”

“Black,” Yan Zhao added, “Let’s play Gomoku.”^[1]Gomoku, also called Five in a Row, is an abstract strategy board game. It is traditionally played with Go pieces (black and white stones) on a 15×15 Go board. Rules: Players alternate turns … Continue reading

Games like Go, which required a lot of calculation, weren’t really his thing.

It didn’t matter what game they played. Since there was still time left, Shen Yuanting smiled, “Okay, just playing chess is too boring. How about adding some bets?”