26.
On the afternoon of the 23rd, Zhuang Qin arrived in a nanny car at the press conference for “Memory of Youth Ways”
He also participated in this same press conference in his past life, and the process was exactly the same. He was only the second male lead but because he was more popular than the male lead, the media on the scene was more focused on him during the question session.
Also, because the female lead was being hyped up with male leads 1 and 2 simultaneously, a search of Zhuang Qin’s name was now being accompanied by that of the female lead and this caused the media there to be very interested in this matter. They kept asking the female lead “Ouyang and Dongfang, Who do you like better?”
Ouyang and Dongfang were the surnames of the wealthy and prominent families of the 1st and 2nd male lead respectively.
Right now, this type of tune was very popular, but in the future, it’ll be full of thunder spots*.
t/n: alternatively Shock points. See endnotes. It was too long to put here. But what ZQ means is that “the media is gushing over them now, but they’ll be ripping into them later on”
The female lead smiled shyly and replied, “Ouyang is my official partner hahaha, and Dongfang is for the audience to love.”
The reporter asked Zhuang Qin again, “How does Teacher Zhuang Qin feel about working with Li Jiaran this time? Were there any sparks? Reuters online report suggests that you two have kissing scenes, right?”
Zhuang Qin replied with an official answer, “Everyone can discover that answer when they watch the drama. Two episodes come out every Thursday and Friday night. Remember to watch it.”
The reporter asked Li Jiaran: “Previously, you and Zhuang Qin were in a variety program as sister and (younger) brother. Now cooperating in “Memory of Youth ways”, you now have a senior and junior sister relationship. I really want to know: did you make any adjustments for this kind of identity change? How do you call each other in private? ”
Li Jiaran: “We are professional actors so the change of identity had no impact, and he took good care of me. Although he is young, his personality is like that of a big brother. Privately…we are all siblings, hahaha.”
Reporter: “Then onto Zhuang Qin…”
Zhuang Qin diverted the question: “This question, it’s better to ask Classmate Ouyang about it. He should answer it better than me.”
Standing next to the female lead, Lu Yuzhe, who played the male lead Ouyang, was struggling to control his expression, but still, his embarrassment was very visible to everyone.
Even the host couldn’t watch it anymore. She received a prompt from the organizer below to interrupt the media that had been asking irrelevant questions and let the staff in the audience cooperate to ask the male lead – Lu Yuzhe questions.
After a press conference, there was a picture event on stage arranged by the mobile phone sponsor, and then games were played. It took two or three hours to finish.
“I heard you were away filming? I thought you wouldn’t make it to the press conference.” Li Jiaran stretched out her hand to take Zhuang Qin’s arm, but Xiao Lian quickly squeezed in between. “Brother Zhuang, Sister Min is on the phone.”
Zhuang Qin said to the female lead, “Sorry I have to answer the call from my agent.”
After saying that, he walked away.
……………………………….
In the bathroom, Zhuang Qin came out of the cubicle and met Lu Yuzhe, who was washing his hands.
“Ah Zhe.” Zhuang Qin nodded politely to him. He seemed to have something to say but Lu Yuzhe ignored him. He shrugged it off and walked away.
The chief producer also arranged a dinner in the evening. Zhuang Qin thought about his previous life and this also happened. At the dinner, Lu Yuzhe drank too much and punched him in the corridor. Zhuang Qin got punched in the face twice and when he fought back, he was photographed.
The news was suppressed by public relations until the accident on the set of “Calm Spring Wind”. That day, he returned to the capital from the United States and was besieged by the media when he came out of the airport, and got poked in the face by microphones.
A paparazzi famous for his shamelessness pushed him and was intercepted by the bodyguard. The bodyguard then acted even more roughly and after pushing back, the paparazzi fell to the floor and started shouting that he hit someone. That the big star hit someone.
Zhuang Qin had wanted to bend down to help him, but several other media personnel surged towards him. The bodyguard protected him and asked him to leave the man alone before escorting him to the car.
Then, he was sued by this shameless paparazzi. Not long after, the video of him fighting with Lu Yuzhe was exposed. And after being maliciously edited, it became Zhuang Qin who badmouthed and hit first. For a while, his name was synonymous with a collapsed reputation. He lost all his endorsements and got billed astronomical default fees and ninety percent of his fans turned black. Some even found his address ad smashed his door.
He collected some money for the breach of contracts but there was still a shortfall of tens of millions left. Xiao Dao saw the news on the Internet and his Master returned back to China and sold the theatre troupe to make up the funds.
Zhuang Qin couldn’t avoid the dinner party in the evening, because there was a big shot from the radio station on the table, and the crew producer and directors all had on various appeasing smiley faces.
Even Zhuang Qin, who didn’t like drinking, had to drink. He saw that Lu Yuzhe was depressed and kept drinking till his face turned red, so he couldn’t help taking away his glass: “Drink less.”
Lu Yuzhe turned his head and gave him a cold look. He grabbed the cup back: “Hypocrite.”
Although his voice was low, Zhuang Qin could still hear it.
He was speechless. After a few seconds, he patted Lu Yuzhe on the shoulder: “Come out with me. I have something to tell you.”
“What’s there to say?” He looked very cold, but his eyes were red. The whites of his eyes were bloodshot from staying up all night.
“Come out.” His voice was very gentle.
When they joined the crew in the beginning, their relationship wasn’t bad. They would rehearse together in private and have dinner afterward. That was until the director started treating him differently later on. No matter what scene Zhuang Qin filmed, the director always gave him a pass and praised with his eyes closed*: “This one is perfect! OK, Teacher Zhuang performed well!”
t/n: to “praise or boast with closed eyes” is to wildly praise someone, something, situation
When it was Lu Yuzhe’s turn to do the same thing, the director began to find faults: “Let’s start again. Don’t blink your eyes. The emotion isn’t there!”
In his previous life, Zhuang Qin at this same age, was too naive. The drama was accepted by the company because he wanted to act, and at that time, he was so determined to become an actor that he accepted it without much thought, and only when he joined the crew did he learn that there was such a thing.
But the screenwriter and director treated him well and would add various more scenes for Zhuang Qin to film.
The conflict between him and the male lead Lu Yuzhe started this way but it was suppressed at that time and only broke out tonight.
Later, when that accident happened, Lu Yuzhe’s career also suffered because of a public brawl. Zhuang Qin had been paying attention to him and knew that his career became lukewarm later on. A new generation of netizens came in and audiences only remembered Lu Yuzhe’s memes for playing thunder dramas* in those years. Seven years later, from starting out as a male lead, he could only play soy sauce roles** at most. After a while, he couldn’t accept it and chose to withdraw from the circle.
t/n: soy sauce role**: passerby role.
t/n: Thunder drama* : See endnotes
He and Zhuang Qin spent months in the crew together, so naturally, he knew that Lu Yuzhe did not have a professional background but he was very hardworking and loved acting. His dream was to hone his acting skills and watch his blockbusters in the cinema.
As a result, after acting for several years, he could only receive thunder dramas that were like “Youth”.
……………………….
On the hotel stairwell.
“What did you call me out for? To fight?!” Lu Yuzhe grabbed his collar and his eyes were fierce. Zhuang Qin turned his head and didn’t fight back: “I was given extra scenes and the director was always praising me. You think I’m a bad actor, don’t you?”
Lu Yuzhe didn’t expect that he would admit this. He was stunned for a second and then snorted coldly: “You also know this?”
“Of course I know that you acted better than me, and you worked harder than me. I grabbed your scenes and that was my fault, I’m sorry.” The crew’s behavior of adding extra scenes to him was obviously unreasonable and unfair but at that time, he didn’t realize it at all and only thought that he could act more.
Lu Yuzhe stared at him as if to confirm whether he was mocking him or really apologetic.
The strength in his hand slowly loosened.
Zhuang Qin held his fist and gently pressed it down: “This crew is the epitome of the circle. There are many injustices but I believe the audience will see your hard work, and they will also see your acting skills and acknowledge you…
“You know, I used to work as a double. I started working in a crew at sixteen years old and always acted as a stunt double. If the actors can’t shoot or didn’t want to shoot, I’d cover my face to shoot it for them. What you experienced, I have also been through it.”
Lu Yuzhe understood what he was saying, and his shoulders slumped. He was very sad.
Zhuang Qin patted him on the shoulder and said, “You are a good actor. I’ve seen it.”
There were all kinds of people in the circle. There were some actors who have been working very hard, but their careers were bumpy and the road wasn’t smooth. Lu Yuzhe was like a version of himself. The regrets in Zhuang Qin’s heart included the pessimism he saw in others.
The next day, he went out to attend an event. While Zhuang Qin was looking through his phone, he browsed his moments. He cooperated with the crew to publicize and forward a link, and many friends in the circle liked it and left comments expressing their support.
Then he saw that Lu Yuzhe, who he suspected previously blocked him, actually liked his post.
Zhuang Qin received a phone call and took time to get the award from Song Ke. This was the first time he’d been to Song Ke’s house and he didn’t expect him to live in such a big house by himself.
While sitting on the sofa, Song Ke gave him the award that was packed in a box: “You are so forgetful. From now on don’t put anything in your bag, just give it to your assistant.”
“My assistant is also forgetful, but he’s better than me.”
Song Ke gave him a low-calorie drink and looked at him. His milky white skin shone in his eyes: “Aren’t you shooting in Southeast Asia? Why aren’t you tanned?”
“Most of the scenes are indoor, plus I use sunscreen, so I didn’t get a tan.”
“What’s your film about? Is it fun, If it’s fun, let me also go play soy sauce too.”
“It’s a… same-sex story.”
Song Ke was surprised: “BrokenBack Film? Why are you shooting this type of film? Who is directing it?”
t/n: brokeback film= lgbt film.
“A director you don’t know. If you want to make a guest appearance you’re very welcome to do so. Our director will definitely be happy.”
Song Ke: “Sure, I’m going to Thailand for a few days next month. Can you speak to your director? I just didn’t expect you to shoot this kind of theme… Are you trying to win a prize?”
Zhuang Qin made a “hmm” sound: “I’ve only done TV dramas before, and I’ve wanted to film a movie for a long time. There was an opportunity, so I took it.”
“But there is no way to release it in China. I bet you turned down Director Qu’s film, just so you could make this? ”
Zhuang Qin didn’t ask him how he knew. He said, “The overseas box office can more or less recoup the capital back. The domestic release is an issue, but it is possible to edit scenes out. ”
Just like the version he saw in his previous life, the main focus was on individual heroism.
Song Ke thought for a moment: “You finish shooting in September, right?”
“It should be finished by the end of August.”
“I purposely asked you to come today. There is a program. I want to ask if you can participate… Wait a minute.” Song Ke ran to get the iPad and clicked on the PPT to show him.
Several big words were displayed on the screen: the first season proposal of “China’s Best Actor”, the producer was XXX.
“A producer friend at the station sent it to me and invited me to the show. Also asked if I had any suitable actor friends to join.”
Zhuang Qin knew this show; he had a very deep impression of it.
The first season had a high production standard and was exceptionally well done. It created a new genre of reality TV. But from the second season, when they changed its director-in-chief, the quality began to completely decline. It turned into a “reality show” with lots of shady dealings and by the fourth season, it was completely gone.
Song Ke handed the iPad to him: “This project is tentatively scheduled to start in September this year. It is estimated that many veteran actors and directors will be invited to join. Look at the project details. I think this program is good and promising, and the audience will like it. Coincidentally, you like acting, don’t you? Maybe a big Director will invite you to a leading role in his next drama!”
“Thank you. Senior is very kind.”
This was a big PK program for all kinds of actors. From the old actors who aren’t popular to the new young actors. Each season, a different group of people will be invited and after the program aired, there would be a lot of buzz and many hard-working and low profile actors would become popular.
t/n: PK: player killing/ player killer
In the past 2 years, reality shows had risen rapidly.
Song Ke saw that he was seriously thinking and didn’t disturb him. After a few minutes, he asked, “How’s it going? Are you interested? Look at the producer. This is an ace producer and production team. The ratings are predicted to be huge.
Zhuang Qin thought about the pros and cons for a while.
No matter how you look at it, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The reality program was bound to be a little showy and this was something he didn’t like, but in this first season of the program, there were too many seniors he yearned to meet and also the theatre stage he yearned for.
“Senior, are you participating in the show?”
“I’ll participate. You don’t want to participate in the show? If you come, we can also hold onto each other for warmth. So will you come?”
“Okay, I’m in.” Zhuang Qin said sincerely, “Thank you, senior.”
………………..
On the afternoon of the 25th, Zhuang Qin and Xiao Lian rushed to the airport together and flew back to Bangkok. The flight landed at 1 o’clock in the morning and Zhuang Quin arrived outside the hotel in the middle of the night.
He knocked on the door and after waiting outside for a while the hotel staff came to open the door. It turned out that Director Guo had specifically left instructions so someone would be waiting by the door but unexpectedly, they fell asleep while waiting.
He set down his latest luggage and took a shower. He hadn’t rested for more than five hours when he was awoken by the movements of the crew outside as they got up one after another.
Zhuang Qin got up and washed up and then he started looking at what he was going to shoot today.
“You look a little worse for wear. Do you want to rest for a while and we’ll move this scene to tomorrow and shoot it together?.” Director Guo knew that Zhuang Qin had arrived in the middle of the night. He was a bit disturbed in his heart and also afraid that he would be in a poor state.
Zhuang Qin said he was okay: “I’m ready at any time.”
“With today’s scene, you can use it to get that state back.”
Last night, Director Guo watched an episode of Zhuang Qin’s “Memory of Youth Ways”, and he hadn’t expected it to be so thunderous. Even with Zhuang Qin’s looks and passable acting skills, the plotline alone was eye-rolling. Moreover, Zhuang Qin was dubbed in it. Clearly his original voice was very good. How could they use a voice that didn’t match him.
The next day at breakfast, Director Guo’s asked “By the way, when did you film that youth drama.?”
“It was filmed last summer.” Zhuang Qin said while eating porridge.
“Last summer… Then it’s only been just over 6 months. In such a short time, how did your acting skills improve so much??
In “Youth”, Zhuang Qin’s acting skills were much better than the other supporting roles, but it was still very awkward. Especially when facing the female lead, his performance of being deeply in love was very shallow and it was so embarrassing that you couldn’t even think to breathe.
Of course, this was also from his perspective as a director. He assumed that if the viewers watched it, they would be carried away by his looks and ignore his rusty acting skills.
Outside the hotel, Li Mu entered the door carrying a cat carrier bag. The crew greeted him one by one. Li Mu nodded and asked where Zhuang Qin was.
“He’s having breakfast in the restaurant with Director Guo.”
Zhuang Qin explained to Director Guo, “That drama wasn’t well filmed. After I finished shooting, I worked hard on my acting skills.”
“In half a year, how did you study and train to get to this point? When I saw you smile at the lead actress, I couldn’t stand it at once.” The hateful part was that the fans on the pop-up feeds were all blind. They were all envious of Li Jiaran, and the few that were scolding the acting were immediately reported by the fans.
Moreover, the drama setting was also very confusing. The second male lead was secretly in love with the female lead and was good to her, but he never mentioned it and it wasn’t until the female lead met the male lead that the second male lead began to be jealous.
Zhuang Qin can’t remember how he filmed it at that time. The only thing that struck him was that regardless of how he acted in a scene, almost all of them passed, and only when Li Jiaran performed particularly badly would the two of them reshoot a scene.
Zhuang Qin thought about this and said, “Actually, there are many reasons and the Director also has something to do with it. In your crew, I feel very comfortable so my performance is very stable.”
Director Guo happily received the praise and felt comfortable: “But this also has something to do with the actors in the film. Generally speaking, it will be smoother to act besides actors you have a good impression of. If you liked the actor in your heart, you wouldn’t have performed like that. You act so well here and with Li Mu because you put your heart into it.” In a rare moment, as he opened a mini-lesson about 1234*, he didn’t notice the tall figure walking up behind carrying a cat carrier.
t/n: in summary 1234 is about love; loving someone.
“But,” Zhuang Qin said, “it’s also partly because he is a good actor and can bring me into a scene with him. He’s the best I’ve seen with a strong presence. When you look at him, it doesn’t look like he’s performing but like it’s actually real-life….”
Zhuang Qin has always had a high opinion of him (LM), maybe even too high.
Director Guo nodded: “But you’re not bad. He is the skillful type but you are the experiential type. If an actor can’t enter a scene, the performance will leave a lot to be desired. And it has a lot to do with their personal feelings. For example, if you didn’t like Li Mu, you wouldn’t be able to film well with him at all…”
Zhuang Qin was listening carefully when he suddenly saw Li Mu approaching. In the carrier bag in his hand, a small fluffy head was poking out. It was a white cat that looked only a few months old.
Huh?
This out-of-place combination made him think that he was mistaken.
Director Guo said, “So based on the premise that you like him, our movie can be filmed well.”
Zhuang Qin said in a daze, “Oh, that’s right.”
Li Mu put down the cat carrier and Zhuang Qin greeted him, “Is that your cat?”
“Hmm…” Li Mu, who accidentally heard a few words just now, was wondering why his heart was a little happy, “it’s for you.”
“For me?? He was surprised.
“I picked it up.” After Li Mu said that, he felt that it was a little like pushing off the cat and throwing it to Zhuang Qin, so he said, “I’m not very good at raising it. Shall we raise it together?”
Welcome to the endnote. It’s very long……
t/n: the way I understood this was that Thunder drama is a drama that makes people shocked, laugh, and uncomfortable. They are characterized by:
- low reputation and high ratings.
- A bizarre and illogical plot: contrary to common sense. <_<
- Chaotic character relationships
- all kinds of sadistic emotional entanglements. *coughs*
- Actors are mainly Idol actors, with pompous performances and exaggerated lines.
- Rough production, simple special effects, simple location, short shooting time.
- Baidu (explained it better than I ever could)😊
So a drama that is full of Thunder spots or shock points (雷点满满)has all those things up there, in excess. e.g
- someone dying but suddenly resurrecting,
- Mary Sue heroines that all the boys are fascinated with-for no reason.
- A hero abuses the heroine but later falls in love with them because they were kind/good or saved a cat. 😒
- Or, falling in love with a snake(that was actually the hero in another form).😂 I did not finish that drama….
