After passing by, Bai Hao’s assistant couldn’t help but glance back at Xu Yin’s figure and muttered, “Is he the Xu Yin that Xu Yu Chuan mentioned?”
To be honest, he looks quite handsome and gives off a fresh vibe. However, it’s a pity that despite his good looks and demeanor, he heard his acting skills are abysmal1TL: Terrible; Awful; Extremely bad… Even though he hasn’t seen Xu Yin’s work, people from the same company have said this, so it’s probably true.
Bai Hao didn’t turn back and replied coldly, “Don’t rely on hearsay2TL: False rumors.”
Bai Hao’s assistant quickly nodded and said, “Okay!”
He almost forgot that aside from whether what Xu Yu Chuan said was true or not, Bai Hao genuinely disliked Wenxing Entertainment, the company responsible for this production. The few artists he had encountered from Wenxing Entertainment had left a bad impression on him.
Xu Yu Chuan, who played the second male lead in this drama, had just arrived at the set and immediately tried to please Bai Hao. Even though Bai Hao wasn’t exactly on good terms with everyone due to his temper, he was still much better than Xu Yu Chuan. This kind of behavior happened to hit Bai Hao’s nerve.
Wenxing Entertainment’s artists really knew how to push Bai Hao’s buttons.
The real reason Bai Ge was stopping him now was probably because he didn’t want to hear anything related to Wenxing Entertainment at the moment. It’s Annoying.
*
When Xu Yin found the makeup artist, a group of people was surrounding a man.
The man’s makeup was nearly complete. He was dressed in black, his hair loosely scattered, with only two strands at his temples pulled back and tied up, making his face look even more refreshing. This should be the second male lead of the drama, the character Huyue, the Demon Lord.
Huyue had a cold, bloodthirsty, and insane personality, and he plotted to overthrow his father. He was ruthless and cunning, a character with a vivid personality. Xu Yin had learned about this role before, and the actor playing this character was also from Wenxing Entertainment, named Xu Yu Chuan.
Xu Yin wasn’t very familiar with him, and it seemed that there was no memory of this person in the original host’s mind.
At this moment, Xu Yu Chuan was surrounded by several people. He furrowed his brow and expressed dissatisfaction. He said, “Shouldn’t the eye makeup be thicker? I can’t see any difference from the other characters’ makeup.”
The makeup artist whispered, “But Director Yu said not to make it too heavy…” Especially the eye makeup, Director Yu emphasized that it shouldn’t make the eyes look as if they were poisoned.
It was done this way during the character photoshoot as well.
Xu Yu Chuan sighed and added, “Director Yu said not to make it too heavy, but he didn’t mean this light, did he? Huyue is an antagonist, and people should be able to tell at a glance. Shouldn’t we make some adjustments to the makeup when we officially start shooting?”
Are you trying to make people recognize you as the antagonist solely based on makeup, without relying on your acting skills??
The makeup artist looked frustrated but dared not argue. He reluctantly continued applying makeup, knowing that Director Yu would personally have a say in it later, so he would probably stay quiet until then.
Seeing that the makeup artist finally followed his instructions, Xu Yu Chuan was satisfied. It was at this moment that he noticed Xu Yin walking over. He raised an eyebrow and said, “You’re here.”
Xu Yin nodded, found a place to sit, and immediately had a makeup artist rushing over to prepare him.
Xu Yu Chuan was older than Xu Yin and had been in the company longer, considering himself Xu Yin’s senior. He felt somewhat annoyed when Xu Yin greeted him briefly and then sat down.
With a smirk, he said, “You’re just in time. Qingning messaged me a few days ago, complaining about his misfortune. He said he really liked the script and had prepared diligently for it, but unexpectedly, he couldn’t participate due to a leg injury, and someone else replaced him.”
Ruan Qingning was the previous actor for Mu Yunyi and also from Wenxing Entertainment.
“Xiao Yin,” Xu Yu Chuan continued leisurely, “you should treat this role seriously. Don’t let it turn out like your previous ones. Otherwise, Qingning might…”
He didn’t finish his sentence but just smiled.
As soon as these words came out, the surroundings fell silent for a moment, and several people cast subtle glances at the two. In the entertainment industry, people understood this kind of talk quite well, especially considering how awkward and indirect it was.
018: “Onmyoji! That’s called Onmyoji, right?”3TL: Now this is really tricky to translate well. Onmyōji (陰陽師) literally means Yin-Yang Master. It was also one of the classifications of civil servants in ancient Japan’s ritsuryo system. Onmyōji were specialists in magic and divination. In this context, Onmyoji is used to associate Xu Yu Chuan with being able to manipulate the public like a yin-yang master.
Xu Yin chuckled, appreciating 018’s learning abilities. He turned to Xu Yu Chuan, smiled, and said, “Senior Xu.”
Upon hearing Senior, Xu Yu Chuan raised his chin comfortably.
Then, the young man beside him turned around and playfully said, “Let’s do our best.”
Xu Yu Chuan: “…”
‘Do our best, my ass!’
Xu Yu Chuan’s face turned green, and he turned to glare at Xu Yin. The makeup artist frowned and said, “Hey, don’t move”.
Unfortunately, Xu Yin had already turned his head to communicate with the makeup artist, not sparing a glance for Xu Yu Chuan, who was fuming. Xu Yu Chuan was infuriated—he had heard that Wen Yan had been chasing after Xu Yin during this period. This guy must be acting all high and mighty because of that!
It was said that initially, Wen Yan wanted to assign him a 2nd male side character role in a high-budget drama, but he refused and chose the role of 4th male side character of this low budget drama instead. What’s with the pretentious attitude? Xu Yu Chuan was really mad!
After Xu Yin finished talking to the makeup artist and turned back, he noticed Xu Yu Chuan’s glare. He flashed an apologetic smile and said, “Senior Xu, did you say something else? I’m sorry, I didn’t hear it.”
Xu Yu Chuan: “…”
‘I’m going to explode right here!’
After Xu Yu Chuan finished his makeup, he waved off the makeup artist and walked out with a sullen face. He couldn’t help but think about when he would have scenes with Xu Yin. He was determined to put this guy in his place and teach him a lesson in humility.
However, as he took a few steps into the set, he heard a furious shout from Yu Fei that echoed through the entire set.
“What’s going on with your makeup?! Didn’t I said not to make it too heavy? Are you here to act like a human or a panda?!”
Yu Fei usually had a soft-spoken voice, almost like he was talking to himself. But when he entered the set, it was a different story. He had switched into Spartan mode.
As soon as these words came out, Xu Yu Chuan’s steps froze in place. Many people on set covered their mouths and turned away, trying to suppress their laughter.
Xu Yu Chuan opened his mouth to say something, but Yu Fei didn’t give him a chance and continued, rolling up the script and pointing towards the dressing room, “This won’t do! Go back and redo your makeup again! We can’t shoot with you looking like that! Good Job Demon Lord4TL: Insert sarcasm, you look like a transvestite5TL: A person who dresses in clothes primarily associated with the opposite gender!”
“Pfft-” A few people really couldn’t help it anymore but laugh with their shoulders shaking.
Xu Yu Chuan’s face turned red and white in turns, but even though Yu Fei was a newcomer director, he didn’t dare to talk back casually. After all, it was rare for him to get a 2nd male lead role.
Enduring the embarrassment, Xu Yu Chuan clenched his fists and returned to the dressing room.
Inside, Xu Yin had just finished applying simple eye makeup. When he saw Xu Yu Chuan re-enter, he looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Xu Yu Chuan didn’t say anything and just sat back down in his chair.
Xu Yin looked at him for a moment, pondered, and then flashed a considerate smile.
Xu Yu Chuan: “…”
You are the real Onmyoji!
—
On the set, after Yu Fei finished shouting, he calmly put down the script.
Bai Hao’s assistant patted his chest and whispered, “Damn! When Director Yu shouts like that, he really doesn’t give anyone a face.”
“You can’t suppress people if you give them some face. Today, someone will look like a panda, then tomorrow a peacock. It will only waste more of everyone’s time,” Bai Hao said coldly.
The assistant nodded in agreement. Actors who wouldn’t listen to the director and insist on doing things their own way could be very troublesome. It’s better to assert control firmly if possible.
However, it seemed that Wenxing Entertainment’s artists were indeed a bit hard to manage in this regard.
Not long after, Xu Yu Chuan came out again, looking somewhat dejected.
When Yu Fei glanced at him, he seemed a bit nervous, but fortunately, this time Yu Fei didn’t say anything.
Xu Yu Chuan let out a sigh of relief and sat down on the chair with a gloomy expression.
In fact, with the makeup lightened, his facial features were still quite good. His face had strong contours, deep-set eyes, and with the right acting skills, he could portray the character of Demon Lord Huyue quite well.
Several girls stole glances at him, and Xu Yu Chuan noticed. It boosted his confidence, and he raised his head, curling his lips into a smile.
His assistant reassured his racing heart, “You’re so handsome, Demon Lord!”
Xu Yu Chuan smiled and leaned back in his chair, glancing to his left where two girls blushed.
His confidence soared high!
He squinted his eyes, but at that moment, another figure walked out.
Many people subconsciously shifted their gaze, and then their attention was fixed.
Xu Yu Chuan felt something was off and followed their gaze. Then he froze.
The person who came out was dressed in white, with flowing robes. A sword hung from his waist, and he stood as tall and upright as a drawn sword.
His long hair flowed, adorned with a jade hairpin and crown.
His eyes were lively, carrying a smile.
What came forward was a gentle and refreshing aura, like a warm breeze in spring.
Bai Hao just glanced at Xu Yu Chuan earlier, who had just come out after his makeup, without a second glance. However, this time, his gaze lingered elsewhere.
Xu Yu Chuan, who had paid little attention to Xu Yin in the makeup room, didn’t expect the overall effect to be like this after the entire makeover.
He stared fixedly at Xu Yin’s figure, tightly pursed his lips, adjusting his previously relaxed posture. However, the more he looked at Xu Yin, the more uncomfortable he felt, clenching his fists.
Xu Yin greeted Yu Fei and nodded, “I’m quite well-versed in the script. The first scene is at the teahouse, right?”
Yu Fei nodded in satisfaction, “That’s right.”
Xu Yin nodded, “Okay.”
At this moment, the female lead finished her makeup and walked out.
The actress Xue Ling had a naturally good appearance. This time, she was dressed as a beggar, but her beautiful eyes, as described in the book, were hard to conceal. It really seemed to match the description of the female lead.
When she saw Xu Yin, she politely bowed and touched the back of her head, sincerely saying, “Hello, Senior Yin. Even though I’m just a novice, I’ll work hard. If there’s anything I didn’t do well, please don’t hesitate to criticize me.”
Xu Yin smiled, “Well…”
Well, she’s quite unique.
After the set was prepared, the first scene of the day officially began shooting.
*
The Chaos Pearl fell to the mortal world, transforming into the female lead, and avenged herself by killing a beggar who attempted to defile her.
The next morning, she appeared in the streets in beggar’s attire, with disheveled hair and a dirty face.
This marked the beginning of today’s scene.
–The female lead wandered among the crowd, looking bewildered, and was harassed by cannon fodders on the street.
It was a classic melodramatic scene, but melodramatic scenes were always captivating.
After Xue Ling and the supporting actors began their scenes below, Xu Yin calmed his mind, blocking out the surrounding sounds and getting into character.
He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, he picked up the tea cup on the table.
There were many crew members around him.
Seeing this, they were momentarily stunned.
Many of them had worked on similar productions before, where the budget was limited, and some actors were not very dedicated. They were used to it. However, Xu Yin’s actions at this moment refocused their attention.
In an instant, they also began taking their work more seriously, feeling a bit ashamed.
As the storyline in the teahouse continued to unfold, it soon came to Xu Yin’s part.
…
The female lead, whose wrist was grabbed by one of the cannon fodders, had a cold look in her eyes, ready to retaliate, but someone beat her to it.
A shadow flew in from the left, grazing the cannon fodder’s hand, and nailed straight into the right tree trunk from above. It was a chopstick.
Startled, the cannon fodder quickly let go and angrily shouted, “Who was it? Who wants to harm me?”
The servant by the side quickly gestured to him to look up, and the female lead, Lingzhu, also lifted her head in bewilderment.
A man in white attire was sitting on the second-floor window of the teahouse.
He took a sip of tea, his eyes turning slightly in their direction.
Under the bright sunlight, the profile of the young man seemed to be coated with radiance, gentleness as jade and majestic.
He put down the teacup, and upon seeing the cannon fodder below angrily pointing and cursing at him, he raised the corner of his lips. With a flick of his wrist, another chopstick was lodged into the soil next to the cannon fodder’s foot in the blink of an eye.
The cannon fodder was finally scared enough to realize that this person wasn’t someone to mess with.
Upstairs, the young man in white attire supported his chin with his hand, and between his slender fingers, he lightly picked up a third chopstick, giving it a little shake.
The smile on his face was warm, and his intention was clear in his actions.
…The cannon fodder chickened out.
“So, the teahouse’s chopsticks are endless, huh? Is that it!?” The cannon fodder stammered, furiously pointing at the young man and strategically retreating. “I’ll remember you! Just you wait!”
The cannon fodder retreated hastily, and the young man raised an eyebrow, his gaze then falling on Lingzhu.
Lingzhu stood in the middle of the street, looking up at the young man with undivided attention, her expression earnest and adorable.
At that time, she had no idea that this person would become the most important figure in her future.
Mu Yunyi tilted his head, the smile at the corner of his mouth deepening.
The servant sitting across from him said something, diverting Mu Yunyi’s attention. He nodded to Lingzhu and shifted his gaze, raising his teacup once again.
The small wooden window framed the young man’s profile, and his demeanor remained graceful throughout, a reflection of his inherent elegance.
“Cut!”
Director Yu Fei shouted this word before the entire crew had even reacted.
To be honest, many people themselves didn’t have high hopes for their own drama.
Although the male lead, Bai Hao, had a bad temper and a poor reputation, his acting skills were actually widely recognized. But the female lead, Xue Ling, was really not up to the mark, and everyone still remembered how she was mocked in her previous drama. It was a sight they couldn’t forget.
But whether it was last night or today, Xue Ling’s performance exceeded everyone’s expectations.
After the scene, she went around looking for people to “critique” her, bowing and humbly seeking advice, without a trace of arrogance or idol baggage.
In the scene, she was that naive, powerful, and adorable Lingzhu, with a hidden charm.
As for Xu Yin—
Although he had just appeared and had already astounded the entire audience, many had heard rumors about his acting skills being terrible.
However—
Is this considered abysmal acting?!
Sure, there were no lines in the entire scene, and the actions were straightforward. Even the part with the chopsticks would be handled in post-production.
However, this person was just sitting there, with a hint of a smile and a captivating gaze that made it impossible to look away. But it didn’t seem to be solely because of Xu Yin’s extraordinary looks. There are plenty of good-looking artists in the entertainment industry, yet they often make people feel awkward when placed in a role.
Xu Yin, on the other hand, allowed viewers to fully immerse themselves in his looks, and it seemed like his ethereal beauty and his beautiful smile cast a spell.
After Director Yu Fei called “Cut,” many people couldn’t help but look at Xu Yin on the second floor.
Xu Yuchuan was wide-eyed. He had indeed watched Xu Yin’s previous works, and although… Well, it wasn’t as bad as he claimed it to be. Describing it as abysmal acting seemed exaggerated. However, Xu Yin’s performance just now was vastly different.
Xu Yuchuan gritted his teeth.
Some girls were excitedly whispering to each other.
“Damn! Mu Yunyi is really a Bai Yueguang character, Xu Yin is truly amazing!”
“Absolutely, why isn’t Mu Yunyi the male lead? Just from that scene, I’m already falling for him!”
“No, no! The male lead only belongs to the female lead. Mu Yunyi’s character is for everyone and he deserves to shine alone!”
“Xu Yin is just too good-looking!”
Xu Yin came downstairs and walked over to his assistant, Xiao Lin, taking the water he offered and taking a few sips.
On the side, Bai Hao had been watching him from the beginning till the end of the scene.
After a brief silence, Bai Hao coldly turned around and walked over to Xu Yin.
Bai Hao’s assistant was momentarily confused, while another person beside him got excited as if he had discovered a new world. He said, “Is Bai Ge going to Xu Yin? Was he also bewitched?”
Although Bai Hao’s assistant didn’t know what his boss was up to, that didn’t stop him from firmly stating, “Impossible! Our Bai Ge doesn’t even react to beautiful women. He’s color-blind when it comes to looks!”
The person next to him remarked, “Does your Bai Ge know that you’ve just coined a new term for him?”
Meanwhile, as Bai Hao approached, he saw the young man, Xu Yin, who was facing him, gesticulating and excitedly saying something to his assistant while smiling with curved eyebrows.
In that moment, it even seemed like little specks of light were scattering with his smile.
Bai Hao was momentarily stunned.
After listening to Xiao Lin’s enthusiastic words, Xu Yin turned around and saw Bai Hao, surprised. He asked, “Senior Bai, is there something you need?”
Bai Hao snapped out of it, remained silent for a few seconds, looked at Xu Yin, then turned around coldly.
Xu Yin was puzzled, “?”
On his way back, Bai Hao coincidentally ran into Xu Yuchuan, who was coming in the opposite direction.
Xu Yuchuan quickly withdrew the gloomy expression he had been wearing since Xu Yin’s performance started and greeted with a fawning smile, “Bai Ge.”
Bai Hao turned his head and gave him a scrutinizing look, examining him from top to bottom and back again, repeatedly.
It was the first time Xu Yuchuan had been looked at by Bai Hao so seriously, and he was pleasantly surprised. However, he couldn’t help but feel that this gaze was a bit strange?
After scrutinizing Xu Yuchuan, Bai Hao continued to walk forward with a cold demeanor.
Coming from the same company, yet they were each so different in their own ways.
