Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"Turn it around a little."

"Okay, can we switch now?"

"You can spin it. Spin it again. Haha. Spin it again. Spin it again. 360 degrees."

Ye Chuyang walked around in front of the white backdrop.

The audition process is as follows: first, the actor is styled and photographed. The photos are taken from various angles to see if there are any flaws in the actor's appearance.

The level of detail is comparable to that of a housewife or househusband picking potatoes and cabbage at the market.

In the first year or two after Ye Chuyang started working in the production team, he was often picked and chosen like this.

The difference is that some people are more polite and handle things gently; others hesitate and ultimately refuse to buy.

That's how everyone gets through it, isn't it? Many dazzling stars started as extras. That's how I comforted myself back then. My confidence was shattered, and I pieced it back together, bit by bit. Then it shattered again, and I pieced it back together…

During the lowest point in his life, Shen Qingyuan's image flashed through Ye Chuyang's mind.

What is she doing? Is she still in Jicheng?

Whatever she's doing, it must be going well. She's so smart and hardworking.

And they always make the right choice.

For example, I didn't choose him back then.

-

"Shen Qingyuan, what's the most unpleasant thing you can imagine?" Ye Chuyang smiled, turning old grievances into a joke.

Shen Qingyuan was one of the most fortunate people. Her parents loved her very much and had expectations of her, but they were not harsh. They basically used encouragement to educate her.

During her school years, she was a model student in the eyes of every teacher, consistently achieving excellent grades in every subject. Her teachers always looked at her with tenderness and pride.

Even after they start working, patients and their families often feel gratitude, dependence, and a desire for approval from doctors.

Therefore, she rarely heard any unpleasant words. Ye Chuyang's question stumped her.

But adults, whether they are successful or ordinary, all have their own hardships. How could Shen Qingyuan not understand this?

Shen Qingyuan said, "I can't imagine it. But since it sounds awful, why bother remembering it?"

But that's the strange thing about people: harsh words are more easily remembered than kind words. When feeling down, they automatically bring them up and replay them over and over again.

Ye Chuyang pulled down his mask and took a sip of water.

Is this the start of a long talk?

After finishing his water, Ye Chuyang carefully and quickly pulled his mask up again.

"In the first few years after I graduated, I was always playing minor roles. It was considered good if I could get a role with a few lines. Most of the time I was unemployed. Later, I got a role with a relatively large number of scenes. I even signed the contract and was just waiting for filming to start. But after a few days, they said, 'Sorry, we can't give you this role anymore. We have better options.'"

Ye Chuyang tilted his head slightly, looked into Shen Qingyuan's eyes, and said, "How was it? That was pretty awful, wasn't it?"

Every successful person has a long list of hardships before achieving fame, which can become a topic of conversation at a dinner party, instantly making them the center of attention. If the one telling the story of hardship is a male tycoon, there might even be the classic scene of a woman wiping away tears.

Success is wonderful; even frustration and setbacks instantly transform into the golden glow of imperial robes. This makes the characters more three-dimensional.

"It wasn't exactly swearing, it was more like a rejection," Shen Qingyuan said. She was also frustrated for a few days when she was rejected by Chenyang Hospital. "I was also rejected for a job before."

Then we'll have to unleash our ultimate move. Ye Chuyang grinned mischievously, blinked, and changed into a melancholy and gloomy expression.

"When I was three years into my career, I went to audition once, and an assistant director told me, 'You should never be an actor in your life, you're definitely not cut out for it.'"

Shen Qingyuan's eyes flickered, and her expression changed slightly.

Ye Chuyang said self-deprecatingly, "Actually, it wasn't just this one director who said that to me. During the years I was an extra, several directors and producers said things like I wasn't good enough."

As he said this, his eyes were brimming with tears.

Shen Qingyuan didn't know how to respond. Perhaps she could only mumble a vague reply: Everyone has their own difficulties.

"Actually, there are advantages to it. Because I've heard the worst insults, the subsequent abuse is nothing to me. I'm immune to it." Ye Chuyang shrugged and said casually, "Even if someone points their finger at me and curses me now, I won't feel too bad."

After all, it's all old news, so there's a self-deprecating tone to it, as well as a sense of revenge. He used his success to give a resounding slap in the face to those who said he couldn't do it.

“Maybe…” Shen Qingyuan thought about it seriously for a moment, and then said earnestly, “Is it possible that your acting was really bad back then?”

Ye Chuyang: "???"

Shen Qingyuan, are you being polite?

Another one. As expected of Shen Qingyuan, strict with herself and others.

So, Shen Qingyuan, it's really okay. Everyone has their low points. Just grit your teeth and climb back up.

Staying at the bottom of the valley isn't so bad; many people live like that. But Shen Qingyuan is different. She once climbed to the top of the mountains, so continuing to lie dormant at the bottom of the valley must be something she's unwilling to do.

Ye Chuyang thought to himself.

-

The staff called Ye Chuyang's name. It was finally his turn to have the MR scan.

Family members or accompanying persons are not allowed to remain in the examination room. After Shen Qingyuan put the person in, she pushed the wheelchair out.

After Ye Chuyang finished her MRI, Shen Qingyuan was next to have her cervical spine MRI.

After the film was printed, Shen Qingyuan found a well-lit place and spread out each sheet to look at it.

Fortunately, Ye Chuyang's lumbar spine did not have any organic problems, and the results were not much different from the X-rays he had seen at the Ye family's house before.

As for Shen Qingyuan's cervical spine, as she expected, there was nothing wrong with it. She should be fine after a few days of rest.

Shen Qingyuan: "We were quite lucky this time, but we should still be more careful in the future."

-

night.

Shen Qingyuan lay on the hotel bed, gazing at the white ceiling in a daze.

There's no need for one to dwell on past hardships or expose past wounds to others. Especially now, when life is good, the flowers are in full bloom, and the dancing is in full swing.

Ye Chuyang, however, took the initiative to share with her the lowest point in his life. People only reveal these things to those they trust.

Their friendship in their youth was rather superficial, and after a decade, she had almost forgotten those faint impressions of her student days.

It seems... he intends to let her get to know him again. Not just the successful Ye Chuyang, but also the Ye Chuyang who was once frustrated, unsuccessful, and listless.

-

Shen Qingyuan stretched, quickly rolled over, and sat up to rub her neck. Today had been truly grueling; working-class people are always treated like beasts of burden.

Shen Qingyuan was a little tired today, but for some reason, her mood didn't seem too bad.

-

Shen Qingyuan has adapted very well to her job as a private doctor. Every morning at eight o'clock, she routinely checks Ye Chuyang's blood pressure, temperature, and heart rate; she inquires about any changes in Ye Chuyang's back injury and records them.

Then, when Ye Chuyang's time was suitable, he would help with the physical therapy.

Compared to her residency training at the hospital, this job has shorter hours, less workload, and significantly higher pay. If possible, Shen Qingyuan would love to work in this position until retirement.

Of course, that's impossible. I'll just consider it earning some extra money, since I only signed a three-month contract anyway.

Now that this job is over, where will I find my next one?

Thinking about this made Shen Qingyuan feel a little melancholy. However, since she had already started working, she was somewhat encouraged. After this job ended, she could look for another one. There were many other jobs related to medicine.

Shen Qingyuan suddenly felt that her mood was gradually improving after leaving Chenyang. The sky wasn't so gloomy anymore.

She rarely showed her negative emotions in the past, but only she knew that she wasn't doing well, not doing well at all.

Like an apple with a rotten core, the outside may look the same, but the inside is slowly decaying. If left unchecked, Shen Qingyuan knew that it would eventually collapse suddenly.

-

After the script meeting, there are still about ten days before filming starts. This period is for getting familiar with the script and doing makeup and styling according to the schedule arranged by the production team.

During this time, Ye Chuyang had several business trips to make.

Two days later, a new store of a clothing brand he endorses will open in Hangzhou.

“Honey, I know your back is still recovering. I originally discussed postponing it with the brand for a while,” business agent Lei Ge rambled on on the phone, “but everything for the opening is already done, and the money for the initial promotion has been spent. If we reschedule, they’ll demand a penalty for breach of contract. Also, this endorsement is about to expire. If we cooperate well, renewing it is definitely not a problem, and the endorsement fee will even increase…”

"Um."

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, my darling Yangyang, please bear with me..."

Ye Chuyang agreed and hung up the phone. He was as easy to talk to as ever.

As an agent, one must prioritize the health of their artists.

So even though Ye Chuyang hadn't previously suggested rescheduling or canceling the business trip due to health reasons, Lei Ge still took these precautions beforehand. He definitely wanted to make a proper show of support.

It takes more than three hours to drive from Hengdian to Hangzhou, and the journey is tiring, not to mention the recent rear-end collision, which has aggravated Ye Chuyang's back injury.

"Can you postpone the work until your back injury is better? Traveling all day is really not good for your recovery," Shen Qingyuan said.

As Ye Chuyang's personal physician, Shen Qingyuan advised him against continuing his previous high-intensity work.

"Forget it, let's go anyway. It's all part of the itinerary that was arranged beforehand. Actually, business trips aren't too bad, not strenuous at all, much easier than filming. I used to use the time I spent on business trips to rest," Ye Chuyang said.

Ye Chuyang has only had commercial endorsements in the last two or three years, so she takes each one very seriously and tries her best to meet the requirements of the brands.

Xiao Chao has already started packing his suitcase, preparing for his business trip. He's trained under Ye Chuyang for the past few years and is quite efficient at his work, although he's a chatterbox.

"We can visit West Lake in Hangzhou!" Xiao Chao suddenly remembered and said excitedly, "Let's go at night, the bright moon will be shining, a gentle breeze will be blowing, and the lake will be rippling. Just thinking about it makes me feel so happy... It would be even better if my girlfriend were here too..."