Chapter 174 An Unexpected Development
Chapter 174
Before taking on "Up in the Clouds," Lin Yuan had no idea that a period drama with virtually no romance would actually make him fearful of creating a romantic pairing.
Lin Yuan has at least acted in romantic dramas before, such as "Just Right You" and "Mandala".
Although the quantity is small, the quality is high.
Yuan Yuan and he never promoted themselves as a couple. The production team of "Just Right You" did market him as a couple with Qi Lian, but that was during the broadcast of the series. Given Lin Yuan and Qi Lian's status, it was not suitable for them to be paired up for a long time.
Once the drama ended, the two naturally separated, and neither of their agencies made any excuses.
Therefore, Lin Yuan and Qi Lian have been getting along well ever since. When they attend events together, and the media mentions the "Chu Miao" couple, they both respond generously without getting angry or making each other's names taboo.
Now Lin Yuan finally understands what it's like to be forced into creating a romantic pairing: "Being an actor, it's not an easy thing to survive."
"Tsk." Yu Ying sincerely suggested, "Why don't you just punch him hard? From now on, he will completely disappear from your world."
"Can you please stop giving such unreliable advice?"
"This is based on my experience, thank you."
Yu Ying has never been involved in any on-screen couple pairings, but her taste in men is generally poor. Several of her relationships ended in failure, and most importantly, the men she chose were all of questionable character.
But to be honest, the men who were beaten by her have since kept their distance from her by more than ten meters, even when participating in public events, and have no desire to be mentioned together with her.
To some extent, Yu Ying's approach did indeed prevent future troubles and fundamentally solve the problem.
Lin Yuan: "..."
As a kangaroo with relatively weak fighting ability, Lin Yuan felt that Yu Ying's approach only applied to herself and was not suitable for imitation.
He simply doesn't have that kind of fighting ability.
"You're just too bad," Yu Ying concluded.
Fortunately, after the entire crew came out to pour out the oil, Liu Jingyi calmed down considerably, and Lin Yuan felt that his breathing became easier.
"It's not easy either," Du Jian said jokingly.
In "Ascending to the Clouds," Du Jian's character clashes with Yang Ji's ideals and has a bad relationship with him. Of course, Yang Ji is not a bad person; there are no truly evil characters in the script. However, in private, Lin Yuan's relationship with Yang Ji is much better than his relationship with Liu Jingyi.
Lin Yuan wouldn't mention that he was troubled by being paired with a CP (couple), since they were in the same production crew and would run into each other all the time, and Lin Yuan didn't want to make the other person too awkward.
If this affects the filming schedule, it will be even worse.
Lin Yuan didn't say anything, but the other actors in the crew could tell.
Du Jian was more than a decade older than Lin Yuan. When he first emerged, actors didn't understand the concept of "CP" (couple pairing). Even if it existed, it was the audience who shipped them, not something forced upon them through marketing.
He knew Lin Yuan was troubled, but just as director Li Xinjin was thinking, how should this matter be addressed?
It's hard to say, difficult to say.
Lin Yuan must have been incredibly frustrated. When they saw him looking like this... they wanted to laugh, but they couldn't.
They felt terrible for letting Lin Yuan down, but they had never seen anything like this before.
However, Liu Jingyi seems to have really gained something. At least recently, his name has appeared frequently on trending topics, and his presence is much stronger than before.
Clearly, he's now putting in a lot of effort, hoping to make a big splash with "Up in the Clouds".
Based on past experience, dramas with such high expectations from the outside world generally end up being mediocre.
How should I put it?
Whenever they saw Liu Jingyi dancing energetically on the sidelines, they felt that the drama "Up in the Clouds" was doomed. But every time they saw Lin Yuan's efforts, especially when they acted opposite Lin Yuan, they felt that "Up in the Clouds" might be saved.
At least the script quality is not a problem. The characters' dialogue and plot design are very close to that era, and Lin Yuan's performance is also very moving.
The script presents numerous obstacles for the researchers' struggles, but difficulties are always overcome, and the joy of victory is real.
This part of the filming took a long time. First, there were obstacles, then they were overcome, then new obstacles were encountered, and then they were overcome again. The plot had ups and downs until the climax was reached at the last moment.
"Alright, alright, let's film this scene!" the director called out, and the actors all followed. After the news of the successful test spread, screams erupted on set.
The camera focused on everyone's face at that moment.
Laughing, crying, laughing and crying at the same time.
Yang Ji was the one who was laughing and crying at the same time.
He always left a cheerful impression, rarely tense or flustered, and always served as a support for others.
At this moment, however, Yang Ji let his tears flow freely, wetting his eyelashes, but joy shone in his pupils.
His eyes were bright and clear, making the camera linger on him.
While shedding tears, he also flashed his most radiant smile. In the script, Yang Ji was no longer the fresh-faced college graduate. In this scene, he seemed to have become more than ten years younger.
To put it specifically, there was hope in Yang Ji's eyes.
"Don't stop yet, keep filming," the director reminded the cinematographer.
The photographer nodded, and in the next scene, Yang Ji clenched his fist slightly—this was Yang Ji's little habit of celebrating; he would do this every time he achieved a goal.
Yang Ji's eyes also held a mixture of nostalgia and relief.
Li Xinjin also loves to film Lin Yuan's eyes. There is something in Lin Yuan's eyes that the audience can understand. As long as they look into his eyes, the audience can probably guess what he is thinking.
Compared to other roles Lin Yuan has played in the past, Yang Ji will also give him a fresh feeling.
Yang Ji is an independent and distinct individual, unlike any of Lin Yuan's previous roles.
Lin Yuan is really good at conveying emotions with his eyes, but he doesn't have eyes that can speak in the traditional sense, which is something the director finds very strange.
At first glance, Lin Yuan seems unremarkable. Now, of course, he looks more and more handsome. But objectively speaking, the director thinks he is not as handsome as some of the male actors he has worked with before.
Of course, the director was referring to the kind of male actor who was so handsome it was breathtaking, and that type of male actor is very rare nowadays.
The type who only looks good when dressed up, but mistakenly believes they are incredibly handsome.
But Lin Yuan's charm can be amplified tenfold or a hundredfold through his roles. After appearing on screen, he seems like a completely different person, with a drastically changed temperament and eyes that seem capable of killing.
He originally had 80 points of charm, but in his works, it can become 100 or 200 points.
Some actors, upon closer inspection, possess a charm score of around 100, but once they start filming, their charm drops to around 80. If such actors are not controlled by the director and begin to improvise, their charm score can even fall below 50.
"All I can say is that acting really requires talent."
Lin Yuan's talent, combined with his hard work, has enabled him to achieve his current level of control and mastery.
If an actor with no talent tries too hard, it will only make the audience think he is scary.
The reason why "Up in the Clouds" attracted a lot of investment was not only because of the actors' salaries, but also because of some experimental scenes, which did require money.
Li Xinjin originally intended to make this drama properly and did not want to slack off. The director would definitely not skimp on the necessary expenses.
It can be said that, apart from some dissatisfaction with the performances of certain young actors, the director was generally satisfied with the overall filming of "Up in the Clouds".
The actors all delivered decent performances; some were beyond saving, but the director did his best to salvage them.
Among the actors, Lin Yuan has the most room for development.
As the filming progressed, the director felt that Lin Yuan should be able to win an award.
In the later stages, director Li Xinjin almost stopped restricting Lin Yuan's performance, allowing Lin Yuan to film however he wanted, because Lin Yuan could better express the character while meeting the requirements of the script.
Lin Yuan previously won the Tung Blossom Award for his role in "The Powerful Minister".
In the year that "Mandala" and "Just Right" aired, both dramas were nominated for the Tung Blossom Award. As an idol drama, "Just Right" had no inherent advantage and withdrew from the competition early on. Li Xinjin, however, felt sorry for "Mandala".
Lin Yuan could win another Best Actor award at the Tung Blossom Awards for this drama. If we only consider acting skills, Lin Yuan is naturally a shoo-in.
However, the judges had many considerations. First, Lin Yuan had already won one, and if the two Best Actor awards were too close together, it wouldn't look good in the public eye. Second, the previous winner was 72 years old and had been working tirelessly in the television industry with numerous achievements. After weighing the options, the award was given to him, and Lin Yuan didn't get it.
Lin Yuan already has a Wall Award in hand, so he doesn't care. But no actor would ever want too many trophies.
The director felt that Lin Yuan's performance in "Up in the Clouds" was also worthy of competing for the Tung Blossom Award.
Unlike film awards, television awards rarely feature scenes that allow actors to break down to their limits, perform to their fullest potential in a small space, or push emotions to their absolute limit. Films are only a little over two hours long, during which time almost every detail of an actor's performance can be observed. Television awards, on the other hand, place more emphasis on the overall performance.
Lin Yuan naturally has key scenes in "Ascending to the Clouds," and at these crucial moments, he is able to deliver the most appropriate performance.
Director Li Xinjin's deepest feeling now is that he and Lin Yuan started working together too late.
He really understands why the directors gave Lin Yuan zero negative reviews for his previous performances.
An actor who can win awards, drive viewership ratings, and is also incredibly hardworking and diligent—you couldn't find one like that even with a lantern.
Especially in the final scene where the experiment succeeds, Yang Ji's character explores little by little when facing difficulties, and after success, his suppressed emotions are released.
It wasn't a sudden outburst, but rather a gradual, step-by-step unfolding, yet to onlookers, it felt as if their hearts were being squeezed.
I would feel very sorry for him.
I will be moved by his efforts.
We will be proud of his success.
Only those who have spent time with Lin Yuan in private know that although he resembles Yang Ji in appearance, Lin Yuan is fundamentally a completely different person from Yang Ji.
But as soon as he steps onto the set, Lin Yuan is Yang Ji, and no one can tell the difference between the two at that moment.
They look like the same person.
Moreover, Lin Yuan didn't stumble once during such a long performance; he delivered his lines perfectly, with his tone, pauses, and expressions all matching the requirements of the plot.
The director expected this scene to take a long time to film, but that wasn't the case at all.
On the contrary, probably because Lin Yuan's performance accounted for 80% of this part, he didn't have to interact with others, especially those actors whose acting skills were slightly inferior. Lin Yuan was able to show his acting skills without reservation.
He doesn't have to accommodate others; it's all his personal space.
And so—Lin Yuan, as if by divine intervention, perfectly and fluently portrayed Yang Ji in that instant.
The director didn't even realize that filming had ended.
What followed was surprise.
Li Xinjin originally felt that Lin Yuan had performed well enough in the "Ascending to the Clouds" crew, with his performance in every scene being above average and never disappointing him.
As a result, Lin Yuan showed him with his actions that he could be even more capable.
After this scene was filmed, the set was completely silent.
In summary, this scene is essentially Yang Ji's self-revelation, a genuine expression of his feelings.
Yang Ji wasn't doing this for himself, but to persuade his superiors to invest more in the project. That's why Lin Yuan has a lot of lines, including some that express his personal feelings.
This is more like a speech.
There are many wonderful speeches in film history. The ability of an actor is to attract the audience and gain their emotional resonance in a lengthy speech.
Li Xinjin once watched a very old TV series, about 20 years ago, when he was still struggling with whether or not to continue working as a director.
For someone so young, it would be difficult to survive in this industry.
The goals he wanted to achieve would never be realized, and no investor would be willing to throw money at him.
Many of our peers are very powerful and can secure sponsorships on their own. Others come from families with a strong academic background and have an incredibly wide network of connections. Still others are born to do this and become an instant hit on their first attempt.
He was the only one who did nothing, just getting by day by day, with no idea what the future held.
Just then, Li Xinjin came across a TV series, and one scene from it left a deep impression on him to this day.
This is a drama set in the revolutionary era. This scene is a speech by the protagonist, a teacher. In just a few minutes, his resentment, his heartache, his anger... are all condensed into it.
Viewers familiar with that period of history can empathize with his anger.
Even if the character is not actually in that situation, the actor's performance is enough to ignite a fire in the audience's heart.
This is the power of excellent actors.
Lin Yuan was the same as the other party.
Everyone in the "Ascending to the Clouds" crew knew he was very capable, but at this moment, they realized just how capable Lin Yuan truly was.
Although the script was written by a screenwriter and the actors almost entirely copied the lines from the script, when Lin Yuan stood in front of the podium and quietly narrated, his words had an inspiring power.
“Our experiment is 50% complete. We moved here from the city center and only go home once every two years. You ask me why we refuse to give up? This is the reason why we refuse to give up.”
"I don't want to be criticized in the future for giving up even though I've come this far. That would be a disgrace."
"Science can climb countless peaks, but it always fails at the hurdle of money."
"The dream of space exploration will come true sooner or later. Since it will come sooner or later, why not sooner?"
As Lin Yuan delivered his long monologue, his eyes reddened slightly, and his fingers trembled—Yang Ji's fingernails had cracked due to the long-term experiments.
The calculations were done with a pen and chalk, and his finger joints were slightly twisted.
He also looked thinner than the average person.
As a key member of the team and someone who regularly seeks funding, Yang Ji always makes sure he looks as neat and tidy as possible.
Even so, his clothes were faded and everything was old. The television would broadcast those self-satisfied overseas scientists who had endless funding and all kinds of outputs. Compared to them, Yang Ji looked rather shabby.
He was clean-cut and capable, just a bit thin.
Lin Yuan always tries his best to get close to the character, and he doesn't overlook the small details.
In this performance, he showed a thin but powerful appearance. In the noisy film set, Li Xinjin felt that he was willing to stop and watch Lin Yuan's performance.
One can imagine how the audience will feel when this segment is edited out.
After collaborating on "Up in the Clouds," Li Xinjin also gave Lin Yuan zero negative reviews.
With such a script and such a cast of actors, as long as it's filmed well, "Up in the Clouds" can definitely reach 80 points.
However, with Lin Yuan's involvement, the director even considers "Up in the Clouds" to be 95 points.
Before this collaboration began, the director always thought that Lin Yuan would have another conflict with someone, or fall out with a top male actor in the industry, but in reality, none of this happened.
The director even felt that Lin Yuan was incredibly patient, almost... In short, the other party had really suffered a lot of grievances.
...
Filming for "Up to the Clouds" took nearly half a year, more than five months, from mild to scorching heat, and finally came to an end.
To be honest, Lin Yuan didn't find filming difficult; he actually enjoyed it.
For him, acting is a process of detaching himself from his own life and entering the lives of others.
His personal life has many uninteresting aspects, but the roles he plays are different, and the lives of his characters are always rich and colorful.
Of course, things as bitter as those depicted in "Bloody Memories" are another matter entirely.
That was an unprecedented hardship in both his real life and his acting career.
“Director Ren Maoxing will be heartbroken to hear this,” Feng Zeng reminded him.
"I'm not afraid of hurting his feelings, and I'll even say it to his face." Lin Yuan refused to reflect on his actions at all.
For Lin Yuan, the worst part of "Shang Qingyun" was Liu Jingyi's attempt to create a romantic pairing, and he sincerely hoped that the other party would stop having such thoughts.
The main issue is that they're both getting on in years... This kind of thing, creating a romantic pairing, seems more suitable for actors who are much younger than them.
They have absolutely no chemistry as a couple.
Looking at Yang Ji's honest and simple face, no one would have the idea of pairing him up with someone else.
Can you bear to do that?
Isn't this utterly immoral?
"...Even a kangaroo can be paired up with someone."
"Even if it's just a TV set, someone will pull it."
Yu Ying: "Don't hurt yourself like that. The word 'head' is more often associated with 'pig' in my vocabulary."
Lin Yuan & He Xun: "..."
Lin Yuan's main task for this year is to make a detective movie, which he is making with He Xun, so Lin Yuan is naturally relaxed.
If there's even one acquaintance in the crew, the situation will be very different.
Lin Yuan never worried about this movie.
However, he didn't worry about "Ascending to the Clouds" at first, who knew it would develop like this later.
Perhaps his acting career was lacking, and God decided to make up for it here.
"Bloody Past" is coming out soon, and the roadshow is about to begin. The director of this film doesn't have any requirements for Lin Yuan; he just needs to follow the procedures.
Earning a little more is always good, but it's okay if we don't.
Anyway, the director was already used to this situation.
Director Ren Maoxing has already said that if he can't secure investment next time, he will ask Lin Yuan to invest for him.
Lin Yuan was one of the richest actors he knew, and he had no bad habits. He also seemed easy to scam, making him a perfect fit.
Lin Yuan really wanted to ask the director what kind of image he had in the director's mind.
Lin Yuan rested for half a month. Before the detective movie started filming, he was pulled away to film a variety show.
To be precise, it was He Xunla's man.
He Xun knew Lin Yuan's schedule perfectly and knew that he had nothing to do recently. There happened to be an episode of a variety show that required guests to bring friends to help with cooking, so He Xun brought Lin Yuan along.
Lin Yuan's first reaction was: "Do I look like someone who can cook?"
"So I look like I will?" He Xun asked him back.
Lin Yuan was truly exasperated: "Neither of us can cook, what are we going to do? Why didn't you call Yu Ying?"
Ms. Yu Ying sincerely asked, "What gave you the misconception that I can cook?"
The two: "..."
I have nothing to say.
He Xun participated in a travel and relaxation variety show, which can be summarized as a combination of travel and cooking, allowing the audience to relax both physically and mentally.
"Are you relaxed?" Lin Yuan asked He Xun.
He Xun refused to answer the question, believing that if he did, Lin Yuan would think he was an idiot.
Lin Yuan stated that it doesn't stop him from thinking He Xun is mentally challenged.
Although neither of them can cook, there are other people on the show who can cook, so Lin Yuan and his partner just need to help wash vegetables and do some other tasks.
He Xun also told Lin Yuan that He Mian was also there, and hoped that Lin Yuan wouldn't mind. If he did mind, it was fine if he didn't come.
"I have no grudge against him, so come on."
Objectively speaking, if he were to go, He Mian would be the one feeling awkward.
Lin Yuan regretted it after going there, because according to the program's rules, the person in charge of cooking and the person in charge of assisting were paired up in a 1:1 ratio. That is to say, one person was responsible for cooking and the other was responsible for assisting.
But this does not mean that Lin Yuan and He Xun must be paired together.
Lin Yuan was assigned to assist He Mian.
No, it was arranged by the production team that Lin Yuan tried to cook, but ultimately proved that he was just a useless person who couldn't do anything. He Mian couldn't stand it, so he pulled him aside and gestured for him to just watch from the side.
[What kind of domineering CEO and his adorable young wife?]
[A domineering CEO falls in love with me, who can't cook.]
It's not that the audience is overthinking things, but rather that He Mian's performance at that moment was quite domineering.
"Then I'll chop the vegetables." Lin Yuan didn't want to appear too useless.
Lin Yuan helped cut the tomatoes and cucumbers, but his knife skills were... rather average.
He Mian frowned and wanted to sigh, but he couldn't because of Lin Yuan's face. In the end, he had no choice but to take the knife.
Lin Yuan became the one who watched from the sidelines.
He felt a little embarrassed, so he made an awkward conversation, intending to offer He Mian some emotional support.
He's a pretty sincere person, and when he's willing to offer emotional value, you can definitely feel his sincerity.
The main reason is... the audience has realized that He Mian is quite susceptible to this.
Moreover, Lin Yuan wasn't exaggerating. While other celebrities were faking eating, crying, and sleeping on various variety shows, He Mian asked Lin Yuan to try the dishes, and Lin Yuan picked up a lot with his chopsticks and ate a lot.
They even grimaced because it was too hot to eat.
He Mian quickly handed over a water glass, and Lin Yuan thanked him repeatedly, saying, "Thank you!"
Not only that, he also went to each guest to promote it: "Isn't it super delicious?"
"Is it delicious?"
"It's super delicious! I admire people who can cook!"
He Xun retorted, "Don't act like you made this yourself. Can you even cook?"
"No, but that doesn't stop it from being delicious."
Lin Yuan was absolutely not lying. He Mian's cooking skills were quite good. He could season simple ingredients very well, without making them too spicy or salty, or too greasy.
[He Mian fished it into a mandarin duck.]
[Hilarious! The key is that Lin Yuan's eyes are so sincere; he wasn't lying at all! And everyone knows they're competitors, so their interactions should be a bit awkward. I initially thought the production team was deliberately creating drama, but after watching everything, their atmosphere seems quite harmonious.]
[Outrageous, hilarious! This part is actually quite funny. He Mian is eager to try something in the back, but he doesn't want to upset Lin Yuan, who's busy doing his job. If he goes up to stop him, it seems like he's really confirming his feud with Lin Yuan, but he just can't stand it anymore.]
I've taken it.
I...I have no choice but to.
The production team's setup is absolutely brilliant. Just ask yourself, at the beginning, who would have thought that He Mian and Lin Yuan could get along harmoniously? Everyone thought that the two of them were just gritting their teeth and doing it.
Eating everything will only make my diet more balanced.
Recently, Lin Yuan just finished filming "Up in the Clouds". Although Liu Jingyi's side produced a lot of industrial saccharin, because Lin Yuan was completely uncooperative and just sprinkled a handful of saccharin on the screen, the audience simply didn't buy it.
Even now, Lin Yuan hasn't followed Liu Jingyi on Weibo.
He Mian, after finishing his new drama, tried his hand at a variety show. On his first appearance, he met He Xun. "The Powerful Minister" was a drama he had turned down, but it led to He Xun's rise to fame.
However, the production team originally intended to give him the role of Shao Jing. When He Mian met He Xun, he wasn't particularly embarrassed. He just didn't expect that He Xun would bring Lin Yuan along.
He Mian had imagined that the two of them would be very awkward together, and he could picture them pretending to be very friendly but actually not being friendly at all.
He Mian's friends were all worried for him.
As it turned out, the two of them were able to chat quietly both during and after the shoot.
As they chatted, He Mian unknowingly added Lin Yuan on WeChat and followed him on Weibo.
He himself found this development quite amazing.
After this episode aired, netizens started shipping them, with He Mian being a taciturn and domineering CEO and Lin Yuan being an optimistic and clumsy little sun.
Lin Yuan: "..."
Hey, should we ask Geng Yue, Ye Liuchuan, and Xu Lijia what they think first?
This is not his public persona at all, okay?
As a result, netizens became more and more enthusiastic about the pairing, and the pairing that Liu Jingyi deliberately created lost its popularity, while the pairing of Lin Yuan and He Mian took off.
#Completely Unexpected Development#
#Stop taking it, OK#
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Author's Note: Here I am! [starry eyes][starry eyes][starry eyes]
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