Chapter 100, 100: The Original Script by Zhu Sheng
Chapter 100
After filming a certain scene, Lin Yuan went to watch the monitor and suddenly understood why the director chose "Love and Hate" as the theme song for "Ghost Arts".
In the comments section of "Love and Hate", many fans left messages saying that the song sounds hot and humid, like rain on a summer evening. Even if you hide indoors, the feeling of heat is still there.
The scene presented in the small frame is indeed damp—two people appearing in the same shot, each harboring their own secrets.
In terms of atmosphere, "Love and Hate" is indeed similar to "The Art of Ghosts".
Lin Yuan and Yu Ying's teamwork is becoming more and more seamless.
The two actually have similar lifestyles. When they have filming, they film; when they don't, they stay at home. Lin Yuan is busier than Yu Ying on a daily basis. He needs to use his rest time to take photos and shoot commercials, as well as some business events.
In the second half of the year, various platforms gradually increased their promotional activities.
Lin Yuan had already confirmed his participation in Xingyao Video's New Year's Eve concert. Originally, the song list was not yet finalized, but this year, "Love and Hate" was just released, and the platform immediately contacted him - he must sing this song.
In addition, Xingyao Video somehow got hold of several new scripts and asked Lin Yuan if he liked any of them.
Lin Yuan: "..."
This enthusiasm is truly irresistible.
When his agent handed the prepared script to Lin Yuan, Lin Yuan discovered that Xingyao Video wasn't the only one interested; AIR Video and Leting Video also had projects inviting him to act.
“LeTing Video hasn’t invested in dramas for a long time,” Feng Zeng said. “They’re taking this project quite seriously.”
However, because Leting Video itself has limited popularity, even if Feng Zeng personally thought the script was of good quality, he had to admit that compared to platforms like Xingyao and AIR, which have their own built-in popularity, the dramas launched by Leting Video would have a very difficult start.
If Lin Yuan were to star in the film, viewers would probably be willing to give it a try.
From the agent's perspective, Feng could feel the platform's trust in Lin Yuan—now, the platform was willing to hand over any scripts to Lin Yuan that were similar in theme to "Major Cases" and "Powerful Minister," as long as the age was appropriate.
Even for roles with a wide range of characters, if a young actor is needed, Lin Yuan is always the first choice.
The situation is completely different now.
Even though Lin Yuan has recently focused on making movies, video platforms still believe in his appeal in the TV drama field.
"How about trying idol dramas?" Feng asked. "Some of the scripts are pretty good."
Lin Yuan is still young, so now is the perfect time for him to act. Once he gets older, no matter how hard he tries to act young, he won't be able to portray the spirit of a young person anymore.
"You mean...this script?"
Lin Yuan picked up one of the scripts. It was a campus romance drama about a young couple who went from school uniforms to wedding dresses. There were no melodramatic daily events, only the various things that would happen during adolescence. Until the very end, the young couple held each other's hands and never let go.
The script didn't have many ups and downs, it was as bland as water, but the screenwriter was still good at adding sweetness, sprinkling it with lots of it, especially in the sweet scenes, Lin Yuan could almost picture the scenes in his mind.
"Isn't it pretty good?" Feng Zeng looked at him.
“Indeed.” Lin Yuan nodded. “I’ll take another look.”
He has indeed acted in quite a few profound scripts, but he has never filmed an idol drama.
"Isn't it too old for me to play a high school student now?"
"It's okay, you look young," the agent replied readily. "Besides, aren't idol dramas all acted by adults?"
Lin Yuan still couldn't quite imagine himself playing a high school student.
The youthful spirit emphasized in idol dramas cannot be easily compensated for by acting skills alone.
In the script that Feng Zeng brought, Lin Yuan even saw a famous idol drama IP, the one that has been remade in various countries, about a genius boy and his silly girlfriend.
Lin Yuan: "...Why did they film this again?"
"Can I play a cold-blooded genius?"
Lin Yuan felt that his personality might be more suited to playing the second male lead, the blond-haired man.
But nowadays, he's mostly getting lead roles; he won't be offered second lead roles unless it's a super big production with a well-known industry big shot as the lead.
Next, Lin Yuan was quite fond of a revenge drama.
A murder case from more than ten years ago, and a brother and sister determined to avenge it.
The protagonist in the drama, from the day the murder occurred, has only one reason to live: revenge.
He can hardly live a normal life anymore. Even when he encounters love and has someone who truly likes him, he is still consumed by thoughts of revenge.
Time keeps flowing by, but he remains stuck on that day.
It feels like another hot and humid rainy season has arrived.
Lin Yuan stopped moving and stared intently at the script.
Feng Zeng: "..."
Another murder.
The scripts handed to Lin Yuan are usually reviewed by Feng Zeng first. The agent now knows Lin Yuan very well and can easily tell which script Lin Yuan will like when screening scripts.
As it turned out, his guess was correct.
Lin Yuan said he didn't want to act in scripts that were too complicated or profound, but when he saw this script, he couldn't help but lean in.
However, Feng felt that among these scripts, this protagonist's personality was the most unique, giving the actor a lot of room to perform.
The protagonist has a quality that lies between sunshine and darkness. He keeps telling himself to move towards the light and forward, but he can't help but retreat and gradually fall into the abyss.
If he acts well and the production team films it well, this could be a classic role.
In the end, Lin Yuan kept the script for the idol drama.
"You didn't let go?" Feng asked curiously.
"I want to change too, okay?"
Lin Yuan handed the revenge script to his agent: "I'm considering taking this one. Please check my schedule for me."
"As for this one—" Lin Yuan hesitated for a moment, "if the timing is right, I'll take it too."
Lin Yuan had a premonition that if the filming was successful, it would be his first and last idol drama.
Considering the weight of the first and last two words, continuing them is not out of the question.
"Okay." Feng Zeng breathed a sigh of relief. "This way I can avoid further questioning."
Lin Yuan is currently filming "Ghost Arts," which is almost finished, but his next project is still undecided.
Recently, whenever Feng Zeng communicates with various video platforms, even if it's just to show his face, the person in charge will ask him about Lin Yuan's next plan.
Are you planning to film a drama series? What kind of drama series are you planning to film? We have a really good script here. Lin Yuan, would you like to consider it?
Some producers even contacted the studio directly by phone and email, determined to secure Lin Yuan's schedule no matter what.
With Lin Yuan finalizing the script, Feng Zeng's response became much simpler, and the questioning naturally ceased.
The agents of popular celebrities are always this busy.
Feng once believed that what set him apart from other agents was his formal training in acting and his past dream of becoming an actor.
Although reality had almost eroded that dream, Feng felt that his experience as Lin Yuan's agent was a process of getting closer to his dream.
He wanted to see Lin Yuan shine in front of the camera.
Although Lin Yuan's fashion cover shoots have a great atmosphere, and although he can do anything well, in Feng Zeng's mind, Lin Yuan's most charming moments are when he successfully masters one role after another.
He preferred to be busy himself so that Lin Yuan would have fewer distractions and be able to focus on filming.
When Lin Yuan creates a brilliant character, Feng Zeng is reminded of his younger self.
He hopes Lin Yuan will shine even brighter, portray more great characters, and become an actor that everyone knows and admires.
This is his ambition as an agent.
...
It wasn't until later in the filming of "The Ghostly Arts" that Lin Yuan began to portray Zhu Sheng, the innocent and foolish character before his heart transplant.
For Lin Yuan, this part of the performance was not difficult, after all, he had played Gu Yilou before.
However, after filming officially began, Lin Yuan realized that he had probably underestimated Zhu Sheng at this stage.
At this time, Zhu Sheng was as innocent as a blank sheet of paper. He could only be described as dull-witted, but he also had a touch of profound wisdom in his apparent foolishness. He was not stupid.
Zhu Sheng loves life, listens to Mei Niang, doesn't go out to cause trouble, and is enthusiastic. In the eyes of others, he is not smart and will be bullied, but he is kind. Mei Niang likes his kindness, and he is also very good to Mei Niang.
If you overact, the character will appear stiff and stupid.
"Be mindful of the scale," Liu Xiaoguang reminded Lin Yuan. "In my imagination, Zhu Sheng's state is one that many people envy."
Although poor, they were carefree and not very worldly-wise, which allowed them to grasp happiness.
Lin Yuan pursed his lips: "Let me take another look at the script."
Lin Yuan easily handled the parts of the script that the director found difficult, but he got stuck on the parts that both the director and Lin Yuan himself thought were easy.
"Do you need a strong contrast between the character before and after the performance?" Lin Yuan asked Liu Xiaoguang.
The director frowned: "Okay."
"But it doesn't need to be overly exaggerated."
Lin Yuan understood.
In "The Powerful Minister", the contrast between the character Shao Jing's earlier and later development is a major highlight.
However, in "The Art of Ghosts", the Zhu Sheng before and after are not even the same person, so there is no need to overemphasize the comparison between the two.
Lin Yuan fell into deep thought.
Yu Ying visited him once during the journey.
“Don’t use the word ‘visit,’ it makes me feel like I’m in jail,” Lin Yuan emphasized.
"What's the difference between you being in jail now?" Yu Ying retorted. "Don't you feel that after being in this industry for so long, you've forgotten what a normal person is like?"
Lin Yuan nodded.
Zhu Sheng wasn't exactly a normal person; he just fit the book's expectations of humanity: kind, friendly, and innocent.
Like a child.
When playing such roles, actors unconsciously put on an act, which makes them appear overly childish, causing discomfort to both the audience and the actors themselves.
"It's okay, take your time." Yu Ying patted Lin Yuan on the shoulder. "The director has given you plenty of time."
Lin Yuan pondered for a day, and with a rest day added, it would be a full two days.
The filming of "Ghost Arts" is progressing well and will definitely be completed ahead of schedule. The director is being more lenient with Lin Yuan, letting him take his time to figure it out. If he hasn't fully grasped it yet, he'll give him two more days to film other people's scenes first.
Lin Yuan didn't want to delay; his current state could be described as deep contemplation.
Just then, Feng Zeng came over to discuss the TV series with him. Seeing Lin Yuan's appearance, his agent asked him how he felt.
“I think I would be happier if I didn’t take this role…” Lin Yuan said with a serious expression.
"...Don't steal other people's lines!" Feng Zeng looked up at the sky speechlessly. "The director told you to study the character carefully, not to memorize other people's lines by heart!"
Lin Yuan was just joking; he can be quite serious when he needs to be.
He had a feeling that the director didn't want Zhu Sheng to show off his skills too much in the early stages; the director probably wanted him to portray the character's genuine emotions.
...
Early that morning, Lin Yuan and Yu Ying had just greeted each other when Yu Ying asked him, "How are you feeling? Have you recovered?"
Lin Yuan scratched his head: "That's about it."
"Don't panic, take your time." Liu Xiaoguang patted him on the back. "Think carefully."
Filming resumed.
When Lin Yuan delivered his first line to the camera, Liu Xiaoguang's eyes lit up.
It's definitely different now compared to the beginning.
The Lin Yuan before him no longer gave him the impression of being foolish, or at least not completely foolish. He still had a childlike innocence, but it made people feel that what supported him to live in the world with this innocent face was the warmth and kindness in his heart.
That's why Mei Niang liked him.
Mei Niang's affection for the real Zhu Sheng surpasses that for the Zhu Sheng after his heart transplant.
Yu Ying's face showed a defiant look: "To be able to restore it just like that, that's too strong."
The agent glanced at her and said, "You're either terrible at it or incredibly good at it. You're so picky."
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Author's Note: Update! [doge][doge][doge]
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