miss
With "The Passing of Spring", Shen Yu became famous overnight in the true sense, and had his first representative work with extremely high gold content and recognition from the industry.
The film "The Passing of Spring" earned Shen Yu the Golden Plume Award for Best Newcomer, but it also saddled him with somewhat simplistic and fragile labels like "arthouse youth" and "the embodiment of tragic aesthetics." Countless scripts featuring similar melancholic young characters have flooded in, offering high prices in an attempt to replicate the success of "The Passing of Spring."
He didn't want to stay in the safe zone.
Unexpectedly, he turned down most of the same invitations and, after careful screening by his team, took on a high-quality suspense crime drama - "Undercurrent".
The male lead he plays is a complex and multifaceted character, appearing on the surface as a harmless university student, yet in reality, he is the brains behind a highly intelligent criminal gang, with a tragic past and a twisted heart. Shen Yu has completely shed the pure and fragile image he portrayed in "The Passing of Spring," displaying a remarkable range of abilities. His delicate and layered performance imbues the character's suave depravity, hidden cruelty, and occasional agonizing struggles with unwavering intensity. His eye contact, in particular, delivers chilling shifts from innocence to sinister intent.
"Undercurrent" became a hit of the year, garnering both critical acclaim and viewership. With this role, Shen Yu successfully demonstrated his ability to not only portray a melancholic young man but also handle complex and dark adult roles. He garnered widespread recognition from both within and outside the industry, and gained even wider audience appeal, achieving a pivotal transformation from a "newcomer" in the film industry to a "powerful" television series.
…
Thanks to the extremely high popularity accumulated by "Undercurrent", Shen Yu got the leading role in the S+-level ancient costume fairy tale production "Qingxiao Hanye".
This is undoubtedly a huge gamble. The novel "Qing Xiao Han Ye" is well-known and widely discussed. The male protagonist Mu Qingxiao has always been ranked in the top three in the list of male protagonists in ancient Chinese novels. It is an ultimate test of appearance, acting skills, and the ability to carry a drama.
The official announcement on the official Weibo account instantly triggered a hot search, and the comment section was quickly occupied by fans of the original novel and various netizens:
"I'm cracked! Don't ruin my white moonlight! Shen Yu's acting is okay, but his temperament is totally wrong! He's going to play a cold and aloof god, not a broken boy!"
"Resource-rich??? Capital push???"
"Wow, my baby is finally playing a fairy hero! This look is so beautiful that it makes me cry! Qing Xiao Ben Xiao!"
"I have a feeling it's going to be a complete remake. I'm so upset I even want to send a knife to the casting director."
"He's not a professional actor, but he just changed his career and played Qing Xiao? Can he handle an S+? Good acting skills don't necessarily mean he's suitable for Xianxia or ancient idol dramas! Xianxia dramas need that sense of atmosphere! The demeanor! The fighting scenes! Can he do it?"
"I'm a pure passerby and don't understand fan circles. Just saying: Shen Yu's acting is undeniable, but what Xianxia dramas need more is 'su feeling' and 'immortal spirit'. He is good-looking, but he is delicate and fragile. Qing Xiao is cold and powerful. Do they really look the same... [eating melon]"
“…”
The huge controversy pushed the attention of "Qing Xiao Han Ye" to the peak, and it became popular before it was even filmed, attracting the attention of the entire network. Everyone was waiting to see whether Shen Yu, the golden signboard of "a face that can be thrown away from the drama", could prove himself again in the field of Xianxia, which has the largest traffic, or whether he would eventually fall from the altar.
This undoubtedly put Shen Yu under unprecedented pressure, but it was this desperate situation that completely stimulated his fighting spirit and potential.
After the broadcast of "Clear Sky and Cold Night", all doubts disappeared.
Shen Yu's costumed appearance is breathtaking, his aura serene and ethereal. His fighting scenes flow like flowing clouds and water, and his acting skills surpass those of his peers. He portrays the forbearing and deeply compassionate god of war, burdened with the fate of mankind, with unwavering conviction. Whether in his poignant love scenes with the female lead or the sorrow of his journey alone, he delivers a deeply moving performance.
"Nine Skies Cold Night" set records in ratings and online broadcast volume. Shen Yu jumped to the top traffic with this drama, and his commercial value exploded exponentially. He is no longer an actor who needs to prove himself, he is the guarantee of ratings and quality.
He traversed the path to fame with precision, diligence, and even a touch of self-abuse. He ground all his unspeakable pain and depression into fuel, throwing it into the crucible of performance, forging a series of distinct yet equally brilliant characters.
He was a star-studded figure, adored by the masses. But he knew his heart was a desolate ruin. Standing at the highest point, he felt only the chill of cold. That old stuffed rabbit, the one thing he had to cuddle to sleep each night, was still his only comfort, the last wisp of connection to a past relationship that had been completely denied.
…
To outsiders, Lin Qingyue's time in New York was a journey of a powerful woman conquering the overseas market. But only she knew it was more like a self-imposed exile and a difficult period of self-recovery.
During her first few months in New York, she tried to numb herself with intense work. The overseas branch's expansion did encounter considerable resistance, which suited her just fine. She immersed herself completely in her work, like a spinning top, afraid to stop, trying to use her intense busyness to dispel the inappropriate but ever-increasing emotions.
But there are always those moments when you're caught off guard. You habitually reach out, only to miss that glass of water at just the right temperature. You return exhausted to your apartment, only to find a cold, empty room devoid of any hint of home. When your stomach is upset, you can no longer find that bowl of perfectly cooked, warming porridge that appeared just in time.
She discovered that Shen Yu had already penetrated every gap in her life like air without her knowing it. His presence was silent, yet omnipresent. Without him, her life was like missing an important gear, stuck everywhere, uncomfortable everywhere.
Insomnia became a constant. She would wake inexplicably in the middle of the night, subconsciously glancing at the spacious bed beside her, only to find an empty pillow and cold silk sheets. In the darkness, those memories she had deliberately suppressed would become especially clear: his sparkling eyes, filled with dependence and admiration, looking at her; the gentle, tender tentativeness of his cautious "sister"; the warm touch of his body and the scalding tears that flowed from his eyes when he was moved...
That empty feeling is not a heart-wrenching pain, but like a slowly released chronic toxin, bringing a long and stubborn dull pain that diffuses deep in the heart and lingers.
She claimed to be fully committed to expanding Lin's overseas business, but in reality, most of her energy was devoted to coping with the various inconveniences and challenges of pregnancy, which she maintained thorough confidentiality. Her pregnancy was intense, and the birth was particularly agonizing. Lying alone in the private delivery room on the top floor of New York-Presbyterian Hospital, holding her wrinkled little baby, she was completely overwhelmed by an unprecedented sense of vulnerability and immense loneliness.
At that moment, Lin Qingyue missed the man she had pushed away more than ever. If he were still there, he would surely be terrified and pale, yet he would stay by her side, looking at her worriedly with those wet eyes, caring for her clumsily but sincerely, right?
She named her daughter Lin Nian.
The thought of missing someone.
This name was like a secret mark, engraving the emotions she was unwilling to admit.
As Lin Nian grew older, the dull pain not only didn't disappear, but became even more pronounced. The little girl was incredibly beautiful, and that beauty pointed increasingly clearly to the person she had tried to forget. Her nose, mouth, and facial contours were almost identical to Shen Yu's, delicate as a doll. But she inherited Lin Qingyue's eyes: a pair of beautiful, lighter brown eyes. Every time she looked at her daughter's face, Lin Qingyue seemed to see the shadow of another person through those eyes that looked like her own. The upward curve of her daughter's mouth when she smiled, the slight frown on her brows when she was thinking, even the unconscious hint of dependence when she was acting coquettishly... all of them were like invisible keys, repeatedly opening the floodgates of memories and emotions that she had deliberately blocked.
Lin Qingyue could probably guess why he'd suddenly ventured into the entertainment industry. She began to obsessively follow domestic entertainment news. Gradually, more and more information about him surfaced: movie posters, award-winning news, red carpet photos... He was like a star destined to shine, finally breaking through all obstacles and rising with dazzling brilliance.
She watched him step by step from obscurity to the star-studded world, and watched him stand in the center of the stage under the attention of the public to receive applause and praise. Only then did she realize that his words "I want to stand in the highest and brightest place so that you can see me" were not just youthful ambition.
And she had indeed seen it. Every time she saw it, the complex, dull ache in her heart intensified. She belatedly and painfully realized that she loved the boy she had raised and then cruelly pushed away far more than she had imagined. But that love had been deeply suppressed and misunderstood by her overly rational calculations, her fear of losing control, and her ridiculous self-admiration for "his own good."
Unfortunately, I understood it too late and missed too much.
…
When Spring Passed was released, she secretly returned to China to watch the premiere. Several close-up shots captured the deep, unspeakable pain and despair in Shen Yu's eyes, a heartbreaking reality. In the darkness of the cinema, Lin Qingyue's tears silently soaked through her mask.
But after crying and wiping away her tears, she still didn't regret her original choice. At least at that moment, it was the best decision she could make, the one she believed was best for both of them. His current brilliant career justifies the significance of her sacrifice.
Lin Qingyue stayed in New York, continuing to handle overseas business while raising her daughter alone. Lin Nian became the only warm light in her life and the eternal reminder of her past that she could not escape.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com