Chapter Fifty-Eight: The New Script
Yun Yao's starring roles in several productions were gradually broadcast, but like stones thrown into a vast ocean, the market response was lukewarm. Yun Yao had come to understand what it meant for ideals to be lofty while reality was harsh. Becoming famous was a difficult thing, even with so many resources that others could only dream of.
Qin Rao comforted him, saying, "Yun Yao, you're just not photogenic. I saw it, and the screen doesn't even show a tenth of your beauty. Look at those cameras filming idols with heavy makeup. No matter how ugly their natural features are, as long as they have enough makeup and a thick filter, they become the stunning beauties that fans talk about. It shows that sometimes the camera is a very unreal thing."
Qin Rao recalled that year when she and Zhao Shi gave the lady's housekeeper, Cheng, photos and videos of Yun Yao. Everything was settled, but the housekeeper suddenly wanted to change his mind. However, when he saw Yun Yao in person, he was so amazed that he agreed on the spot.
“Yun Yao, believe me,” Qin Rao’s eyes deepened as she moved closer to Yun Yao and smiled ambiguously, “You are a rare top-tier natural beauty in this industry. If those audience members could see you live, they would definitely go crazy for you.”
Yun Yao turned his eyes away and sighed softly, "It's not about appearance. Qin Rao, is my acting really that bad?" For the first time, Yun Yao, who had always been an excellent student in everything, began to doubt himself.
"Yun Yao, success requires the right timing, the right place, and the right people," Qin Rao said with a playful wink. "Maybe your time to become famous just hasn't come yet."
She patted his shoulder again and said affectionately, "But don't worry, Wangyue Media has plenty of resources. You can film whichever movie you want. Becoming famous is just a matter of time."
Yun Yao turned away from Qin Rao's advances, recalling the comments he had seen online after the show aired.
Some netizens commented that his acting was mediocre and his expressions were a bit stiff. However, the focus was more on the incredible resources he had as a newcomer to the film and television industry. The most upvoted comment expressed curiosity about how long he could last, since capital could provide him with resources but not acting skills. Some netizens were already gloating about what would happen if the movie flopped after its release, and so on.
In fact, judging from the level of online discussion, he is no longer unknown, but this fame is not a good one.
It seems he still has a long way to go, Yun Yao thought to himself, he needs to work even harder.
So he stopped talking to Qin Rao and plunged into the acting training class to study hard. In addition, he was recommended by the professional teachers of the acting class to audit classes at the Film Academy and hired a private tutor for special guidance.
That day, he finally had some free time and went online for a while. He opened a forum, and the top post again mocked him as a resource-driven actor with no acting skills. But one recent reply differed from the majority of comments; it seemed to come from an anonymous production crew member: "I've worked on his set. He was still reading the script at 3 AM, and he never lost his temper even after twenty takes. His assistant said he often didn't even have time to drink water. He has good resources, but he's really hardworking." However, this comment was quickly drowned out by new accusations: "Is this a paid troll group?"
Yun Yao sighed and closed the forum. He decided to stop paying attention to online news until he had created a film he was satisfied with. He remembered a director once telling him, "The audience ultimately watches the film, not your background."
Yun Yao, who initially harbored ulterior motives, began to take acting seriously. After his new agent gave him a supporting role in a well-made urban romance drama with a cast full of veteran actors, Yun Yao devoted himself entirely to honing his acting skills.
During this time, another incident occurred: Yun Yao encountered an old friend, Cao Zhang.
It was a dinner party Yun Yao was forced to attend. He was brought there by his former agent, only to find out upon arrival that it wasn't the private gathering his former agent had described, where the director and screenwriter were supposed to discuss the script with him. Instead, it was a dinner with unfamiliar producers and several middle-aged tycoons who reeked of money.
Yun Yao immediately thought his former manager had gone mad, daring to pull such dirty tricks. Ignoring the disgusting look and probing words from the man in the head seat, he turned and left. It was in the hotel corridor that Yun Yao encountered Cao Zhang, who was being escorted by a group of people.
Cao Zhang had changed a lot at this point. Faced with the fawning and flattery of the crowd, his expression was stern and unsmiling, and his imposing presence made people afraid to look him in the eye. The former manager who had been chasing after Yun Yao and the middle-aged tycoon who had previously acted like he owned the place immediately changed their expressions.
"Mr. Cao!" Several wealthy men stepped forward with fawning expressions. Listening to their flattery, Yun Yao realized that Cao Zhang was already a "big shot" and had great influence in the political and business circles of the South.
Cao Xian showed no interest in others' flattery or sycophancy. He waved his hand, and the people around him, who looked like bodyguards and assistants, immediately blocked him away.
The people in front were driven away, and Cao Zhang looked up and saw Yun Yao standing outside the crowd watching. His expression immediately changed.
"Mr. Yun!" Cao Zhang strode towards Yun Yao with excitement. The wealthy men and former agent on either side were dumbfounded. They couldn't believe that such a big shot would be so familiar and enthusiastic towards a newcomer in the entertainment industry. The expressions on everyone's faces at the dinner table were immediately a fascinating mix.
Cao Zhang then walked up to Yun Yao and invited him to a quiet private room to catch up, but Yun Yao had to rush back to the film set to shoot, so he declined Cao Zhang's invitation. They then went to a quiet spot at the other end of the corridor and chatted for a few minutes.
Cao Zhang apologized to Yun Yao, saying that he had not fulfilled his wife's request. He was supposed to protect Yun Yao, but after his wife fell into a coma and was hospitalized, and the eldest young master took over, he was forced to be transferred away from the central city and was under constant surveillance. He was too far away to help. By the time he finally returned to the core circle, everything had already ended.
Yun Yao remained silent for a while, without saying anything. He didn't want to recall those distant, dreamlike events from Muxiyuan anymore.
After chatting for a while, Yun Yao was about to leave. Before leaving, Cao Zhang personally confirmed Yun Yao's contact information. He also sincerely told Yun Yao that he would always remember the kindness Yun Yao had shown to his wife when she recommended him, and that he would do his best to help her in any way she needed in the future.
Yun Yao didn't really want to have too much contact with Cao Zhang, regardless of whether he was sincere or not, after all, Cao Zhang was also from that side.
After this incident, Yun Yao found that his status in the company had become even more detached. The former agent who tricked him into going to the dinner party was immediately fired and blacklisted in the industry. President Zhang and a group of senior executives became even more cautious about him.
Qin Rao arrived immediately and explained the absurd dinner to him. According to Qin Rao, the former agent had secretly accepted bribes from a rival company and planned to sabotage Qin Rao before switching companies, using Yun Yao, whom Qin Rao valued, as a favor. The middle-aged tycoon who led the group was a business rival of Qin Rao, and he colluded with the former agent to orchestrate the incident.
After explaining and apologizing to Yun Yao, Qin Rao subtly tried to get information out of him, asking how he knew Cao Zhang.
Yun Yao merely glanced at her and said, "He is Madam's student."
Qin Rao was speechless. She fell silent and didn't press the matter further. However, Yun Yao realized that Qin Rao's attitude towards her might have changed, and she would have to think twice before resorting to those underhanded manipulative tactics.
After all, Qin Rao had no idea how many connections Yun Yao had, like Cao Zhang's, he had accumulated over the years while serving the Madam. These were immeasurable resources.
As for Qin Rao's explanation, Yun Yao didn't completely believe it. During her time at Wangyue Media, although Yun Yao had been oblivious to the outside world, she knew that relying solely on artist management, the company couldn't have grown to such a large scale in such a short time, nor could it have acquired the resources and connections that its competitors could only dream of.
The dinner that day also gave Yun Yao some vague suspicions that Qin Rao and another shareholder, Zhao Shi, were probably still secretly doing their old business.
That former agent did this behind Qin Rao's back, but he was so skilled at it that it probably wasn't the first time he'd done it.
Yun Yao thought with some disgust that this industry was indeed a den of iniquity, and if it weren't for his purpose, he really wouldn't want to be in this kind of environment again. Therefore, Yun Yao ignored Qin Rao's various attempts to be friendly and became even more indifferent to her and the company.
That day, after finishing his work, Yun Yao was handed a new script by his new agent, Sister An.
Yun Yao's filming of the urban romance drama is nearing completion. He quite likes the show because it features a cast of veteran actors. Even as a minor supporting character, he can learn a lot from observing, which is perfect for a newcomer like himself who still needs to hone his acting skills. Furthermore, the atmosphere on set is very professional. No one gossips about his background or identity, and no one looks at him with prejudice. Everyone is dedicated to their duties, and the director is very patient in guiding him.
It was during the filming of this drama that Yun Yao felt she had truly entered the profession of acting and gained a deeper understanding of the film and television industry.
Therefore, Yun Yao has a relatively high opinion of his new agent, Sister An, who got him the role in this drama.
He had told Sister An that he could take on more scripts similar to this production, but Sister An told him that good scripts and good productions are hard to come by, and honing acting skills doesn't necessarily mean only playing supporting roles; sometimes, playing the lead role in a good production is a greater challenge.
The script that Yun Yao's new agent, Sister An, handed her this time was for the male lead in a mythological romance drama. The story was adapted from well-known folk myths and love legends, a popular IP with a large fan base. Yun Yao studied the script carefully and found it quite interesting.
The entire script is very engaging, featuring a classic mythological love story between a human and a demon, a timeless tale of romance that transcends age. It avoids the dross elements often found in modern, criticized feudal myths, making it a legendary love story suitable for all ages. If well-made, it could be a fantastic drama.
Moreover, in terms of screen time, the female lead has a larger role in this drama, while the male lead, although having fewer roles, is an important part of the story. This is quite suitable for Yun Yao, a newcomer who has resources but no achievements yet.
The new agent, Sister An, introduced Yun Yao to the production team of the show. Although the director was not a veteran, renowned director, he was a professional director recognized as very capable in the industry. The screenwriters were a professional screenwriting team that was most skilled in adapting this type of film and television drama.
After listening to the whole thing, Yun Yao realized that this drama was a very good resource. The fact that such a production team would cast Yun Yao as the male lead probably meant that Wangyue Media had some connections behind the scenes.
Sure enough, under his questioning, Sister An frankly admitted that Wangyue Media was the largest investor in the drama. However, Sister An also comforted him, saying that his acting skills were still quite good, and that she had shown Yun Yao's performance in this urban romance drama to the director and screenwriter, who approved of it.
Now, the new drama is all set except for one crucial element: the female lead.
All parties are putting in a lot of effort to find an actress who can play this most important role. Wangyue Media, the investor behind the drama, also hopes to find a well-known A-list actress to mentor their own artists.
Yun Yao closed the script. Outside the window, the full moon leaped out of the clouds, casting a clear and gentle light on the world.
His fingertips gently traced the edge of the script, his heart, which had been clenched with worry for the character, softened by the moonlight. He recalled the protagonist's miraculous escape from a desperate situation in the script, and then glanced at the mint on the windowsill, its leaves swaying gently in the evening breeze.
This joy came unexpectedly, like rain that had been suffocating for a long time finally falling, or like green shoots sprouting from barren land, quietly tickling the tip of one's heart.
Perhaps, his story, like the moonlight, can also break through the clouds and shine brightly.
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