There was no wrap party; after a round of congratulatory smiles, Shang Yechu's scenes were finished. Several villagers invited Shang Yechu to their homes for dinner, but she politely declined.
Shang Yechu returned to her residence, filled a basin with warm water, and began to wash her face carefully.
Warm water washed over her face, mingling with Shang Yechu's tears and stirring up her memories.
Since her rebirth, Shang Yechu has only been able to get into character three times.
The first time was the moment Princess Pingzhao ascended the throne.
Emperor Pingzhao's ambition at that moment overlapped with Shang Yechu's own burgeoning ambition. Shang Yechu's genuine emotion flowed almost naturally, without any acting. That state arose spontaneously, like the aroma of coffee released when hot water is brewing. Even Shang Yechu herself didn't realize she was immersed in the role; she only came to appreciate it after filming had ended.
The second time was the fight scene with Li Yi.
Li Yi is truly infuriating. Shang Yechu already disliked him in her past life, and after experiencing his unprofessionalism firsthand in this life, that dislike has been multiplied by a hundred. During that fight, both of them were so enraged that they were practically in a state of utter despair, which unexpectedly mirrored the state of Xiao Fengque and Xie An.
It could be said that getting into character the second time was purely by chance, entirely driven by anger. After all, anger is the easiest emotion to ignite, yet also the hardest to extinguish. After this experience, Shang Yechu became adept at portraying anger, which was arguably the biggest gain from working with Li Yi.
The third time, this time.
This time, getting into character didn't align with Shang Yechu's own mindset, nor was it stimulated by any external force; it was purely something Shang Yechu had to pull out of herself through her own efforts.
Shang Yechu racked her brains, drawing on all her past knowledge, memories, and experiences, even going so far as to personally reopen old wounds and tear herself apart, only then could she truly resonate with the character.
All of Shang Yechu's performances were natural reactions that came after she had fully immersed herself in the role and completely identified with Xiao Yue. She even felt that it wasn't her own brain controlling her, but rather the prototype of Xiao Yue, who was studying thousands of miles away, remotely controlling her.
Forcibly evoking memories, digging deep into the wasteland of one's past, is painful. Shang Yechu was indeed deeply immersed in the role. Even now, she remains depressed and melancholic.
Madness, liberation, grief, regret, love, hate...
That deep and complex pain cut into Shang Yechu's heart like a knife, bringing tears to her eyes.
Shang Yechu had just experienced the pain of the method acting school. People often say that pain and pleasure coexist, and Shang Yechu originally thought that she would have a sense of accomplishment from the success, but after the performance ended, all that remained was emptiness and sorrow.
Shang Yechu felt very sad. She didn't know if it was for herself or for Xiao Yue.
Ambition, anger, pain.
Shang Yechu murmured these words, then suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh.
When will I be able to learn some positive and healthy emotions in acting?
Her tears gradually dried, and Shang Yechu washed and dried her face. She prepared to eat.
After dinner, Shang Yechu went to see Gu Wenhua to review the playback and see where there were any omissions or where reshoots were needed.
Gu Wenhua, whom Shang Yechu was thinking about, was watching the playback with the assistant director. When they saw Yongfu's last tears, the assistant director couldn't help but let out a sigh of regret.
"What a pity, such a good performance, this shot is wasted."
"What's broken?" Gu Wenhua asked, puzzled.
"Yongfu cried?" The assistant director pointed to Yongfu's clearly visible tear tracks. "How can a dead person cry? This is a continuity error!"
Gu Wenhua glanced at the assistant director, then shook his head firmly.
"I don't think so," Gu Wenhua murmured, stroking his chin. "A stroke of genius—have you ever heard of those four words?"
-----------------
On the other side, Shang Yechu sat in her room, eating her boxed lunch without tasting it.
The emotions were too intense, and Shang Yechu didn't know when she would be able to break free from the role. Of course, she still needed to eat.
As she ate, Shang Yechu suddenly felt that something was amiss.
"When did you stop the music?" Shang Yechu questioned 103.
103 Mingming should have been playing music in Shang Yechu's head the whole time, but Shang Yechu didn't stop it.
103 said slowly, "Have you forgotten what you said?"
Shang Yechu racked her brains for a while before finally remembering that a few days ago, when she was joking, she had said to 103, "...we need some kind of reward system. If you think I've handled Teacher Qi Ming's acting well, how about stopping the broadcast?"
Shang Yechu leaned on her chopsticks: "What do you think of me..."
103 Tablet said, "Although you weren't acting opposite Teacher Qi Ming, I think you acted very well. It was your best performance. Even if Qi Ming had acted in your place, he wouldn't have surpassed you. That's why I stopped playing."
"You, you really are—" Shang Yechu shook her head with a laugh.
103 suddenly said, "Want to listen to music? I mean, not in my head, but in the outside world."
"Huh?" Shang Yechu tilted her head. "Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"
"Want it?"
"All right."
Just as Shang Yechu was about to pick up her phone, it started playing music on its own.
Even though I knew it was 103, the scene was still quite terrifying. Luckily, Shang Yechu was the only person in the entire house.
A gentle melody flowed from Shang Yechu's old, worn-out phone, the volume perfectly tuned—neither too loud nor too soft to be inaudible.
It is a song called "Ode to Joy".
Amidst the lively music, Shang Yechu suddenly felt her appetite improve.
103 watched Shang Yechu eat indifferently, then suddenly seemed to be struck by a thought: "Humans—"
"What have humans done to you again?" Shang Yechu said helplessly.
"Human suffering is a truly great emotion."
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