However, this path went against the company's plan for him. Song Yimian was anxious and blamed himself. He hesitated for a long time until he saw the contract and suddenly remembered what Shen Huai had said to him when he signed the contract.
Shen Huai said that the reason he signed with him was because he saw his potential and believed that he would become an excellent actor.
Shen Huai also said that they are partners and equals.
These words gave Song Yimian the confidence to move forward again, and also made him determined to tell Shen Huai his true thoughts.
He looked up at Shen Huai, whose face held the same smile as always, full of tolerance and encouragement.
Song Yimian composed himself before speaking hesitantly, "Brother Shen, the scripts Sister Kefei picked are all very good, but I don't think they're suitable for me. I think... I want to try a film like 'The Scissors.' Also, I don't want to appear in front of the camera too much off-screen, and I want to gradually reduce my fan meetings and business activities in the future..."
Song Yimian finished speaking in one breath, then lowered his head, his face full of shame, not daring to look at Shen Huai.
Shen Huai didn't notice the last sentence, but he was still surprised when he heard the first one. "Scissors" is a highly controversial art film this year. Not only is it very explicit, but it also depicts the dark side of human nature in a way that is so real and ugly that it makes people uncomfortable.
The actor who plays the male lead is about the same age as Song Yimian, but he has won unanimous praise from the industry for his superb acting skills and vivid portrayal of the character.
Shen Huai never expected that someone as naive as Song Yimian would have such a thought.
But instead of directly refusing, he asked earnestly, "May I ask why? Why do you want to act in a film like 'Scissors'?"
Song Yimian was taken aback. He hadn't expected that Shen Huai would neither blame him for reducing his earning opportunities nor assert that he was being delusional. Instead, he patiently asked him for his reasons.
Song Yimian's heart felt a pang of bittersweet tenderness.
His previously tense heart relaxed considerably. After calming himself down, he said, "I used to think that good acting meant being able to cry on cue and perfectly bringing everything in the script to life. But this time on set, I saw the acting skills of Sister Mei and President Guo, as well as Brother Wei and many other senior actors. It's not that they lack the ability, but they showed me that a good actor brings a character to life. When they cry, it's not because the script requires them to cry, but because the character is crying."
“I remember once I overheard Mr. Guo and Sister Mei chatting. Mr. Guo said, ‘You have to forget yourself. You have to respect your role. You have to put yourself in that person’s shoes, personally feel his joys and sorrows, experience his life, and engrave his pain into your bones. Only then can you play him well.’”
Song Yimian gave a wry smile: "These words were like a heavy blow to my head, making me start to think. I want to become an actress like Sister Mei and President Guo. But I know that I lack not only talent, but also the ability to feel pain. I can't make up for the former, but I want to try to find the latter."
After listening, Shen Huai fell silent.
He understood Song Yimian's pursuit: someone who wants to become a good actor would never allow themselves to indulge in idol dramas with simple plots and shallow characters. They would proactively challenge themselves with more complex characters, undergoing the necessary training to become a true actor.
This is also why Shen Huai kept Song Yimian in the "Red Actress" crew for so long. He not only hoped that Song Yimian could learn acting skills from his seniors, but more importantly, he hoped that Song Yimian could learn their attitude towards acting from these seniors. This is the greatest asset for his future acting career.
Shen Huai had no idea that Song Yimian would go further than he had imagined.
He remained silent for a moment, and finally spoke before Song Yimian could sit still in unease.
"I'm glad you said that." Shen Huai smiled approvingly. "These past six months of study haven't been in vain; you've learned the most important things."
Song Yimian was stunned, and a blush of surprise slowly rose on her originally pale cheeks.
However, Shen Huai continued, "But I also want to remind you that this path is very dangerous. Many actors get so caught up in their roles that they can't get out of them, which ultimately leads to tragedy. I hope you can become a good actor, but I also don't want you to get into danger."
Song Yimian nodded vigorously, revealing a bright smile: "Don't worry, Brother Shen! I'll be careful!"
Shen Huai watched Song Yimian leave, sighing with a mixture of relief and worry.
-
When Lao Guo's assistant arrived, Shen Huai and he helped Lao Guo into the car before Shen Huai went upstairs to check on Ye Cang, who was also drunk.
He didn't expect that before he even reached the door, he saw Shen Heng come out of the room. He looked clean and refreshed, with no trace of alcohol on his face.
Shen Huai opened his mouth and called out "Uncle".
Shen Heng's gaze fell on the door, a smile playing on his lips: "Worried?"
Shen Huai hesitated for a moment before nodding.
Shen Heng chuckled and said, "His drinking capacity is quite a match for yours."
Shen Huai: "..."
Shen Heng patted his shoulder: "Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. Go see him."
As Shen Heng spoke, he walked downstairs.
Shen Huai stopped him, looked at Shen Heng, and said in a low voice, "They didn't do it on purpose today—I'm sorry."
Shen Heng understood why he was apologizing and said with a smile, "I understand. Everyone has secrets, and I respect them. You don't need to explain anything to me."
Shen Huai wasn't surprised that Shen Heng would say that, but he still couldn't help but say, "Uncle, I..."
Shen Heng waved his hand to stop him: "I know what you want to say, A-Huai. Even family members can have their own space. My concern for you doesn't mean I want to control you. You have your own life and your own secrets. You don't need to tell me."
"I respect outsiders, and I also respect my family."
Shen Huai fell silent. He felt as if his heart was stuffed with cotton, swollen to the brim.
Shen Heng patted his shoulder: "Alright, don't worry anymore. Do what you want to do. If anything happens, your uncle will take responsibility."
Shen Huai had already composed himself, and upon hearing this, he couldn't help but joke: "My uncle has always told me this since I was little. It's really a miracle that I didn't grow up to be a spendthrift second-generation rich kid."
Shen Heng asked in surprise, "You can even joke now?"
Shen Huai: "...In your heart, have I always been an old-fashioned person?"
Shen Heng burst into laughter.
Shen Huai couldn't help but laugh.
Seeing Shen Huai's relaxed expression, Shen Heng's worries gradually dissipated. He said seriously, "Although I still have many complaints about Ye Cang, I can at least see that he cares about you. Since you have chosen him, then walk this path well. As I said before, if anything happens, your uncle will take responsibility for you."
Upon hearing this, Shen Huai vaguely sensed something: "Uncle, are you leaving?"
Shen Heng grunted in agreement: "I can't keep taking a vacation forever. Besides, I've almost finished dealing with things overseas, so I need to prepare to go back to China."
Shen Huai was initially a little reluctant, but upon hearing the second half of the sentence, he immediately became happy: "You're planning to go back to China?!"
Shen Heng smiled and nodded: "Yes, at most two months."
As Shen Heng spoke, he suddenly remembered something, "Oh right, tell your friend that we'll have drinks together when I get back to China."
Shen Huai: "..."
Let's not do it, Lao Guo will cry.
Chapter 165
The next day, when Ye Cang woke up groggily, Shen Heng had already left.
This person came suddenly and left suddenly. Ye Cang didn't have any particular thoughts, but when he glanced at Shen Huai's face and saw the melancholy on his face, he thought that Shen Heng was, after all, Shen Huai's most important relative. Even if Shen Huai didn't say it on the surface, he must still be feeling sad inside.
So Ye Cang tried all sorts of ways to make Shen Huai happy.
Shen Huai was amused by him, and Ye Cang was relieved. Only then did he remember the important matter: "I was drunk yesterday, did anything happen to me?"
Shen Huai's expression revealed a strange look.
Ye Cang's heart tightened immediately. "What happened?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Huai's phone rang. It was Lao Guo sending a video.
As soon as Shen Huai answered the phone, Guo Wenyuan burst into hearty laughter on the other end, "Hahahaha, President Shen, do you know what Ye Cang did yesterday? Did Sister Mei and the others tell you? Hahahaha, that's hilarious! Ye Cang, what are you doing here?"
Upon seeing Ye Cang suddenly appear in the camera's view, Guo Wenyuan almost bit his tongue.
Ye Cang said softly, "If I'm not here, where should I be?"
Guo Wenyuan
Guo Wenyuan chuckled, then quickly changed the subject, "I need to speak with Xiao Shen, let's get together this afternoon."
Ye Cang regretfully stated that he would be returning to the production team of "National Idol" in the afternoon. He was originally supposed to go back yesterday, but he stayed an extra day to welcome Guo Wenyuan and the others back.
Guo slapped his forehead, "I completely forgot! Now that filming is finished, I can finally wholeheartedly vote for my goddess!"
Shen Huai and Ye Cang
Old Guo, that's all you've got.
Whether Ye Cang comes or not, Guo Wenyuan doesn't care. He originally wanted to find Shen Huai, and Ye Cang was just an accessory.
So after a short while, the two started bickering again across the screen. Although they usually argue with reason and witty remarks, when it comes to their own bickering, they are as childish as elementary school students.
Shen Huai couldn't help but recall a game he had once seen, where a cat and a dog meowed and barked at each other through a fence, throwing bones and fish bones at each other—it was exactly the same scene as what was happening before his eyes.
Shen Huai coughed, banishing the bizarre association from his mind.
Yesterday at the dinner table, Guo Wenyuan outlasted Ye Cang by a fraction of an hour and witnessed Ye Cang's drunken antics firsthand, thus securing his complete victory in today's verbal sparring.
Ye Cang sulked and went to the side to shut himself in.
Old Guo, full of confidence, said to Shen Huai, "That's settled then, see you this afternoon." But then, as if remembering something, his expression changed. "By the way, your uncle probably won't be coming, right?"
Shen Huai: "He still has work to do, and he already left by plane this morning."
Old Guo breathed a sigh of relief.
Before he could finish venting his anger, Shen Huai casually added, "However, he asked me to tell you that he wants to invite you for drinks after we return to China."
Guo Wenyuan
Guo Wenyuan's smile froze instantly.
After a long pause, he finally said, frustrated, "Xiao Shen, you can't scare people like that."
Shen Huai calmly replied, "There's nothing I can do; I'm protective of my own."
Guo Wenyuan
In the afternoon, Shen Huai drove to the place Guo Wenyuan had booked. It has to be said that Guo was still quite wary of Shen Heng. Even though Shen Huai had told him that Shen Heng had left, he still booked a teahouse as a precaution.
The waiter led Shen Huai to the door of the private room. Guo Wenyuan came over to greet him personally, then peeked behind him to make sure that Shen Heng was really not there before he was relieved.
Shen Huai ""
Guo Wenyuan realized he had overreacted and awkwardly tried to smooth things over, saying, "I'm not afraid of your uncle, but... drinking can lead to trouble, you know."
Shen Huai found it amusing, but didn't expose him.
Guo Wenyuan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly and warmly invited him to sit down, then personally poured him tea.
After Shen Huai put down his teacup, Guo Wenyuan spoke up, "Have you heard about the Film Association's plan to cultivate new talent?"
Shen Huai nodded. He had not only heard about it, but it was also because of this plan that Yang Yizhou became Pei Ran's screenwriter.
Guo Wenyuan's expression hardened slightly. "I heard from someone that Sheng Er has some ideas about this plan."
Sheng Er is Sheng Zhen, the second young master of the Sheng family. Back then, they poached Fu Cheng and suppressed Lao Yixing, attempting to seize Yixing's copyright library. Unfortunately, Yi Mian saw through their scheme and instead prompted him to give Yixing's copyright library to Shen Huai.