Chapter 22: Rapid Progress

“Attention, all departments!” Director Li Dawei began his pre-filming briefing, holding a microphone.

“There are many actors in today's scene. Pay attention to the blocking; everyone must remember their positions.”

“All extras, get your movements straight. If anyone dares to wander into my frame, break character, laugh, or chat privately and disrupt the shoot...”

“Then you can get lost immediately!”

Despite Li Dawei’s usual politeness toward the leads, he displayed a commanding dominance whenever he had to lecture the extras!

There was no helping it; extras simply had no rights.

Whenever such moments occurred, Zhang Yuan felt fortunate that he had already moved beyond the bottom tier of the film crew.

At the same time, he caught the subtext in the director's words.

Much like how a Grand Tutor might punish a Crown Prince's attendants when the Prince makes a mistake, this was a tactic of "striking the mountain to scare the tiger"—a way of criticizing one person to warn another.

While he was ostensibly telling the extras to pay attention, he was actually reminding the main actors to stay sharp and avoid making amateur mistakes.

The content of today's scene involved the first meeting between Liu Chunjiang, played by Zhang Yuan, and the maid Xiao Lian, played by Xu Lu, set against the backdrop of a grand family wedding.

In a large-scale scene like this, there were over a hundred extras alone. If even one person made a mistake, the whole thing would have to be redone. It wasn't just pressure for the actors; it was immense pressure for the director as well.

The wages for the extras alone exceeded ten thousand yuan a day!

Because the scale was so grand, even those not participating, such as Chen Kun, Dong Jie, and Kou Zhenghai, had come to observe.

“*The Story of Golden Powder*, Scene 102, Shot 1, Take 1, ACTION!”

Played by Xu Lu, Xiao Lian—who was clearly a maid but had been playfully dressed up like a young lady by several Misses of the Jin family—was searching for an exit within the grand mansion's corridors.

A "Prince and Cinderella" story was about to unfold.

At this moment, Zhang Yuan, also playing a guest, walked slowly from the other end of the corridor. Every movement exuded the elegance and confidence of a wealthy young master.

Enhanced by his round-rimmed glasses, he appeared even more refined, possessing an air of scholarly brilliance.

Beside him, Dong Jie tilted his head to look, then bit his lip, clearly delighted by Zhang Yuan's current state.

At a corner, a fateful encounter arrived quietly.

As the lost Xiao Lian turned around, she happened to fall into Liu Chunjiang's line of sight—a glance that felt like an eternity.

A camera zoomed in, capturing a tight close-up of Zhang Yuan's face.

This kind of extreme close-up is difficult to act!

It required the feeling of love at first sight, yet there were no lines; he could only express it through his eyes and facial expressions.

Li Dawei watched the monitor with intense concentration.

And Zhang Yuan's performance did not disappoint the director.

The shock of the first glance.

The joy of the second.

The fluster of the third.

Much like Guo Xiang seeing Yang Guo, Zhang Yuan successfully expressed the essence of "a single glance that changes a lifetime."

Though it was merely a slight quiver of his eyelids, he perfectly conveyed different layers of emotion within seconds. Even Li Dawei, watching behind the monitor, couldn't help but shout, "Good!"

“Excuse me, sir, may I ask where the bridesmaid's lounge is?” At this point, Xu Lu spoke her line.

However, Zhang Yuan, who was supposed to answer immediately, maintained his previous expression...

*Is this kid forgetting his lines?* Li Dawei broke into a cold sweat. The eye acting just now was perfect; if he faltered now, this take would be ruined.

Chen Kun and the others nearby also held their breath for Zhang Yuan. Although they possessed the pride of classically trained actors, they had become friends with Zhang Yuan and did not want him to make a mistake in such an important moment.

Meanwhile, the three veteran actors watching from the side broke into smiles.

Two seconds later, Zhang Yuan's expression shifted, as if waking from a dream, and only then did he deliver his line.

“Just go straight down this path.” After speaking, he paused for half a second, a hint of playfulness flashing in his eyes, before continuing: “But the paths here are quite winding. How about I lead the way?”

“Cut!” Li Dawei shouted, leading the applause.

At that moment, Chen Kun and the others in the crowd realized.

“Those two seconds of daze weren't him forgetting his lines—it was intentional!”

“I only just realized. Those two seconds were expressing how infatuated Liu Chunjiang became with Xiao Lian at first sight.” Qiao Zhenyu stroked his chin. “That’s exactly the state one enters when stunned by a beauty.”

“But the best part was his second pause!” Chen Kun added.

“The other person asked for directions, he answered after a daze, and then paused again for a split second. That split second was to leave space for the character's emotional shift.”

“Using the request for directions, Liu Chunjiang wanted to take the opportunity to offer to lead her, hoping to gain more time to spend with her.”

“Those two pauses were the essence of this performance!”

It was like listening to a crosstalk performance—why was Yu Qian called the "Empress" of the supporting role? Because he mastered the art of inserting his own words between the lead's lines; if he was too fast, he would steal the spotlight, and if he was too slow, he would ruin the rhythm.

To pause just right, neither too much nor too little—that rare sense of rhythm was everything.

*Hiss...* Chen Kun drew in a breath of cold air. *It's only been a few days!*

Not only had Zhang Yuan's acting become more refined, but his command of lines had also improved significantly.

Not forgetting lines was the first step; speaking naturally was the second. Zhang Yuan had clearly reached the third step: having sufficient emotion and incorporating his own understanding of the character's state.

They were only just realizing it now, but the veteran actors had seen it all along, which was why they had smiled.

Eager to learn, respectful of elders, and clever—the veteran actors found themselves liking this junior more and more... especially since he kept "lighting fires" for them every day.

Also in the crowd, Shu Chang, who was waiting for her turn, stared blankly at Zhang Yuan after hearing the analysis from Chen Kun and the others.

“Brother Yuan is so amazing.”

“Changchang, why is your face red?” Xixi was also watching Zhang Yuan, though in her eyes, he wasn't an actor, but a "keeper."

“Don't tell me you've fallen for Zhang Yuan!”

“Don't talk nonsense.” Shu Chang gave her a nudge. Her face was red because she was thinking about how she had once been hostile toward Zhang Yuan, and she felt a sense of guilt.

Unlike Xixi's absolute confidence, Shu Chang was actually quite introverted.

The next scene was Shu Chang's turn, following immediately after the previous segment.

Liu Chunjiang was escorting Xiao Lian when they encountered the Eighth Miss of the Jin family, played by Shu Chang, halfway through.

“Where have you been?”

“I've been looking for you everywhere and got lost. I'm lucky this gentleman led me here.”

“Miss Jin, please take your time talking. I won't disturb you.” Seeing that the person had been delivered, Zhang Yuan nodded with great grace and departed, moving out of the camera's range.

The following was the dialogue between the Jin family master and servant. Zhang Yuan didn't go far; he stood just a few steps away watching.

“Oh, he...”

Unexpectedly, just as Zhang Yuan exited the frame and it was Shu Chang's turn to speak, she froze.

As mentioned before, Shu Chang worked very hard; she filmed during the day and sought tutors for high school subjects at night.

Perhaps she was too exhausted and hadn't rested well, but her mind went blank, and she completely forgot her lines.

Just then, Zhang Yuan, standing a few steps away, hurriedly used his lips to signal the lines to her.

With this prompt, the naturally bright Shu Chang immediately snapped back to reality.

“How did he know my surname is Jin?”

In truth, her daze lasted less than half a second. She followed through and delivered the lines so smoothly that even the director didn't notice she had momentarily forgotten them.

“Cut! That's a wrap on this one. Camera crew, change the angle.”

Shu Chang pressed her hand to her chest, her heart thumping wildly.

She had also heard the director's voiceover before filming; she had almost become the one to make a mistake.

“Brother Yuan, thank you. If you hadn't reminded me of my lines just now, this take would have been ruined,” Shu Chang, with her two small braids, said shyly as she walked up to Zhang Yuan.

【Received thanks from Shu Chang: Acting Talent +5, Appearance +1, Learning Ability +3!】

As expected of a top student, she could even provide "Learning Ability" attributes.

“You forgot your lines just now?” Like the director, Chen Kun hadn't noticed at all.

“Wait! That's not right, how did you know her lines?” Chen Kun realized.

“I memorized the lines for every character I have a scene with today,” Zhang Yuan said nonchalantly, patting the script roll in his hand. “Know your enemy and know yourself.”

*Your matter-of-fact attitude makes those of us who only memorized our own lines look very unprofessional...* Chen Kun, Qiao Zhenyu, and Dong Jie exchanged looks.

Was it that they were too stupid, or was Zhang Yuan too strong?

Why was he progressing so fast?

Not long ago, he was frequently forgetting lines, yet now he could recite everyone's lines by heart. How much time had actually passed!

They had seen talent before, but they had never seen talent like this!

“Yuan, why don't you teach us? How do you memorize so many lines?”

The three "professionals" actually began to ask Zhang Yuan for advice...

(End of Chapter)