Chapter 23: To Choose or Not to Choose

Chapter 23: To Choose or Not to Choose

Chen Ping, currently immersed in his role, was unaware of this prompt. Having neutralized her offensive, it was clear that Tong Yao was dissatisfied. However, she shared the same temperament as the princess she portrayed. Despite a whirlwind of thoughts, her face remained calm as she continued, "That woodcutter from the shores of Shu-Bi Lake—is he worth using?"

This was another verbal duel. The "woodcutter from Shu-Bi Lake" referred to the protagonist, Ning Que, whom Chen Ping’s character, Chao Xiaoshu, had asked for help. In the princess's logic, since it was a favor, Chao Xiaoshu now owed her a debt. This was an attempt to co-opt him.

Chen Ping saw through this easily. Yet, the Chao Xiaoshu he played remained indifferent and detached. Even though he understood the princess's implication, he didn't take it to heart. He had entered an extraordinary state, feeling as though his acting skills had improved significantly. With his hands clasped behind his back, he slowly said, "Your Highness, I merely asked him to lend me a hand. It is a partnership, not an exploitation."

"A partnership? So, you’ve become brothers, then?"

Chen Ping smiled slightly, not denying it.

Tong Yao continued, "I only wish to remind Uncle Chao that putting all your eggs in one basket makes them very easy to break. After all, you only have one chance—one egg."

Chen Ping remained unmoved by her verbal onslaught, his expression as calm as ever as he replied, "That little brother may eventually enter the Academy, or perhaps join the army. But regardless, he will certainly protect himself and not allow others to scheme against him. While I may only have one egg, I can choose not to put it in the basket."

It was another skirmish, yet this time, Chen Ping neutralized it so thoroughly that it carried no sting. Tong Yao remained unwilling to accept defeat, but it was to no avail. No matter how she attacked, Chen Ping displayed no ripple of reaction. It was as if the princess before him did not exist, or rather, that she simply didn't matter in his eyes.

It was a sense of disdain. No, that wasn't right. It wasn't disdain; it was the life experience of someone who had seen through the world and grasped its deepest truths. Never mind a princess; even if it were the King of Tang himself, Chen Ping would still hold firm to his inner principles.

By the end, Tong Yao understood that she had lost this contest with Chen Ping. She felt confused by her defeat. It seemed as if Chen Ping hadn't even fought back, yet all of her moves had been effortlessly deflected. Moreover, the energy contained within that detached, uncompetitive demeanor was surprisingly potent.

It was so strong that eventually, Tong Yao had to lay her cards on the table. "Uncle Chao, no matter what, you ultimately live in the ocean that is the Tang Kingdom. One day, you will have to choose which way to swim."

This statement made Chen Ping pause for a moment. After a while, he replied, "I am but a small fish. I prefer to be free and at ease, and I have no desire to be noticed by the great figures of this world. But if you must ask where I am swimming, perhaps I would simply choose to go ashore."

"Fish die on land," Tong Yao countered.

Chen Ping continued, "Even if I die, I am willing to stay out of it. The martial world may seem dangerous, but it is free. It offers the freedom not to choose... My apologies, Your Highness, but His Majesty is still waiting for me in the Imperial Study. This humble one takes his leave."

The second scene concluded there.

"Cut!"

"Good! Chen Ping, Tong Yao, that was excellent. Both of you, take a break."

Yang Yang was delighted. It was another scene full of artistic resonance. Although she knew that Tong Yao’s performance had been completely overshadowed by Chen Ping’s, the unyielding spirit Tong Yao displayed was perfectly suited for the character of Princess Li Yu of Tang.

After Chen Ping left, Tong Yao felt a sense of loss. She couldn't understand where she had gone wrong in that scene.

"Chen Ping, your performance just now was outstanding. What’s wrong? Still stuck in character?" Yang Yang asked, approaching him.

Chen Ping had a heavy workload today. After finishing the scene with Tong Yao, he still had a third one. And in that third scene, he would be facing the Heavenly King, Li Min, who played the King of Tang.

"Director Yang..." Seeing her approach, Chen Ping felt a bit bashful. "No, it’s just that I might have been moved by the scene."

"Tell me about it."

Although Chen Ping wasn't the lead, Yang Yang valued him highly. This wasn't just because *Nightfall* had surpassed 100 million views. More importantly, she knew that actors with Chen Ping’s level of talent and skill were incredibly rare. If she remembered correctly, Chao Xiaoshu was the first major role he had ever landed. Before this, he had only been an extra. He had only recently passed his arts exams and joined an agency. In truth, for Chen Ping to have reached this point was already a legend in itself.

"I feel that Chao Xiaoshu’s experiences are very similar to my own. Just as he said, the martial world seems dangerous, but it is free. It offers the freedom of not choosing."

"The elevation to the Knowing Destiny realm truly has a profound impact on one's state of mind."

"It’s not just because Chao Xiaoshu reached the Knowing Destiny realm; even if he hadn't, he would have acted the same way."

"Now that you put it that way, you’re quite right."

Yang Yang nodded, looking at Chen Ping with newfound respect. It had to be said that Chen Ping’s understanding of Chao Xiaoshu far exceeded her own as a director. But that was to be expected; otherwise, how could he have brought the character to life so vividly?

Hearing him say this, Yang Yang felt a bit curious. "Have many crews approached you for roles?"

"Uh..." Chen Ping spread his hands. "No."

"I thought people would be fighting over you."

"I wish," Chen Ping said with a self-deprecating smile. "To this day, I don't even know where I’ll be filming after *Nightfall* wraps."

Chao Xiaoshu’s scenes would be finished in the next two days. Once they were done, his part in the show would end. Chen Ping had wanted to see if there was any chance to add more scenes, as some novels suggested, but in reality, that was virtually impossible. For an actor without significant resources or backing, no matter how brilliant the performance, there were no extra scenes to be had.

Seeing Yang Yang look slightly taken aback, Chen Ping added, "What I meant was, Chao Xiaoshu has the freedom not to choose. Looking back at my time in Hengdian, I didn't even have the freedom to choose."

It was a sense of helplessness, but there was nothing to be done about it.

"Chen Ping, you’re becoming more and more interesting."

Yang Yang understood what he meant. Even if no crews were knocking on his door yet, Chen Ping now had the capacity to make choices. Come to think of it, it was truly like Chao Xiaoshu. One had the freedom *not* to choose, and the other had finally earned the freedom *to* choose. There was no hierarchy between the two; they were simply lessons learned by different people at different stages of life. Being able to grasp this meant that he had taken a massive step forward from where he once was.