Chapter 37: Crush Those Pretty Boys 马会
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Chapter 37: Make Those Pretty-Boy Actors Suffer
“Okay, that’s a wrap.”
“Wasn’t that a little fast?”
“It really was.”
As always, filming Chen Ping’s scenes was a pleasure.
After successfully resolving the humiliation beneath the crotch, everyone on the crew felt incredibly relaxed whenever it was time to film Chen Ping’s scenes.
Naturally, the same was true for Director Gao Xixi.
In fact, several times, when filming other scenes had left him with a splitting headache, Gao Xixi had simply switched over to Chen Ping’s scenes.
He found filming Chen Ping’s scenes genuinely enjoyable.
At the same time, he felt that working with Chen Ping allowed him to relax completely.
Legend of Chu and Han was a grand historical production. Whenever they filmed other scenes, they were constantly dealing with massive set pieces.
Even Gao Xixi could barely endure it.
Filming Chen Ping’s scenes was much more comfortable.
There was no need for excessive direction. Most of Chen Ping’s scenes were completed in a single take.
The actors performing opposite him were comfortable as well, since there were hardly any retakes.
Thus, whenever the pressure became too much, they could film a few of Chen Ping’s scenes and catch their breath.
This, in turn, gave Chen Ping even more room to improvise.
The Han Xin portrayed by Chen Ping was like a young man who had just ventured into the martial world. Since he was not yet particularly powerful, he had no choice but to roam around and develop his strength.
At first, he ran to Xiang Yu’s side.
Later, feeling that he could not display his talents under Xiang Yu, he switched over to Liu Bang.
But he was not treated well there either.
After following Liu Bang for two years, he prepared to leave.
When Xiao He learned that Han Xin had fled, he mounted a swift horse and pursued him through the night.
And so came the legendary tale of Xiao He pursuing Han Xin beneath the moonlit sky.
From that point onward, Han Xin slowly transformed from a minor roaming hero into an overpowered monster capable of assassinating the enemy’s ultimate boss.
At that moment, the system issued a notification:
[System: The host’s Dialogue Talent has reached Level 5. You have obtained the talent “Cadence and Intonation.”]
[System: The host’s Overall Strength has broken through Level 10. You have obtained the Eye of Reconnaissance.]
Cadence and Intonation?
Chen Ping took a look and felt that this Level 5 Dialogue Talent seemed somewhat inferior to his previous Level 4 talent, “A Stunning First Impression.”
After all, “A Stunning First Impression” was extremely effective at suppressing opponents during scenes together, while also increasing an actor’s recognizability.
But what exactly did “Cadence and Intonation” mean?
Was it describing speech delivered with a strong sense of rhythm?
Chen Ping was somewhat puzzled, but the system soon provided an explanation.
[Cadence and Intonation: Describes speech with controlled rises and falls, effectively regulating the pace of the entire scene.]
The moment he read this explanation, Chen Ping became intensely excited.
This talent was outrageously powerful.
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This was absolutely an upgraded version of his earlier talent, “Soothing to the Heart and Mind.”
Previously, Chen Ping had used the Dialogue Talent “Soothing to the Heart and Mind” to draw Chen Feiyu into character.
But many times, the actor performing opposite you might not follow your rhythm.
Once he began acting opposite you—or even tried to outdo you—there was often nothing you could do to stop him.
Now that his Dialogue Talent had reached Level 5, however, he could use the sound of his voice to control the rhythm of the other actors.
When that happened, even a supporting actor could perform with the presence of a lead.
Right. What exactly was this “Eye of Reconnaissance”?
Chen Ping clicked to inspect it. Before long, he understood what the skill was for.
It could be used to view the attributes of other actors.
Chen Ping immediately used the Eye of Reconnaissance to inspect Teacher Yang Lixin, who played Xiao He.
The system returned the following information:
Name: Yang Lixin.
Occupation: Third-Tier Actor.
Dialogue Level: 5.
Acting Level: 5.
Appearance Talent: Level 0.
Overall Strength: Level 10.
Good heavens.
Teacher Yang Lixin’s abilities were truly formidable.
Chen Ping sighed inwardly.
No wonder he had felt that Yang Lixin’s acting was extraordinary whenever they performed together.
What did Overall Strength mean?
That value had not existed before. Had the system just received a new update?
Chen Ping then checked his own attributes, and sure enough, his values had been updated as well.
Name: Chen Ping.
Occupation: Eighteenth-Tier Actor.
Dialogue Level: 5 (Talent Bonus).
Acting Level: 5 (Talent Bonus).
Appearance Level: 0 (No Bonus).
Charisma Level: 1 (Talent Bonus).
Overall Strength: Level 17.
This level surprised Chen Ping somewhat.
Teacher Yang Lixin was only Level 10, while he himself was already Level 17?
Adding up the levels listed above, he should have only been Level 11.
But after seeing the talent bonuses, Chen Ping understood.
Talents were essentially cheats. Once the cheats were activated, one could defeat enemies far above one’s level in an instant.
Even so, Chen Ping maintained his original mindset.
Although his Overall Strength was already extremely high, he did not look down on the other actors.
For instance, within the production, Chen Ping had noticed two others whose levels were fairly advanced.
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Qin Lan, for example.
Her Overall Strength was Level 13.
He Rundong’s Overall Strength was Level 15.
The most formidable of all was Teacher Chen Daomin.
Chen Ping could not determine Teacher Chen Daomin’s exact level, but the system displayed a notification: 20+.
That 20+ value made Chen Ping extremely solemn.
This world was not one where simply having a cheat guaranteed an effortless victory.
Teacher Chen Daomin was already above Level 20.
Although Chen Ping still had two talent points available, whether he could truly compete with Chen Daomin remained unknown.
Moreover, besides Teacher Chen Daomin, there were many other even more famous, legendary figures.
Not one of those actors would have mediocre abilities.
...
“Chen Ping, how about I give you an extended vacation?”
“An extended vacation?”
“What? You don’t like the idea?”
“I’d certainly like one, but I haven’t finished filming my scenes yet.”
“You’re still planning to film?”
That afternoon, Gao Xixi came to find Chen Ping.
Seeing the look of astonishment on Chen Ping’s face, Gao Xixi said, “You probably don’t know this, but over the past few days, we’ve already finished filming all the scenes scheduled before yours.”
“Ah? They’re already finished?”
“Yes. There are probably about thirty episodes of scenes left for you, and your part is quite substantial. But we can’t continue filming you right now. We’ve been filming your scenes nonstop lately, while the scenes belonging to several other actors have been left untouched. If we keep filming you, the others will start complaining.”
At this, Gao Xixi felt rather troubled as well.
Originally, he had only intended to use Chen Ping’s scenes as a way to relax. He had never expected that, once they started, they would finish more than half of Han Xin’s storyline.
Still, he had to admit once again that filming Chen Ping’s scenes was simply too comfortable.
He had watched Chen Ping’s Han Xin grow step by step.
For a character like this, it was not only the audience of the future who would be eagerly awaiting Han Xin’s appearance. Even he, the director, was looking forward to that day immensely.
“Director Gao, I’ll follow whatever arrangements you make.”
“Good, then it’s settled. I’ll give you a fairly long vacation. I heard you’re going to participate in an acting variety show called Everybody Stand By?”
“Yes. Apparently, several major directors will be coming in person to offer guidance.”
Over the past few days, Chen Ping had also received an invitation from Tencent Video and had been asked to make preparations.
He had been wondering whether he should request leave to participate. As things stood, there was no need to ask for leave anymore—the director had already given him an extended vacation.
That worked out perfectly.
After finishing Everybody Stand By, he could return and continue filming Han Xin.
“All right. Give it your best. Make those pretty-boy actors suffer.”
With that, Gao Xixi burst into laughter and walked away.
End of Chapter
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