Chapter 40 Playing "Kangxi"

Chapter 40: Playing the Role of "Kangxi"

"Director Kaige, are you asleep yet?"

"How could I be asleep this early? I just arrived in Shenzhen today, and I have to record a show tomorrow. I doubt I'll get any sleep before midnight tonight."

"A master director like you must surely work hard."

"Are you teasing your older brother again? Aren't you busy filming *Legend of Chu and Han*? How do you have time to call me?"

"Well, an actor from my crew went to audition for your show. So, how is it? Have you seen him?"

"Gao Xixi, what are you getting at? Chen Ping was recommended to me by you in the first place."

"Don't be so impatient. I just think this little guy Chen Ping has potential, so I want to observe him a bit more."

"What, are you planning to cast Chen Ping in a major production later on?"

"Who knows about that? Just give him some tough challenges over there. I'd love to see just how deep this guy's potential really goes."

"Heh, you and I are thinking the exact same thing."

The two men shared a knowing laugh.

For top directors like them, encountering a truly talented actor was a source of immense joy.

Even if they didn't know whether there would be a chance for collaboration in the future, who could say for sure what tomorrow brings?

Yet, whenever the opportunity arose,

that actor who had dazzled them and left a profound impression would undoubtedly be the very first person to cross their minds.

Chen Ping's performance in *Ever Night* had firmly etched him into Chen Kaige's memory.

Meanwhile, Chen Ping's portrayal of Han Xin in *Legend of Chu and Han* had left Gao Xixi utterly spellbound.

Seizing the opportunity of this show, *Actors Please Take Your Place*, the two directors arrived at the exact same thought without prior consultation.

...

Early the next morning,

Chen Ping and the rest of the cast had breakfast together.

After the gathering the previous night, Chen Ping was already familiar with quite a few of the actors.

Ma Bocian, who had previously debuted through a Tencent music show, and Chen Ruoxuan, who played Ji Ye in *Novoland: Eagle Flag*, both had pleasant chats with Chen Ping.

At 8:30 AM, the official recording of the show commenced.

The reason for starting so early was primarily because each episode of *Actors Please Take Your Place* was scheduled to run for over two hours.

Yet, to produce that two-hour polished broadcast effect, the recording on the floor required at least two full days.

Especially given the format adopted by *Actors Please Take Your Place*: the actors had to perform live on stage in the style of a theatrical play.

There was zero room for retakes here; it had to be a continuous, single-shot performance—what directors often referred to as a "one-take pass."

If something went wrong in the middle, your performance was essentially over.

[Welcome everyone to *Actors Please Take Your Place*, brought to you by Tencent Video. I am your host, Teacher Da Peng...]

The host was Teacher Da Peng, who had experience as both an actor and a director.

Following an opening monologue and the announcement of the show's rules, the 40 actors made their entrance one by one.

Naturally,

unlike previous shows, as the 40 actors entered sequentially, the production team not only introduced each actor's basic background to the audience,

but behind the scenes, a panel of producers also rated their market potential.

The highest rank was S-class, followed by A-class, with B-class being the lowest.

This rating system was ruthlessly demanding.

It could practically be said to mirror the current reality of the entire entertainment industry.

Some actors with exceptional acting skills who had vanished from the public eye due to various circumstances were almost invariably rated B.

Veteran, powerhouse actors like Ni Hongjie and Ma Shu were all assigned a B rating.

On the other hand, performers like Lou Yixiao and Yuan Bingyan received S-class ratings simply because they had starred in a massive hit drama and their own performances were decent enough.

Furthermore,

the seating arrangement for the actors visually reflected these three tiers of treatment.

Actors rated S sat on comfortable sofas.

Actors rated A sat on regular chairs.

Actors rated B sat on backless stools.

Consequently,

following this logic, when Chen Ping made his entrance, the show's producers assigned him a B rating.

"He's a newcomer actor who has only starred in one series so far."

"Even though his performance as Chao Xiaoshu was decent, he doesn't have other representative works, so he's a B."

"Average looks, average height, slightly above-average acting skills, but limited room for growth. B."

These were the reasons given by the producers for Chen Ping's rating.

"What the heck, Chen Ping, how did you end up as a B?"

Seeing Chen Ping walk over to the B-group seating area, Ma Bocian asked with a hint of surprise.

Chen Ping didn't feel any sense of unfairness and replied, "Why wouldn't I be a B? You're so handsome, aren't you a B too?"

"Hahaha, I debuted as a singer, and I haven't acted in many dramas."

"I haven't acted in many either."

"But your Chao Xiaoshu was amazing."

"Then go ask everyone else if they've even watched my portrayal of Chao Xiaoshu."

Although Chao Xiaoshu had indeed made a striking impression at the beginning of *Ever Night*, his presence was fleeting, much like a shooting star.

After all, Chao Xiaoshu wasn't the protagonist, and as other actors delivered standout performances later on, Chao Xiaoshu's character lost much of its distinctiveness.

...

"Brother Kaige, are you really not connected to Chen Ping?"

"Director Yee, would I lie to you?"

"I don't believe it. Look, your last name is Chen, and his last name is Chen. Could he be some sort of relative of yours?"

The four directors seated at the judges' panel were naturally not idling away their time.

As the actors entered, the directors would offer brief critiques of them.

Noticing Chen Kaige repeatedly gazing toward Chen Ping, Derek Yee couldn't help but make a joke, adding, "Just kidding, just kidding, don't mind me."

At this moment, Zhao Wei chimed in, "Actually, I've also taken a bit of a liking to this actor named Chen Ping."

"Oh, Zhao Wei, do you know this actor?"

"No."

Zhao Wei shook her head. "I haven't watched any of the shows he's been in either. But he seems different from the other young actors—much more composed."

"Now that you mention it, I agree."

Derek Yee looked over Chen Ping's profile once more.

Chen Ping was only 23 years old, yet in *Ever Night*, he had portrayed Chao Xiaoshu, a character in his thirties.

Although Derek Yee hadn't seen Chen Ping's performance firsthand, looking at the poster of Chao Xiaoshu on the giant screen, the character indeed exuded a strong sense of composure.

Moreover, there was a heavy aura of chivalry about him.

After a moment of thought, Derek Yee remarked again, "I feel like [Tsui Hark] would love an actor like this."

"Well, I don't."

Liu Ming, one of the four directors sitting in the middle, interjected.

"Director Liu's aesthetic has always been purely about handsome men,"

Zhao Wei teased from the side.

Liu Ming openly admitted, "That's right, I just like handsome guys."

Derek Yee seemed unimpressed by Liu Ming and turned back to address Chen Kaige, "Director Kaige, since you've watched the drama Chen Ping was in, tell us something..."

"What is there for me to say? I'm afraid that if I say a few more words, you guys will start claiming Chen Ping is my relative again."

Though Chen Kaige wanted to offer more praise for Chen Ping,

he knew the weight of his own influence. The show had just begun, and there was no need to speak too much.

After all, on a show like this, everything ultimately had to be proven through acting.

With that,

the ranking competition commenced.

Although the producers had initially assigned ratings based on the actors' current market positioning,

what was the true caliber of these actors—were they S, A, or B?

Nobody knew for sure.

Thus, in the first round, the actors who had received market-based ratings had to compete directly against one another.

The 40 actors would select their respective performance pieces.

Naturally, because of market standing, the selection process began with the highest S-tier actors.

This mirrored the current state of the entertainment industry precisely:

the top actors received the best scripts, the best directors, and the opportunity to work with the finest production crews.

Yuan Bingyan was the fifth to choose her script, selecting *Eternal Love* to play the role of Su Su.

Seeing Yuan Bingyan pick this particular piece, Chen Ping furrowed his brow.

Although Yuan Bingyan ranked fifth among the S-tier actors and held priority in script selection,

if she failed to pick the right material, even with an S-tier rating, she risked completely ruining her performance.

*Eternal Love* was a massively popular drama that practically everyone had watched.

Furthermore, Yuan Bingyan was portraying the character Su Su. Even if she didn't surpass the original portrayal, simply delivering a good performance wouldn't be enough for the audience to connect with her.

Adding to that, trying to perform this segment within such a short timeframe presented an immense challenge.

However, since Yuan Bingyan had already made her choice, Chen Ping couldn't very well discourage her.

Meanwhile, Chen Ping felt quite fortunate. Although his rating was B and he was among the last five actors to choose a script,

he managed to secure a piece that satisfied him completely.

The title of the script was *The Deer and the Cauldron*, and Chen Ping would be playing the role of Emperor Kangxi from the story.