Chapter 45: Chen Ping, Go Talk Some Sense into Director Er

Chapter 45: Chen Ping, Go Persuade Director Er

"This..."

Midway through the recording, Derek Yee stormed off. This sudden departure stunned all the actors present.

Of course, the most flustered of all was the host, Da Peng.

"Director Er, actually, Director Liu Ming didn't mean it that way."

Host Da Peng stepped forward to smooth things over.

However, Derek Yee ignored him and quickly left the studio.

"Sorry, my fault."

Seeing Derek Yee leave, Liu Ming spread his hands.

He was extremely embarrassed.

Yet he knew.

Given his seniority and status, he could only take it when Derek Yee spoke to him like that.

Though he desperately wanted to snap back, he was clever enough not to do so.

Even though he offered an apology, deep down, Liu Ming felt quite resentful toward Derek Yee.

He really wanted to retort that his films brought in massive box office numbers.

So what if Chen Ping had great acting skills?

In the acting circle, there were plenty of decent actors; why weren't they famous?

Not to mention anyone else.

Take Ni Hongjie and Ma Su on this very show—were their acting skills poor?

Yet, why weren't they popular?

Forget popularity; frankly, their current careers were quite mediocre.

"Director Chen Kaige, would you mind going to have a word with him?"

Although they were recording a show, it wasn't a live broadcast.

No one wanted such an incident to happen. Da Peng walked up to Director Chen Kaige and whispered.

Chen Kaige merely shook his head. "I'll definitely go talk to him, but everyone knows Director Er's temper. I can't guarantee I'll be able to persuade him."

"Director Chen, if even you can't talk him round, then there's zero chance for the rest of us."

Among the four directors, Zhao Wei was famous, but her industry seniority was actually quite shallow.

Back when Derek Yee was directing films, Zhao Wei was still just playing bit parts and extras for him.

Derek Yee had even smiled and handed Zhao Wei a piece of candy, telling her she was so young to already be acting.

As for Liu Ming, that guy was the fuse of this entire explosion; it was even less likely for him to go.

There was no way they could send Liu Ming over to apologize.

Only Chen Kaige possessed the exact right combination of seniority and fame to make him the most suitable person for the task.

"Director Er, it's me, Kaige."

"What, you're not even going to let me in?"

After knocking on Derek Yee's door, it took a moment before Derek Yee finally opened it.

Even though he opened the door, Derek Yee's very first sentence was, "Don't bother trying to persuade me. If you're here to talk me out of this, Director Kaige, you might as well just turn around and go back."

"Director Er, what kind of temper is this? I might not want to nag you, but if I don't, what happens to our show? Are we just going to stop recording?"

Chen Kaige said with a smile, "There's no need to take things personally with Liu Ming."

"What personal grudge would I have with him?"

Still burning with anger, Derek Yee retorted, "I think coming on this show was a mistake to begin with. In a minute, I'll let the production team know they should find another director."

"What kind of foolish talk is that?"

Chen Kaige patted Derek Yee's shoulder. "I understand you. But honestly, sometimes we have to accept reality. Even though Liu Ming lacks seniority in our circle, I have to admit he's quite smart, possesses a certain talent, and his current aesthetic aligns very well with market demands."

"Precisely because of that! If our film industry gets many more people like Liu Ming, what will we even need actors for in the future? We might as well just cast handsome men and pretty women! As long as they're good-looking, it wouldn't matter whether they can act or not."

"Tell me, how many actors in our circle are actually considered ugly, or even just average-looking?"

Compared to Derek Yee, Chen Kaige took a much more philosophical view.

Of course, Derek Yee understood this as well.

And precisely because he understood, Derek Yee felt even more furious. "That's exactly why I feel it's so unfair to Chen Ping."

"When I agreed to join this show, Tencent told me it was a program focused purely on acting. But after seeing Liu Ming, I realized I was duped."

"Duped or not, Tencent has to survive as a business. If there are no handsome men and pretty women, who is going to watch this show? Actually, you really don't need to be so depressed over Liu Ming's aesthetic tastes—he doesn't represent everyone. Just follow your own instincts; scold whoever deserves a scolding, isn't that great? Besides, you've already dressed down quite a few actors earlier, even reducing a bunch of them to tears. I wonder who those actors are supposed to go to for justice?"

"I don't just berate people randomly; when I scold them, it's for their own good."

Derek Yee seemed to feel a twinge of guilt.

Thinking of those actors he had previously scolded to tears, Derek Yee felt somewhat uneasy inside.

Still, business is business.

The film industry was just like that—it was brutally harsh. If one couldn't even stomach this level of criticism, they had no business surviving in this circle.

"Alright, alright, stop steaming. Everyone's still waiting for you to record the show."

Seeing Derek Yee's resolve soften slightly, Chen Kaige tugged at his sleeve.

Yet Derek Yee still shook his head. "Brother Kaige, I understand what you mean. However, I'd like some quiet time alone."

"Fine, I'll wait for you in the studio."

Having tried his best to persuade him, Chen Kaige had no choice but to leave first.

"Director Kaige, how did it go?"

Seeing Chen Kaige emerge, Da Peng asked anxiously.

Not just Da Peng.

The show's director and producers had all hurried out from backstage.

This was a flagship program heavily invested in by Tencent.

Setting aside the budget, they had invited over forty actors alone.

Derek Yee refusing to record was a minor issue in isolation, but his refusal would waste the schedules of far too many people.

Quite a few of the actors had tightly packed calendars.

If time was wasted here, whether their subsequent episodes could even be recorded remained a big question mark.

"I said everything I could, but Director Er said he wants some quiet time alone."

Seeing everyone crowding around, Chen Kaige realized the gravity of the situation.

Yet he had already done his utmost; he certainly couldn't physically drag Derek Yee back to the set to record.

"Alone time—for how long?"

"We don't have the luxury of time."

Producer Gao Chenyang shook his head.

"Quiet time" wasn't a fixed measurement.

An hour or two would be fine, but if he wanted a day or two of peace and quiet, they were in deep trouble.

The schedules for over forty actors had been meticulously negotiated and arranged between him and various talent agencies.

If a particular actor dropped out, so be it.

With over forty of them, one more didn't make much difference, and one less didn't break the bank.

But losing one of the four main directors—and such a heavyweight director at that—was catastrophic.

Leaving aside the difficulty of finding a replacement, even if they found one, the lost time could never be recovered.

"Why don't we try having Chen Ping go talk to him?"

At that moment, Da Peng spoke up.

Although this incident was a conflict between Derek Yee and Liu Ming, it was ultimately sparked by Chen Ping.

If Liu Ming hadn't critiqued Chen Ping, Derek Yee would never have clashed with him.

"To untie the bell, you must look to the one who tied it. I think that's worth a shot."

Chen Kaige nodded in agreement.

Derek Yee held a very favorable opinion of Chen Ping; perhaps it just might work.

...

"Chen Ping, I need to ask a favor of you."

After a brief discussion among the group, host Da Peng approached Chen Ping.

"Teacher Da Peng, please go ahead."

"You saw what happened with Director Er just now, and Director Kaige already tried to persuade him with limited results. Everyone has poured a tremendous amount of effort into this episode, and so many actors have turned up. If Director Er truly refuses to record, this show will likely fold. We want you to go and try persuading Director Er."

"Teacher Da Peng, even Director Kaige couldn't get through to him. I'm just a rookie actor; I'm afraid I'll have even less luck."

Chen Ping looked hesitant.

Regarding the conflict between Director Er and Liu Ming, Chen Ping actually felt quite awkward.

He wanted to help, but he knew he lacked the standing and simply didn't dare open his mouth.

"What do you mean, rookie actor? Everyone just saw your performance on stage. Besides, Director Er appreciates you deeply, and it was precisely because of you that he clashed with Director Liu Ming. Give it a try! Success or failure, no one will blame you. Moreover, this is a rare opportunity to have a close, one-on-one interaction with Director Er. Don't you want to seize that?"

"Teacher Da Peng, thank you."

Chen Ping fully understood the underlying implication of Da Peng's words.

While Liu Ming acknowledged his acting skills, he had simultaneously pointed out his ordinary external appearance.

To break out into stardom relying on such thoroughly average looks was truly an uphill battle of monumental proportions.

Yet.

There were exceptions to every rule.

If Chen Ping could win the favor of top-tier directors, even if he couldn't become an overnight sensation, he could still carve out a solid place for himself in the entertainment industry.