Chapter 49 I Am Actually Just a Passerby

"Indeed."

Seeing the system prompt, Chen Ping nodded.

He had guessed correctly.

The film *I Am Somebody* had always been a lingering knot in Derek Yee's heart.

Now that the knot was untied, Derek Yee's regret was finally put to rest.

What was the talent of this director space?

However, since they were still recording the show, Chen Ping planned to study it later.

Yet, after Chen Ping and Yuan Bingyan finished their performance, the first to speak was not Derek Yee, but rather Director Liu Ming, who had previously been at loggerheads with him.

"I witnessed many moments where I truly couldn't help but shed tears. I feel that your natural ease, your control over the emotional fluctuations and design, the tacit understanding you two presented, the blocking, the positioning, the rhythmic confrontation between each other, and the handling of meticulous, crucial physical actions—every single one was exceptionally fantastic. I felt like I was watching a movie. As I followed your joys, sorrows, sorrows, and delights, I experienced the heartache of the extras, the emotional resonance of those dreamers struggling at the very bottom... This is the absolute best piece of drama I have watched so far."

Surprisingly.

Liu Ming, who had previously deemed Chen Ping's appearance inadequate, offered such high praise.

Yet, witnessing Liu Ming's sincerity, Derek Yee, who had previously clashed with him, also gave a slight nod.

This was the charm of drama.

When you perform a scene to the point of resonating with people, even a director who previously failed to recognize you cannot help but shower you with praise.

Next came Vicki Zhao: "It was truly wonderful. *I Am Somebody* is Director Yee's work. Watching this piece of drama reminded me of my own days as an extra back then. However, I had it much better than most extras at the time; I didn't spend day after day like those extras, rushing around merely for a role with a single line, ending up with no result at all. But I can deeply understand the hardships of being an extra, and your outstanding adaptation allowed me to catch a glimpse of that glimmer of hope. Thank you both."

The audience broke into applause once more.

Such words struck a deep chord with all the actors present.

Although the actors gathered here all possessed a certain standing in the industry, how could they not know the hardships of being an extra?

Then came Chen Kaige: "I have always been very strict. Among the pieces performed by the actors previously, I always picked out your flaws. However, in this play of yours, I cannot find a single flaw."

The applause grew even more enthusiastic.

Finally, it was time for the anticipated Derek Yee.

*I Am Somebody* was, after all, Director Derek Yee's own creation.

Of all people, Derek Yee had the most reason to feel deeply emotional.

After Chen Kaige finished speaking, he looked at Derek Yee: "Director Derek Yee, I believe everyone is most eagerly awaiting your critique."

Derek Yee uttered a hum of acknowledgement, unusually revealing a trace of shyness.

Everyone smiled with relief.

Derek Yee, who was always domineering and sharp-tongued on set, actually possessed such a tender side.

"Actually, it feels a bit embarrassing to critique my own work. To be honest, the box office for this film wasn't high; it could be considered a flop."

Hearing this, Director Liu Ming quickly apologized from the side: "I'm sorry, Director Yee, that really wasn't what I meant."

"Director Liu Ming, don't misunderstand. Actually, I agree with many of the points you raised earlier."

This sentence clearly indicated that Derek Yee had let go of the previous conflict.

This caused Director Liu Ming to heave a sigh of relief.

Having been subjected to Derek Yee's sarcastic remarks all this time, he had been at his wit's end.

"I was genuinely afraid that you would just perform it the exact way I shot it before, because I felt that if you did that, it would simply be another form of repetition. But halfway through, I realized you had changed it, and I was overjoyed. Your ideas are brilliant, and you adapted this piece wonderfully. The concept is fascinating and has given me a great deal of inspiration. Thank you, thank you for your magnificent performance..."

All the applause was directed at Derek Yee.

"Thank you, Director Yee, and thank you to the four directors for your evaluations. Now let's hear the thoughts of our two actors."

Host Da Peng handed the other microphone to Yuan Bingyan: "Bingyan, when selecting the pieces, I noticed that you chose *I Am Somebody* without the slightest hesitation. What was the reason behind that?"

"For one, I really love this drama *I Am Somebody*. It fully expresses all the joys and sorrows of us actors. Performing them, I feel, is essentially performing ourselves."

"And the other reason?"

"The other reason is that I wanted to act opposite Chen Ping."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire audience let out a collective "Oh...", and gossipy whispers erupted everywhere.

Da Peng asked again with keen interest: "Did you two plan this beforehand? What would you have done if someone else had chosen this piece?"

"I believed that Chen Ping would definitely choose this drama as well."

Yuan Bingyan answered with certainty.

At the venue, another wave of commotion rippled through the crowd; this piece of gossip was getting rather large.

Naturally, Da Peng turned his questioning to Chen Ping.

Chen Ping looked slightly embarrassed and said, "Everyone, please don't let your imaginations run wild. There is no gossip here. Actually, Bingyan and I have known each other for a long time, so compared to other actors, we share a bit more tacit understanding."

"We could tell,"

Da Peng nodded. "That's why all four directors said your cooperation was exceptionally seamless, almost as if you really were a couple."

"Hahaha, I wouldn't mind being a couple. How about it, Bingyan, let's embrace again."

As he spoke, Chen Ping made a motion to hug her.

Yuan Bingyan pushed Chen Ping away immediately: "Don't take advantage of me."

Such playful banter quickly defused the audience's gossipy speculation.

"In addition, I must say something. With a film like *I Am Somebody*, I can almost be considered to have played myself."

"Played yourself? What do you mean?"

Da Peng looked slightly puzzled.

"Because..."

"I am actually just an extra."

"Or rather, I actually started out as a background actor."

As soon as these words dropped, the entire venue suddenly erupted in excitement.

"Started as an extra?"

People looked at one another, completely unable to believe it.

You must know.

Although *I Am Somebody* portrayed extras, as far as they were concerned, none of them had started out as background actors.

Even if some of them had served as extras in the past, it was merely for cameo appearances.

Take Vicki Zhao, for example.

She worked as an extra for a few days, then suddenly became the female lead, skyrocketing to instant fame and stardom.

"Chen Ping, did you really start out as an extra?"

Da Peng asked in astonishment.

It wasn't that he looked down on extras; rather, this was simply too shocking to them.

Because no matter how hard a background actor tries, the absolute furthest they can go is a minor supporting role with speaking lines. Advancing any further is virtually impossible.

Yet Chen Ping—

Although he wasn't a mega-star yet, the fact that he could participate in *Actors Please Take Your Place* already demonstrated a certain level of popularity.

Or rather, even if he lacked popularity at the moment,

the fact that his agency allowed him to participate indicated that he would undoubtedly be heavily promoted by the company in the future.

"I spent over a year working as an extra in Hengdian, then passed the art exams, and finally signed with Sheng Teng. Before signing with Sheng Teng, I had played hundreds of roles, but my lines never exceeded three sentences."

Recalling the past, Chen Ping felt a deep sense of emotion.

These memories prompted yet another round of intense applause from the audience.

For an ordinary extra to climb to where Chen Ping was now was already nothing short of a miracle.

At that moment, Derek Yee also spoke with great emotion: "Chen Ping, I previously believed that *I Am Somebody* was a failure. But seeing you today, I know that *I Am Somebody* was never a failure. Perhaps, this is the most successful film of my entire life."

Overwhelmed with emotion, Derek Yee stood up.

This was the truest feeling welling up from the depths of Director Yee's heart.

Likewise.

Recalling what Vicki Zhao had said earlier—that seeing Chen Ping and the others perform *I Am Somebody* represented hope—didn't that symbolize hope itself?

Strictly speaking, the hope Vicki Zhao spoke of at the time was more of a form of encouragement.

She knew, and everyone present knew, that such hope was extremely, extremely remote.

It was merely a glimmer of human nature depicted in film and television dramas.

In reality, such hope simply did not exist.

Yet Chen Ping, standing right before them,

had transformed that hope into a possibility.