Chapter 58: The Official Broadcast of "Actors, Please Stand By"

Chapter 58: The Official Premiere of "Actors, Please Take Your Place"

"Damn, that scene just now was absolute perfection."

"Indeed. That guy named Chen Ping really has some serious skills. You have no idea, I couldn't even dare to look him in the eyes just now."

"Me too."

As the scene of Han Xin receiving his military commission came to an end, the various extras playing soldiers couldn't help discussing it amongst themselves.

Although they were not primary actors, standing right behind the scenes, they could deeply feel the magnetic charm of Chen Ping's acting.

Especially during the part where Chen Ping made his oath, they genuinely felt as though they had been transported back to the Qin and Han dynasties, witnessing Han Xin being appointed as general right before their eyes.

That stirring, passionate oath truly made them willing to risk their lives in service to Han Xin.

"Hey buddy, I heard Chen Ping used to be just like us, an extra."

"No way."

"Why would I lie to you? I actually checked it out. Chen Ping started out playing bit parts just like us, but he always worked hard and eventually passed the art exams. Step by step, he made his way up to landing a series of important roles."

"Oh man, seriously?"

"Absolutely true."

"Looks like we need to work harder ourselves and stop just coasting along like this."

Many of the extras secretly made up their minds.

Of course.

Among everyone, the actors who actually shared the stage with Chen Ping felt the deepest impact.

Initially, they had wanted to take Chen Ping down a peg, but they never expected to be completely won over by his acting prowess.

"Chen Ping, I'm sorry about earlier. I might have pushed a little too hard during that performance."

"Teacher Kang Kai, your performance was exceptional. By nature, the role of Han Xin is bound to stir up controversy the moment he comes to power. What you showed just now was your true character, and Director Gao also kept saying how stellar your acting was."

"There's no need to comfort me. But I truly admire your acting skills. We should chat sometime."

"I will definitely look forward to your guidance whenever there's time, Teacher Kang Kai."

Although he had just won the admiration of the cast, Chen Ping was not an arrogant person.

Seeing how humble Chen Ping was, Kang Kai felt a warmth in his heart, and any lingering unpleasantness from the earlier filming completely vanished.

This attitude also caused Gao Xixi to nod approvingly to himself.

There were quite a few talented actors in the industry, and Chen Ping was definitely not the most formidable one.

However, those who possessed talent yet remained grounded, knowing when to advance and when to show restraint, were exceedingly rare.

"Chen Ping, you did a great job today. Keep it up."

Gao Xixi patted Chen Ping on the shoulder and said with satisfaction.

***

"Ah, that felt amazing."

Once the day's shooting wrapped up, Chen Ping returned to his hotel and took a refreshing shower.

Today's filming session had been truly exhilarating.

Although the character of Han Xin played by Chen Ping was not the leading man, for that day, he was the absolute star.

This also heightened Chen Ping's desire to play a male lead role in the future.

***

After all.

Throughout the entire series, the male lead was the central melody of the whole story.

Every event and the entire core of the narrative revolved around the male lead.

Chen Ping then focused his mind inward and opened the system.

The reason Chen Ping had performed so flawlessly today was not only because his personal acting skills had reached a very high level, but even more so due to the system's cheat-like enhancement.

His in-scene rating had leaped from Level 20 all the way to Level 40.

However, this overclocked cheating came with a side effect: the loss of popularity points.

Of course, losing popularity points was a minor issue.

More importantly, he not only lost popularity within the system, but his popularity in the real world had also taken a hit.

Popularity points: 10,000.

The system interface showed that 10,000 popularity points remained.

He opened the Kuaishou platform.

Sure enough.

The 50,000 followers he previously had had been reduced to 10,000.

"Damn, what's going on? Who unfollowed Chen Ping?"

"What the hell is happening? I've been unfollowed twice now. I wonder if the Kuaishou platform is trying to ban Chen Ping."

"Good, good. I've followed him again."

Seeing the messages left by various fans on the platform, Chen Ping felt a warmth in his heart.

Despite some bizarre, unexplainable anomalies, many fans still chose to follow him back.

Chen Ping quickly went into the Kuaishou fan chat group and sent a message: "Apologies, everyone. I just checked in with the official Kuaishou platform team. It seems there was a system glitch, which caused many users to be disconnected."

As soon as this message was posted, fans immediately popped up in the chat.

"Wow, Brother Ping, you're finally here."

"It's fine, Brother Ping, no worries at all. We just had to hit follow again."

"Yeah, yeah, what's a little glitch like that? Oh, by the way, Brother Ping, how is the filming for *Legend of Chu and Han* going?"

It was rare for him to have a night off from filming, and seeing the fans so enthusiastic, Chen Ping began chatting with everyone in the group: "We've already filmed up to the part where Han Xin receives his military commission."

"Wow, Han Xin receiving his commission! That's awesome, I can't wait for that scene."

"Right, let me share some good news with you all. While filming *Legend of Chu and Han*, I also participated in *Actors, Please Take Your Place*. It should be airing soon."

"*Actors, Please Take Your Place*? I've heard about that variety show for a while. Brother Ping, how was your performance in it?"

"Well, that will definitely give everyone a surprise."

"A surprise? What kind of surprise?"

"If I tell you, it won't be a surprise anymore. Look forward to it slowly. If there's no surprise, you all have my permission to come into the group and scold me."

"Holy crap, Brother Ping, now that you've said that, I won't even be able to sleep. Ahhhh... when is *Actors, Please Take Your Place* going to air?"

***

The next day, Chen Ping filmed as usual.

***

Following the scenes of Han Xin receiving his commission, Chen Ping's acting skills had won the recognition of everyone on the crew.

Even Teacher Chen Daoming would warmly strike up casual conversations whenever he saw Chen Ping.

Consequently, the subsequent filming went much more smoothly.

Everyone involved was a seasoned veteran, complemented by Chen Daoming's stellar performances and Chen Ping—who, despite his youth, would regularly deliver breathtaking scenes that left people applauding in amazement.

The overall progress of *Legend of Chu and Han* became much faster than before.

Meanwhile.

After Chen Ping finished recording the first four episodes of *Actors, Please Take Your Place*, the post-production editing and censors' review were also proceeding intensely.

Perhaps because it was a web-based show, the regulatory authorities were not quite as strict with this sector.

Originally, Tencent had projected a two-month timeline, but unexpectedly, the entire process was completed in just one month.

Thus, while Chen Ping continued filming *Legend of Chu and Han*, *Actors, Please Take Your Place* premiered ahead of schedule.

One could say that *Actors, Please Take Your Place* was Chen Ping's second major onscreen exposure following *Ever Night*.

Compared to his previous role as Chao Xiaoshu, *Actors, Please Take Your Place* undoubtedly offered a much greater degree of exposure.

After all, Chao Xiaoshu was merely a minor character; he was great in the first few episodes, but once other prominent characters appeared later on, Chao Xiaoshu didn't amount to much anymore.

However, *Actors, Please Take Your Place* was entirely different.

This was a variety show produced by Tencent itself, and moreover, it was a variety show that focused purely on acting chops.

Furthermore, to drive up popularity, the show not only brought in 40 actors with considerable fan bases, but also featured four prominent directors.

In terms of configuration, this guaranteed that the show would attract a very high level of attention.

And indeed, that was precisely the case.

The moment the first episode of *Actors, Please Take Your Place* aired, it instantly captured the interest of numerous viewers.

"Wow, this show is interesting."

"So raw, the directors just start chewing people out on the spot."

"Hahaha, that young idol got chewed out until he cried."

"How pitiful. These actors have huge followings, yet in front of the four directors, they look like elementary school kids."

"Hey, the actor playing Kangxi is pretty solid. Even though he's young, his acting is top-notch."

"Isn't this the actor who played Chao Xiaoshu?"

"Oh oh, it's him... Nice, nice, his acting is indeed formidable. No wonder he brought Chao Xiaoshu to life."

With the very first episode of *Actors, Please Take Your Place*, Chen Ping quietly reaped a wave of new attention.

*(The End of This Chapter)*