Chapter 9: A Suddenly Popular Melody

Chapter 9: A Suddenly Popular Song

“Taking a break?”

“Staying at the hotel?”

This sentence left Chen Ping momentarily stunned, and the other members of the directing team looked equally puzzled.

What’s going on here?

Chen Ping wondered if this was some kind of line test from the directing team and was about to respond with “staying at the hotel.”

But soon, Director Yang Yang spoke up, “That... was just a joke.”

“Chen Ping, hello, I’m Yang Yang, the director of the Ever Night crew. This is our producer, Mr. Wang Yuren.”

“Hello, Director Yang, Producer Wang.”

“Alright, no need for formalities. Tell me, why do you think you’re suitable to play Chao Xiaoshu? You have to know, Chao Xiaoshu is supposed to be in his early thirties, but you’re only in your twenties.”

“Appearance isn’t that important; makeup and styling can make up for that.”

“But what about the inner self? Can you portray the inner world of a man in his thirties?”

Actually, this question was somewhat unnecessary.

After meeting Chen Ping, Yang Yang was already captivated by his aura.

Compared to An Zhijie,

While An Zhijie had the advantage in looks and age, he completely lacked the charisma that Chen Ping possessed,

Especially that aura of a wandering hero from the martial world.

Still, Director Yang Yang wanted to hear Chen Ping’s thoughts.

“Chao Xiaoshu is the leader of the Fish-Dragon Gang and a chivalrous figure in the martial world. I believe that all such heroes carry a youthful heart. Even if he’s in his thirties or forties, his heart remains young. To put it simply: after enduring half a lifetime of hardships, he returns still a youth.”

“Returns still a youth.”

This phrase struck a chord in Yang Yang’s heart.

Chen Ping’s words about youth felt fresh and poetic to the director.

“Youth.”

Chewing on the word quietly, she found herself fond of it.

It had a powerful resonance—not only fitting for a character like Chao Xiaoshu, but just hearing it made her feel much younger.

“Here’s a script. You’ll do a scene with my assistant shortly.”

Handing the lines to Chen Ping,

He glanced over them and didn’t rush. After more than ten minutes, he said, “Director, I’m ready.”

“All right, Xiao Zhang, please rehearse with Chen Ping.”

“Yes, Director.”

The person acting opposite Chen Ping was Yang Yang’s assistant, Zhang Jiu. Though only an assistant, he had spent years behind the scenes and had unique insights into acting.

Taking the script, Zhang Jiu said, “Chao Xiaoshu, I advise you to be sensible.”

His voice was rough, and having been with the directing team for years, he carried an air of authority fitting for his role as Li Peiyan, the younger brother of Tang Wang.

But Chen Ping didn’t take Zhang Jiu’s words seriously; instead, he replied casually, “I also advise you not to have designs on Forty-Seven Alley, and don’t lay a hand on my tenants.”

Chen Ping’s talent for lines and acting had both reached level four.

In theory, his acting had already met the standards of a third or fourth-tier actor.

Not only that, Chen Ping’s performance carried a natural gift.

Just like the line talent skill “Stunning the Audience,” even ordinary dialogue could move listeners deeply.

This shocked both Yang Yang and Producer Wang Yuren.

Although Zhang Jiu rarely acted, when he did, he was a formidable opponent for most actors.

Plus, his lines as Li Peiyan carried an undeniable authority.

Yet Chen Ping not only defused this with ease but subtly countered in his reply.

Though the counterattack wasn’t overt, it perfectly fit Chao Xiaoshu’s character—a martial world figure who disregards authority.

“Alright.”

“Let’s stop here.”

Waving his hand, Yang Yang signaled them to stop.

Though Chen Ping only spoke a few lines, from this brief exchange, Yang Yang could gauge his skills.

Both his lines and acting were impressive.

Though this was just a simple read-through without much acting, Chen Ping’s casual brush of dust off the table conveyed Chao Xiaoshu’s disdain for authority.

No matter how powerful Li Peiyan was, in Chao Xiaoshu’s eyes, he was insignificant.

“Chen Ping, you can go now and wait for our decision.”

Chen Ping said nothing further and left the directing team.

“Producer Wang, what do you think of this Chen Ping?”

“You’re the director; you’re asking me?”

“You’re the producer; I have to listen to you. What’s your take?”

“Both have their strengths. I think Chen Ping and An Zhijie could both work. It depends on who you choose. But this Chen Ping does surprise me.”

“Me too.”

Actually, when Chen Ping first arrived, Director Yang Yang had already leaned toward a choice.

This reading was just to confirm.

It proved that this young man, looking like a fresh-faced star, had acting skills no worse than typical celebrities.

In fact, he even surpassed them.

“All right, let’s cast Chen Ping.”

“No objections here.”

Producer Wang Yuren didn’t oppose.

Though he favored An Zhijie before, since An Zhijie wasn’t connected to him, he had no reason to advocate for him.

The two exchanged a smile—the role of Chao Xiaoshu was finally decided.

...

“Teacher Li, Teacher Li, it’s gone viral!”

“What’s gone viral?”

“The promotional video we posted is trending.”

Following Chairman Jiang’s instructions, Li Bo had uploaded some promotional videos of this year’s art exam onto the official site.

Though there were many actors in Hengcheng, the Hengcheng Actors Guild website was not very popular.

Most of the time, the page views were low.

Even if some videos were interesting, they were only discussed internally.

But this time, things were different.

Within twelve hours of uploading the videos, visits to the Hengcheng Actors Guild website skyrocketed hundreds of times over.

“What’s happening?”

“Teacher Li, look, it’s all because of the piano piece Chen Ping played.”

“Is there a problem?”

Li Bo was puzzled. “Chen Ping’s piano playing is good but not to the point of nationwide attention.”

“The main reason is the lyrics he changed.”

Upon hearing this, Li Bo understood.

They had noticed Chen Ping singing the song “Clear Stream” while playing piano before.

However, Chen Ping had rewritten the lyrics.

At the time, Li Bo and the others thought the new lyrics were good but didn’t expect the release to cause such a sensation.

[After the storm, the sky isn’t always bright
Not every sunny day brings a rainbow
So your innocent face doesn’t mean you’re naive
Not all loves have a beginning and an end
Loneliness doesn’t always lead to fear
But life always bears the first pang of pain...]

The melody was originally composed by Master Nakajima but had always been somewhat obscure.

However,

With the new lyrics, the song was no longer called “Clear Stream.”

But online, no one cared about the title.

“Wow, damn, changing the lyrics made this song unbeatable.”

“I always thought ‘Clear Stream’ was mediocre. Didn’t expect it to be so beautiful.”

“It’s not the melody; it’s the lyrics.”

“Yeah, the lyrics are so well-written, I actually cried listening to it.”

“Hey, handsome, do you have a girlfriend?”

“Hey, handsome, even if you have a girlfriend, it’s okay—I don’t mind.”

“Hey, handsome...”

(End of chapter)