Chapter 15: Amateur

#Dream of the Blue Moon Night# Director Li Ran is recasting the male lead recently. Who do you think is the most suitable actor to play Celine?

An obscure account on Weibo posted this question. Because it carried the Dream of the Blue Moon Night topic, it attracted countless replies in a short time.

【Raspberry Fruit: Not gonna lie, after crossing out Xu Anyu, it’s really hard to decide.】

【Delicious Bomb: I’m voting for my favorite Xiaoxu. I think he’s quite suitable.】

【One Plus One Equals Three: Better not. Not making it is for the best. Keep the last bit of beauty in your heart.】

【I Love Cilantro: Am I on 2G internet? Director Li Ran is recasting the male lead???】

【freedom: Yes, they haven’t found a suitable person yet. Might as well wait for Xu Anyu to come out.】

【Fresh Breath: Who knows if Xu Anyu will cause more trouble later? Just the incident of him hanging out at bars makes it impossible for me to associate Celine with him. It’s too immersion-breaking.】

【Sweetie: Come on, although I’m not a fan of Xu Anyu, I have to step in and say: please separate a celebrity’s private life from their work, okay? I won’t refute other points.】

【Pizza Hut: Uh… can an amateur do it? I think cute brother Lin Qinghe’s looks satisfy all my fantasies about Celine.】

【Newton and Apple: Who’s the person mentioned above? Never heard of them.】

【Celine Is My Wife: Just search and you’ll find out. Seven Notes has videos of He He. Although it’s unlikely, I’m still voting for He He.】

【Lavender: He He really looks great. I always feel he has an ethereal air about him, and his temperament is also very good.】

He He? Lin Qinghe?

A staff member from the movie crew, browsing Weibo in his spare time, saw this reply and immediately perked up. He hurried to search on Seven Notes with the keywords, and a series of videos appeared.

#Under the Crabapple Blossoms, Radiant Charm, I’ve Discovered Chinese Aesthetics#

#Ancient Melody of the Pipa, It Sounds So Beautiful#

#Divine Cute Boy, Multitalented, Era-Defining Beauty#

#Collection of Pipa Tunes from Your Dream Guy, Have You Saved Them All?#

Clicking into any video at random, the likes and comments were all high. The protagonist in the video had an extraordinary appearance, possessing a face that could only be admired from afar and not profaned. His long hair draped over his shoulders, part of it tied up with a jade hairpin, and at the center of his brows was a dot of cinnabar, exuding a cold elegance tinged with an indescribable gentleness.

It was simply too perfect. The staff member slapped his thigh and immediately forwarded it to Assistant Director Fan Wenbo.

“Brother Fan, take a look! What do you think of this person?”

Fan Wenbo received the message, puzzled, opened it and watched. A few seconds later he ran to find Li Ran with his phone.

“Old Li, Old Li?” At that moment Li Ran was napping on a deck chair, and was jolted awake by Fan Wenbo’s prodding. He sat up and frowned, “What’s the matter?”

Fan Wenbo said with a hint of delight, “Little Ou from the crew recommended someone who fits the role of Celine. Take a look and see what you think. Not to boast, but this one is really good.”

Li Ran, influenced by his excitement, grew a bit curious. He quietly watched one of the videos, then swiped to watch the next, and didn’t stop until he had nearly gone through ten.

Seeing him silent, Fan Wenbo had to continue, “The only downside is that he seems to be an amateur.”

Li Ran came back from his thoughts. An amateur meant almost no acting experience, not knowing how to present a character’s traits in front of the camera—unfavorable for filming.

However, he was truly very satisfied with Lin Qinghe’s appearance. Frankly, after all this time, those auditioning actors either lacked acting skills, or lacked the look, and most lacked both. Never had anyone met these two criteria. Acting skills are indeed important, but if you want to achieve a natural performance, then compared to innate appearance, acting skills become less important.

In the worst case, they could just teach him step-by-step and film until they get it right.

He discussed with Fan Wenbo: “Here’s what we’ll do: you contact him first, ask if he has time soon. I want to meet him in person.”

The problem that had been troubling everyone was finally about to be solved, and Fan Wenbo promptly agreed: “Okay, no problem.”

“The highest level of acting is making others unable to tell you are acting, which means you have merged with the character, thinking what they think, doing what they do. But generally, this is very difficult. First, you need a thorough understanding of the character, and then the costumes, props, setting, and immersive environment to express authenticity.”

In the reception room, the teacher explained while making eye contact with Lin Qinghe. Lin Qinghe appeared very attentive, nodding to the teacher to show he was listening, but in truth it went in one ear and out the other. If you asked him to repeat it, you’d be lucky if he could recite half.

“Mr. Lin, do you have any questions?”

Lin Qinghe was silent for a few seconds, then shook his head. “No, teacher.”

No questions is the biggest problem, Zhao Fang concluded. The student she was teaching put on a very earnest appearance, but in fact, he wasn’t that interested in acting, or rather he didn’t understand what acting truly was.

This explains a conclusion: possessing the kind of looks everyone in the entertainment industry desires, but lacking the talent the industry most admires.

For such a person, stardom has three possible outcomes: become a vase idol fawned over by visual fans, lukewarm at best; or find a suitable role to shape a classic. With Mr. Cen and Starlight Entertainment’s backing, at least the first or the third.

Zhao Fang collected her thoughts, her voice gentle. “Mr. Lin, let me rephrase: do you have any difficulties?”

Many difficulties, but he didn’t know where to begin.

Lin Qinghe couldn’t picture himself acting out a role. He had read storybooks before and deeply felt that most tales were illusory and unbelievable. If it were him, he wouldn’t make the same choices as the protagonist, and the final outcome would be different, meaning he couldn’t empathize with the character at all, let alone perform it.

A few days ago, Teacher Zhao had assigned a few small tasks: to act out a slight smile, a smile hiding a knife, elation, forced cheerfulness, and smiling through tears.

He sat in front of the mirror in his room for two hours, and could only manage a slight smile and a half-hearted forced cheerfulness.

Of course, the forced cheerfulness wasn’t an act; it was his helplessness. He truly had tried his best.

When the teacher checked his assignment, it was obvious she was also very helpless, because Lin Qinghe still knew to save face, saying, “Teacher, I don’t have that many facial expressions.”

Zhao Fang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She couldn’t bear to use harsh words on Lin Qinghe and could only demonstrate step by step. She also knew that some things can’t be achieved through effort; for example, the phrases “smile hiding a knife” and “elation” were truly incongruous on Lin Qinghe.

Indeed, a celestial being like him shouldn’t understand human joys and sorrows; a sense of distance was better.

After this lesson, Zhao Fang contacted Cen Han.

“Mr. Cen, I must tell you, Mr. Lin has some difficulties with acting.”

Cen Han held his phone, his face unreadable. In his private office on the thirtieth floor, he looked down at the bustling traffic outside the glass window. “Go into detail.”

“I think you’ve come to understand from daily interactions that Mr. Lin is an introverted person. It seems few things can visibly stir his emotions. Staying composed in any situation is his way. Simply put, he is a bit out of tune with this world.”

“To enter the entertainment industry, he probably can’t take the usual path. Over-training his acting would be counterproductive. It’s better to find roles that share his nature. I believe he can definitely deliver a performance with no trace of acting.”

A few seconds later.

“Mhm, I understand.” Zhao Fang’s words were easy to grasp. Cen Han withdrew his gaze, ended the call, and sent a message to Sun Lin.

Aside from the initial confusion when he first arrived, this was Lin Qinghe’s second direct encounter with setbacks. A sense of crisis grew within him, for without acting skills, he couldn’t fulfill the contract, meaning not only would he not earn a cent, but the money Cen Han had invested in him would likely become a lost cause. Add to that the debt of saving his life, and Cen Han’s situation sounded rather pitiful.

With this realization, during the lunch break he pulled up the several videos Zhao Fang had sent, and practiced following the demonstration. The face in the mirror changed with his attempts: frowning, smiling, sad, angry.

An indescribable awkwardness—truly a trial for him.

Lin Qinghe let out an almost imperceptible sigh, lay back on the soft, comfortable bed, closed his eyes in thought, and unknowingly drifted off to sleep.

He was awakened by a phone ringtone. An unsaved number, displaying Western Capital. Sitting up, he pressed the answer button, and a middle-aged male voice came through: “Hello, is this Lin Qinghe?”

A stranger who knew his name. Not directly answering the question, he spoke: “Hello, who is this?”

“Oh, let me introduce myself first. I’m Fan Wenbo, the assistant director of the Dream of the Blue Moon Night film crew. I watched some of your videos on Seven Notes and feel that you’re perfect for the role of the male lead Celine. Do you have time soon? If possible, we’d like to meet you.”

Dream of the Blue Moon Night, Celine—Lin Qinghe’s keen memory connected to a page he had accidentally tapped on his phone a while back, where netizens were discussing whether the star from Starlight Entertainment who had hit someone would be replaced. Now someone was telling him they wanted him to star in it. Such sudden news left him momentarily unsure how to respond.

Fan Wenbo assumed Lin Qinghe was too overwhelmed with excitement to believe it, so he added: “Unless I’m mistaken, your address is also in Western Capital, very close. It’s convenient, so how about coming to the set tomorrow or the day after?”

After a few seconds, a gentle, clear voice sounded: “Sorry, I need to ask my agent first.”

Agent?

Something flashed through Fan Wenbo’s mind, and he quickly latched on: “No problem. Just tell your agent that Director Li Ran asked me to contact you.”

Lin Qinghe couldn’t fathom why a director would choose him. He was just a newcomer with no portfolio, no acting skills. Until Sun Lin confirmed the legitimacy of this call, he was more inclined to believe it was a scam.

But Sun Lin quickly dispelled his doubts.

“Director Li Ran? From the Dream of the Blue Moon Night crew?”

“Mm, that’s what the caller said.”

Sun Lin mused, “What else did he say?”

Lin Qinghe recalled, “He saw my videos on Seven Notes, thinks I’m suitable to play Celine.”

Sun Lin hadn’t expected Li Ran to invite Lin Qinghe for a meeting. A top director who had won awards many directors could only dream of, and had produced several Best Actors and Best Actresses. Dream of the Blue Moon Night had a grand lineup: the second female lead was Best Actress Su Zihan, the male lead was Best Actor Jiang Nian, plus countless senior actors. Xu Anyu’s standing was barely enough to get in. If it were Lin Qinghe, he would absolutely be overshadowed by the brilliance and likely cursed to death—no one would associate the male lead with someone who had never even acted.

But Lin Qinghe’s looks were definitely up to par. It was both a challenge and an opportunity. She handled work with customary efficiency: “Alright, I’ll call and inquire.”

“Okay, Sister Lin.”

Lin Qinghe’s feelings were mixed. One of his principles was not to do things he wasn’t confident in.

What to do? Of all times to receive an offer, it came right when his lessons were going poorly, putting him in a dilemma.

After what felt like five or six minutes, he received Sun Lin’s call.

“Qinghe, Director Li Ran really hopes you can come to the set.” Sun Lin laid out all the information she had gathered: “The role of Celine has been very hard to decide on. I know you’ve been struggling with learning to act recently, but you have an external advantage that others lack.”

Originally, Li Ran wanted to meet the person before deciding, but after talking with Sun Lin, his eighty percent satisfaction became a hundred.

Sun Lin was an agent Starlight Entertainment had recruited at a high price, with some fame in the industry. She subtly hinted that the company was preparing to push Lin Qinghe and just needed an opportunity, and that Lin Qinghe was also a hardworking junior.

Li Ran understood her implied meaning perfectly. He had great confidence in Sun Lin’s eye.

“What does Sister Lin mean?” Lin Qinghe lowered his eyes.

“Participating in Li Ran’s production would be immensely beneficial for your career, not to mention it’s the male lead. An opportunity like this may never come again.” Sun Lin said steadily: “I’m inclined to have you prepare to join the crew.”

Silence spread. Lin Qinghe remained silent.

Sun Lin added fuel: “Li Ran is offering a salary of fifty million. Given your irreplaceability, I can fight for even more.”

Should he agree?

On one side, an exorbitant salary; on the other, near-nonexistent acting skills. Fifty million. Lin Qinghe had to admit he was somewhat tempted. Since it was an olive branch extended by a great director, he must have weighed the pros and cons of using him.

Torn internally, he hesitantly spoke: “When would we meet?”

“Tomorrow. I’ll send you the script later. Just skim through it, don’t be too nervous.” Sun Lin thought for a moment, and decided not to hide anything: “If you join the crew, it will cause a huge stir. But hardly any top star hasn’t gone through this.”

Lin Qinghe said softly, “I understand, Sister Lin.”