The Entertainment Industry in Turmoil: Young Actresses All Want to Rise to the Top

Li Qin withdrew her gaze from Shen Mo's departing figure and returned it to the girl beside her.

Liu Haocun maintained his obedient sitting posture with his hands on his knees, but his doe-like eyes were now filled with trepidation and surprise.

The unexpected good news left her both excited and a little overwhelmed.

The blush on her cheeks spread all the way to her ears, and although she tried to purse her lips, they couldn't help but curl upwards.

"Come and sit down."

Li Qin's voice rang out, calming Liu Haocun's wildly beating heart.

She quickly said "Oh," and carefully moved her small stool closer to Li Qin.

Li Qin gently turned the pages of the script filled with notes in her hand to the pages belonging to "Zhou Miaotong (teenage years)".

The edges of the paper were slightly curled, and emotions and actions were marked on it with different colored pen marks.

"Have you read the script?" Li Qin asked.

Liu Haocun quickly shook his head, then, fearing the other person might not have seen it, hurriedly spoke up.

"No, I haven't seen it, Teacher Li Qin."

His voice was weak and strained due to nervousness.

"No need to call me teacher."

Li Qin raised her eyes and looked at her calmly. "Call me Sister Qin."

"Okay, okay, Sister Qin."

Liu Haocun readily agreed, and the nickname "Sister Qin" did indeed bring the two of them a little closer.

Li Qin pushed the script towards her, her fingertip pointing to a note she had written next to a line of dialogue.

"Zhou Miaotong's role as a teenager was small, but very important."

"She is the 'foundation' of Zhou Miaotong later on."

Liu Haocun's understanding of the script was limited to the conversation between Li Qin and Shen Mo just now.

If I were to apply Li Qin's answer to this moment, I would also be Zhou Miaotong.

"What kind of state do you think Zhou Miaotong will be in during this scene?"

Liu Haocun looked at the script she was pointing to and tried to organize his thoughts.

"She...was very scared."

"She didn't know what her father had done wrong; all she knew was that this group of people rushed in and started arresting people."

"These people are bad guys!"

Li Qin listened quietly, nodded, and gestured for her to continue.

"And another thing," Liu Haocun mustered his courage and pointed to a line of small writing that Li Qin had made next to her, "She remembered the man who was grabbing her in front of her."

"Many people raided her house, but the one who impressed her the most was Shen Lian, who had captured her."

"This is the source of her hatred and fear."

She said something somewhat superficial, but having not read the script and only relying on her impression of their conversation just now, Li Qin felt that being able to say a sentence or two was enough.

She didn't care about his answer; she just wanted to see Liu Haocun's personality and state of mind.

not bad!

"Fear, vigilance, lingering innocence, and the helplessness and despair of realizing reality after being truly captured and hearing the other party's words that they were about to be taken to the Jiaofangsi."

She concluded, her tone calm yet carrying a guiding undertone.

"These emotions are mixed together, but they also have distinct layers."

"Your fear and vigilance cannot be superficial."

Li Qin looked at Liu Haocun's slightly widened eyes and continued.

"Zhou Miaotong's fear was even deeper. It was a premonition of a completely dark future, a tremor of not being able to control her own destiny."

Liu Haocun felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this, realizing just how different this film was from the one he had previously made, "A Little Reunion".

She nodded vigorously: "I understand, Sister Qin. I will try my best to find that state."

"Effort alone is not enough."

Li Lin closed the script, leaned back slightly, but kept her eyes focused on Liu Haocun.

"Try to find bodily memory."

"Completely relax, and then imagine the thing that terrifies and makes you feel most helpless."

"You haven't had any professional acting training, so you can't act like that."

"So it's best to think back to what you've actually experienced."

"Try to recall that feeling of being cold all over, numb in your fingertips, and having difficulty breathing."

"Remember it."

Li Qin's eyes gradually glazed over; she used to be like that too.

Non-professional actors from Kunqu Opera backgrounds may have practiced in terms of physique and lines, but they are ultimately not good at emotional acting.

The best way is through immersive immersion, but that would be very tiring.

Her gaze slowly focused, landing on Liu Haocun.

Liu Haocun was stunned.

This method sounds somewhat cruel.

But when she looked into Li Lin's calm eyes, there was no mockery or probing.

She bit her lower lip and actually tried to close her eyes to capture that extreme panic and helplessness deep in her memory.

Soon, images flooded back: the mother's weeping face, the father's helplessly slumped shoulders, the girl lying on the bed...

Her breathing became rapid involuntarily, her fingers curled slightly, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

"Remember the sensations in this body."

Li Qin's cool voice rang in her ears, like a thread pulling her back from the edge of her memories.

"Then, project this feeling onto Zhou Miaotong's situation."

"My family members went to jail overnight, and I lost the protection of my family. I will be surrounded by wolves and tigers in the brothel. My future is bleak..."

"Let that fear reside within you."

Liu Haocun slowly opened his eyes, his gaze still somewhat unfocused, but clearly containing a deeper layer of understanding than before.

"Let that fear reside within you."

Liu Haocun slowly opened his eyes, his gaze still somewhat unfocused, but clearly containing a deeper layer of understanding than before.

Li Lin didn't urge him, but waited quietly.

After a long while, she leaned forward and hugged Liu Haocun.

"We're on the right track."

"I can think about something happy now and get out of this situation."

She looked down at Liu Haocun's red eyes and felt her trembling body. She couldn't help but feel a little guilty, wondering if she had been too demanding of this little girl.

She suddenly spoke, trying to change the subject.

Do you enjoy acting?

Liu Haocun slowly raised his head, got up from Li Qin's chest, looked into her eyes, and nodded without hesitation.

"like!"

The voice was not loud, but it was firm.

Why?

Li Lin pressed her for details, his eyes seemingly trying to see into her heart.

"because……"

Is it because it allows me to earn money and pay off my debts sooner?

Is it because Brother Mo is an actor, and I want to learn from him?

Or……

"Because in the play, I can become another person and experience a completely different life."

"When I'm acting, I feel like I can temporarily forget myself and my troubles, and concentrate on doing one thing."

She paused, her voice becoming even softer, yet carrying a resolute quality.

"I also want to... be like Brother Mo and Sister Qin, to play my roles well, to be remembered, and to prove that I... am valuable."

[Because I also carry the dream of another girl.]

Li Qin listened quietly. The longing for dreams and the dissatisfaction with reality in Liu Haocun's eyes made her feel as if she were seeing her own youthful and stubborn self from many years ago.

Daring to break away from the smooth path of Kunqu Opera training, pursuing the arduous dream of acting.

The reason she dared to stand firmly on Mohen's side was simply to make the film better.

She used to do the same, carefully holding the script and meticulously studying the character as if walking on thin ice.

She also longs for recognition, and for finding her own place and voice in this complex world.

"The road ahead is long and difficult."

Li Qin ultimately only said this one sentence, offering neither comfort nor encouragement, but simply stating the facts.

But the way she looked at Liu Haocun was warmer and more affectionate than before.

"Keep your eyes bright, and hold on to the spirit within you."

"I believe in you; you will definitely rise to fame and become a renowned star."

As if recalling that scene, Liu Haocun's lips slowly curled up.

She turned around and hugged the woman who was holding her; it was such a warm embrace.

Li Qin felt her arm around him, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"You can stay with me these next few days when I'm not filming."

"Let's work together to give Zhou Miaotong a great performance."

Liu Haocun's heart was filled with immense joy and a sense of peace. She nodded vigorously and buried her head in Li Qin's chest.

"Okay! Thank you, Sister Lin! I'll do my best!"

Not far away, Shen Mo, who was preparing to take pictures, glanced over and saw the two women embracing each other. He raised an eyebrow, not expecting the two to become so close so quickly.

Li Lin, you've got some skills!

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[This part is free]

[I've been updating 10,000 words a day for a month now, and I'm starting to feel the strain. I'll temporarily resume normal updates. Once I'm back to normal, or if I have a slightly larger backlog of chapters, I'll consider adding more chapters.]

[Additionally, if the total number of monthly votes is a multiple of 500, an extra chapter will be added; if there is a reward of 10,000, an extra chapter will also be added.]

[I really hope some big shot will shower me with coins, I'll work my ass off updating!!! ヾ(?°?°?)??]