From unemployment in crosstalk to top star in Chinese entertainment

Sun Hao smiled and continued, "Have you read the original novel of 'Joy of Life'?"

"I've seen it," Yu Liang said truthfully.

He did watch this drama in his previous life, and later even read the original novel.

"So how do you interpret the character Teng Zijing?"

Yu Liang thought for a moment, then didn't rush to answer.

In his previous life, when he watched the drama, Teng Zijing gave him the impression of "a person who would sell his life to Fan Xian." But after reading the original novel, he discovered that Teng Zijing was not just a "loyal servant."

"Teng Zijing is a contradictory person," Yu Liang said.

Sun Hao raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue.

"On the surface, he's a ruthless and cold-blooded assassin from the Overwatch Council. But deep down, he's actually warm-hearted."

"He cares about his family and is loyal to Fan Xian. The reason he is willing to die for Fan Xian is not just because Fan Xian hired him and saved him."

"More importantly, it's because he saw in Fan Xian the person he wanted to be but couldn't become."

Yu Liang paused for a moment.

"Fan Xian is free, while Teng Zijing spends his whole life in a 'cage'."

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.

Screenwriter Wang Juan raised his head and looked at Yu Liang directly for the first time.

"Well said." Wang Juan adjusted his glasses. "So, what do you think was the most difficult part of playing the role of Teng Zijing?"

"It's restraint."

Yu Liang did not hesitate at all.

"Teng Zijing's emotions were all suppressed. He felt gratitude towards Fan Xian, longing for his family, and resentment towards his fate."

Wang Juan nodded without saying anything more, but the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

That was an expression of approval.

Director Sun Hao took a page from Wang Juan and was about to hand it to Yu Liang.

"Director Sun," the producer suddenly spoke up.

He flipped through Yu Liang's information, his tone not harsh, but every word carried weight: "This actor from Deyun Society had only made a cameo appearance in a play before, appearing on screen for less than five seconds."

"Although Teng Zijing doesn't have many scenes, the scene on Niulan Street is a major one, where she'll be acting opposite Zhang Ruoyun. Should we... reconsider?"

There was a two-second silence in the conference room.

Sun Hao didn't speak, but looked at Yu Liang.

The meaning in that gaze was clear: What do you say?

Yu Liang didn't say anything either.

He simply stood up and walked to the middle of the performance area.

Stand still.

Close your eyes.

three seconds.

When he opened his eyes again, his entire demeanor had changed drastically.

The relaxed, carefree person who seemed to have the air of a comedian has disappeared.

The spine is taut and straight, not stiff.

His eyes held a new, suppressed power.

He slightly raised his eyes, his gaze falling on the empty space diagonally in front of him, as if looking at the high walls of Kyoto, or perhaps at the direction of his wife and children in the distance.

He opened his mouth slowly.

"I've never had any great ambitions in my life."

His voice was not loud, and his expression was as calm as if he were talking about something unrelated to himself, but you could tell from his tone that he was talking about himself in every way.

"When I was young, I was fierce and aggressive, thinking that the martial arts world was the ultimate law. Later I realized that when the sky collapses, the first to be crushed are small people like us."

He paused for a moment.

"I have seen too many people trample on their conscience for fame and fortune. I have also seen too many people who talk about righteousness but have the blood of innocent people on their hands."

When he said the word "blood," his Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

It's so light you can't even notice it unless you look closely.

"I am not afraid of death."

He lowered his voice even further.

"What I fear is that if I die, my wife and children will be left without anyone to take care of them."

pause.

It was very short, so short that it took only half a breath.

But that half breath doubled the weight of the entire sentence.

"I'm afraid that the friendship I'm protecting with all my might will just turn out to be a joke in the end."

The moment the last four words were uttered, the corner of his mouth twitched.

It wasn't laughter; it was something more bitter than laughter.

Then he stopped.

The whole person was like a knife slowly being sheathed.

The room was silent for a full five seconds.

The casting director stopped taking notes and stood there, stunned.

The producer put down the pen at some point, and the doubt on his face vanished without a trace.

Director Sun Hao sat up straight, his expression completely changed.

He had seen too many actors trying out Teng Zijing.

Some actors were too fierce, like bandits;

Some of them acted too cowardly, like lackeys;

Some of them acted too uprightly, like soldiers.

But it's different from cool.

He has a kind of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) air about him, mixed with the down-to-earth quality of everyday life.

Like a man who has truly struggled at the bottom of society, seen bloodshed, and also stayed home.

He wasn't formally trained, yet he acted better than many formally trained actors.

This flavor is just right.

"Okay." Sun Hao was the first to speak, his voice filled with undisguised admiration.

Wang Juan remained silent for two seconds before suddenly speaking: "What you just said, 'I'm afraid the friendship I'm protecting with my life will just turn out to be a joke,'..."

There's a brief pause between "loyalty" and "in the end." What are your thoughts on that?

Yu Liang stepped out of character and returned to her normal self.

He thought for a moment and said, "When Teng Zijing mentioned the word 'loyalty and righteousness,' he was thinking of Fan Xian."

"At that time, he had already decided that he would die for Fan Xian in the future."

"But he can't say it directly. He's a former assassin, and he's not used to making it too clear that he's risking his life."

"So that half-second pause was the time it took him to swallow back the words 'to die'."

Wang Juan listened without saying a word.

Then he turned to look at Sun Hao and nodded.

That was a screenwriter's recognition of the actor.

Sun Hao didn't hesitate: "Teng Zijing is yours."

Yu Liang was stunned for a moment, not expecting to make the decision on the spot.

"But there's something I'm quite curious about," Sun Hao suddenly said.

Yu Liang looked at him.

"I've watched your knife-wielding video over and over again. The level of execution in that flying kick with the knife takes years of practice to achieve."

Sun Hao paused, his eyes filled with genuine question: "But you're a crosstalk performer from Deyun Society. Where did you get this skill?"

Several pairs of eyes in the conference room were fixed on Yu Liang.

Yu Liang remained silent for two seconds.

Then he smiled.

"I learned it from Teacher Wu Bin when I was a child."

When you're out in the world, you give yourself your own identity.

In fact, Yu Liang wasn't lying; in his previous life, he really was Wu Bin's apprentice.

He was just a little short of winning the national martial arts championship.

Sun Hao's eyes lit up.

"Good lad, no wonder your kung fu is so good."

Sun Hao stood up, extended his hand, and said, "Congratulations. As for your salary and contract signing, someone will contact you later."

"Thank you, director."

"It's not about thanking me," he said as Yu Liang grasped his hand, "you earned it yourself. Whether it's your acting skills or this martial arts prowess."

---

After leaving the meeting room, Guo Qilin was sitting in the corridor scrolling through his phone.

Seeing Yu Liang come out, he jumped to his feet: "Brother! How did it go?!"

"We got it."

"Really?!" Guo Qilin hugged him tightly. "Holy crap, bro! Teng Zijing! You're awesome!"

Yu Liang was being squeezed so tightly he could hardly breathe: "Let go! Let go—"

Guo Qilin released him, his eyes shining brightly: "I knew it! I knew you could do it the moment you went in!"

Yu Liang smiled, took out his phone and glanced at it.

Wang Churan's message has arrived: "Have you finished testing?"

He replied first, "Got it."

Then he switched to Wang Churan's chat window.

The last message was from the early hours of the morning: "Yu Liang, you're still awake?"

Looking at the dialog box, Yu Liang suddenly remembered the figure practicing expressions in front of the mirror in the corner of the Shanghai Theatre Academy.

In his previous life, he worked as a stunt double on a film set. When he wasn't filming, he liked to squat in a corner and watch others act.

Those who have spent a long time in the corner understand best what others in the corner are thinking.

This young girl from the Shanghai Theatre Academy

Just like him.

They are all people waiting for an opportunity.

Yu Liang put away his phone and turned to ask Guo Qilin, "Dalin, Ye Ling'er hasn't been decided yet, right?"

"No, what's wrong?"

What do you think of Wang Churan?

Guo Qilin paused for a moment, then gave a meaningful smile: "Oh—so you were waiting here all along?"

"Great job, bro. This role suits her well. She's classically trained, has a good image, and that cool vibe matches perfectly."

Yu Liang ignored his teasing and sent a WeChat message to Director Sun Hao.

Ten minutes later, the director replied, "Have her come and try it out in the next couple of days."

Yu Liang took a screenshot and sent it to Wang Churan.

Three seconds later, a string of exclamation marks and an emoji of a kitten nodding frantically appeared.

---

A few days later, Yu Liang signed a contract with the production team of "Joy of Life".

The role of Teng Zijing earned him a salary of 800,000 yuan.

For a complete newcomer to acting, this is already a fairly respectable offer.

After the contract was signed, Yu Liang's life temporarily returned to normal.

Three days later, Wang Churan went to audition for the role of Ye Ling'er.

Director Sun Hao made the decision that very day, saying that her cool and edgy style perfectly matched Ye Ling'er's vibe.

The casting for the other roles is gradually coming to an end. News is slowly emerging.

Wu Zhu decided on Wang Yang, while Yan Bingyun and Hua fell for Xiao Zhan.

Yu Liang scrolled through these messages, calculating in her mind when she would join the production team.

There is about a month left before it is turned on.

He tossed his phone aside, got out of bed, changed into his training clothes, and went out.

In the acting profession, a pretty face and a good mouth are not enough.

Since God has given him a second chance, he has to live up to his skills.

---

Two weeks later, Tencent Video and Xinli Media officially announced the production team of "Joy of Life" on Weibo:

The TV series "Joy of Life," produced by Xinli Media and directed by Sun Hao, officially announced its main cast today.

@Zhang Ruoyun as Fan Xian

@Li Qin as Lin Wan'er

@Chen Daoming as Emperor Qing

@Li Xiaoran plays the Eldest Princess

@Wu Gang as Chen Pingping

……

@Guo Qilin as Fan Sizhe

@Yu Liang_National Flying Ornament Teng Zijing

@Wang Churan plays Ye Ling'er

……

The storm is brewing again, stay tuned.

The accompanying images are individual character posters for each actor, as well as a group poster featuring Zhang Ruoyun and Chen Daoming standing together in the center.

The comment section exploded instantly:

[We've even got veteran actors like Chen Daoming and Wu Gang! This lineup is incredible!]

[Li Xiaoran's figure is just... um, amazing!]

[Yu Liang playing Teng Zijing? That crosstalk comedian who kicks a knife with a flying leap? I'm suddenly looking forward to it.]

[Wang Churan as Ye Ling'er? She's quite good-looking! This casting is interesting.]

[@于凉_全国可飞——Wait, buddy, what exactly does your ID mean?]

Yu Liang leaned back on the sofa, scrolling through comments, a smile playing on her lips.

My phone vibrated.

Wang Churan: "Liang-ge! I saw the official announcement! We'll be in the same drama again!"

Yu Liang: "So happy?"

Wang Churan: "Of course!"

"Now I have another excuse to skip class."

"Thanks for the introduction, Liang-ge. I'll treat you to dinner once I join the crew."