Huayu: That year, I withdrew from the Super Boy competition.

Su Wei picked up the cup and took a big gulp.

The cold, bitter liquid slid down my throat and sank down my esophagus.

I suppressed the restlessness and surprise in my heart, and my mind became clearer and clearer.

He wasn't blinded by the windfall.

The Tang people have their advantages, but they are not without their own strengths.

He looked up and gazed out the window.

The afternoon sun shone brightly on the street, dazzling the light, with people coming and going and cars flowing by.

Su Wei let out a soft breath.

The cell phone suddenly rang.

Su Wei snapped out of her daze.

The screen displayed the three words "Cai Wenjing".

He pressed answer, and the voice on the other end immediately came through the phone.

"Su Wei, you son of a bitch, where are you? We agreed to rehearse at three o'clock, where did you go?"

Su Wei paused for a second before suddenly remembering that she had arranged a group assignment for the afternoon.

I was so engrossed in chatting with Cai Yinong that I completely forgot about this.

He glanced down at the time; it was already ten minutes past the agreed time.

"Something came up and I was a little late. I'll be there in two minutes. You guys go over your lines first."

He finished the rest of his iced Americano in one gulp, grabbed his coat, and headed outside.

Pushing open the door, I found all three people already in the practice room.

Cai Wenjing sat in a chair by the window flipping through the script, while the other two group members huddled together rehearsing their lines.

"I'm so sorry, something came up and I'm late."

Su Wei put down her bag, put her hands together, and apologized.

Cai Wenjing glanced at him, her eyebrows slightly raised:

"Look at you, all rushed and flustered! You're such a busy person!"

"It's a personal matter, a personal matter."

Su Wei chuckled, offering no further explanation, and pulled the script from her bag, flipping to the page with the folded corner.

"Let's begin, I'm fine."

Their group drew a scene from "Sunrise" depicting Chen Bailu's room, and the four of them were assigned roles:

Cai Wenjing plays Chen Bailu, a girl plays Xiao Dongxi, a boy plays Pan Yueting, and Su Wei plays Fang Dasheng.

(Chen Hao's portrayal of Chen Bailu is truly captivating.)

The first time was bumpy and difficult.

Cai Wenjing has enough of a lazy vibe, but the despair in her decadence always just floats on the surface, and her lines sound like she's reciting a textbook.

The girl playing the little thing was too reserved, hunching her shoulders and trembling her voice, which seemed a bit forced.

Su Wei herself was not satisfied.

He analyzed the character through the script, including Fang Dasheng's stubbornness, heartache, and anger at his lack of ambition.

He understands the principles, but when he actually stands there and speaks, his lines always sound like he's reading a report—too stiff and lacking the liveliness of a real person.

There are many theories, but when you actually do it, it's a completely different story.

He chuckled to himself and his mind drifted off.

Is Paris polyphylla the same?

Everyone knows he is the Demon Lord, cold and domineering, but if he really wants to act, he can't just keep a straight face and act cool the whole time.

Characters who are merely labeled are all dead.

"What are you thinking about?"

Cai Wenjing's voice pulled him back to reality.

Su Wei shook her head: "It's nothing. I just think my acting was too stiff, so let's do it again."

The second time went much better.

When Cai Wenjing read the line "The sun has risen, and the darkness is about to pass," her voice was very soft, and her eyes were slightly red. She felt much more strongly about it than the first time.

Su Wei relaxed a bit, but still felt something was missing.

After going through the process once, the group didn't rush to come back. Instead, they sat in a circle on the floor and took turns asking questions.

They were all freshmen, so no one put on airs. They were straightforward and honest with each other when someone did something wrong.

"I feel that my Fang Dasheng was too preachy, not like an old friend."

Su Wei spoke first, "Characters can't just be labeled. You can't just define them as 'an upright and good person' right from the start. They need to have emotional layers."

He paused for a moment after he finished speaking.

This wasn't just said to Fang Dasheng, but also to himself.

The same goes for Paris polyphylla.

He is neither a simple villain nor a stereotypical demon lord.

He has his obsessions, his pride, and what lies hidden beneath his cold exterior.

Well, today's rehearsal was worthwhile.

Cai Wenjing frowned, tracing the lines on the famous script with her finger.

"I have a question for you."

She looked up at the group of people, her gaze finally settling on Su Wei.

"So, do you think Chen Bailu is a good person or a bad person?"

The two group members next to him were also stunned for a moment.

"If you say she's bad, she knows how to protect the baby; if you say she's good, she hangs out with those rich businessmen every day and lives off them."

Cai Wenjing kicked the floorboards beside her feet, her tone very serious.

"I just don't understand, Fang Dasheng came to pick her up, why didn't she leave? It's not like she really had nowhere to go."

The boy next to him chimed in, "He's probably just indulging in pleasure. He's gotten used to a good life and can't handle hardship anymore."

Cai Wenjing didn't respond, clearly disagreeing with the answer, and then looked at Su Wei: "What do you think?"

Su Wei thought for a moment, but didn't give a direct answer.

"I don't think we need to distinguish between good and bad."

As he pondered, he said, "She's not simply after money; she's probably just putting on a smiling face to deal with all sorts of people every day. After pretending for so long, she's almost forgotten what she's really like."

He paused, then added, "That line, 'The sun is rising,' wasn't about hoping for a new life; it was about being tired and resigned to her fate. So I think you'll portray her as tired more realistically than as suffering."

He didn't just make this up.

He had seen similar interpretations when he was looking through old movie reviews and character analyses.

Cai Wenjing was stunned.

She repeated "tired" twice, and her brows gradually relaxed.

"It seems...that's the case."

Her eyes lit up, and she looked at Su Wei with more admiration.

"That's great, Su Wei. You've thought this through much more clearly than I have."

Su Wei smiled but didn't reply.

He was thinking about another character: how should Chonglou be portrayed?

Is it the loneliness of eternal solitude, or the obsession of wanting but not getting?

After two more runs, it was already getting dark outside the window.

The clock on the wall pointed to six, and everyone's stomachs started growling.

That's enough for today.

Cai Wenjing closed the script. "We've got the core feel. We'll work on the remaining details another time."

No one objected, and everyone started packing their things.

Several people walked out of the teaching building one after the other.

After saying goodbye at the building entrance, the two group members headed towards the cafeteria, while Cai Wenjing and Su Wei walked together towards the dormitory area.

On the way, she was still pondering the role of Chen Bailu, asking questions every now and then.

Su Wei followed up on the conversation with her, mostly touching on the topic but stopping short of revealing the key points.

When she reached the fork in the road, Cai Wenjing stopped.

"Thanks for today. After hearing what you said, I understand now."

"Don't mention it, it's a group project."

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

Watching Cai Wenjing's figure disappear into the distance, Su Wei's faint smile slowly faded.

All that rehearsal this afternoon was worth it.

He not only got the hang of group work, but more importantly, he seemed to have figured out a way to bring a character to life.

Find the most important points on the character, then move from points to lines, and then from lines to surfaces.

This principle applies to Fang Dasheng, and it also applies to Chonglou.

He ran his fingertips along the seam of his trousers twice.

Cai Yinong said that his assistant would contact him regarding the audition details.

There should be news by tomorrow.