My cousin asked me to go to Wuha, and Hanikezi stuck to me.

On the Third Ring Road elevated highway in Beijing.

The black van drove smoothly.

Xiao Fang sat in the passenger seat, holding a thick stack of documents, and was so anxious that he kept scratching his head.

"Brother, I've found out." Xiao Fang turned around and earnestly advised, "Zhou Yuan is a complete acting fanatic. In his last project, he berated a popular young actor so badly that he cried for three hours on set, and in the end, he directly breached the contract and fired him. We really don't need to run into this tough nut."

Chen Yi sat in the back row, leaning back in his chair, his gaze fixed on his phone screen.

He completely ignored Xiao Fang's crazy hints.

On the screen, Hanikezi sent a photo.

The photo shows three thick scripts with fancy artistic lettering printed on the covers.

"Chen Yi! Sister Hong gave me three more historical romance scripts today!" Hanikezi sent a voice message, her voice filled with despair. "They're all those clichéd stories of domineering princes falling in love with me. I turned two down, and Sister Hong's face turned green. She said I didn't know what was good for me."

Chen Yi tapped his fingers on the screen, replying with extreme decisiveness.

"Reject them all. I'll find you some good notebooks."

As soon as the message was sent, the other party immediately replied with a cat emoji that said "waiting obediently".

"Who are you going to see today?" Hanikezi asked.

"A director with a terrible temper," Chen Yi replied.

"Is she even fiercer than when Sister Hong gets angry?"

"They'll probably be able to scold Sister Hong until she loses her bearings."

Chen Yi put away his phone.

The car turned into a quiet alley and stopped in front of a private coffee shop with no sign.

Xiao Fang took a deep breath and opened the car door.

"Brother, no matter what nasty things Zhou Yuan says, don't get angry." Xiao Fang followed behind Chen Yi, still nagging, "We're top-tier candidates now, it's not worth getting angry with him."

Chen Yi pushed open the wooden door of the coffee shop.

There weren't many customers in the shop.

In a corner booth sat a man wearing a wrinkled black jacket.

His beard was stubble, and his eyes were bloodshot from staying up all night.

On the table sat a half-finished cup of black coffee and a script with frayed edges.

It was Zhou Yuan.

Chen Yi walked over, pulled out the chair opposite him, and sat down.

Xiao Fang quickly took out his business card from his bag and handed it over with both hands.

"Hello Director Zhou, I'm Chen Yi's agent..."

Zhou Yuan didn't even glance at the business card; his gaze went straight past Xiao Fang and landed on Chen Yi's face.

"You're two minutes late," Zhou Yuan said in an extremely cold tone.

Xiao Fang was taken aback, then quickly explained with a forced smile, "Director Zhou, there's a traffic jam on the overpass outside..."

"I only care about the results," Zhou Yuan interrupted him.

Zhou Yuan reached into his briefcase and pulled out a newspaper, slamming it onto the table.

Entertainment headline.

It was printed with the viral screenshot of Chen Yi and Hanikezi's phone.

The headline is extremely eye-catching: 80 million for a joint endorsement! Chen Yi's commercial value reaches its peak!

"Eighty million." Zhou Yuan tapped his fingers on the table, making a dull sound. "You can make that much money by filming a one-and-a-half-minute scene without even memorizing your lines."

Chen Yi leaned back in his chair and didn't reply.

"The total investment for the film 'Night of Sin' is only 60 million. My budget for the male lead's salary is only 3 million." Zhou Yuan scoffed. "What are you after if you come to me?"

Xiao Fang, who was listening nearby, broke out in a cold sweat.

This isn't a discussion of cooperation; it's downright humiliation.

"I came to see you not to make money," Chen Yi said calmly.

"To win an award?" Zhou Yuan's tone became even more mocking. "I've seen too many of your tricks for attracting attention."

Zhou Yuan leaned back on the sofa, his arms crossed.

"They became famous through variety shows and creating on-screen couples, but when they realized that the popularity wouldn't last, they rushed to find serious dramas to transform and rehabilitate their image." Zhou Yuan ruthlessly tore off the fig leaf of the entertainment industry, "Penguin Video's CEO Li did call me and said that as long as I played the male lead, the show's advertising revenue would immediately double."

Zhou Yuan slammed his hand on the table.

"But Zhou Yuan doesn't make easy money! I've been preparing for this show for three years. I'd rather it die in the womb than let a variety show personality who doesn't even know how to move properly ruin it!"

Xiao Fang was so anxious that he was sweating profusely.

"Director Zhou, our Brother Yi is definitely not that kind of person! Our studio can give up control of the contract and follow the crew's arrangements!" Xiao Fang tried to salvage the situation.

"I don't need data." Zhou Yuan wasn't buying it at all, and his voice suddenly rose.

He looked directly at Chen Yi.

"I need someone who can act. Can you act?"

fatal blow.

The coffee shop was deathly silent.

Xiao Fang didn't dare to breathe loudly, afraid that Chen Yi would just flip the table and leave.

Chen Yi met Zhou Yuan's gaze.

There was no anger at being offended, nor any embarrassment at having to prove oneself.

"I have never studied acting," Chen Yi admitted in a way that surprised everyone.

Zhou Yuan snorted and reached for the car keys on the table.

"Then there's no need for us to talk anymore." Zhou Yuan prepared to get up.

"But I can learn from scratch in three months," Chen Yi said, his voice low but firm.

Zhou Yuan stopped moving.

He looked back at the young man opposite him.

"I've read the script for 'Night of Sin'." Chen Yi leaned forward, placing his hands crossed on the table. "The male lead is a borderline policeman struggling in the mire. He doesn't need elaborate makeup and hair, nor does he need any cool scenes. What he needs is that feeling of exhaustion after being crushed by life."

Zhou Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

Chen Yi continued to output damage.

"In the fifth act, the protagonist kills his former master with his own hands." Chen Yi looked at Zhou Yuan. "The script says 'He cried.' How do you interpret that?"

Zhou Yuan remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"He won't cry out loud," Chen Yi answered. "He'll just vomit. He'll dry heave physiologically. Because he shattered his own faith, that nausea goes straight to his stomach."

Zhou Yuan's pupils suddenly contracted.

He discussed this scene with several talented actors who auditioned.

Everyone is studying how to cry in a layered way, how to cry heartbreakingly.

Only Chen Yi offered a completely physiological and extremely cruel treatment method.

This approach is exactly the same as the personal annotations Zhou Yuan wrote on the storyboard.

Zhou Yuan's gaze towards Chen Yi finally changed.

He dropped the condescending contempt he had just displayed.

"You see things very clearly." Zhou Yuan picked up his black coffee and took a sip. "But seeing things clearly doesn't mean you can act them out. The camera can be deadly."

Zhou Yuan held up two fingers.

"First, you'll be completely without makeup throughout the film, and you'll have to deliberately make yourself look ugly, with large areas of burn makeup on your face. If your fans leave because of your good looks, don't blame me."

Chen Yi nodded: "Okay."

"Secondly, there's a chase scene on the edge of a high-rise building in episode ten. There's no safety net, just a wire. No stunt doubles allowed." Zhou Yuan stared intently at Chen Yi.

Xiao Fang became extremely anxious.

"Director Zhou, this is too dangerous! Our artist has an exorbitantly high insurance policy; what if something happens..."

"Shut up." Chen Yi interrupted Xiao Fang without even turning his head.

Xiao Fang shrank back, not daring to make another sound.

Chen Yi looked at Zhou Yuan: "Okay."

Zhou Yuan smiled.

This was the first time he had smiled today, and it carried a strong sense of scrutiny.

"Young man, don't make promises you can't keep." Zhou Yuan put his car keys in his pocket. "You just said you were going to learn everything from scratch in three months?"

Chen Yi didn't respond, waiting for him to continue.

"If I don't pass the audition, I'll withdraw myself and won't waste a second of your time," Chen Yi stated his bottom line.

Zhou Yuan looked into Chen Yi's eyes, which showed no sign of backing down.

Having been in the industry for so many years, he's seen countless celebrities who are promoted to superstardom by capital. They complain about being tired at the slightest hardship and throw tantrums at the smallest grievance.

But the young man before me had an extremely pure ambition in his eyes.

It's not about ambition for money.

It is an absolute desire for control over the work.

Zhou Yuan was moved by his honesty.

He placed his hands on the table and gave his final terms.

"The audition is in a month. Find a teacher to learn from yourself. I won't lower my standards just because you're Chen Yi."