Huayu: I'm being coveted by young actresses.

Chapter 63: The Staircase Warrior

South Korea has its elevator god Hwang Jung-min; starting today, the Chinese entertainment industry also has its staircase god.

The director was instructing the two actors on their scene: "Zhou Ye, in this scene, you push Chen Nian down the stairs, and then you need to look at Chen Nian, whom you've bullied, with a look of trashiness, disdain, and ferocity that sends chills down people's spines."

"Do you understand?"

"Director Zeng, I think I understand."

"You have three minutes to adjust, then turn on the machine."

Zhou Ye wasn't worried at all and was still laughing and joking with him.

She didn't realize that this was the climax of her performance in "Better Days," the peak of her acting skills, and her representative role.

"Brother Gu, I'll be right back."

Zhou Ye's aloof appearance is a perfect fit for the role of a villain, making her a perfect match for the character.

Just as his handsome appearance helped him portray Zhao Tai, the suitability of the role greatly reduced the difficulty of his acting performance.

"So confident, she'll be crying soon enough."

In filming, it's rare for a scene to be perfect in one take. A conscientious director will shoot two takes as backups.

Unless the production team is short of money or the film itself is used for money laundering.

As expected, Director Zeng called out, "Xiao Zhou, go and adjust your state before coming back. I'll shoot the female lead's scenes first."

As a newcomer, it's perfectly normal for Zhou Ye to have bloopers.

After all, her opponent was Zhang Yimou's "Under the Hawthorn Tree," which she starred in right from her debut, and for which she won several awards, including the Best New Actress Award at the 14th Huabiao Awards.

In 2016, she won the Best Actress award at the 53rd Golden Horse Awards for her role in the film "Soul Mate".

With so many titles and honors, it's normal to feel pressure and not perform well.

Once people have a comparison point and pressure, they will fall into self-doubt. The little yellow duck is the "other people's child" that parents talk about.

Although Director Zeng did not explicitly say anything serious, we can draw conclusions from his tone and expression.

Look at their acting skills, and then look at yours.

A dejected Zhou Ye walked over with her head down: "Brother Gu, am I a bad actor?"

She's only a sophomore in college, so it's inevitable that her acting skills are still developing.

"We tried to film it several times but it didn't turn out right. Director Zeng was getting really angry."

His acting skills can be selectively applied to different subjects. He hasn't used this technique before, but he'll use it on Zhou Ye this time to see how effective it will be.

"Acting skills are very dependent on being in the right state of mind; if you're not in the right state, the performance won't be good."

"But you didn't, Brother Gu. Director Zeng never got angry when you were filming. He was very satisfied with you."

Is this comparable?

"Can you compare to me? I'm the top graduate from the Beijing Film Academy's acting department. What are you?"

"I am trash."

Gu Luojin was satisfied with her self-awareness and nodded.

"Let me rehearse with you and help you find your acting rhythm."

As a teacher, one cannot teach others with only a superficial understanding; one must clarify their doubts.

"You see, the key to this scene is the eye contact, not your body language."

"When you push Chen Nian down the stairs, the pushing action is complete, and your body should not make any other movements."

"When Chen Nian turns to look at you, you need to express your disdain, indifference, and chills towards the bullied person through your eyes."

It's difficult to act with your eyes well, but it's also the easiest way to create classic scenes.

In "Wonka's Gate," Maggie Cheung's scene identifying a corpse, with her expressive eyes, is considered one of the pinnacles of Chinese entertainment.

When Maggie Cheung first saw the Mickey Mouse on the man's arm, she laughed. This was because of the sweet memories they shared, but in an instant, the giver of love died.

Overwhelmed with inner pain, tears streamed down her face. The conflict between the sweet memories and the painful reality was heart-wrenching.

Among young actresses in China, Liu Haocun's eye acting is also quite good. In "Unforgettable", Liu Haocun contributed 16 seconds of superb eye acting.

From happiness to pride to grievance to contemplation, then to relief, and finally to lingering resentment, this scene of intense emotion through the eyes portrays the youth of many.

……

"Now I'll play Wei Lai, and you'll play Chen Nian. Pay attention to my eye expressions."

Of all the people present, the one he was least worried about was Little Yellow Duck's acting skills; she was a double Golden Horse Award winner whom he had personally mentored.

Secondly, there's Gu Luojin. He also went to see "The Big Shot" after it was released, and he gained a new appreciation for Gu Luojin's acting skills.

Looking at the harmonious scene before him, he felt very comfortable with the atmosphere of mutual help and support within the crew.

As for whether Zhou Ye can understand the true meaning of the character, he has no expectations.

If all else fails, we can just take more shots and eventually find one that works.

Tsang Kwok-cheung focused his attention elsewhere; the production team had more to worry about than just the actors' acting skills.

Practice makes perfect. Gu Luojin stood up and, catching Zhou Ye off guard, gave her a push.

He acted swiftly and decisively, without any unnecessary physical movements. His sharp, cold-blooded gaze fell upon Zhou Ye, the chilling light in his eyes filling Zhou Ye with fear.

"Do you understand now?"

"I understand, Brother Gu. If I had to use a precise word to describe it, it would be cold-hearted."

"Bingo... Congratulations on answering correctly. I'll treat you to a lollipop tonight."

She was worried that this guy was frivolous and strongly refused.

"Now you understand the true meaning of this scene, right? I have a feeling that this scene will become a hit, and it might even become your classic role."

"real."

Is it true or not? Would he not know if he were reborn?

The two switched roles, with Zhou Ye playing Wei Lai this time, as if the scenes from the movie were replaying in his eyes.

"Xiao Ye, you did well this time. Even though I know it's an act, the way you look still scare me."

"Yay, thanks, Brother Gu!"

In fact, Gu Luojin had a bold idea: there are actresses in the Chinese entertainment industry who like to roll their eyes, and now there are actresses who like to act with a mocking gaze.

If we were playing duo queue, looking at him like that would be so exciting!

If two people in the third row were to look at him like that, Gu Luojin felt he wouldn't be able to hold out for long.

Even salted fish have dreams, so how can a person not have dreams? Give it a try, what if you succeed?

"Brother Gu, I saw your lewd smile. What are you thinking?"

"Xiao Ye, are you itching for a spanking?"

Zhou Ye had heard from Sister Meng about Gu Luojin's way of treating women well. Regardless of how much of it was genuine, being spanked in front of so many people was too embarrassing.

Having learned valuable lessons from Gu Luojin, Zhou Ye returned to the filming set.

She is confident that she can perform this role well this time.

"How are the adjustments going?"

"Director Zeng, I think there won't be any problems this time."

"3.2.1. Action!"

After taking a deep breath, Zhou Ye quickly got into the zone.

Zhou Ye said nonchalantly, "My mom says, like begets like, and a mouse's son knows how to dig holes."

A volleyball hit Chen Nian in the stomach, provoking her to fight back.

"Will this ever end?"

Zhou Ye was stunned. She didn't expect that Chen Nian, the one being bullied, would actually dare to fight back, which made her lose face as the bully.

As Chen Nian was going down the stairs, Zhou Ye, who was standing behind her, pushed her down the stairs.

The little yellow duck looked at Zhou Ye with pitiful, disbelieving eyes, but all she got in return was Zhou Ye's cold, disdainful, and oppressive aura.

This scene made Tsang Kwok-cheung gasp; Zhou Ye's acting skills had changed so drastically in such a short time.

Even as a director, he couldn't improve the actors' acting skills, but after Gu Luojin's guidance, they passed the test on the first try.

He attributed all of this to Gu Luojin's tutoring: "It really brings me surprises."

It's like having an extra acting coach on the set, and the best part is, it's free.

After filming this scene, I didn't dare to put my back to her, worried that she would push me down the stairs.

"Cut! That scene is over."

Zhou Ye had been under immense psychological pressure, which she released at this moment.

My emotions are overflowing; I need to find a way to release them.

Upon finding Gu Luojin, she hugged him tightly.

"Brother Gu, thank you."

Zhou Ye's favorability +2

After all that effort, my favorability rating only increased by 2. Women's hearts are unfathomable.

"Okay, don't cry, don't cry."

Zhou Ye's assistant came up, worried that her artist might be trying to sneak in a relationship.

Gu Luojin knew that she had gotten too excited and would calm down soon.

"Don't worry, just let your emotions out."

The assistant nodded thoughtfully, without giving it much thought.

"Hey, that's enough. If you keep hugging like that, people will get suspicious."

The main problem was that Zhou Ye was being indecent, rubbing against his muscles and leaving her saliva on his clothes.

If you rub against his muscles, you have to let him rub against you in return; you can't let yourself get away with it.

Charging a little interest isn't unreasonable, is it?

"oh."

Zhou Ye loosened her arms from holding him and wiped away the tears that wouldn't flow.

"A beautiful girl hugged you, and you still complained about me."

"A beautiful girl who doesn't drool."

Helpless, Zhou Ye vented her anger on the air.

……

"Brother Gu, you're actually my leading man."