Chapter 220

River crabs freshly caught that morning were bundled with straw and placed in a steamer.

Fresh sea bass is usually best steamed, but the female lead had a specific habit. When she was a child, the naughty kids in her village used to tease her about her name, saying, “Isn’t Zhen Yu^[1] just ‘steamed fish’?”

Because the homophone for her name was unpleasant, the female lead hated steamed fish more than anything in her life, preferring it braised.

Ideally, the fish skin should be fried until crispy and then topped with two spoonfuls of sweet and sour sauce. It was perfection!

Thus, Wei Sheng first marinated the sea bass with scallions, ginger, garlic, cooking wine, and salt. He fried it before braising it, mimicking the style of Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish to create a Squirrel-Shaped Sea Bass for the female lead that was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.

The local fresh river shrimp were small, so Wei Sheng made a pot of shrimp and egg custard, adding finely minced beef velvet to give it an exceptionally savory flavor.

There was also a larger variety of river shrimp. These were marinated in water with scallions, ginger, and Sichuan peppercorns for a moment, drained, and then tossed into a deep fryer until the shells were crispy. After being scooped out and sprinkled with salt and pepper, they were crunchy enough to eat in one bite.

The female lead loved fried shrimp chips, but in those days, it was hard to find tomato sauce on the market. The male lead had specifically bought a large bag of tomatoes and personally simmered them into three glass jars of ketchup for her.

At this point in the scene, the female lead joked with the second male lead, asking what they would do if they couldn’t finish so much ketchup, since they didn’t even have the money to buy a refrigerator. What the female lead was actually thinking was that after she turned herself in and went to prison, she certainly wouldn’t be able to eat the ketchup the second male lead made for several years.

The second male lead, played by Wei Sheng, smiled and carefully helped her hide the remaining ketchup in the cupboard. The two of them dipped the freshly fried shrimp chips into the last half-bowl of sauce and finished them all.

It was a very simple meal of home-cooked dishes, but after the filming ended, Director Zhang Gaojun’s eyes were red.

This kid Wei Sheng! Who said he couldn’t act in emotional scenes? This segment was played with such heartbreaking poignancy!

This was exactly the artistic effect he wanted to achieve – using the mundane atmosphere of daily life to make the audience… well, not smoke them like meat, but move them to tears.

Zhou Mingxing, who had watched the entire process from the sidelines, was also stunned.

No wonder those young idols and starlets fought tooth and nail to get into Director Zhang Gaojun’s crew. If he had known Director Zhang was such a good teacher, he should have sent Wei Sheng over for acting training long ago, even if it meant working for zero pay!

Having finished the scene under the impressed or surprised gazes of everyone present, Wei Sheng himself found it a bit hard to believe. It passed in just one take?

In all the days he had been with the crew, this was the first time he had passed a scene in a single take under Director Zhang.

For a brief moment, Wei Sheng felt as if he had grasped a sliver of the essence of acting in emotional scenes.

Just then-

“Are we done, Director Zhang? Can we eat now?”

As the male lead and the second male lead’s rival in the story, Chu Bin showed no jealousy. Instead, he looked like he couldn’t wait for dinner to start, which was quite a speechless sight.

Even more speechless was Director Zhang.

The other crew members nearby were smelling Wei Sheng’s cooking, their mouths watering with craving. Yet, after watching the playback, Director Zhang waved his hand and dismissed everyone else to go eat their boxed lunches. He sat down grandly and even had someone bring out two bottles of liquor for him.

“Huh, Director Zhang, when did you buy alcohol?” Zhen Yu looked over in surprise.

They were all old acquaintances. Others might not know, but Zhen Yu was well aware of Director Zhang’s status at home.

In a place like the entertainment industry, sometimes trouble finds you even if you keep yourself clean. Therefore, whenever he was out filming, Director Zhang never dared to drink unless his wife was visiting the set. Why was he breaking the rule today?

Zhang Gaojun smiled triumphantly. “I can drink with peace of mind today! My wife is coming to visit the set tonight, and she’s bringing good food for everyone.”

Zhen Yu smirked. “I was wondering why Director Zhang dared to drink so openly today. So it’s because your wife is visiting.”

Zhang Gaojun didn’t feel the least bit embarrassed about being henpecked. He was actually quite proud. He quickly snatched a piece of the Squirrel-Shaped Sea Bass with his chopsticks and lectured Zhen Yu while eating.

“At least someone looks after me. Unlike you – look how old you are. Forget getting married, you don’t even have a partner. I bet you don’t even dare go home for New Year’s, do you?”

Zhen Yu muttered guiltily in a low voice, “Who says I don’t dare go home? I was working overtime! My fans all praise me for my dedication, saying I was still live-streaming on New Year’s Eve.”

“Besides, what young person these days obediently goes home for blind dates during New Year’s?”

“Men can be found anytime. In our line of work, it’s so hard to find a job opportunity with little work and high pay!”

Zhou Mingxing involuntarily glanced at Wei Sheng, feeling a sudden headache.

What was wrong with the entertainment industry these days?

In the past, young idols of this age were strictly guarded by managers and pursued by paparazzi, yet they still managed to date like time-management masters, as if they would die if they weren’t in a relationship.

But look at them now!

One Wei Sheng!

One Zhen Yu!

They were so easy on the eyes, good-looking, had decent values, and their family backgrounds weren’t bad. Yet, as soon as marriage or dating was mentioned, it was like asking them to die.

On the contrary, the male lead, Chu Bin, seeing Zhen Yu looking disheveled from the director’s nagging about marriage, couldn’t help but reveal a triumphant expression. “Well, in six months, everyone is invited to my house for my child’s full-month celebration^[2].”

Everyone was instantly shocked. Chu Bin was the most popular young Best Actor in the film industry in recent years. When did he get married? The paparazzi these days were too incompetent! Such explosive news, and no one had leaked it.

“It’s normal that you didn’t know. Teacher Chu’s partner is outside the industry – a university teacher. Her parents are in the civil service, and they are quite low-key. They didn’t have a big wedding. I only got to eat the wedding candy this kid secretly sent over after the fact,” Zhang Gaojun explained briefly on his behalf.

Seeing Chu Bin’s smug smile, Wei Sheng and Zhen Yu both rolled their eyes at him.

No loyalty! We agreed to resist the elders’ marriage nagging together, yet you went and got married in secret? You’re practically a traitor to the cause!

Having not cooked for a long time, Wei Sheng’s skills were as stable as ever, leaving several people satisfied and full.

However, this meal was not free.

After finishing the meal, Wei Sheng explained to Zhang Gaojun the flash of inspiration he had regarding the emotional scenes.

“Before, I kept thinking of Teacher Zhen as my girlfriend, so I always felt a bit strange when filming our daily interactions.”

“But just now, I forgot about that for a moment and treated Teacher Zhen as my own family member. Instead, the performance flowed perfectly in one go. Director Zhang, what exactly is going on here?”

Zhang Gaojun fell into deep thought for a moment before suddenly slapping his thigh. “I understand now!”

“Wei Sheng, you’re right to do it this way!”

“That’s it! Why didn’t I think of this sooner?”

Both Chu Bin and Zhen Yu were startled by him. What did he mean by “didn’t think of this sooner”? Was Director Zhang planning to change the script?

Zhang Gaojun laughed heartily. “Change what? This is great! This is how it should be! It was always supposed to be like this.”

As he laughed, Zhang Gaojun’s eyes suddenly reddened.

Wei Sheng looked at Director Zhang, who had managed to move himself to tears, with utter confusion. He really couldn’t understand the psyche of an artist, and of course, he couldn’t guess why the old gentleman was crying again.

Zhang Gaojun wiped the corners of his eyes and sighed with emotion. “I didn’t expect it. I’ve lived most of my life and been stubborn for most of my life, only to be enlightened by a brat like you, Wei Sheng!”

Zhou Mingxing had told Wei Sheng before that the role of the second male lead in Director Zhang’s “final masterpiece” was actually a microcosm of Director Zhang’s early life. That statement was indeed correct.

But what they didn’t know was that in Zhang Gaojun’s heart, there had always been the shadow of another girl hidden away.

A young man’s heart is always full of spring. A girl one secretly liked and thought about in their youth remains vivid and unforgettable even after decades have passed.

Zhang Gaojun had always believed he had loved this “childhood sweetheart.” He even felt a constant sense of guilt toward his wife because of this, believing he hadn’t given her his full love.

But just now, after hearing Wei Sheng’s words, Zhang Gaojun had a sudden realization. The “white moonlight” hidden in his heart for decades was struck by the dazzling sunlight, and the clouds and mist instantly dispersed.

In truth, he had long since forgotten what she actually looked like. The two of them had never made any Mountain Path vows^[3]; they were simply childhood playmates who got along well.

It was just like the relationship between the second male lead and the female lead in this movie. Perhaps it was because the female lead was the most beautiful girl in the village, or perhaps because the boy didn’t yet understand the word “love.” From the moment the second male lead left his hometown with her, he subconsciously assumed this was an “elopement” between lovers. He took it for granted that the two of them would eventually become husband and wife.

But feelings cannot be faked.

It was like how many scumbags, when breaking up with a long-term girlfriend, would say things like, “Even though we’ve broken up, we’ll still care for each other like family.” While most people who said this were indeed scumbags, there were some who truly, through the passage of time, had turned their partner into family.

A marriage, besides responsibility, always needs a bit of love. If both parties lose even that love and are left with nothing but the trivialities of daily life, how can they get married? There would be no passion left.

“That’s why I say Wei Sheng’s approach actually stumbled upon the truth. It makes the second male lead’s emotional journey feel more authentic and full.”

Zhang Gaojun sighed, picked up his wine glass, poured himself a drink, and toasted Wei Sheng.

Wei Sheng felt a bit flustered and quickly stood up to pour a full glass, clinking it against Zhang Gaojun’s.

He truly had no talent for acting. The few roles he had played before received good feedback from the audience, but as Zhou Mingxing put it, that was mainly because he was playing himself, so naturally, there were no flaws.

But once it came down to actual acting skills, especially in a movie like this where the second male lead’s persona was, if not worlds apart, then at least completely unrelated to Wei Sheng himself, it was a massive test of his abilities.

When Wei Sheng first debuted, Zhou Mingxing had indeed hired a professional acting coach for him. But before he could even finish a few months of lessons, Wei Sheng went off to start his own business, founding a company and planning variety shows. Where would he find the time to settle down and study acting?

Therefore, although he didn’t say it aloud, Wei Sheng truly cherished this opportunity to learn by Zhang Gaojun’s side.

Zhang Gaojun said he wanted to thank him, but Wei Sheng actually wanted to thank Zhang Gaojun. If it weren’t for the director’s constant NGs and his tireless efforts to correct him bit by bit, he wouldn’t have reached that “turning point.” After playing the infatuated second male lead for so long, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration and figured it out himself.

It turned out that whether it was an emotional scene or any other kind of scene, to perform well, besides relying on acting skills, one could also immerse themselves into the character. Just like this time, when he went to the market to buy groceries and cook, he completely forgot he was cooking for a “girlfriend.” He just did it like he was cooking for his own family, picking the freshest ingredients and making the dishes his family liked most. By treating the female lead as his family, his performance was naturally flawless and seamless.

He hadn’t expected that by sheer luck, he would perfectly capture the transition between the second male lead and the female lead from childhood sweethearts to “eloping lovers,” and then to finally recognizing their true hearts and returning to the roles of family members.

“So, you know how to express the emotions in the final scene now, right?” Zhang Gaojun looked at Wei Sheng with a smile.

Wei Sheng nodded vigorously, feeling full of confidence in his acting for the first time.

(End of Chapter)