Ch 39 - Newest Top Celebrity x Washed Up Film Emperor: Bring Me Into The Role
Yan Qin looked at the fruit in front of him and paused slightly.
âI almost forgot, Mr. Yan doesnât like eating grapes.â
Lin Sui sat in front of Yan Qin, and though his mouth said those words, he still grabbed a grape and placed it next to Yan Qinâs lips, his actions no different from before.
âYou can spit it out again this time, Iâll just feed it to you again if you spit it out until you actually swallow it.â
The green grape pulp slid over Yan Qinâs lips, smearing them with sticky sweet juice.
Yan Qin controlled his expression, but the lines of his lower jaw were stretched taut, his refusal was very clear.
Yan Qin had learnt his lesson, so he didnât open his mouth to speak in order to avoid being forcefully stuffed, and planned to leave this predicament.
âWhy are you refusing? Donât you know that, for someone like me, the more people donât do what I want, the more stubborn Iâll be?â
Lin Sui propped his cheek up with one hand and twirled the grape in the other, playfully lingering on Yan Qinâs lips.
âI will be really serious when that time comes, maybe Iâll have someone throw you into my room, use toys to keep your mouth open, and feed you the grapes one by one until you canât eat any more. Maybe after that youâll change to like grapes.â
Lin Sui spoke neither fast nor slow, his voice gentle and pleasant.
Following his words, a scene appeared in his mind like an unfurling picture scroll.
Yan Qinâs expression became a little colder, he pulled away from Lin Sui and said: âI donât remember having done anything to provoke you.â
âYou havenât?â Lin Sui raised his eyebrows in slight astonishment, and smiled lazily, âYou being in front of me right now is provoking me.â
An vain and self-important, audacious, and resource-grabbing flower vase may not have any sort of feelings towards a good-looking Film Emperor with good acting skills, but when one added the words âwashed upâ in front of âFilm Emperorâ, it would naturally be different.
âSome people actually said that you acting with me was degrading and hindering your style, ridiculous, I havenât even said youâre riding on my popularity, but youâre always putting on airs. Itâs annoying to watch.â
Lin Sui threw away the grape in his hand and used a wet-wipe to clean the moistness from his fingers.
Did the villain need a reason to hate the protagonist? No, because when you hate someone, anything can become a reason.
âEat up, Mr. Yan, consider this as my tuition payment. Youâve worked hard to teach me, if you donât eat, Iâll truly be too embarrassed to use the things you taught me to act in this movie.â
Lin Sui pushed the fruit in front of Yan Qin, watching him calmly.
Yan Qin did not think this fruit was the end of it, maybe it was only the beginning.
The young man before his eyes seemed like the painted-skin beauties1Â from supernatural stories, whose insides were filled with corruption and decay.
The meaning in his words was clear, making Yan Qin a little annoyed.
Being an actor meant having the duty to act well, even more so when being the main actor that influenced the quality of the work, but Lin Sui treated it like a game, didnât take his own career seriously, and actually used this to threaten him.
Yan Qin had a bit of OCD when it came to filming, he didnât like bad movies, and he didnât want to see anything he acted in to be a bad movie.
As soon as he took on the role, Yan Qin had already forewarned Liu Buqun that if the results left much to be desired after a few days of shooting, he would withdraw from the cast.
Heâd only asked for an extremely low pay in one part because he really wanted the script to be improved and wanted to help, but also so that he wouldnât have to pay too high a penalty when he quit.
They day they started shooting, Lin Suiâs performance was flawed and stiff, but he had ingenuity and understanding, so Yan Qin didnât want to give up too early.
As a result, even though his heart was unhappy, Yan Qin still picked up the grape and put it into his mouth, and that was the end of it.
Lin Sui didnât talk again, he looked at Yan Qin and left.
The assistants in the breakroom had already laid out the packaged dishes, so Lin Sui let them leave to have their own meals and took out his cellphone to make a call.
âLingling, why are you suddenly calling me? Are you unhappy on set? Whatâs wrong?â
The man on the other end had a rough and bold voice that carried a sense of affection.
âGodfather, I told you not to call me that.â
Lin Sui was eating. He was a little uncomfortable with the nicknames in each world, but fortunately the original owner didnât like his nickname either.
The person on the other side of the phone was Hua Yunâs president, Yu Yushuo, who was a close friend to the original ownerâs father. When the original ownerâs mother was pregnant, he treated her and the child in her womb like family, so the original owner called him godfather.
Hua Yun Pictures was very famous in the entertainment industry. When the original owner said he wanted to go into the industry, Yu Yushuo registered him in his own company without any objections, offering him the best treatment and resources.
âItâs cute, youâve never liked it, but your godfather thinks itâs super cute. What did you call me for? Was the investment not enough? Should I add more?â
âNo, I just wanted to talk to you first. Iâm planning to set up my own studio.â
âWhy!? Did someone at the company give you a hard time and make you feel uncomfortable?!â
Lin Sui leaned against the sofa and spoke casually: âNo, I just want to try making my own business.â
When capital intervened in the market, the market was not pure. If he wanted to seize influence, he had to always be in a state of âpopularityâ, and Lin Sui felt that the best way to do this was naturally to seize capital.
To be in an invincible position, one must always hold all the cards in their hands.
Yu Yushuo tried to persuade him a few times, thinking Lin Sui didnât need to trouble himself so much and it was fine if he just relied on them, but since Lin Sui insisted, he was naturally willing to let the child try.
âOkay, Iâll go back and take care of that, if youâre ever in need of investment, let your godfather know.â
His godfather was rich and overbearing, with an outspoken and straightforward temper, so the matter was resolved in just a few words.
Lin Sui responded and hung up the phone, afterwards, he ate a few things and took out his computer to begin looking into his objective.
At that moment, Yan Qin was eating fruit, looking at the screen of his phone with a confused, hesitating expression. After Lin Sui left, he wanted to pull out his phone and leave that group, but he hadnât expected that the girl that pulled him into the group had tagged2Â him to say a few words of gratitude and recommendation.
The other girls in the group were also chatting with him. Yan Qin was not a person who liked making people feel awkward, so he didnât leave the group immediately, but rather stayed in the group while maintaining a subtle eye on Lin Sui.
He would wait until tomorrow when those people werenât paying attention to him and leave the group then.
In the afternoon shoot, Liu Buqun finished filming while drinking chrysanthemum tea to relieve internal heat.
He had originally planned to shoot the scene of the first meeting in which Shu Tang pulled on Xu Shuangxingâs hand so he could see his body for himself, but Liu Buqun felt that Lin Suiâs acting was not up to standard, so he simply pushed that scene back and filmed another one first.
Liu Buqun began to lose hair during the two days of stumbling through the shoot like that.
âCan your features not be so distorted? Being frivolous is neither enticing nor flirty, you look like youâre about to have an affair with someone like that, give it a little less emotion. Remember, right now youâre Ruan Qingqu acting like Shu tang, not the real Shu Tang or Ruan Qingqu!â
Lin Buqun gave earnest and well-meaning advice. He had turned a blind eye for other scenes, but he couldnât do it for the first set-up scene. The first impression the audience got had to be distinct and profound, they couldnât mess it up at the very beginning.
He also knew that, when the young master acted smoothly, it was purely him being himself, and that this amateur used to a life of luxury simply knew nothing about empathy or being in character. He felt that hoping for the other party to understand was simply as hard as ascending to heaven, but he couldnât just let it go.
âDirector Liu, what about your nesting doll?â
Lin Sui was a little exhausted, his exhaustion came from having to pretend to be a bad actor.
âYou go mull it over yourself. I donât care what methods you use, you need to give me something tomorrow before we begin filming, or else weâre not going to.â
Liu Buqun also had a bad temper, and this was not his original idea for the lead role, so if it didnât work out, he really didnât want to film.
Liu Buqun exploded and gave Lin Sui a vacation.
Looking at Lin Suiâs wooden expression, Yan Qin slightly pursed his lips.
Lin Sui headed back to the break room with all kinds of emotions in his eyes. Fu Nai followed beside him, coaxing him, afraid that Lin Sui was in such a bad mood he was about to angrily throw and break things when he returned to the break room, but Lin Sui just sat down on the sofa and began looking at his phone.
She didnât know if it was an illusion, but she felt that Lin Suiâs temper had improved a little these past few days.
âA-Sui, your acting just now was actually very good, your skills have improved so much, itâs director Liu whoâs being too rude and nitpickyâŠâ
Fu Nai continued to boast blindly, but this time it wasnât complete lies. Although Lin Suiâs acting was a little defective, it was much better than before when he would just stare and frown.
Lin Sui was just browsing this worldâs business layout and future trends, and felt like the agent next to him was a little noisy, so he shot her a cold glare to indicate she should shut up.
Fu Nai immediately fell silent, showing she wouldnât speak any more.
It seemed like his temper hadnât changed, he was even a little scarier.
As Lin Sui was putting together the information he needed, his cellphone got a call from Yu Linxi.
âBro, are you free right now? The Jianghu urgently needs your help!â
Yu Linxi was Yu Yushuoâs son, and the original ownerâs godbrother. He was seventeen this year, and was a rich second generation who would go work the land if he couldnât sing or dance well.
Yu Linxiâs dream was to be an e-sports player, but Yu Yushuo thought that this industry was for the young and couldnât last, and that he had to study and become dependable. Yu Linxin went on a hunger strike at home, and Yu Yushuo thought that he just had too much free time, so he immediately threw him into this yearâs talent show and threatened with sending him to the countryside to farm if he didnât perform well.
Yu Linxi performed tearfully, and in the end he actually debuted. The original owner could go back to inherit family property if he couldnât act, but Yu Linxi didnât even have the opportunity to inherit if he couldnât sing or dance, only to go raise pigs. That hadnât been a joke, Yu Yushuo was a tiger dad, and he always kept his word.
âIâm participating in a live variety show, but the guest that we had planned suddenly felt unwell and couldnât make it. Iâm afraid I wonât be able to properly connect with other people, so can you come and save me? Itâs only half an hour!â
Lin Sui dealt with the things in his computer and closed the screen.
In the original story, Yu Linxi was a supporting role, and belonged to the neutral camp. He was Yan Qinâs fan, and even helped him a few times when the original owner made things difficult for Yan Qin. Later, when the original owner was out of luck, he also tried his hardest to let the original owner have some dignity. He was a good kid with principles and a clear idea of right and wrong.
Lin Sui took the itinerary end explained things to Fu Nai. Fu Nai nodded and asked about the venue, then took Lin Sui there and communicated with director Zu while in the car. The gist was very clear; although they were only going for half an hour to save the show, it still counted as half an hourâs pay. Director Zu didnât want to stiff them.
Since they were going for Yu Linxiâs sake and would give the programme a fun act that could generate traffic, director Zu would pay according to the market value and the time, but seeing as they were doing it for Yu Linxi, they could give him a discount.
Fu Naiâs communication was exceptionally strong, making Lin Sui raise his brows slightly.
He originally had a mediocre feeling towards this manager, but now he felt pretty good. He liked people who didnât yield an inch towards the benefits they were owed, and who had certain skills.
When Lin Sui arrived at the shoot, the production team had already changed the name on the broadcast since Lin Sui agreed to the shoot to attract attention. Lin Suiâs fans were already waiting, and the moment Lin Sui appeared on the scene, a barrage of densely-packed messages completely covered the entire screen.
Lin Sui greeted Yu Linxi and interacted with everyone. Yu Linxi became much more at ease after Lin Sui arrived, after all, the two of them were very close, and their conversation was more open.
The programme was really just playing games and doing a few Q&As while interacting with each other from time to time. The host was a famous comedian, and the venue was always lively.
Fu Nai had given them prior notice that they couldnât ask about the new movie. The host cleverly did not ask, but did bring up the movieâs name, which counted as publicity.
Near the end, the host jokingly asked the two handsome guys about their criteria for choosing a spouse.
Yu Linxi was very conscious of being an idol, so he said: âIâm not thinking about love for the time being, so I donât have any criteria.â
The barrage of real-time comments: Youâre not old enough yet, son, your mother wonât allow it. Such a good son.
When the host turned his gaze on Lin Sui, Lin Sui thought about it for a moment and smiled as he answered: âSomeone obedient, who can understand my thoughts.â
Yu Linxi teased him: âIt seems that Lin-ge likes the cute and pleasant type.â
Soon after, the topic of Lin Suiâs spouse selection criteria rushed to the top of the hot trends.
Some people thought it was very normal, some shouted âchoose me, baby, Iâll always listen to what darling saysâ, and some people thought Lin Sui was too straight, too much of a male chauvinist, and too controlling.
[Lin Suiâs Husbands Group]
@Itâs Suisui Ya: Sisters, get to work, someone is scolding our wife again @Swallows Return to the Forest @Stir-Fry the Wife 100 Times @Kiss The Wife A-Sui
@Itâs Suisui Ya: How do we fix this, this group of anti-fans is stirring up trouble, saying the wife is a straight male chauvinist. Why are they saying the wifeâs requirements objectify women, so he discriminates against them? Theyâre really rubbish to randomly use womenâs rights to mess up the reputation of this group.
@Wife Brides3Â Me: Right right, who said the wifeâs other half has to be a woman? Everyone here is his husband, ok?
@Stir-Fry the Wife 100 Times: Go to battle at once! The wife praised me for being good in bed last night heh heh heh!
@Kiss The Wife A-Sui: Nah nah, 100 Times is dreaming again, the wife was clearly in my bed last night!
@Swallows Return to the Forest: âŠâŠâŠ
Yan Qin had wanted to leave the group countless times, but he was tagged every day, not only that, but because some of the advice he gave the little sisters on work and life was quite reliable, heâd already been made the groupâs admin.
It was fine if he was tagged every day, but he was still completely shocked by these words.
He skimmed over Lin Suiâs spouse criteria and posted a Weibo using the words given in the group, then logged out.
As the shoot ended that afternoon, Yan Qin caught sight of someone jogging towards him. His memory was pretty good, so he knew that was one of Lin Suiâs assistants, it seemed to be the one called Tao Yang.
âMr. Yan, Lin-ge wants to invite you somewhere, he said it had to do with that scene director Liu wanted him to act in today.â
Yan Qin didnât refuse, and followed Tao Yang outside.
Director Liuâs ultimatum was for tomorrow morning, so it was normal for Lin Sui to feel nervous. That was good, it showed that the other party still wanted to make this film a success. When it came to acting, Yan Qin could put aside some of his personal feelings to achieve better results on screen.
He had originally thought that he would go to Lin Suiâs room or the lounge, but Tao Yang took him in front of a van.
Yan Qin opened the back door and saw Lin Sui sitting there.
He seemed to be a little out of sorts, lazily leaning back against the seat and resting with his eyes closed.
When the car door was closed, they set off. Yan Qin didnât know what their destination was, but he saw Lin Sui had no plans of explaining things to him, so he quietly watched both sides of the road.
Lin Sui had headed home after the end of the live broadcast to get some information and continue with his preparation work, after that, it was time to get busy with the highlight of the day.
Liu Buqunâs words had been an exceptionally good reason, although Lin Sui would still have done this even if he hadnât said that. But since he happened to have an opportunity, Lin Sui set things up in advance.
The destination of this trip was an elegant little building with a touch of the graceful Hui style4Â on the inside, there was bamboo and orchids everywhere, making it seem particularly beautiful and secluded.
Yan Qin was frowning on the inside. A few years ago, before he had the accident, he had also been invited to dinner parties in these kinds of places. This type of building seemed clean and elegant on the outside, but was a bordello on the inside, it was just that this one was an extremely high-class one, both pure and obscene, paying particular attention to hinting but not revealing, but it was the same in essence.
âMr. Yan, letâs go. Iâm afraid Iâll waste everyoneâs time tomorrow if Iâm delayed, and director Liu is really going to quit.â
Lin Sui looked at Yan Qinâs slight hesitation and invited.
Yan Qin looked at his expression and wondered what he was doing again, then followed him inside.
Lin Sui arrived at the reserved room. It was an antique-style building with a large soft couch and table on the inside which guests could sit or lie down on, then there was the long, narrow table, which was convenient for letting guests drink while watching the qin players.
Lin Sui sat down on the couch, and had the manager call people in.
After the manager went out, a few charming young woman came in from outside the door, all of which had the same graceful and elegant style, adn two delicate boys also came in, and they all stood in front of Lin Sui and Yan Qin.
Yan Qinâs face sunk, seemingly in a bad mood.
âOkay, start laughing. Incorporate your personality into a frivolous laugh, heâll pick who gets to stay.â
Lin Sui raised his chin, indicating that they could start.
Those people were a little startled, but they were professional enough and quickly began to act.
âMr. Yan, remember to pick the one who fits Ruan Qingquâs Shu Tang the most, Iâm eager to learn.â
Lin Sui leaned close to Yan Qin, speaking next to his ear.
Yan Qin had just realised what he was playing at. He looked at those laughing people and took a deep breath.
âYou can consult an acting teacher, thereâs no need toâŠâ
âWasnât it about understanding and being in character? In that case, this is just a little real.â
His words were not wrong, and for a moment Yan Qin didnât know if Lin Sui was making a joke in bad taste or if he was being serious.
Yan Qin watched for a while with rapt attention, and finally pointed to a boy.
The other people left, and that young man stood there slightly uncomfortably.
âHis laugh wasnât very frivolous.â
Lin Sui held his chin, he understood Yan Qinâs reason for choosing, but pretended not to.
âShu Tang never had that kind of experience, so his actions lean towards wide gins and teasing. Ruan Qingqu is aware of this when he acts, but in the end he isnât Shu Tang, so he brings a little charm to it, in addition to his previous dignified appearanceâŠâ
Yan Qin patiently explained this to Lin Sui, instructing that young man to make facial expressions as he taught Lin Sui.
The person who was told to stay was dumbfounded, he thought there was going to be a threesome tonight, but ended up very uncomfortable, it seemed like he was being used as a blackboard?
If you want to have a class, do you have to do it here?! Thatâs really weird, ok?!
Lin Sui seemed to have understood and waved at the person standing in the room. As the room returned to silence, he and Yan Qin began to rehearse the scene.
Since they werenât in front of a camera, Lin Sui didnât have the patience to act like a flower vase, so it was over after two times.
Yan Qin nodded inwardly, his feeling was right, Lin Sui did have some understanding.
âItâs so annoying, acting the scene takes so much effort, and I still donât know how much time the rest will take, Iâll just act casually.â
Lin Sui spoke impatiently, and his lips rose inwardly when he noticed the corners of Yan Qinâs lips were pressed down.
âStereotyped and repetitive acting will wear down ingenuity, and will be unbearable to look at in the end. If you always have these kinds of thoughts, what you present will ultimately not be art, but rubbish.â
Lin Sui supported himself with his hands and sat up, looking at Yan Qin indifferently.
âBut I still have to practice so I donât have to do it all over again. Itâs annoying if Liu Buqun doesnât bother me, he even told me there was a very important scene, the one where weâre filming Ruan Qinguâs memories, so I can get my expressions right.â
During Shu Tangâs narration for Xu Shuanxingâs investigation, he learnt of Ruan Qingqu being passed into the beds of many people. At this point, they would insert a scene of the fake-Shu-Tang-real-Ruan-Qingquâs memories, which was Ruan Qingquâs hate-filled appearance when he made up his mind.
Yan Qin began to explain the scene to Lin Sui again, analysing Ruan Qingquâs character and talking about his disposition and innermost thoughts at the time.
âThe helplessness, humiliation, and despair of being forced, those are very desperate and extreme emotions during that time, you need to act well so as not to let the hatred rise to the surface, and to evoke empathy from the audienceâŠâ
Yan Qinâs lips opened and closed, and Lin Sui looked down, revealing an annoyed and irritated expression.
âHow can I empathise with this? I have no way to get into character, I canât really have someone to force me to help me understand, right?â
âBut perhaps pretending is fine.â
The young manâs eyes turned, and he seemed to be planning something.
A foolish flower vase with poor acting skills only needed to âfeel as though it happened to himâ to be able to act.
Yan Qinâs heart skipped a beat, and he had a bad premonition.
âIâll try to be as cooperative as possible, but you canât be really inappropriate. Just let me experience the emotions to deal with it, but if you really make me uncomfortable, donât think about acting again in your life. I have more than enough power to keep you out in the cold.â
The young man coldly looked askance at Yan Qin, and one-sidedly gave the order.
âThen, Iâll trouble Mr. Yan. Act well, and please bring me into the role.â
He changed the topic again, but his attitude didnât seem like he was making a request.
Lin Sui leaned on the soft couch, looking at Yan Qin in a waiting stance.
âOkay, you can begin.â
The scene was so incredibly beautiful and alluring it seemed to have replaced all common sense, making it impossible to think.
1 Refers to a monster taking on a beautiful human appearance. Top.
2 èŸçč Means to mention someone with the @ symbol, but I wasnât really sure if âto at sb.â is an actual thing in english lol. Top.
3 So the original word here is âèæ©, qĂchĂ©ngâ which is a type of orange, but it sounds exactly like âéȘäčâ which means to ride, turning the username into a play on âWife Rides Meâ. I tried to keep the original play on sounds rather than going for the literal âWife Oranges Meâ. Top.
4 Hui style architecture is one of the major factions of traditional Chinese architecture styles, dating back to around the Ming dynasty. Top.
TN: This and the following three chaps are kinda long so my uploading schedule will probably be a little wonky(er than usual) until chapters return to a reasonable length (i.e. ~3k cn characters instead of ~6k lol). Longer ones are usually not that much of a problem but four in a row is just a bit oof.