006 Opening Scene: The Golden Horse Best Actor and the Flying Apsaras Best Actor Take the Stage
Daily Report ①: Last night, Zhang Songwen, Zhou Yiwei, and Lin Jiachuan had a late-night chat in their dormitory. They unanimously agreed that their roommate Yan Li was loyal and sincere—truly a brother you could count on. The only flaw was that his romantic prospects were far too abundant...
...
Daily Report ③: Dong Xuan still does not want to break up. Her quarrels and cold wars are tactics to control Yan Li, ensuring he behaves better in the future.
...
Daily Report ⑤: Zhang Zhengyong, the actor playing Shi Danai in "Heroes of the Sui and Tang Dynasties," originally had his sights set on the role of Yuwen Chengdu. Unexpectedly, Yan Li secured the part through the deputy director Wang Decai, causing Zhang Zhengyong to harbor resentment. (Note: Zhang Zhengyong has trained in Sanda for years and once won the amateur championship.)
...
Daily Report ⑦: Xie Junhao, who portrays Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty in "Heroes of the Sui and Tang Dynasties," is introverted but highly professional (details)...
...
Daily Report ⑨: Yesterday, Huang Shengyi was reminded of the sweet memories of her senior Yan Li guiding her on kissing scenes when her roommate was in a relationship...
...
After waking up, Yan Li first checked the system reports.
Today, there were ten reports in total, but over half contained useless or trivial information, so he quickly skimmed through them.
Report ① was about a behind-the-scenes meeting among the brothers, which Yan Li didn’t take to heart. Besides, this matter wasn’t just whispered behind backs; Zhang Songwen and Zhou Yiwei had already discussed it with him face to face.
Report ③ explained why Yan Li remained indifferent to the breakup with his “ex-girlfriend” Dong Xuan. He had already seen through her hand and held the absolute advantage, so there was no rush on his part.
Reports ⑤ and ⑦ were the ones Yan Li valued most.
Especially report ⑤—this potential enemy was a trained fighter. Yan Li even wanted to ask the props department for a short stick or dagger for self-defense.
Report ⑦ mainly helped Yan Li understand more about Xie Junhao, since his character Yang Guang was one of Yan Li’s frequent co-actors.
Notably, the “details” in that report caught Yan Li’s attention. It included Xie Junhao’s birthplace, career background, personality traits, social connections, and even some personal privacy information.
This type of intelligence, which Yan Li called “personal profile,” was quite rare and valuable—rich in detail but seldom provided.
Since receiving the system several months ago, Yan Li had obtained only three such personal profiles, including one on Wang Decai. That advantage had helped Yan Li build a good rapport with Wang Decai and join the “Heroes of the Sui and Tang Dynasties” production team.
Thus, Yan Li felt a bit regretful; the information on Xie Junhao wasn’t of much use to him.
If such a personal profile concerned a powerful figure like the producer or director, Yan Li might have been able to secure his next role before filming wrapped.
As for report ⑨, Yan Li still insisted that guidance on kissing scenes counted as acting coaching: “The innocent will remain innocent.”
...
After washing up, Yan Li went downstairs for breakfast. He had inquired yesterday and learned that the crew provided breakfast, but it had to be collected on set.
There were no scenes scheduled this morning. Not wanting to save a meal by traveling far, Yan Li simply grabbed breakfast at a nearby stall.
...
Later, in the same small grove as yesterday, Yan Li repeated his routine of practicing punches and memorizing lines.
After just two rounds of punching, he saw the long-haired girl from the day before. She was still wearing a T-shirt and jeans, but today her jeans were slimmer, emphasizing her long, well-proportioned legs.
She was surprised to see Yan Li again, smiled, and waved in greeting.
“Good morning.”
“Hello.”
Yan Li nodded without engaging in much small talk. Thanks to the previous day’s interaction, he no longer felt awkward and continued his shadowboxing.
The girl paused, watching with interest for a while before heading to her usual spot to read or rehearse with headphones on.
Since it was overcast today, she lingered longer, staying until eleven when hunger struck Yan Li. Just as he was packing up, the girl returned and passed by.
“Leaving?”
“Yeah, got scenes this afternoon.”
As expected for an actress, Yan Li wasn’t surprised and exchanged a few casual words before they parted ways.
What surprised him was that this girl was from the “Princess Pearl 3” crew.
He had read in the papers that “Princess Pearl 3” was filming in Yang City, so he wondered how she ended up in Hengdian.
Likely, the crew was split into groups—one filming in Yang City, the other in Hengdian.
Just like the “Heroes of the Sui and Tang Dynasties” crew, where Group A filmed Qin Qiong selling horses and Group B shot scenes at the Sui Dynasty palace, working separately but doubling efficiency.
After lunch, Yan Li had his makeup and costume done, then went to Group B to await filming.
He only had two scenes today, with minimal dialogue—mostly serving as background for characters like Yang Guang, speaking only a few lines at the end.
“Teacher Xie, I’m Yan Li, playing Yuwen Chengdu.”
“Hello, Teacher Yang. I’m Yan Li, a recent graduate from Beijing Film Academy, playing your son Yuwen Chengdu in the drama. Please take care of me.”
“Teacher Xie” was Xie Junhao. Before joining the crew, Yan Li had watched Xie’s representative film “The Thirteenth Lang of the South Sea.” Having won the Golden Horse Best Actor for that film, Xie was one of the most prominent actors in the entire crew.
“Teacher Yang” was Yang Shulin, who played Yuwen Huaji, Yuwen Chengdu’s father in the drama.
Yang Shulin was not well-known, and Yan Li was unfamiliar with him until he asked Wang Decai, realizing he had underestimated the man.
Just in May, Yang Shulin won the Flying Apsaras Award for Best Actor for his role in the TV series “Public Servant.”
A Golden Horse Best Actor and a Flying Apsaras Best Actor—these two formidable co-actors put considerable pressure on the novice Yan Li.
Xie Junhao was not very talkative, partly due to his personality and partly because his Mandarin was not very clear.
He even spoke Cantonese during filming. Fortunately, Yan Li had watched many Cantonese films, and his roommate Zhang Songwen was from Guangdong province, so Yan Li had some familiarity and could roughly understand.
Still, Yan Li planned to study Xie’s lines more carefully when rehearsing, fearing that if he didn’t understand what was being said, he might mess up the scene.
Xie Junhao, as a Golden Horse Best Actor, could freely deliver lines in Cantonese without worrying if co-actors understood. Yan Li, a newcomer, dared not make too many mistakes.
...
In contrast, Yang Shulin was friendlier, chatting with Yan Li with a smile and giving him tips on the crew’s on-set routines.
Every crew and director had their own habits regarding positioning, acting with partners, shooting, breaks, and so forth. The more Yan Li learned, the sooner and easier he could blend in.
Before filming, they rehearsed the scene—a segment where Yang Guang kills his brother and seizes his sister-in-law.
The plot was roughly: Yang Guang had previously framed the crown prince to usurp the throne. However, his lustful nature was exposed, angering Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, who planned to depose Yang Guang as crown prince.
But the secret leaked, Yang Guang found out, and he decided to stage a palace coup.
Before the coup, he killed the deposed crown prince and cruelly humiliated the crown prince’s widow in front of his elder brother.
Yuwen Huaji sat nearby while Yan Li, the martial force, restrained the deposed crown prince. Then Yan Li personally strangled the crown prince with a cloth, applying increasing pressure.
Yang Guang fondled the struggling crown prince’s widow, taunting the already unconscious crown prince.
“Big brother, don’t worry. After you’re gone, I’ll take good care of sister-in-law.”
“My breathing is labored now, but if sister-in-law soothes me, I’ll feel much better.”
“...”
Yan Li had read the lines before, but acting it out made him realize something.
The screenwriter of this damned script must have written adult films before!
Xie Junhao, worthy of his Golden Horse Best Actor title, portrayed Yang Guang’s debauchery and cruelty without making the character appear sleazy.
This was rare!
Yan Li had similar scenes and had been pondering his acting approach for days, so he understood the weight of Xie Junhao’s performance.
On the way home after work, Yan Li kept reflecting on how Xie had pulled it off.
Only by bedtime did he vaguely grasp the secret!
Most actors playing such scenes lean into a malevolent, thug-like attitude.
But Xie Junhao was different—he wasn’t playing a thug, he was embodying Yang Guang.
In the drama, Yang Guang was lustful and depraved, but to him, women were more like prey and toys. His purpose wasn’t to satisfy bestial desires but to savor the thrill of the hunt, conquest, and exercising absolute power.
Combined with Yang Guang’s status and Xie’s personal charisma, most viewers saw him as perverse, insane, and terrifying—but never sleazy.
Yan Li wanted to achieve the same effect but, considering the plot and lines of Yuwen Chengdu’s scenes, he felt it was impossible to learn from Xie.
Even if Yuwen Chengdu personally handed the heroine over to his subordinates for abuse, Yan Li could try to emphasize cold-blooded ruthlessness.
But Yuwen Chengdu leading the queue himself—and for several days at that—made it hopeless to dig deeper into the character’s inner world...