Please Like Her 15 – Male and female leads’ daily interactions + Father Shang’s birthday banquet
“Ah, you’re absolutely right; you win,” Song Zeqian chuckled, seemingly satisfied with this response. He then asked, “But, Shang Lu, your performance lacks authenticity. If we look at it purely from a character perspective, I believe you’re almost a perfect fit for Song Yanxue. That’s why Han Cheng has always liked you. But here is the problem. When you have similar yet different roles, and the former fits you better, then it will be challenging for you to outperform Song Yanxue as Wang Can.”
“Yes,” Shang Lu admitted to this issue directly. She raised her eyes to meet Song Zeqian’s gaze and said, “But I will perform well.”
At this moment, her determination in her eyes was reminiscent of Wang Can’s choices for life and the future.
Song Zeqian looked at Shang Lu for a few seconds and then said directly, “Lu Shi, go back.”
Lu Shi understood the outcome and gave Shang Lu an encouraging gesture with a smile. She said, “I’ll be there to support you at the cinema.”
Then she left.
However, Song Zeqian asked Shang Lu, “Do you have that much confidence in yourself?”
Shang Lu replied, “I have confidence in you. I know there’s something missing between me and this character, but you’ll teach me.”
“I can’t teach you that,” Song Zeqian waved his hand, signaling the two screenwriters to leave as well. He looked into Shang Lu’s eyes and said with a tone of certainty rather than doubt, “Shang Lu, how bad is your relationship with your family? To be frank, I believe some of your emotions seem to be missing.”
Shang Lu was somewhat surprised that Song Zeqian had noticed so much. After thinking for a moment, she answered, “To put it simply, my mother passed away when I was born. As for my father, I hope we never have the possibility of meeting before he dies. I also have an older brother. We were hostile to each other during our teenage years, and now we’re strangers, nothing more.”
She spoke with the calmest tone, as if she didn’t care at all.
Song Zeqian nodded in understanding and didn’t offer any comforting words. Instead, he said directly, “The life experiences and observations of naturally talented actors have a certain influence on their performances. This can be an advantage but also a constraint. Wang Can’s character is multi-faceted. You’ve portrayed her hatred and the strength hidden beneath her fragile appearance, but you haven’t shown her trust in family. If these five children don’t trust each other enough, they can’t cooperate seamlessly to weave such a massive lie and cover up their crimes.
“So, Shang Lu, before you step into this role, I have one piece of advice for you: your world can’t revolve solely around yourself. Don’t just think about who you should protect and what you should do. Think about who you can trust and rely on, and be willing to depend on that person. This reliance doesn’t mean you have to rely on them completely for survival. It means that, at a certain point in time, no matter what happens or what you’re doing, you have to believe that this person exists, and there won’t be any danger.”
Song Zeqian didn’t rush Shang Lu for an affirmation or response. Instead, he took her script and made some key annotations on a few pages, briefly pointing out some shortcomings in her first performance.
Finally, they parted ways.
Shang Lu took a small box out of her pocket and handed it to Song Zeqian.
Song Zeqian took it, and when he saw a ‘sunglasses’ necklace, his usually indifferent expression seemed to twitch a bit: “Are you giving me this to bribe me or to embarrass me?”
Shang Lu innocently replied, “This was made by Xiao Mi at school, and she asked me to give it to you. Everyone from Xiao Taoyan have a share. If you don’t like it…”
“It’s fine,” Song Zeqian interrupted as he closed the box and put it in his pocket. He then turned to leave. “Wang Can will on your hands for the time being. I’ll give you more information next week, and there will be half a month for training before joining the crew. But don’t take it lightly; even if the production starts, I’ll replace you anytime if I’m not satisfied.”
Shang Lu’s voice became much lighter, and she called after Song Zeqian’s retreating figure, “Understood! I promise to complete the task!”
Although she said so, Song Zeqian’s words left Shang Lu deep in thought after he left.
Can she trust others?
She actually trusted Xiao Mi, Xiao Taoyan’s guests, also Wang Rong. and Xue Zishan.
But she couldn’t rely on them.
Xiao Mi was too young. Lin Yanyan, Ye Lu, and Ou Yi acted without thinking. As for Wang Rong and Xue Zishan, she was afraid that if anything bad happened to her, it would drag them down.
She could disregard herself, but she couldn’t disregard the impact on others.
So, who could she rely on?
It was already evening.
A message notification from Chi Yan appeared on WeChat, saying he was on his way back and asking what she wanted for dinner.
Shang Lu had little appetite and replied briefly.
[ Anything is fine, just make some soup. ]
Soon after, there was a knock at the door.
Shang Lu thought it was Chi Yan and got up to answer the door but suddenly stopped in her tracks.
The entrance was quiet, without the sound of dogs.
Usually, when Chi Yan came over to cook dinner, he would bring the two dogs along to keep them from getting bored at home.
Da Guai was generally quiet, but Xiao Guai’s barking could usually be heard even through the closed door.
So Shang Lu didn’t speak but walked quietly toward the door.
A strange man’s voice came from outside, “Miss Shang, we are sent by Mr. Shang An to deliver a message. Could you please open the door?”
Shang Lu didn’t make a sound, but it wasn’t convenient to call the police either. If they could come in, it meant that the Shang family had already arranged for the property, and these people wouldn’t harm her. She was the only one who would get into trouble if this matter escalated.
The simplest way is actually to stay home these days and not go out at all. They can’t possibly break in, so just hide away until Thursday.
The man continued knocking on the door, “Miss Shang, are you home? Mr. Shang An just hopes that you can come home and celebrate his birthday with him, and he hopes that you can cooperate with us.”
Shang Lu couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
As always, the Shang family’s style is to come directly to her door, like an open and transparent abduction, without any tricks.
Given Father Shang’s temperament, he probably thinks that by actively sending people to find her, he’s already giving her face, so she should obediently come back with her own feet.
Looking through the peephole, Shang Lu saw another man who appeared to be older, attempting to lecture her, “Miss Shang, there should be no grudges between father and daughter. Mr. Shang also misses you; you should at least give him face on his birthday. Don’t forget the kindness of raising you; pity the hearts of parents all over the world!”
This speech was annoying, so Shang Lu responded directly, “Just get lost. Don’t talk about his birthday, don’t even bother me on his memorial day.”
Such a ‘blasphemous’ statement left the man’s face momentarily pale; he never expected the ‘daughter of the Shang family’ he was about to meet would be such a rebellious person.
And at that moment, the elevator arrived.
Chi Yan, dressed in a suit and holding freshly bought vegetables from the supermarket, looked slightly puzzled in the direction of Shang Lu’s door.
Realizing what the presence of these men might signify, he quickly walked over and asked, “What do you want?”
The old man who had just been lecturing Shang Lu apparently recognized Chi Yan and was somewhat surprised, “Young Master Chi? Why are you here?”