Please Like Her 18 – Concert
The scene became completely quiet.
Before Song Zeqian could speak, Lin Yanyan immediately waved her hand and stuttered, “No, no, I can’t do it!”
She wasn’t saying she didn’t want to, but that she couldn’t.
Shang Lu had noticed what Lin Yanyan was thinking for a while now, but since this was Song Zeqian’s movie, she didn’t want to say anything. Now that the opportunity had presented itself, it was time to support Lin Yanyan.
Song Zeqian remained silent for a moment and then said to Lin Yanyan, “I know you’ve been working hard lately, so I don’t really want to discourage you. But at your current level, you might still have some way to go to meet my requirements.”
This was the most gentle critique Song Zeqian had ever given in his life.
Lin Yanyan pursed her lips, not getting angry but instead, very seriously replied, “I know.”
Because she knew and recognized her own level, she had never harbored unrealistic fantasies.
So when Shang Lu proposed the idea, even though she knew it was for her own good, and even though it was her long-awaited dream, she instinctively wanted to refuse because she felt she didn’t deserve it.
However, Shang Lu held Lin Yanyan’s hand and didn’t ask anything else, she simply said, “Do you want to give it a try?”
Lin Yanyan was stunned, but this time she didn’t hesitate, she nodded.
Shang Lu looked at Song Zeqian and said, “Director Han Cheng mentioned it casually during a meal once. You introduced me to him, and he found it absurd at the time. If it weren’t for the fact that he was giving me a chance out of respect for you, he would never have given me a second audition opportunity. But now he’s willing to invite me again.”
Song Zeqian didn’t deny it but said, “Shang Lu, actors with your natural talent are very rare. I’m not Han Cheng, he doesn’t know you, but I know you well enough.”
Shang Lu calmly said, “The compatibility between the role and the character is high enough that she doesn’t need to act, she just needs to be herself.”
Shang Lu’s words made Song Zeqian start to waver.
Because she was right, this role was so similar to Lin Yanyan that it even had some subtle nuances.
To the point where Song Zeqian began to doubt whether he had been influenced by the people around him while creating the character.
At this moment, Lin Yanyan also gathered her courage and spoke up for herself, “Song Zeqian, please give me a chance. You can criticize me as much as you want if my performance is terrible.”
Her expression was sincere, with a hint of pleading.
After a moment of silence, Song Zeqian agreed, “Choose any scene, you have half an hour to prepare.”
With that, he walked straight outside.
Until Song Zeqian left, Lin Yanyan still maintained a look of ‘Am I dreaming?’
Shang Lu directly pinched her face and took out the script from her bag, handing it over, saying, “I know you’ve finished reading it. Save time and tell us which scene you want to act.”
After receiving the script, Lin Yanyan didn’t immediately make a choice after flipping through a couple of pages. Instead, she looked up at Shang Lu and asked softly, “Can I really do this?”
“Whether you can or not, we’ll find out later. The judge won’t be here for another half an hour,” Shang Lu replied, adding, “Even if you didn’t impress Song Zeqian, don’t you want him to evaluate you for this role?”
For any actor, the opportunity to be guided by a renowned director is rare and precious.
Jiang Jing also comforted her, saying, “Yeah, don’t stress too much. You can ask us if you have any questions.”
Even Xu Ze encouraged her, “You can do it.”
Lin Yanyan nodded vigorously, feeling warm inside.
They were all friends, all skilled actors, and the director was Song Zeqian. If she could act in the same film as them, it would be something to cherish for a lifetime.
Moreover…
In Song Zeqian’s film, there were not only lead roles but also many supporting roles.
If she could perform a little better, perhaps Song Zeqian would change his opinion of her. If she couldn’t get this role, it didn’t matter; even a minute or a few scenes would be worthwhile.
When Lin Yanyan hesitated while selecting a scene, Shang Lu suddenly asked, “Do you remember the first luxury bag your Mom bought for you? I thought it looked really nice.”
“Huh?” Lin Yanyan didn’t understand why Shang Lu would suddenly bring this up but answered, “The brand has recently been going for a retro and nostalgic style. There’s one design that looks very similar to that bag you mentioned. I’ll have someone send it to you.”
“Okay,” Shang Lu smiled in response and didn’t say anything more.
And at this moment, a sudden flash of insight occurred in Lin Yanyan’s mind.
That bag was her favorite, and it was the first expensive gift her Mom had ever given her.
At the time, her parents had just earned their first money, and they didn’t know what the future held. That amount of money was a significant expense for her family. When her Mom took her into the luxury store for the first time, she realized that buying even one bag there might cost as much as their annual living expenses. Her palms were sweating with anxiety.
But her Mom didn’t care about any of that. Her Mom simply told the store attendant in a gentle voice that she was there to pick out a birthday gift for her daughter, and as long as it was fashionable, beautiful, and suitable for a young girl, the price was not a concern.
The attitudes of those shop assistants have also changed from their original contempt and indifference to becoming proactive and enthusiastic.
Later, she asked her Mom why she could be so composed during the first visit to such a place for such a large expense.
Her Mom told her, “Because I knew you were nervous. If I didn’t act like I often come to places like this to spend money, their attitude wouldn’t have been good. Even if you received the gift, you wouldn’t have been happy.”
In Lin Yanyan’s mind, she had made a choice.
She flipped through the script and stopped on one page.
Jiang Jing glanced at it, looking somewhat concerned and then glanced at Shang Lu, clearly hesitating.
Lin Yanyan was completely immersed in studying the script, while Shang Lu and Jiang Jing walked to the door before Shang Lu asked, “What’s going on?”
“Yanyan chose a scene that’s a memory of her first time standing in front of an audience introducing her family, but the villa and her parents were all rented by the company for her,” Jiang Jing said, growing more skeptical. “She chose to perform the scene of hiding her poverty as much as possible.”
In Jiang Jing’s view, the least compatible aspect of Lin Yanyan with this role was poverty. It would have been better if she played the part of a successful star standing in the spotlight.
“No, that’s not it,” Shang Lu shook her head. After learning that Lin Yanyan had chosen this scene, her mood improved. She smiled and said, “Trust her, she made a clever choice this time.”
Among the people present, only Shang Lu understood Lin Yanyan the best.
She knew that although Lin Yanyan’s family hadn’t been very poor, she had experienced panic and confusion when entering the ‘world of the wealthy’ for the first time.
Lin Yanyan quickly began her first performance, showing it to them.
And everyone had their own opinions.
Half an hour quickly passed.
Song Zeqian returned.
After seeing the scene Lin Yanyan had chosen, he was also somewhat surprised. “Avoiding the strength and choosing the weakness? Fine, go ahead.”
Although he also believed that this wasn’t Lin Yanyan’s best choice, he became somewhat interested because of it.
With encouragement from Shang Lu’s eyes, Lin Yanyan began her performance.
She imagined this ‘villa’ as the luxury store she had visited earlier, and she was now her Mom, facing the shop assistants who had turned into countless spectators in front of the screen.
She had to remain calm and composed, even though she was shocked by the luxurious decoration during her first visit. She had to pretend that she had been living here since she was a child, fabricating some details to increase credibility, like this sofa being an old family item where she used to sit and play with her little pets when she was a child.
Saying this, Lin Yanyan sat down, her hand touching the sofa before her body did.
In this moment, what she was thinking about was the cherished and beloved feeling when she first bought that luxury handbag.
Yanyan has such beloved parents.
AAAAAAHHHHHH I’m so proud of our princess! 💗💗💗 You go slay Yanyan!