Because Sheng Yan’s starting point was too high, apart from his first role as a virgin, all the productions he took part in were large-scale, and his co-stars were all capable popular stars and aging actors.
These people had already figured out a path suited to themselves in acting and seldom gathered to discuss it. Occasionally, when the director used a newcomer on set, they played a minor role so small, they rarely even got to be in Sheng Yan’s presence.
Therefore, the question from He Jinxia was one of the few Sheng Yan had received about acting.
Minutes passed, and Mrs. Sheng, seeing her son hadn’t yet responded, thought he was rushing for a scheduled appointment. She was about to tag him in the group chat to remind him to check the message and reply after reading it.
Just then, a long voice message from Sheng Yan popped up in the group.
"Acting is a gradual process. Some people gain experience through hard work and diligence, while others use talent and diligence to acquire it. Even talented actors cannot skip the diligent practice.
My advice is, in every scene where the character and emotions shift, do not transition too quickly—leave an interval for rest, which could be five minutes or even two.
You need to calm your heart, detach your thoughts from the previous role, clear your mind, and then enter into the emotions of the next role you are going to play.
I use this method to cope, and since adopting this method for filming, I haven’t been as mentally exhausted. I don’t know if it will work for you.
Another thing is to practice a lot. You can buy some books on acting, try out the exercises they provide."
After listening to this long voice message, He Jinxia’s expression became slightly complicated.
She hadn’t expected Sheng Yan to answer her so seriously.
From the beginning of her interactions with Sheng Yan, He Jinxia understood that because of Aunt Rui, he had to feign cordiality with her. Knowing her place, after their initial meeting and having played tennis and eaten a meal, she didn’t approach him anymore.
But today’s message gave He Jinxia another perspective on Sheng Yan.
Sheng Yan was very earnest and responsible, just as Mrs. He had described him, a serious and sincere gentleman.
She had previously been skeptical about applying the word "gentleman" to Sheng Yan, feeling he was more arrogant, but now, her opinion of him had changed.
No matter whether he was willing to engage or not, as long as he committed to something, he would handle it with great responsibility, just like now.
Latter on, Sheng Yan sent a few more voice messages, not only sharing some detailed experiences with her but also sending over a list of books on acting, and he even urged her not to overexert herself and to know her limits.
"...When your performance improves further, we can discuss and explore how to act in more depth."
In her phone, Sheng Yan’s deep and mellow voice came through, sounding like a well-played cello. Even with some distortion, it was as pleasant as always.
He Jinxia listened silently, at a loss for words.
This seriousness made her feel a bit uneasy...
After a long while, He Jinxia sent a voice message: "I’m on a closed set losing weight. Once the pre-diet scenes are shot, the director will move on to post-production. She won’t be around, and I’m left to practice with the book’s exercises alone, unable to judge if it’s good or bad."
After finishing, she paused for a moment, contemplating whether or not to send her practice video to the group to see if anyone could spot any incorrect emotions, but the next second, Sheng Yan sent another voice message.
"You can send it to me to take a look, but I can’t promise prompt replies, it might take days."
He Jinxia’s eyelids twitched, feeling even more uneasy.
What happened to your previously unapproachable cold persona, my idol?!
Instead of sending a voice message in the group, He Jinxia directly messaged Sheng Yan privately, asking, "Brother Sheng, did Aunt Rui cry, make scenes, and threaten suicide to force you into some unfair agreement?"
Sheng Yan’s eyebrows raised, a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes.
Actually, after those words came out of his mouth, he himself was a bit surprised. Without much thought, seeing the voice message from He Jinxia, he just naturally said it.
Sheng Yan never considered himself a warm-hearted person, and he had to admit that this time his desire to help He Jinxia was largely because of his mother.
He was busy with his schedule, seldom speaking in the WeChat group, but it was He Jinxia who talked with his mother every day. Even though his mother was just an incidental part of those conversations, she seemed much happier than before.
Just for his mother’s sake, Sheng Yan felt it was necessary to give He Jinxia a hand, especially since he was quite interested in mentoring her in acting.
Sheng Yan spoke leisurely, starting with, "No."
The second statement was, "Perhaps I have an inborn quality of being a mentor, enjoying helping others?"
He Jinxia, "..." If it weren’t for the doubtful tone in which that was said, she might have believed him a little more, thank you.
She frowned slightly, unsure of what Sheng Yan meant. Was he really going to teach her?
But the image of Sheng Yan’s haughty demeanor, as if he was looking down from above, kept flashing in her mind, and she found it hard to believe that this man would be so kind-hearted.
Seeing that He Jinxia hadn’t spoken for a while, Sheng Yan pondered for a moment and then sent a voice message:
"Don’t you think it feels quite fulfilling to turn a blank slate who knows nothing about acting into a rising star in the entertainment industry, or even a big movie star?"
Now He Jinxia understood.
She had felt the same way in her past life. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn N0velFire.ɴet
Her eyes darkened, sadness and hatred flitted through them, and her thoughts grew slightly hazy.
In her previous life, as soon as she had found her long-lost sister, she immediately took her sister to the Red Courtyard. She had intended for her sister to be a lady of a noble family, but her sister also aspired to become an Oiran.
So, she personally taught her sister various skills and how to interact with others, setting an example herself.
Watching her sister transform from ignorance to becoming the next Oiran of the Red Courtyard, He Jinxia felt a deep sense of achievement, but... this so-called sister turned out to be a cold, venomous snake!
All her efforts were merely a joke paid for with blood and life!
He Jinxia came back to her senses, and instead of speaking, she typed a message: "Aren’t you afraid that after you’ve taught me well, I might turn around and bite you, dragging you down?"
Sheng Yan’s eyebrows raised again, finding He Jinxia’s thought process quite peculiar.
Having a top celebrity as a mentor would have overjoyed any declining star, yet she thought of these things.
On the phone, Sheng Yan’s voice remained calm and light, and outside the phone, He Jinxia’s eyes reddened at that moment.
She couldn’t help but grip her phone tightly, emotions churning inside her.
In her past life, why hadn’t she ever met someone like Sheng Yan who had such faith in her?
Had all her painstaking efforts in relationships been inferior to a stranger in this life?
He Jinxia tugged at the corner of her mouth, mocking herself with a smile, reached up to touch her slightly moist eyes, took a deep breath, stabilized her breath, and sincerely sent a voice message back:
"Thank you for your trust."
Lastly, she typed another line—
"Also, I’m not a blank slate ^_^"
Sheng Yan’s eyes darkened as he recalled the performance he had seen on the first-floor stage at the company. A slight smile played on his lips as he put down the phone, choosing not to respond.
Whether she was a blank slate or not, time would prove it.