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In the conference room of Huairou Film and Television Base.

Su Ning arrived half an hour early, holding the script of "Under the Zhengyang Gate," and deliberately chose a corner seat by the window.

He traced Taozi's lines with his fingertips, muttering them to himself, occasionally pausing to mark them in the blank spaces.

That was a character analysis I had stayed up all night to put together, filled with notes on everything from tone of voice and pauses to body language.

Suning didn't know where his motivation came from; it was as if a voice from the depths of his being told him to do everything to the extreme.

Soon, when the conference room door was pushed open, Su Ning was looking down, pondering a scene of a dispute.

"You must be Su Ning, who plays Taozi?" A cheerful voice rang out. He looked up and saw the male lead, Zhu Yawen, wearing a casual hoodie and holding a script in his hand, with an exceptionally friendly smile. "President Hao has mentioned you to me several times, saying that you are a talented newcomer."

Zhu Yawen truly lives up to his reputation as a walking embodiment of masculinity; the production team's choice of him to play the male lead was perfect.

At this moment, Su Ning had already imagined a wonderful performance in his mind, feeling that the character Han Chunming in the script was tailor-made for Zhu Yawen.

Su Ning quickly stood up and shook hands with him, deliberately appearing somewhat reserved: "Hello, Teacher Zhu, I am Su Ning. Also, I am not from a professional background, and there are many things I don't understand. I will need your guidance in the future."

"Don't call me teacher, it's too formal." Zhu Yawen patted his shoulder and sat down next to him. "We're the best of brothers who have the most scenes together, let's learn from each other in the future."

The two had only exchanged a few words when the sound of high heels came from the doorway again.

The female lead, Bian Xiaoxiao, wore an exquisite dress and bright makeup. She walked to the table and glanced around.

When his gaze fell on Su Ning, he smiled and extended his hand: "You must be Su Ning, whom Director Kong recommended? I've heard so much about your performance in 'Parents' Love' and I'm really looking forward to working with you."

"Thank you, Teacher Bian." Su Ning politely shook hands, but her fingertips felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

For some reason, looking at the smile in Bian Xiaoxiao's eyes, he suddenly felt a strange sense of danger...

That smile was beautiful, yet it seemed to be wrapped in a thin layer of ice, making people hesitant to approach it easily.

He didn't think much of it, assuming it was just a misperception from being new to the area.

Then he quietly moved his chair back a little, creating some distance between himself and Bian Xiaoxiao.

Just then, a clear voice broke the delicate atmosphere: "Excuse me, is this the script reading session for 'Under the Zhengyang Gate'?"

"That's right! You must be the second female lead, Fan Lin, right?" The male lead, Zhu Yawen, greeted her with a big smile.

"Yes! Best wishes, Teacher."

Su Ning looked up and saw a girl with a high ponytail standing at the door, which immediately gave people a rather stunning feeling.

But when Fan Lin saw Su Ning, her eyes lit up. "You must be Su Ning, right? I've heard President Hao mention you! My name is Fan Lin, and I'm also from Qingdao. We're from the same hometown!"

"Really? That's such a coincidence!" Su Ning instantly relaxed.

Fan Lin pulled up a chair and sat down next to him, opening the bag in her hand with practiced ease: "This is seaweed my mom asked me to bring. Try it; the taste from Qingdao is the most authentic. By the way, how old are you? Have you played any other roles before?"

“I’m eighteen this year. I played Jiang Weimin in ‘Parents’ Love’ before, so I’m considered a latecomer to acting.” Su Ning took the seaweed.

“I’m four years older than you, so you can call me ‘sister’ from now on!” Fan Lin patted his shoulder, exuding the straightforwardness of a Shandong native. “If you’re not used to anything on set, or if you need any help, just let me know. I know Beijing well, so I’ll take you to an authentic Qingdao restaurant this weekend so you can taste the flavors of home.”

"Thank you, Sister Lin."

After the reading session began, Fan Lin took extra care of Su Ning.

When it was Taozi's turn to act, she would quietly kick his foot under the table and mouth words to remind him to pay attention to his tone.

During the break, she took the script and analyzed the character with him: "Taozi's stutter is a characteristic, but you can't just act out the stutter. On the surface, he is a carefree hoodlum in the alley, but in fact, he values ​​loyalty more than anyone else. You have to bring out that 'rough on the outside but meticulous on the inside' spirit. For example, when he is arguing with Han Chunming, there must be brotherly affection in his eyes. It can't just look like they are arguing."

Su Ning listened attentively and wrote down the key points in the script: "Sister Lin, I understand. I was always worried that my stuttering was too deliberate, but now I know where to focus my efforts."

How did you get into this industry?

"Uh? It was just a coincidence!"

However, Fan Lin looked at Su Ning with envy and said, "You're lucky! You got into Director Kong's crew on your first acting role."

"Sister Lin, did you also go for an interview back then?" Su Ning understood the implication in Fan Lin's words.

"Of course! 'Our Parents' Love' is a really big project. It was already very popular back in the 90s."

Then Su Ning didn't ask any more questions, because asking any further would be considered rude.

……

In the November nights in Beijing, the cold wind felt like knives cutting into your face.

Once, while filming a night scene, Su Ning was only wearing a thin jacket. While waiting for her scene in the alley, she couldn't help but rub her hands together.

Upon seeing this, Fan Lin immediately had her assistant bring a thick down jacket and wrapped it around him without saying a word: "You big idiot, why are you wearing so little? You can't be this cold even when you're young! You'll suffer when your arms and legs ache when you get older!"

"Sister Lin, I'm fine, I'm resilient." Su Ning smiled shyly, but her heart was warmed.

Once filming officially began, Suning's performance impressed everyone.

In one scene, Taozi, in order to help Han Chunming cover up his secret, was so anxious that his face turned red when his girlfriend Cai Xiaoli questioned him, but he still gritted his teeth and didn't give in.

He clenched his fist, his eyes conveying both guilt towards his girlfriend and unwavering loyalty to his brother; even the slight trembling of his fingers was perfectly timed.

The director stared at the monitor and couldn't help but clap his hands: "Great! That's the feeling! Taozi's 'rogue' and 'loyalty' are all there, he's alive!"

Zhu Yawen walked over and patted him on the back: "Wow! Su Ning, I didn't realize you could handle such a role! At first, I was thinking I might have to mentor you more, but I didn't expect you to be able to take over my role so easily, you're more stable than many veteran actors."

"It's all thanks to Teacher Zhu for his excellent acting and Sister Lin for helping me analyze the character," Su Ning quickly waved her hand, remaining humble.

"Yes, Fan Lin really has a lot to say about you."

"Hehe, actually the teachers in the crew are all very nice. They didn't look down on me because I'm a newcomer and I'm a burden."

Under Fan Lin's influence, everyone in the crew treated Su Ning like a "little brother" who needed to be taken care of.

Every time the makeup artist did his makeup, they would put extra heat packs inside his clothes; the production crew would specially save the hottest boxed lunches for him and also give him a bottle of hot milk tea; the actress who played Cai Xiaoli would even tell him about the hutong culture of old Beijing during breaks and teach him how to greet people in the Beijing dialect.

Suning learned quickly and soon he was able to speak fluent Beijing dialect.

Once, while chatting with the stage manager, he blurted out, "You do this job really well," which made everyone burst into laughter.

Fan Lin joked, "Hey! Our little brother from Qingdao, are you turning into a Beijing native?"

"It's all thanks to the excellent teaching of all the teachers," Su Ning said with a smile, scratching his head, his eyes full of sincerity. Inside the photography studio, the lights remained bright even under the night sky.

Su Ning stood in front of the camera, wearing Tao Zi's dark costume, speaking lines with a slight stutter, but her eyes sparkled.

He was no longer the newcomer, nor the bewildered amnesiac, but had truly entered Taozi's world, gradually giving the character flesh and blood, and a soul of his own.

The clock in the distance pointed to late at night, the clapperboard fell again, and Su Ning flashed a carefree smile at the camera...

……

On the filming set of "Under the Zhengyang Gate", the red lanterns at the entrance of the alley were still adorned with festive red silk, but this only served to highlight the somber atmosphere.

Today's scene is the pivotal one where Taozi learns about Cai Xiaoli's wedding. Su Ning stands at the corner of the alley, watching the colorful ribbons fluttering out of the courtyard and hearing the laughter, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the kitchen knife in her hand...

Those were details he had meticulously worked out last night, in order to portray Taozi's anger at this moment.

As the clapperboard fell, Suning's expression changed instantly.

At first, he stared blankly at the courtyard gate, as if he hadn't understood the meaning of the character "囍" (double happiness); the next second, his pupils contracted slightly, his lips pursed into a straight line, and the shock of being betrayed washed over his face like a tide; finally, all his emotions sank down, turning into a bottomless pain in his eyes.

He gripped the kitchen knife tightly in his hand, about to rush into the yard, when Han Chunming, played by Zhu Yawen, immediately stepped forward and grabbed his arm tightly.

The camera zooms in and focuses on Suning's face.

He didn't burst into tears, but his eyes were red-rimmed, his lips trembled uncontrollably, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down as if he were swallowing his broken emotions.

A tear welled up in the corner of his eye, but he forced it back.

That was Taozi's stubbornness, and also the detail that Suning had pondered countless times.

"Cut!" As soon as the director's voice fell, the scene was silent for a moment, then burst into enthusiastic applause.

The male lead, Zhu Yawen, then let go of Su Ning's hand and patted him on the shoulder: "Brother, I was really worried for you just now. Your emotions were spot on."

The female lead, Bian Xiaoxiao, also came over, her tone full of admiration: "This kind of restrained outburst is more powerful than crying and making a scene. It made my nose tingle."

In the following scenes, Su Ning performed very well, even veteran actor Ni Dahong nodded in approval.

However, when it came to the romantic scenes with Guan Xiaoguan, played by Fan Lin, Su Ning got stuck.

In this scene, Guan Xiaoguan sits with the dejected Taozi on the steps of an alley and hands him a bottle of Beibingyang soda.

No matter how Su Ning adjusted her gaze, the director always shook his head: "No! Something's missing. Guan Xiaoguan is Taozi's light during his low point. When you look at her, there has to be an undisguised concern in your eyes, an ambiguity that's more than friends but not quite lovers. It has to be softer, warmer."

Screenwriter Wang Zhili added, "It's like a hand warmer you carry around in winter; it doesn't burn you, but it warms you right to the core."

However, Suning tried five or six times but still couldn't get the hang of it and didn't know exactly where the problem lay.

During his break, he sat on the steps, staring blankly at the script.

Fan Lin noticed his anxiety and came over to hand him a bottle of hot coffee: "Don't worry, these kinds of subtle emotions are hard to capture. When I first started acting, I always looked like I was 'glaring at an enemy' when I played unrequited love scenes. It was only after veteran actors taught me to 'hide my emotions behind my eyes' that I finally found the feeling."

"Sister Lin, am I really stupid?"

"How could that be! You're already incredibly talented. You might just not be good at romantic scenes, but our roles aren't crucial. Just do your best and leave the rest to fate."

……

That evening, after finishing work, Su Ning had just returned to his dormitory when he received a text message from Fan Lin: "I'll be waiting for you downstairs. I'll take you to eat Old Beijing copper hot pot to relieve some stress."

In the private room of the hot pot restaurant, steam rose from the copper pot, and mutton rolls tumbled in the clear broth.

Fan Lin, who was usually cheerful on set, became much more talkative.

“Suning, do you know? When I first came to Beijing from Qingdao to make a living, I lived in a basement with a monthly rent of 800 yuan. There was no heating in winter, and I was still shivering from the cold even wrapped in two quilts.”

She picked up a piece of mutton with her chopsticks and said with a smile, "Once during an audition, the director said I was 'too bad at acting and had no talent.' So I went back and practiced smiling in front of the mirror until my face was stiff."

Su Ning listened quietly and poured her some tea.

“Once, in order to play a role that required me to lose weight, I only ate apples for a week and eventually fainted on set.” Fan Lin took a sip of beer, her eyes a little dazed. “People say I’m lucky, but actually I just didn’t give up. Su Ning, you are much more talented than I was back then, but in the acting industry, talent alone is not enough. You have to put your heart into ‘understanding’ the character—understanding his pain, understanding his vulnerability, in order to bring him to life.”

She became more and more engrossed in her speech, and before she knew it, she had finished three bottles of beer. Her cheeks were flushed, and she spoke a beat slower.

Finally, Su Ning paid the bill and helped the slightly tipsy Fan Lin back to the hotel.

Once in the room, he gently helped her take off her high heels, carefully covered her with a blanket to keep her warm, and even turned up the air conditioning by two degrees.

He sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Fan Lin's sleeping profile, and felt a gentle jolt in his heart...

It's impossible not to be attracted to such a stunningly beautiful woman, but Su Ning felt a strong aversion to this kind of on-set lover.

I struggled with this for a long time before finally managing to restrain the little devil inside me.

The girl in front of him, who always calls him "brother" with a smile, actually has a lot of untold hardships behind her back.

He hesitated for a moment, then simply tucked the blanket around her, quietly closed the door, and left.

As soon as the door closed, Fan Lin on the bed slowly opened her eyes, a meaningful smile playing on her lips, but there was no trace of drunkenness in her eyes.

Back in her room, Su Ning pulled out the script for Tao Zi and Guan Xiao Guan, and Fan Lin's words kept echoing in her ears.

Looking at the scene in the script where "Guan Xiaoguan delivers the Arctic Ocean soda," he suddenly understood...

The way Taozi looked at Guan Xiaoguan wasn't just affection, but also tenderness; it was the unspoken understanding that she understood him, and the cherishing of encountering light during a low point in his life.

On the second day of filming, when Fan Lin, who played Guan Xiaoguan, handed over the Arctic Ocean soda, Su Ning looked up at her. Her eyes no longer held the previous deliberate intent, but instead showed a softer warmth.

It was an appreciation hidden in the eyes, a tenderness quietly revealed, and a tacit understanding that needed no words.

"Cut! That's the feeling!" The director stood up excitedly. "Su Ning, you finally found it!"

Fan Lin looked at Su Ning and smiled knowingly.

Under the sunlight, the two shadows fell on the blue bricks of the alley, just like the two close friends in the script who accompanied each other.

Last night's hot pot not only warmed our stomachs, but also made Suning understand something.

The true essence of acting is never "acting," but "understanding."

...(End of chapter)