Huayu: Starting with Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Western Chu

On the first day after the contract termination, Chen Mo lived a very simple life.

I ate a bowl of instant noodles in my rented room this morning, and then went out to run five kilometers in a nearby park.

Running is a habit he developed at the Central Academy of Drama. Stage plays require a lot of physical fitness; a long play can last for two or three hours without stopping, and if you don't have the stamina, you simply can't keep up.

After my run, I took a shower and posted a daily update on my blog.

The video shows him doing a plank, with the camera zoomed in on his face, sweat dripping down.

Caption: Day 1.

Page views: 7.

Three of them may have been generated by him clicking on them.

Who are the remaining four?

Chen Mo expressed curiosity, but didn't pay much attention.

After all, Rome wasn't built in a day, and fans don't grow overnight.

He's currently a nobody with zero followers, unable to even get platform recommendations or actor tags. Getting seven views is already pretty good.

What really gave him some trouble was finding a job.

Not having an agency means there's no one to help him connect with production teams; he has to find opportunities himself.

But given his current situation, the only work on his resume is the much-criticized "Young Huo Qubing" from five years ago.

If you submit this resume, the casting director will most likely react with, "Oh, that's the expressionless general."

Next person.

Therefore, his current situation can be summarized in four words: no roles to play.

A diploma from the Central Academy of Drama does have some value, but in this industry, what matters most is the quality of one's work and familiarity with the performers.

You said you graduated from the Central Academy of Drama?

There are so many graduates from the Central Academy of Drama that they could line up all the way to Tiananmen Square.

However, Chen Mo wasn't too anxious.

He has a unique characteristic: the worse his situation, the more stable his mindset becomes.

I think I got through the "social death" debuff when I was being criticized by the whole internet about five years ago. Compared to that time, the difficulties I encountered afterward don't seem so bad.

At least now no one is criticizing him.

The reason is that nobody remembers him anymore.

But it is not important.

The important thing is that he learned everything he was supposed to learn and practiced everything he was supposed to practice.

During his four years at the Central Academy of Drama, he performed in dozens of stage plays, meticulously refining everything from lines and physical movements to emotions and rhythm.

If Chen Mo five years ago was a dull knife without a sharp edge, then now the edge is sharpened.

All that's missing is a cutting board to try it out.

The night after the contract was terminated, Chen Mo lay on his bed in his rented room, scrolling through his phone as usual.

He has recently developed a habit of browsing blogs before bed, partly to study the platform's content ecosystem and partly to learn what's trending in the entertainment industry.

After all, he had been out of touch with the industry for more than four years, and he didn't recognize many of the newly emerging popular celebrities.

While scrolling through my feed, I suddenly came across a trending topic.

#Han Dynasty Pride Foundation General#

Chen Mo paused for a moment, then clicked to take a look.

"The Great Han Dynasty" is a historical drama that has only aired two episodes. It has a large investment and a huge amount of publicity.

The male lead is named Gu Chenyang, 22 years old, a popular young actor.

Chen Mo didn't know this person very well, but after scrolling through a few posts, he roughly understood the situation.

Gu Chenyang plays... Huo Qubing in the drama.

Ok?

Another Huo Qubing?

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow and continued reading.

The production standards of "The Great Han Dynasty" are far superior to those of "Young Huo Qubing" from five years ago; the costumes, props, special effects, and locations are on a completely different level.

But the problem lies with the actors.

Or to be more precise, the problem lies in Gu Chenyang's makeup.

Amidst the vast desert sands, thousands of troops stand facing each other.

The camera zooms in, and the young general rides out on horseback.

The foundation on her face was whiter than the sand in the desert.

His eyebrows were shaped to be sharper than a Han sword.

There was even a faint layer of lip gloss on her lips.

It was exquisite.

So exquisitely detailed that it makes you wonder if he's going to attend Fashion Week instead of fighting the Huns.

The comment section exploded instantly.

"Is this Huo Qubing, or is he getting his nails done?"

"General! The Xiongnu are here! -- Wait a minute, let me apply some powder first."

"I laughed so hard my stomach hurt! With all that sand and dust in the desert, his foundation didn't budge at all? What brand is he using? Link please!"

"I suggest renaming it 'The Pride of the Han Dynasty: The Foundation General'."

This last comment was immediately pushed to the top of the most popular comments.

The nickname "Foundation General" spread across the internet overnight.

Chen Mo felt a little conflicted as he read these comments.

Five years ago, his portrayal of Huo Qubing was criticized as "a general with a blank expression".

Five years later, when someone else played Huo Qubing, he was criticized as the "foundation general".

They're all called Huo Qubing, and they've both been criticized.

The difference is that he was criticized back then because of his poor acting skills.

Gu Chenyang was criticized because he was too good-looking.

Or rather, it's too "exquisite".

So exquisite that it transcended the role.

A young general who had fought in the desert for several years had a face even fairer than that of a concubine in the palace.

The sense of incongruity is so strong that even with a great script and amazing special effects, it's difficult for the audience to get into the story.

Of course, this has nothing to do with Chen Mo.

He had just scrolled through the page, glanced at it, and was about to scroll to the next one when he saw a comment.

To be precise, it was a highly praised comment.

"Five years ago, that expressionless general, though his acting was terrible, at least looked like a soldier. But look at this... Is this a general? Isn't this his girlfriend?"

Chen Mo: ?

He subconsciously clicked on the comments section and scrolled down a few pages.

Then he discovered something that he had never expected at all.

Some people are comparing him to Gu Chenyang.

It wasn't just one or two people.

It's a large area.

"Do you guys remember that 'Young Huo Qubing' from five years ago? What was the male lead's name again... yeah, Chen Mo! He was criticized terribly back then, people said he was expressionless. But looking back now, at least he has a youthful air about him, and his skin tone is normal! And look at this 'foundation general,' he's so white, like he just came out of a lab."

"Hilarious! I used to criticize Chen Mo too, but now that I'm comparing... I suddenly think he's actually pretty good at fighting?"

"To be fair, Chen Mo's portrayal of Huo Qubing, while his acting wasn't great, at least captured the right aura. Look at his stills; just standing there, he exudes the heroic spirit of a young general. And what is this Gu Chenyang? His eye bags are bigger than my ex-girlfriend's!"

"I just looked up Chen Mo's stills from five years ago, and wow, he's darker, rougher, and a bit dirty, but he definitely looks more like a young general exposed to the wind and sun in the desert. Compare that to the foundation-covered general's face, which is so white it reflects light... I owe Chen Mo an apology."

"@ChenMo, come out! Let's get to know each other again!"

"...Wait, what has Chen Mo been doing for the past five years? Why haven't we heard a thing about him?"

Chen Mo stared at the screen for a long time.

five years.

He thought everyone had forgotten about the show and the character.

As a result, he forgot.

But after making a comparison, I remembered it again.

Moreover, the evaluation after thinking about it is completely different from that five years ago.

Five years ago, he was the "expressionless general," the "amateur with terrible acting skills," and the "sinner who wasted good material."

Today he's become the one who "at least has the right temperament," "is much better than the foundation general," and "owes an apology."

Nothing has changed.

His show is still the same show, and his performance is still the same performance.

What changes is only the frame of reference.

Without comparison, the audience thought he was terrible.

But after seeing even worse examples, he suddenly felt "okay".

Chen Mo put down his phone and stared at the ceiling for a while.

I can't quite describe how I feel.

To say I was happy wouldn't be accurate.

After all, he knew that his acting skills were not good back then. The fact that netizens say he is "okay" now is more like choosing the best among the worst.

But it's impossible to say that there wasn't the slightest bit of a reaction.

It's somewhat heartwarming to suddenly hear someone speak up for someone who's been criticized for five years.

It's like being outside freezing all day in the dead of winter, then coming home and having a sip of hot water.

It wasn't some rare delicacy, just a sip of ordinary hot water.

But enough.

He picked up his phone again and opened his blog account.

Number of followers: 3.

Um......

Compared to the amount of attention he receives from being tagged in the comments section, these three fans seem rather meager.

The main problem is that nobody knows he has this account.

He thought for a moment, opened the photo album, and found a picture.

It's a work photo he took when he was eighteen years old on the set of "Young Huo Qubing".

In the photo, he is wearing a worn-out suit of armor, his face is covered in grime, and his hair is messy from the wind, but his eyes are as bright as knives.

That was Chen Mo at eighteen years old.

Although his acting skills are still immature, his youthful spirit is undeniable.

He added a caption to the photo:

"This is an old photo from five years ago. I did not act well back then, and I deserved to be criticized. But I have never forgotten the role of Huo Qubing. Thank you to everyone who spoke up for me in the comments section today."

release.

Then turn off the lights and go to sleep.

When Chen Mo woke up the next morning, he rubbed his eyes, reached for his phone, and opened his blog.

stunned.

Number of followers: 47382.

Message notification: 999+.

His blog post had 3.2 million views.

The pinned, highly-rated comment in the comments section is:

"Holy crap, he actually has an account!!! Chen Mo, come out and explain what you've been doing for the past five years! We need to overturn this case!!!"

Chen Mo stared at the screen and blinked.

Reverse the case?

What case are you trying to overturn?

He looked down at himself—wearing a wrinkled white T-shirt and slippers he'd bought for 9.9 yuan with free shipping last year during Singles' Day.

There's a little over 20,000 yuan in my bank account.

No agent, no company, no announcement.

His only assets were a Central Academy of Drama diploma and the skills he had honed through four years of stage plays.

And an additional 47,000 fans overnight.

And a character who was heavily criticized five years ago, but now someone suddenly wants to "overturn the verdict".

Chen Mo put down his phone.

He didn't rush to reply to those comments, nor did he rush to post a new blog.

Instead, he quietly ate a bowl of noodles, and then went out for a five-kilometer run.

While running, he was thinking about something, and it seemed like an opportunity had come.

But this opportunity came at just the right time.

The coincidence made him somewhat wary.

Anyone who has worked in the entertainment industry knows one thing: popularity comes and goes quickly. Today tens of thousands of people may speak up for you, but tomorrow, if the wind changes, tens of thousands of people may criticize you.

He can't bet on something so vague and unrealistic.

What he needs is not to have his case overturned.

Instead, he will silence everyone with a new work.

Let those who call him "expressionless" know that he is no longer the Chen Mo of five years ago.

Let those who say he's "okay" know that he's more than just "okay".

Thinking of this, Chen Mo quickened his pace unconsciously.

After finishing his run and returning to his rented room, he turned on his phone.

The number of followers has increased to 62,000.

It's still rising.

His video was shared by several influential figures, and the "Chen Mo Rehabilitation Team" has spontaneously organized in the comments section, digging up his experiences over the past five years.

Someone found out that he was admitted to the Central Academy of Drama.

Someone has unearthed stills from several stage plays he performed in at the Central Academy of Drama.

Some people even found a clip of his performance in the Central Academy of Drama's graduation play.

That was a monologue from the play "Thunderstorm".

He played Zhou Ping in it.

The video quality is very poor; it was secretly filmed by an audience member using their phone, and the angle is also very crooked.

Even so, the comments section exploded.

"Is this the same general with the facial paralysis from five years ago??? Are you sure???"

"My friend at drama school said that this level is considered top-notch even at the Central Academy of Drama..."

"Wait a minute, he actually went to the Central Academy of Drama for four years? Giving up his popularity to study acting? Who is this guy?"

"Is it possible... this guy genuinely wants to be an actor?"

The comment with the most likes under this last comment is:

"In this era where everyone has access to a lot of traffic, the desire to become an actor has become the rarest thing."

Chen Mo looked at the comment and remained silent for a while.

Then the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

He picked up his phone and sent a message to a former teacher at the Central Academy of Drama.

"Teacher Wang, are there any film or television productions casting recently? I've graduated and want to act."

After sending it, he thought about it again and added a sentence.

"Any role is fine."

Put down your phone.

The sunlight streaming in through the window fell on the yellowed old movie still on the table.

In the photo, the 18-year-old general looks at the camera with sharp but naive eyes.

Five years have passed.

The naivety has faded.

The sharpness remains.

It's even sharper now.