Huayu: Tianxian Qianmeng

Ling Yuan looked at Liu Yifei, who was still standing there like a frightened little rabbit, and softened his voice as much as possible, with a reassuring smile: "Qianqian, don't be nervous. Come on, let's find a quiet corner and take it slowly."

As he spoke, he pointed to the relatively quiet corridor behind the prop room next door.

Liu Yifei sniffed, lowered her head, and followed silently behind like a little tail.

The sunlight stretched their shadows long, one tall and composed, the other slender and bewildered, as they headed towards the corridor.

Arriving at that relatively quiet corner, one could only hear faint voices from the distant film set.

Liu Xiaoli stood with her arms crossed, far away under a prop tree, her eyes scanning the area like searchlights, her face clearly displaying the words "distrust".

Why would a freshman who's barely finished his first year of college and hasn't even acted in many scenes be instructing her daughter, Qianqian? What was the director thinking?!

Moreover, she couldn't possibly let her precious daughter be alone with a man.

Ling Yuan pretended not to see the sharp gaze, pulled over two small stools, and gestured for Liu Yifei to sit down.

Xiao Qianqian was still immersed in the grievance of being publicly shoved by Chen Kun, her eyes slightly red, her head lowered, and her fingers unconsciously twisting the lace trim of her costume.

"Don't be nervous," Ling Yuan softened his voice, as if coaxing a small animal, "Do you know why Senior Brother Chen is so fierce to you? Can't he tolerate a 14-year-old girl like you?"

"Why?" Liu Yifei was also very curious. Logically speaking, this shouldn't be the case.

Chen Kun became famous early on in "Like Rain, Like Fog, Like Wind," and he's a senior from the class of '96. Well, she just got into the Beijing Film Academy in '02, making her a junior. It doesn't make sense that he's so nice to his junior, Ling Yuan, but so mean to her, his junior sister. Even though she hasn't enrolled yet.

Ling Yuan leaned closer, lowered his voice, and said with a hint of sharing a secret, "It's mainly because he's too immersed in his role! He hates Bai Xiuzhu in the play, so he has to hate you too. You're too beautiful; you'll break his 'acting technique'!"

"Acting method?" Liu Yifei blinked her big eyes, like a bewildered little deer.

"Yeah!" Ling Yuan nodded vigorously, looking quite serious. "It's about completely transforming yourself into Jin Yanxi. Even when you're not filming, you have to maintain that young master's air. You see, on set, doesn't he like to boss people around? Making me run errands to buy cigarettes—that's part of his 'Seventh Young Master Jin' acting style. You have to keep that feeling going at all times!"

Liu Yifei listened, stunned. Although she didn't quite understand, it seemed... amazing? It even made some sense?

"Senior Brother Chen is different from you," Ling Yuan continued to analyze. "He came from humble beginnings and worked his way up. His air of nobility and arrogance are all just acting; he has to maintain a facade and can't let his guard down. What about you?"

Smiling, she pointed at Liu Yifei and said, "You are a genuine heiress, with a natural elegance. You don't need to act at all, you just need to..."

"What do you need?" Liu Yifei blinked her big eyes, her curiosity piqued.

"Just be yourself! Relax and be yourself!" Ling Yuan said confidently.

"You're so good with words!" Liu Yifei couldn't help but purse her lips, but a small smile quietly appeared at the corner of her mouth, and the gloom in her heart dissipated a little.

This person's words... are actually quite pleasant to hear.

Another reason is that Chen Kun's poor attitude towards Liu Yifei was partly due to Dong Jie's behind-the-scenes badmouthing. However, Ling Yuan could only speculate about this, and it wasn't something he could discuss with outsiders. He also didn't want to spread rumors.

However, Ling Yuan could tell that Chen Kun liked that innocent-looking girl. And Brother Kun was good in every way, except that he was easily influenced by what others said.

In addition, he always maintained a serious and composed demeanor, getting deeply immersed in the role, so it was inevitable that he would be influenced by Leng Qingqiu.

Liu Yifei nodded thoughtfully, a hint of understanding flashing in her big eyes.

It turned out to be the case.

"Alright," Ling Yuan clapped his hands, "Now let's talk about the rhythm of the lines?"

Liu Yifei immediately sat up straight: "Yes! Teach me quickly!"

Ling Yuan waved his hand dismissively, looking relaxed: "You don't need to 'grab' this at all!"

"Huh?" Liu Yifei was confused again.

"Right! No need to catch her!" Ling Yuan smiled like a cunning fox. "You're just too nervous! Remember, you're Bai Xiuzhu, a pampered young lady! You naturally have that kind of spirit! Lines? Just talk like you normally would, throw a tantrum however you want, be as spoiled as you want! Don't hold back!"

"Oh dear, Ling Yuan!" Liu Yifei blushed slightly and glared at him reproachfully, "I don't like hearing that! I'm not..."

"Isn't she a delicate queen?" Ling Yuan immediately chimed in, mimicking Bai Xiuzhu's haughty tone, and even deliberately raised an eyebrow, "She has plenty of strength and means to deal with disobedient people, doesn't she?"

"Pfft—" Liu Yifei burst out laughing at his exaggerated imitation. Her previous frustration vanished instantly, like sunshine dispelling the dark clouds.

"What are you two whispering about? You seem to be having a great time?" Shu Chang hopped over like a little sparrow, curiously peeking in. Her scene had already ended a short while ago.

It has to be said that Xiao Shuchang is indeed a talented child star who debuted at the age of 5.

"I'm teaching Xixi how to control the rhythm of her lines," Ling Yuan said seriously.

"Then I'll listen too!" Shu Chang immediately moved a small stool and squeezed in.

"Okay!" Ling Yuan picked up the script. "The secret is—treat it like you're arguing normally! You girls are born with this skill, you just relax and it comes naturally! Want to try it?"

So, Ling Yuan opened the script, picked a scene where Bai Xiuzhu and Jin Yanxi were arguing, and began to rehearse his lines with Liu Yifei.

His portrayal of Jin Yanxi was incredibly vivid, with his tone, expressions, and movements all perfectly captured. His delivery of lines was also impeccable, with a strong sense of rhythm. Even though it wasn't a character he played, it was as if the lines were etched into his mind, flowing with astonishing fluency.

"Look," Ling Yuan said to Liu Yifei after demonstrating, "Don't think about 'reciting lines,' just think about 'arguing with this annoying Jin Yanxi,' bring out the emotions, and the speed and emphasis will come naturally."

Liu Yifei tried to mimic Ling Yuan's earlier feeling, relaxing and reciting a few lines with a touch of petulance. Hmm? It seems... much smoother!

Shu Chang listened with great interest, nodding repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes! Brother Ling Yuan is right! Anyone can argue!"

Ling Yuan then recounted his experience in the drama club during high school, how he and his classmates wrote, directed, and acted their own dramas, and how they explored acting and dialogue on a simple stage. He spoke very modestly, only saying, "These are just some humble opinions for your reference."

Liu Yifei listened very attentively, her big eyes sparkling, nodding thoughtfully. She thought to herself, "This Ling Yuan, although young, knows so much, and he explains things very clearly; he has the air of a teacher."

Soon, the director called for more filming of Liu Yifei's scenes.

This time, Liu Yifei took a deep breath and tried hard to recall the feeling of "playing herself" and "relaxing while arguing" that Ling Yuan had mentioned.

Something amazing happened!