My cousin asked me to go to Wuha, and Hanikezi stuck to me.

"The audition is in a month. Find a teacher to learn from yourself. I won't lower my standards just because you're Chen Yi."

Zhou Yuan gave his bottom line.

Chen Yi looked into the other person's scrutinizing eyes and nodded.

It's a deal.

Outside the coffee shop, a cold wind blew across the elevated highway of the Third Ring Road.

Xiao Fang followed behind Chen Yi, his face scrunched up in a bitter expression.

"Bro, are you really going to take this job? Learning acting from scratch in a month, and then having to get past Zhou Yuan. This is practically hell!"

Xiao Fang opened the car door, stamping her feet in frustration.

Chen Yi sat in the back seat and leaned back.

"Go and find out who the most ruthless and merciless acting teacher in the industry is."

Chen Yi spoke in a steady tone.

Xiao Fang was stunned.

"Brother, are you serious?"

Xiao Fang swallowed hard. "I heard that Director Li, who retired from the Beijing People's Art Theatre, is known as 'the devil's nightmare.' He's good at dealing with anyone who dares to challenge him, and he's made several award-winning actors cry. But he has a very strange temper; he might not take a job no matter how much money you offer."

"Go find him."

Chen Yi closed his eyes. "Tell him to name his price. As long as he can break me down and rebuild me within a month, he can name his terms."

Xiao Fang dared not persuade him any further, and took out his phone to start asking for help from his connections.

Chen Yi's phone vibrated twice in his pocket.

He took out his phone, and on the screen was a WeChat message from Hanikezi.

"Chen Yi, Su Wan sent me two more business contract quotes today through her secretary. They're both from those cheap, low-quality brands that are just for publicity. Sister Hong turned them down for me, but Su Wan looked really unhappy."

This was followed by a meme of a pitiful-looking kitten.

Chen Yi looked at the screen and tapped his fingers on the keyboard.

"I've turned them all down. Focus on recording 'Five Ha'. At most, I'll put the best script in front of you in a month."

The message was sent, and the other party replied half a minute later.

Okay. I believe you.

Chen Yi locked his phone screen.

Star Entertainment's capital network is still tightening.

Su Wan will never easily let go of Hanikezi, this cash cow.

He had to carve out a bloody path in the film and television industry as quickly as possible.

three days later.

In an extremely simple underground rehearsal hall located on the East Fifth Ring Road of Beijing.

The air was filled with the smell of old, worn-out wooden floors.

A folding table was placed in the center of the rehearsal hall.

Behind the table sat a thin old man, wearing a faded Chinese-style jacket with a cigarette dangling from his fingers.

It was none other than the renowned director Li, known in the industry as "the one who terrifies even ghosts."

Chen Yi, dressed in a simple black T-shirt and sweatpants, stood in the open space.

"A top influencer with 15 million followers."

Director Li slammed the script for "Night of Sin" onto the table with a loud crack. "You dared to take on a role in Zhou Yuan's madman's film? You've got some nerve."

Chen Yi didn't speak and stood quietly.

"I don't care how famous you are outside, or how many fans control the comments for you. In my room, you're not even as good as an extra."

Director Li's voice was hoarse and extremely penetrating: "I'll do my job for the money. I'll only teach you for a month. If you can't handle it, you can leave anytime. No refunds."

"Let's begin."

Chen Yi responded.

Director Li pointed to the script on the table.

"Act Five, the monologue after the protagonist kills his master with his own hands. You have ten minutes to prepare. Perform it for me."

Chen Yi stepped forward and picked up the script.

He discussed this scene with Zhou Yuan at the coffee shop.

He understood the male protagonist's mental state at the time and knew that he should use dry heaving instead of crying.

Ten minutes later.

Chen Yi put down the script and walked to the center of the venue.

He took a deep breath and adjusted his breathing rhythm.

"Bang!"

Chen Yi simulated firing a gun, then collapsed to his knees as if all his strength had left him.

He braced himself on the wooden floor with both hands, his shoulders began to heave violently, and he made extremely realistic gagging sounds.

Then, he raised his head, staring blankly into the void, and began to recite the three-hundred-word monologue.

The speaking speed, pauses, and emphasis are all within the most standard rhythm.

Xiao Fang stood in the corner, nodding repeatedly as he watched.

This memory and logical control are simply amazing.

"stop."

Director Li's indifferent voice interrupted Chen Yi's performance.

Chen Yi stopped what he was doing and stood up.

"What are you doing?"

Director Li leaned back in his chair, his gaze sharp as a knife as he scrutinized Chen Yi's face. "Reciting a text? Or are you running some kind of computer program?"

Xiao Fang got anxious and was about to step forward to argue when Chen Yi raised his hand to stop him.

"What's wrong?"

Chen Yi asked.

"None of them are correct!"

Director Li slammed his fist on the table. "Your movements were perfect, your lines were spot-on, even the gagging sound was flawless. But it was all fake!"

Director Li stood up and walked to Chen Yi.

"You're too rational."

Director Li stared into Chen Yi's eyes. "You're acting with your brain. You're calculating how to make every movement logical. You're treating yourself as an observer, controlling your body to complete a task called 'sadness'."

Chen Yi frowned slightly.

"Performance requires setting aside logic!"

Director Li raised his voice, "When a person breaks down, they become illogical! You have to speak with emotion, not with your brain!"

Just then, the dormant ice-blue panel in Chen Yi's mind suddenly lit up.

【Ding! 】

[Host detected to have initiated high-intensity professional training. Core skill: Acting Basics, now officially activated.]

Current unlock progress: 0%.

[Warning: This is a core professional skill and cannot be directly obtained by consuming popularity points. The host must progress through actual training and breakthroughs in deep emotions.]

Chen Yi stared at the glaring "0%" at the edge of his vision, a fierce competitive spirit flashing in his eyes.

The system has completely blocked shortcuts.

"What? You're not convinced?"

Director Li looked at Chen Yi's silent expression and sneered, "You young people who became famous through variety shows and your looks are used to being followed by cameras and always maintaining the most handsome angle. You don't dare to show your true selves to others."

Director Li turned around and walked back to the table.

That's all for today's lesson. I'll give you some homework.

Director Li picked up the unlit cigarette and tapped it on the table.

"Don't pay attention to the lines in the script. Don't try to analyze why the male lead fired the gun."

Director Li turned his head, his gaze extremely sharp.

"Go and reminisce."

"Recall the moment in your life when you were most afraid of losing someone."

"Bring out that feeling of fear—that you might go crazy or lose your mind at any moment—right to you. Tomorrow, read those lines again with that feeling in mind."

The rehearsal hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Xiao Fang didn't dare to breathe loudly.

Chen Yi stood still, his fingers unconsciously tightening at his sides.

The moment I fear losing someone the most.

He doesn't need to deliberately recall it at all.

The images directly broke through the defenses of reason and crashed into my mind.

The night in Sanya.

A pitch-black alley.

The flashbulbs went off behind us like knives.

The paparazzi's footsteps drew ever closer.

Hanikezi was dragged along by him, running wildly, her shoulders trembling violently in the night wind.

He pressed her forcefully against the rough brick wall, using his body to block all the cameras and malice.

The girl's warm breath hit his chest, and her hands gripped his clothes tightly.

That was the first time he truly felt that if he couldn't protect the person in his arms, she would be devoured by capital and public opinion.

Chen Yi slowly raised his head, the rationality in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by an extremely dangerous obsession.