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

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

Chen Yi stood on the empty wooden floor, his knuckles white as he hung at his sides.

The flashing lights in the dark alleys of Sanya, the girl's trembling shoulders, the contract slammed on the table by Xingyu's legal department, and the mother's cautious anticipation on the phone.

These images pierced my mind like shards of glass.

The nonchalant air that had once graced his eyes vanished completely, replaced by an extremely dangerous, almost uncontrollable obsession.

Director Li sat behind the folding table, his fingers, holding a cigarette, hovering in mid-air.

He stared intently into Chen Yi's eyes.

"right."

Director Li lowered his voice, as if afraid of shattering this aura, "It's that look. Remember it. Weld it into your bones."

Xiao Fang huddled in the corner, feeling a chill run down her spine.

He had followed Chen Yi for so long and had never seen Chen Yi show such a murderous expression.

The next whole week.

The underground rehearsal hall became Chen Yi's purgatory.

There was no script, no blocking, and not even any lines.

Director Li does only one thing every day: constantly peeling away Chen Yi's defenses and forcing him to reveal all his most hidden, fearful, and angry emotions.

"You can't protect her!"

Director Li slammed a pointer heavily onto the wooden floor, making a piercing crack. "With just a flick of the finger from capital, she'll be drowned in a deluge of scandals! Your current wealth and influence can't save her!"

Chen Yi knelt on the ground, panting heavily, sweat dripping from his chin onto the floor.

"You think you can challenge Su Wan just because you've signed a few endorsement deals?"

Director Li circled around him, his voice like a venomous snake burrowing into his ear, "They have a hundred ways to shove her into terrible productions and drain her reputation dry! Then the whole internet will be calling her a bloodsucker! What are you going to do to protect her?"

Chen Yi suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, like a wild beast driven to the brink of despair.

"I can protect it."

Chen Yi's voice was hoarse, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"What gives you the right?"

Director Li sneered, "Based on the jokes you tell on variety shows?"

"I can tear the sky apart."

Chen Yi stared intently into the void, his fingers scratching white marks on the wooden floor.

In the corner, Xiao Fang was so anxious that she kept pulling at her hair.

"Director Li, stop talking!"

Xiao Fang couldn't help but exclaim, "Yi-ge hasn't slept much for three days. He still has to oversee business negotiations with Xingyu during the day. If you keep pushing him like this, he'll have a mental breakdown!"

"Shut up!"

Without even turning his head, Director Li said, "If you don't want to train, get out!"

Chen Yi raised his hand to stop Xiao Fang.

He propped himself up on his knees and stood up unsteadily.

"continue."

Chen Yi stared at Director Li.

He shattered all his protective instincts towards Hani Kezi, his hatred for Xingyu Capital, and his guilt for hiding the truth from his mother, and stuffed them bit by bit into the body of the marginal policeman in "Sinful Night".

Seventh day.

It's 11 p.m.

The overhead light in the rehearsal room flickered twice, emitting a buzzing electrical sound.

Director Li sat behind the table, picked up the now-cold strong tea, and took a sip.

Act Five.

Director Li put down his teacup. "This is the last time. If you don't perform well, don't come back tomorrow."

Chen Yi walked to the center of the field.

He was wearing a faded old coat today, his hair was messy, and he had dark circles under his eyes.

There's no need to consciously adjust your breathing, nor to think about the logic in the script.

He stood there, looking like a steel wire stretched to its limit, ready to snap at any moment.

"Bang!"

Chen Yi raised his right hand and made a firing motion.

There was no exaggerated recoil simulation, nor was there any deliberate attempt to force tears.

The second after firing the shot, he fell straight forward, his knees slamming heavily onto the wooden floor with a dull thud.

Xiao Fang was so frightened that she almost rushed over.

Chen Yi knelt on the ground, clutching his stomach tightly with both hands.

He didn't gag.

His Adam's apple bobbed violently, his face was contorted in extreme pain, and the veins on his forehead bulged out.

That feeling of nausea wasn't acted out; it was a genuine physiological rejection.

He was resisting the sense of powerlessness that the world had imposed on him.

A full half minute passed.

Chen Yi slowly released his grip, braced himself against the floor, and gradually raised his head.

He stared at the void directly in front of him.

There lies his master, whom he killed with his own hands, and also the bottom line he once tried to uphold.

"You taught me."

Chen Yi spoke up.

His voice was extremely hoarse, carrying a chilling calmness.

"If you encounter a bullet you can't dodge, face it head-on. Crush it, and swallow it."

Chen Yi's eyes were red and bloodshot, but he didn't shed a single tear.

His lips curled into an extremely tragic arc, as if he were laughing, yet also as if he were crying.

"I swallowed it."

The last five words, as light as a breeze, struck every corner of the rehearsal hall with tremendous force.

Dead silence.

A long period of deathly silence.

Xiao Fang leaned against the wall, and before she knew it, tears had streamed down her face.

He even forgot to get a tissue, just staring blankly at the man in the center of the arena who seemed to have his soul drained away.

The unlit cigarette in Director Li's hand fell onto the table.

The old man sat in a folding chair, staring intently at Chen Yi, his chest heaving violently.

Chen Yi remained in that position for a full five minutes before slowly closing his eyes, collapsing backward as if utterly exhausted, and sitting on the floor.

He gasped for air, trying to pull Chen Yi's reason back from that despairing role.

Director Li stood up.

He didn't pick up the cigarettes on the table, but instead walked around the folding table and stepped up to Chen Yi.

The old man looked down at the young man sitting on the ground.

"No need to practice anymore."

Director Li's voice trembled slightly.

Xiao Fang quickly wiped her face and ran over in a panic.

"Director Li! Yi-ge's performance just now was..."

Director Li raised his hand to interrupt Xiao Fang.

He looked into Chen Yi's eyes, which were gradually regaining their clarity, and remained silent for a long time.

"You're not acting."

Director Li took a deep breath and gave the most profound comment of his life: "You are alive. That's a million times more important than technique."

Chen Yi leaned against the supporting pillar behind him, a tired smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Thank you, Director Li."

Director Li turned around and waved to them with his back to them.

"Get lost. Go to that lunatic Zhou Yuan and smash this stuff in his face. Let him see what real internet traffic is."

Xiao Fang quickly stepped forward and helped Chen Yi up from the ground.

The two walked out of the underground rehearsal hall.

The cold wind of the capital city at night felt like a knife cutting my face.

Chen Yi sat in the back of the van and leaned back wearily.

The moment the car door closed.

In his mind, an ice-blue system panel suddenly popped up, bursting with extremely dazzling light.

【Ding! 】

[The system has detected that the host has achieved a breakthrough in deep emotions.]

[Core Skill: Acting Basics, Unlock Progress: 35%]

Please continue.