Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Wang Ling suspected that this script might have been written by Super Chen or a relative of the latter â even the scapegoat setting had been perfectly included inside the script, making it too real.
One had to go through an audition in order to get an actor ID tag, and the examiner would chose a theme. When Hero Guo brought Wang Ling in, the theme had already been decided on. There were six people in each group, and Wang Ling was in the second group. It was quite simple: everyone was required to act like they were suffering from facial paralysis. When the examiner cracked a joke, only those who didnât laugh would pass.
Wang Ling felt that this assessment was simply tailor-made for him, and it basically wouldnât be a problem at all.
After the first group of six went up, the examiner announced the theme for their group.
They had to act as if they were being blown about in a hurricane.
The first person pretended to be a tree; he raised his arms and let out âhu hu huâ sounds before falling to the ground.
One after another, the second, third, fourth and fifth individuals imitated him, which disappointed the examiner in charge of the audition. It was fine if it was just the first person, but it was meaningless for those that came after to copy him. Acting was an art which emphasized creativity.
Just as the examiner sighed, the other assessors turned their gazes to the last person. He was a fatty who looked to be over two hundred and sixty jin in weight, and who stood there unmoving, like a mountain.
The examiner: âSir, what are you acting as?â
That fatty replied, âShanghai Fortress 1.â
The examiner: ââ¦Pass!â
Wang Ling and Hero Guo: ââ¦â
Finally, it was Wang Lingâs turn as part of the second test group, and he entered the exam room with the other five examiners.
Looking at the others, he thought that they were probably a few years younger than he was, and they all looked very young â it wasnât easy to make a living nowadays.
Over sixty percent of young people now chose to become live streamers, and basically stopped at nothing to become popular. To be an actor was somewhat tough, but at least it was an industry in which you could rely on your skills to make a living. Acting skills could continue to be polished over time, and one day, you might be chosen by some director and be given the chance to turn your life around. Hard work was hard work, but it was much better than relying on tricks to grab attention.
âNext, Iâm going to tell you a joke, but I want you to hold back your laughter. This is the only assessment requirement for your group. As long as you donât laugh, you pass,â said the chief examiner.
âThen, sir, will you laugh?â a bold youngster asked at that moment.
âLaugh? Of course not, weâre professionals. No matter how funny it is, we wonât laugh unless we canât help it.â The chief examinerâs gaze swept over them before he read out the joke from a book. âOnce upon a time, there was a temple, and in that temple lived a foolish monk 1⦠hahahahaâ¦â
ââ¦â
The examinerâs chair rocked back with his laughter and he directly fell off. When they saw this scene, the other assessors couldnât help but frown.
âIsnât Old Chen going a little overboard in his actingâ¦â
âMm, just a bit. But he can certainly act; no wonder heâs the chief examiner. Look, Old Chenâs twitching is so realistic. His entire body is shaking â thereâs probably no one here who can shake all over like Old Chen, is there?â
âIâve looked at the joke, and it isnât funny at all. To be able to laugh like this in front of everyone, Old Chen is indeed a consummate actor!â
âLook⦠he seems to be frothing at the mouthâ¦â
âHe can even spew out froth â how brilliant! And did you see, he can even roll his eyes back! How detailed!â
âIt certainly is detailed, and he even remembered to roll his eyes back. But thereâs still one thing I donât understand.â
âWhat?â
âItâs not hard to roll your eyes back, but as for his bloodshot eyes⦠how did he do that?â
âDamn⦠Old Chen isnât acting! Heâs really laughing! And heâs going to laugh himself into passing out!â
When the examiners said that, some of the examinees in the second group finally couldnât take it anymore and burst out laughing. The chief examinerâs requirement for them was to not laugh when he read out the joke, but in the end, he passed out laughing himself⦠Was there any joke funnier than this?
Thus, of the six people in the second group, only Wang Ling remained expressionless.
The examinees in the second group really couldnât be blamed â even those waiting in line outside the exam room laughed until their sides split because of this episode. Some of them laughed themselves breathless as they crouched down and clutched their stomachs.
Throughout it all, only Wang Lingâs expression wasnât the least bit ruffled.
It could be said that he was the bona fide legendary poker face. Hero Guo was moved by Wang Lingâs composure; as expected, it had been the right decision to recommend Wang Ling to work here!
â¦
After ten minutes or so, the examiners gave the actor ID tag to Wang Ling, and he was the only one in the second group of examinees to get it.
When they gave him the ID tag, one of the assessors said to Wang Ling with an admiring expression, âStudent, you were too awesome. We as examiners laughed until we almost passed out, while you were actually completely unmoved.â
âHeâs like that at school, too.â Hero Guo put his arm over Wang Lingâs shoulders and couldnât help feeling proud.
âSo this guy is your classmate!â The assessor was cheerful. He didnât know Wang Ling, but he knew Hero Guo. Quite a few of the directors here were his uncles, so Hero Guo usually wasnât short of pocket money. If he didnât have any, he just needed to come here and do some acting â sometimes, lying on the ground for a day could net him hundreds of HNY.
Hero Guo could be considered pretty lucky this time. It just so happened that an online film about No. 60 High had just started filming at the studio, and Hero Guo had been introduced to the crew as an extra. This role only had three lines, but three lines for an extra was already amazing â and the most important thing was that his face would be on camera! Hero Guo fantasized about kickstarting a career with this opportunity â how could he not be happy!
When that time came, he would be the second Lu Xufan! The second Wu Yuanxi 1!
âLetâs go, Wang Ling, Iâll take you to the film set.â Brimming with excitement, Dopey Guo finally led Wang Ling to the film set for Birth of the Demon Child Odd Zhuo.
This was Wang Lingâs first time on a film set, and the director was very charismatic as he directed the filming.
âActors!â
âLights!â
âACTION!â
â¦
Hero Guo took Wang Ling around the place. It was actually the worst time for unrelated personnel to move about. A lot of newbie actors would accidentally walk into the camera frame, and a clip that hadnât been easy to shoot would become useless.
But as an old hand, Dopey Guo knew the set like the back of his hand. He brought Wang Ling to the executive director, who looked Wang Ling up and down. âIs this the classmate you were talking about?â
âYes, uncle!â Dopey Guo nodded.
âNot bad, his looks pass.â The executive director nodded his head.
âThen which scene will my classmate be acting in?â
âLet him try the next scene. Thereâs a fight scene where he just needs to play dead,â said the executive director.