Chapter 21

【Chapter 21: The Shadow King Ge You】

Then, the young man pushed through the crowd, looked around, and before Ye Ming could wait for him to find him, he stepped forward and said, "I'm Ye Ming. Brother, are you from Director Feng's crew?"

The young man glanced at Ye Ming, his eyes immediately brightening. He extended his hand and said, "Hello, Brother Ming. I'm Xiao Wang, the assistant director of the crew. I really like your song 'I Believe.' When you have time, you should teach me. Let's go; Director Feng is waiting."

The Jeep sped off, leaving a trail of dust.

At this moment, a little girl in the crowd suddenly realized, "I thought that person looked familiar just now. He's Ye Ming, the singer who performed 'I Believe' in the original song competition. It's said he received an unfair score of zero, but that song 'I Believe' was truly amazing. If I had known it was Ye Ming, I would have asked him for an autograph. But why was Ye Ming waiting here too?"

An older extra said, "Little girl, you don't understand. Ye Ming was once one of us. I used to be an extra with him in three different productions. Back then, he was just like us, waiting for opportunities here.

There was also a guy named Dachuan or something. But he managed to make it out. If the crew sends a car to pick you up, you must be at least a significant supporting role."

For ordinary extras, or even important supporting roles, you usually take a taxi yourself. If the crew sends a car to pick you up, you must be at least a significant supporting role, or even a second lead.

Hearing the old man say that Ye Ming was once an extra like them, the young people around him suddenly felt a glimmer of hope. Ye Ming's present was their hope for the future.

It seemed that the air today was particularly fresh, and the sky was especially bright.

In a relatively secluded underground passage, Director Feng was directing the crew to get busy.

Seeing Ye Ming arrive, Director Feng immediately called out, "Ye Ming, come over here. I'll tell you about your first scene. Hey, someone, go find Ge You, hurry up."

Without giving Ye Ming any time to rest, Director Feng straightforwardly pulled him aside and said, "Originally, the role was a small book vendor, but considering your personal characteristics and the song 'I Believe,' I changed your role. This time, you'll play a homeless singer in the underground passage. Look at the script. You have half an hour to familiarize yourself. We'll start shooting in half an hour. Got it?"

Ye Ming was very familiar with this classic movie, so there was no problem. However, he didn't expect that Feng Xiaogang would change the script.

A homeless singer, yes, this singer comes to the Hao Meng One-Day Tour Company, hoping to fulfill a dream of being General Patton.

Location: underground passage.

Performance requirements: You need to fully express the despondency of a homeless singer. However, the most challenging part is that Director Feng Xiaogang wants you to show resilience within that despondency. Combined with the song 'I Believe,' it should create a powerful impact.

Dim lighting, sparse pedestrians, a dilapidated underground passage.

The lines were easy to remember, and although the script had been changed, Director Feng's personal style made it not too difficult for Ye Ming.

Five minutes later, a familiar bald head wandered over.

System notification: Name: Ge You, Age: 40. But the next data was a deafening buzz, a series of alarms.

Acting, fame, insight—all were question marks.

System friendly reminder: This actor's data exceeds the host's detection range. Threat level: five-star, a threat at the level of a Shadow King.

The crew has its rules. When a big star like Ge You comes over, Ye Ming must first walk over to show respect to his senior.

Of course, if the Shadow King is willing to talk to you, he will. If not, you wait until he leaves before making any other moves.

Clearly, Ge You was there to find Ye Ming. They had a scene together.

Ge You smiled and said, "You're Ye Ming, right? I heard from Gangzi. Not bad, young man. Keep up the good work, and you'll always have a place in the industry."

Ye Ming immediately said politely, "Teacher Ge, please give me more guidance and help with my acting."

Ge You waved his hand and said, "What acting? We all started somewhere. No need to make it so mysterious. This crew is different. No backstabbing, just friends and brothers, all helping Gangzi achieve his dream. Just come here to have fun, and you'll get into character quickly. Don't focus too much on your role. Think about how you fit into it. Remember, you're a homeless singer, living day to day. Don't think about anything else."

Ding, system notification: [Received guidance from a Shadow King-level actor, acting increased by 10]

This was fate. Ge You was called over by Feng Xiaogang to help Ye Ming, as they had a scene together.

Seeing Ye Ming studying the script, Ge You was reminded of his first movie. He felt a connection, and thus, he gave Ye Ming some heartfelt advice.

The lighting and sound were ready, and Feng Xiaogang gave the order.

Everyone held their breath. As the clapperboard fell, Ye Ming stood at the entrance of the underground passage, bathed in the warm morning light, as if enveloped in a golden glow.

Poverty had not crushed the homeless singer's hope for life. His defiant eyes, under the gentle sunlight, gazed at the bustling city.

Music began to flow from Ye Ming's fingers, a dynamic melody echoing freely in the air.

"I want to fly up to the sky, shoulder to shoulder with the sun..."

Ge You drove a dilapidated open-top jeep and stopped quickly by the roadside. He poked his head out and shouted, "Stop singing, get in."

Ge You's performance was powerful, his presence overwhelming the entire crew.

At that moment, Ye Ming felt as if he were facing a towering mountain. He was a newcomer just starting at the base, while Ge You was a formidable presence standing high in the clouds.

The aura was suffocating. If Ye Ming hadn't been reborn and seen so much, he would have been completely overwhelmed and unable to perform.

Even with his two lives of experience, Ye Ming still had a moment of hesitation. He needed to adjust his emotions to handle Ge You's pressure. His eyes suddenly sparkled with excitement, expressing a deep longing, a yearning for his dreams.

He used his longing for his ideals to counter Ge You's powerful aura, the overwhelming presence of a Shadow King.

But at that moment, Feng Xiaogang felt something was off and immediately called a stop. He called Ye Ming over, and Ge You got out of the car and followed.

Feng Xiaogang pointed at the monitor and said, "Ye Ming, look at this. The first part was excellent, expressing the inner world of a homeless singer, that hope and resilience in adversity. But after Ge Teacher called you, your emotional outburst was too strong, making it seem forced. It needs to be a natural outburst. You had a slight pause, and that pause makes the audience think it's forced. Remember, you knew this news in advance. Although it's not directly shown in the movie, you knew Ge Teacher was coming, so when you see him call you, you should react differently. It should be a feeling of 'finally, it's my turn.' Got it?"

It's not always true that the stronger the emotional outburst, the better. In this case, Feng Xiaogang didn't need such a strong outburst. In many of his movies, emotions are expressed naturally.

The outburst of a small character, portrayed in the mundane life, is a mix of sarcasm and cynicism.

Feng Xiaogang looked at Ge You and said, "Ge You, you need to tone it down a bit. Don't drag Ye Ming into the wrong direction."

A Shadow King-level actor, when fully engaged, can overwhelm ordinary actors. Ge You had already restrained himself, but he still overpowered Ye Ming.

In other words, he dragged Ye Ming into the wrong direction.

Ge You looked at the monitor and nodded in understanding.

They did another take, and it finally had a good effect, but Feng Xiaogang still felt it was lacking, especially in the first part. This opening scene, with such a great original rock song, was meant to surprise the audience, and he didn't want to let it pass.

Therefore, the crew took a break, and Feng Xiaogang called Ye Ming and Ge You over. He said to Ye Ming, "Your performance was good, but I feel something is missing. It seems your song's impact hasn't been fully expressed. Remember, I want this song to be the soul of the movie, a yearning for life and a hope for the future, like our Hao Meng One-Day Tour Company. Can you express that?"

Ye Ming thought for a moment and said, "Director, can I use my own guitar? I'm used to it, and using the crew's guitar might not feel as natural. I think using my own guitar will help me better express my inner emotions and have a greater impact on the audience."

Feng Xiaogang thought about it and nodded, agreeing to give it a try. Using something familiar might produce a different effect.

Ye Ming took his magic guitar and stood in front of the camera. The same music flowed gently. At that moment, Feng Xiaogang suddenly sat up straight and stared at the screen, "Ge You, did you notice something?"

Ge You smiled and said, "Just now, Ye Ming was at best a third-rate actor, being a newcomer. But now, he's at least a second-rate actor. With this hall-level rock song, he could even compete with top-tier actors."