Top Dupe CH 040 Have You Ever Watched Luo Yu Act? Part 1
When Li Shengyu held Luo Yu’s script and looked at it more carefully, he found that the script was filled with numerous notes.
They were just a few lines of dialogue, but Luo Yu had broken them down into several sections, each marked with subtle differences in treatment, even down to the emotions.
Li Shengyu took a deep breath, feeling a sudden warmth in his cheeks. Luo Yu was more professional than he had imagined, and the entire script in his hands was thoroughly annotated, making his pretense, if it was even a pretense now, incredibly comprehensive.
Suddenly, Li Shengyu felt that his animosity towards Luo Yu was somewhat ridiculous.
Was it because of the comments online? Or was it because He Mu had repeatedly told him that Luo Yu stole his roles, ate his leftovers, had no ability, and yet always had his eye on He Mu’s career path despite not producing any works for years?
At this moment, Luo Yu had already started his performance. He turned his head to look at Cheng Fei, smiling generously and saying, "Teacher Cheng, you’ve played the role of the economic crime team leader before. How about playing the role of the behind-the-scenes boss today?"
Cheng Fei showed an interested expression and said with a smile, "Sure, who’s afraid of whom!"
The behind-the-scenes boss was actually played by one of the judges today, Yang Chen.
However, today Yang Chen wasn’t acting but rather evaluating everyone's performances from an observer’s perspective, so someone else had to step in.
Cheng Fei playing the big villain immediately heightened everyone's interest.
This scene involved Ling Jin discovering clues from the financial records ten years ago, meticulously unraveling the details to finally expose Huo Haoyan’s secrets.
At ten in the morning, it was the time Huo Haoyan enjoyed the sunlight in his office, knowing that Ling Jin was on his way with people.
While he watched the busy traffic outside the floor-to-ceiling window, he received a call from the behind-the-scenes boss.
This conversation was also the last words Huo Haoyan left for the world.
Holding the script, Cheng Fei cleared his throat and imitated Mr. Yang Chen’s tone. The seemingly gentle yet ruthless voice spoke, "Hao Yan, I know you're tired."
Luo Yu, playing Huo Haoyan, slightly furrowed his eyebrows, as if he had many regrets but quickly suppressed his emotions.
"Boss, do you have any arrangements?"
His tone was similar to that of the behind-the-scenes boss on the other end of the line, humble and peaceful as if asking about something unrelated to himself, portraying Huo Haoyan's resignation to his fate with a sense of sorrow.
"Take a good rest. Your sister is about to give birth in a few days. I've chosen a good nanny for her, so she won't be too tired. I've also planned out the education path for the child from kindergarten to university."
This was actually the behind-the-scenes boss reminding Huo Haoyan that his family’s fate was in his hands, and there was no way out for him.
Upon hearing this, Luo Yu’s expression wasn’t heroic nor was there any reluctance towards life; instead, there was more understanding and relief.
"Thank you, boss."
Luo Yu's tone remained so submissive, as if he had been treated like a problem-solving machine for so long that he had come to see himself as one too.
He leaned back in his chair, took the prepared pills, and reclined.
He didn’t fold his hands over his abdomen but rather let them rest casually on the armrests, his face turned to the side. His once furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and as his arm slipped off, lifelessly dangling by his side, the audience understood this was the final scene of Huo Haoyan’s life.
Quietly, away from all scheming and maneuvering.
The sunlight he loved the most shone on him.
Li Shengyu watched this scene; though it was night, Luo Yu conveyed a sense of gentle morning light.
A clever and cautious man who should have had a bright future had now fallen.
Luo Yu left four or five seconds for everyone to digest their emotions. Even Cheng Fei, who was acting alongside him, felt a bit choked up—Huo Haoyan was a complex character. Though he wasn’t purely evil, never having committed murder or arson, he ended up doing dirty work for the behind-the-scenes boss because he had been financially supported by him since childhood, with his mother and sister's lives also being controlled by the boss. He was entangled in a mix of gratitude and familial bonds, unable to break free from the boss’s “life plan” for him.
Originally, such a clever person, if he had repented and joined forces with Cheng Fei, might have saved his sister and redeemed his own life.
At this point, the audience let out a collective sigh filled with mixed emotions.
Luo Yu stood up slowly and bowed to the three teachers, "My performance is over."
As expected, there was another round of applause.
"As I thought, the shorter the lines, the more the performance tests the actor's ability to convey expressions and emotions." Mr. Yang Chen’s face showed unrestrained admiration. "You’ve expressed Huo Haoyan’s state of mind, his helplessness, and his final release from the scheming that he never wanted to be a part of… those emotions were very well portrayed."
Zhu Jun also nodded, saying, "Especially towards the end, truly silence speaks louder than words. And in this scene, even though Huo Haoyan’s lines were short, the emotional expression was precise. There was no resentment towards fate in his lines because Huo Haoyan had long foreseen his ending—his education, the comfortable life for his mother and sister, could not have come without a cost, a cost he had to pay."
Yan Mingrui agreed, "Yes, and more importantly, that crucial line did not convey despair but rather Huo Haoyan’s pursuit of internal peace. He knew he had done wrong and was waiting for his judgment. Your performance gave me the feeling that—it wasn’t the behind-the-scenes boss who decided his life or death, but Huo Haoyan himself who judged himself."
Hearing the teachers’ comments, everyone finally understood why Luo Yu’s performance was so exceptional.
Xu Han looked at the behind the scenes cameraman not far away, who nodded and gestured "don’t worry."
Everything that needed to be recorded was captured.
The crew wouldn’t spend an entire night on such an acting contest for no reason. It was both to solve internal issues within the crew, bringing hidden conflicts to the surface, and to provide promotional material with great potential for the marketing team.
When Luo Yu returned to the crowd, the assistant director called out loudly, "Sheng Yu, your turn!"
"Oh, okay." Li Shengyu gripped the script tightly, suddenly realizing it wasn’t his own and couldn’t crumple it.
As he loosened his grip, his palm was covered in a thin layer of sweat.
Li Shengyu regretted it. He shouldn’t have let Luo Yu perform first, or he shouldn’t have watched Luo Yu’s performance at all.
When Cheng Fei recited the same lines he had used with Luo Yu, it instantly pulled Li Shengyu back into the previous scene, "Hao Yan, I know you’re tired."
"Boss, do you have any arrangements?"
"Take a good rest. Your sister is about to give birth in a few days. I’ve chosen a good nanny for her, so she won’t be too tired. I’ve also planned out the education path for the child from kindergarten to university."
"Thank you, boss."
Having watched Luo Yu’s performance, Li Shengyu couldn’t control himself from being influenced. As he began reciting the first line, Luo Yu's image filled his mind, and he couldn’t help but imitate Luo Yu’s expressions and tone.
Because the Huo Haoyan in his mind was far less remarkable than the one Luo Yu had created.
He simply recited the memorized lines, even lying back in the chair mimicking Luo Yu's posture.
This feeling of being led along by the nose by someone more skillful was a first for Li Shengyu.
The outcome of this contest was clear.
Mr. Yang Chen commented, "Sheng Yu, your performance was very stable, with nothing done poorly. However, the emotional rendering felt a bit formulaic. You should immerse yourself more into the role, not just thinking about how to say a particular line, but understanding what Huo Haoyan is thinking. When you truly empathize with his thoughts and concerns, your emotions will flow naturally when delivering your lines."
Zhu Jun gave a reassuring smile, "You can't blame Sheng Yu entirely. After all, with Luo Yu's stellar performance before him, it's easy for Sheng Yu's understanding of the character to be influenced. It's evident that Luo Yu has been pondering over Huo Haoyan for a long time, while Sheng Yu only had a few minutes. The fact that he achieved what he did shows that Li Shengyu has a solid foundation. With more life experience, I believe he will be able to portray Huo Haoyan's internal conflicts and helplessness with more personal insight."
These remarks helped to address Li Shengyu's performance, affirming his foundational skills while also pointing out his shortcomings.
Hearing this made Li Shengyu's ears turn red, unsure of how to face Zhu Jun.
Yan Mingrui also laughed, "Sheng Yu, don't be shy. Everyone's acting skills are honed step by step; no one can reach the top instantly. Your performance just now was excellent, especially considering you completed this role you're not very familiar with under pressure after we praised Luo Yu. I could see you were nervous, but you didn't let your character collapse, which shows strong mental resilience."
After Yan Mingrui finished, all three teachers applauded him.
This made Li Shengyu feel even more ashamed. Compared to Luo Yu's portrayal of the economic investigator Xia Yunzhi, whose seasoned aura and emotional delivery through lines were effortless, Li Shengyu felt outclassed.
Taking a deep breath, Li Shengyu realized he had lost thoroughly.
This round of acting PK not only earned Luo Yu recognition from three industry titans but also silenced the naysayers.
Actors and crew members in the team began to view Luo Yu differently.
Previously, because Luo Yu hadn't played any notable roles in recent years and "Counterattack" had yet to air, no one knew how his Bai Ying performance was. Those who criticized him would refer to him as "that Luo Yu," with the more polite ones using his name.
But this time, as he stood among the crowd, repeated calls of "Teacher Luo" indicated he had earned the crew's respect.
Li Shengyu was still immersed in shame, feeling as if the surrounding discussions were from another world. He didn't know what the cost of his loss would be.
Suddenly, he realized his past arrogance and rash judgment, misjudging things without knowing the whole picture.
Discussing another actor and director's personal conduct within the crew was harmful, as it could be seen as spreading rumors. In the worst case, if his gossip was taken and exaggerated by someone with an agenda, it could lead to widespread resistance from uninformed netizens. This could tarnish two well-made productions or, worse, cause them to be shelved.
"Li Shengyu! Li Shengyu! Why are you standing there dumbfounded? Come back!" a fellow actor from the same company called out.
Li Shengyu, like a marionette, walked back.
Even standing among the crowd, listening to everyone's voices, he felt as if he was in another world.
Luo Yu's performance elevated the acting PK to a high level, making everyone else hesitant to challenge him.
The director's assistant checked the time, "It's already 11 PM. If anyone else wants to give it a try, now's the time!"
After about a minute, no one spoke.
Throughout the PK process, Xu Han had almost not voiced any opinions. hint now he stood up, and the room fell silent, with everyone thinking it was time for the reckoning.
Li Shengyu was extremely nervous, clenching his fists, his shoulders trembling.
He deeply regretted his previous behavior, wondering why he had been so influenced by He Mu's negative insinuations about Luo Yu.