Top Dupe CH 039 Luo Yu VS Li Shengyu Part 2

The actor who initially wanted to challenge now felt his heart pounding with all sorts of thoughts.

Xia Yunzhi had few lines; if ten minutes were cut, his presence in the drama would be almost zero.

For this moment, Luo Yu might have already planned which lines of Xia Yunzhi to challenge, possibly even coached by Director Xu Han himself!

But what Li Shengyu didn’t expect was that Luo Yu didn’t pick Xia Yunzhi’s lines.

"Li Shengyu, you should understand Xia Yunzhi’s role better than I do. You choose the segment we’ll compete with," Luo Yu said.

Everyone was surprised; after all, it was Li Shengyu’s role, and he certainly knew the lines and scenes better. But Luo Yu gave him the initiative? Was he arrogant or just here for the thrill of acting?

"You... want me to choose? We’re competing as Xia Yunzhi," Li Shengyu asked uncertainly.

Luo Yu looked at the assistant director, "Can I let him choose?"

The assistant director said, "Sure. As long as you think you can win."

Luo Yu nodded and looked at Li Shengyu, "Yes, you choose."

A feeling of unexpected luck welled up in Li Shengyu.

He recalled the lines he stayed up all night memorizing yesterday, a scene where economic investigator Xia Yunzhi analyzes the financial transactions of Huo Haoyan’s company, while team leader Ling Jin urgently needs to report and obtain a search warrant to prevent the destruction of key evidence.

Li Shengyu had spent a long time memorizing these lines, performing not only the dialogue but also the feedback on the phone to Ling Jin, expressing a calm urgency.

In contrast, Luo Yu only had less than five minutes to memorize these lines and express emotions, a highly challenging task.

Li Shengyu felt confident that he wouldn’t lose as Xia Yunzhi.

Luo Yu put on headphones to avoid distractions, took Li Shengyu’s script, and sat nearby to study it.

Meanwhile, Li Shengyu stood in the center of the top floor, with Cheng Fei personally playing the opposite role. He began his performance as a practice run.

"Xia Yunzhi, not done yet?" Cheng Fei, as Ling Jin, spoke with urgency.

"Give me a minute." Li Shengyu’s face also showed urgency. He sat in the chair, miming computer operations.

"Not done yet?" Cheng Fei’s line conveyed immense pressure.

"Thirty seconds." Li Shengyu gritted his teeth, his hands moving faster.

“Thirty-seconds are up."

"Reporting to Captain Ling, on October 28th, Hongzhou Trading transferred 80 million yuan to Kuohai Shipping. Between November 1st and December 31st, Kuohai Shipping divided the 80 million into nearly 30 transactions, transferring it to twelve companies, including Changling Industry, Hanjiang Trading, and Ziling Yunding Manufacturing. Three of these companies have been confirmed as shell companies, and another four are highly suspected of money laundering fronts..."

Li Shengyu carefully delivered this long, memory-taxing line, speeding up to convey tension. The judges nodded, and the audience felt that Luo Yu winning as Xia Yunzhi would be difficult.

Yang Chen commented, "Li Shengyu’s rhythm and enunciation are excellent, and he matches Cheng Fei well to create tension."

Zhu Jun nodded, "Li Shengyu’s performance is very fitting, showing the urgency of the economic investigator’s work."

Yan Mingrui also praised him, "Delivering such a long line without interruption in an impromptu performance is rare. I look forward to your future development."

Li Shengyu exhaled, relieved not to have messed up in such a performance.

Cheng Fei returned, with Ah Qing handing him a water bottle.

"Brother Cheng, this guy's acting seems quite good."

"He was just average, didn’t make mistakes but also didn’t stand out," Cheng Fei said dismissively.

"Brother Cheng... you have high standards for others."

"Aren't my standards high for myself too?"

Li Shengyu approached Luo Yu, who was studying the script, wondering if he could remember such a long line and how he would perform the vastly different roles of Huo Haoyan and Xia Yunzhi.

Luo Yu looked up from the script, smiled calmly at Li Shengyu, and handed back the script, "Thanks."

"No need. You might want to keep it. That line was quite long," Li Shengyu said, hoping Luo Yu wouldn’t blame him for deliberately choosing a long line if he lost.

But Luo Yu shook his head, "No need, I’ve memorized it."

Memorized it?

Alright, let’s see if you really memorized it or plan to improvise during the performance.

Luo Yu sat in the chair, nodded at Cheng Fei, indicating he was ready.

Cheng Fei’s performance was identical to before, "Xia Yunzhi, not done yet?"

"Give me a minute." Luoyu’s pace was slightly faster than usual but slower than Li Shengyu’s, enunciating clearly with a rhythmic cadence.

Though his brow furrowed, it wasn’t as if he was being cornered. Instead, Luo Yu’s expression was focused, projecting calm and caution, even though he mimed typing on the keyboard, the judges were more drawn to his face.

A calm, cautious atmosphere, racing against time with intellect.

At this moment, Cheng Fei, as Ling Jin, issued the second reminder, "Not done yet?"

The tension was palpable, and even though everyone knew it was acting, the front row audience couldn’t help but clench their fists.

"Thirty seconds." Luo Yu's tone was even lower, but his voice had a clarity that made it feel reliable, contrasting with Li Shengyu's tense urgency.

Not only did he catch Cheng Fei's tension, but he also used his own calmness to soothe him. This subtle role reversal might go unnoticed by the audience, who would simply feel that Luo Yu's Xia Yunzhi was not just being hurried by Ling Jin but was maintaining his own pace. However, the judges could clearly see the layers in his performance.

"Thirty seconds are up."

Cheng Fei's tone changed subtly with Luo Yu's influence, slowing down and adopting a deeper tone, suggesting an impending revelation.

Next came the long monologue. Everyone was worried—Luo Yu's performance had been great so far, but if he fumbled this lengthy dialogue, it would all be for nothing.

Li Shengyu clenched his fists, sensing that Luo Yu's performance was more advanced, even influencing Cheng Fei's delivery.

"Reporting to Captain Ling: On October 28, Hongzhou Trading transferred 80 million yuan to Kuohai Shipping. Between November 1 and December 31, Kuohai Shipping split the 80 million into nearly 30 transactions to 12 companies including Changling Industries, Hanjiang Trading, and Ziling Yunding Manufacturing."

Luo Yu delivered the lines smoothly, pausing slightly at key points related to the plot to highlight the importance for both Ling Jin and the audience.

"Three of these companies have been identified as shell companies, and four are highly suspected of money laundering..."

Luo Yu finished the monologue flawlessly, not missing a single word. The room fell silent as he completed his performance.

Suddenly, applause broke out from Cheng Fei, soon joined by everyone else. They had to admit that Luo Yu's ability to memorize and deliver the lines perfectly within five minutes, and his high-quality performance, was impressive. Even if his role was pre-decided by the director, it was due to his extraordinary skill.

Li Shengyu stood there in shock. How did Luo Yu memorize such a long monologue so quickly? And he had chosen the lines, so Luo Yu couldn't have prepared in advance!

Without needing the judges' scores, it was clear from the level of performances that Li Shengyu had lost.

Yang Chen proudly looked at Zhu Jun and Yan Mingrui, "Didn't I tell you? This young man's skills are exceptional!"

Zhu Jun took a deep breath, "So steady... Among actors his age, I've only seen one like Gu Xiaowei... He's really good at engaging the audience!"

Yan Mingrui was still reflecting, "And he had the opponent choose the lines. Being able to understand and deliver them so well in such a short time is remarkable."

The assistant director smiled, "Judges, please share your thoughts aloud so the actors can learn from your feedback!"

Yang Chen laughed, "Alright, you want us to praise Luo Yu? Here's my first point: his performance has layers. Luo Yu's economic crime investigator is not only urgent but also calm, precise, and very confident in his profession. This makes Xia Yunzhi a well-rounded character—young but an elite, composed in emergencies."

Zhu Jun sipped his tea and smiled, "I'll mention the second point: the interaction between characters. Luo Yu's Xia Yunzhi wasn't overwhelmed by Cheng Fei's urgency. He responded to the demand for speed while showcasing the professionalism and precision of an economic investigator. Crucially, he gave Cheng Fei feedback, creating a mutual trust between the characters. This is excellent."

Yan Mingrui patiently waited for Zhu Jun to finish before speaking, "In the final monologue, many actors focus on delivering the lines perfectly but neglect the audience's perception. Luo Yu's calm demeanor not only reassured the captain on the phone but also soothed the audience, helping them understand the critical plot information. The subtle pauses built anticipation for the subsequent investigation. This attention to both the dialogue and the plot is impressive."

Everyone applauded, their view of Luo Yu greatly changed.

Holding the script, Luo Yu approached Li Shengyu, "Shall we start the Huo Haoyan competition?"

"Ah... yes." Li Shengyu's palms were sweaty, his heart pounding. Despite his interest in Huo Haoyan, he didn't feel confident in memorizing the lines within five minutes.

"Pick a segment you'd like to perform," Luoyu suggested.

"You... you’re letting me choose Huo Haoyan's segment too?"

"Of course. I've memorized all of Huo Haoyan's lines, but since you haven't had much time with them, you should pick."

Luo Yu's matter-of-fact tone only highlighted his confidence and strength.

Li Shengyu felt like an insect caught in a spider's web, realizing the futility of his struggle only after being ensnared.

Even knowing he would lose, he had to press on.

Li Shengyu flipped through the script and chose the scene where Huo Haoyan attempts suicide by poison.

"This... this segment."

"This one?" Luo Yu smiled with lowered eyes. "If you're sure."

Li Shengyu stood there, still pondering what was special about this segment.