Top Dupe CH 076 Watching Me Or Watching the Show? Part 1

The next scene was the first appearance of Nie Yangchen, who played Qin Lin, the secretary to the collector.

He wore a tailored suit, looking professional and patient, with a tall and handsome figure that was very photogenic.

Qin Lin stood at the door of the studio and gently knocked, "Mr. Lu, I’m Qin Lin. I’m here on behalf of Mr. Zhuang to discuss... the Redback Spider painting."

After speaking, Qin Lin glanced at the small dining table in the studio, noticing the snacks placed on it, and the chairs arranged around the table hinted that Lu Pingfeng was expecting someone.

Lu Pingfeng sat before an easel, his eyes focused on the canvas. If not for the faint sound of his pencil on the canvas, one might mistake him for a marble statue.

Qin Lin patiently waited at the door, as if he could stand there for an eternity unless Lu Pingfeng explicitly allowed him to enter.

After who knows how long, Uncle He walked over with some hot tea. Passing by Qin Lin, he smiled apologetically, "I’m sorry, sir is really in the mood to paint today."

Qin Lin nodded good-naturedly. "It’s my bad timing. But with Mr. Zhuang’s instructions, I have no choice but to wait."

On the floor to Lu Pingfeng’s right was a teacup, placed just within arm’s reach when he turned slightly.

Uncle He bent down and refilled Lu Pingfeng’s tea.

As Uncle He left the studio, Qin Lin curiously asked, "Uncle He, is Mr. Lu expecting a guest today?"

"The guest might come, or might not," Uncle He smiled slightly before walking out.

"But Mr. Lu seems well-prepared, which suggests he hopes they’ll come," Qin Lin said with a smile.

This guest, who had Lu Pingfeng waiting so patiently, piqued Qin Lin’s curiosity.

Finally, the silent Lu Pingfeng spoke. "Please tell Mr. Zhuang that I won’t be selling that painting."

Qin Lin took a step forward. Although he was being refused, his expression remained courteous. "Mr. Lu, may I come in?"

"You may."

With permission granted, Qin Lin walked behind Lu Pingfeng and looked at his canvas. He took out a monocle from his suit pocket and admired it for a few seconds. "A butterfly?"

"Yes."

"But this butterfly is intact, it doesn’t look dead." Qin Lin squinted his eyes and bent down. The more he looked, the more he felt the butterfly’s unmatched beauty. It seemed ready to flap its wings and fly off the canvas, scattering a layer of glittering wing dust.

"Because I’m copying a butterfly specimen," Lu Pingfeng replied.

"Copying a butterfly specimen?" Qin Lin was puzzled.

"I gave a friend a butterfly specimen, but they thought it was too valuable and returned it to me."

Hearing this, Qin Lin laughed. "But your copied butterfly specimen is probably more valuable than the original."

Lu Pingfeng said calmly, "The value of the butterfly specimen is determined by its rarity. The rarer something is, the more valuable it becomes. But the value of my painting is decided by you. If someone wants to collect it, it’s valuable. If no one cares about it, it’s just waste paper and trash."

"Then let’s talk about this Redback Spider painting. Mr. Zhuang likes it very much and wants to collect it, which makes it valuable now." Qin Lin lowered his head, standing by Lu Pingfeng’s side, and looked directly into his eyes.

Lu Pingfeng remained calm, devoid of any human desire, cold and empty.

Except for the three-tiered dessert tray on the nearby dining table, the act of "waiting" seemed to grant Lu Pingfeng some human emotions.

"Secretary Qin, would Mr. Zhuang send someone a dead rat, cockroach, or spider as a gift?"

Lu Pingfeng turned to look at Qin Lin, and the indifference in his eyes was different from usual, carrying a sharp scrutiny. Qin Lin’s mind went blank, as if his nerves had been cut.

After a few seconds of silence, Nie Yangchen, who played Qin Lin, clasped his hands together and bowed to everyone in apology. "Sorry, my mistake!"

The surrounding crew, who had been quiet, finally started moving. The lighting technicians exhaled and lowered the reflectors slightly. The cameraman leaned back and stretched his shoulders.

No one was upset, as the aura Gu Xiaowei had just emitted seemed to freeze the air. It was understandable that Nie Yangchen had lost his rhythm because of him.

Sheng Yunlan nodded and raised his hand, indicating, "Start again from Lu Pingfeng’s line, ‘rat, cockroach, or spider.’"

Nie Yangchen took a deep breath and returned to his original position.

As the word "Action" was called, Gu Xiaowei quickly got into character, raising his head again, and the sharpness in his eyes made hearts skip a beat.

"Secretary Qin, would Mr. Zhuang send someone a dead rat, cockroach, or spider as a gift?"

"Those things have no aesthetic value. Mr. Zhuang wouldn’t give them as gifts."

After delivering the lines, Nie Yangchen felt something was missing.

Sure enough, Sheng Yunlan cleared his throat and gestured for Nie Yangchen to come over.

Luo Yu stood up and stepped aside, giving his stool to Nie Yangchen.

"You’re playing Qin Lin, right? To be the trusted secretary and spokesperson for a major collector, what kind of person do you think he would be?" Sheng Yunlan asked.

Nie Yangchen replied, "Someone who appears gentle but is deeply scheming."

"Exactly. And Lu Pingfeng, the great painter, is someone who sees through everything but doesn’t reveal it, preferring to observe human nature from a higher vantage point. So when he’s probing whether you’re the kind of fan who would send dead rats or cockroaches to Wen Yuchi, what’s your mindset?" Sheng Yunlan asked again.

"Curious. It’s strange that Lu Pingfeng would ask about something unrelated to the painting. He never cares about who collects his work, but this time he asked about Mr. Zhuang, so Qin Lin should feel intrigued."

"And with that curiosity, what kind of expression would you have towards Lu Pingfeng?" Sheng Yunlan continued to guide him.

Nie Yangchen raised his hand and covered his face, trying to recall Gu Xiaowei’s earlier gaze. Like a deep, cold pond, the more he probed, the less he knew how to react.

"I might need to organize my emotions..." Nie Yangchen lowered his head in thought, feeling unsure.

"It’s fine. You and Gu Xiaowei aren’t that familiar yet. It’s natural to feel uneasy under the influence of his acting." Sheng Yunlan looked at Luo Yu. "Xiao Luo, why don’t you give it a try? See how you would explore Lu Pingfeng from Qin Lin’s perspective. Interested?"

"Well…I am interested. Let me think it over."

Luo Yu touched his nose and frowned. If he was going to act, he couldn’t use Wen Yuchi’s style.

Nie Yangchen didn’t mind that the director was letting Luo Yu try out Qin Lin. He didn’t take it as an insult to his abilities, but saw it as an opportunity. After all, Luo Yu was clearly more familiar with Gu Xiaowei, and their chemistry could provide useful insights for Nie Yangchen.

Luo Yu took a deep breath, walked to Gu Xiaowei’s side, and gave the director and Nie Yangchen an OK gesture.

"The director wants me to try out Qin Lin."

Gu Xiaowei raised his eyelids and glanced at Luo Yu. The cold, unapproachable expression he had a moment ago now carried a hint of teasing. "You? Play Qin Lin?"

"What, afraid you’ll slip up and treat me like Wen Yuchi?" Luo Yu squatted down, resting his chin on one hand, looking up at Gu Xiaowei.

Gu Xiaowei used the end of his paintbrush to gently brush away the fringe on Luo Yu’s forehead. "Whoever you play, I’ll treat you as whoever you are."

The meaning was clear—whether Gu Xiaowei would slip up depended on Luo Yu’s acting.

The surrounding cast and crew were filled with anticipation and excitement at the thought of seeing Gu Xiaowei and Luo Yu performing together again, especially since they were playing different characters this time.

Nie Yangchen became curious as well; every actor needs emotional preparation to step into a specific role. Without a doubt, Luo Yu's portrayal of Wen Yuchi was profound, but could he really transition from the emotions of Wen Yuchi to the completely different persona of the collector's secretary, Qin Lin, in just a few minutes?

Luo Yu turned his face to cough, and when he turned back, his expression had changed, calm and composed, with a smile that conveyed a delightful sense of balance.

Gu Xiaowei's gaze did not soften because he was facing Luo Yu; instead, the icy edge of his demeanor became even more pronounced.

“Secretary Qin, would Mr. Zhuang send a dead rat, cockroach, or spider as a gift?”

Luo Yu did not answer immediately but shared a smile with Gu Xiaowei, as if the other's gaze could not penetrate his thoughts, yet he could see into Gu Xiaowei’s eyes.

The smile on Luo Yu's lips subtly faded, becoming more serious than before.

“These things have no aesthetic value,” Luo Yu paused for a moment, straightening up, but his gaze remained locked onto Gu Xiaowei's, “Mr. Zhuang would not send them as gifts.”

The latter half of his sentence was spoken softly, as if to soothe the other’s emotions, with a pleasing smoothness in his eyes.

This kind of eye contact was unique and subtle; countless actors had failed to reveal such expressions in front of Gu Xiaowei before.

It was like satin brushing against his body—when he tried to grasp it, all he held was air.

This was the dexterous, perceptive collector's secretary, Qin Lin, who excelled at reading the room and dismantling the defenses of others.

Luo Yu looked at Sheng Yunlan and Nie Yangchen. “My performance is over; you can see if there are any aspects worth referencing.”

At this point, Nie Yangchen finally understood that Luo Yu's acting skills were not just a matter of detail but also of the communication in their gazes.

Luo Yu's eyes were filled with drama, almost a silent language. What he conveyed was not the emotions of joy, anger, or sorrow, but a connection.

Even an actor as closed off as Gu Xiaowei could connect with him.

Sheng Yunlan did not comment on whether Luo Yu's performance was good or bad but told Nie Yangchen, “You don’t need to replicate Luo Yu’s performance; my goal is to help you understand what you’re lacking. Because aside from Wen Yuchi, your Qin Lin is the character who interacts the most with Lu Pingfeng. You cannot avoid Lu Pingfeng's gaze; instead, you need to look into it. Even if you cannot resonate with Lu Pingfeng's spirit like Wen Yuchi, you should still have the curiosity to glimpse into Lu Pingfeng's world.”

Nie Yangchen frowned, seeming to grasp Sheng Yunlan's meaning better.

“I think I can try again,” Nie Yangchen said, looking at Gu Xiaowei. “Teacher Gu, could I trouble you to perform the last segment with me again?”

Gu Xiaowei nodded.

Another cycle began. The crew immediately got into position as Director Sheng observed the actors’ performances through the monitor.

The scene returned to the studio, where Lu Pingfeng sat at an easel painting a butterfly, while Qin Lin bent over beside him.

“Secretary Qin, would Mr. Zhuang send a dead rat, cockroach, or spider as a gift?”

Lu Pingfeng’s gaze swept over, as if to stir the waters of Qin Lin's heart, capturing his fleeting moment of insecurity.

However, Qin Lin seemed to drop a heavy anchor, stabilizing his emotions, even pondering why Lu Pingfeng would ask such questions—could it be related to the person he was waiting for?

Until he realized that Lu Pingfeng was well-guarded in his emotions, still revealing nothing. He smiled regretfully and said calmly, “These things have no aesthetic value. Mr. Zhuang would not send them as gifts.”

Sitting at the monitor with his chin propped up, Luo Yu narrowed his eyes and murmured, “This guy’s comprehension is pretty sharp.”

“He’s just more open than you,” Sheng Yunlan glanced over at him, tapping his head. “I'm guessing, if Lu Pingfeng were not being played by Gu Xiaowei, you probably wouldn’t be so restrained.”

That feeling of having the most hidden part of his heart exposed by the other made Luo Yu’s ears heat up.