With “Du Gao’s” memories in his mind, Jiang Nian’s acting gave off a singular impression—it didn’t feel like acting at all. It felt more like he hadn’t quite forgotten how to be that person. Paired with his meticulously touched-up makeup, it was as if the character “Du Gao” had simply stepped out of the script and into the real world.
The director watched, practically salivating at how perfect it was.
But it also made life miserable for the actors sharing scenes with Jiang Nian. His performance was just too good. If they let their focus slip for even a second, not only would they fail to keep up with his lines, but against the backdrop of his skill, their own acting looked utterly amateurish. It was like they existed on a completely different plane of existence. Performances that previously might have been considered passable now seemed completely unacceptable in this context.
The director kept yelling “Cut!” over and over, leaving them utterly exhausted and frustrated.
“What’s this guy’s story?”
Not far from the set, the older actor who had just been in the scene with Jiang Nian walked over to the background casting coordinator. He handed him a cigarette, his face full of bewilderment. He was a veteran performer himself. He wouldn’t claim his acting was legendary, but within this specific production, he was confident no one could outshine him.
Yet the moment he faced off against Jiang Nian, he felt completely steamrolled. Even when he managed to adjust his own performance and find his rhythm again, Jiang Nian still led him around by the nose. It made him intensely curious.
Hearing this, the casting coordinator shook his head, looking just as lost. “Man, I got no clue.”
He’d brought Jiang Nian onto the set because the guy was sharp, funny to talk to, and, well, good-looking. Who could have guessed his acting chops would be this impressive? He was overshadowing everyone, leaving the director speechless and unable to find a single flaw.
Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, four hours had passed since Jiang Nian started filming. As the sun dipped below the western horizon, casting long shadows across the rented ancient-style street set, Jiang Nian reached the final scene of his first episode.
The scene: encountering the female lead and flirting with her.
For Jiang Nian, this was a breeze. After all, he’d never claimed to be a saint. You could say he was playing himself. The only question was whether he should maybe tone it down a little during the actual take.
“What are you looking at? Never seen a beautiful woman before?”
Just as Jiang Nian was pondering this, a sudden sharp rebuke snapped him back to reality. He stared blankly at the female lead standing before him. “Are you talking to me?”
“Obviously. Who else would I be talking to?” she retorted, her nose practically in the air.
“…”
Jiang Nian fell silent. He looked at this woman with her average figure and heavily filtered Instagram-model face. Suddenly, the concept of being “ordinary yet confident” became crystal clear to him. Come on, he thought, you wouldn’t even rank as a top-tier beauty in a random bar. What on earth makes you think I, Jiang Nian—a man known for attracting genuine top-tier beauties—would be captivated by you? This wasn’t just a misunderstanding; it was outright slander! Defamation!
Jiang Nian was internally screaming. He suspected this woman might have a few screws loose upstairs. To prevent her from spouting any more absurd statements that might insult his own magnificent intellect, Jiang Nian simply chose silence. He ignored her completely.
Unfortunately, his silence had the opposite effect in the woman’s eyes. It only solidified her belief that Jiang Nian was indeed mesmerized by her, and she felt a surge of smug self-satisfaction. So what if your acting is good and you’re more handsome than Edison Chen? she thought. You’re still just a small-time actor with limited experience, attracted to me, enchanted by me. Still, she considered, since he was fairly good-looking, she might just graciously give him a chance.
And so, feigning nonchalance, the female lead spoke again: “The new Chanel bags just dropped. I really like them.”
“???”
Jiang Nian’s face morphed into a perfect expression of utter confusion. Is there something wrong with the feng shui on this set? he wondered. First, the male lead openly clashes with the director. Now, the female lead seems to have the mental capacity of a concussed pigeon. Truly, wherever a “Crouching Dragon” genius appears, a “Fledgling Phoenix” prodigy is sure to follow.
“This is just too freaking absurd!”
Jiang Nian sighed inwardly, then pretended not to have heard a thing. He offered no response, simply focusing on getting the scene filmed. Fortunately, while this female lead’s mind seemed a bit off-kilter, her acting was passable—adequate, nothing more. After only five “Cut!” calls, the scene was successfully wrapped.
“Good! Excellent! Couldn’t be better!” the director shouted. “Great work, everyone! That’s a wrap for today!” Seeing the shots he wanted finally in the can, he called a halt to the proceedings.
At his words, the crew finally relaxed. People reached for water bottles, collapsed into chairs to rest, or made a beeline for the restrooms.
Jiang Nian was ready to leave. Filming was done, his part here was finished, and once he removed his makeup, he could head home for dinner. But the director approached him first.
He looked at Jiang Nian with intense admiration in his eyes. “Brother… no, Teacher. May I ask how you prefer to be addressed?”
Jiang Nian took a sip of water. “Jiang Nian.”
“Teacher Jiang, your performance was simply outstanding,” the director gushed sincerely. “You portrayed Du Gao exactly how I envisioned him—right down to the core!” It was no exaggeration to say this was the best day of filming he’d experienced since becoming a director. No need to blow up, no need to yell. The actor himself brought the character to life with vivid, spontaneous energy. Even if others’ performances were somewhat lacking, just watching Jiang Nian allowed him to brush aside all his frustrations and fully immerse himself in the work again.
“Teacher Jiang, may I ask if you’ve had any previous roles?” the director inquired further, his tone now respectful—a stark contrast to his initially lofty demeanor. He was beginning to suspect Jiang Nian might be some hidden powerhouse talent.
Seeing the director’s shift from haughty to humble, Jiang Nian just smiled faintly. “No, I’m just a small-time actor. If you, Director, hadn’t had the keen eye of a talent scout and given me this role, I doubt I could have performed it this well.”
“Hahaha! Excellent! Excellent!” The director burst into delighted laughter. He looked at Jiang Nian, and the more he looked, the more agreeable the man seemed! Talented and tactful—this was his absolute dream actor!
They chatted idly for a while longer, until the sun had fully set and the city’s neon glow began to flicker to life. Only then did the director realize how late it was getting. He excused himself, not wanting to hold Jiang Nian up any longer, and hurried off.
Jiang Nian returned to the makeup room, peeled off his costume, and removed his stage makeup, letting out a long, weary sigh. Then he left the set and headed home.
Morning martial arts practice, morning meeting, midday training, afternoon filming—his day was packed solid. Even though his recent training had built up his physique and the internal energy helped sustain him, he was still utterly exhausted. So much so that after getting home and wolfing down a quick meal, he tumbled straight into a deep sleep.
He had absolutely no idea that, back near the film set, the female lead who had shared the afternoon scene with him was sitting in her van, staring out the window at the darkening night, her face etched with impatience.
“Why hasn’t that Du Gao guy shown up yet? Does buying a purse really take this long? Men are so freaking slow!”
Beside her, her agent wanted to point out that Jiang Nian had probably just left, plain and simple. But recalling their client’s narcissistic and arrogant temperament—knowing full well she’d likely get screamed at for speaking up—the agent just sighed helplessly. And so she sat there in the van, waiting alongside the female lead as the minutes ticked by.
