Chapter One: Unfulfilled Ambition

  "Thud!" Another sound, abrupt and sudden, caused the palace maid played by the beautiful woman to tremble all over and kneel down.

  “CUT！”

  Director Chen Jialin let out a loud shout, suddenly standing up and almost yelling "Who's that!"

  But how could he possibly remember the name of this Nth palace maid? He asked the person beside him, "What's that palace maid's name?! Who let her change the script?!"

  "Qin Xin." The person next to him blurted out, "She played the role of all the palace maids by Empress Xiaozhuang's side. Only after Empress Xiaozhuang passed away did she no longer have a part to play."

  It was originally called Qin Xin, Lin Xiao laughed.

  "What's she changing again?! If she changes it again, get out! Many people want this kind of role that shows her face!" Chen Jialin pushed up his glasses "Didn't even say a word beforehand, thought she could just change it as she pleased, does she think she's a movie queen now?!"

  He picked up the script and knocked on the chair "A!"

  The camera cuts back again. After Sichen Gao enters, Chen Daoming kneels down once more, and hot tears well up in his eyes again.

  "Damn it! You're a monster!" This time, the people around fell silent. Instead, Lin Xiao cursed loudly.

  Tears fell, mostly thinking of my own sad things, but under the automatic regulation of psychological ability, the second time must think deeper or think of another thing. This kind of self-inflicted wound actually appeared again in two minutes.

  "CUT!" Chen Jialin almost got really angry, and the actors watching from outside all let out dissatisfied whispers.

  "It's you again!" He pointed at Qin Xin and said "What are your legs shaking for?! Did I tell you to kneel?! You like kneeling so much, then get out of the crew and go kneel on your own!"

  Qin Xin lowered her head and said in a low voice, "But... I think I should have knelt down just now... maybe I was too much into the play."

  "There won't be a third take." Chen Jialin said fiercely, these two actors often finish filming in one go, this time although it's an emotionally intense scene, the two veteran actors haven't even started yet, instead they let a palace maid NG twice, with a fire burning in their hearts.

  “A！”

  Siqin Gaowa didn't say anything and walked out again. When Chen Daoming knelt down again, Chen Jialin finally burst into anger: "Change people! Change people! Where did this palace maid come from?! Are you deliberately making it difficult for the crew to get along?!"

  This time, Chen Ming's tears hadn't come out yet, but Qin Xin had already knelt down first.

  "Wait a minute." Just as the director yelled "switch", a voice suddenly cut in, "I think he should kneel here."

  Innumerable eyes immediately turned to the person who spoke. And in a corner, Liu Songde raised an eyebrow.

  "Liu Ge, that's the little brat who played Yun Cai." On the first day of filming, several people who didn't get along with Lin Xiao were all around Liu Songde.

  "One who relies on underhanded means to rise to power will surely find opportunities to hype himself up." Liu Songde snorted, "Now, everyone's attention is focused on him."

  "Does he really think Director Chen looks up to him? Hmph, now I want to see how he talks his way out of this!" A stout actor with a big ear said "Chen Jialin is an easy-going director, but he's in a bad mood now, it would be best if he gets kicked out in public."

  "Hey! Maybe they won't even want him to act anymore, and then we'll have a chance!"

  "Shh, be quiet and watch the show."

  "Who is this again?!" Chen Jialin was really furious, who exactly is the director?! Someone actually asked to revise the script for the third time?! Is this a dialogue between Chen Daoming and Siqin Gaowa or a conversation between several palace maids and eunuchs?!

  The crowd didn't want to bear his gaze and parted ways, he saw Lin Xiao at a glance.

  "Is that what you said?"

  "Huh?" Just as Chen Jialin was about to vent his anger, Chen Daoming suddenly made a sound, letting his anger subside a bit.

  "Teacher Chen, do you know him?"

  "It looks a bit familiar." Chen Daoming rubbed his chin "It should be an interview role."

  "Ah!" He suddenly lit up "The actor who played Yīn Chuī seems to be surnamed Lin."

  Now that you mention it, everyone remembered that they all had a few dozen lines of dialogue and were considered to be actual characters. The events of the first day of filming immediately came back to mind.

  "He's the one that Teacher Chen praised." An actor glanced at him, didn't say anything, but his eyes were full of disdain.

  "Hehe, we'll see how good his acting skills are then."

  "It's not time yet, let's see what he says now, maybe there won't be a 'time' later."

  The role has weight, but the reputation is not high. Lin Xiao didn't care about other people's emotions and instead said loudly again, "I think this place should indeed kneel."

  Qin Xin's head lifted up, her eyes were filled with tears, but the gaze towards him had a hint of gratitude. The pear blossoms in the rain, instead had a kind of touching and pitiful flavor.

  Chen Jialin suppressed his anger, he had already made up his mind, no matter who came to plead, it would be useless, and he must make an example out of one to warn a hundred.

  "Why?"

  Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Lin Xiao knew that if he didn't clarify today, he wouldn't be able to pass this test. However, after being refined by many palace dramas later on, it has to be said that there are many unrealistic situations in the Kangxi dynasty. He cleared his throat and said, "The emperor is the supreme ruler, and the one kneeling is the Empress Dowager. I personally think that there's no such thing as a palace maid receiving the emperor's bow. Moreover, this palace maid has no relationship with the emperor or the Empress Dowager - she's not a companion from childhood, nor was she raised from a young age, and she doesn't have the qualifications to receive this bow. I think that it's not just the palace maid; how could the emperor possibly come here without bringing his personal eunuchs or guards? Those people should also be kneeling."

  Silent, speechless.

  Liu Songde's mouth could hold an egg, and the people around him looked like they had seen a ghost, stunned for several seconds before someone asked in disbelief, "Did he really sneak in?"

  No one answered him, and after a few more seconds, Liu Songde gritted his teeth and said, "He actually managed to get it out..."

  But then he said viciously, "So what if I'm exposed? Director Chen is furious now, let's see if he dares to throw me out!"

  This is probably what most people in the audience are thinking, since they found out that he was the one who played Yun Cuo, countless pairs of red eyes stared at Lin Xiao, if the director thinks he's not worthy of playing Yun Cuo, then this vacant spot will have a lot to offer.

  But unexpectedly, Chen Jialin did not get angry, but instead fell silent, tapping the chair with the hand holding the script.

  His eyebrows above his sunglasses were knotted. This was an imperial drama, with a large system of hierarchy and etiquette inside, where everyone knew what courtesy to show whom, all personally studied by him. But despite being meticulous, he still made a mistake today.

  From the moment Lin Xiao finished speaking, he knew he was wrong.

  Chen Jialin's silence represents the director's balance, which has already tilted. The actors in the center of the discussion are even more silent, with thoughtful expressions on their faces.

  "Not bad." It wasn't long before Su Qianhao spoke up for the first time, breaking the awkward silence. "You're right. Since it's an imperial drama, these rules naturally have to be followed."

  "Uh, Director Chen, I think it's worth considering. After all, sometimes onlookers see more clearly." Chen Daoming also said, then turned his head and smiled "Remember Li Ruijin, the investor we were supposed to support? At that time, I thought he had some good ideas, didn't expect to see another one here."

  "Hehe, I just don't know how this person's acting skills compare to Li Ruijin. If they're about the same, that would be a rare newcomer indeed." Su Qiang said lightly.

  "Wow", more than 20 people were shocked, and unexpectedly the movie emperor and queen took the lead in expressing their views, saying that it was indeed supposed to be acted out like that?!

  Their eyes all turned to Chen Jialin.

  Under the gaze of everyone, Chen Jialin thought for a moment and surprisingly clapped her hands "Alright, let's do it this way."

  "Agreed?!" "Actually agreed?!" "This is a private change of the play! Not a movie emperor or a movie queen! Just a newcomer with no reputation at all! The director actually agrees?!"

  Whispers suddenly converged into a noisy wave.

  "Unexpectedly gained Chen Jialin's approval." Hongbo, who played Dong E'fei, said with a complex expression "Actually managed to say something. It seems that there is still some strength after all. At first, I really thought he won the role through 'other channels'."

  "Haha, can't tell if it's good or not, have to watch the performance to know. Can't make a judgment yet." Actor Xue Yan, who plays Xiao Maozi, has not commented.

  "It's just luck." "You're really lucky." More people, however, just shook their heads, and the phenomenon of everyone pushing a fallen wall did not appear. Instead, this role was once again firmly seated, making them extremely uncomfortable.

  Qin Xin was also surprised, she had thought so in her heart, but didn't expect that it would be said by a man who had only shown him the way once. Her eyes added a hint of understanding and comfort.

  Chen Jialin looked at the noisy scene and said in a low voice, "I'm not a saint, I'm just a director. I hope everyone can point out any problems they see in time. What I want to shoot is a classic, everyone knows that this play is aimed at next year's CCTV 8 o'clock slot. I want it to live up to its reputation."

  After finishing speaking, he said to Lin Xiao: "Like this, pause for ten minutes. Since this idea was proposed by you, then add two more eunuchs. You come and act as one. The other..."

  He glanced around at everyone, his eyes suddenly stopping on Liu Songde's body "You."

  "What?! Happiness came too suddenly, Liu Songde almost jumped up, for an actor with such a small role, every appearance is extremely precious. He immediately stood up, his voice excitedly trembling "Thank you director for the opportunity!"

  "Don't thank me, thank the person who came up with this idea instead." Chen Jialin waved her hand indifferently, gesturing for the two to go change their clothes.

  Liu Songde immediately fell from heaven to hell.

  Just now he was still in front of everyone, and suddenly he wants to thank? What kind of dog-blooded script is this?! This is even more unbearable than letting him eat a fly.

  "Thank you." He finally said with a scowl on his face, gritting his teeth.

  "No big deal. I didn't think the director would choose us either." Lin Xiao smiled slightly, seemingly unfazed.

  Seeing him turn around, Liu Songde let out a loud hum and turned his head, feeling that the gaze of the people around him made him uncomfortable no matter how he looked.

  "Liu Ge, why don't you let him take the lead in this scene?" an actor whispered.

  "What's the point of saying that?!" Liu Songde's heart was burning with anger, and he said bitterly, "Unfortunately, it was just an ordinary shot without any lines, and now he can't even make a fool of himself!"

  Just then, the person next to them who had been listening to their conversation burst out laughing. "Brother, I don't know which school you came from. But some things, even if you do a little poorly, still can't pass. Be careful."

  "Director Chen is very strict, don't let others steal the show later. This remark of yours won't be easy to take back. Gossiping behind someone's back should always leave some room for maneuver."