I Want To Retire From the Circle but Become Famous by Acting Poorly

The nearby staff heard and looked at her in surprise.

“Miss Su, did you not have lunch? Don’t starve yourself now. The boxed lunch ordered by the crew will arrive in half an hour. You can snack on something to fill your stomach for now.”

Su Chengyang lifted her small face from the seat, “Is there anything to eat?”

“We have a few bags of cookies.”

Su Chengyang reached out to take them, but a large hand intercepted halfway.

Lin Yu thanked the staff, “Thank you, but no need. I’ll take her out to eat.”

Su Chengyang blinked and looked up at him, “I have another scene tonight.”

Lin Yu pursed his lips, “It’s nearby.”

“Oh, then can I eat a little more?” Su Chengyang asked.

Lin Yu didn’t respond, he just asked her to get up and go eat.

After greeting the director, Lin Yu took them away from the filming location.

The director felt guilty about dragging Su Chengyang to act without having lunch and offered to reimburse them for dinner, but was politely declined by Lin Yu.

On the way to the restaurant, the car was unusually quiet.

Xiao Lu focused on driving in the front seat, while Su Chengyang was so hungry that she was too lazy to even blink her eyes. Although she usually didn’t eat meat, she never neglected the nutrients she needed every day, at most she was just mentally hungry, but now she was purely physically hungry.

Lin Yu sat next to her expressionlessly and didn’t say a word.

He was a little angry, but he wasn’t sure why he was angry or if he should be angry.

Seeing Su Chengyang’s pale face due to hunger made him angry.

Even if the work was important, one should not neglect their own health.

He now understood a little why Su Chengyang had an unusual craving for food, she probably often forgot to eat because she was too focused.

After arriving, the waiter took them to the reserved room and dishes were served one after another.

Su Chengyang’s stomach was sour with hunger, but she noticed that Lin Yu’s face didn’t look good, so she didn’t dare to pick up her chopsticks directly.

Xiao Lu sat between them, looking back and forth, keenly aware that his cousin brother’s mood wasn’t good, so she didn’t move either.

Lin Yu glanced at Su Chengyang and saw her trying to resist hunger in the face of a table full of food, he almost laughed out loud.

She could secretly stuff snacks into her luggage even when recording a program, but now that she’s been hungry all day, she’s timid in front of him?

“Not hungry?” Lin Yu looked at her with a half-smile.

Su Chengyang glanced at him and asked cautiously, “Manager Lin, do you think I should be hungry?”

Lin Yu gritted his teeth inwardly and didn’t say anything.

Su Chengyang said again, “Then I can not be hungry.”

He didn’t speak, and Su Chengyang refused to move her chopsticks, as if she were trying to compete to see who had more patience.

Finally, Lin Yu couldn’t bear it and sighed, “Eat up, we still have a shoot in the evening.”

Only then did Su Chengyang pick up her chopsticks and muttered softly, “Then why are you angry?”

Xiao Lu: “…”

She realized that her cousin brother was right. Su Chengyang was quite good at taking advantage of the situation.

Lin Yu laughed, “Eat quickly.”

“I can eat whatever I want?”

“Um.”

Lin Yu nodded and added, “Only for this meal.”

“Oh.”

Only then did Su Chengyang breathe a sigh of relief and dig in.

However, she still had some sense of propriety in her heart. She had an action scene tonight and didn’t dare eat too much, afraid of vomiting.

Before leaving, Su Chengyang asked Lin Yu, “Manager Lin, I didn’t eat much actually. Can I eat something later tonight?”

She looked at Lin Yu with her watery eyes, as if she were acting cute.

Lin Yu was taken aback by her gaze and replied vaguely, “Hmm.”

Hearing his reply, Su Chengyang happily squinted her eyes and walked away with Xiao Lu.

Lin Yu stood there, staring at her back for a while before realizing that Su Chengyang was taking advantage of him by acting pitiful.

After the three returned to the university, the crew had already prepared several sets of clothes for her based on her measurements, as there would be a scene where she would have to tear her clothes.

Before filming began, the director gave her the script, which had few lines, mostly begging for mercy, and other details that Su Chengyang had to improvise.

This scene required five people to film, and it was quite chaotic. There might be situations where actors were accidentally injured during filming, so the director hoped Su Chengyang could understand.

When the night grew darker, the director informed Su Chengyang that she could prepare.

The other four male actors felt a bit embarrassed when they approached Su Chengyang.

“Miss Su, we have boundaries, so don’t worry.”

Su Chengyang smiled and said it was okay.

When she turned around, she saw Lin Yu sitting in his seat, frowning and reading the script for this scene.

Yesterday’s performance by Su Chengyang was still vivid in Lin Yu’s mind.

“Manager Lin, if you’re busy, you can go back. After the shooting, I’ll be with Xiao Lu.”

Lin Yu looked up and said, “It’s okay.”

Hearing this, Su Chengyang didn’t say anything else and went to prepare her emotions on the side.

The actor who played the male lead was named Xu Hao. He stood by the side, and the director was worried that his emotions would not be in place during his scene, so he arranged for him to watch the whole process.

Before shooting began, Su Chengyang walked over to the male actor and patted his shoulder from behind, “See you later.”

The male actor was stunned for a moment, took a deep look at Su Chengyang, as if he had already imagined what she would experience next.

To create a post-rain atmosphere, the staff sprayed some water on the ground.

“Take your positions 一 Action!”

Yun Xiaoxi returned to school after watching Lin Du’s basketball game.

The boys’ and girls’ dormitories were separated by a playground. Yun Xiaoxi didn’t let Lin Du escort her back to her dormitory and told him to go back to rest quickly.

As she passed by the dimly lit playground, she was messaging Lin Du, instructing him to go to bed after taking a shower and to have breakfast together in the morning.

Just as she sent the message, Lin Du called her.

Yun Xiaoxi answered the phone with a smile, “What’s up?”

“I’m almost at the dormitory 一 Ah!”

At that moment, several figures appeared in the darkness. They covered Yun Xiaoxi’s mouth and nose from behind, and her phone fell to the ground with a “bang.”

“Xiaoxi? Xiaoxi?”

In the phone, Lin Du anxiously called Yun Xiaoxi’s name.

“Mmm! Lin…”

Yun Xiaoxi didn’t understand what was happening. She tried to struggle and call for help, but all her sounds were muffled by a large hand.

“Yun Xiaoxi, Lin Du’s girlfriend?”

“Ah!”

One person threw Yun Xiaoxi to the ground, and the rainwater mixed with mud dampened her clothes.

The deserted playground was empty, and the dim light made it hard to see the faces of the strangers in front of her.

“Who are you guys?”

Yun Xiaoxi’s arms were scratched, and she looked fearfully at the strangers who were approaching her.

One of them said, “It doesn’t matter who we are. What matters is that we are here tonight because of the Lin family. Why do you like Lin Du, that wild seed? Today, we are just teaching the Lin family a lesson. If they dare to do it again… hmph.”

Yun Xiaoxi’s face was full of panic, but she tried to keep calm. She had already received a call from Lin Du, and he would come looking for her if he noticed something was wrong. She had to stall for time…

“You guys aren’t students here. Who let you in?”

One person stepped forward and squatted down, forcefully pinching Yun Xiaoxi’s chin and forcing her to look up. In the faint moonlight, he examined her face.

“You’re quite good-looking, what a waste.”

Yun Xiaoxi resisted the nausea and didn’t resist, “Do you have a grudge against the Lin family? But it has nothing to do with Lin Du, nor with me.”

“It does have something to do with you. How can it not?”

Yun Xiaoxi’s pure white skirt was so dirty that the original pattern couldn’t be seen clearly. Cold sweat soaked her hair and stuck to her face.

She was trying her best to stay calm. There was no one on the playground now. If she shouted for help, it would take at least two minutes for someone to come. That was enough time for them to kidnap her and take her away. All she could do now was to delay as much time as possible without angering them.

There were four men in the darkness, and Yun Xiaoxi could only pray that Lin Du wouldn’t come alone.

“Your skin is so white. It’s a shame for that wild seed.”

He wiped his hands on the ground and then slapped the filth on Yun Xiaoxi’s cheek.

Yun Xiaoxi couldn’t control her trembling body, tears welled up in her eyes and slid down her pale face, “I’m just a student, I have to go to school tomorrow…Can you let me go? I didn’t see your faces, and I won’t report you. Please, I beg you.”

The man put his hand on Yun Xiaoxi’s shoulder and lightly tugged at her collar, “As long as you behave, we won’t give you a hard time.”

Yun Xiaoxi’s heart sank, her face drained of color. She couldn’t control her body anymore and pushed the man’s hand away with force.

“Lin Du…Lin Du…”

Yun Xiaoxi called out his name helplessly, but was suddenly tackled to the ground and choked fiercely, as if her throat was being crushed.

“Cough…”

The man whispered softly in her ear, “Don’t worry, we won’t hurt you.”

Yun Xiaoxi sobbed and struggled frantically, but was firmly held down by several other people.

Her struggles annoyed the man, and he grabbed Yun Xiaoxi’s hair, slamming her forehead hard onto the ground. Blood instantly seeped out, flowing all over her face.

“Wuu…”

Yun Xiaoxi let out a whimper, gradually losing strength as several people lifted her off the field and headed towards a nearby forest.

“Cut! Take a break and get a few close-up shots at the end.”

“Xiaoxi!”

The moment the director shouted “Cut!”, Xu Hao rushed over and pushed away several people who were crowding around Su Chengyang, “Are you okay?”

Su Chengyang exhaled, knowing that Xu Hao had entered the zone. She shook her head and returned to her original position with the others to shoot the special shots.

Xiao Lu, still in shock, said, “That was too scary. I almost couldn’t help but go up and beat them. It was too painful to watch.”

Lin Yu glanced at her but didn’t respond, turning to find Director Wang and Zhang Hong with the script.

“Director Wang, sorry, I have a proposal,” Lin Yu said to the two.

Director Wang and Zhang Hong looked at each other and said, “Go ahead.”

Lin Yu looked up and glanced in the direction of Su Chengyang.

Su Chengyang was cooperating with the videographer to reshoot a scene, and she looked very disheveled.

Lin Yu said, “The impact of this section is not strong enough.”

Zhang Hong frowned, “Mr. Lin, what’s your idea?”

Lin Yu nodded and explained, “According to the script, when Lin Du arrives, Yun Xiaoxi is already dead. He kills one of the kidnappers in anger, and there’s no problem with the plot, but the contradiction and tension are not quite there yet.”

Director Wang pondered and asked, “If it were you, how would you change this scene?”

Lin Yu replied, “If it were me, I would change it to Lin Du seeing Yun Xiaoxi being carried to the woods and thinking it’s a couple being intimate and not paying attention. Yun Xiaoxi sees Lin Du too, but she’s being choked and can’t make any sound, she can only watch Lin Du leave, so she struggles to make a sound to attract him but is ultimately strangled to death. When Lin Du walks to the edge of the playground and sees Yun Xiaoxi’s phone that fell, he realizes that the person in the woods might be Yun Xiaoxi, but it’s too late when he gets there.”

Zhang Hong slapped his thigh, “Lin Du’s regret will skyrocket again and reach its peak! Mr. Lin, you’re so genius!”

Lin Yu smiled lightly, “This way, it can better drive the audience’s emotions.”

Director Wang slapped the table and said, “Let’s change it like this!”

Director Wang called Su Chengyang, Xu Hao, and several other actors together and explained this scene to them again.

When it came to Xu Hao’s role, Director Wang said very seriously, “Haozi, after this scene is filmed, you may be criticized by the audience.”

Xu Hao replied indifferently, “I was ready to be criticized when I accepted this movie. Even if this scene wasn’t in it, I would still be criticized for not insisting on taking my girlfriend back to the dormitory.”

Su Chengyang listened in silence without expressing an opinion.

Indeed, the scene proposed by Lin Yu is crucial and can also mobilize the audience’s emotions at a deeper level. But as the director said, after this scene is broadcast, the character played by Xu Hao is likely to be criticized.

Because the audience cannot truly think from the perspective of the character; they have a God’s-eye view, so many tragedies can be easily avoided in their eyes. If the character fails to avoid them, being criticized is a normal thing.

It can be said that no work or character can avoid criticism because there is no perfect thing in this world.

Since Xu Hao had no objection, this scene could continue.

Zhang Hong and Director Wang carefully explained the scene to them again, because it was added in temporarily, and many details and reactions needed to be grasped and interpreted by the actors themselves.

After confirming that there were no issues, they prepared to start filming.

“Take your positions 一 Action!”

“Ah!”

The man pushed Yun Xiaoxi heavily onto the tree. Her back hit the rough tree trunk, and her blurred consciousness was instantly enveloped in pain.

Yun Xiaoxi was in a miserable state, almost exhausting all her strength just to stand in place.

She looked at several men who were approaching her slowly, trembling uncontrollably, her face filled with fear and despair.

“Don’t come over…help! Help!” Yun Xiaoxi propped herself against the tree, her body constantly retreating, and blood gushed down her forehead, staining her whole body.

How did the clean and gentle Yun Xiaoxi become like this?

“I heard that couples often come to the small woods in your school to make out. Have you been here with Lin Du?”

Yun Xiaoxi trembled, her legs weakened, and she stumbled over a tree root, falling to the ground.

“Help…Lin Du…save me…” Yun Xiaoxi didn’t have the strength to stand up, she used her hands to drag herself backward on the ground, but the man in front of her bent down, grabbed her ankle, and easily dragged her towards him.

“You can scream, scream louder, others will think this is a kind of fun, won’t they?” The man sneered.

Yun Xiaoxi curled up her body and trembled incessantly, “Let me go…I beg you…let me go…”

“We said we won’t do anything to you, as long as you listen to us obediently…”

“Cut!”

The crowd was stunned, and their actions came to a halt.

The director said, “You’re a thug, a kidnapper, a criminal. You need to be more vicious. Your attack was too gentle. Let’s reshoot the ankle pulling scene.”

Su Chengyang had also realized this and had been holding back when acting opposite his fellow actor.

The makeup artist took the opportunity to touch up the blood on Su Chengyang’s face.

Su Chengyang said to the people in front of him, “It’s okay, don’t worry about me.”

But to be honest, Su Chengyang was still a little afraid that they might go too far.

The male actor smiled awkwardly and said, “Sorry, I’ll try my best.”

“Continue 一 Action!”