Chapter Eighty-Nine: Blessed by Fortune, Experiencing Life, "Protagonist and Supporting Character" (150 Monthly Tickets Bonus Chapter)

Hot searches number five and eight were both about "Sweeping Black Waves." This seemed somewhat out of place. After all, tonight was the Double Eleven Gala, with major streamers frantically selling products live. In recent years, live streaming has exploded, and not only streamers but celebrities have taken to it with equal fervor.

Just this afternoon, Lin Xing had made a surprise appearance in the Dima Electric Car live studio. Yet nobody expected that in the evening, "Sweeping Black Waves" would dominate the trending topics, occupying two spots at once.

"Initially, I thought releasing the trailer for 'Sweeping Black Waves' on Double Eleven wasn't the best timing, but now I feel it's actually perfect."

"The cast is impressive. After watching the two-minute trailer, I think it might just become a hit."

"Yes, the entire cast consists of seasoned actors, which is rare these days."

...

"You're forgetting Lin Xing, aren't you? He's in the show."

"Exactly, and it looks like Lin Xing is really playing the villain this time."

"Right, his appearance in the trailer is brief, but you can immediately tell he's the antagonist."

...

Just like when filming wrapped, Lin Xing had posted a photo, sparking speculation about whether he was playing the villain. But most influential bloggers like Old Wang were convinced it was impossible. When have you ever seen a top-tier celebrity willingly play a villain? Whether thirty years ago, twenty, ten, or now, regardless of the rise of the internet, playing a villain either fails to please or, if done too well, invites scorn.

Sometimes, being scolded is the least of it; there are even campaigns against you, and people might spit at you in the street. For this reason, nobody believed Lin Xing, newly back in the spotlight, would dare take on a villain role.

Even when Lin Xing bid farewell to Zhou Bo at the wrap party, few believed it. After all, scripts can be changed. Many suspected Lin Xing might end up playing an undercover agent instead.

But in today’s trailer, the vicious lines spoken by Lin Xing as Zhou Bo left nothing to the imagination.

"I've been saying all along that Zhou Bo, played by Lin Xing, is the villain in the original novel. Let me explain: Zhou Bo is someone who, after being bullied by the criminal underworld, gradually turns bad..."

Someone began popularizing the background on Weibo.

Most viewers of TV dramas never bother with the original novel. Often, a drama’s success boosts the novel’s sales. "Sweeping Black Waves" is no exception. Now, thanks to the trailer, many are discussing the original story.

Lin Xing, after posting the promotional message, paid no further attention. He merely mentioned the trailer to Kong Tian.

"Looks like 'Sweeping Black Waves' is about to be scheduled," Kong Tian said with a smile after listening to Lin Xing. "Director Zu’s dramas are usually scheduled quickly, and these days, everyone wants to release as soon as filming wraps."

Lin Xing agreed, "Yes, sometimes a drama is finally ready for release, and suddenly an actor is caught in a scandal."

"Exactly. Look at those who've had scandals this year, especially Qi Shuai—his show was about to air, but with his downfall, everything was ruined."

Kong Tian continued, "But we should thank Qi Shuai; otherwise, 'Just Waiting for You' wouldn’t have been pushed up so quickly, and you wouldn’t be its sole beneficiary."

Lin Xing smiled, "Luck."

"No, in our industry, an actor’s luck is part of their skill," Kong Tian shook his head. "Think about how many talented actors lack that bit of luck and never make it big, while others are heavily promoted by capital yet still fail to achieve fame."

In the entertainment world, minor success relies on promotion, but major success is all about fate.

As Kong Tian spoke, he realized this year had truly been Lin Xing’s lucky year. Wu Yao’s sudden scandal paved the way for Lin Xing’s comeback. Then Feng Gang’s obscure reality show "Farming Together" broke out thanks to Lin Xing’s participation. Who could have predicted Qi Shuai’s downfall, which allowed "Just Waiting for You" to air early, with Lin Xing reaping the benefits of a standout role?

Kong Tian knew about these, though he wasn’t aware of Lin Xing’s recordings for shows like "Comedy Means Laughter" and "Follow the Stars to Aid Poverty," nor Lin Xing’s appearance in the Dima Electric Car live stream.

But the fact that Lin Xing secured Zu Ming’s approval for "Sweeping Black Waves" was another stroke of incredible luck.

"I stand by what I said, Xing: after 'Sweeping Black Waves' airs, many people will change their opinion of you. I’m convinced of that." Kong Tian poured another drink, "Let’s celebrate in advance."

Lin Xing replied, "I thought so too initially, but at the wrap party, Fu Shu spoke with me, so I think it’s better to keep a level head."

A calm mind, a calm mind.

Few actors, especially those who’ve endured ten years of obscurity and then suddenly regained fame, can remain so composed.

Kong Tian poured another drink, "Now I’m even more convinced I didn’t misjudge you."

"Brother Kong, are you trying to get me drunk?" Lin Xing laughed, "I really shouldn’t drink anymore, and you should stop too—we’ve got important things tomorrow."

"It’s fine, just one last glass."

Kong Tian asked, "By the way, when will you join your web series?"

"Provisionally the twentieth, but it might be earlier. The cast is nearly finalized," Lin Xing replied. "Brother Kong, do you know Wei Fei?"

"Oh, she’s my junior, two years below me," Kong Tian paused, "Is your web series directed by Liu Zhou?"

"Yes, Liu Zhou is directing," Lin Xing nodded. "It’s a crime drama, I play the lead..."

"With Liu Zhou at the helm, the minimum standard is assured. Liu Zhou’s upper limit is rather unpredictable—he bases everything on the script. If the script is good, he can make it a phenomenon; if not, it’ll be ordinary," Kong Tian analyzed. "But for a low-budget web series, you can give it a shot. You’re the male lead, and even if it doesn’t perform well, it won’t hurt your reputation."

"Exactly, I should try," Lin Xing smiled. "Having just left a villain role, I think I need to play a hero now."

They discussed the script further, and Kong Tian offered advice: before joining the production, Lin Xing should immerse himself in real life to prepare for the role.

Both Kong Tian and Ma Wen had emphasized this point.

Lin Xing planned to visit the art academy the next day to find a teacher.

Unconsciously, while drinking and chatting, time slipped by—it was already ten o’clock.

Since Kong Tian would be flying out of the capital to film the next day, they wrapped up.

"I’ll be in production for at least three months; we won’t meet again until next year," Kong Tian said, slightly tipsy. "See you next year."

"Alright, see you next year," Lin Xing replied with a smile. "Three months will fly by."

Just as "Just Waiting for You" premiered on August 11 and now it’s November 11—exactly three months have passed.

Wasn’t that quick?

Or, since Wu Yao’s scandal on July 5, these four months had truly flown by for Lin Xing.

Sometimes, time just whizzes past.

Thus, Lin Xing didn’t think three months would be slow. Moreover, with year-end approaching, he might bump into Kong Tian at other events.

After returning home, Lin Xing took a bath to clear his head, then brewed himself a cup of tea. These days, Lin Xing avoids all energy drinks and coffee—he only drinks tea.

Health is a serious matter for Lin Xing.

Of course, drinking tea late at night isn’t ideal, but with the lingering effects of alcohol, he sipped some tea to sober up.

But as a result, he wasn’t sleepy.

So Lin Xing checked the situation online.

"Sweeping Black Waves" was still topping the charts. More importantly, Lin Xing himself had shot up the trending list, and the discussion was largely mocking.

"Ha, I want to see how Lin Xing, as the villain, gets crushed by the others."

"Right, such an important role given to Lin Xing—if that’s not capital pushing him, who believes it?"

"Haha, I’m really looking forward to 'Sweeping Black Waves' now; I want to see what it’s like when it airs."

"I suggest Lin Xing consult Fu Shu, see how he managed back then."

...

"I think Lin Xing is different from other traffic stars. First, he’s genuinely handsome. Second, he genuinely does charity work, so I won’t criticize him. I just hope he doesn’t try to be an acting powerhouse."

"Yeah, I used to criticize him too, but after watching 'Farming Together' and 'Follow the Stars to Aid Poverty,' my impression improved. Still, he’s not suited for serious dramas."

"Lin Xing’s charity at Dafeng Mountain—I won’t drag him for that, so let’s wait and see."

...

Since "Sweeping Black Waves" was officially announced, Lin Xing had been harshly criticized, accused of being manipulated by capital.

Then came twelve days of wrap-up publicity, during which he took another wave of criticism.

A portion were just stirring things up, and now that the trailer had dropped, Lin Xing inevitably trended again.

As always, this is the reality for traffic-driven celebrities; variety shows also help.

Among the cast of "Sweeping Black Waves," aside from Ren Yi, who regularly posts on Weibo, other veteran actors either have few followers or no Weibo accounts at all.

Even Wang Fei and Song Wen don’t have Weibo.

Most of these veterans’ posts barely get a few dozen shares and comments—hundreds are considered a lot.

Without traffic, there’s no data.

Look at Lin Xing: his repost of "Sweeping Black Waves" has tens of thousands of shares.

His trending status is backed by real numbers.

On one hand, Lin Xing has his fan base, some general goodwill; on the other, he has haters, rival fans, and general public dislike.

For an artist who combines all these, it’s hard not to have traffic.

Not to mention, some still want to block Lin Xing’s rise.

Since Lin Xing endorsed Emperor Shadow Watches, other traffic stars in the industry have started paying attention to him.

So the trending topics are completely normal.

"This is just another form of publicity for 'Sweeping Black Waves.'"

Lin Xing remained remarkably calm—or rather, immune.

Now that the first trailer for "Sweeping Black Waves" was out, the official release announcement must be near.

So why rush?

No hurry, let them play.

The next day, at 9:15, Lin Xing arrived at the Art Academy.

"Mr. Tian, hello," Lin Xing politely greeted the teacher Ma Wen had recommended, Tian Chong.

"Hello," Tian Chong replied with a smile. "Have a seat. Ma Wen told me everything. In China, there’s very little science popularization about portrait artists. When Xiao Wang wanted to write the script, I was quite happy. Since you’re playing this role, how much do you know about portrait artists?"

Lin Xing answered honestly, "I heard about portrait artists helping to draw grown-up images of abducted children, and saw police reports about portrait artists able to create images from age three, or bone-based portraits."

He paused, "After getting the script, I researched portrait artists, but much of it is still unclear to me, so I hoped to learn more from you."

"Yes, portrait artists are a special police profession in criminal investigation. You need not only drawing skills but also criminal investigation techniques and medical anatomy knowledge, so there are very few portrait artists in the police force," Tian Chong explained with a smile. "That’s why people say portrait artists are like pandas among police, and as a result, many have never heard of them."

Before retirement, Tian Chong was a portrait artist, and even now, he sometimes helps the police with cases.

"Let me explain: when drawing, don’t focus on aesthetics, because a portrait artist’s job is to assist the police in solving cases. Take this photo, for example—it’s blurry..."

Tian Chong took out a blurry photo and demonstrated for Lin Xing.

"If this is a criminal suspect, the focus should be on the eyes, nose, mouth, eyebrows—these features."

"Most surveillance photos are blurry. A portrait artist should first judge the facial features, such as inferring the hairstyle from the face shape, or deducing the shape and size of the eyes from the surrounding area."

...

As Tian Chong explained, he quickly sketched.

Lin Xing listened and took notes. "Mr. Tian, may I record a video?"

"Oh? Of course," Tian Chong laughed. "Apparently Ma Wen didn’t tell you—you can search 'Mr. Tian’s Lectures' on Bilibili. I have several series on 'portrait artists' and some case studies. I also give lectures at police academies, and I upload them to Bilibili for science outreach."

Lin Xing didn’t mention Ma Wen hadn’t told him; he simply said, "Alright, I’ll check it out when I get home."

"Yes, portrait artists work slowly because they need to think and estimate. This is just a demonstration, so I drew quickly," Tian Chong said after finishing. "I have a lecture now. If you’re interested, you can audit it—it’s about this topic."

"Alright," Lin Xing replied eagerly.

Thus, Lin Xing attended another hour-long lecture, then accompanied Tian Chong to the police station. As he was experiencing life for the role, Lin Xing felt close observation was ideal.

After two days, Lin Xing had learned a lot.

"No need for lunch," Tian Chong declined. "Since I promised Ma Wen to be a consultant for this drama, I’ll help with any questions you have. Feel free to ask anytime."

"Thank you," Lin Xing replied.

He had wanted to treat Tian Chong to a meal, but Tian Chong politely refused.

Clearly, Tian Chong’s only intention was to teach.

Because Lin Xing was eager to learn, he was willing to teach.

Simple as that.

Over these two days, Lin Xing had followed Tian Chong’s Bilibili account, watching his lectures on portrait artists whenever he had time.

If he didn’t have to record "Comedy Means Laughter" the next day, Lin Xing would have stayed another day with Tian Chong.

On the way home, the "Portraits for Justice" group chat was lively.

The cast was nearly finalized.

Ma Wen announced that the start date for "Portraits for Justice" had been moved up from the twentieth to Friday the eighteenth.

This meant Lin Xing would head to Egret Island on the seventeenth; the drama would be filmed there.

The group was buzzing with excitement.

Everyone had cleared their schedules—who wouldn’t want to start filming soon?

"Alright, teachers, see you on the eighteenth at Egret Island."

"See you on the eighteenth."

"OK."

...

Everyone replied.

Every crew is different.

For example, "Sweeping Black Waves" started on the sixteenth, but required actors to arrive four days early for script study.

But "Portraits for Justice" had no such requirement—just show up on the eighteenth.

Lin Xing also posted in the group, "See you on the eighteenth."

Everyone responded, "See you, Teacher Lin," and similar greetings.

This time, Lin Xing was definitely the lead actor in the "Portraits for Justice" crew; though it was a double male lead, he was the biggest name.

His treatment was naturally different.

Since everyone was chatting, Lin Xing couldn’t just lurk; he joined the conversation before logging off.

"Eighteenth is the start? Alright, I’ll have Xiao Nan book the flight for the seventeenth," Sister Dao said when Lin Xing called. "I’ll check with 'Comedy Means Laughter' to see if there’s enough time to record. If not, we can skip it..."

After hanging up, Sister Dao called Xie Ning, who laughed, "No problem, two days is plenty—record tomorrow."

Sister Dao notified Lin Xing, and the recording proceeded as planned.

Lin Xing acknowledged.

As for the "Comedy Means Laughter" team, after Xie Ning hung up, he asked, "Lin Xing needs to join his drama soon, so we have three days left. Let’s move the main recording to the day after tomorrow."

He turned to Ding Bai, "How's the script?"

"It’s ready," Ding Bai replied with a smile. "Lin Xing gave lots of input. I think his work will help Xu Ping win the individual championship."

Indeed.

The "Heng Ha Duo" team had already beaten the "Fat and Thin Sisters," but next up was a four-person battle between the two teams.

They split up to compete individually.

One was the champion group.

The other was the individual champion.

More guests were invited for this segment.

Four supporting guests.

Lin Xing was still supporting Xu Ping.

"Alright, how about Zhu Jie? And Feng Jia and Tao Ling—how are their rehearsals?" Xie Ning continued.

Lin Xing’s segment was set, but the other three guests had to be ready too.

"No issues."

The other writers confirmed.

"Alright, let’s work hard these two days. The day after tomorrow is the formal recording," Xie Ning said. "Start with Lin Xing and Xu Ping’s segment. If the other guests aren’t ready, we can record later."

It’s a variety show—editing is possible.

For effect, recordings can even be repeated, and the timeline rearranged.

It’s all a performance.

The next day, Lin Xing arrived at Smile Rice Culture.

He and Xu Ping began rehearsing.

Their piece fit the current entertainment industry well.

"Lead and Supporting Actor."

It told the story of Lin Xing as the lead and Xu Ping as the supporting actor, but Xu Ping didn’t want to settle for supporting; he believed he could be the lead, too.

Fighting for billing.

It also covered how to steal scenes on set, how to grab camera time, and so on.

The effect was outstanding.

Most importantly, the satire was sharp.

In this sketch, Lin Xing played the lead, but most of the laughs centered on Xu Ping—especially when Xu Ping put on ugly makeup, which made it even funnier.

On the day of recording, the live feedback was exceptional.

From beginning to end, applause didn’t cease.

"Incredible, Lin Xing—I had no idea you had such comedic talent."

"Yes, this segment is brilliant, and it keeps you laughing from start to finish."

"It’s satirical and funny, full of jokes—I think it’s excellent."

"Xu Ping, you’re so versatile. After 'Comedy Means Laughter,' you won’t be a mid-tier actor anymore. Your chance has come."

"Good actors never go unnoticed."

...

The mentors and judges gave their routine comments.

This was standard procedure.

Scoring, of course, was high.

From "Donation" to "Lead and Supporting Actor," Lin Xing recorded two episodes, leaving two works behind.

But both episodes wouldn’t air until the twenty-ninth of next month.

After finishing the recording, Lin Xing gave a post-interview, saying, "As an actor, I don’t want to be confined to a single role. I hope to create and portray many characters that audiences love."

With that, Lin Xing finished recording "Comedy Means Laughter."

He prepared to set off for Egret Island.

...

...

This chapter is 6,000 words, so it’s an extra for monthly ticket 150. Still asking for monthly tickets.

(End of chapter)