Chapter 28: The Opportunity Arrives

Chapter 28: The Opportunity Arrives

"Sister Wu Yu, I’m heading to the film set now."

"Mm, go ahead."

That is the life of an actor. You are either filming or on your way to film. Only a few days after returning from Xiangyang, Chen Ping was already off to other sets. This time, he had to shuttle between dozens of different locations, which was far more exhausting than his time in Xiangyang.

"By the way, why didn’t you chat with me when you got back this time?"

"Chat about what?"

"Chat about what kind of roles you want to take on."

"Sister Wu Yu, even if I talked to you, could you actually help me get those roles?"

"I’d like to, but I don’t have that authority."

"Then there you have it."

Chen Ping didn’t give it much thought. He waved goodbye to Wu Yu and headed toward Hengcheng. After Chen Ping left, someone emerged from behind the scenes. It was Wang Jin, the director of Shengteng Entertainment, one of the most famous gold-medal agents in the country and Wu Yu’s superior.

"Director Wang, you saw it too."

"He certainly has the potential to be nurtured."

"Then..."

"I didn’t say anything." Wang Jin shook his head and added, "I want to see if this guy can keep his cool."

Indeed, Shengteng had been quietly observing Chen Ping’s outstanding performance in the *Jiangye* crew. However, Chen Ping was ultimately just an extra, and he had signed a three-year non-binding contract, so the company didn’t see fit to invest more resources in him. Yet, Chen Ping’s talent had exceeded everyone’s expectations, and this current schedule was essentially a test for him.

Chen Ping, however, was unaware of the company’s internal thoughts. Although he noticed upon reviewing his notices that many of the roles were ones any average featured extra could handle, he didn’t consider himself a big shot. Wasn't his current status that of a featured extra? It was perfectly normal for a featured extra to play bit parts—or even minor walk-on roles. In truth, there was little difference between a featured extra and a background actor; without influence, anyone could replace you.

Of course, Chen Ping had another motive. Now that his acting talent had reached level 5, he genuinely wanted to experience the charm of different roles. He wanted to challenge himself to see if he could make even the most mundane character shine.

"Damn, Chen Ping, you’ve come to our set?"

"Yes."

"What role are you playing? Third lead?"

"Third lead? More like the three-hundredth lead."

At the Hengcheng film base, Chen Ping ran into old acquaintances like Zeng Lan Jian and Dong Zi. Seeing Chen Ping, Zeng Lan Jian was thrilled and pulled him into a constant stream of chatter. "Chen Ping, we watched you in *Jiangye*. You were absolutely stellar!"

"Yeah! I saw the comments—everyone says your acting is incredible, and you even pulled Chen Feiyu into the scene with you. But seriously, what role are you actually playing?"

When Zeng Lan Jian asked again, Chen Ping had no choice but to say, "It really is the 300th lead. If you don’t believe me, look at the notice."

A "notice" was the industry term for a role assignment, detailing the production, character, call time, lines, and so on.

"Holy crap, it really is."

"Shengteng is a trash company. This is them putting you on ice!" Zeng Lan Jian and Dong Zi cursed repeatedly.

Chen Ping laughed. "What 'putting me on ice'? I’m not a big star. Besides, I’m making 2,000 bucks for half a day’s work. Let’s grab some skewers tonight after I wrap up."

***

The day’s shoot was simple. Chen Ping played a veteran of the War of Resistance, with only three or four lines. Despite it being a small role, he took it very seriously. Unfortunately, although he truly wanted to make this insignificant character shine, he wasn't particularly satisfied with his performance once he finished.

It wasn't that he acted poorly. On the contrary, the director of that set had praised his performance, even suspecting that Chen Ping must have offended someone at the company to be relegated to his set. Still, Chen Ping felt the veteran he played lacked any real spark, and the audience wouldn't remember him.

But he wasn't anxious. Not every role could be a showstopper, and you couldn't always control the quality of a performance. Sometimes it was the character design, sometimes the director’s arrangement, and sometimes even if you acted perfectly, the camera would just flash past you without anyone noticing.

"Come on, Brother Jian, Dong Zi, let’s drink to that."

That night, the group, who hadn't gathered in a while, went to a food stall near Hengcheng. When Yan Zi heard Chen Ping was back, she rushed over from another set. Seeing Zeng Lan Jian and Dong Zi already eating, she complained, "Zeng Lan Jian, Dong Zi, you didn’t even tell me Chen Ping was back!"

"Sister Yan Zi, don’t blame them. I was in a rush, and I have to head off to another place tomorrow."

"I don't care. Chen Ping, you’re not being loyal—you signed with an agency and forgot about us."

"How could I? Sister Yan Zi, I’ll toast to you as an apology." Chen Ping downed three drinks as a self-imposed penalty.

Yan Zi hummed, "That’s more like it."

"Chen Ping, why are you back in Hengcheng again?"

Before Chen Ping could speak, Zeng Lan Jian answered for him: "Yan Zi, Chen Ping has been sidelined by his company. He only played a war veteran this afternoon."

"My god, Shengteng is blind. Chen Ping’s acting is so good—look at that Chao Xiao Shu, I don’t know how many people he charmed."

"We said the same thing." Zeng Lan Jian and Dong Zi shrugged helplessly.

Chen Ping filled everyone’s glasses. "It’s not like Brother Jian says—it’s not about being sidelined. It’s just that my contract with Shengteng is quite loose, only for three years, so they aren't going to give me major resources yet. Even though I only played a veteran today, I felt it went okay. Anyway, what about you guys? How have you been?"

"Us? Well..." Dong Zi looked a bit shy. "I’ve been filming while studying, trying to see if I can pass the art school entrance exam next year."

"Wow, Dong Zi, that’s great! Here, I wish you a flying start." Chen Ping was genuinely happy and congratulated him.

But Dong Zi sighed, "Seeing you suppressed like this by your company, I don’t even know if I should bother."

"Dong Zi, what are you thinking? I told you, it’s really not suppression." Chen Ping said, feeling a bit urgent. He truly didn't feel like the company had done anything wrong. They didn't provide resources—isn't that normal? Even veteran actors and popular stars sometimes find themselves without resources. A big agency can't just cultivate one person. Furthermore, the company has its own considerations; the world doesn't revolve around him.

Afraid that his friends were overthinking, Chen Ping said earnestly, "No matter what, you must take the exam. If you fail, take it again until you pass. Even if you don’t become a big star, at least it will drastically improve our lives."

That was the most practical truth. While actors have dreams, Chen Ping believed that being able to put food on the table was the most important thing. Trying to chase a dream while starving was truly miserable.

"Like I said, don’t look at the fact that I only played a veteran. I earned 2,000 bucks today... what else is better than that?"

Chen Ping didn't talk to them about life or ideals. A background actor’s life ideals could sometimes be more grandiose than a top star's, but Chen Ping always believed that dreams without a foundation in reality were impractical. Even a dream had to be built on reality; otherwise, it would always remain just a dream.

"Mm, Chen Ping, you’re right. No matter what, let’s eat our fill first before talking about the rest."

"See? I told you Chen Ping will definitely be a big star. With his mindset, he’s set."

"Chen Ping, I admired you before, but now, I admire you even more... Let’s drink."

Everyone took Chen Ping’s words to heart, feeling a sense of admiration and self-encouragement.

"Alright, let's drink. But we can’t have too much; we still have to film tomorrow."

Seeing that everyone had listened, Chen Ping was happy. These were his old partners, and while he didn't have the power to change their lives yet, he could at least pass on his perspective. He believed that as long as they persisted and kept a good attitude, they wouldn't necessarily conquer the entertainment industry, but they would certainly be able to make a decent living.

The next day, Chen Ping headed to Xiangshan; another production was waiting for him. This time he played a hoodlum with only three lines. Just like with the veteran, he tried his best to make the role shine, but it still didn't meet his own standards.

In the blink of an eye, two months passed. During this time, Chen Ping played over 80 roles. Sometimes he would play three or four different characters in a single day—since he wasn't a lead, he could just change his makeup and go back on set. It seemed no different from a regular background actor, or at most, a minor featured extra. But Chen Ping maintained his mindset; he was a minor featured extra, after all.

When he finished all the roles on his schedule, Chen Ping headed home. Though exhausted, he was exceptionally excited. Looking back on the last two months, he felt incredibly fulfilled. Although the series of roles he played initially didn't achieve his goal, through constant effort, he gradually started to deliver moments that made people sit up and take notice, especially after his 70th role. This performance didn't go unnoticed by the directors of the various crews; some even wanted to keep him on to play more significant roles.

"Chen Ping, you’re really something. You actually finished all those notices in two months."

"It’s alright. I was earning money, and 2,000 per role added up to a nice sum. Anyway, Sister Wu Yu, are there any other notices?"

"You still want to play small roles?"

"Unless you’re giving me a lead?"

On the way home, Chen Ping received a call from Wu Yu. As he finished speaking, he suddenly felt a spark. "Sister Wu Yu, is there good news?"

"No."

"Sister Wu Yu, don't be like that."

"You like earning small money so much, I’ll find you some more notices later."

"No, no, no, I don’t like money. I hate money more than anything..."

"Tsk tsk... I won't ramble with you. It’s hard to explain in a few words, let’s talk when you get back to the company."

"Okay."

Hanging up the phone, Chen Ping clenched his fist. He knew his opportunity had arrived.