Chapter 51 I Think Chen Ping is Very Handsome

Chapter 51: I Think Chen Ping is Very Handsome

"Ah..."

Given Luo Man's remark, the host, Da Peng, hardly knew what to say.

Plain-looking and yet enduringly attractive?

Enduringly attractive, my foot.

Even enduringly attractive wouldn't cut it. People would only spare you a glance; who on earth is going to stare at you for half an hour?

However, Da Peng also understood that Luo Man's role was that of a guest panelist. He was there to speak for the actors and to help buffer the immense pressure coming from the four directors.

Since Chen Ping had chosen to play Yang Guo, Luo Man naturally had to cheer him on.

"Director Er, isn't this a pleasant surprise? Didn't you see this coming?"

Chen Kaige, who rarely joked around, couldn't hide his amusement as he looked over at Er Dongsheng.

Indeed.

Chen Ping hadn't chosen an idol drama, nor had he chosen a script tailored for trendy young heartthrobs.

Yet, what Chen Ping chose was even more idol-like than an idol drama, and more youth-idol-focused than any trendy young star's vehicle.

Even more terrifyingly...

The unmasking scene in *The Return of the Condor Heroes* required him to achieve perfection in both idol-like appeal and acting prowess.

If even the slightest thing went wrong with either, it would be a complete disaster.

"It certainly is quite a surprise."

Er Dongsheng was also taken aback.

Still, as directors, they could not interfere with Chen Ping's choice.

...

"Chen Ping, why did you choose this piece?"

"What, am I not allowed to choose it?"

"It's not that, it's just..."

"Just what?"

"Nothing."

Seeing Chen Ping return with a completely relaxed expression, Yuan Bingyan was initially taken aback, but she quickly made up her mind.

Immediately following Chen Ping's selection, Yuan Bingyan also placed her name under *The Return of the Condor Heroes* segment.

This particular segment featured only two characters.

One was Yang Guo.

The other was Guo Xiang.

Chen Ping was playing Yang Guo.

And Yuan Bingyan, naturally, would be playing Guo Xiang.

"No way."

"Yuan Bingyan is playing Guo Xiang?"

"She actually had much better options available."

Seeing Yuan Bingyan put her name into the *Condor Heroes* segment, the entire hall was surprised once again.

Chen Ping playing Yang Guo was already a massive shock.

For Yuan Bingyan to still choose Guo Xiang after knowing that Chen Ping was playing Yang Guo made it even more astonishing.

Of course.

That was not to say Yuan Bingyan couldn't play Guo Xiang.

In fact, given Yuan Bingyan's physical traits, she was exceptionally well-suited to play Guo Xiang.

Yet, no matter how suitable she was, she needed a good scene partner.

Given Chen Ping's appearance, one genuinely wondered what Yuan Bingyan's reaction would be once Chen Ping removed his mask during the scene.

"They won't rewrite the script, will they?"

"It's possible."

Many actors were already starting to wonder in their hearts.

If things played out according to reality, the script should probably be performed like this:

The moment Chen Ping's Yang Guo removed his mask, Yuan Bingyan would be so terrified that she would either collapse backward onto the floor or spit out a mouthful of water in shock.

Thus, this iconic scene would transform into a dramatic plot twist—which actually sounded rather amusing.

Of course, that was just nonsense.

If they changed it like that, it wouldn't be *The Return of the Condor Heroes* anymore; it would be *The Return of the Deranged Heroes*.

"Wait, Bingyan."

The host, Da Peng, stopped Yuan Bingyan in her tracks. "Bingyan, I'd like to ask, why did you choose the *Condor Heroes* segment?"

"It's nothing much. Because Chen Ping and I worked together fairly well previously in *I Am Somebody*, I feel we have a stronger sense of chemistry when acting together."

"Do you think Chen Ping is suitable to play Yang Guo?"

"Suitable."

"Why?"

"I think he's very handsome."

This was by no means mere flattery.

As she uttered the words "Chen Ping is very handsome," Yuan Bingyan's eyes sparkled with a bright, crystalline luster.

Luo Man, standing off to the side, took note of this and cast a meaningful, lingering glance back at Chen Ping.

"Alright, Bingyan, please go take your seat."

Host Da Peng was on the verge of pulling his hair out.

What on earth was wrong with this world?

Luo Man saying Chen Ping had an enduringly attractive face could be interpreted as offering encouragement.

But for Yuan Bingyan to say Chen Ping was very handsome—could human aesthetic standards really deviate to such a dramatic extent?

"This is getting interesting."

Er Dongsheng had initially thought Chen Ping might have chosen the wrong piece.

However, when Yuan Bingyan followed suit and chose *Condor Heroes* as well, Er Dongsheng's interest was thoroughly piqued.

This development also left Zhao Wei full of anticipation. "It certainly is getting interesting."

"Ever since Chen Ping chose Yang Guo, I've been wondering if this performance is going to completely crash and burn."

"Yet, knowing that Chen Ping chose Yang Guo, Yuan Bingyan chose it right along with him. Now I really want to see their performance in a moment. Director Kaige, what do you think?"

"I have no idea."

Chen Kaige shook his head. "However, I noticed that after choosing Yang Guo, Chen Ping looked remarkably relaxed. Perhaps he has made certain preparations."

"I'm just afraid the two of them will crash and burn."

Director Liu Ming held a different view. "I recognize both Chen Ping's and Yuan Bingyan's acting skills, but this iconic scene truly cannot be carried by acting alone. If your physical appearance doesn't reach a certain threshold, you genuinely cannot pull off that kind of scene."

Actors as strong and visually appealing as Louis Koo, Richie Jen, and Lawrence Ng... they had all stumbled and hit a wall with it; why would these two be any different?

Although Liu Ming knew Chen Ping could make use of stage makeup.

Applying makeup to make him look as handsome as possible.

Even so.

Makeup could only elevate things by a marginal degree; it couldn't completely bridge that massive gap.

Because makeup traditionally excelled at turning the ugly into the beautiful—which was exceedingly difficult unless you altered the face completely beyond recognition.

Turning the beautiful into the ugly, on the other hand, was far too easy.

In fact.

While Chen Ping and Yuan Bingyan were rehearsing this scene behind the scenes, Chen Ping's natural appearance had utterly baffled the makeup artist.

The artist had tried applying makeup on Chen Ping several times; and while he did look somewhat more handsome, it still fell vastly, vastly short of the ethereal realm required for Yang Guo.

"This won't do. Let's do it again."

The makeup artist shook his head repeatedly.

Even though he was just a makeup artist, he had watched *The Condor Heroes* and was well aware of how classic this scene was. How could he possibly allow Chen Ping to ruin it?

However, Chen Ping checked the time and realized they had spent too long on it already. He shook his head and said, "Thank you, I think it looks great already. If we keep applying more, we won't have time left for rehearsal." ... "Well... alright then."

Although the makeup artist still wanted to achieve perfection, but... Chen Ping's baseline conditions were simply what they were, so this was as good as it was going to get.

"How is it? Do I look a bit more handsome?"

"You already look very handsome."

"You're just comforting me, aren't you?"

"No, you genuinely look very handsome."

Yuan Bingyan said earnestly.

When she first met Chen Ping, she had always felt that Chen Ping was just like his name—completely plain and unremarkable (*pingping wuji*).

Yet.

As she grew to understand Chen Ping better over time, Yuan Bingyan couldn't quite explain it, but she felt that Chen Ping was becoming less and less ordinary.

Just as Luo Man had said, Chen Ping belonged to the category of actors who grew on you.

At first glance, nothing stood out; but the longer you looked, the more fond of him you became.

"Good grief, your acting skills are top-notch. For a second, I almost thought you actually had a crush on me."

Seeing Yuan Bingyan cast a glance at him that carried a hint of bashfulness and a dreamy daze, Chen Ping remarked in admiration.

In *The Return of the Condor Heroes*, when Guo Xiang beheld Yang Guo's true visage, wasn't she struck with precisely this expression?

Embarrassed, Yuan Bingyan felt even more self-conscious, yet she played along with Chen Ping's remark. "Hmph, don't think only you have good acting skills; my acting is quite decent too."

"Alright, keep that up."

The unmasking scene of Yang Guo placed high demands not only on Yang Guo himself, but equally so on Guo Xiang.

Every major television adaptation of Yang Guo's unmasking focused not just on Yang Guo, but crucially on Guo Xiang's reaction as well.

In Louis Koo's version, Carman Lee played Guo Xiang, but it was Lee Chi-hung who portrayed Guo Xiang's initial gaze upon seeing Yang Guo to absolute, peerless perfection.

That exact look, viewed just now, had briefly flickered across Yuan Bingyan's face.

Thinking of this, Chen Ping felt a surge of renewed confidence in tackling this iconic scene from *The Condor Heroes*.

(End of this chapter)