Anchor Effect - Chapter 15.1: I'll be waiting for you

So many late-night snacks that two people can't finish. Ye Yuchen took the big head to the living room and said while closing his eyes in the dark, "You guys play, I'll go back to my room first."

Du Rui, who was in the middle of a murder, happened to have his eyes open and said discontentedly, "It's only been a few hours, and you want to go back to your room?"

The suite's bedroom was equivalent to a deluxe double room. In the compact fifty-square-meter space, there was not only a bed and a desk but also a coffee table and a sofa.

Ye Yuchen placed the late-night snack on the coffee table, sat on the carpet, and said to Yu Xiu, "Send me the script, let me take a look."

Soon, the phone chimed with a message notification. Yu Xiu had sent a one-page audition script, with only one scene, and almost all of the lines were for the male lead.

"Only one page?" Ye Yuchen asked skeptically.

"Yeah," Yu Xiu sat down next to Ye Yuchen, "I'm the only one auditioning for the male lead."

Ye Yuchen: "..."

With only one person auditioning, it meant that the role had already been cast, and the audition was just a formality. The script provided was also very short.

Ye Yuchen was somewhat speechless, "Are you worried about not performing well?"

Yu Xiu said seriously, "I still need to prepare well."

Ye Yuchen couldn't do much about Yu Xiu's decision, so he just stared at his phone. A single page of script had only a few hundred words, and he quickly read through it in less than a minute.

"So, this Zhang Xiaole is your friend, and he's trying to stop you from seeking revenge on the bullies?" Ye Yuchen asked.

"Yes," Yu Xiu replied.

"Let's do it then," Ye Yuchen turned to the first page of the script, adjusted his demeanor, and began to recite, "Don't be impulsive, this will cost your parents their jobs."

Reading the script didn't require too much acting, but he couldn't be too casual. Ye Yuchen became more serious, and there was a hint of gravity in his expression.

Yu Xiu's gaze fell on Ye Yuchen's face as he continued with his lines, "What else can I do? You know how important this place is to me. They've completely destroyed it. I've endured and endured, but there's a limit. Since they've done such things, they must face the consequences."

Ye Yuchen furrowed his brows and continued reading, "You're in your senior year now, don't get into trouble. The college entrance exams are coming up, and all of this will be over soon."

"So, they shouldn't be punished? They've been doing whatever they want just because they have money. People like them should face some consequences. I'm doing this for justice," Ye Yuchen continued.

Zhang Xiaole tried to persuade him a few more times but couldn't convince Chen Ping, played by Yu Xiu. In the end, Chen Ping picked up a gasoline can and left Zhang Xiaole behind.

The scene was brief and not complicated, but after finishing the lines, Ye Yuchen still looked at his phone, deep in thought.

Yu Xiu waited for a while but didn't hear Ye Yuchen speak, so he asked, "What's wrong?"

Ye Yuchen put down his phone and asked Yu Xiu, "Who is the director of this movie?"

Yu Xiu mentioned the name of a new director and said, "He's good at making youth-oriented films."

"But do you think these lines really reflect a youthful tone?" Ye Yuchen looked back at his phone, "For example, in the first sentence, why '之于我 (for the sake of my)' instead of '对于我 (for me)'? Why use such formal language? And '一忍再忍, 忍无可忍 (It does not have to endure if you can not stand it.)' – do people really use such long idioms when they're emotional? Besides, these idioms aren't very common in everyday speech."

Yu Xiu looked at the script on his phone and tilted his head slightly, "It does sound a bit awkward."

"Even '相应的后果' (corresponding consequences) and '替天行道' (act on behalf of heaven) don't feel very natural. They give an unnatural impression," Ye Yuchen added.

Yu Xiu nodded, "Anything else?"

With only one page of script in hand, Ye Yuchen didn't want to nitpick too much. He looked at the lines again and asked, "What does '这个地方' (this place) refer to in the first sentence?"

"I'm not sure about the specifics," Yu Xiu replied, "It seems to be an art studio, and the male lead enjoys painting."

Ye Yuchen scrolled down the page and said, "Can a high school student get hold of a gasoline can?"

"I can't see the context, but it should be explained later," Yu Xiu replied.

"If a gasoline can appears, it means the situation is quite serious. Would Zhang Xiaole go to his parents or the police?" Ye Yuchen kept his head down, still looking at his phone, until Yu Xiu suddenly stopped talking. He then looked up and saw Yu Xiu staring at him with a faint smile on his lips.

"What's wrong?" Ye Yuchen asked.

"You're really suited to be a scriptwriter," Yu Xiu said.

"Is that so?" Ye Yuchen detached himself from the script and said casually, "Actors should have their own thoughts about the script."

"Do you think this script is no good then?" Yu Xiu asked.

"I didn't say that," Ye Yuchen admitted that he could be a bit proud, but he also knew his limitations. Regardless of the quality of the script, it had already been approved, and it wasn't his place to give pointers.

As for the questions he raised, they were just part of a normal discussion.

"Good scripts are hard to come by," Yu Xiu said. "It's a balance between money and the quality of the project. Sometimes, even if the script is average, if the pay is good, my mom will still let me take the role."

Ye Yuchen shook his phone and asked, "What about this movie?"

Yu Xiu pursed his lips and seemed hesitant to evaluate, but seeing Ye Yuchen waiting for his response, he said, "It's mediocre."

"Mediocre is fine too," Ye Yuchen put down his phone, opened the bag containing their late-night snack, and said, "As long as there's work to do."

Yu Xiu took the chopsticks handed to him by Ye Yuchen and asked, "Haven't you applied to any production companies?"

Applied, not even auditions, just submitted his resume to production companies.

"No, my mom told me not to rush," Ye Yuchen took a bite of a large lobster and said, "Don't worry, if I really want to act, I won't even need auditions."

Just like Du Rui, he would invest and join a production, even if it was for a supporting role.

"Why aren't you in a hurry?" Yu Xiu asked, "Haven't you found the right role?"

"Yeah, kind of," Ye Yuchen said.

In fact, over the years, there have been roles that interested Ye Yuchen, but his mom didn't think they were suitable.

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