Yu Jiayou felt an indescribable joy in an instant. It wasn’t for anything else. It was because of this belief and optimism that others had in him.
His journey hadn’t been smooth. His parents didn’t understand him and his siblings didn’t support him. His only like-minded friend, Ning Yu, also chose to leave after working hard with him for three years.
The initial source of inspiration for the script ‘Return to Jade’ was a passage by Ning Yu. Yu Jiayou was touched by these words and went back to write ‘Return to Jade’.
However, ‘Return to Jade’ hadn’t finished when Ning Yu came to him first and said goodbye to him. Ning Yu wouldn’t be able to make movies with him in the future. Guo Mao took a fancy to him and gave him an opportunity. He wanted to try and go to Guo Mao’s team to write some scripts for commercial movies.
Yu Jiayou almost couldn’t hold his pen at that moment.
He felt betrayed and abandoned. He didn’t understand why his friend who had worked hard with him would leave together.
Ning Yu seemed to see his confusion and explained to him, “I also need to live. I can’t live on clouds. I have to step on the ground under my feet. I have a pen in my hand and I need bread and water, not just dreams. Dreams are beautiful but reality is real. I have to live before I can talk about dreams.”
“I can help you,” Yu Jiayou said. “If you have no money, I can give you money.”
“However, we can’t live our whole lives on the pocket money of your family. Jiayou, I can’t spend your money with peace of mind without making plans. In particular, none of us can see the future. We have to learn to compromise first. Let ourselves gain capital first before talking about dreams.”
Ning Yu left and joined Guo Mao’s team to write scripts for the commercial movies that he once disliked and found boring. He created scripts with other people, learned to cooperate and learned to give up some ideas that were different from everyone.
Only Yu Jiayou was still walking alone. Later, the capital chain of ‘Darkness’ broke and the actors ran away. He sat on a stone, thinking about his future and his persistence. Suddenly, he felt that everything was quite boring.
He sent the script for ‘Return to Jade’ that he had written to Ning Yu to say: I forgive you and I have given up.
Ning Yu read his script and tears flowed down every time he returned a page.
He remembered Yu Jiayou’s ambition and his pride. He insisted on trying again and again. He seemed to never get tired and was innocent and pure like a child.
Now he was defeated and had given up.
Yu Jiayou didn’t name the script. He wouldn’t film it anyway, so there was no need to name it.
He made the protagonist in the script go from insisting and persisting to being unable to hold on again and again, giving up his own thoughts and drifting with the flow, becoming a smart and normal person in the eyes of everyone.
When he walked forward alone and when he had dreams, ideals and thoughts, everyone laughed at him and mocked him for being a fool. When he gave up and lived as a person with no ideals, no thoughts, no dreams and only knew how to mess around, everyone started to say that he had changed and became a normal and smart person.
It was ironic, ridiculous and sad.
Ning Yu didn’t want him to give up. He didn’t want Yu Jiayou to become a smart person like Ye Yu. Therefore, he kept observing the right actors around him, wanting to find someone who could act in this movie and give Yu Jiayou a chance. This was until he saw Lin Luoqing.
In the beginning, Yu Jiayou actually didn’t believe that Lin Luoqing would be willing to act in this movie. It was because Lin Luoqing was too famous and too popular. Later, Lin Luoqing met him and the two of them talked. Lin Luoqing put forward his conditions one by one. Rather than being angry, Yu Jiayou felt more firm in his heart.
He is negotiating terms with you. This proves that he is serious. What I need now is a serious person who is willing to fight with me again.
He hadn’t expected that Lin Luoqing would be so optimistic about him and have such great expectations for this movie that he would dream about winning awards!
Yu Jiayou was happy in his heart but he was afraid of disappointing the other person’s expectations. Therefore, he could only give Lin Luoqing a vaccination first. “Just think about the award in your dreams and don’t force it in reality. This award not only depends on strength but also on luck. I will be lucky if I get it and unlucky if I lose it. Let’s be careful.”
How can that be?
This is your award!
Lin Luoqing was even more worried. “So you really won’t consider acting? I’m really stressed right now.”
“You care too much about gains and losses.” Yu Jiayou persuaded him. “Your popularity is so high and you still want to win an award the first time you act in a literary movie? How can it be easy to get both popularity and trophies so early? You need to be lucky.”
Once Yu Jiayou finished speaking, he was afraid that Lin Luoqing would be hit hard and comforted him. “Don’t worry, I will shoot the movie seriously. However, the things outside the movie aren’t up to us.”
“But if I hadn’t accepted this movie, would you have starred in it yourself in the end? Would you have really given up and quit the circle?” Lin Luoqing was stubborn.
Yu Jiayou’s tone rose the moment he heard this. “Lin Luoqing, what do you mean by this? You are now talking about not accepting this movie. Are you regretting it? You aren’t looking down on me for being an unknown director, right?”
“…I’m not.”
Lin Luoqing just didn’t want to steal this person’s Best Actor Award!
Yu Jiayou laughed. Of course, he knew that Lin Luoqing didn’t mean this. He just said it on purpose so that Lin Luoqing would think less about this type of thing.
Yu Jiayou thought about it. He didn’t know why Lin Luoqing insisted on him acting but these words were right. Before Ning Yu told him that Lin Luoqing was willing to act, he actually hesitated for a while about whether to play Ye Yu and finish filming this movie himself. Then he would completely withdraw from the circle and let himself, like Ye Yu, drift with the tide and go about his life.
In this way, it could be regarded as commemorating his past dreams and paying tribute to his lost pride.
However, he couldn’t make up his mind for a long time and in the final analysis, he was still unwilling.
“You are right,” he told Lin Luoqing. “If you hadn’t agreed, perhaps in one or two years, I wouldn’t have been able to bear it and would act in this movie. After acting, I would’ve completely let go of my obsession with this movie. But if that was the case, I must’ve been very sad at that time. I pity Ye Yu and think he is pitiful. Then I would’ve had to play him and accept that I have become him. At that time, I would’ve felt very sad.”
“Then even if I really won an award like you dreamed of, I wouldn’t be very happy.”
“It is because that isn’t what I want. Lin Luoqing, I am a director. I like to stand behind the camera to film and record. I don’t like to stand in front of the camera to act. Under what circumstances would I stand in front of the camera as an actor? It is only when there are no actors I can use and I can’t help it. Everything I tried was exhausted and I could only do it on my own. It is only then that I would let myself be an actor.”
“But by that point, I must’ve been at the end of my life.”
“If a proud person goes to act as Ye Yu, he will sympathize with Ye Yu and pity him, but he wouldn’t feel sorry for himself because he is happy and knows he isn’t Ye Yu. But if a person with shattered ideals who is desperate goes to play Ye Yu, it is a type of cruelty. It is a cruelty that amplifies their own experiences. I hope I will never have such a day. If it comes, perhaps I can act well but the better the acting, the crueler it is to me.”
He didn’t want to die at the end of the road. It was too painful and the pride in his heart didn’t want him to face it.
What he really hoped for was like what was happening now. Once he was about to give up and was feeling confused, someone pulled him up and gave him a light, telling him to keep going. They told him that he was very powerful and could do it.
Yu Jiayou wasn’t afraid of failure. He had a good family, life was prosperous and he had absolute love and sincerity. He could move forward desperately. He just hoped that someone could support him. It wouldn’t be him walking forward alone in a lonely manner without hearing any echoes.
What he liked was directing. He just wanted to be a good director.
Lin Luoqing hadn’t expected him to think like this.
He was stunned for a moment.
He was an actor and he cared about the highest honor of Best Actor as an actor. He cared very much so he felt that Yu Jiayou must also care about it. This was why Lin Luoqing didn’t want to take away the honor that belonged to Yu Jiayou, even if he didn’t know this person was Yu Cheng before signing the contract.
Now he listened to Yu Jiayou’s words and thought about how Yu Jiayou in the novel did reach that step in the end. He played Ye Yu and won an award. Everyone thought he was beautiful but at that time, he might not have been very happy.
He said he hoped he would never have such a day, but in the end, he still took that step. He said that the better he acted out Ye Yu, the crueler it was for him. Then in the end, Yu Jiayou won Best Actor that year and defeated all his opponents. What was Yu Jiayou’s mood at that time?
Lin Luoqing suddenly didn’t want Yu Jiayou to play Ye Yu.
It was too cruel.
He was still young, high-spirited, youthful and frivolous. He shouldn’t experience such cruelty.
It was good that he was like this now.
“Okay, Director Yu said so. Then I will work hard and will definitely play this role well.”
“That’s right,” Yu Jiayou said with satisfaction. “As an actor, you just have to be confident. You have to become this role. If you don’t believe it yourself, how can the audience believe it?”
Lin Luoqing nodded obediently. “Uhuh.”
“Okay, read the script well and ask if you have anything you don’t understand. I’m still contacting a producer here. I should go to select locations in a few days.”
“Okay, Director Yu. Jiayou!”
“I got it, I got it.”
Yu Jiayou hung up the phone and scratched his head. He secretly thought that Lin Luoqing was so optimistic about him and even thought of winning the award. The expectations for him were too high.
Alas, it seemed he would have to work harder or it would be embarrassing if he didn’t even get award nominations.
Yu Jiayou thought so and didn’t even dare to take a lunch break. He quickly contacted the previous producer and asked him to choose locations with him.
Lin Luoqing also read the script again.
He now understood why Yu Jiayou was able to win the award for this role. At that time Yu Jiayou probably wasn’t much different from Ye Yu. He played Ye Yu but also himself. This was very cruel but also sincere and emotional. Thus, he was shortlisted for the first time and directly won the award.
But if Li Luoqing wanted to replace Yu Jiayou in the role of Ye Yu, he must also win an award. This would ensure that Yu Jiayou’s star path wouldn’t be damaged because of him.
If his appearance would definitely bring about feelings to some people, Lin Luoqing hoped that it was happiness, positivity and a hope for a better future, not loss and pain.
In this way, he could have a clear conscience.
Yu Jiayou contacted the producer, talked to Lin Luoqing and went to find help to choose the locations.
Lin Luoqing also received a WeChat message from Wu Xinyuan, stating that ‘Radiance’ would be released soon and he should start preparing for online promotions.
“Okay,” Lin Luoqing agreed.
He forwarded the countdown poster of ‘Radiance’ as requested by the crew.
Three days later, Radiance was officially aired.
Lin Luoqing wasn’t the protagonist but he was one of the supporting roles. He sat in front of the TV early and was ready to follow this drama.
Ji Yuxiao, Lin Fei and Ji Leyu were with him.
“Dad, are you in this drama?” Ji Leyu leaned against his chest and asked him.
Lin Luoqing nodded. “Yes.”
“So you are a police officer too?”
“Yes.”
Ji Leyu found it a bit strange. He was about to say something else when he saw the figure of Lin Luoqing at the beginning of the episode.
“Dad, it’s you.” He excitedly pointed to Fu Han on the TV.
Lin Luoqing smiled. The opening scene was the scene where Fu Han saw his father and saluted him.
Ji Yuxiao had seen him wearing a police uniform before but was still a bit surprised when he saw it on the TV.
“It is pretty decent, little cop,” he teased.
Lin Luoqing snorted and ignored him.
Ji Yuxiao smiled and reached out to hold his hand, squeezing it. “Very handsome.”
“Yes,” Lin Luoqing replied proudly.
Ji Yuxiao gave a low laugh and something moved in his heart.
He looked at Lin Fei and Ji Leyu told them, “Fei Fei, go and get some snacks. Xiao Yu, get some fruit.”
“Yes.” Ji Leyu stood up very obediently and pulled Lin Fei toward the kitchen.
Lin Luoqing watched him send away the two children and turned to look at him.
The moment he looked over, Ji Yuxiao kissed him on the lips.
“Can Captain Fu come to my dreams tonight?” He said against Lin Luoqing’s lips.
Lin Luoqing’s face burned instantly and he replied, “You are dreaming.”
“That’s okay,” Ji Yuxiao said. “Then I’ll go to Captain Fu’s dream.”
Lin Luoqing couldn’t help laughing. He kissed this person’s lips and said in a low voice, “Hmm.”
Proofreader: Jesse
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