Chapter 66: Atmosphere

Chapter 66: Atmosphere

"He immerses himself quickly and handles emotions well," Zhao Jincheng whispered in the director's ear.

Xu Yan gave a silent nod.

Typically, the first scene isn't too demanding; it's mainly used to gauge the actor's state. The initial shots were fine, but Xu Yan was more concerned about Jiang Lin's emotional fluctuations after hearing the voices of the dead.

Lu Xu handled it well.

Jiang Lin is a simple, kind-hearted person without lofty ambitions. If it weren't for his inexplicable supernatural ability and his connection to a series of murders, his life would be no different from that of an average person.

Even now, though he's grown used to brutal murders, staying calm is still a struggle for him.

While others can't hear the victims' final cries, he can.

With each case, though the victims suffer, through their ears, Jiang Lin feels as if he's lived through it all.

Once he got the script, Lu Xu read it cover to cover.

Objectively, the cases in *Voices of the Dead* are gripping and masterfully written, but that doesn't mean Jiang Lin's character lacks room for performance.

Lu Xu believed there were many opportunities for him to excel.

He always thought that while the focus of crime-solving dramas is on the criminals, who often attract attention due to their brutal traits, the presence of the protagonist cannot be overlooked—the lead must be appealing and relatable, without coming off as too sudden in their acting. In other words, their portrayal should subtly guide the audience's attention to the plot.

He acts as a thread, subtly guiding the audience while giving them room to reflect.

After filming the first scene, they moved on to a solo scene for Jiang Lin.

This scene introduces how Jiang Lin gained his ability to hear the dead's voices.

The set had to be changed, so Lu Xu took a few hours off, only resuming filming after dark.

As Lu Xu was absorbed in the script, Shao Yao sat nearby. Even though it was his break, he decided not to rest. As Lu Xu stood up to get ready, he noticed Shao Yao gazing at him intently.

Lu Xu: "..."

He was certain Shao Yao wasn't a scene-stealer.

What scene-stealer stays so quiet?

But Lu Xu had no time to wonder about Shao Yao's thoughts—his mind was entirely on the next scene.

...

Jiang Lin's awakening began with a nightmare one night.

In the dream, his sight turned murky, gray and black, like the sky was smeared with a thick layer of cement, suffocating him.

Amid this disorienting, unsettling feeling, Jiang Lin jolted awake.

His heart pounded, sensing something was about to occur. When he opened his eyes, everything was pitch black, except for a thin beam of moonlight slipping through the curtains.

When the lights flicked on, Jiang Lin felt an inexplicable unease in the air.

He opened the door, and as soon as he stepped out, a voice whispered in his ear.

It was a conversation between a woman and a man. The woman had given birth to a child, but the child never appeared before her again. She had become a tool, unwilling, and broken. And now, through the light seeping through the door crack, she appeared before Jiang Lin.

Slumped against the door, a knife plunged into the heart, the bulging eyes locked onto Jiang Lin's gaze.

This was the first time Jiang Lin heard the Voices of the Dead.

This was also the first case he encountered after hearing the Voices of the Dead.

But unfortunately, to this day, this case remains unsolved.

After that, Jiang Lin encountered several cases, none quite like this one, where the murder had just occurred, the victim's blood was still wet, yet the criminals managed to slip away.

Closing his eyes, the image of the deceased still lingered before Jiang Lin.

This scene appears many times throughout the series *Voices of the Dead*, and the same material is to be reused, so Lu Xu must shoot it more carefully.

Before Lu Xu started this scene, the entire crew's attention was fixed on him.

Late at night, the bed, the room—these segments were not difficult to shoot. Lu Xu only needed to convey a sense of unease.

The hard part was the moment of pushing the door open.

This was a night scene. To be honest, when the gaze fell on the "female corpse" outside the door, even knowing it was just a scene being filmed, it still sent shivers down your spine.

Jiang Lin, distracted by the sudden voice in his ear, did not immediately look outside the door.

So the moment he saw the female corpse, his body froze. First blinking, wondering if he was hallucinating, and the next moment, his gaze locked directly onto the female corpse.

The bulging eyes reflected in his pupils were enough to prove how unwilling the deceased was before death.

Jiang Lin instinctively reached to close the door.

In this shot, Lu Xu's expression was somewhat vacant — because although Jiang Lin was smart and had his own way of thinking, he could be a bit slow to react when faced with unexpected situations.

But the next moment, the voice in his ear continued.

It was a mother crying and begging for her child back, only to receive a cold, cruel laugh in response.

The perpetrator was terrifyingly calm; from the moment he entered, his footsteps maintained a steady rhythm. If not for another sound, Jiang Lin might have suspected that he had just come in and would leave normally.

But the other sound was unmistakably that of a knife piercing a heart.

And the woman’s shrill scream.

Amidst these sounds, the killer’s pace remained unchanged.

The night was not entirely silent; at the moment the woman was killed, the roar of motorcycles on the street added to the cacophony.

Jiang Lin paused in the act of closing the door.

He let out a soft sigh.

His fingers were still trembling slightly, for he had never seen such a scene before, and he had never imagined his ears would hear sounds that did not belong to the living, yet he heard them.

Jiang Lin found it hard to remain indifferent.

If only he knew nothing.

The crew saw —

At this moment, the fear in Lu Xu's eyes vanished.

Though the thought still made him shudder, at this moment, he mustered up his courage.

Fear turned into resolve, a change in expression that lasted but an instant.

Even Lu Xu's voice grew firmer.

He said he would help find the murderer for the other person.

Crouching down, he called the police for them. When the police arrived, he stood up, nearly stumbling to the ground.

In truth, he was still trembling.

Cowardly people often encounter a turning point that makes them brave; it is usually a sense of responsibility.

Jiang Lin had no one to answer to, but he always respected the lives of others.

...

While filming the scene, Shao Yao kept his eyes on Lu Xu.

Before coming, his agent had repeatedly warned him not to argue with Lu Xu. He had specifically searched for Lu Xu's name online and concluded that he couldn't win an argument against him.

Shao Yao guessed that even Yan Qichen would be at a loss when facing Lu Xu, who seemed a hundred times more difficult to deal with than Yan Qichen.

Actually, Shao Yao hadn't expected much from Lu Xu's acting, even though he had been nominated for the Starlight Award.

In the previous film "Nan Xiang Zi," Yan Qichen and Lin Ling were a handsome and beautiful pair, but their dialogue delivery... Shao Yao didn't want to think about how he had managed to get through those days.

However, after joining the cast, Lu Xu had been diligently memorizing lines and taking notes, which made Shao Yao see him differently from Yan Qichen.

The first scene between the two was just an exchange of glances; Shao Yao felt that neither of them had enough room to showcase their skills.

But this scene—Shao Yao could only describe it as "natural."

Lu Xu seemed to have completely immersed himself in the role of Jiang Lin, portraying his character's personality with perfect clarity.

For without sufficient emotional depth, even if Jiang Lin repeatedly emphasized his inability to remain indifferent, the audience would find it hard to understand his mindset.

After all, it involved linking oneself to a series of murders.

Being unable to remain indifferent is not a clear reason but an emotional one, and not everyone can empathize with such feelings.

But Lu Xu's performance was enough to make the audience accept it.

At this moment, the timid man transformed, becoming brave.

...

That evening, Shao Yao's agent's phone buzzed.

Thinking about Shao Yao's first day on set for *Whispers of the Dead*, the agent's mind raced through countless scenarios where Shao Yao and Lu Xu might clash. However, the WeChat message read, "I made the right choice taking this role," and "He's amazing, worth learning from."

Agent: “?”

"Learning acting and learning how to argue."

Agent: “...”

The latter really isn't necessary: “Just get along well.”

But no matter what, at least Shao Yao's start with the "Whispers of the Dead" crew was good, unlike the time filming "Nanxiangzi," which could be described as bleak.

Compared to Shao Yao’s agent who had returned to the company, the rest of the "Whispers of the Dead" crew felt this even more strongly.

About a week into filming, the relationship between the two lead actors inexplicably improved.

Lu Xu and Shao Yao were both the type of actors who arrived early on set. After arriving, they would diligently study the script, usually reviewing their lines for the day. At first, the distance between Lu Xu and Shao Yao was —— this wide, gradually it became —— this wide, and now it is — this close.

They still didn’t talk much, just discussing the script, but the crew noticed that both Lu Xu and Shao Yao seemed happier than when they first joined the project.

"How about we add each other on WeChat?" Lu Xu was the one who suggested it first.

The next second, he saw Shao Yao fumbling for his phone, the tall man visibly flustered but also happy.

Even the director overheard him secretly calling his agent to boast about adding Lu Xu on WeChat.

At first, Xu Yan was really worried that Lu Xu, the king of snark, and Shao Yao, the "scene hog," wouldn't get along. But in the end, Lu Xu didn’t snark at anyone on set, and as for Shao Yao... Xu Yan thought there weren’t many kids as honest as him in the entertainment industry.

Lu Xu was actually an honest kid too; it was obvious.

That’s why these two could talk, honest kids playing together.

Lu Xu was a bit more mature than Shao Yao, but without a doubt, both took acting very seriously.

When discussing scenes, if their ideas clashed, they would both frown simultaneously. But once they found a solution that worked for both of them, they wouldn’t hesitate to smile.

In a way, they were in sync.

The director couldn’t help humming a little tune; the atmosphere was truly great.

It was just that — Shao Yao followed Lu Xu step by step, making it seem like Lu Xu was actually taking care of a child on set.

Over 1.8 meters tall, capable of knocking out ten Lu Xus with one punch, yet only seeking praise.

#Puppy Raising Kids Series#