Chapter 69 069 Lu Xu is Impressive

Chapter 69 069 Lu Xu is Impressive

When Shao Yao's agent came to the *Voices of the Dead* set again, Lu Xu was worried that the other party would blame him for leading Shao Yao astray.

Before entering the set, Shao Yao was still naive, but suddenly he mastered V-ology and Chen-ology. Isn't that strange?

Fortunately, nothing happened. (Perhaps the agent was very understanding.)

Even because he and Shao Yao had a good relationship, compared to the politeness of their first meeting, the other party looked at him with a friendly gaze.

Lu Xu was now very curious about how much good Shao Yao had said about him.

Because the agent not only treated them to a meal but also gave Lu Xu a small gift.

Lu Xu: "..."

He suspected that Shao Yao's agent's daily routine was actually babysitting.

#Ming Niao Entertainment, all good people#

If he were to publicize Shao Yao's true personality, probably no one in the entire entertainment industry would believe it. Shao Yao appears to be the tough guy type, capable of taking on ten whiners, but who would have thought that this person would cry when mentioning being bullied by the previous crew?

At first, Lu Xu didn't understand the situation of the *Nan Xiang Zi* crew, as it was Shao Yao's privacy. Only if Shao Yao was willing to talk about it would Lu Xu listen.

After they became familiar, Lu Xu finally understood the specific situation, which was nothing more than the usual bullying by the more popular actors.

In the entertainment industry, such things are too common.

Just like the original member, who was part of Verse, still suffered from exclusion and oppression by his teammates.

As a result, Lu Xu looked up and saw Shao Yao with small tears hanging on his eyelashes.

He obviously still couldn't get over it: "I don't think I did anything wrong."

"You were not wrong, they were." Lu Xu looked at him with a serious expression, "We are actors, and we should never compromise on our acting standards."

Shao Yao looked at him with eyes wide with surprise.

Such words, Shao Yao had only heard from the seasoned veterans of the acting circle; young actors basically wouldn't say these things.

Even because those with good acting skills are not popular enough, he would be ridiculed by those who are very popular, making dismissive comments about acting.

Among his peers, only Lu Xu was so firm.

Not only did the other party say so, but he also had the acting skills to match his words.

Although he hadn't known Lu Xu for long, Shao Yao knew that Lu Xu had always been a highly committed actor, and what he said he would definitely do.

At this moment, he suddenly felt that taking on *Voices of the Dead* was the most correct decision he had made this year, and possibly in the next few years.

For a long time after the completion of *Nan Xiang Zi*, Shao Yao had been questioning his suitability to be an actor.

He had dreams, hoping to bring characters to life through his performance, to be remembered and recognized by more audiences. Before filming *Nan Xiang Zi*, he had been moving towards this goal, and although he had encountered some setbacks, it was mostly smooth.

But after filming *Nan Xiang Zi*, he felt out of sync with the entire entertainment industry.

Yan Qichen was above criticism, and it was acceptable to recite lines as one, two, three, four, five.

But could that still be considered acting?

However, during that period, Shao Yao received even more criticism.

Shao Yao no longer wanted to recount the amount of abuse he endured after the wrap-up, and he had long let go of Yan Qichen and Lin Ling's exclusion. What Shao Yao could not accept was when older, experienced actors with good acting skills advised him to be more flexible, not to take things too seriously, and to pretend not to see certain issues.

To Shao Yao, delivering lines was the most fundamental skill for an actor.

A performance without dialogue would have to date back to the silent film era, over a century ago.

Shao Yao didn't even think he was being overly serious—when Yan Qichen only recited numbers like 'one, two, three, four, five,' it made it difficult for him to determine what line to deliver next, and even harder to respond promptly to the other person's expressions and actions.

Not only did this delay the shooting schedule, but it also affected the co-actors.

Shao Yao had reflected on this, but what he regretted the most was that so long after the wrap-up of "Nan Xiang Zi," no actor had firmly told him, "You were not wrong."

Perhaps due to his personality, he didn't have many close friends.

But now, he did.

Lu Xu was right.

Agent: "...What if he sells you out?"

Noticing Shao Yao's slight frown and disapproving look, the agent quickly raised his hands in surrender: "I didn't mean to speak ill of your friend."

As one of the people who knew Shao Yao best, he could clearly see that Shao Yao's spirit had changed significantly before and after joining the "Corpse Sound" production team.

Previously, he was listless and lacked confidence, but now he was spirited and full of energy, even riding a bicycle.

For someone with Shao Yao's personality, stepping out of the house itself was a victory.

...

*The Corpse's Whisper* consists of four chapters, plus half a chapter that concludes the first case. Apart from the second case where the rats posed a challenge for Lu Xu and Shao Yao, the filming of the remaining chapters went incredibly smoothly.

Lu Xu was gradually regaining his peak performance from his previous life.

In the earlier productions, he was slowly adapting to his role as an actor in this life. *The Path of Bones* allowed him to act from beginning to end, indulging in his passion for acting. By the time he reached *The Corpse's Whisper*, his state of mind flowed naturally into his performances.

Lu Xu found it hard to describe this subtle feeling; he could only say that he was truly enjoying acting.

While others might think *The Corpse's Whisper* offered limited room for performance, Lu Xu believed that an actor’s scope for expression is not only provided by the script but also discovered by the actor themselves.

Lu Xu would never underestimate any character or fall into a fixed routine when playing similar roles.

Each character has its own uniqueness, requiring the actor to carefully study and understand them.

Shao Yao’s performance also improved significantly starting from the third chapter. Objectively speaking, his portrayal in the first two chapters was already quite good, but in the third chapter, it became even stronger, as if his conviction as an actor had grown more robust.

Lu Xu didn’t ask Shao Yao the reason, but his agent told him that it was his guidance that helped Shao Yao.

The agent even called him "Mr. Lu."

Lu Xu: “?”

I don’t deserve such praise.

In any case, his agent looked at him with even more affection.

Finally, Lu Xu understood where Shao Yao had learned that irresistible expression.

A great teacher produces outstanding students, so learn from the best.

Regardless, when the co-actors are in good form, filming naturally goes more smoothly.

Xu Yan and Zhao Jincheng no longer need to remind Lu Xu and Shao Yao—before filming a scene, Lu Xu will inevitably exchange opinions with Shao Yao, and their brainstorming often leads to unexpected surprises for the director.

Their performances are indeed confined within the scope of the script, but the on-screen impact goes far beyond what the script's brief descriptions can convey.

Take, for example, the final half of the case.

The camera mainly focuses on Lu Xu. This case is the catalyst for Jiang Lin to gain his abilities. It is the unseen influence of the female corpse that sets him on the path to seeking justice for the dead.

The criminal is both brutal and cunning. Many days ago, just a wall away, he completed a brutal murder and escaped.

This time, facing Jiang Lin, he remains cunning. Jiang Lin relies on minute details to uncover the criminal's habits.

However, the criminal, holding a high position, scorns Jiang Lin and Su Yang, even provoking Jiang Lin while under suspicion, leading this non-investigator to fall into the trap he had set.

Unlike Su Yang, Jiang Lin faces more hurdles during investigations, since he possesses the skills but lacks the official authority to adjudicate cases.

This case runs through the entire series of *Voices of the Dead*. While it doesn't haunt Jiang Lin as a nightmare, it remains one of his regrets.

Jiang Lin should be angry, should be provoked, but he remains calm. Even as danger looms and the real criminal is on the verge of escaping, he shows remarkable wisdom and composure.

This is why the power to hear the voices of the dead awakens within him.

Because he deserves it.

In the process of solving this case, it is Su Yang who loses his usual calm.

Xu Yan stared at the monitor, watching Lu Xu's performance in the scene where he confronts the criminals.

The usually casual and scatterbrained face now displayed an unexpectedly calm demeanor. The criminal was a typical social elite; if it weren't for the clues gradually pointing to him, no one would associate him with this brutal case.

The criminal nonchalantly listed his alibi, his expression relaxed and at ease—indeed, it was a perfect alibi. His words also carried a hint of mockery towards Jiang Lin, as everything he mentioned was out of Jiang Lin's league.

Su Yang's face showed irritation as he was about to step forward, but Jiang Lin reached out to stop him, shaking his head gently.

Su Yang was puzzled, but Jiang Lin's eyes were filled with composure.

It was as if their personalities had swapped places at that moment.

Jiang Lin stepped forward slowly. His face, which had appeared timid and hesitant during the months of filming, now radiated fearlessness, as if his aura had suddenly transformed. "You're wrong," he said.

"This month, your secretary has been ordering you a flower every day, usually between 10 and 11 in the morning."

"But not on that day."

"Your secretary did go out to order flowers for you, but the type of flower she ordered was wrong. Between 10 and 11 that day, the flowers didn't arrive."

"Because the florist would leave the shop on this day every year to deliver the most beautiful flowers to his daughter's grave."

"She was your first victim."

"You thought you could always get away with it, succeeding every time since your first murder, outsmarting the police at every turn, having everything—career, money, beauty. You thought you had everything under control, but you didn't."

"Unseen by you, the victims you killed have been handing me evidence. You probably can't see it, but even now, someone is grabbing your hair, someone is wrapping around your legs, someone is pointing out every scar on your face, and someone is guiding me with flowers. You just don't know it."

Jiang Lin wasn't a professional. In the previous cases, he hadn't been so cutting-edge.

Perhaps this case was personal to him, or perhaps the lingering resentment of the female corpse was too strong. In this moment, Jiang Lin's aura even overshadowed that of the criminal across from him. He spoke deliberately, presenting each piece of evidence he had gathered, without faltering or hesitation.

On the monitor, the character's brilliance flashed brilliantly.

This brilliance was Lu Xu's contribution to the role.

Shao Yao, standing behind Lu Xu, felt this more profoundly.

Jiang Lin in this case wasn't drastically different from before, but at this moment, his wisdom, his manner of refuting the criminal, and his calm patience in listening to the criminal's excuses before finally exposing him, made people understand the justice that belonged to Jiang Lin.

Lu Xu handled Jiang Lin in each case very well. The drama *Voices of the Dead* didn't focus on Jiang Lin's looks, but even as an ordinary person navigating urban life, through Lu Xu's portrayal, the character still had great charm.

Early in the script, Jiang Lin wasn't as sharp or capable, after all, he wasn't professionally trained. Shao Yao occasionally wondered if Lu Xu taking on this role was a bit of a waste.

But he gradually realized that Lu Xu could handle any type of role.

In fact, because Jiang Lin was just an ordinary person, it highlighted Lu Xu's acting skills even more—Jiang Lin wasn't the most handsome man in the martial world, nor was he some palace lord or heavenly emperor, yet Lu Xu's performance made even such a character endearing.

Jiang Lin had the shadow of an ordinary person, with the bad habits of an ordinary person, but he also possessed the simple justice of an ordinary person.

The Jiang Lin portrayed by Lu Xu was something Shao Yao hadn't seen in other roles.

Jiang Lin was his own person, a unique presence, not some clichéd, cookie-cutter character.

"Lu Xu is truly amazing," Shao Yao sighed for the 108th time today.