After Being Reborn, I Became Explosively Popular Across the Entire Internet CHAPTER 112
Chapter 112: Little Treasure
The scene An Qingyan received was Shen Tinghan returning home, only to discover that his family had been murdered by mysterious individuals. The once warm and lively manor was deathly silent, the air filled with the smell of burning and blood.
His parents lay in a pool of blood, lifeless.
This scene had few lines but was very difficult to perform. The difficulty lay in the emotional changes of Shen Tinghan—the extreme grief of losing his family and parents overnight.
Before the thirty minutes were up, An Qingyan emerged from the room, “Teachers, I’m ready.”
There were no props, only two staff members lying on the floor playing the roles of Shen Tinghan’s deceased parents. When the director called “action,” several cameras filmed An Qingyan from various angles.
The early Shen Tinghan was blind. An Qingyan’s eyes were not covered, but he had experienced what it was like to be blind—the helplessness of the world being plunged into darkness, as if swallowing him whole.
Shen Tinghan walked through the eerily quiet manor. His beautiful peach blossom eyes lacked luster, his clean and refined face revealing icy coldness.
Soon, he sensed something amiss. The smell of blood in the air stopped him. A subtle change of expression appeared on his cold face before he quickened his pace.
A chair was placed directly in front. An Qingyan, perhaps due to a staff error, bumped into it, stumbled, and continued walking forward.
The two corpses ahead once again stopped Shen Tinghan’s steps. He knelt down, his palm touching the icy cold temperature and thick, congealed blood; they had long since stopped breathing.
His movements became somewhat frantic until he touched his father’s old scar on his forehead and his mother’s frequently worn hairpin, confirming their identities. His movements abruptly stopped.
After a long silence, he knelt down and gently embraced his parents’ bodies. Hot tears silently welled up, tracing an arc in the air before slowly flowing down his pale cheeks.
The young man’s thin lips were tightly pressed together, but his facial muscles trembled uncontrollably, his thin shoulders also shaking. His bony fingers clutched his parents’ bodies tightly, the veins on the back of his hands bulging with effort.
Though he didn’t utter a word, everyone present felt Shen Tinghan’s extreme sorrow and despair, and they too became sorrowful.
“Who…”
“Who killed you…”
“I will make them pay in blood.”
His choked and trembling voice contained sorrow and boundless cold hatred. Even knowing it was acting, it sent a chill down everyone’s spine.
The director’s gaze towards An Qingyan had already changed, from initial nonchalance to seriousness, and now to excitement and praise. This was the Shen Tinghan he was looking for!
“Cut!”
An Qingyan composed himself, casually wiping away the tears on his face. When he stood up, a lingering sadness remained in his eyes. He politely bowed to everyone.
The scene was eerily quiet until the director began applauding, prompting the others to react. As the crisp, enthusiastic applause rang in An Qingyan’s ears, he knew his audition had been successful.
Everyone present was surprised, even shocked. An idol from a singing and dancing competition show, without professional training or acting experience – no one had high expectations.
Therefore, when his performance far surpassed everyone’s imagination, it left them even more stunned.
“An Qingyan, did you really have no acting experience before?” The director carefully examined the clean and handsome young man before him, a slight curve appearing on his usually serious lips.
“In my past life, yes, but certainly not in this life.” An Qingyan felt a little uneasy, but his expression remained unchanged, answering very calmly, “No.”
The director’s expression subtly changed, his gaze at the young man as if looking at some treasure. To perform this well in his first acting role—it was undoubtedly an exceptionally talented actor. Had he struck gold today?
Possessing such outstanding acting talent and yet participating in a singing and dancing competition was simply a waste! A terrible waste!
The director was most satisfied with An Qingyan’s attention to detail. The chair was intentionally placed there; the previous auditionees had simply walked around it.
Only An Qingyan had bumped into it—that was how a blind person would act.
And regarding his parents’ identities, An Qingyan confirmed them by touching his father’s scar and his mother’s hairpin. Others rushed over and cried without confirmation, neglecting the details.
“Why did you choose to cry like that?” the director asked. The previous actors cried so desperately, unable to control themselves. They were immersed in the role, but he wasn’t satisfied.
“Shen Tinghan is an introverted and cold person. No matter what happens, he can remain calm, and his emotions are generally not outwardly expressed,”
An Qingyan said, “Even with such a severe blow, even with immense grief, he wouldn’t cry hysterically like he’d lost his mind.” Sometimes silent tears are the most moving.
After deciding to audition, he repeatedly watched the original work several times, carefully pondering Shen Tinghan’s character traits. He felt that Gu Fei’s personality was somewhat similar to Shen Tinghan’s.
The director seemed pleased with his answer, his tone softening. “That’s right. It seems you’re very dedicated to this role.”
An Qingyan couldn’t help but smile. To receive praise from the notoriously strict director, he was naturally happy, but he didn’t get carried away.
He said, “I like Shen Tinghan very much. If I have the chance, I want to interpret this role in my own way, to bring him to life.”
Director: “I hope you get your wish.”
—
Gao Feifei waited nervously in the car, spotting An Qingyan exiting from afar. The distance was too great to see his expression clearly.
She mentally rehearsed what she should say to comfort her artist. As they got closer, she could finally see the young man’s expression: calm and composed, no different from when he entered.
“YanYan, failure is the mother of success. If it doesn’t work once, we’ll try twice, twice doesn’t work, we’ll try three times… If it really doesn’t work, let’s go back to singing and dancing, becoming a shining idol.”
An Qingyan, before even settling down, heard this and couldn’t help but chuckle. “I think my performance was pretty good. Maybe I’ll get lucky and get chosen.”
Gao Feifei also laughed. “Yeah, maybe.”
But she didn’t believe An Qingyan at all, thinking he was joking. This kid’s attitude was really good.
Meanwhile, in the audition room, the crew’s leaders were still discussing the male lead. The director’s stance was firm: it had to be An Qingyan. Shen Tinghan could only be him.
Originally, Duan Ci would have been acceptable, but a better ‘treasure’ had emerged. His appearance and acting skills were the most fitting. Looking back at Duan Ci’s performance, everything about him fell short.
“Yes, An Qingyan’s performance was excellent, but…”
The assistant director was hesitant. “Duan Ci’s relationship with the producer is unusual. Although it wasn’t explicitly stated, the male lead was basically decided to be Duan Ci, you know that, right?”
The producer is the big boss, the one who funds this drama. Offending him is unthinkable. If he reduces or withdraws investment, the consequences would be unbearable for anyone.
This is an industry norm—the one with money and power is the boss.
The director coldly snorted, “Regardless, only An Qingyan can play Shen Tinghan. I’ll handle it; you just focus on your own work.”
Rarely encountering such a promising talent, he didn’t want to miss out.
—
By the time An Qingyan returned to the Gu residence, it was already dark.
Gu Fei was already back, currently handling work in his study. Usually, he would stay late at the office. Now that someone else lived at home, he had gotten used to bringing his remaining work home.
The study was quiet. The man was intently focused on his computer screen when the tightly closed door opened a crack, and a small head peeked out.
“Gege, still busy?”
Gu Fei immediately looked away from the screen, beckoning the young man. “YanYan, come here.”
An Qingyan obediently pushed open the door and entered. As soon as he reached the man, he was scooped up and seated on his lap, like holding a child.
The “child” didn’t resist, sitting obediently.
Because he was sitting on his lap, An Qingyan was positioned higher. Gu Fei’s chin rested on his shoulder. He leaned over, lightly kissing the boy’s fair neck, softly asking, “Did the audition go well?”
“I think…” The young man suddenly stopped, because he smelled a familiar scent, one he could only detect up close, emanating from Gu Fei.
A light, cool woody cedar scent. The fragrance was unique; An Qingyan knew only one person who wore it: the man who took care of him in his past life—Gu Fei.
Smelling it again after two lifetimes, long-dormant memories surged, and the young man’s eyes welled up. He couldn’t control his emotions.
“Gege, are you wearing perfume?”
Gu Fei hummed. “A gift from a business partner. They said it was custom-made for me.” Seeing the unusual emotion in the person in his arms—his eyes were already reddish—his voice softened. “What’s wrong? YanYan doesn’t like this scent?”
An Qingyan shook his head.
Gu Fei: “Did the audition not go well?”
An Qingyan shook his head again. “I think my performance was okay, but I don’t know if I’ll be selected…”
Gu Fei ruffled his hair. “You definitely will.”
“Also, I wanted to say,” An Qingyan reached out, hugging the man’s waist, burying his face in his neck, greedily inhaling the scent. His tone was serious, “Gege, I really like this scent.”
“Mm.” The man’s fingertips gently caressed the back of the young man’s neck. His magnetic voice was gentle yet indulgent. “Gege will use this perfume from now on.”
