Chapter 71: Lin the Dog: I Am the Clown

"Ah-Yang, my good junior, why don't you just admit defeat?" Lin Gengxin reached out and patted Zhang Yang's shoulder. "I am a magnanimous person, I can let you surrender and lose only half."

Surrender and lose only half?
Did you think you were the God of Gamblers or the Saint of Gamblers?

Zhang Yang reached out and brushed Lin Gengxin's wrist away, his gaze serious. "Since you're so generous, Dog Lin..."

"Hmm?" Lin Gengxin slightly raised his chin, eagerly awaiting the answer he wanted.

As a result, Zhang Yang changed the subject, "Then I can't be petty either. I'll give you a chance to admit defeat as well."
"As long as you admit defeat right now, you only have to pay half of the promised bet."

Hearing this, Lin Gengxin sighed, shook his head, and said in a low voice, "Ah-Yang, let me tell you, you simply don't understand women. They all hint at men to take the initiative and please them. Sister Tang Tang has such strong self-esteem, how could she possibly bow her head to you?"

Lin Gengxin felt that Zhang Yang was good at everything, except that his mouth was too stubborn.

Zhang Yang: "..."
He didn't understand women, but could this stubborn straight-male Dog Lin understand?
As expected of Dog Lin, everything he understood were just simpering puppy tricks.

"We'll see." Zhang Yang spat out four words.

Not far away, Lee Kwok-lap finally let Jiang Jinfu and Tiffany Tang go, telling them to go think about it themselves, while turning around to say, "Have Cecilia Liu get ready, we're shooting her dialogue scene with the Demon Lord next."

The staff immediately went to the dressing room to notify Cecilia Liu.

Tiffany Tang walked disheartened to the resting area, sat down, and chatted unhappily with her assistant. "Dindan, is my acting really that bad?"

In recent days, her self-confidence had truly taken a blow.
It was one thing to perform worse than her old friend Cecilia Liu—she could brush that off as being related to the character—but compared to Gulnazar, a "pure newcomer," there was also an obvious gap.

Even Jiang Jinfu was improving significantly and gradually getting into the zone.

When the time came, among the six main leads, wouldn't she, the female lead, be the only one dragging everyone down?

"Tang Tang, you're putting too much pressure on yourself." Dindan knew that Tiffany Tang was very sensitive inside, and she also knew what she wanted to hear right now, so she offered comfort. "Jiang Jinfu's obvious improvement is because he started from a lower baseline; going from forty to sixty is very easy, but going from sixty to seventy is not so simple. Besides, he works so hard, constantly consulting the director and Brother Yang."

"Nazar might be the talented type. I heard she has been following Brother Yang to learn for nearly two months. The role of Xiao Xue is relatively easier to play, so it's understandable that she has fewer NGs."

"Look at Sister Shi Shi; when she acts with Brother Yang, she performs quite well, but doesn't she also frequently NG when playing opposite others?"

Tiffany Tang nodded thoughtfully. "So, the difference is that they have Ah Yang teaching them acting, while I don't?"

Dindan: "???"
Was that what I meant?
You truly have top-tier comprehension.

Just at that moment, Lee Kwok-lap's voice came from ahead: "Action!"

Clap!

In front of the green screen, Cecilia Liu was dressed in a suit of black battle armor, wearing smoky eye makeup, and rehearsing her scene with the actor playing the Demon Lord.

After a few lines of dialogue, Lee Kwok-lap suddenly shouted, "Cut!"

The acting paused, and Lee Kwok-lap directed, "Shi Shi, your feeling here isn't right. Ning Ke has a lot on her mind in this segment, but I didn't feel your emotional fluctuations."

"Sorry, Director, let me find the state." Cecilia Liu subconsciously looked toward Zhang Yang.

"Clap." Zhang Yang batted away Lin Gengxin's hand and walked toward Cecilia Liu.

Lin Gengxin: ?

"Sister Shi Shi, I'll help you." Zhang Yang walked up to Cecilia Liu.

"Then thank you so much." Cecilia Liu smiled like an orchid. Having had this experience with her several times before, she no longer felt the initial unfamiliarity.

"Just like last time, first pinpoint the entry point, and then find the correct direction," Zhang Yang explained patiently. "You are the daughter of the Demon Lord, you are the female general of the Demon Realm, but you also assume the identity of Ning Ke. You scheme for your father, yet you genuinely fall in love with Yuwen Tuo, and now you are killed by a mortal."

"When you act, you don't need to portray many different states all at once, but you must grasp the complex emotions, constantly dissecting them deeply, achieving profundity through simplicity..."

While explaining, Zhang Yang carried a hint of Yuwen Tuo's aura.

Cecilia Liu was involuntarily drawn into the scene, finding the perspective she had experienced in her dreams.

Ning Ke was a person with a complex identity and complex personal stances, leading to complex thoughts as well.
This complexity could not simply be reflected through makeup and costume; it mainly relied on the gaze, expressions, and tone of voice.

Under Zhang Yang's guidance, Cecilia Liu found the feeling, and her body entered a certain comfortable zone.

Zhang Yang withdrew at the appropriate moment.

"Action!"
Filming started again.

Cecilia Liu, having found the right feel, was formidable.
Since it was a fairy-tale romance drama, she was also wearing colored contact lenses, yet her gaze was "not blind" and seemed capable of speech.

The grievance of being killed by a mortal, the reverence upon seeing her father, the love for Yuwen Tuo in her heart, and the grand stance of the conflict between humans and demons—she presented all of these through tone and subtle micro-expressions within the simple dialogue.

"Cut, it's a pass!" Lee Kwok-lap wore a satisfied smile.
With Zhang Yang around, things were simply too effortless for him.

He even felt that Zhang Yang deserved the title of assistant director.
They didn't have to pay him extra, but he felt he could suggest giving him an credited title to Karen Tsoi.

Many people who watched the whole process fell into silence. Dindan suddenly said to Tiffany Tang, "Sister Tang Tang, you were right. I just felt they performed so well because they had Brother Yang helping them."

"Why don't you just go ask him to help you?"

In fact, Tiffany Tang's performances were also very good during scenes involving Zhang Yang.
Therefore, Zhang Yang's brilliance was glaringly prominent.

"But I only said a few days ago that I didn't want him to teach me." Tiffany Tang's expression was a bit unnatural. "I even intentionally gave him a cold shoulder, and now asking him to teach me again, wouldn't that be a total slap in the face?"

Hearing the softening tone in her voice, Dindan immediately struck while the iron was hot. "Sister Tang Tang, of two evils choose the lesser. Is it more embarrassing to change your mind and let Brother Yang teach you, or is it more embarrassing for a female lead to be outperformed by a newcomer?"

"This isn't just about the performance on set; when the drama airs, the audience will also see your performance."

"Besides, Brother Yang owes you a favor. You're not begging him, you're just letting him repay you."

Tiffany Tang was persuaded and nodded heavily. "Then go call him over, I want to talk to him."

Dindan revealed a gratified smile and immediately trotted over to find Zhang Yang.

"Ah-Yang, amazing, leading Sister Shi Shi so effortlessly. You'll definitely win Best Actor in the future," Lin Gengxin flattered.

"The Oscars?" Zhang Yang countered.

"You want to commit treason?" Lin Gengxin asked irritably.
Wanting to win an Oscar? Unless you aren't of Chinese nationality, or like Ang Lee and others who studied abroad, with countless teachers and students who count as their people.

"Then I'll reluctantly settle for the Hong Kong Film Awards," Zhang Yang sighed.

Lin Gengxin: "..."
Give you an inch and you really think you own the mile.

Right at that moment, Dindan came up to Zhang Yang. "Brother Yang, Sister Tang Tang wants to talk to you about something."

Zhang Yang glanced at Lin Gengxin, a smile curling the corner of his lips. "Is it about the acting?"

"Yeah." Dindan nodded.
There was nothing to hide about this anyway.

"Go tell Sister Tang Tang, if she needs anything, she can find me anytime," Zhang Yang smiled at Dindan. "You know, that's only right."

Knowing he was referring to the "favor," Dindan nodded. "Alright."

After she left, Zhang Yang looked at Lin Gengxin. "If you hadn't reminded me of the time, I wouldn't have gone all out to guide Sister Shi Shi just now, and Sister Tang Tang probably wouldn't have asked me for help so soon. Thanks."

Lin Gengxin: "..."
If he had known, he wouldn't have told Zhang Yang that time was running out.
Even after seven days, if Tiffany Tang asked Zhang Yang to teach her acting, it still would have been his win.

Regret!
He was simply full of regret!