Chapter 134: Recognition 01

Guo Kai: "..."

Guo Kai felt even more stifled. "Are you actually trying to comfort me, or are you just adding insult to injury because you don't think I'm miserable enough?"

So sad, so pathetic!

As if one Song Wan wasn't enough, there was now someone with better acting skills than him? Just a joke, absolutely impossible!

Gao Xiang cast a glance at him, then turned her head back to continue monitoring the news online.

The urge to curse that had been brewing in Guo Kai's heart was suppressed just like that, and he wilted completely...

-

When this whole matter first began, Qin Fei hadn't paid any attention to a person named Song Wan. Therefore, even when he knew Han Sen couldn't land the role of Lu Yang—the second male lead in "Prosperous Stars"—he wasn't overly nervous. He hadn't dared to do anything too extreme, primarily because the investor of "Prosperous Stars" was Jin Youqian.

After all, President Jin was busy with so many things every day; how would he notice a bunch of small fries like them?

Even if they were already on Jin Youqian's radar, as long as they behaved themselves and didn't stir up trouble, the President wouldn't bother setting aside multi-million or billion-dollar contracts just to discipline them, right?

Later, when the brainless Han Sen went rogue online, Qin Fei was only concerned about President Jin.

Having reached his current position, Qin Fei naturally possessed top-tier connections and maneuvering skills. Once he confirmed that the President wouldn't use this opportunity to punish them, he actually began working on rehabilitating Han Sen's image.

An apology was the first step, followed immediately by internet water armies and marketing accounts to help spin the narrative.

But who the hell knew that Han Sen's brain was filled with nothing but mush? Even at such a critical juncture, he was still focused on petty gains, missing the best window of opportunity entirely.

Still, even at this point, even though Han Sen would suffer massive losses, Qin Fei was confident he could cut his losses in time. This was why, despite deeply hating Han Sen for dragging his feet, he was happy to let him face the consequences and didn't force him to apologize.

But when the "Prosperous Stars" production team released the first audition clip of Song Wan, his heart skipped a beat. He knew it was over.

He would never forget what Li Yang had warned him about: this person, Song Wan, must never be offended.

Although they had already offended her because of Tang Su, he had always believed it hadn't reached the point of a mortal feud, and there should still be room for reconciliation. That was why he had been avoiding Song Wan ever since.

Yet, those two identical names made it impossible for him not to pay attention.

Song Wan...

It was Song Wan again...

As Qin Fei watched the latest performance video online, he couldn't help but associate her with that other Song Wan—the one who had died, the one whose death marked the beginning of all their misfortunes...

She had the same superb acting skills, the same strong principles, and, just like her, she stood on the opposite side of them.

Sometimes, watching the snippets of this Song Wan’s performance, seeing every smile, every frown, and every gesture, he would momentarily feel as if the other Song Wan was the one performing.

That former Song Wan was the actor he had suppressed the most ruthlessly, yet she had also been the most resilient. In order to target her more effectively, Qin Fei had thoroughly studied her background and acting techniques, so he was naturally very familiar with her performance style.

The way her corners of her mouth would lift even when she was feigning anger, the way her eyes would dart around when she was shy, the specific angle at which she would furrow her brows when she was upset...

If he didn't know that ghosts didn't exist in this world, he would have thought the lost Song Wan had returned for revenge. If the two Song Wans hadn't looked so different, he would have assumed this young Song Wan was her twin sister.

He hadn't originally cared much about this young Song Wan. After all, knowing she had a connection with Jin Youqian, he wouldn't be stupid enough to target her. Without conflict, there would be no hatred.

Thinking of Tang Su's previous targeting of Song Wan, a flash of secret resentment surged in Qin Fei.

Qin Fei stared at the Song Wan in the video, but his mind was in total chaos. Suddenly, his attention shifted to the video, and he caught a subtle movement of hers.

"Bang—"

The glass on his desk was knocked to the floor. Although it didn't shatter, the sound brought Qin Fei back to his senses.

"Song Wan..."

Qin Fei stood up in a panic, trembling all over.

Unwilling to accept it, he dragged the video progress bar back a few seconds. This time, he didn't dare to look away, staring intensely at the screen, terrified of missing any small detail.

Song Wan was walking in the middle of the street. Suddenly, she stopped. She lowered her eyelids, hiding her emotions, but then her eyelashes fluttered once, then again. Immediately, her eyes narrowed into a thin line, and then, she opened them instantly...

Such a minute, subtle facial expression could easily hook the audience's attention and perfectly convey the emotions she wanted to express.

Impossible!

Qin Fei was horrified, his mind going blank.

This was the exact first movement the deceased Song Wan used to make when opening her eyes after closing them. He had mocked her for it back then, saying her acting was just a template—how she laughed, how she cried, always the same, never surprising anyone. He claimed that once you understood the character's emotions, he could imagine exactly how she would act with his eyes closed.

Of course, that was him nitpicking. After all, even if her acting changed little in certain places, it was so subtle and demanded such control over every tiny muscle in her face that even if some people knew how she acted, they just couldn't learn it—like Tang Su.

Back then, to make Tang Su's Best Actress win more convincing, he had specifically hired people to break down Song Wan's performances and let Tang Su mimic them. Although they discovered that many things were simply impossible to imitate, the few small tricks she did learn benefited Tang Su greatly. At the very least, no one had questioned Tang Su's acting skills for all these years.

When it came to the details of Song Wan's acting, Qin Fei had absolute confidence.

If he claimed to be second in the world in understanding her, no one would dare claim to be first.

So he couldn't be wrong. Other than the deceased Song Wan, he had never seen anyone else use those specific techniques.

Could it be that Song Wan had really returned for revenge?

Thinking of his past suppression of Song Wan and the car accident that eventually led to her death...

Qin Fei snapped back to reality. Forget Tang Su, forget Han Sen, forget his career and future—what did those matter now?

He couldn't care about anything else. He returned to his room, packed his luggage in a frenzy, and raced toward the airport.

-

"So, can I say... Song Wan’s portrayal of Mo Xu as a woman is actually more moving to me than Han Sen’s? And Mo Xu is my idol! Have I lost my mind?"

"To the person above, I feel the same way..."

"Although I also think Song Wan’s acting is better than Han Sen’s, and her Mo Xu is more heart-wrenching, don't you think Guo Kai’s Mo Xu is better? Mo Xu is a male deity, after all; Guo Kai’s interpretation is clearly more fitting."

"I don't know whose acting is better, Guo Kai's or Song Wan's, but all I know is... damn it, Han Sen, give me back my Mo Xu! What kind of dog shit are you acting out?"

"I didn't think much of it before, but looking back now—Han Sen is just playing the 'domineering CEO,' right? No wonder he’s only played domineering CEOs, princes, and assassins all these years... It turns out he was like this from the start. It’s just that the script for 'Chronicles of Immortal Seeking' was better, and the other actors were better, so the character didn't seem so cringey..."

"Agreed, plus one. Think about Han Sen’s performance in other dramas. I used to wonder where his acting skills had gone, but now... I owe Han Sen an apology. I was being unreasonable for criticizing him for a decline in acting, because, honestly, he never had any acting skills to begin with... [crying-laughing]"

"A woman playing a male role is better than a man. Han Sen, why don't you just cut off that extra leg of yours? Being a eunuch would be better than being a man, since the man you portray is worse than a woman!"

...

"Life is full of surprises!"

Huang Ke walked up to Wugou, who was buried in writing a script, holding his phone. Seeing him focused, he simply snatched the script away and handed him the phone.

Wugou kicked the table in a rage: "Huang Ke, do you want to die?"

Huang Ke, who used to be most afraid of Wugou losing his temper, was now smiling, not worried at all that Wugou would give him a beating.

"Check Weibo on the phone," Huang Ke said with a meaningful smile. "Trust me, you'll be happy."

Wugou looked at Huang Ke with disdain. "Do you think a random Weibo post will stop me from hitting you?"

Huang Ke remained unfazed. "Read the content of the Weibo carefully, and then decide if we should post something ourselves." After a moment's thought, he added, "We've been holding this in for so many years; it's time to vent it all out!"