CH 22.2

Do You Still Hate Her? 12 – Chasing wife to the crematorium

Jiang Jing looked at Shang Lu and said that she was ready, urging Shang Lu to come in quickly.

On the coffee table, there were sliced mangoes, obviously prepared by Jiang Jing specifically for Shang Lu.

Jiang Jing also took out her script and asked Shang Lu, “Which part are you having trouble with?”

Before Shang Lu could answer, Jiang Jing’s manager interjected, saying, “You both have no scenes tonight, take your time to discuss, there’s no rush. Teacher Shang just finished filming her previous scene, so have some fruit and take a rest first.”

Shang Lu naturally understood that there was more to what Jiang Jing’s manager said. So she directly replied, “I’m already troubling Teacher Jiang Jing, I’m sorry for the inconvenience. It’s not appropriate to waste too much time. If you have something to say, please say it directly.”

Jiang Jing’s manager, Manager Ye, smiled, but there was a hint of warning in his1 words. She said, “Teacher Shang is a clever person, so let’s not talk about what just happened.”

Mentioning this matter, Jiang Jing’s smile stiffened, and she looked nervously at Shang Lu.

Shang Lu waved her hand, feeling helpless, and said, “I just arrived, and the crew has complete surveillance.”

If anyone doubts her words, they can simply check the surveillance footage.

She only stopped at Jiang Jing’s door for a couple of seconds and only heard a single sentence. She didn’t know what exactly happened.

It’s normal for everyone to have secrets. It’s natural for her to be curious, but it doesn’t mean she really wants to delve into what exactly happened. It’s the most unethical thing to insist on looking at other people’s wounds.

This statement put Jiang Jing and her manager at ease. So Jiang Jing looked at her manager and said, “Okay, you can leave first.”

The manager nodded and left.

Shang Lu took a bite of mango and quickly put down the bowl. Then she flipped to the corresponding page of her script and handed it to Jiang Jing, saying, “Here.”

Jiang Jing lowered her head and quickly went through the script, understanding the scene. Then she looked at Shang Lu and said, “Show me your performance.”

Shang Lu performed according to her original idea.

“Ninety points,” Jiang Jing made this evaluation and then said, “I think you did very well. I watched your audition video, and you don’t have many acting techniques, but your greatest strength lies in your strong empathy that can move people. However, what surprised me about this performance is that despite having good techniques and attention to detail, your strongest asset, which is empathy, suddenly decreased.”

After saying these words, Jiang Jing remained silent for a few seconds, then made her own judgment, “You are a method actor, and the ability to resonate with the character has a significant impact on your performance. If I’m not mistaken, you don’t approve of, or even resist, the choices the character makes in this scene for some reason. So in this situation, the acting style that you are good at and even somewhat reliant on is restricting you.”

Because of the lack of approval, true empathy is impossible.

If the performer cannot truly empathize, then the performance they bring will not be able to truly move the audience.

In this situation, it is simple to act well, but it is almost impossible to act to perfection.

Shang Lu knows that Jiang Jing is right.

Because Song Yanxue’s choice is to live for her parents and fulfill this beautiful dream completely, but Shang Lu will never make such a choice. She cannot truly empathize and even feels deeply divided.

The issue with her acting skills during the previous acting class was answered here. If she doesn’t even like the role, let alone empathize, she can’t even perform the basics well.

Shang Lu was a little confused for a moment. She honestly expressed her thoughts to Jiang Jing and then asked with some doubt, “Should I adjust my acting approach?”

“Many actors never have a truly representative role in their entire lives.” Jiang Jing looked at Shang Lu encouragingly and said, “Don’t be afraid or resistant. This is your talent, not a burden.

“I think your performance has no problem, but Shang Lu, you have fallen into a mindset trap in a short period of time. The reason why Song Yanxue made that choice is not to live for her parents, but quite the opposite. She chose death, and the focus is on the ultimate goal rather than the immediate choice. Have you ever had that feeling in your life, even for a second? As long as you can seize that moment, you can definitely truly portray this character.”

The next morning.

The actors playing the role of Shang Lu’s parents are two veteran figures in the theater industry, Wang Rong and Xue Zishan. They are also a real-life couple. Although they portray excessively strict and mentally unsound parents in the play, their personalities in private are completely different from their characters. They are even particularly pleasant to be around.

They are a DINK2 couple, which is considered quite “trendy” given their age. Perhaps because they don’t have children, both their appearance and mindset are youthful. Despite being an old married couple, they speak to each other as if they were playful lovers who can joke around.

From the moment Shang Lu saw them in the morning, she felt a fondness for these two seniors because they appeared very approachable, creating a positive impression at first sight.

When Shang Lu arrived, Xue Zishan was still chatting with her assistant nearby. Wang Rong happily turned around and called out to Xue Zishan, “Wife, come over quickly, our daughter is here.”

This familiar and affectionate attitude caught Shang Lu off guard for a moment.

Moreover, he referred to her as… their daughter.

At that moment, Xue Zishan walked over. She was nearly fifty years old this year, and time had left its marks on her face, but it only added a touch of beauty from experience.

She looked gentle and beautiful, but her words were completely contrary to her appearance. When she spoke, there was even a hint of impatience: “What did you say? What does my Beauty have to do with you? Get out of the way.”

After saying this, Xue Zishan looked at Shang Lu and, as if she had changed her expression, instantly put on a friendly smile. She reached out and held one of Shang Lu’s hands, saying, “Your name is Shang Lu, right? I have watched your audition, and you did a really good job.”

Afterward, Xue Zishan looked at her husband and extended her hand, saying, “Give me the things.”

Wang Rong immediately took out a small red box from his pocket and handed it over. Then he walked over to Xue Zishan’s side.

Xue Zishan received the small box and stuffed it into Shang Lu’s hand, saying, “Xiao Lu, hold onto this.”

Shang Lu didn’t refuse but looked somewhat surprised at the box in her hand. He looked at Xue Zishan uncertainly and asked, “Is this for me?”

“Yeah, go ahead and open it to see if you like it,” Xue Zishan said, unable to resist reaching out to touch Shang Lu’s head and thinking to herself how beautiful this girl looked.

Shang Lu nodded and then opened the box. Inside was a jade necklace with a leaf design, perfect for a girl to wear.

“It’s so beautiful, I really like it,” Shang Lu said, carefully extending her fingertip to touch the necklace. However, with a hint of confusion, she looked up at the person in front of her and asked, “But… why are you giving me a gift?”

Wang Rong interjected and half-jokingly said, “Starting the next scene, you have to call us ‘Mom and Dad’ for half a month. Can’t let you take advantage of us for nothing.”

Xue Zishan replied, “This is a gift from elders to juniors, so you should accept it.”

“Okay.” Shang Lu nodded obediently and reluctantly closed the script, handing it over to her assistant. She said, “Put it in my dressing room for now, or… forget it, I’ll go there myself.”

Shang Lu really liked this gift. After informing Xue Zishan and Wang Rong, she hurriedly returned to her dressing room.

Watching Shang Lu’s figure, Xue Zishan sighed and said, “If our daughter was still alive, she would be about the same age as her.”

Wang Rong didn’t say anything, but instead comforted her by putting his arm around her shoulder.