Chapter 56 Wang Xiaojian and Wang Kai

Wang Kai’s life was actually quite difficult.

It wasn't that he lacked offers; speaking of which, Wang Kai's background was rather legendary.

He initially took over his father’s job at the Xinhua Bookstore—a rock-solid, permanent government-backed position.

Later, while shooting a commercial in Beijing, the director asked him whether he graduated from the Central Academy of Drama or the Beijing Film Academy. Prompted by this, he hid it from his parents, quit his iron rice bowl, and went to a training academy. Eventually, he actually managed to get into the Central Academy of Drama.

The true turning point in his career, however, was taking on the series *Ugly Wudi*. In that show, his portrayal of Chen Jiaming made him famous.

Yet, his success was tied to that role, and so was his downfall. Because of this character, even his parents once believed he was gay.

In those days, which family could easily accept something like that?

However, precisely because his performance was so brilliant, most of the subsequent casting offers he received were asking him to play similar characters.

This caused him a great deal of distress, so he turned them all down, desperately wanting to change his screen image.

Just as he received a call from his manager saying that the rising director Chen Mo’s new film was looking for a male lead, he was beyond excited.

One had to understand that *Ugly Wudi* was currently his most presentable work, but after all, it was just a television drama, and he was only a supporting actor, despite its popularity.

As for films, while it wasn't that no one approached him, those offers were mostly sketchy.

Of course he knew who Chen Mo was. After all, he had gone to the audition for *Meteor Shower* back then, only to be cut.

Thus, he had a deep impression of Chen Mo. Back then, Chen Mo had been the most promising candidate to secure the third male lead role, but regarding everything that followed, Wang Kai truly admired Chen Mo from the bottom of his heart.

Although Chen Mo might not seem like some mega-director, *Meteor Shower* had claimed the top nationwide ratings in its time slot, and then Chen Mo pioneered internet movies. His directorial debut, *Mr. Vampire*, had exploded in popularity.

Therefore, Chen Mo’s film project was bound to be of exceptionally high quality. He honestly hadn't expected such a massive pie to fall onto his head.

"Is it a web movie?" Wang Kai asked his manager, Xu Ye.

"No, it's a theatrical release! Adapted from the internet novel *Love Is Not Blind*! But..." Manager Xu Ye hesitated slightly.

"But what? Are there other competitors?" Wang Kai asked curiously.

Xu Ye looked at Wang Kai and took out a book—it was precisely *Love Is Not Blind*.

"See for yourself!" Xu Ye said, handing it to Wang Kai.

Wang Kai took it curiously, but after reading for just a short while, he was dumbfounded.

"Understand now?" Xu Ye asked, observing the changing expressions on Wang Kai's face.

"I understand, Brother Xu, I..." Wang Kai's first reaction was to refuse.

He simply couldn't help it; he really didn't want to continue playing such sissified roles, even if it was as the male lead of a feature film.

Because during this recent period, he had been driven nearly to the point of depression.

"Listen to me first. This is the male lead, and furthermore, the male lead of a movie! You've read the novel, and the director is Chen Mo. With a rising director like him, there are definitely countless people who want to be cast in this project. To be honest, if it weren't for the role you played in *Ugly Wudi*, this might not have fallen to you at all. Since you want to be an actor, you can't afford to be too picky. You haven't reached the stage where you can pick and choose roles at will," Xu Ye earnestly reasoned.

What Xu Ye said was the truth. In fact, had it not been for the fact that Wang Kai played Chen Jiaming exceptionally well in *Ugly Wudi*, Chen Mo might not have thought of having him play the role of Wang Xiaojian at all.

...

Meanwhile, Chen Mo was actually considering who to replace Wang Kai with, just in case the latter turned down the offer.

To be frank, in the Chinese entertainment circle of this era, there weren't many actors capable of playing the role of Wang Xiaojian—or rather, not many with that kind of acting experience.

Feng Yuanzheng? He was simply too old, otherwise he definitely could pull off that vibe.

Ye Zuxin? Chen Mo remembered that he would give a great performance in an upcoming drama called *Scarlet Heart 2* this year; that graceful posture combined with charming expressions had put many girls to shame back then.

He could serve as an alternative option.

However, the primary choice remained Wang Kai. Although Chen Mo didn't particularly care for Wen Zhang, credit was due where credit was owed: Wen Zhang’s performance in *Love Is Not Blind* was truly stunning.

And Wang Kai's character Chen Jiaming in *Ugly Wudi* actually shared a subtle, uncanny resemblance to Wang Xiaojian.

Of course, there was also Alec Su; his portrayal of Bai Xiaonian in *The Message* was indeed brilliant, but the two characters were fundamentally different.

Fortunately, good news soon arrived: Wang Kai agreed.

Yet, Chen Mo still insisted on meeting him first. After all, nailing the role of Wang Xiaojian was a completely different beast compared to playing Chen Jiaming in *Ugly Wudi*.

The latter was just a television series; even if one's body resisted and didn't want to act, you could still somehow muddle through it.

But movies were different. Chen Mo needed Wang Kai to genuinely want to play the part, rather than forcing himself to act simply because the opportunity was too good to pass up.

A forced melon is never sweet, and the same applied to films—not only is it not sweet, but it also fails to quench your thirst.

When meeting Wang Kai, Chen Mo's very first question was: "Are you forcing yourself? I want the truth!"

Wang Kai hadn't expected Chen Mo's opening question to be this.

"Director Chen, I'm sorry. To be honest, I really don't particularly enjoy playing these kinds of roles. I've caused trouble for Director Chen."

Chen Mo sighed and said, "Alright. What I need is someone who can settle down and figure out how to play this role well, not someone who is forcing themselves to do it, because you can't deliver a good performance that way. I believe you understand this point as well."

"I'm sorry, Director Chen, I..." Wang Kai genuinely felt a sense of guilt; he had agreed because his manager persuaded him, yet deep down, he still harbored resistance.

"I'm curious, why? Is it because you're afraid your screen image will be typecast, or because of outside public opinion? Or do you just have an inherent aversion to it?" Chen Mo interrupted and asked again.

"It's a bit of both, I suppose!" Wang Kai thought for a moment and replied.

"Never mind. I'm not really good at persuasion. You're a student at the Central Academy of Drama; go find your teacher. I believe she can clear your doubts." After pondering for a moment, Chen Mo decided against persuading him and instead told him to seek guidance from his teacher.

He truly wasn't skilled at persuasion.

If he really couldn't turn the actor's mindset around, he would just have to switch to someone else.

At worst, he would cast a wide net and catch more fish, bringing in a few more people to audition.

Chen Mo had no idea how Wang Kai's teacher had persuaded him, but anyway, just by the next day, when Wang Kai appeared before him once more, he was almost frightened out of his wits.

"Are you alright?" Chen Mo looked at Wang Kai's outfit and the orchid finger gesture pinched in his hand, feeling his skin crawl all over.

It wasn't that he had never seen such a sissy guy before, but they had just met yesterday, and at that time, Wang Kai had clearly stated he felt a strong aversion to such sissified characters. How much time had passed, yet he was now appearing directly in full sissy persona? The transformation was so abrupt that it made Chen Mo wonder if the guy standing before him—wearing a floral shirt, pink-rimmed glasses, striking an orchid finger pose, and exuding an utterly bewitching aura—was actually suffering from schizophrenia!