The Perfect Relationship

Chapter 101: Yin Dong's Rival

That night after Mi Xiu listened to what he said, he only asked one question: "Do you have feelings for him?"

Yin Chang felt bitter in his heart...how would it even be possible to not have feelings for him?

He was the younger brother he had watched grow up. He gave him all the tenderness and care he could give these past several years. Watching him gradually pick up his own habits, watching him grow stronger and spread his wings.

But when he looked down at the shackle of promise on the young eagle's foot, he was shocked to realize that his love for his younger brother had become a burden for him to leave.

Yin Chang was aware of his influence on Shao Junling. As long as he said he missed him, Shao Junling would immediately come back. With a single word, he could easily change his younger brother's life trajectory.

Because of this, he needed to restrain himself.

When he saw Shao Junling's bright eyes while discussing AI design, he couldn't bear for him to give up his dreams for him.

What was losing a little bit of sleep compared to Shao Junling's dream and happiness? It was completely insignificant.

Finally, Yin Chang smiled and did not answer Mi Xiu's question. He only said, "He should have his own life."

After a few years apart, everything would return to as things should be.

Lu Lingjuan peeled a kiwi for Yin Chang and forced him to eat it. She also chatted with him for a while before leaving the room with a worried look.

In the elevator on the way down, she ran into several members of the crew. Lu Lingjuan overheard them excitedly discussing a name and exclaimed, "Who are you guys talking about? Luo Chuan?"

One of them nodded excitedly, "Yeah, we heard that the director invited Luo Chuan to join the cast."

"Luo Chuan...to play Cao Cao?" Lu Lingjuan asked incredulously.

The person replied enthusiastically, "Yes, if he comes, it definitely won't be a problem!"

Lu Lingjuan's mind was in chaos. The young actors and actresses today may not know, but Luo Chuan was Yin Dong's arch-rival back in the day!

Luo Chuan had competed with Yin Dong twice for the Best Actor award, but he was defeated both times. It was rumored that he considered Yin Dong his biggest rival in his acting career, and the two had a bad relationship. But Lu Lingjuan had heard more than once that Luo Chuan's acting skills were actually on par with Yin Dong's, so he was very dissatisfied with losing to Yin Dong. He took time off from acting to adjust his mood.

After Yin Dong's plane crashed four years ago, Luo Chuan came back and won the Inland Best Actor awards two years in a row, becoming the focus of attention.

The year Luo Chuan won the Best Actor award, there were sarcastic netizens in the industry who joked that he had finally emerged after Yin Dong's death. Some people even said that Luo Chuan was the one who had the last laugh…

It was very unpleasant to hear, but it was also a fact.

Lu Lingjuan didn't know what others thought, but she respected Luo Chuan as an actor because a person's rival is usually a standard of measuring their own abilities. Being able to be compared to Yin Dong, Luo Chuan was definitely an admirable actor.

Just meeting him briefly gave Yin Chang a sense of oppression. He felt like Luo Chuan had already transformed into the strict and harsh Cao Cao, while he was the cautious son of the Prime Minister, who was neglected and trembling before the competition for the throne.

Yin Chang refused to go to dinner with Mi Xiu and had Lu Lingjuan buy him a box of food, while he thought about the scene to be filmed the next day.

According to the historical records, Cao Cao had twenty-five children. At first, Cao Ang, Cao Cao's eldest son, was the most likely to be the heir, but he was killed during Cao Cao's southern campaign against Zhang Xiu. At that time, Cao Pi, who had escaped from the chaos, was only ten years old.

The second son who was highly favored by Cao Cao was Cao Pi's half-brother Cao Chong. Cao Chong was a child prodigy with exceptional intelligence and a broad and benevolent nature. Cao Cao already had intentions of letting him inherit the family business when he was young. However, Cao Chong died of illness at the age of thirteen, leaving Cao Cao deeply grieved.

When Cao Chong died, Cao Pi tired to comfort his grieving father but was accused by Cao Cao of benefitting from the tragedy, implying that now that Cao Chong was dead, Cao Pi had no competition for the throne.

Yin Chang tried to understand Cao Pi's emotions, imagining Cao Chong as his own little brother who had just died and how much pain his father felt to say such hurtful words. He felt extremely aggrieved and couldn't sleep at night.

Maybe Yin Chang's haggard appearance was exactly what Cao Pi would be feeling. When he arrived at the set the next day, the director praised him repeatedly.

There weren't many lines in this play, and Yin Chang was already aware of that. During filming, the main focus was emotional expression.

At 8:50 in the morning, the actors in their costumes kneeled in their designated positions, including Luo Chuan who had already finished getting ready.

"'Power Struggles in the Three Kingdoms,' scene 42, first take, action!"

As the stage manager gave the command, Luo Chuan's shoulders shook, and he immediately immersed himself in his role, starting to cry deeply. "My son Chong..."

Yin Chang counted the time in his mind and slowly crawled over to comfort Luo Chuan. "Father..."

However, before the director said "cut," Luo Chuan had already stopped crying and was frowning at him.

Everyone else: "…"

The director seemed to understand Luo Chuan's reaction and gave a signal to the cameraman, and said to Yin Chang, "Yin Chang, your expression can't be just sad. You also need to have a little bit of calm and probing... let's do it again."

Stage manager: "'Power Struggles in the Three Kingdoms,' scene 42, second take, action!"

As a result, this scene was NGed six times, and four of those times were because Luo Chuan felt that Yin Chang's performance was not right and stopped. On the fifth take, the director felt that it was acceptable, but Luo Chuan still said it wasn't good enough. It wasn't until after the sixth take was stopped that Luo Chuan took a look at the anxious Yin Chang and asked for a half-hour break.

The atmosphere on the set was extremely heavy, and none of the actors could breathe. On Luo Chuan's first day of filming, he had already made Yin Chang repeat the scene six times? If this matter were to be revealed, it would definitely cause a stir in the entertainment industry!

Lu Lingjuan watched from nearby and was about to vomit blood... This Luo Chuan was really something! Seeking revenge for private grievances! He was already 46 years old, and successful, how could he still be like this!

After Yin Chang came down from the stage, Lu Lingjuan quickly handed him a bottle of water and rubbed his shoulders, encouraging him, "I think you did really well and your emotions were good..." However, she couldn't share what she suspected about Luo Chuan's motives, afraid that Yin Chang would feel even more pressure. She just said, "Keep it up, and good luck."

Yin Chang didn't listen. Although he was embarrassed to NG so much, he didn't suspect that Luo Chuan was deliberately making it difficult for him. It wasn't just Luo Chuan who said he wasn't doing well, the director had also been frowning.

So where was he going wrong?

Yin Chang closed his eyes and reflected on the director's words. Suddenly, a flash of enlightenment came to him - if Shao Junling had died young like Cao Chong, his pain would definitely not be less than that of Yin Dong. Being in that state, how could he still calmly comfort Cao Cao? By comforting Cao Cao, it meant that he didn't really love his little brother and saw him as his competitor. After his little brother died, he was both sad and happy. That's why Cao Cao said that sentence to him, "The death of Cao Chong is my misfortune and your good fortune." When he heard this sentence, his heart should be filled with the fear of being seen through by his father, as well as the frustration of being looked down upon.

Yin Chang reset his mind and telling himself that Cao Chong was not Shao Junling, and Cao Cao was not Yin Dong...

He quickly forgot his old associations and constructed a new image in his mind: a younger brother who threatened his life and a father who was always partial and suspicious... The precarious life of power struggles...

When he opened his eyes again, Yin Chang's gaze had become gloomy and ferocious.

The half-hour break was over quickly, and the actors went back on stage.

When Luo Chuan passed by Yin Chang, he saw his expression and whispered, "Show some wolfish attitude. Who is Cao Cao? He saw through your ambitions a long time ago."

Yin Chang lowered his eyelashes and nodded indifferently.

"'Power Struggles in the Three Kingdoms,' scene 42, seventh take, action!"

Five minutes later, the director was surprised and clapped. "Very good!"

After the filming ended that day, Luo Chuan returned to his hotel room. His assistant took off his coat and handed him a glass of white wine. "When I came up just now, I heard some young people downstairs talking about you."

Luo Chuan: "What did they say?"

Assistant: "They said that you couldn't compete against Yin Dong in the past and were deliberately making it difficult for his son today."

Luo Chuan raised an eyebrow, pretending to be angry. "Am I that kind of person?"

The assistant smiled meaningfully. "Well, if you say you're not, then you're not. They wouldn't dare say it to your face."

Luo Chuan walked towards the window with his wine glass, looking pensive.

The assistant tried to probe him again, "Is the invincible one too lonely?"

This was something Luo Chuan had often said after winning an award and returning to work. Although he hadn't mentioned it in the past two years, the people around him still used it as a joke.

Luo Chuan gave her a sideways glance, and she immediately shrank her neck and fell silent.

After taking a sip of his wine, Luo Chuan looked back out the window and slowly smiled. "To be honest, when Yin Chang called me 'father,' it felt really good..."

Assistant: "..."