Chapter 16: Who Could Possibly Endure Such a Thing?

Hotel room.

At this moment, Su Mu was completely unaware of the convoluted drama unfolding outside. Of course, if he knew he had a mysterious, wealthy fan, he’d probably rush off to become a live-in son-in-law without a second thought. After all, what’s the point of life if not to secure an easy meal?

[Current skill points: 2.52]
[Current blind boxes: Talent*1 / Item*1]
[Would you like to open a blind box?]

The reward for completing the task was quite generous. Su Mu considered his options and decided it was best to save up some skill points for now—he might need them to upgrade his attributes in the future. So, this time, he would first open the two rewarded blind boxes.

The talent blind box was more important; ideally, he hoped for a proficiency related to acting, which would help with upcoming auditions. As for the item blind box, it was pure luck—he had no idea what might come out.

“Open the blind box.”

[Talent blind box opening...]
[Congratulations! You have obtained: Acting – Emotional Control Proficiency!]
[Emotional Control Proficiency Lv0: 0/10 (Novice)]

He got it!

Su Mu was pleasantly surprised—his luck was truly on his side, and he finally drew a skill proficiency directly tied to acting. He’d analyzed before that acting covered many facets, but at the core, the foundation that underpinned an actor’s charisma was excellent emotional control.

To play a character—whether hero or villain, beloved CEO or an ordinary nobody—their identities might change, but one thing remained constant: every human has emotions, joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.

An actor’s task is to express these emotions within a set framework, fitting the character’s design. Once you capture the character’s current emotion, even without elaborate techniques, you can leave a deep impression on the audience.

Mastering when to be angry, when to show pain, when to burst into tears, when to be passionate and excited—emotional control proficiency was exactly what Su Mu needed most at this stage. Especially since, in the script of “Surging,” the role he wanted required deep emotional insight.

He glanced at his proficiency, still at novice level, yet to improve.

Su Mu fell into thought. He had practiced his previous skills: public speaking only needed an audience of three or more; script comprehension required reading scripts; high-note proficiency came from repeatedly singing high notes.

But as for emotional control, he didn’t quite know how to practice it. He tried grinning foolishly at the mirror, but it had no effect—the proficiency points didn’t budge.

Clearly, this method was useless.

It wasn’t until, by chance, he saw a message from Qian Jida on WeChat—contract requirements from Cartier’s brand, plus a reminder that he still owed the company six or seven hundred million in their bet—that, as he forced a smile through his foul mood, the proficiency finally increased.

[Emotional Control Proficiency +1]
[Skill point +0.01]

Watching the skill point increment, realization dawned on Su Mu. Emotional control, as the name implied, was about control. But how to control emotion? Only by expressing an emotion contrary to or different from your true feelings in a specific situation did you truly exercise control.

Su Mu summarized the way to quickly improve proficiency: laugh when you want to cry, smile when you’re down, stay calm when angry, act profound when at ease.

It didn’t seem hard—simple, really.

With that, he turned to the final blind box reward.

[Would you like to open the item blind box?]

“Open.”

[Item blind box opening...]
[Congratulations! You have obtained: Xuanmai Chewing Gum*1!]
(Note: Also known as “Xuanmai Kissing Chewing Gum.” Chew for three minutes before shooting a kissing scene, and it will freshen your breath, leave your partner defenseless, and immerse them completely in your kissing prowess!)
(PS: This item can only be used in conjunction with Kissing Skill Proficiency!)
(Hint: Kissing Skill Proficiency not yet unlocked; this item currently unavailable!)

What the heck!

Su Mu’s face darkened as he read the prompt. His excitement instantly plummeted. Even though he knew he could just force a smile now to raise his emotional control proficiency, this time, he simply couldn’t manage it.

This was infuriating! Who could stand this? It was like unbuckling your belt, only to be told you can’t use it after all.

Without a doubt, this chewing gum from the item blind box would be incredibly useful—but only if he had kissing skill proficiency to go with it. Who knew when that would show up?

Talent blind boxes were random, unless he actually had a kissing scene coming up, in which case it would unlock automatically.

For an actor specializing in domineering CEOs and idol dramas, acting skills are crucial—but so are kissing scenes. Su Mu had filmed plenty in the past. He wasn’t the sentimental type who cared about “first on-screen kiss” and such; he’d long since lost track because there had simply been too many.

Still, he remained humble about his kissing technique, always eager to learn more. If the director let him do more than one take, he’d never settle for just one. Sometimes, he’d even ask the director for pointers.

After years of experience, he still felt his skills weren’t refined enough; he’d need more effort to reach a higher level.

At this point, Su Mu opened his skill panel and did a quick overview.

[Male Artist Proficiency Panel]

Name: Su Mu
Height: 183 cm
Looks: Top-tier Heartthrob
Strength: 1.1
Speed: 1.1
Endurance: 1.1
Brain Power: 1.1
Skill Points: 2.53

[Public Speaking Proficiency Lv2: 23/50 (Established)]
[Script Proficiency Lv2: 15/50 (Established)]
[High Note Proficiency Lv2: 21/50 (Established)]
[Emotional Control Proficiency Lv0: 1/10 (Novice)]

Task Blind Boxes: 0
Work Blind Boxes: 0
Talent Blind Boxes: 0
Skill Blind Boxes: 0
Item Blind Boxes: 0 (Kissing Chewing Gum +1)
Attribute Blind Boxes: 0

Now, he already had four skill proficiencies. As long as he managed them well, accumulating skill points in the future wouldn’t be a problem.

Su Mu didn’t immediately spend his 2.53 skill points. He thought he should save up more, just in case. What mattered with talent proficiency wasn’t quantity, but quality.

If he spent skill points recklessly on blind boxes and ended up with a bunch of unrelated proficiencies that he couldn’t use, it would be a waste.

Right now, he was aiming for a role in Zhang Huaimou’s new drama. With the theme song “Listen” as leverage, his superior script understanding, and his emotional control proficiency, Su Mu felt he had enough to achieve his goal.

The rest of his time would be spent honing his proficiencies and waiting for the audition notice.

Ding-dong!

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Su Mu went to open the door and found Qian Jida standing outside. Seeing Su Mu, Qian waved his phone.

“The crew from Director Zhang’s team just messaged me!”

Su Mu raised an eyebrow. “What did they say?”

Qian Jida replied, “Friday. Go straight to Huayi Film Base in the capital and audition with his crew. It looks like they also want to talk about the rights to your new song.”