Chapter 8: Have I Been Approaching This Top Heartthrob the Wrong Way?

Su Mu returned to his place.

After dropping him off downstairs, Qian Jida left, saying he had some work to handle and needed to make arrangements for their upcoming trip to the capital. In truth, this audition was something they managed to tag along with; Director Zhang’s crew hadn’t made any particular accommodations for them. Given the online buzz and public attention, the fact they were even given a shot was already a courtesy.

So, for this trip, everything had to be arranged by themselves. And traveling as a celebrity was always troublesome. Especially now, with Su Mu trending, many were watching to see if he could live up to the bold claims he’d made at the awards ceremony. There were many details that Qian Jida, as his agent, had to worry about.

He felt that, since things had come to this, it was best to consider every detail and handle all the necessary social niceties. As for success or failure, that would depend on Su Mu. Some things went unspoken between them; both knew that to successfully transition careers, he needed solid works to his name. This might be a chance, and if missed, it would only be a downhill path from here.

…

After returning, Su Mu took a quick shower. Then, he threw himself into reading the script.

[Male Artist Proficiency Panel]
Name: Su Mu
Height: 183 cm
Looks: Idol-level (superb)
Strength: 1.1
Speed: 1.1
Endurance: 1.1
Cognitive Power: 1.1
Skill Points: 0.24

[Public Speaking (Novice) Proficiency Lv1: 3/20]
[Script Comprehension (Novice) Proficiency Lv1: 1/20]

Based on the current proficiency parameters, to accumulate 1.0 skill point to exchange for a category blind box, he still needed to earn 0.76 skill points. Calculating by the number of proficiency increments, that meant he might need to read the script of “Rising Storm” seventy-six times.

To be honest, if it were just doing squats and push-ups, that number wouldn’t seem like much. But to read a script seventy-six times? That was exhausting in a way most people couldn’t imagine.

But at this stage, only “Script Comprehension” and “Public Speaking” proficiencies were unlocked. He’d just have to grit his teeth and get through it.

Wasting no time, Su Mu made himself a strong cup of coffee and entered his late-night reading mode.

In his previous life, he’d only watched the TV series “Rising Storm” once. He remembered the general plot, but if he tried to recall every character’s storyline in detail, his memory failed him. Moreover, many of the classic lines weren’t present in this early version of the script.

As he read, Su Mu began jotting down from memory the plot points and iconic lines from the previous life’s version, making notes and additions where appropriate. Aside from a few key characters, he had little impression of the minor roles, so his understanding was still somewhat superficial.

He knew that to portray a character well, memorizing lines wasn’t enough; one had to deeply understand and interpret the character’s psychology and actions within the context of the script’s world. That took life experience.

Yet, as his proficiency grew, Su Mu found that he could inexplicably grasp the states of characters like Gao Qiqiang and others. Why did certain lines have to be spoken in certain scenes? Why did someone go from peddling fish at the bottom rung to treading a dark, irreversible path?

[+1 Proficiency]
[+0.01 Skill Point]
[…]

Su Mu focused all his attention, skimming quickly through the familiar parts and slowing down for those he didn’t recall as well. His reading alternated between intense and relaxed. And so, he went through the script again and again. By the tenth time, he could recite the plot from memory. He could almost narrate every scene in the script.

With this foundation, his reading speed increased. He shifted from reading to recitation. After all, once you’ve read something enough times, simply glancing over it stops being stimulating; you already know what everyone’s going to say. Reciting the lines was the only way to keep himself engaged.

[Script Comprehension (Novice) Proficiency Lv1: 19/20]

A proficiency notification flashed through his mind. Su Mu paid it little attention.

The blackout curtains sealed the room so tightly he had no idea whether it was daylight or already noon the next day. As his proficiency increased, his understanding deepened, and recitation became easier.

He kept reading madly, over and over, memorizing not only the protagonist’s lines but even those of the supporting characters.

Truly, people are forced into greatness. He’d never been so diligent before, even finding memorizing lines for acting a headache; yet now, it was the opposite.

He only snapped out of his absorbed state when someone knocked at the door.

Su Mu stretched his stiff body and checked the time—it was already 7:30 p.m. the next evening.

[Male Artist Proficiency Panel]
Skill Points: 0.55
[Public Speaking (Novice) Proficiency Lv1: 3/20]
[Script Comprehension (Competent) Proficiency Lv2: 10/50]

Looking at the updated parameters on the panel, Su Mu felt numb. Mainly, he was exhausted. He hadn’t kept track of how many times he’d read the script in the past day and night, but based on the panel, he’d completed about half the goal. And now his script comprehension was at the “Competent” level.

If Director Zhang appeared before him now and wanted to analyze the script together—no matter the scene or character—Su Mu was confident he could discuss it thoroughly. His skill points had accumulated to 0.55; with a bit more effort, he’d reach his first small milestone of 1.0.

He opened the door to find Qian Jida and the assistant, Little Ju, standing outside with their suitcases.

Su Mu was bewildered. “What’s all this?”

Qian Jida eyed Su Mu’s haggard face. “Su Mu, what on earth did you do yesterday? Didn’t I tell you to rest? Why do you look so pale? Don’t tell me you actually went to see Ning Yuyan to discuss the script?”

Su Mu’s face darkened. “See who? I stayed home and read the script all day and night without sleep. I’m being diligent and ambitious! Got it?”

Little Ju’s look was one of disbelief. “Oh my god! You read all night?”

Su Mu: “Is that so strange?”

Little Ju: “It’s very strange! Are you sure you’re the Su Mu I know?”

Su Mu grinned wickedly and pinched her chubby cheeks. “Well, today you can get to know your boss all over again!”

Little Ju squealed in pain, “Ow, ow! I was wrong, I was wrong!”

Su Mu: “Call me Daddy!”

…

The two of them wheeled their suitcases inside. Qian Jida settled onto the sofa and said, “Our flight’s early tomorrow, so Little Ju and I are staying here tonight. It’s more convenient; we can leave together in the morning.”

Su Mu suddenly understood. No wonder they’d brought their luggage—turns out they were leaving for the capital tomorrow.

“Wait a minute!”

Suddenly, Qian Jida exclaimed from the sofa, having just discovered the battered script beneath him. The script was now covered, page after page, in Su Mu’s notes and reflections.

He looked at Su Mu in disbelief. “Did you… did you write all this?”

Su Mu replied, “Yeah, who else?”

Qian Jida glanced at a few pages—and was immediately drawn in. He realized the annotations weren’t random at all. Especially the lines and plot tweaks; after reading a few pages, he felt more and more amazed.

The plot was the same, but the details Su Mu had added and revised made both the story and dialogue—how to put it—far more striking. Every line was memorable, and, damn, so smooth!

That’s it—so much smoother than before! Like someone had added lubricant to the script.

Qian Jida stared at Su Mu in shock. Why hadn’t he realized before that this kid had such talent? He began to wonder if he’d been completely wrong about how to manage Su Mu all this time…