I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 235 - 235 234. So youre the variety show guy huh_1

Chapter 235: 234. So you’re the variety show guy, huh?_1 Chapter 235: 234. So you’re the variety show guy, huh?_1 In early March in Jiangcheng, the wind still possessed a slight chill against the face.

Lu Ban walked into a downtown cafe and saw a young man about his age waving at him.

The young man was fairly handsome, not like many of today’s pretty boys who look more beautiful than women, and aside from being a bit slight of build, his overall appearance was acceptable.

“Hello, Director Lu, I am Ye Cheng.”

The young man introduced himself.

Previously, Lu Ban had also received information about him from Li Zijian.

To call him a young man was rather generous, as Ye Cheng was actually two years older than Lu Ban, nearly 25. His family was in real estate, and his father was one of the partners of Jiangcheng Industries, but Ye Cheng didn’t want to inherit the family business, or rather, he didn’t want to just coast into it. He had his own dreams, longing to chase after a career in the entertainment industry, considering taking over the family business only if he failed.

These young people nowadays truly don’t know how good they have it. Some people dream of being able to coast through life without effort, enjoying a wonderful life, yet there are others who already have it all but insist on experiencing life.

“Just call me Lu Ban, I heard this is your first time acting in a movie?”

Lu Ban casually ordered a cup of coffee and asked.

“Yes, I’ve only been on variety shows before, never had the chance to act in a proper movie or TV series. Now that I have the opportunity, I have to seize it.”

Ye Cheng replied straightforwardly.

“Variety shows? Which ones?”

Lu Ban wasn’t very interested in those shows, he just asked casually.

“A lifestyle variety show called ‘The Wonderful Fields’, where a few celebrities live the rural life, farming and cooking to experience life and such.”

Ye Cheng took a sip of his coffee.

“Oh, that sounds nice.”

Lu Ban hadn’t seen this variety show, but he had heard about the disdain hierarchy within the circle: movie people look down on TV drama folks, TV drama people despise those who do variety shows, and variety show participants are considered the lowest.

It’s mainly because the fan economy is largely tied to variety shows. The typical process for an up-and-coming pretty boy is to star in one or two web dramas, which are usually adaptations of web novels or focus on themes like brotherhood, then participate in variety shows to maintain presence, establish their public persona, and some just keep appearing on shows and taking commercial deals, living comfortably.

Moreover, there’s a wide variety of shows today, such as those focused on rural life, passing games, singing, dancing, even board games, and there are even dating shows.

Frankly, as long as they don’t mess around with fans, do drugs, or have other principle issues, these pretty boys can actually hold their own. But the prerequisite is not to continue acting in serious movies or TV series, because once they do, their true ability—or lack thereof—gets exposed and they get blasted by the audience.

And Ye Cheng, apparently, doesn’t want to be confined to the circle of variety shows; he’s looking for a breakthrough.

“What’s the movie you’re going to shoot, and what role are you playing?”

Lu Ban’s coffee finally arrived, and after stirring it with a spoon, he immediately asked.

“‘No. 9 Huangmei Street’, a low-budget horror movie.”

Ye Cheng responded honestly. Although it’s usually taboo to inquire about other productions that haven’t started shooting, Ye Cheng decided to express his sincerity by being open.

“Honestly, Director Lu, this movie only got green-lit because of your film. The producers think there’s potential in horror movies, so they rushed into production.”

“Then I think your production team is probably going to lose money.”

Lu Ban was equally frank.

The market for horror films has always been small due to their scary nature, which inherently limits their audience. To truly generate box office success, it’s better to have family-friendly films, or at least mystery genres. Lu Ban had become popular with an online film not even half a year ago, so he judged that any horror film rushed into production in such a short time would likely end up as a crude imitation at best.

“…”

Ye Cheng was at a loss for words.

“But don’t worry, even if your production team loses money, it doesn’t mean you will lose money.”

Lu Ban consoled him.

“…Actually, my family also invested in the movie.”

Ye Cheng said somewhat awkwardly.

For an eighteenth-tier small celebrity like him, who got known through variety shows, being chosen for a movie role usually meant having a well-connected agent. Clearly, Ye Cheng’s agent didn’t have such resources, so his family put in some money, making an investment, and in a way, Ye Cheng brought funds with him into the project.

“…No problem, even if it loses money, if the whole movie turns out bad, people won’t focus on blasting you for your poor acting…you didn’t also take on the roles of director and screenwriter, did you?”

Lu Ban realized belatedly.

“No, no.”

Ye Cheng hurriedly shook his head; he wasn’t that inflated.

However, upon reflecting, did this imply that if he were to be the director and screenwriter, the film would be completely ruined?

If someone else said that, Ye Cheng might feel that the person was mocking him.

But the man across from him was Lu Ban.

The man who had created a record for the box office of domestic horror films.

Even if he directly criticized his acting skills, he would have to accept it.

“That’s good then.”

Lu Ban took a sip of his coffee. It was bitter but it was enough to wake him up. After placing the cup down, he asked again.

“What do you think of your own acting skills?”

“My acting skills are pretty good, I studied Stanislavski’s method-acting techniques, I think…”

Before Ye Cheng could finish, Lu Ban raised his hand to interrupt.

“You wouldn’t still be using an authenticated account on Understand-Me, would you?”

“No, I don’t. What’s up?”

Ye Cheng was puzzled.

“Then it’s nothing.”

Lu Ban remembered a big V from Understand-Me who had once criticized his own acting. Not only was that person a film and TV star, but they were also a double-degree doctorate and a fierce advocate of method acting.

Curiously checking on his smartphone, Lu Ban discovered that the star had been blacklisted for academic fraud. Indeed, the twists of life are unpredictable.

“How about this, could you show me an expression of fear?”

Lu Ban said.

“An expression of fear?”

Ye Cheng was taken aback.

Afterward, he thought this must be a test from Lu Ban. After some contemplation, Ye Cheng closed his eyes to gather his emotions.

Then, Ye Cheng opened his eyes, his facial muscles twitched, his eyes widened, and his mouth opened.

“Don’t come over here!”

He even added a line of dialogue.

Several people around them turned their heads to look.

Lu Ban watched Ye Cheng’s performance, which resembled an emoticon, and sighed.

“Ye bro.”

“What is it?”

Ye Cheng reined in his expression and asked urgently.

“Maybe we should go for the role of a serial killer instead.”

“Director Lu, are you saying that I am more suitable to play those cold and ruthless characters?”

Ye Cheng was somewhat excited.

“No, a serial killer doesn’t need to show his face.”

Lu Ban told the blunt truth.

“…”

Ye Cheng couldn’t hold it together anymore.

“Is it really that bad?”

“Cough cough, it might be because you’re often on variety shows that need that kind of exaggerated performance. By the way, does your family have any investments in Yannan Drama Institute?”

Lu Ban was now curious if Ye Cheng’s drama degree was bought.

“No, why do you ask?”

Ye Cheng was puzzled.

“Nothing, it’s nothing.”

Lu Ban now felt that the task at hand was a massive problem.