Love Variety Show: The despised me exploded in popularity

Chapter 481: Chapter 269: Look at that moon; it’s my most precious and purest thing, now yours, until we meet again_4

It’s not central, but it’s definitely convenient enough.

Li Liangxing felt somewhat uneasy as he walked into the empty office, even wondering if he had been deceived. What kind of shell company was this without even a receptionist?

When he saw Xu Qingyan sitting at a desk, the thought intensified. He feared it might be some kind of scam operation with a gang of thugs lurking nearby.

Just as he hesitated whether to flee or not, the other party spoke.

“Hello, welcome to Sky Light Film and Television Company, I am the producer, Xu Qingyan.” He stood up to shake hands, omitting the title of screenwriter and making contact using his producer identity.

“You’re Li Liangxing, right? Please, have a seat.”

Upon hearing the term “Teacher Li,” Li Liangxing stiffened. It had been so long since he had heard that address; no one had shown him a kind face in years.

Thus, Xu Qingyan’s welcoming smile seemed exceptionally warm.

“I dare not… dare not assume such honor, Producer Xu, calling me Little Li is enough.”

“Brother Li, do you drink tea?” Xu Qingyan sat down, smiling as he began brewing tea, “The company has just been established, it’s a bit simple. I hope you won’t find it laughable.”

“I do, I do.” Li Liangxing nodded vigorously.

It wasn’t just about the tea—the attitude of the other person… and being recommended by Chen Niannian. He had hardly received any film offers for two years and was nearly at the point of giving up.

Even if the tea turned out to be more dreadful than urine, he was prepared to hold his nose and drink it that day.

Li Liangxing’s appearance wasn’t good; he was somewhat overweight and his face lacked distinctive features. He was practically destined to play only minor roles, the green leaves beside the blooming flowers.

Even so, he still loved acting.

After bubbling for half a minute, Xu Qingyan began to brew the tea, pouring away the first infusion. No one had ever taught him how to perform a tea ceremony; he had learned by observing others serve guests.

As for skimming froth off the top or rolling the tea leaves, he was only average at best. Such artistry wasn’t considered very elegant; it was just something people in the past invented to entertain themselves without mobile phones or television.

He didn’t indulge in any embarrassing performances, simply focusing on washing and brewing the tea, pouring it into cups on the second round.

“Are you from Chang’an?” he asked with a smile.

“Yes, my hometown is Chang’an.” Li Liangxing seemed a bit uncomfortable, “I drifted in Capital City before, and after offending someone, I had no roles to play and could only return home.”

“The economy hasn’t been doing well these past two years; I’ve done everything from delivery to sales.”

“Drifting in the industry is quite tough. How did you offend someone?” Xu Qingyan asked with a smile, placing a celadon tea cup in front of him and beginning to pour the tea.

“Back then…” Li Liangxing was visibly nervous, hastily explaining, “Producer Xu, rest assured, I am definitely not one to cause trouble.”

“All right, no need to be so tense, we’re just chatting casually today.” Xu Qingyan took a sip of tea and said, “I trust you, and it’s precisely because of that trust that we have this meeting today.”

At these words, Li Liangxing was deeply moved.

“Thank you, Producer Xu, I’ll cherish this opportunity.”

“Do you want to act?” he asked.

“Yes, I have for two years.” Li Liangxing’s voice shook slightly, his gaze brightening then dimming as he stammered after a moment, “Unfortunately, now I…”

“Let’s have a look at the script first. There’s a chance.” Xu Qingyan said.

Hearing this, Li Liangxing’s grip on his tea cup tightened, and he looked up at Xu Qingyan. His heart suddenly hung in the balance, the veins on his forehead taut.

“Okay, okay.”

Choosing an actor mainly depends on whether the person is trustworthy; if the film halts midway through airing, then all preparation is in vain, and one might as well wait for collapse.

Li Liangxing lived up to his name, which connoted a conscience, and had never done anything illegal or disorderly. He was purely framed, and it was only after he had offended someone that he found himself without roles to play.

Capital City is far from Xinghai, and Xu Qingyan’s company is small. As long as the actor doesn’t have a bad reputation, he’d have no qualms in employing them, which benefits both parties.

Xu Qingyan doesn’t seek to astonish; he just wants to be reliable.

However, being reliable is one thing; as an actor, the basic requirement is acting skill. This includes the actor’s understanding of the character and interpretation of the plot, among other things.

Three minutes passed, then five, then ten.

Throughout this time, Li Liangxing had been reading the script, growing increasingly alarmed the more he read it. He had heard from Chen Niannian before coming that this was a martial arts situational comedy.

He could understand each of these three words on their own. For example, martial arts—he had been an extra in martial arts dramas, played supporting roles, and even portrayed corpses.

Then there was situational comedy and comedy—he had played supporting roles in comedies. He knew whether this genre would work or not, whether it could be a hit, all depended on the screenwriter’s skill.

Before stepping into this office, he hadn’t had high expectations. After seeing the young Xu Qingyan, his hopes had completely dissipated.

But after getting the script, he was somewhat dumbfounded.

It wasn’t that the script was lacking, but rather, it was… incredibly detailed, from character backgrounds to every word and deed, even including character biographies.

Li Dazui’s mother was the Gambling God, Chop Finger Xuanyuan, who regularly hit and scolded Li Dazui. Anything that went against her wishes would result in a sequence of crying, a scene, and then threatening to hang herself.

Moreover, this Chop Finger Xuanyuan was only renowned in name; in reality, she was a gambler who had lost everything, causing trouble for the family and leaving them no peace.

Li Dazui too grew up poor, compelled to work as a helper at the Huanghe Tower since childhood, struggling in the back kitchen. His uncle, Lou the County Magistrate, reluctantly arranged a job for Li Dazui as an arrest officer. After screwing that up, Li Dazui had no choice but to continue as a cook.

Overall, Li Dazui’s life was full of struggles, and his upbringing was essentially among the lower classes. Starting from the bottom, he still ended up at the bottom, his self-esteem wiped away by his mother.

There were many comedic set pieces involving Li Dazui, who talked too much and liked to argue. Accustomed to being oppressed in a high-pressure environment, he naturally learned to oppress others.

There was an unattainable dream lover, Yang Huilan, a jianghu con artist driven by profit. But to Li Dazui, she was that unattainable piece of pure moonlight.

Li Liangxing, halfway through, thought that Li Dazui would eventually come to his senses and break free from the female con artist. Only at the end did he realize that Li Dazui couldn’t get away from Yang Huilan.

Even later on, when the female bumbling thief Liu Xingyu appeared, initially intending to trick Li Dazui into marriage. But with Huilan in his heart, Li Dazui was unfazed by any favorable conditions.

It was only after Liu Xingyu exhausted all her tricks that Li Dazui relented, but then she discovered that Li Dazui was a sincere person. She felt that this love was too pure, too burdensome, suddenly feeling a pang of guilt.

She thought she wasn’t worthy of Li Dazui and began to feel ashamed of being a thief, so in the end, Liu Xingyu still left.

Another ten minutes passed, and he finally finished reading the script.

During this time, Xu Qingyan just sat there playing with tea, not even touching her phone. When Li Liangxing looked up, Xu Qingyan couldn’t help but smile and asked.

“Finished?”

“Yes, this role is great,” Li Liangxing said, originally not planning to comment, but after some hesitation he added, “My understanding of Li Dazui is…”@@novelbin@@

“Both self-deprecating and conceited, yet a down-to-earth person, except for… the part with Yang Huilan. In today’s terms, Li Dazui is a ‘lickspittle.'”

“Mhm,” Xu Qingyan nodded.

Li Liangxing frowned and said, “Such a person should be pretty desperate for love, so why would he avoid a girl who likes him?”

“Liu Xingyu was just a fleeting presence, a whirlwind on her arrival and haste upon her departure,” Xu Qingyan said thoughtfully, then slowly added,

“For Liu Xingyu, Li Dazui represented her redemption. The bumbling thief encountered a person full of passion and righteousness, giving her reasons to take the right path.”

“But Liu Xingyu didn’t like him; he was a person with passion and righteousness. So, when everyone else had a happy ending, and the noise of celebration dissipated, he was destined to be the only one left sitting on the empty steps.”

“Guess what he would be thinking at that moment?”

Li Liangxing was suddenly struck, his eyes widened, and without a second thought he blurted out,

“Yang Huilan!”

“Yes, that is Li Dazui, the only one without an ending,” Xu Qingyan said with a smile, sipping her tea.

Li Liangxing was still in a daze, but then suddenly recalled a scene from the script.

Before Liu Xingyu left, Li Dazui took out the best thing he had, an ancestral black iron cleaver. He wanted to give it to Liu Xingyu as a keepsake, but unfortunately, he did not succeed.

Li Dazui asked cautiously if Liu Xingyu had anything to leave him as a keepsake. She pulled him to the door, pointing to the moon in the sky, saying,

“I… have stolen, I feel my possessions are unclean.”

“Come with me. You see that moon, it’s my most precious and cleanest possession.”

“It’s yours now, until we meet again.”

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