Chapter 6: Yang Mi: After My Upgrade, Losing Is Impossible (Please Continue Reading)

"Am I like the protagonist of a novel? Have I gained a 'golden finger'?"
"Could it be that I am a daughter of destiny?"
The voice that had rung out so abruptly left Yang Mi lost in wild speculation.
Immediately after, she felt a surge of information flooding her mind.
It was training experience in the fundamentals of line delivery (breath control, vocal projection, articulation), expressive techniques (emphasis, pauses, tone, and inflection), and linguistic nuances (vocal variety, crying and laughing, breath management).
It felt as if an ordinary chef, after practicing their knife skills day after day, had suddenly broken through a bottleneck and mastered the craft.
[Yang Mi has engaged in an effective acting scene with you. Adaptability +1, Line Delivery Proficiency +1.]
A similar voice echoed in Zhang Li's mind.
However, his understanding and mastery of line delivery did not undergo the same obvious transformation as Yang Mi's.
Yet, both of them were struck by a sudden realization.
This "+1" could be interpreted as a talent point or a proficiency increase.
The core abilities required for an actor mainly consist of the "Seven Powers and Four Senses." The Seven Powers are observation, attention, imagination, sensitivity, judgment and critical thinking, adaptability, and analytical ability. The Four Senses are comprehension, humor, rhythm, and visual perception. These are indispensable qualities for an actor in the creation of performance art.
Some of these "powers" and "senses" are pure talent, while others can be honed through acquired training.
For instance, some have top-tier "eye acting" and can make even looking at a dog seem affectionate, while others remain "blind" no matter how much they train. Some actors become formulaic, causing the "spark in their eyes" to fade.
This "+1" could permanently boost one's talent or the proficiency of a specific skill, and it would never regress. However, the difficulty of obtaining these points would increase as one's talent and ability grew.
Take learning to drive, for example: some pick it up after a few turns behind the wheel, while others need an instructor to guide them step-by-step for weeks or months. This is a difference in both talent and proficiency.
Talent can atrophy, and proficiency can decline—like a driver who, after a long hiatus, becomes clumsy and can barely distinguish the brake from the gas, or adults who find they have "returned" much of their knowledge to their high school teachers.
But with this "+1," any aspect of talent or ability could theoretically reach its absolute limit!
Each time a certain threshold is accumulated, one can break through a bottleneck, resulting in a qualitative leap in ability.
"In other words, because A-Li was suppressing my performance, and we spent over ten minutes failing to get the shot, my adaptability and line delivery skills improved."
"Next time I want to improve, I might need to face the same situation for dozens of minutes or even longer, or be suppressed even harder, to gain an improvement in a short period."
"But regardless of the situation, as long as I can improve, the gain is permanent."
Yang Mi used her clever little brain to summarize.
Zhang Li reached a similar conclusion: "Isn't this a hundred-percent 'diligence yields results' system? And it improves both ability and talent simultaneously. I just don't know the exact trigger probability or the target groups."

"But that doesn't matter; I just need to try more often."
Despite the trouble, Zhang Li felt no complaints. He had never been a man of insatiable greed.
Zhang Li and Yang Mi had both been lost in thought, and since they were both having their makeup touched up, neither noticed the other's odd behavior.
At that moment, Li Guoli stood up from behind the monitor and walked over to Yang Mi to discuss the scene: "Xuejian, although you don't truly love Xu Changqing, because of your grandfather, you admire or even worship him. You need to show that in your eyes..."
Yang Mi listened obediently, nodding repeatedly.
She was confident that she would nail it next time; she would absolutely not be suppressed by Zhang Li again!
"And you." After repeating his instructions, Li Guoli turned to Zhang Li, his tone filled with a hint of exasperation: "Hold back a bit."
Tangren's decision to cast Zhang Li as the second male lead was the result of careful consideration.
The first reason was that Zhang Li had helped Hu Ge. Furthermore, when Tangren was in financial distress, he had been willing to spend his own money to acquire the expired adaptation rights for *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* from Jin Yong, allowing the entire series to be completed successfully.
The second reason was that Tangren mostly produced its own dramas and rarely accepted outside investment. When Zhang Li invested, he stated that he only wanted standard dividends and a producer credit, asking for no creative control, which allowed the production to run smoothly.
The third and most important reason was that Zhang Li's screen presence and acting skills surpassed other candidates, elevating the quality of the entire show.
But his acting seemed almost too good, especially his eye acting, which often left his scene partners unable to keep up.
Including Hu Ge, every actor had been "suppressed" by him.
For the production team, this was a "happy problem."
"Understood, Director." Zhang Li agreed readily.
His eye acting was a natural talent, much like his handsome looks.
But that didn't mean he couldn't tone it down. Before, he had just been testing Yang Mi, not expecting such an unexpected harvest.
"I don't need you to go easy on me."
Once the staff moved away, Yang Mi said with a competitive edge.
Zhang Li ignored her and adjusted his state.
The scene he and Yang Mi were about to perform wasn't actually difficult.
The heroine, Xuejian, was picked up and raised by the master of Tang Fortress. The grandfather and granddaughter had a close bond. Now, a "poison man" incident had occurred in Yuzhou City, and after various trials, Xuejian's grandfather's health was failing. His only remaining worry was that Xuejian hadn't found a reliable partner to help her manage the Tang Fortress.
Xu Changqing, the senior disciple of Mount Shu, appeared at this time. Xuejian knew her grandfather admired him, and harboring her own sense of admiration, she boldly decided to confess her feelings.
"Attention, everyone."
"Action."
"Scene X, Take X..."
*Clap!*
As the clapperboard, bearing the date, title, director, scene number, and production company, was snapped shut, the camera began to roll.
"Miss Tang, you mean your grandfather hopes you can find a good place to settle down?" Zhang Li gazed at Yang Mi.
Yang Mi lifted her head, looking at Zhang Li with a hint of surprise: "Yes, yes, that's exactly what I mean. You finally understand?"
Her expression was vivid, her eyes bright, carrying a sense of relief.
Watching this through the monitor, Li Guoli felt satisfied.
Although they had NG'd several times, Yang Mi's performance had visibly improved.
"I understand completely." Zhang Li smiled at Yang Mi.
Yang Mi lowered her head, feeling a bit shy, yet also relieved.
But the next moment, she heard Zhang Li say: "For a young and beautiful woman like you, Miss Tang, there must be no shortage of outstanding gentlemen seeking your hand, right?"
Yang Mi immediately explained the kind of man her grandfather hoped she would find.
Finally, staring into Zhang Li's eyes, she summarized loudly: "Someone just like you, Hero Changqing."
This was a very bold confession.
At that moment, everyone around held their breath, Li Guoli included.
The previous NGs had all occurred during the following beat.
Zhang Li met Yang Mi's gaze, his own eyes shifting.
They became gentle as water, filled with tenderness, acknowledgment, and admiration.
Yang Mi's heart began to race uncontrollably!