Chapter 46: The Fake and the Real!

When some people smile, they merely mobilize the muscles of their faces.

Their mouths are smiling, but their eyes are not. Their gazes are likely indifferent, or even filled with hostility.

There are many kinds of smiles: hypocritical, professional, feigned, and sincere.

However, right now, when Chen Jin smiled, laugh lines appeared on both sides of his nose, and his eyes squinted slightly. He gave the impression that his smile came entirely from the heart—not put on, nor carrying any trace of mockery.

It was a wholehearted smile.

"Wrong!"

Zhang Yimou frowned. Ignoring the other auditioning students, he had already slipped on his shoes and said to Chen Jin, "Chen Jin, have you read the original novel?"

"Yes, I have!"

Chen Jin stood there, sliding his feet straight into the rubber boots without sitting down to pull them on, unlike the other students.

The seasoned ease of that action caught Zhang Yimou's eye once more.

"That's not right..."

Zhang Yimou smiled at Fu Lulu and the screenwriter beside him. The vibe Chen Jin was giving off right now was identical to Lao San in the script.

Yet, he had never studied acting!

Moreover, Zhang Yimou simply could not believe that Chen Jin's smile just moments ago was acted out.

Because it was too genuine.

Having directed films for half a lifetime, what kind of actors hadn't he seen? But he had truly never encountered anyone like Chen Jin, whose appearance, age, and acting performance felt so mismatched in the best possible way.

If that smile just now had been acted, it would be outrageously brilliant.

If it wasn't acted, then what were those actions he had just made?

Chen Jin was unmistakably portraying Lao San from *Under the Hawthorn Tree*.

Yet, seeing a performance that virtually brought the Lao San of the script to life left Zhang Yimou genuinely astonished.

"Did you know the character being auditioned for was Lao San?"

Zhang Yimou asked Chen Jin, who had already finished putting on his shoes and walked up to him. The other auditioning actors were also standing in a row nearby.

"Yes. In the novel, Lao San is from the geological survey team, and he wears this exact outfit!"

"Then what about your smile just now?"

"There are many descriptions of Lao San's smile in the novel. I felt it was just like the way I smile, so I checked it in the mirror..."

Chen Jin smiled again, looking much like he had before.

"Hahaha!"

Zhang Yimou burst out laughing.

That made sense!

He had almost been startled, genuinely thinking Chen Jin had acted out that natural smile.

Natural casting and acting were two entirely different concepts.

If it were acting, that would make him a freak of nature.

But if it was just natural casting, that was pure talent—a gift from the heavens. The guy simply resembled Lao San from the script, so what could you possibly do about it?!

30%... 35%... 45%...

***

Chen Jin watched his mission completion progress soar rapidly, quickly reaching 70%!

Chen Jin's audition stock was skyrocketing!

This was the rhythm of Lao Mouzi taking a shine to him.

"Alright, everyone give me a smile—the most joyful kind of smile!"

Zhang Yimou gestured with his hands, and all the auditioning actors immediately broke into smiles.

Zhang Yimou's gaze swept over them one by one. To be fair, every actor's smile was quite natural, very similar to the cheerful smile of Lao San described in the novel.

Had it not been for this, Zhang Yimou wouldn't have kept them behind individually.

This was the most distinctive trait of the character; he was selecting his actor entirely based on the smile.

First and foremost, your smile had to fit the character's persona.

However, this time, Zhang Yimou's mind was filled entirely with the face of Chen Jin parting the curtain just moments ago.

Even though Dou Xiao had a great smile too.

In the end, Zhang Yimou's gaze locked onto Chen Jin.

Once he looked, he simply couldn't look away.

What kind of feeling was that?

It was complete dimensionality reduction; the difference between a fake and an authentic antique.

All the previous auditioning actors were smiling, but you could still sense that they were auditioning—they were students from the Beijing Film Academy, they were actors.

Chen Jin, however, looked as though he had stepped right out of the script.

The longer you looked at him, from head to toe, the more his temperament and image matched Lao San from the original work.

He felt just like a young man from the 1970s living in one's memories.

At first glance, Zhang Yimou had merely thought Chen Jin was the best of the bunch.

But the longer he watched, the more deeply convinced he became: *this* was Lao San. Lao San from *Under the Hawthorn Tree* looked precisely like this.

A dead ringer!

The character had walked right out of the book.

In all his years of holding auditions, this was the first time Zhang Yimou had ever seen an actor match a scripted character so perfectly.

So much so that he even lost his composure a little, staring at Chen Jin for over ten seconds without saying a word.

"Director Zhang!"

Fu Lulu couldn't help but gently remind him. Only then did Zhang Yimou snap out of it with an "ah," recovering his wits. "Alright, that's enough!"

The others put away their smiles, though a trace of a smile still lingered at the corners of Chen Jin's mouth.

Lao San was simply that kind of person in daily life.

Even when he wasn't laughing out loud, his face always seemed to carry a smile—that was the reason he radiated warmth to everyone around him.

90%!

Chen Jin looked at his mission progress bar.

With only 10% left, the task was on the verge of completion.

***

The progress for this audition had skyrocketed so fast, shooting straight from 10% to 90%. The power of the Specific Character Experience Card was truly formidable.

Right now, he practically was Lao San, because having lived through the other person's entire life, he hadn't pulled himself out of the role yet!

"Wait for our notice!"

Zhang Yimou finally uttered those words, though he had almost let something slip just now.

His gaze drifted toward Chen Jin once more.

Was this kid acting?

He bore far too strong a resemblance to the image of Lao San in his mind.

Zhang Yimou genuinely couldn't tell. At this kid's age, it was impossible to possess such acting prowess. But if he wasn't acting, why hadn't he given off such an intense impression earlier?!

Although, from the very beginning, Zhang Yimou had also taken a fancy to Chen Jin's smile.

That left only one explanation—it was natural casting.

Meaning Chen Jin was indeed performing, but he didn't actually know the first thing about acting; he just naturally played the role looking exactly like Lao San from the script.

That was the only possible conclusion.

"Heaven has sent me a Lao San!"

Zhang Yimou grinned. Watching Chen Jin and the others change back into their regular clothes, he suddenly smiled and asked, "Chen Jin, do you still want an autograph?"

"..."

The other Beijing Film Academy students, who had finished changing, couldn't help but freeze in surprise.

An autograph?

What autograph?

"Yes, I do!"

Chen Jin smiled, and Zhang Yimou hurriedly called out to Pang Liwei behind him, "Liwei, bring over a poster!"

"Alright, the audition is over. Wait for the notification!"

Seeing that Dou Xiao and the others were still lingering, Zhang Yimou quickly added.

Glancing at Chen Jin one last time, the group filed out one by one.

Meanwhile, Chen Jin walked away holding a poster personally signed by Zhang Yimou.

"Is everyone gone?"

Zhang Yimou asked Fu Lulu, who nodded in response. "Yes, everyone's gone. All the students from the Beijing Film Academy have finished auditioning!"

"Then let's go!"

"There are still a ton of things waiting for me to handle at the studio..."

Zhang Yimou beckoned. Watching Chen Jin carefully roll up his signed poster, he couldn't help smiling and asking, "Did you have your Beijing Film Academy recall audition today?"

"Yes, it just wrapped up this morning!"

"Let's go!"

Zhang Yimou gestured ahead, and Fu Lulu alongside the others followed him out of the multimedia building.