He Went Mad, and He Grew Stronger

In his previous life, Bai Youlou was very fond of using the "lead by example" tactic when coaching actors on set.

Because it was incredibly effective.

After all, there's an old saying in our country: "If you can do it, you do it."

This phrase is usually used to mock keyboard warriors and armchair critics, but for Bai Youlou, it became: "I've done it, now it's your turn."

It worked almost every time.

Today was the first day of shooting, and it was important to start with good luck.

If they could avoid reshoots, they should.

So, Long Ziqiang had no scenes scheduled for the morning; they were only filming Bai Youlou's solo scenes.

There wasn't anything particularly special about them, just drumming.

The movie featured a lot of drumming, and although it seemed like the same piece was being played, the drumming at each stage reflected the protagonist's different state of mind.

This required some auxiliary elements.

For example, expressions, body language, and muscle condition.

The simplest method, of course, was to dive right in, immersing himself in the protagonist's situation at that moment.

The only scene where the protagonist drummed alone, without needing the band's accompaniment, was the one where he practiced like a madman after being relentlessly humiliated and gaslighted by a demonic mentor.

He drummed until he was exhausted, until his tiger's mouth split open and bled.

The best performance is no performance.

However, this method of acting had its limitations. After all, they couldn't actually kill an actor while filming a murder scene.

But the movie "Whiplash" could utilize this extensively.

Bai Youlou himself had been a bit of a perfectionist in his previous life, and there was a reason he wanted to film this movie so badly.

However, in this life, he could choose a different path.

It was also a way of saying goodbye through this movie.

—

This scene took over an hour to shoot.

There were only very brief interruptions in between, mainly for adjusting camera angles and lighting, and Bai Youlou barely put down his drumsticks the entire time.

The audience, initially just the crew members, gradually grew.

It was mainly the students who played band members in the movie.

They were all professionals contacted through the Central Conservatory of Music.

However, these students, who initially found filming to be a novel experience, fell mostly silent after watching Bai Youlou's performance in the latter half.

These students were brought in through Director He's connections, and they had quite a few reservations beforehand.

Young people, especially musicians, were very trendy and were definitely aware of Bai Youlou's past.

The students naturally felt annoyed and strange about acting in a peculiar movie made by a disgraced idol.

When they arrived, they had even discussed that if Bai Youlou acted erratically or messed around, they wouldn't participate.

Some were even curious if Bai Youlou was having another episode and were ready to share their experience on Weibo.

As it turned out, they arrived fine, but were immediately hit with an indiscriminate "area attack" that left them feeling down.

Any student who got into the Central Conservatory of Music had "played with their instruments to the death" since childhood.

They were the ones most likely to empathize with Bai Youlou's疯-like, self-abusive approach.

The calluses, formed in different yet similar ways on their hands from practicing different instruments, spoke volumes about their dedication.

It was easy for them to relate.

It wasn't until Bai Youlou suddenly erupted with emotion, fiercely striking the drum kit in front of him, his bloodied fist tearing through the drumhead, nearly smashing the entire kit apart, that the atmosphere on set finally began to ease.

An unknown number of people simultaneously let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Damn, that tension was finally released!

To be honest, more than one person on set felt like applauding.

In many film crews, it was quite common for applause to break out if an actor delivered a brilliant and moving performance.

A good performance could move people and make them applaud involuntarily.

But as Bai Youlou took a few heavy breaths and then looked up at everyone with bloodshot eyes, the hands that had started to rise in applause froze halfway.

A completely unfamiliar Bai Youlou.

He had completely overturned the image he had created for himself in public as an idol.

At this moment, many people reached the same conclusion as Old Zhou.

Bai Youlou was definitely not right in the head!

In summary: he had gone mad, and he had become stronger.

However, once Bai Youlou quickly put on a relaxed smile and mingled with the students from the Central Conservatory of Music, he seemed quite normal.

Oh, right. Because filming was about to start, Bai Youlou had shaved his beard and cut his hair, returning to his former idol image.

He had to look clean and tidy; he was playing a student.

The moment he dropped the smile and spoke in a gentle tone, there was no trace of his earlier hysteria. He switched roles incredibly fast.

A few of the young ladies from the Central Conservatory of Music even blushed slightly as they watched him.

"Thank you, students, for coming to act in my movie."

"Director Bai, you're amazing at drumming! How long have you been learning?" a female student asked, a little nervously.

But Bai Youlou's expression and demeanor were exceptionally relaxed at this moment, and his tone was approachable:

"A few years. Learning an instrument is very hard work. I can't compare to you professionals."

"Not at all, you're incredible! I doubt even a few jazz drummers at our school can play as well as you."

"I practiced specifically to pursue the theme of the movie. Honestly, it's just fast. Pursuing speed and showing off too much is a bit of a case of putting the cart before the horse; it can hardly be called artistic," Bai Youlou said with a chuckle.

Hearing this, Old Zhou and Long Ziqiang's mouths twitched. Practiced specifically?

Before the crew even started filming, they hadn't seen Bai Youlou practice much. He'd just been playing around for ten minutes or so, leisurely.

He even fooled the students. What a lack of integrity.

But in the eyes of these students, Bai Youlou's "seducing sister-in-law" image quickly faded. It was replaced by that of a super handsome guy who shared their interests and was an amazing drummer.

Oh, right! And he was incredibly humble!

Students are easily fooled. Plus, they've had an education and possess a little "independent thinking" ability.

At least, they believed they did.

To put it nicely, they weren't so stubborn. They didn't just believe whatever was said about Bai Youlou online; they valued "seeing is believing."

Now that they had seen him, he was nothing like what was said online!

It was easier to change people like this. If Bai Youlou put in a little more effort, he might even start "gaining fans" again.

Much easier to handle than the old hands on the crew.

However, after Bai Youlou pulled off this stunt, the crew basically became more subdued.

They didn't think much of him being harsh towards Long Ziqiang, but seeing him be so harsh towards himself was rather chilling.

They had genuinely started to fear Bai Youlou a little.

Who would want to mess with a "madman"?

This elevated his control over the crew another notch. They were basically usable now; he didn't have to worry about anyone going against him or causing trouble.

But Long Ziqiang was feeling a bit miserable right now. Damn it, why didn't he get that treatment?

Compared to his gentle demeanor when explaining scenes and chatting with the students, Bai Youlou was like the real-life version of the devilish mentor from the script when it came to him.

He was constantly squeezing him, putting pressure on him, and forcing him relentlessly.

If he hadn't been bald to begin with, Long Ziqiang felt like he would have lost all his hair by the time the movie was finished.

As he was grumbling internally, he saw Bai Youlou's smile disappear as he walked towards him.

Shit! The devil's coming!

Don't come near me!