The first episode of " North Star " has begun.
Cheng Che sat on the floor in front of the coffee table, leaning against the sofa, holding a skewer of fried chicken wings in his hand.
Su Miaoyin sat next to him, about a fist's distance away.
The two men had large plates piled high with fried skewers in front of them, and beer glasses placed beside their feet.
After the opening theme ends, the scene transitions to the main feature.
The first twenty minutes are workplace scenes between the male and female leads, with a good pace and crisp dialogue.
Su Miaoyin ate enoki mushrooms while watching, occasionally offering a comment on the plot.
Then, the scene shifted to the classroom.
Cheng Che has made his appearance.
He was wearing a blue and white school uniform, standing by the classroom window, his profile turned towards the camera.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, enveloping him in a thin layer of light.
He didn't speak, but simply tilted his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the view outside the window.
Three seconds.
The chat went silent for a moment, then went wild.
[Here it comes!!!]
Holy crap, this shot is amazing!
He just stood there doing nothing, but why couldn't I take my eyes off him?
[That light, that profile—I need to take a screenshot!]
[ Lu Shi'an!!!]
The fried skewers in Su Miaoyin's hand stopped in mid-air.
She looked at Cheng Che on the screen, the boy standing by the window, then turned her head to look at Cheng Che sitting next to her eating chicken wings.
For a moment, she couldn't tell which was more real—the same person on screen or in real life.
In one scene on screen, Lu Shi'an is portrayed by Su Jianqiu, whose character walks into the classroom and calls his name.
He turned his head, glanced at her, and said a line from a script.
"Sister, what brings you here?"
Just one sentence.
His tone was flat, but the last syllable rose slightly, carrying a touch of youthful casualness and approachability.
His eyes were clear and innocent, without any trace of affectation.
Su Miaoyin felt her heart skip a beat.
She lowered her head and took a bite of the fried skewer to hide her burning face.
But she couldn't control her eyes; the scene on the screen had passed, and she turned her gaze back to Cheng Che.
He was looking down and gnawing on a chicken wing, his cheeks bulging, and a little oil on the corner of his mouth.
He is a completely different person from the " Lu Shi'an " on the screen.
Su Miaoyin's heart started racing again.
Elsewhere, Yan Ruanning was sitting backstage in the recording studio of a singing competition show. She had just finished a rehearsal and was leaning back on the sofa in the lounge, holding her phone.
The screen displayed the playback page for " North Star ".
She looked at it for a long time.
She has seen many actors perform.
Having been in the industry for so many years, she knows what kind of performance is "forced" and what kind is "natural."
Cheng Che's performance was short, but every frame was perfect.
When he stood by the window, he was Lu Shi'an himself.
When he turned around to say that, every word he uttered—his tone, his gaze, the curve of his lips—was perfectly executed.
Yan Ruanning stared at the screen and secretly smiled.
"He acted quite well."
She muttered something under her breath.
Then she turned off her phone, leaned back on the sofa, and closed her eyes.
Meanwhile, in the supertopic, fans have gone crazy with comments.
I watched Lu Shi'an's scene three times! It was only a three-minute shot, and I took fifty screenshots!
His lines are so natural, it doesn't sound like he's acting for the first time!
[I listened to that "Sis, what brings you here?" line ten times in a row, her voice is just so beautiful!]
[When he stood by the window, I felt like time stood still.]
Sisters, I hereby declare Lu Shi'an to be my new White Moonlight.
My idol is truly an all-rounder!
[He can play sports, write songs, study, and act. What is it that he can't do?]
I want to see him play the lead role. Directors, come take note!
On Zhihu, those who were waiting to see the joke fall silent for a while after watching the first episode.
Then new answers started appearing.
"I admit I was a bit loud before. He's not from a formal acting background and hasn't taken a single acting class, but his performance really exceeded expectations. In that scene by the window, he didn't use any exaggerated expressions or movements, but you could feel what he was thinking. Many formally trained actors can't achieve this kind of 'restrained' acting style."
" Lu Shi'an appeared for three minutes, and the character was already established. His lines, his eyes, his body language—there wasn't a single moment that felt out of place. For the first time, I felt that a cameo role could be more captivating than the lead."
"To be objective: his acting has flair, but it's not quite mature yet. However, he only spent a few days filming these scenes and hasn't received any systematic training. Given time and opportunity, he can go very far."
"Where are the people who said he was going to embarrass himself? Come out and show yourselves!"
There's another post on Zhihu that got pushed to the top, written by a user verified as a "screenwriter".
"I've written many scripts and met many actors. The most remarkable thing about Cheng Che's performance in ' North Star ' is that he didn't 'act.' He just stood there, and you felt that he was that person. This kind of thing can't be made up for with technique; it's a natural sense of the camera and empathy. He may not become a 'master of acting,' but he will become an actor who makes the audience believe in the character. That's enough."
In the comments section below this answer, someone replied:
"He's only eighteen. He hasn't even officially entered the entertainment industry yet. You people in the film and television industry, what are you waiting for? You should hurry up and submit your scripts!"
In Cheng Che's yard, half of the fried skewers had already been eaten.
Su Miaoyin looked at Lu Shi'an on the screen, then glanced at Cheng Che, who was gnawing on beef next to her.
She suddenly felt as if she were trapped in something.
She couldn't explain what it was, only that her heart was so full that it was almost overflowing.
The first episode of " North Star " has finished airing.
The end credits rolled as the theme song began to play.
Su Miaoyin put down the last skewer, leaned back on the sofa cushions, and let out a long sigh.
"You acted so well," she said.
"Good."
I'm serious.
Cheng Che glanced at her.
Her gaze was serious, completely different from her usual slightly arrogant expression.
"Thank you," he said.
Su Miaoyin smiled, then picked up her beer and took a sip. The beer foam clung to the corner of her mouth, but she didn't notice.
Cheng Che looked at the corner of her mouth, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "You have foam on your lips."
Su Miaoyin paused for a moment, then reached out to wipe her mouth. Her fingers touched the corner of her lips, wiping the wrong side.
Cheng Che sighed, reached for a tissue on the coffee table, and handed it to her.
Su Miaoyin took the tissue, wiped her mouth, and then held the tissue in her hand.
She lowered her head, her face flushed.