When masters clash, one can roughly estimate the opponent's skill level just by observing their opening moves. Nian Tianxi felt that he had estimated Ren Yifei's skill level, which was probably even higher than what Ren Yifei had shown in the videos.
In a game, information has a huge impact on the interpretation; a slight error can lead to a huge difference in outcome, and this is no joke.
Only now that we have the real script can we realize how terrifying Ren Yifei is.
Nian Tianxi knew that geniuses existed in this world. He had always thought he was one, but his elders said:
"Your skills are already sufficient, you just lack that little bit of inspiration. Skill and inspiration are both indispensable. However, you and your fellow apprentices are lacking in one aspect or another. A true acting genius should be a combination of talent and hard work. They possess a magical power that makes you unable to take your eyes off them once they appear on screen."
Nian Tianxi was always dissatisfied. He studied and trained hard in order to become the 'genius' that his elders talked about, a once-in-a-century talent.
But the elders always smiled and shook their heads: "You'll understand when you actually see him. That kind of person is fine as long as he doesn't get involved in acting, but once he does, nothing and no one can stop him. People will go crazy for him."
Nian Tianxi has a bad habit of biting his nails when he's nervous, and he's already doing so right now.
Before the match started, he thought the odds were even between him and Ren Yifei, or perhaps he would have a slight edge. But now he didn't think so anymore.
He stared straight at Ren Yifei on the stage, who had already said goodbye to the first person and arrived at the pawnshop entrance.
The character is there to redeem the winter clothes.
In the summer, he needed money for water and ice, and since he didn't have enough, he pawned his winter clothes to make ends meet. Now that it's early autumn, he's saved up some money and is ready to redeem them.
When winter comes and it's time to buy coal and cotton, he'll have to make summer clothes again.
That's how the lives of the poor change with the seasons.
"Third Master, what a rare guest! What have you brought to pawn?" The waiter was cleaning with a feather duster when he saw Ren Yifei and stopped.
He spoke politely, but his tone was slightly sarcastic, and his eyes and brows revealed a smug gloating over someone's misfortune.
Ren Yifei looked even more embarrassed, but he still walked in with his head held high. He slapped a few coins on the table, then carefully rummaged through his clothes and pulled out a half-new, half-old purse. He took out a contract and said, "Here, the money. Bring me my winter clothes."
Before the waiter could speak, the shopkeeper, who was tidying up the things, poked his head out and laughed, "Oh, look at him, so arrogant?"
Ren Yifei's face flushed red, but he remained silent. Since he had already fallen to the point of wearing winter clothes as summer clothes and summer clothes as winter clothes, he naturally had no right to be 'arrogant'.
The shopkeeper was making fun of him.
However, lacking confidence at this moment, he had nothing to argue about.
The shopkeeper came out, counted the money, and looked at the contract. He then told the shop assistant to bring the cotton coat, and chatted idly with Ren Yifei: "Where have you been making your fortune lately?"
Ren Yifei carried the birdcage in one hand, unsure where to put the other, and forced a smile: "To earn some money through physical labor."
The shopkeeper laughed, squinting as he looked him up and down: "If this were twenty or thirty years ago, when your grandfather was still alive, he would have been dressed in gold and silver when he went out. Who would have thought he would end up in this situation?"
When his past was brought up, he felt even more ashamed. When the waiter brought the clothes, he grabbed them and tucked them under his arm. He turned his face to the side, casually clasped his hands in a fist and walked away.
Even after walking a distance, he could still hear the laughter and chatter coming from the pawnshop behind him; they were talking about him, and they were laughing at him.
Nian Tianxi below had a solemn expression. This scene seemed very ordinary, without any flashy or dazzling performance. But it is precisely in its ordinariness that true skill is revealed.
It is said that there are three realms of art, and acting is no exception.
The first stage is seeing mountains as mountains and water as water. Most people who are new to drama begin their acting careers through imitation. This imitation isn't about imitating others, but about imitating people in real life to learn.
The second stage is seeing mountains not as mountains, and water not as water. At this point, actors have moved beyond simple imitation; they extract elements from life and integrate them into their performances, which can be described as originating from life but transcending it.
The final level is this: seeing mountains as mountains and water as water.
This kind of actor often appears among veteran actors who have spent their entire lives acting and learning about acting. You see their performances as completely natural, without a trace of 'acting,' and you feel as if there is such a person in real life.
The most typical characteristic of this type of actor is that with just one appearance and one expression, they can draw the audience into the play and make them feel that there are people like this in their lives, who are exactly the same.
Ren Yifei's handsome face should be very attractive. But when he's standing with his hands in his pockets and looks embarrassed, you can't see his 'handsomeness' anymore. You're completely drawn in and only see a disillusioned and down-on-his-luck old-fashioned privileged youth.
Nian Tianxi simply couldn't understand how someone of that age could have honed their acting skills to such a high level. It wasn't a matter of talent, it was a matter of experience!
No matter how remarkable one's talent, without training, one could never portray the vicissitudes of middle age.
The following scene is when he comes out of the pawnshop and encounters a fishmonger buying fish, which is also the scene where Nian Tianxi is stopped.
Nian Tianxi watched Ren Yifei's performance intently, wanting to see how he interpreted the scene and also to know where he himself fell short.
At this moment, Ren Yifei encountered a fishmonger walking towards him, carrying wooden buckets filled with freshly caught river fish.
Because they were preoccupied with something on their minds, they didn't pay attention and accidentally bumped into each other, causing the water from the wooden tub to wet a corner of Ren Yifei's clothes.
"Hey, why aren't you watching where you're going?" Ren Yifei was holding a birdcage in one hand, a winter coat in the other, and he also had to shake off the water droplets from the hem of his long robe.
"Excuse me, excuse me. Sir, would you like to buy some fish? It's freshly caught, so fresh and plump. You can take it home to make fish soup or grill it, and I guarantee your wife won't complain. You can also buy a block of soft tofu, cut it up and stew it together, the taste is wonderful, and it's good for both the elderly and children."
The fishmonger took the opportunity to promote his fish, spouting a variety of sales pitches, such as stewed fish with tofu and grilled fish in a stove, as if his fish were the most delicious food in the world.
Ren Yifei initially didn't want to pay attention, but stopped when he heard the words "old man and child": "Hey, how much are your fish?"
"I have crucian carp, grass carp, and common carp here..." Seeing that he was interested in buying, the vendor immediately put down the two wooden buckets on the carrying pole and let Ren Yifei choose for himself.
Ren Yifei chose a crucian carp the size of his palm. He then tried to bargain, but the fishmonger mocked him for being "poor and stingy." Nevertheless, he bought it anyway, and that was the end of that part of the story.
But at that moment, someone came up to him and pointed at the crucian carp in Ren Yifei's hand, saying, "I want this fish."
Ren Yifei paused, deep in thought, when the guy who had cut in line seemed to have just noticed him: "Hey, isn't this Third Master? With your status, why are you buying fish yourself?"
"The script was changed?" This part wasn't in the script.
Nian Tianxi, sitting in the audience, vaguely understood that something else was interfering, but on the other hand, he was also curious about how Ren Yifei would respond.
Seeing that the man was tossing a few copper coins in his hand and was dressed well, clearly not short of money, the fishmonger immediately turned around and said, "Wrong, wrong, I meant this crucian carp. The one you have in your hand is worth two coins."
This is what happens when someone is greedy for money and changes their mind at the last minute.
Ren Yifei's face flushed red as he argued, "That's not how business is done! You can't just swallow your saliva after you've already spat it out! You didn't release the fish fry, you didn't feed them, all you did was put in a little effort, and you think you deserve two copper coins?"
"No matter what you say, either you take the two coins, or you give it to this gentleman." The fishmonger seized the opportunity, abandoning all professional ethics for a single copper coin.
Seeing the fishmonger's expression and the man next to him watching with amusement, Ren Yifei felt his head buzzing.
He pulled out a few coins as if to throw them, but his impoverished life stopped him. In the end, he kept only one and put the rest back.
Then Ren Yifei slammed the copper coin into the wooden bucket: "Keep it, it's your coffin money!"
This segment lasts only half a minute, but the expression changes several times, from endurance and suppression to being unable to suppress it and exploding. In between, there is actually a complex mental journey.
Although this scene was inserted in the middle, Ren Yifei connected it very well, as if it were part of the script.
"I lost." Nian Tianxi felt bitter inside. If it were him, he might not have been able to handle this kind of scene as naturally as Ren Yifei.
"I've worked so hard for so long, humbling myself just to survive. I'm so unwilling to accept this." Nian Tianxi's eyes were almost bloodshot.
Faced with life and death, he realized that principles and justice could be set aside for the moment. His eyes shifted to the other NPCs nearby: No, perhaps there was still hope. The mini-game wanted these skilled players; it was both the referee and the player…
As if to confirm his thoughts, Ren Yifei had just taken the fish and was about to leave with the rope when the director suddenly stood up and shouted "Cut!"
The sound was an unwelcome noise, interrupting the story and ruining the atmosphere Ren Yifei had created. Ren Yifei raised his eyes, barely able to conceal his sharpness: the timing was too delicate.
Nian Tianxi also stood up, his fingernails nearly tearing the script in his hand to shreds. Overwhelmed with joy, a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips: Not too early, not too late, Ren Yifei's scene was just a second shorter than his.
A crucial second, a second that decides life or death.
"So what if he has great acting skills? Can he stand up to the whole environment on his own?" Nian Tianxi thought to himself, "There are always things like this in the entertainment industry. No matter how capable you are, you will always be suppressed by people with backgrounds but no ability."
"He should have gotten used to this unspoken rule long ago. If the water is too clear, there will be no fish." Nian Tianxi told himself this over and over again, and the feeling of guilt gradually dissipated.
Given the circumstances, he cannot change them, nor does he want to.
After a long silence, Ren Yifei tossed the live fish back into the wooden bucket. He reached up and pulled his bangs behind his head, his expression becoming calm, as did his eyes.
He glanced at Nian Tianxi in the corner, but Nian Tianxi avoided his gaze, not daring to look him in the eye.
The two of them knew the real outcome perfectly well; they were just pretending to be ignorant.
"The results are in." The NPC playing the director walked over, his smile looking utterly fake. "The player was just one second too short. What a pity, you lost by just one second."
"Actually, you are also very talented. It's a pity, a real pity."
"You have to accept the consequences of your bet," the assistant director added.
"Yes, you have to admit defeat."
Ren Yifei looked at the others, especially at Nian Tianxi whose eyes were darting around. His voice was very low, like dark clouds before a storm: "You also think my acting is bad? So you accept this result?"
"Yes, yes." The NPC who had been controlling the camera chuckled. "We all saw it. Your acting was different from the script. It wasn't just changing the lines; it was changing the script."
"Exactly, the previous line was poorly changed, saying something about being abandoned by crows. I've never heard of anyone being abandoned by crows. It's utter nonsense."
A group of people mocked Ren Yifei, as if they weren't the ones who had been so engrossed in watching him before.
Nian Tianxi hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself. As an actor, he also had his own pride and would not deny his failures.
However, this situation is too special; failure means death, utter death.
Why die when you can survive?
If Nian Tianxi were the kind of person who would rather die than yield for his beliefs, he wouldn't be here, becoming a weapon specifically designed to deal with players from the Desolate Corner.
Is it more important to choose between an actor's pride and one's own life?
"You lost." Nian Tianxi took a deep breath. "You did lose, it's obvious to everyone."
Author's Note: Nian Tianxi: You lost.
Afei: Hehe.