Caught in Affairs with Superstar

Chapter 1764 - 852: Speech (Part 2)

Zhang Hongyu heard someone in the audience call her name and turned around to wave.Even her wave was graceful.

Ren Suzhi noticed her gaze and curiously asked, "Do you admire Zhang Hongyu?"

Zhou Yun turned her head in surprise to look at Ren Suzhi.

Her surprised expression made Ren Suzhi smile slightly, wave her hand, and say, "I noticed the look in your eyes towards her is one of admiration."

"There are many things about her that I admire."

"Hmm?" Ren Suzhi asked, "Her acting skills?"

"Acting skills are one aspect. Another is her love and persistence for the art of acting. Among actresses, she is a true superstar that all should learn from."

"Have you worked with her before?"

"Not yet," Zhou Yun shook her head, "but I’ve watched almost every play she’s been in."

"All of them?"

"I wouldn’t dare say every single one, but almost all. I’m not sure if I’ve missed any," Zhou Yun said, "Since I started seriously considering myself an actress, I’ve been learning constantly on how to improve my acting skills. Although the term ’acting skills’ makes it seem like a craftsman’s work, I am indeed in need of honing my technical abilities to lay a strong foundation."

Ren Suzhi said in surprise, "I thought you never considered yourself to be lacking in performance; everyone around me likes your acting very much."

"However, I know there are still areas to improve," Zhou Yun said, "Just like Sister Hongyu, who has reached such heights, each performance, every new character depiction, is unique. She keeps bringing something new each time, fully immersing herself, instead of being stuck in one place."

"She really is courageous in her artistic pursuits," Ren Suzhi nodded.

Zhou Yun nodded as well.

"Yes," she said, "That’s why she is worth our admiration. When someone has already attained high honors and status yet continues to expand their artistic boundaries and seek deeper truths in performance, that’s what I admire most about her. I’ve only been in this career for a few years and already feel some fatigue."

Ren Suzhi said, "Fatigue is normal; every creator goes through periods of slackness and bottlenecks, but an outstanding creator will eventually endure through these challenging times."

Zhou Yun: "Hopefully."

...

The forum recording went smoothly, and from start to finish, everyone shared their stories with their own style.

Ren Suzhi shared about the time when she had not yet become famous.

"I’m not sure how many people are like me—after graduating from college, carrying dreams, believing they will quickly achieve success through talent, hard work, and effort. But I think many of you have experienced failures despite having such dreams."

"Before ’Deskmate’, I wrote many scripts, various scripts, and sent them to film companies. Unfortunately, most were lost in the abyss. I encountered an era of IP adaptations—scripts not adapted from original works seem to lose their market value, a fact that sounds unreasonable and illogical but became the reality I had to face."

"Can I keep going? How do I survive? My rent, my daily needs, my dreams, my hometown—before success, anything could become the final straw that breaks the camel’s back."

...

Ren Suzhi’s sharing was heartfelt.

Zhou Yun sat in the audience, deeply moved.

She also experienced such a period of struggle, uncertain if the future would be favorable.

Of course, she was relatively fortunate, unlike Ren Suzhi, who had a long period of dormancy before success.

Nevertheless, everyone experiences those dark times without recognition and uncertainty about the future, at least to some extent.

Zhou Yun listened carefully as Ren Suzhi told her story.

...

"’Deskmate’ was initially a script rejected by film companies due to its sensitive subject, you all know that, right?" Ren Suzhi smiled, "But some film companies recognized its value. They knew it was a good story. Even after removing sensitive parts, it was still a good story. So a film company asked me to modify the script, and they would be willing to buy it once I did."

"At that time, I was really short on money, really poor. If it had been another script, I might have agreed. But this was ’Deskmate’. This script, on the night I finished writing it, I was thrilled. I knew I had written an incredible script that would earn recognition and become my representative work. So the choice I faced was whether I should compromise a work that might become my masterpiece."

"Compromise, and it might still be liked and achieve high box office sales. But I also knew it would lose its initial impact, the resonance between work and audience. The dialogue, character relationships, plot development—these are the mediums through which a screenwriter communicates with audiences. If part is removed, it becomes incomplete. Should I compromise?"

"My choice was not to compromise."

"This is also what I want to share with everyone today. If you feel one day you’ve created something crucial to your life, a voice will tell you, ’Here it is.’ Trust me, when you encounter that creation, you will hear that voice. You must hold on and not compromise."

"Good things will definitely meet those willing to do whatever it takes to realize them," Ren Suzhi said, "Just like Zhou Yun, who is here today; she unearthed the ’Deep Sea,’ a script neglected for years, and turned it into the most globally impactful Chinese series in the last decade. Creators need to have this confidence."

Thunderous applause erupted throughout the venue.

Zhou Yun widened her eyes in pleasant surprise.

She hadn’t expected Ren Suzhi to mention her at the end of the speech.

Zhou Yun nodded to her in appreciation.

"Thank you," she said.