Chapter 11: The Essay

The article was about a very prominent actor...
In the entire crew, he was the only one with a chauffeured car, accompanied by seven or eight assistants...
A popular actor, understandable!
Moreover, he was very particular about food and drink—he only ate Starbucks fruit platters, his oil-splashed noodles couldn’t have oil added, and he only drank Starbucks Americanos...
He had a terrible temper and showed little respect to the crew.
Not to mention the extras!
Shen Yan didn’t really care; he had no interaction with the actor at all...
His main role was playing Tian Han, that is, Gu Zhixin’s background character.
But he also didn’t want to have any dealings with the actor...
Zhang Wuchou probably wanted to use this chance to connect with him. A couple of days ago, the actor’s assistant told him that the actor was troubled because he couldn’t find the right feeling to portray Nie Er.
Shen Yan replied seriously, “That’s normal. Nie Er was a true genius. I’ve read his biography. His original name was Nie Shouxin. He had a keen sense of hearing and mimicry skills—he could imitate all sorts of sounds, even the footsteps of women. During rehearsals, he loved to perform vocal tricks, imitating others. Anything that entered his ears could come out of his mouth. That’s why he changed his name to Nie Er. Ordinary people can hardly imagine what a genius is like!”
As a side note, Nie Er and Xian Xinghai were both prodigious musicians from the Republican era, alongside Li Jinhui, Li Jingguang, Chen Gexin, and He Luting...
In a sense, the upheavals of the time were devastating!
“The country was unfortunate, but the poets were blessed; though the poems spoke of sorrow, their verses were exquisite...”
Zhang Wuchou said, “The actor said it would be best to find a violinist to play before his performance so he can get into character...”
Shen Yan frowned. “Didn’t you say they pay 800 yuan just to play ‘Ave Maria’ once?”
“Don’t you get it?” Zhang Wuchou was frustrated. “If you play in front of him and he takes notice, that means you’re in his team. The actor is super popular now; even a little of his resources leaking out can make you rise to glory...”
Rise to glory?
Shen Yan almost laughed...
This actor ended up ruining himself in the future...
Shen Yan waved his hand. “Forget it... I can’t reach that far!”
Zhang Wuchou said, “Just help me out... give it a try...”
“Alright then, it’s been a long time since I played the violin anyway...”

...

The violin is actually quite difficult. If you’re just interested, I wouldn’t recommend learning it. It requires a good ear, and even after practicing for half a year, many still can’t get past the basics. It’s hard to get positive feedback!
The actor indeed had two violins in his car: a Wilkins TL408 and a St. Weiss SW006...
Shen Yan picked up each one and smiled. “Wilkins TL408 is the beginner’s first choice; St. Weiss SW006 has outstanding tone quality, suitable for intermediate learning...”
The actor’s assistant was curious. “Intermediate? What’s the difference?”

...

“The beginner violin isn’t very accurate in sound production, handling, or data precision. The better the material, handling, sensitivity, penetration, and tone quality, the more effective the learning. The St. Weiss SW006 is mid-range; the Wilkins TL408 is for beginners...”
“How about the price?”
Shen Yan glanced at Zhang Wuchou, who gestured for him to be honest...
“Usually, an entry-level violin costs around 1,200 yuan. The St. Weiss SW006 starts at 2,500 yuan.”
“Ah? Less than ten thousand yuan?”
Shen Yan waved his hand. “Anything above ten thousand yuan is professional level... concertmaster standard...”
The actor’s assistant was annoyed and told Zhang Wuchou, “They claimed thirty thousand yuan for reimbursement!”
“I’ll tune the strings... and play ‘Ave Maria’ for you all later...”
“Do you know how to play the ‘March of the Volunteers’?”
“Of course, that’s a must-learn!”
After tuning the strings, Shen Yan lifted the violin and played a few notes to test the sound.
Suddenly, like a swarm of bees fluttering, a clean, bright violin piece burst forth, with precise and rapid scales!
That was right—“The Flight of the Bumblebee.”
“The Flight of the Bumblebee,” also known as “The Flight of the Hornet,” is one of the famous pieces by Russian composer Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov. Its greatest challenge lies in its rapid tempo and complex harmonic changes.
It demands extremely high skill from the performer and is often used as a showcase piece for violin and piano virtuosity!
For violinists, mastering this piece requires perfect coordination between both hands.
The right hand’s bowing and the left hand’s fingering must be flawless; any slip would spoil the melody, and the complexity of the variations multiplies the difficulty.
Shen Yan was initially a bit worried, but once he started playing, he immediately immersed himself...
His hands coordinated with ease, and his eyes showed pure enjoyment of the music—as if creating art itself.
After about a minute, Shen Yan suddenly stopped bowing and plucked the strings with his right hand—a more advanced technique...
This method was created by the legendary violinist Paganini and has been refined over time to enrich violin performance.
Usually, fast-paced pieces are hard to advance with this technique...
But Shen Yan used it as if it were second nature...
About two minutes later, he plucked the strings with his left hand and ended the performance...
The actor’s assistant immediately applauded, “That sounds wonderful!”
Shen Yan smiled. “...Let me play something everyone knows!”
“The Flight of the Bumblebee” is great for showing off skill, but it lacks emotional depth...
Next, he played another piece everyone was familiar with: “Butterfly Lovers.”

...

“Butterfly Lovers” is a well-known tragic love story, and the piece is familiar to nearly everyone...
Shen Yan performed “Butterfly Lovers: Transformation into Butterflies,” a violin concerto composed by Chen Gang and He Zhanhao, students at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, based on the Yue opera “Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai.”
It’s divided into three sections: “Sworn Brotherhood at the Grass Bridge,” “Yingtai Resists Marriage,” and “Transformation into Butterflies at the Grave”...
Heart-wrenching and mournful without end...
As the final long bow stroke ended, the piece concluded...
Shen Yan muttered, “This violin... isn’t quite right...”
“...Really bad?”
“It’s okay... but there’s some noise, quite harsh, and it’s a bit off-pitch...” Shen Yan shook his head. “I tuned it a little, but I guess it needs more adjustment!”
“...Violin needs tuning?”
“Definitely. Everyone’s playing style is different...”
“You said this violin costs over two thousand yuan?”
“Violins aren’t very expensive. Resin violins are just over two hundred yuan and come with a case, bow, and rosin...”
After saying that, Shen Yan felt something was off and quickly looked up. Sure enough, the actor was coming over!
He hurriedly greeted, “Brother Wen!”
“Hm,” the actor held an apple, glanced at him, and asked, “...You’re here to help me get into the zone, right?”
“Yes...”
“Alright,” the actor casually waved his hand, and his assistant came over, “Keep this guy here, sign him for two months... twenty thousand yuan a month!”
Was he trying to buy me out?
Twenty thousand yuan a month...
The price wasn’t a problem, but Shen Yan wasn’t sure he had the time!
So he said bluntly, “...Brother Wen, I’m just a supporting actor on set... sometimes I still have other scenes to shoot!”
The actor showed interest, “You’re a supporting extra? Not a professional?”
“No...”
“I just heard your performance just now; your skill isn’t low. Why not join an orchestra?”
“...”
He really wanted to retort, “You’re a professional actor, so why haven’t you won an Oscar Best Actor?”