Chapter Text
It comes to the end of the year of Dragon [1] , Wang Di [2] feels that his job as an agent had become easier than before.
Not that the artist's career has gone downhill, in fact Dylan got tons of work lined up even for next year. It's just Dylan himself been a lot more settled. Life can't be simpler around pitches and gym, work is more thorough than before, he'd even go through contracts by himself before Wang Di went negotiating.
"Bro, I've notice there's not much schedule at the end of this month, maybe we could give guys a few days off?"
"Sure why not, you're the boss, Dylan."
"Aren't you going to propose? I'll stay in Beijing when I get back from the work in Changsha, tell me if you need anything."
"Then...how about accompany me picking out a ring?"
"Deal. Let me be your assistant for one time."
"THX. Is this how SINGLE actors manage their holiday?"
Dylan didn't fight back his agent's sarcasm, but only a light punch. Then he turn around and stop talking.
See, this is how Wang Di feels. Dylan has talked less, debeating less, and more calm than before.
Familiar workmates said while chatting that the boy has grown up and become more stable, and that it is good to think more. But Wang Di knows him quite well, it is unlikely to say that it has nothing to do with relationship broken-up. But five months have passed, there seems to be neither after-effects, nor pleasure-seeking during his single time.
What's different？His time to time distraction post dinner or in the gap between catching schedules, like there's some kind of routine review of the acting scene, he kept recalled in the fragment time, and then trying to be like nothing is happening.
Honestly speaking, the work has been going more than well this year. Dylan has received praise for both his leading character in the action TV drama and another supporting roles in a realistic film. By virtue of which their team has also gained greater voice at the annual meeting of the company.
Wang Di knows it very well how hard Dylan has been working on the set for the past two years and how much he spent in private tuition training. It's definitely a clear conscience to say a word of God's way to reward hard work for the progress he made.
"Is this how his origin lines sound like? so he got time to go to variety shows but not time to practice[3]?"
"How much acting skill does he have left after leaving the dub?"
"RPS-hype-man"
"How many Birkins did he bought this year to his Miss-everybody-knows[4]?
......
These sound of judgement followed after the sudden popularity at the age of 24, Wang Di knows Dylan has been holding his breath to beat the voice. Just like how he insisted casting on the supporting role of the crime movie last year and stayed on set un till the end of shooting after his own part finished in a month and a half. He was there avoiding noisy outside, trying to learn skills from the sophisticated leading actor who had been his master on a variety show years ago.
His character is a dangling gangster with pathetic Life, committed crime from petty thievery to murdering, with a bitchy face full of sadness all the time. In the last scene where the policeman visits him, he begs him to stop trying to get his sentence reduced, and that death would have been a relief for him. The old cop asked in return if he want to meet his heroine crush one last time. He was lost in thought for only a second and put on that bitchy smile again, "Me? I don't deserve that." Then he hung up and raised his handcuffs as a goodbye.
Bald, scarred and scruffy, there's no way to say he had no sacrifices or no ambition to break through in acting career. The underclass character allows him to experience the real earth. Dylan felt fortunate to be involved in such a production, nomination at the film awards is indeed, unexpected surprise .
After the film released, there is no need for press releases to argue, his two acclaimed productions on the silver screen and the plasma display show his determination to be a decent actor.
The judgements stopped immediately.
Ironically, Dylan seems mean to be hit every now and then in this entertainment industry, keep being ridiculed and then stunning the audiences.
He later went to the ceremony of movie awards with or without the award. He won't mind be an applauding audience under stage. If there are ten thousand steps to the moment of glory, this is at least one step closer to his goal of "definitely coming back for the prize".
This is how Dylan considers himself to be a man of his word.
At least the vast majority, of the things he could make efforts to.
But they say career success come with disappointment in love affair, God won't bestow everything you want.
The night he knows the nomination, with thousands of time tapping on the WeChat dialog box, he ended up sharing nothing.
The one who had been with him through the peaks and valleys, would she be happy for him?
TBC
Footnotes
[1] Chinese Zodiac of 2024.
[2] Current agent of Dylan.
[3] Dylan was judged by his hometown accent since debute.
[4] Long time scandals of his non-celebrity (ex)girlfriend.