Dramatic Tension—to put it bluntly—is the buildup and breaking of audience expectations.
When the audience has certain expectations or a subversive perception of a character or plot, that's when they become interested enough to keep watching.
This is the value of dramatic art.
We often say that a good actor's performance has tension. In fact, this tension comes from the actor's ability to build anticipation in the audience or even break their preconceived notions.
There's a common misconception: many people think that good acting means "acting convincingly." But in reality, good acting isn't about being convincing in the traditional sense; it's about being unconvincing in a way that makes you believe it. That's the essence of great acting.
The tension in a performance requires talent. It's hard to manifest through training alone.
As for Tong Meng, to be honest, she's an actor who has the ability to imitate but lacks natural talent.
It's strange—whatever role she took on, it always seemed like she played it in a flat, lifeless way.
The more she tried to "act well," the more forced and exaggerated she became. What started as flat and lifeless ended up feeling overly dramatic.
Under someone like Lu Mingze, who had almost unforgiving standards for actors, Tong Meng would have no place to survive. This was the main reason she spent an entire afternoon failing to nail her scenes on her first day on set.
But…
Chu An, from a different time and place, had been in the industry for over twenty years more than this era. His experience alone made him worlds apart from the 2001 industry standards.
If a character couldn't provide the dramatic tension, it could be compensated in other ways.
Plot, character setup, and character development arcs could smooth over the lack of performance tension.
Moreover, the dramatic effects of plot and character setup could even enhance the actor's performance.
Take the drama You Are My Glory from a different timeline, for example. The acting is hard to evaluate, but just the plot of a big star falling for a nerdy guy is enough to support the show.
As for Tong Meng, Chu An saw in her something he might have overlooked in a past life. Despite the exaggerated nature of the industry, there were still people with true sincerity.
Her sincerity—whether in her approach to acting or how she treated people—was what touched Chu An.
And for no other reason than the fact that she could be friends with someone as insignificant as him, Chu An decided to help her.
So, he decided to give her a significant role!
Who says playing the mother in every show can't shine?
"You're going to treat Liu Xia like my mom?"
Tong Meng was puzzled. Aside from thinking that Chu An's suggestion was rather novel, she didn't see anything particularly special about it.
"Do you think it will work?"
Chu An shrugged. "If it doesn't work, it doesn't matter. Just give it a try."
This was a common technique on set: if an actor couldn't get into character, they'd sometimes try a different approach. Even if it didn't work, it helped them find their footing.
Chu An was like a seasoned pro, with more experience than Tong Meng.
After thinking about it, Tong Meng figured that Chu An might be onto something. She glanced at Director Lu, worried that she might get scolded if she didn't follow his instructions.
After some hesitation, she finally made up her mind. "If I get yelled at, it's all on you!"
Chu An didn't mind. "What's the worst that could happen? They'll just deduct ten bucks from me."
Tong Meng nodded enthusiastically. "Sounds reasonable!!"
She boldly walked into the frame and then...
The actress, who had no acting skills, delivered the most stunning scene the crew had seen since shooting began.
The stage manager called out, "Scene 4, take 2, rolling!"
In front of the camera, Tong Meng stood with her hands on her hips, staring coldly at Liu Xia, played by Xu Shu.
Just one look from her changed the casual expression on Director Lu Mingze's face. He instinctively leaned closer to the monitor, desperate not to miss any detail.
In the middle of the scene, he briefly lifted his head to make sure it was really Tong Meng in front of the camera.
Why? Because her gaze was different this time.
In the previous takes, Tong Meng's eyes were full of anger, almost like she was looking at an enemy.
It wasn't wrong, but it was superficial, and it looked fake.
Now, her eyes still had anger, but there was also a layer of helplessness, exhaustion, and even a touch of caution.
Holy shit!
Director Lu was nearly speechless. Is this Tong Meng's acting? Does she have that kind of expression?!
Even Xu Shu, who was considered an old hand in the industry, was left in the dust by Tong Meng's gaze.
Director Lu felt like he was witnessing an actor's incredible transformation.
What he didn't realize was that Tong Meng hadn't transformed at all—she was still the same old Tong Meng.
It was just that, in this moment, Tong Meng wasn't acting as Liu Xia or as the character's mother. She was channeling her real-life mother, who was always meddling, childish as she got older, and had never passed down any of her acting genes.
When Tong Meng argued with her mother, she used the same look in her eyes. It was a real look, and she naturally portrayed it on screen.
As soon as she spoke her lines, not only Director Lu, but the whole crew was taken aback.
(Original line: "Liu Xia! Can't you understand how hard it is for your mother? She has to support the family, send you to school—it's tough.")
Tong Meng's line on set:
"You're my mom! You're my real mom! Do you even think about how hard it is for me, as your daughter?"
"I support you, I feed you, and I'm supposed to just let you keep treating me like this?"
"Come on! Why don't we just sever our mother-daughter relationship, then?"
"Can you just let me off the hook?"
She nailed a long monologue with acting and emotion. It was the kind of performance Tong Meng had never imagined herself delivering, yet there it was.
Everyone on set was stunned. Did Tong Meng just... get it? Did her acting just explode?!
Even Xu Shu, on camera, was shocked. In her eyes, there was not only disbelief but also a tinge of jealousy.
She bit her lip slightly, her mouth opening a few times, as if she was about to speak her lines, but nothing came out.
There was a long pause of about ten seconds.
Cut!!
Director Lu exploded. "What's going on?!"
It wasn't directed at Tong Meng—it was directed at Xu Shu.
"Such a good shot wasted!! Where are your lines?! Why are you just standing there like an idiot?!"
Xu Shu: "..."
Her brows furrowed as she remained calm, waiting for Director Lu to finish venting, and then she softly replied, "Director, her lines didn't match. I couldn't follow them."
"You!!"
Director Lu barely held back his temper. "If the lines don't match, why didn't you improvise?! Why are you so rigid?!"
It was rare for Tong Meng to have such an acting breakthrough, and it felt like an opportunity was wasted in this moment.
Xu Shu... she was really something.
Honestly, Director Lu was close to swearing.
He looked over at Tong Meng, wondering if she could recreate that feeling in the next take.
But he saw her walking out of the frame, shaking Chu An's shoulder excitedly, "It really worked~! Chu Xiao Di, you're amazing!"
This was Tong Meng's first time making the director lose his cool for her. The feeling was so satisfying, more so than anything her boyfriend could do for her.
Seeing Director Lu looking over, Tong Meng couldn't contain her excitement. She pointed at Chu An and said, "Director, I can act now! Chu Xiao Di taught me!"
Director Lu paused. He hadn't expected Chu An to be involved. He suddenly remembered that Chu An had also improved a scene earlier that morning.
Thinking to himself, This guy might actually have some talent.
In a good mood, he pointed at Chu An and said, "I'm adding ten bucks to your pay!"
Laughter spread through the crew, and Chu An cheekily responded, "When can I cash out??!"
Director Lu laughed, his usual stern demeanor softening, "You cheeky little brat. You think I'm gonna skip out on paying you?!"
The atmosphere lightened instantly.
On the other side, despite Xu Shu ruining a scene, Tong Meng wasn't upset. She even spoke up for Xu Shu, "Director, it's my fault, I changed the lines."
"Next time, be more careful!"
Director Lu reflected for a moment, realizing he had overreacted earlier. "Alright, Xiao Meng, keep that emotion, especially that look. You need to nail it."
"The lines... stick to the original lines."
Tong Meng didn't quite understand, but nodded in agreement. She could tell that the original lines were still the way to go.
No one noticed that, in the corner, Chu An was smiling knowingly at Director Lu's insistence on the original lines. He knew there was a deeper meaning behind it.
"Once you've tasted fine wheat, you can't go back to eating stale vegetables!" he thought.
He hadn't just promised to give Tong Meng a defining role—he meant it.
Sure enough, in the next take, Tong Meng maintained her