Actor: Thank you.

I shaved off all the stubble and had my makeup artist carefully shave off the fine hairs on my face.

Cheng Hao, watching from the side, said that the way he was doing it made him look like he was about to be a groom.

Zhang Yuan countered, saying that this is called being refined and dignified.

These two words were later deliberately given a "derogatory" connotation by many people. The word "refined" is often associated with being bourgeois or pretentious.

But Mr. Qian was not a petty bourgeois; he came from an aristocratic family. Petty bourgeois was nothing to him.

He was the 33rd generation descendant of Qian Liu, the King of Wuyue, and his family had been engaged in the silk business in Yuhang for generations.

It can be seen as a weakened version of the Cao Xueqin family.

Moreover, Mr. Qian was quite the handsome young man in his youth.

He wasn't the type with deep-set features; he had the standard image of a civil servant elite.

I have to clean it up.

If we don't record it, Qian's disciples and grand-disciples won't be satisfied.

My hair has been styled too.

Mr. Qian had typical soft hair; his hair was fine and not very thick, and his hairline was already worrying at a young age.

A clever head doesn't grow hair, that's how it is.

He asked the makeup artist to give him a straight haircut.

He has thick, coarse hair that stands up after a shower and blow-drying.

I used a lot of hair wax to press it down and changed it to a hairstyle that fits the head shape slightly.

He changed into a gray suit and brown leather shoes before heading out.

He kept reciting the formulas he had learned before along the way.

To the assistants and bodyguards, it sounded no different from chanting a spell.

"Brother Zhang Yuan, stop with your magic tricks." A moment later, the assistant was holding his head and frowning. These guys were all muscle-bound fools; listening to them gave him a headache.

Upon arriving at the China Film Group office, he was greeted and led to the lounge to prepare.

"You look great." Director Huang Jianxin praised him, seeing that he was dressed smartly and looked very presentable.

"It's alright, as long as you find it acceptable."

"I just rushed back from Northeast China, and I haven't had time to adjust."

"You've worked hard. Do your best in a bit." Director Huang patted him on the shoulder.

"By the way, I heard from Lao Han that Yimou's family is with you?"

"You're very well-informed." Zhang Yuan thought about it and realized that Old Han must know.

"I'm staying in the suburbs temporarily. Things are too chaotic now, I need to hide out."

"You should go and have fun if you have the chance."

"Okay, you go ahead and get busy."

After receiving the script, Zhang Yuan read it aloud several times and roughly memorized the contents.

The scenario we're rehearsing today is based on Qian Xuesen's research after he returned to China.

Long passages of dialogue containing technical terms are hard to remember.

The preparation time given was short; he was called away in no time.

He was led to a large training room, but before he could even enter, he froze.

Two uniformed soldiers were standing at the entrance.

Like two stone lions, they stood straight, eyes fixed straight ahead, not even glancing at him.

This person's demeanor clearly indicates they are not a thug or a hooligan, but an elite.

"Hey... is this the place?" Zhang Yuan turned around and looked at the person who brought him here.

"That's right, you can go in."

Zhang Yuan thought about it.

There are "axemen" at the door; could this be a trap?

Let's go in; we can't just turn around and run away.

He mustered his courage and knocked on the door. After hearing "Come in" from inside, he decided to push the door open and enter.

But as soon as he raised his hand, the two stone lions at the entrance opened the double doors, one on each side.

Faced with this fully automated situation, Zhang Yuan nodded and smiled at the two people, then cautiously stepped inside.

As soon as I entered, I heard the door behind me close gently.

In front of him were more than a dozen middle-aged people sitting behind a long table.

Less than one-third of them look like they're from the film and television industry.

Old Han wasn't there, but directors Huang Jianxin and Zhang Jianya were.

It's not unusual to have strangers at auditions.

These people just looked like either soldiers or researchers.

You can sense it; a soldier's gaze and posture are different from ordinary people.

The researchers' appearances also differed from those of ordinary people.

Most notably, even Lao Han, a bigwig in the Chinese film and television industry, often lounges on the sofa when chatting.

Wang Shuo is just like him; he has that spoiled, arrogant attitude of a privileged kid from a high-ranking family.

But these people were different; they all sat upright, their gazes sweeping over them, some scrutinizing like eagles, others as still as cats.

The key point is that, not to mention before, these people are all busy and don't have time to come to the scene.

So previously, we would record audition clips and then show them to people.

Why are you all here today?

Zhang Yuan always had a sense of déjà vu and nervousness about attending a parent-teacher meeting.

Huang Jianxin gave a brief introduction of him, but after only a few words, the soldier standing next to him said that he already knew him very well.

Everyone knows who he is.

"Please begin your performance." Director Huang then cut to the chase and got him to work.

Zhang Yuan calmed himself down and was ready to begin the performance.

He felt that he didn't have enough preparation time, and since there was no physical object, he didn't reach his highest level, but it was still far above the passing grade.

At least the lines were clear, and none of the proper nouns were mispronounced.

"Okay, thank you." Director Huang didn't offer any comments, but simply glanced at the "guests" on either side of him.

The next part is the Q&A session, which is usually included in auditions as well. They will ask about your acting experience, your understanding of the characters, and so on.

Zhang Yuan waited confidently for these kinds of questions.

But the question he received today was a little... different.

"I see you travel abroad frequently."

"Is it for work or travel?" a middle-aged man asked.

"Work is my main focus, but I also travel occasionally."

“From what I’ve seen, you mostly live in Beijing. If you frequently travel to North America and Europe, do you have any plans to buy property and live there?”

Zhang Yuan frowned.

What does this question have to do with the show?
But I still have to answer.

"Not for now, my work and life are centered in China."

"I can see that you are quite enthusiastic about public welfare and sports activities."

"When you're successful, you should help others. I have a little money now, and I hope to give back to society and the country," Zhang Yuan gave a standard answer.

"How much do you know about aerodynamics?" a man who looked like a researcher asked.

"It's very superficial; they haven't even grasped the basic theory."

The other party nodded, which was quite modest.

If you, as an actor, can master all of this, then we should all be laid off.

Then they asked a bunch of questions, which still had little to do with movies or acting.

It is more related to his life, interests, and recent travel plans.

These questions made him increasingly puzzled.

"So, Director Huang, Director Zhang, and the others."

"We have some things to discuss with Mr. Zhang Yuan. Please excuse us for a moment."

Zhang Yuan: ? ? ?
what?
I came to audition at China Film Group, and you made everyone from China Film Group avoid me?

What to do
Thump thump thump... His heart immediately started beating faster.

What's even more frightening is that Huang Jianxin and the others got up and left without any hesitation.

He clearly knew all along that the other party wanted to talk to him.

But he didn't tell me about it.

Then there are only two possibilities.

They deliberately didn't say anything, or they didn't know exactly what the other party was going to do.

The fact that they deliberately didn't say anything means that Lao Han and his gang are trying to trick me.

I don't know, that means these people from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, and the General Assembly are trying to screw me over.

So my heart is pounding, because nothing good ever comes of it!

Soon, the door closed again, leaving him alone to face a group of "decent people".

"Xiao Zhang, let's just chat, don't be nervous," the soldier-looking man said, feigning friendliness.

"Even if I say I'm not nervous, you can't believe me."

"Hehehehe..." The group laughed.

After laughing, he waved his hand, and two men who were watching nearby moved the camera and recording equipment away.

The fact that they didn't close the door but moved the item away indicates that what they're about to say will definitely be confidential.

"We have some questions for you now. Think it over before you answer."

"I will answer everything I know," Zhang Yuan quickly replied.

“We’ve seen your reputation; the people like you a lot and say you’re very patriotic.”

"is not it?"

Especially recently, he launched another wave of patriotic propaganda for "Ip Man 2".

Zhang Yuan immediately realized that the other party had studied him in advance, and not only his performance.

"This... should I love him, or shouldn't I?" he asked cautiously.

This completely baffled everyone.

I've never seen such a slick young man.

We'll let you love, and you'll love.

If we don't let you have it, you won't love us anymore.

They immediately shifted all the responsibility onto us.

These people have me in a state of confusion, making me both laugh and cry, and my emotions are all jumbled up.

Zhang Yuan's attitude was simple.

Let's see what you want to do, I just need to survive.

"How could I possibly guess what you're planning? What if I say something wrong and it gets really bad?" "Alright, don't be afraid."

"Just speak properly." The man waved his hand.

He then glanced at the people around him and revealed a satisfied expression.

Zhang Yuan found it even stranger. What are you satisfied with?
They didn't say it explicitly.

"Let Dean Wu speak next."

“Okay, I’ll do it.” A round-faced man with graying but still fairly thick hair spoke up; he looked like a scientist.

This person didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point.

“We checked the records and found that you also invested in a foreign racing company.”

"It's the Mercedes F1 team, right?"

“Yes…” Zhang Yuan nodded.

You even found out about this?
That's right, given their administrative ranks, they could easily investigate me.

What can the KeTi team do?
My investment was legal... though not entirely legal.

The money for buying the racing team was transferred out through various means.

This is no big deal if no one takes care of it, but it becomes a problem if someone does.

“Okay, since you have connections with the team, we are now very interested in the team’s wind tunnel data.”

"I wonder if you could provide us with this information."

Zhang Yuan's head buzzed.

Wind tunnel data?

Most of the consulting units for the play "Qian Xuesen" were related to Qian Xuesen.

One of Qian Xuesen's main research areas throughout his life was related to aerodynamics.

So when these people found out they were connected to the racing team, they came up with this idea.

grandma's!
It's all Lao Han's fault.

They also told me to be more confident, saying that people were only being so polite because they liked me, and that they could recommend actresses.

Yarn!

I told you there was a problem.

Old Han misled me!

They're being so nice to me for no reason; they must want something from me.

He also figured out why he was being so serious today, and why the questions he asked had nothing to do with the performance.

They weren't there to watch me act; they were there for a background check.

"Let me clarify and correct what I just said," Zhang Yuan said, raising his hand.

"I am patriotic."

The scientists were dumbfounded again.

You're so fickle.

Just like Jimmy said, I can love my country, and I can talk.

If you had discussed this earlier, I would have been a patriot long ago.

Zhang Yuan thought about it for a moment.

The current Mercedes F1 team is the former Brawn GP team, and before that, the Honda F1 team.

When Honda sold the team to Ross Brown, it was for £1, and the entire factory and office equipment were given to him intact.

Brown took these assets to banks and borrowed a total of nearly £8000 million.

The £4000 million valuation is due to Honda building a state-of-the-art racing wind tunnel for the team at the time.

£4000 million is the bank's estimate for the secondhand market; this thing is incredibly valuable.

In 01, Kimi Räikkönen, who later won his last world championship for Ferrari, was a member of the private team Sauber.

McLaren team boss Ron Dennis saw his potential and wanted to poach him.

The final agreement reached with Mr. Sauber was to acquire the young driver for free, but McLaren would have to build a wind tunnel for Sauber.

This equipment cost £02 million in 4500.

It currently ranks sixth among automotive wind tunnels worldwide.

Why is Formula 1 called an aristocratic sport?

That's a real money drain, and it's not just on the field, it's even more expensive in the factories.

The acoustic wind tunnel used by the Mercedes-Benz team ranks among the top three automotive wind tunnels in the world.

Hmm... But after thinking about it this way, Zhang Yuan felt something was off.

China's wind tunnel technology is actually quite advanced.

It was thanks to the foundation laid by Qian Xuesen that they later built the world's most powerful wind tunnel, bar none.

It's stronger than the ones in North America.

This is also the reason why China's long-range missile technology has taken a precipitous lead over the world.

However, missiles use supersonic wind tunnels, with a base speed above the speed of sound, sometimes reaching tens of times the speed of sound.

The wind tunnels used in racing cars are indeed very advanced, but their research directions are different.

It is a top-tier low-speed wind tunnel, with a maximum speed that generally does not exceed 500 kPH.

The aerodynamic concepts of racing cars and spacecraft are exactly opposite; racing cars use aerodynamics to press themselves down on the ground.

Simply put, you can take off by turning the race car upside down.

Moreover, missiles and spacecraft generally have relatively regular shapes, while racing cars are very complex.

Therefore, the design concepts and requirements of the two types of wind tunnels are completely different.

Zhang Yuan clearly expressed his doubts.

The experts seemed somewhat surprised.

Damn, you really know your stuff!

"I have a question," Zhang Yuan asked after thinking for a while.

"Do you want wind tunnel data, or data from the wind tunnel itself?"

"Data from the wind tunnel itself," the person replied.

Zhang Yuan rolled his eyes, and he understood.

Asking for wind tunnel data indicates an interest in wind tunnels, not racing.

Then there are only two possibilities.

They are building some kind of wind tunnel to study a device with a speed of less than 500 kilometers per hour.

Or they might want to verify the design accuracy of a certain wind tunnel device and need data for reference.

Zhang Yuan glanced at the group of people; he remembered that some of the advisors were from AVIC.

Later, those stealth drones seemed to have been made by AVIC.

Wind tunnel test models are typically scaled down by 40% to 60%.

If the model and the actual size differ too much, the data is prone to distortion.

Moreover, no matter how advanced the software simulation is, it can never replace the "primitive method" of using a wind tunnel.

Although F1 cars are racing cars, they are not small in size.

After being enlarged several times, its maximum length and width were roughly the same as a Mercedes-Maybach S600.

The weight is less than one ton.

After scaling up to 60%, it should be possible to study a device with a maximum size of 3 to 4 meters and a weight of less than 2 tons.

"Please stop thinking," an older man interrupted him, noticing his eyes darting around.

"You can think about it."

"However, please keep what we said and discussed today confidential."

"Do not communicate with anyone other than yourself."

It means that even sleep talking has to be censored.

Zhang Yuan left the China Film Group office building feeling somewhat dazed.

After returning home, I sat on the single sofa in my bedroom without even changing my clothes, lost in thought.

"What about people?"

"Why can't I find him as soon as I get home?"

When the older sister entered the room, she found it was dark.

When I turned on the light, I was startled.

"Mom!"

"what are you doing."

"Hide in the room without turning on the lights."

"He neither eats nor speaks."

"What's wrong? Did you get a blow?"

"You didn't succeed in the audition?" Cheng Hao found it strange to see him like this.

"It might have been a bit too successful." Zhang Yuan rubbed his temples with his fingers.

"What do you mean?"

"It's nothing, you eat first, I don't have an appetite."

"It's fine if I don't eat." Cheng Hao twisted her waist and sat on the armrest of the sofa.

"You're sick." She reached out and placed her hand on his forehead.

It's a little warm, but not hot.

The heat is because the CPU is about to be overclocked.

"You're not sick, are you just exhausted?"

Zhang Yuan gently pushed her hand away, stood up, and went to the full-length mirror.

He straightened his suit, spit some saliva on it, and tidied his hair.

She looks quite good, older sister.

How about we do some exercise before meals?
This treatment method is most effective when a man is in a bad mood.

I feel good whenever I exercise.

"Zhang Yuan, why don't you go take a shower first?" Cheng Hao rubbed his hands together.

"Lie down and rest for a while, then eat when you have an appetite."

"Wait a minute." Zhang Yuan turned around, his eyes blazing.

"What did you call me?"

"Zhang Yuan..."

"Tsk tsk tsk." He shook his head.

"Please call me by my English name from now on."

Where did you get your English name?

"Call me Bond." Zhang Yuan put one hand in his pocket, and held the other hand in front of him like a pistol: "James Bond." (End of Chapter)