Huayu 1995

Chapter 21: No Chance of Meeting Saves on Electricity Bills

The gatekeeper's surname was Qin, but given Su Chao's level, there was absolutely no way he could stop Su Chao.

The main problem is that Su Chao is too confident.

Even if he was carrying a huge snakeskin bag, no one would associate him with a scavenger.

Su Chao came to the Central Academy of Drama without a clear goal.

It's about whoever you can find to wait for.

"classmate!"

Su Chao's eyes lit up when he saw someone walking down the street with their head down.

"calls me?"

The man looked around and realized he was the only one there.

Summer vacation has started, and all the students have gone home.

"Yes, come over and let's talk."

Su Chao acted as if he were a teacher at the Central Academy of Drama or a director from an outside film crew looking for actors, while the other party was merely a student at the Central Academy of Drama.

In fact, this statement is 50% accurate.

The other person is indeed a student at the Central Academy of Drama.

Su Chao is neither a teacher nor a famous director; he is just an unemployed person.

"Is something wrong?"

"What do you call it?"

"Duan Yihong".

"Excuse me, can I ask you something?"

That's right, the young man in front of me who doesn't look very energetic and seems like he hasn't woken up yet is Duan Yihong.

Su Chao knows Duan Yihong quite well.

These training scammers all like to use Duan Yihong as an example.

Duan Yihong, a poor student from a remote area, failed the entrance exam for the Beijing Film Academy twice. In the third year, he entered the Central Academy of Drama with the highest score in Northwest China after attending an art exam training class.

How poor was Duan Yihong?

He borrowed a donkey cart to cross the Taklamakan Desert, hitched a ride on a coal truck to Beijing, and accumulated a debt of 37,000 yuan to go to school. He worked odd jobs in the school cafeteria, picking up vegetable scraps and eating rice with soy sauce.

When we were at our poorest, we had to sell our blood.

To save money, he didn't go home for four years, spending his winter and summer vacations struggling to survive.

But then look at his later salary of 32 million.

Do you still think our training course's fee of 248,000 yuan for art exam preparation is too expensive?
Go ahead and ask~

Duan Yihong felt it was just a small favor, and naturally he wouldn't refuse such a small request.

"I really like movies, so I'd like to get some old movie-related newspapers. Do you know where I can get them?"

Su Chao asked with a smile.

"The reception office seems to have some, but they sell the newspapers there to the recycling center every now and then. Now that it's summer vacation, I'm not sure if they still have any in stock."

Duan Yihong took another look at Su Chao.

This man looked quite respectable, but with a huge, bulging snakeskin bag at his feet and inquiring about old newspapers, could he really be a ragpicker?

"Could you please take me to see it?"

Su Chao pushed his luck.

Isn't Duan Yihong awesome?
Cattle!
But he's not successful now; he's destitute.

In the presence of a reborn being, he can only be saved.

However, Su Chao was not a savior.

He has no interest in saving or promoting everyone he meets, or fawning over future big stars.

His principle is "to make the best use of everything".

I'll only let you work for me if you're useful to me.

At this stage, Duan Yihong is not very useful.

Therefore, he wanted to see if there was any fate between him and Duan Yihong.

Those destined to meet will find each other even from a thousand miles away; those not destined will at least save on electricity bills.

Don't complain about life, because life has given you many opportunities, but you just didn't seize them.

Once upon a time, a reborn person stood before you...

Duan Yihong caught him, and since he had nothing else to do, he nodded and indicated that he would follow him.

In addition, he found Su Chao very strange.

He hoped to observe Su Chao more closely and find out what this strange person was up to.

Duan Yihong and the old man in the gatehouse were acquaintances.

He often comes here to read newspapers for free.

Actually, the logistics department was responsible for handling the old newspapers.

However, some newspapers would remain at the mailroom for various reasons, and over time they would become the property of the mailroom.

Sometimes students would come and ask for some, but most of the time the old man would take them to exchange for eggs or sell them to a recycling station.

However, newspapers were worthless these days, and the recycling station only offered 12 cents per newspaper.

Even if you collect a whole bagful, it only amounts to a few dollars.

When Su Chao offered a pack of cigarettes, explaining that he and Duan Yihong were both students and wanted to pick out some newspapers to decorate the training room, the old man on duty at the gatehouse readily agreed that they could choose whatever they wanted.

Su Chao picked up magazines like "Drama and Film News" and "Popular Cinema," taking them one after another until the old man on duty was almost green with rage, before he and Duan Yihong swaggered away.

What are you going to do with so much?

Duan Yihong felt a little regretful. Judging from the old man's expression, he might be met with a cold shoulder next time he wanted to go in to read the newspaper.

"You use it to wallpaper walls, and some of it can be used as props. Oh, by the way, you're a student here, right? Do you often go out and do bit parts?"

Su Chao was quite satisfied with Duan Yihong.

Hardworking but not pedantic.

"Jobs are hard to find, and they're not frequent."

Duan Yihong didn't understand why the other party was asking these questions, but he still answered honestly.

The person asking this question is definitely not a Japanese spy.

How much does it cost to run a day's work?

Su Chao didn't know if students from the Central Academy of Drama would be paid more for minor roles.

"Eight pieces." Duan Yihong's words made Su Chao want to laugh for a moment.

However, thinking about it, it seems quite normal.

A large production crew might pay extras 31 days a week, while a small or medium-sized crew might only get 10 or 20 yuan. After the crew leader takes a cut, they might only get 10 or 8 yuan left.

"Then let me introduce you to a job, acting. Do you want to do it?"

Su Chao did not directly ask if they wanted to run a training course together.

That would be so boring.

"Dry!"

Duan Yihong spoke concisely, but his burning gaze betrayed him.

"They haven't even told you what role you're going to play."

Su Chao was both amused and exasperated.

What if he's a bad person?
If they ask you to act in movies like "All the Way North," "2D Sex and Zen," or "When Peach Harvests," they'll ask you whether you'll act in it or not.

"Excuse me, what role do we play?"

Duan Yihong gave a dry laugh, clearly overly excited.

Nearly half of the summer vacation has passed, and he hasn't earned much money staying in Beijing. If he doesn't have any more opportunities to make money, he might really have to sell his blood.

He has already emptied his family's pockets to pay for the art exams and tuition fees.

Only those who are extremely poor know what a lifeline is.

"Ten yuan a day to play a student, twenty yuan a day to play a teacher, are you in?"

Su Chao felt somewhat guilty; he shouldn't have teased someone in such a miserable situation.

Unfortunately, his guilt vanished even faster than his ex-girlfriend.

"Is there a script?"

Duan Yihong remained silent for a moment before asking the question.

The strange man in front of me is acting a bit strangely; it's possible he's deliberately making fun of me.

"No, it was all improvised. You got into the Central Academy of Drama, surely you can perform something this simple?" Su Chao followed up with, "Have you ever attended any training courses?"

"I've been there."

Duan Yihong couldn't help but recall the four thousand yuan.

It wasn't actually the tuition fee of 4,000, but the total cost of 4,000, which was still a huge sum for their family no matter what.

“We also run a training class. If you pretend to be a student, you get ten yuan a day. If you become a teacher, you get twenty yuan a day…”

Su Chao's image collapsed in Duan Yihong's eyes.

Fuck, liar!

Duan Yihong turned to leave.

"Wait a minute, aren't you going to report me to the school?"

Su Chao is practically provoking us.

"You're a madman..."

Duan Yihong enjoys observing others; anyone can be his subject of observation. He draws inspiration from these observations to refine his performance system.

Therefore, he has exceptional observational skills.

Through his observation, he discovered that Su Chao perfectly matched all the characteristics of a madman.

"You can visit our training center to learn more. If you still feel that our training center is a scam, I advise you to report it to the school to prevent more students from being deceived."

Su Chao wasn't flustered at all.

Someone as obsessive as Duan Yihong would definitely go to the scene to see for himself after hearing what you said.

"This is a business card. Classes start on August 1st. Remember, it's 10 yuan for students and 20 yuan for teachers. There's a bonus for good performance!"

Su Chao tossed him a business card and walked away.

The business cards were cut from cardboard and had a phone number and address written on them.

The training course was not mentioned.

These days, you can get away with doing this kind of thing without anyone arresting you, but if you're too high-profile, things might change.

Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, someone was also slapped by a butterfly wing.

Johnnie To looked up and praised, "Yes, that's the taste. It seems your trip to the mainland has inspired you. You should really travel around more when you have time."

"No, I met someone."

Wai Ka-fai returned to Hong Kong the day after he finished writing the script.

He submitted the script to Johnnie To and Yau Nai-hoi, and both of them gave it their approval.

"what kind of person?"

Yau Nai-hoi was very curious. He had read the first draft of the script before, but he hadn't thought of a particularly good way to handle it.

Wai Ka-fai only went to the mainland to accompany Lam Suet on a blind date. How could he be so inspired?
"Someone...singing in a nightclub..."

After careful consideration, Wei Jiahui realized that he found it difficult to define Su Chao with a simple profession.

Could he really be just a simple resident singer?

In Wei Jiahui's eyes, Su Chao was not just talented, but bursting with talent.

"Oh...a karaoke girl!"

You Naihai's expression was strange.

Mr. Wei, you're going to make your mark on film history.

"No, no, it's a man."

Wai Ka-fai quickly explained, "What a wise man I've always been!"

"Wow, is it that exciting?"

Yu Nai-hai almost burst out laughing.

"You idiot, fuck your mother..."

After hearing Wai Ka-fai's story and learning that Su Chao had declined Wai Ka-fai's invitation, Johnnie To and Yau Nai-hoi also felt it was a great pity.

This is a promising talent.

Most importantly, he is young. With a little nurturing, the Hong Kong film industry may well have another genius screenwriter.

"However, he didn't completely refuse. He's still willing to cooperate in the future. Once our company is established, we'll give him a title and let him come to the film crew to learn. As long as he falls in love with movies, I think nothing else matters."

Wai Ka-fai did not give up.

From this day forward, Su Chao will be the white moonlight in his heart.

(End of this chapter)