Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 1 When will you make a movie?
"I really...time-traveled!!"

Her tone was nine parts smile and one part trepidation as she looked at the unfamiliar room and then at the unfamiliar, handsome face in the mirror.

As a young man who looks like he's in his forties, but is forever eighteen at heart and in his thirties in reality, who doesn't want to cause any trouble for society and just wants to live a quiet life alone, Chen Shouzhe has long been prepared to be alone for the rest of his life.

"I was really just kidding, who wants to time travel..."

Chen Shouzhe remembered that he was watching a pirated version of "Zhou Chu Eliminates the Three Evils" on HL website. Although he had already seen it in the cinema, it was said to be an incomplete version. There was also a complete version online that was two hours and fourteen minutes long.

So I watched it again, and just then I came across the news. I was saddened by the passing of a great comic book master, and I discussed with netizens whether the deceased master might have traveled to another world.

Under the news of the master's passing, Chen Shou wrote his own message, mourning the master, reminiscing about his youth, and mentioning his desire to travel through time, taking with him the literature and scripts he has learned and accumulated over the years, to another world to realize his dream of becoming a director.

He was just leaving a message; who would have thought that watching a pirated movie would suddenly send him to this world by a bullet fired by Guilin Boy?

"I haven't even seen the uncut version yet, and I've only just opened my mouth when you shoot me and send me on a time-travel journey. I heard the uncut version has some really exciting scenes..."

Chen Shou felt as if more than ten thousand ants were crawling inside him, which was extremely uncomfortable.

He loved watching movies since he was a child. When he was a child, his family didn't have a TV. If he heard which village was showing a local movie, he would walk for one or two hours to see it without hesitation. After watching the movie, he was so scared that he didn't dare to go home.

Damn it, they're showing a zombie movie by the master director Lam Ching-ying.

Usually, two movies are shown each night. The first one is normal, like Shaolin Temple, Five Ancestors of Shaolin, Wong Fei-hung, or Vampire Expert. The first movie ends around nine o'clock, and the children have all gone home to sleep, leaving only the adults. At this time, the movie theater owner will smile mysteriously and take out a few more mysterious film reels.

Passion always begins in the latter half of the night. Chen Shouzhe didn't understand anything about things like the futon, the golden vase, the west wing, the barbecued pork bun, or the straw lamp, but he watched with great interest.

He loved movies since he was a child, and when he grew up, he dreamed of getting closer to the industry. He didn't know how to get into the circle, so he stumbled along while learning crosstalk on his own during his school years. He joined a local crosstalk troupe and became a crosstalk actor. Who knew that the industry was so united and exclusive? He wanted to find a master but had no way to do so. Because it wasn't profitable, his partner couldn't hold on and changed careers. He was preparing to change careers.

His love for movies hasn't changed, but Chen Shouzhe in this world is somewhat different.

From his memories, he knew that the original owner of this body was also named Chen Shouzhe, a crosstalk actor who studied under Yu Qian, a crosstalk actor from Deyun Society.

A major incident recently occurred at the company, which has left him feeling irritable lately.

When the company ran into trouble, his partner ran off with someone else at the first opportunity, leaving him all alone, like a young widow who had lost her man. The same applies to a pair of crosstalk performers and a young couple living their daily lives.

A one-person crosstalk is called a solo crosstalk, a two-person crosstalk is called a duet crosstalk, and a three-person crosstalk is called a group crosstalk.

The dialogue is relatively simple, with back-and-forth exchanges, questions and answers, which easily generate humor.

Without his partner, he either performs solo or finds a suitable partner again.

Chen Shouzhe had been looking for a new partner recently, but unexpectedly, he took over the position.

It took him a whole day to slowly accept his current identity. He'd already traveled through time, so what could he do? How could he go back? He couldn't just leave a message saying he wanted to travel back again. Better safe than sorry. What if someone actually believed him, arrested him, and dissected him?

Fortunately, he had already told all his account passwords to his older sister in his previous life. He had been single for over thirty years and, apart from occasionally eating fast food, he had saved up some money so that his parents wouldn't be left without a retirement fund when he died.

It's a pity I have so much stuff stored on my phone; I'm afraid I'll be embarrassed even if I die.

"At least give me some preparation. Let me delete my browser history. I came here by looking at the hl website."

Chen Shou covered his face, thinking about the possibility of being publicly tortured, his lifelong reputation ruined in one battle.

"Sleep is the most important thing in the world."

Chen Shou stopped thinking about it. The day's struggle was over. He should just accept his fate. Who knows if a Cadillac with thirteen doors will run him over tomorrow?

While snuggling up to his pillow and fast asleep, Chen Shouzhe dreamt that he was standing on the Oscar stage, uttering a famous quote that would resonate through the ages.

Everyone here is trash.

"Hey handsome, answer the phone!!!"

"Hey handsome, answer the phone!!!"

"Hello, who is it?" Chen Shou asked.

"Are you still asleep? Your master is about to leave." A gentle woman's voice came from the phone, sounding quite young. This familiar voice jolted Chen Shouzhe awake, instantly energizing him.

"Master's wife!!"

It was almost a spur-of-the-moment thing to say; it had become an instinctive reaction.

"I'm keeping watch over you, why don't you get up quickly?" the master's wife said with a hint of sternness.

"Ah! I'm coming right away."

Chen Shou hurriedly got up, changed his clothes, opened the door and went outside. The sun outside was really hot, like a furnace.

He lives quite far away, in Daxing, or more precisely, in the horse farm area.

His master built a horse farm in Daxing, which was also known as the "thunderstruck" pet park.

He was familiar with this place, having studied here since childhood. He was related to his master, Yu Qian, and when he visited his home more than ten years ago, his relatives encouraged him to become his master. Later, while studying in Kyoto, he lived in the horse farm, taking care of small animals and traveling around with his master to perform.

He learned a lot in the college and eventually got into the directing department of Beijing Film Academy. After all, his mentor was a directing student, and he graduated less than two months ago.

After getting dressed and coming out, Chen Shouzhe was already waiting in the garage. Upon seeing his master, Yu Qian, Chen Shouzhe couldn't help but feel a tremor in his heart, a tremor that only the original 'Chen Shouzhe' could feel.

The relationship between master and apprentice is very strict. At first, Chen Shouzhe thought that learning crosstalk from his relatives would be a simple matter, but later he realized he was wrong.

They were incredibly strict with him. On stage, they would make the audience laugh, but off stage, they were never smiling.

A master being strict with you is doing it for your own good; if a master is nice to you, you won't learn any skills.

If you try to turn your relationship with your apprentice into that of brothers, you're doomed; you'll never learn anything from them.

The relationship between master and apprentice is not like that of teacher and student. You are the student, and whether you learn or not has nothing to do with the teacher.

Between a master and his apprentice, the apprentice has to beg the master, kneel and kowtow to learn skills, because the master is responsible for the apprentice's entire life.

Yu Qian was extremely strict with Chen Shou from a young age; even his own son didn't receive this kind of treatment.

In this world, Chen Shou still harbors resentment towards Yu Qian. In fact, if it weren't for their kinship, he would have left Deyun Society a month ago along with his companions.

But the current Chen Shouzhe is not the same Chen Shouzhe as before. He understands that Yu Qian's strictness towards him is to help him, to teach him, and to help him learn more.

"If only I had a master like that in my past life, I wouldn't have had to wander for half my life," Chen Shou thought to himself, and jogged over.

“Master, I’m here,” Chen Shou said.

"You didn't even remember you had a performance today?" Yu Qian said sternly.

"I haven't forgotten, I haven't forgotten." Chen Shou didn't argue back, as arguing back at this moment would be the stupidest thing to do. He immediately went to open the back door.

After his master got in, Chen Shouzhe closed the door, ran to the front and sat in the passenger seat. In the driver's seat sat a young man about his age, who was winking and making faces at him through the mirror.

Chen Shou immediately recalled the young man's information: Meng Hetang. He was not Yu Qian's apprentice, but his godson and assistant. His master was Guo Degang, the head of the Deyun Society.

The two have a good relationship in private. Meng Hetang studied acting and later entered Deyun Society. He is also clever. When Yu Qian opened a restaurant, he worked as the lobby manager. Later, the restaurant went bankrupt, and he became Yu Qian's assistant.

The car started and headed straight for the overpass. There was an important performance today. After the last resignation incident and the suspension of business for rectification, they wanted to give back to their fans by holding a fan festival performance called the Steel Wire Festival.

All the actors must be present for the opening performance.

Chen Shouzhe and Meng Hetang did not perform. Apart from the opening show, they waited for the encore and were currently backstage serving tea and water to Yu Qian.

"Senior, when are you going to make a movie?" Meng Hetang suddenly asked, watching the performance on stage.

　I need recommendations for my new book!
　　

(End of this chapter)