Huayu: Are you even sitting up straight? You're going to be the director?

Chapter 3 is clever, and it has its merits, but it's easy to alert the Central Propaganda Department.

"call!"

After writing all day, it was already evening when Cao Zhong finally finished the script.

He fixed what he considered to be several minor bugs and improved the logical connections between the characters in the script.

But most of them are very minor adjustments.

The original version is actually quite good.

There are some abrupt details, which are most likely due to editing.

Cao Zhong added to the script.

Two major adjustments were made, one of which was Lin Yuxiu's confession after leaving Nanjing.

Another one is the aerial footage that was prepared for filming during the sacrificial ceremony.

When the script was finished, Cao Zhong's eyes were slightly moist, and he felt a little lost.

He sighed twice, letting out long and short sighs.

It's not that he insisted on making this kind of film, but some things need to be remembered, but we must not rely on Lu Chuan for them.

Your buttocks are too crooked.

Cao Zhong acknowledged that it's good for films to have multiple dimensions, but as a Chinese person, Lu Chuan's perspective is absolutely unacceptable.

If a Japanese person wants to film their own brutality, they can create such a character to show that one of them was also pushed along by the war.

It's like the song "The Wind Rises".

Cao Zhongneng understands.

But a Chinese person produced this.

Every stone in Yuhuatai objected.

Back in the dorm, I lay down.
I finally feel relieved.

Their dormitory had four beds, but when the dorms were assigned, there was an odd number of boys, so they were short one roommate.

Because it was a bunk bed, the bed that Qi Jiuzhou was sitting on was empty.

It's now been taken over by Qi Jiuzhou, and it's full of luggage.

"Hey Zhong, you never skip class, did you really do something really big?"

Wang Renjun was very curious when he saw Cao Zhong enter.

During class, Cao Zhong talked about thinking about movies, and they all heard him.

It's impossible not to feel a little itch.

"What is Shandong Province famous for?" Cao Zhong teased Wang Renjun.

"The lecherous Shandong Huan..."

"roll."

Cao Zhong gave Wang Renjun the middle finger; this guy was both his roommate and fellow townsman.

However, since his family had enough rice, he went to Beijing with his parents after finishing the first year of junior high school.

We're practically from the same hometown.

“People from Shandong are honest!” Cao Zhong said, “so I would never lie to anyone.”

"So what did you do all day?"

"Write a screenplay."

There was a crash.

Roommate Qi Jiuzhou dangled his thin, long head from the top bunk, looking like a ghost. Wang Renjun immediately stood next to Cao Zhong, insisting on taking a look.

They've even started calling him "Dad."

"Shouting won't do any good; you're not really part of the team."

Cao Zhongdao said, "Let me show the script to the homeroom teacher first."

"Tch. Still keeping us in suspense. If you can't be an actress, a job serving tea and water will do. As the screenwriter, you have the final say, right? We can also take advantage of your position and get close to the actresses."

Qi Jiuzhou began to imagine the wonderful scene.

"By the way, have you decided who you want to film it?" Wang Renjun asked.

"There's no choice here, whoever it's sold to will bid for it," Qi Jiuzhou said.

"Take the photos yourself."

"You're filming it yourself?! You're directing it yourself?"

The two roommates were shocked!
Cao Zhong nodded and went to sleep.

That night, the three people in the dormitory had different feelings.

Cao Zhong's transformation was so drastic that his two roommates were quite surprised.

In terms of resources, connections, and money.

Wang Renjun is talented, and Qi Jiuzhou's father is a Golden Rooster Award-winning director; both of them are stronger than Cao Zhong.

But when it came to their overall perspectives, the two suddenly realized they were no match for each other.

At least in terms of the path to take in the future, Cao Zhong is clearly ahead of the curve and has more ideas.

The next day, six in the morning.

Cao Zhong then woke up.

Yang Mi kept sending messages on QQ, asking Cao Zhong to go out and run with her.

"Very self-disciplined, the rookie king."

Cao Zhong came downstairs, his face full of morning grumpiness.

"You called me back, so you can't go for a run with me and do some morning exercise? And you're still mocking me?"

At the Beijing Film Academy, undergraduate students majoring in acting have to practice their lines and physical movements every morning at 6:30. They do this regardless of the season or weather.

This has almost become an unshakeable rule at film schools.

However, Yang Mi has been filming outside and therefore rarely appears in public.

Yang Mi clenched her little fist, her little tiger teeth puffing out in anger.

"I took leave from work to come back because of your invitation; we haven't even finished filming 'The Door' yet."

"Do I have that much influence?" Cao Zhong was astonished. "Besides, it was the media that called you the 'Newcomer King,' not me. How is that mocking you?"

"What did the media say? A beautiful young woman in her prime, a sophomore at the Beijing Film Academy, the 2006 Newcomer of the Year, the youngest potential celebrity on the Forbes China list... Youth is the new force, youth is limitless..."

"Hey, shut up! I've got Cool Mom blacklisting you!" Yang Mi jumped up and down in anger.

Cool Mom Cao Zhong naturally knew who it was: Li Shaohong, the boss, agent, and director of Zhou Xun, Yang Mi, Chen Kun, and others.

"Actually, coming back to catch up on acting classes was just my excuse."

The two started running laps around the Beijing Film Academy. Along the way, Cao Zhong didn't ask any questions, but Yang Mi couldn't hold back any longer.

"Cool Mom asked me to film a kissing scene with my senior brother Chen Kun. I originally thought it would be a camera trick, just like when we filmed 'Liaozhai: Xiaoqian' last year. I didn't expect her to make us kiss for real. I panicked a bit, so I took advantage of you looking for me and slipped away. I have to go back in the next couple of days."

"You're a veteran actor, why are you panicking?"

“I’m not nervous when I’m filming with you,” Yang Mi said quickly.

"Ok?"

Cao Zhong was stunned for a moment, not even realizing what was happening.

What the heck? Yang Mi likes me?
Cao Zhong thought back and realized that he hadn't had much interaction with Yang Mi since enrolling in school; he had only helped her a few times.

However, I think I'm the most handsome in this cohort.

Love face?

Cao Zhong remained silent for a moment, then sighed softly.
"It seems that boys will also need to protect themselves when they go out in the future."

"What do you mean, Cao Zhong!" Yang Mi exclaimed anxiously. "I came back to ask for your opinion. If you don't want me to kiss you, I won't."

"Can an actor go through life without ever filming a kissing scene?" Cao Zhong asked.

Yang Mi didn't know how to answer.

"This is work," she said hesitantly.

“If I want to be a director, discussing scripts with other actresses at night is also work. Would you be willing?” Cao Zhong asked rhetorically.

"I'll strangle you!" Yang Mi said, grabbing him immediately.

A moment later, in the grove, their lips met.

"I don't care anymore. Whether it's my first on-screen kiss or not, I want to give my first kiss to the person I like."

Yang Mi took a big sip.

"Besides, it's not up to Cool Mom to decide. I'm going to use a camera angle, I'm going to use a camera angle!"

Cao Zhong looked embarrassed.

I really didn't expect that on my second day after being reborn, I would be forcibly kissed?
I've finished my morning exercise.

Cao Zhong printed out the script and, following his memory, made his way to the homeroom teacher's office.

"Teacher Cui!"

Knocked on the door.

"Please come in."

Pushing open the door, the kind-looking middle-aged woman looked up and inexplicably raised her eyebrows.

Looking at the timetable, Cui Xinqin asked in bewilderment, "Cao Zhong, why aren't you in class?"

Cao Zhong is not planning to pursue a career in acting. He doesn't really care whether he attends classes or not, but he still feels a little embarrassed by his homeroom teacher's stern rebuke.

"Professor Cui, I've written a script and was hoping you could help me with some revisions. If possible, I'd also like to submit it to the directing department to see if I can get a producer position and some investment."

Cui Xinqin found this statement rather vague.

Unable to help but frown, Cui Xinqin said, "You're an undergraduate student majoring in acting, and instead of studying acting, you're writing scripts for me?"

Despite his verbal sparring, he took Cao Zhong's script from his hand.

"Hey, it's pretty thick."

Nanjing Photo Studio
The five large characters on the cover left Cui Xinqin completely bewildered as to what the movie was about.

Upon opening the script and reading the first act, Cui Xinqin understood immediately.

Nanjing in 1937.

A postman, accompanied by a long take marked with a script, unveils a corner of Nanjing.

Daily life, chaos, escape, and the interplay of emotions.

Chaos in Nanjing.

bombing,

death.

The mailman couldn't keep up with the convoy's escape and watched helplessly as the convoy perished in the bombing.

Internal strife within the army,
Chinese people who can't escape

The brutal atrocities committed by the Japanese army.

The script clearly states that the bestial acts should be told from the perspective of the perpetrator, minimizing gore and avoiding sensationalism.

Cui Xinqin has been immersed in this industry for many years.

I can still tell the difference between a good and a bad script.

She was stunned after watching just the beginning.

"It's very mature. This is not something a sophomore, a performing arts student, could produce."

But it doesn't seem like something you bought.

Because the writing wasn't very standard, it was obvious that the writer wasn't a seasoned scriptwriter.

The imagery was so vivid that Cui Xinqin felt she could completely recreate the scene in her mind.

He glanced up at Cao Zhong.

Cui Xinqin didn't bother to discuss the matter of attending classes with Cao Zhong anymore. She waved her hand, signaling Cao Zhong to sit down.

Then she continued watching.

The male protagonist, Su Liuchang, was being chased by the Japanese and cornered, but he was saved by a roll of photographic film in a mail package.

Jixiang Photo Studio.

His lies were believed, and he also discovered the owner of the photo studio.

The story officially begins from there.

Through the micro-perspective of ordinary people, it portrays historical facts and restores the brutal scenes depicted in textbook photographs of crimes.

In the overall concept, the camera and the gun are isomorphic, representing weapons of the mind and the body, respectively.

Until those lines were revealed.

This made Cui Xinqin's heart tremble, and she even couldn't bear it anymore, her eyes welling up with tears several times.

It lasted for more than forty minutes.

Cui Xinqin had just finished reading the script.

"You wrote it?"

Cui Xinqin wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and asked.

"Correct."

Cao Zhong was righteous and awe-inspiring.

"A very good script, restrained and not sentimental, and the level of completion is quite high. The story itself is gripping, ingenious, and uses small details to illustrate big ideas. It is very watchable."

After careful consideration, Cui Xinqin gave this evaluation.

"However, isn't your script a bit too clever for its own good?"

She thought for a moment and then asked, "I don't deny that your story is very complete, but it seems to have borrowed some content from 'The Bloodstained Evidence of the Massacre' and 'The Black Sun Nanjing Massacre'."

I haven't actually seen Cao Zhong before, but the teacher is, after all, very knowledgeable.

He nodded in acknowledgment: "There was indeed some reference and homage."

"It seems you've done a lot of film analysis, which is good. It's clever, but it's also genuinely good, both heartbreaking and shocking. There are some lines in the script that I still have to savor when I think back on them."

Cui Xinqin couldn't help but praise it, but then clicked her tongue, feeling a bit disgusted.

"Exactly, your script is likely to attract the attention of the Central Propaganda Department."

Cao Zhong was stunned. His eyes widened like saucers, and he pointed at himself.

"I?"

(End of this chapter)