Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 191, Page 189: Doing one's best
In late May 1998, the summer heat was just beginning to set in in Beijing, and the sun was scorching.

The area in front of the Beijing Film Studio was busier and more expectant than usual.

Wang Sheng stood in the shade of the porch, surrounded by several factory office managers, their eyes all fixed on the familiar road outside the factory.

Before long, several dusty buses slowly drove up and stopped at the factory gate.

The car door opened with a "whoosh," and the first person to step out was director Huo Jianqi. His face showed the fatigue of a long journey, but his eyes sparkled with the satisfaction and brightness of completing his work.

"Director Huo, thank you for your hard work!"

Wang Sheng stepped forward, smiling and extending his hand.

"President Wang! Why did you come in person!" Huo Jianqi quickly grasped Wang Sheng's hand, his voice filled with gratitude.

Behind him, the main cast and crew members also got out of the car one after another, including Huang Xiaoming, who played the son, and Teng Rujun, who played the father. Although they looked tired, they could not hide their excitement.

"Welcome home!"

Wang Sheng announced loudly to everyone, "Our 'Mountain, Man, Dog' has successfully wrapped up filming, which is a great joy! Tonight, I'll be hosting a welcome-back banquet at the factory canteen. Everyone has to come, not a single one is allowed to be missing!"

"oh--!"

Cheers erupted from the crowd, as if the fatigue of the journey had been washed away in that instant.

Everyone gathered around Wang Sheng and Huo Jianqi, chattering about the fun and hardships during filming, creating a lively and cheerful atmosphere.

After a round of pleasantries and laughter, the crowd gradually dispersed and returned to their dormitories or residences to settle down.

Wang Sheng and Huo Jianqi walked side by side toward the main administration building.

"How's the film? Do you think you've captured everything?" Wang Sheng asked as they walked.

"It feels...very good." Huo Jianqi pushed up his glasses, his face beaming with the satisfaction of artistic creation: "The mountains and rivers of western Hunan, that silent power, the subtle yet profound emotions between father and son, I think they all captured it. Huang Xiaoming and Teacher Teng both performed very well."

He paused, as if remembering something, and looked up at the azure sky above the Beijing Film Studio, comparing it to the past. "When we came back, we took the train, heading north all the way. You wouldn't believe it, when we left Hunan Province, it rained so heavily there, it was pouring down, and you could feel the air thick with moisture. It wasn't until we entered our northern territory that the sun came out and things got much better. This journey was truly like stepping from a traditional Chinese ink painting into a bright and clear landscape painting."

Wang Sheng listened and nodded: "There is a lot of rain in the south."

……

Time flies like an arrow; the locust flowers outside the window have fallen and new green pods have formed; the cicadas chirp more and more urgently; and before we know it, it is late July 1998.

The sweltering heat was like a giant steamer, tightly enveloping the capital. Cicadas chirped hoarsely on the drooping treetops, venting their last bursts of passion.

But for the students who have just finished the college entrance examination, this summer is more about relief and anticipation, and even the scorching air seems to have a sweet smell.

At Gao Yuanyuan's home, she held the telephone receiver tightly in her hand. She listened to the score that she had repeatedly confirmed coming from the receiver, stood there for a moment, and then, a huge joy exploded in her mind like fireworks!

"I passed! I really passed!" Holding her report card, she spun around excitedly, her pure face flushed with excitement, and her bright black eyes glistened with tears that almost spilled out.

More than a year of hard work, countless nights of studying late into the night, and Wang Sheng's unquestionable command that "you must get into university" have finally yielded the most satisfactory result.

Watching her daughter cry tears of joy, Gao's mother couldn't help but turn away, wiping away tears of excitement and relief from the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand, murmuring, "Good, good, it's good that she passed the exam..."

Meanwhile, in the somewhat simple single room at the Beijing Film Studio guesthouse.

"Mom! Did you hear that? I passed! I can get into Beijing Film Academy!" Fan Xiaopang's voice trembled with excitement as he spoke into the microphone, eager to share this incredible news with his family back in Qingdao.

After hanging up the phone, she rushed to the somewhat blurry mirror on the wall. Looking at the girl in the mirror, whose temples were damp with sweat, whose cheeks were flushed, but whose eyes were shining, she clenched her fists so tightly that her nails almost dug into her palms.

The road to starlight was full of thorns, but she finally stepped onto the most crucial and solid step through her own efforts.

Before the wave of joy had completely subsided, the sense of urgency at work had already arrived.

Zhang Yang's film "Beijing Bicycle" is already in preparation, with the script and crew waiting for them.

As the pre-selected female lead, Gao Yuanyuan joined the crew almost immediately without any respite.

She was asked to cut her shoulder-length hair a little shorter to make it look neater and more streamlined.

Xiao Xiao, played by Gao Yuanyuan, is the object of Xiao Jian's secret crush, a vocational high school student in the city, symbolizing the beauty and hazy emotions of adolescence.

Xiao Xiao's presence drives the plot forward. To pursue her, Xiao Jian steals money from his family to buy a secondhand bicycle, which happens to be the very bicycle Xiao Gui lost.

Her eventual attraction to another boy on a bicycle reflects the reality and cruelty of adolescence.

It is the starting point of the whole story.

She's just a tool, her job is to provide beauty.

Fan Xiaopang's supporting role is practically a plot device, but she has a conflict scene with Gao Yuanyuan, which leads to Xiao Jian standing up for Xiao Xiao and revealing his unrequited love for her.

In short, the goal is to let the two of them experience filming first.

……

One day in August, the scorching sun relentlessly baked everything, and the asphalt road surface was soft and yielding, shimmering with distorted, transparent heat waves.

A pedestrian wearing a t-shirt and fanning himself with a palm leaf fan hurried past the newsstand on the street corner with a frown, wanting to get back indoors as soon as possible.

A sudden gust of hot wind, carrying dust, swept up an old newspaper that someone had left on the ground and trampled on, and blew it to his feet with a "whoosh".

He glanced down instinctively, and on the yellowed, fragile front page of the newspaper, several lines of bold, black, traditional Chinese headlines stood out like a brand:

[Beijing Film Studio donates 50 million yuan] [Shengying Media donates 50 million yuan] [Cecilia Cheung donates all her assets, 3 million yuan] [The crew of "The Pursuit of Happyness," filming in Northeast China, has suspended work; Wang Sheng led over 100 crew members to participate...]

Below the title is a blurry black-and-white photo, which appears to show a mountain of supplies and a group of indistinct figures busily working.

"Wow, that's a huge investment... How many movies would they have to make to recoup that?"

He shook his head, seemingly unable to comprehend this kind of "squandering." He casually rolled up the newspaper, crumpled it into a ball, and precisely tossed it into a stained green tin trash can by the roadside. Then, he continued fanning himself with a palm leaf fan, walking under the scorching sun that could make your skin peel, and soon disappeared around the street corner.

(End of this chapter)