Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 226, Section 224: Gao Yuanyuan: I'm not jealous!

Wednesday, June 2, 1999.

In the conference room on the ninth floor of the Jingxin Building.

The long conference table was filled with people on both sides.

On one side is the core creative team of "Flying Colors," led by Wang Sheng, including the executive director, director of photography, art director, production manager, and representatives of the screenwriting team.

On the other side are the core members of the "Old Shen's List" crew, who will soon be led by Huo Jianqi.

Sunlight streamed in through the huge glass windows, casting bright spots of light on the smooth tabletop and illuminating the diverse expressions on everyone's faces.

Wang Sheng sat in the main seat, wearing a simple dark polo shirt. His expression was calm, and his gaze swept across the room, exuding an undeniable sense of control.

He didn't waste any pleasantries and went straight to the point.

"The purpose of today's meeting is very simple." Wang Sheng's voice was clear and steady: "Important announcements for two things. First, the two projects, 'Flying Colors' and 'Old Shen's List,' are officially launched and enter the preparation stage starting today."

As soon as the words were spoken, a slight commotion arose in the conference room. Although everyone had expected it, the official announcement still stirred their emotions.

This is one of the first key projects in the "major economic rescue plan," and its significance is extraordinary.

“Second, group assignments.” Wang Sheng continued, turning his gaze to Huo Jianqi, who was sitting to his left: “Director Huo, the script for ‘Old Shen’s List’ is emotionally nuanced and requires careful polishing. I trust you to lead it.”

Huo Jianqi nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, Mr. Wang, I will do my best."

“Okay.” Wang Sheng turned his gaze back to his side: “I’ll oversee the ‘Flying Colors’ project. The schedule is tight and the task is heavy. We need to complete filming within a month and release it in August.”

He succinctly assigned tasks: "Now, Director Huo, take your people to the conference room next door for an internal meeting to discuss the preliminary preparation plan for 'Old Shen's List,' including actor selection and location scouting. We'll meet again this afternoon."

"Understood." Huo Jianqi responded, then stood up, and the people on his side picked up their notebooks and left the conference room in an orderly manner.

In the blink of an eye, only the members of the "Flying Colors" project team remained in the conference room, and the atmosphere seemed to become even more tense.

Wang Sheng leaned forward slightly, placed his hands on the table, and looked at the remaining people: "Let's get straight to the point. The core of the 'Flying Colors' project can be summed up in two words—'fast' and 'accurate.' Everyone has already seen the first draft of the script. If you have any questions, you can ask them now."

The young screenwriter in charge of the script spoke first: "Mr. Wang, we feel that the current portrayal of Wang Xiaojia's father is a bit weak. He mainly exists as a source of pressure. Is it possible to add some details about his attitude change later on?"

Wang Sheng pondered for a moment and nodded, "Sure. For example, after Wang Xiaojia breaks down and runs out in the rain, we can add a scene where the father, although cursing, secretly follows her. He sees her enter the tutoring class, smokes a cigarette downstairs, and looks at the lights upstairs with a complicated expression. Just one or two shots, to hint at his inner turmoil. The specific degree is up to your scriptwriting team."

"Okay, Mr. Wang!" The screenwriter quickly wrote it down.

The director of photography then asked, "Mr. Wang, what are your specific requirements for the film's visual style? Do you prefer a realistic documentary style, or could you incorporate some more lively and cartoonish techniques?"

"Combinate them." Wang Sheng gave a clear instruction: "The daily school and family scenes should be more realistic, using natural light to create a sense of realism. But when depicting Wang Xiaojia's academic progress, inner thoughts, or Cheng Dongqing's unique teaching methods, you can be bolder, using fast cuts, frame skipping, or even some animation elements to highlight fun and youthfulness. What I want is to be down-to-earth, but not rustic; passionate, but not pretentious or empty."

After a discussion, several key issues in the preliminary preparations were resolved efficiently.

Finally, we came to the most important part – casting.

All eyes were on Wang Sheng.

Wang Sheng opened the folder in front of him, which contained several simple biographical sketches and a shortlist of candidates.

He said directly, "The female lead, Wang Xiaojia, will be played by Fan Xiaopang."

This decision did not cause much surprise.

"The character of Wang Xiaojia needs to be a bit rebellious in the early stages, and later you need to see the resilience and growth in her eyes. Tell Fan Xiaopang to put away that bit of江湖气 (jianghu spirit) from 'The Legendary Twins' and really think about how to portray a real high school student," Wang Sheng added.

"Understood." Li Tingting, the head of the artist management department in charge of actor liaison, immediately took notes.

"The male lead, Cheng Dongqing." Wang Sheng announced the name of this key character, and the conference room fell silent as everyone speculated about which talented actor would play the role.

"This character is around thirty years old. He may seem a bit carefree and unkempt, but he needs to be knowledgeable, passionate, and able to command respect while also connecting with students. He needs to have that kind of 'down-to-earth idealist' quality."

Wang Sheng analyzed the character's traits and then gave his choice: "Contact Wang Zhiwen and ask about his availability and intentions." "For the father role," Wang Sheng continued, "find an old actor with a strong presence who can portray the frustration and stubbornness of a laid-off worker."

"For the role of the mother, any actress with a similar temperament, like Song Dandan, would be suitable. She needs to be able to portray the kind of woman who is stoic in her family life yet deeply loves her daughter silently. I'll leave this to the casting director to find, and please give me a few options as soon as possible."

"For the younger brother role, find a young actor who looks clever."

Wang Sheng had a clear mind and finalized the casting for several key roles with almost no hesitation.

"As for the other supporting roles, such as classmates and teachers," Wang Sheng said, looking at the assistant director in charge of casting, "I'll hand them over to your casting director team. According to the script requirements, find suitable newcomers or current students as soon as possible. They need to look real and have a student vibe. Once the list is finalized, submit it to me for final review."

"Okay, Mr. Wang!" the casting director quickly replied.

"Li Tingting," Wang Sheng said to the artist management manager, "you are responsible for contacting these main actors I have finalized as soon as possible, communicating their schedules and intentions, and reporting to me directly if there are any issues."

"Understood, I'll take care of it immediately after the meeting." Li Tingting nodded solemnly.

"Alright, let's get started. The 'Flying Colors' project is officially launched!" Wang Sheng made the final decision, ending this short but efficient meeting.

Everyone quickly packed their things and filed out, their faces showing a sense of urgency and enthusiasm.

……

The girls' dormitory at Beijing Film Academy.

Fan Xiaopang had just finished his morning acting class and returned to the dormitory with Gao Yuanyuan.

She kicked off her shoes and slumped into a chair without any regard for her image, complaining, "Ugh, I'm so tired! This is even more tiring than filming action scenes in Hengdian..."

Gao Yuanyuan smiled and poured her a glass of water: "Then why don't you hurry up and rest? You have a dialogue class this afternoon."

"Okay, my Miss Gao..." Just as Fan Xiaopang was about to continue acting cute, the phone on the table rang.

Fan Xiaopang jolted awake and sat up straight instantly.

Upon seeing that it was Li Tingting calling, Fan Xiaopang quickly answered the phone: "Sister Tingting..."

On the other end of the phone, Li Tingting's cheerful voice came through: "Little Fatty, are you at school? I have some good news for you."

"What good news?" Fan Xiaopang's heart started racing.

"The company's new film project, 'Flying Colors,' was personally selected by President Wang, and you will play the female lead, Wang Xiaojia!"

Om-!
Fan Xiaopang felt a rush of heat to her head, her ears ringing. She barely heard what Li Tingting was saying afterward, such as "go back to the company as soon as possible to review the script," "discuss contract details," and "be careful to keep it confidential." She only mechanically replied, "Okay, Tingting-jie, I understand. I'll go back to the company right away! Thank you, Tingting-jie!"

After hanging up the phone, Fan Xiaopang remained holding the receiver, his expression frozen yet also as if about to burst into a huge smile, making him look somewhat comical.

"Little Fatty, what's wrong? What good news made you so happy?" Gao Yuanyuan asked curiously.

Fan Xiaopang snapped out of his daze, put down the phone, grabbed Gao Yuanyuan, and kissed her hard on the cheek. He lowered his voice, but couldn't hide his extreme excitement: "Yuanyuan! The female lead! President Wang's new movie! He wants me to play the female lead!"

Why wasn't it me?
Gao Yuanyuan felt a slight pang of sadness, but still happily congratulated him, saying, "Really? Congratulations, Little Fatty!"

"Hahaha! Great!"

Fan Xiaopang let go of Gao Yuanyuan, excitedly spun around the dormitory twice, then covered his face with his hands and stomped his feet excitedly.

After the initial euphoria, a thought flashed through her mind like lightning:

Sending sweet potatoes...that's the perfect gift!
The憨头憨脑 (simple-minded) little Chinese rural dog puppy, named "Sweet Potato" by Wang Sheng to symbolize "loyalty," indeed won over Boss Wang's heart!
The reward came too quickly and too generously!
She's the female lead in a movie! And it's a project personally directed by CEO Wang!

She seemed to have already seen her bright future, which would allow her to leap from a TV drama actress to a movie star with this film.

My inner joy was like boiling water, bubbling and bubbling out.

(End of this chapter)