Huayu started from the Three Kingdoms period

The second floor.

"Brother, should I go and tidy up first?" Xu Ying asked, pulling the staff member aside.

His hair was messy, and his face was dusty. He wasn't dirty, but he looked a bit unkempt.

"No need, Teacher Xu, you look just right."

Upon entering the room, Xu Ying glanced around casually. It was a room that had been set up and was temporarily serving as a meeting room.

Xu Ying met with Kang Honglei, the director of "My Chief and My Regiment", and Lan Xiaolong, the screenwriter.

Lan Xiaolong had sharp eyes and a serious expression on his thin face.

Kang Honglei, on the other hand, looked rather amiable, with a smile on his face, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"Hello Director Kang, hello Screenwriter Lan," Xu Ying greeted politely upon entering.

"Please have a seat." Kang Honglei smiled and gestured for Xu Ying to sit down first. "Have some water first."

The staff brought over some tea, and Xu Ying took a small sip.

"Director Gao said you're a genius of the experiential learning style, someone who's bound to become famous sooner or later." Kang Honglei paused before continuing, "Director Gao's words were so effusive that I didn't quite believe them, but he said Chen Jianbing also greatly admires you, so I believed him to some extent."

"But..." Kang Honglei suddenly changed the subject, "you are ultimately a newcomer."

"We've already put in a lot of effort before filming even started, and we'll only put in even more after filming begins."

Lan Xiaolong adjusted his glasses, picked up the script from the table, and said, "Here's the script. Take a look at it first."

"Once you're ready, let's begin."

As usual, a staff member brought over the script, and Xu Ying took it and started reading.

Xu Ying's contact with the character Yu Xiaoqing was limited to television dramas. Although he had indeed watched the drama in his previous life, he only watched it extensively for a year or two and didn't have time to watch it again afterward.

Through the script, the complex and tragic character gradually emerged in Xu Ying's mind.

Yu Xiaoqing is a tough military officer with a mix of idealism and warlordism. He comes from the Whampoa Military Academy and is obsessed with recovering lost territories.

Yet they were trapped by the rules of officialdom and class arrogance.

He is a contradictory figure who "wants to do great things but is held back by reality".

To portray his military dignity, his intellectual patriotism, and his deep-seated obsession, it's important to avoid portraying him as a one-dimensional "tough guy villain."

These thoughts naturally came to Xu Ying's mind.

This scene depicts the cannon fodder regiment retreating from Burma back to Zhenda, dressed in rags like beggars, as Yu Xiaoqing inspects them with his elite troops.

"I'm ready."

The audition begins.

Xu Ying stood ramrod straight, as if the cannon fodder regiment were right in front of him. When his gaze swept over the cannon fodder regiment, his eyes were filled with contempt, disappointment, and even a hint of frustration.

He angrily retorted, "You are soldiers! Not beggars!"

"With the nation in peril, instead of fighting the Japanese devils, you're hiding here like stray dogs!"

"My soldiers, Yu Xiaoqing's men, would rather die on the front lines than on the rear!"

......

"Now I understand why Gao Xixi was so sure. His acting doesn't look immature at all, and his lines are excellent. If you didn't know better, you'd think he was a very experienced veteran actor," Kang Honglei said softly.

"His improvisation was also excellent."

Lan Xiaolong did not refute it. As the novelist and screenwriter, he knew the characters he created best.

In that instant, he truly felt that Yu Xiaoqing had come back to life.

"He's just a bit young; adding a couple of whiskers should do the trick."

"How about an impromptu performance?"

"I think it's a good idea."

"Try this scene, an impromptu performance. Long Wenzhang publicly confronts you, putting you in an awkward position. You handle the situation on the spot."

Improvisation? Well, that's really asking for trouble.

"Okay, director."

Xu Yingxian's face was serious, his eyes cold, and he slowly said, "Long Wenzhang, do you even deserve to instruct me on tactics?"

"My battlefield deployment is none of the business of a self-taught regimental commander."

......

The scene was only halfway through when Kang Honglei interrupted it.

"That's fine."

Immediately afterwards, Kang Honglei and Lan Xiaolong, their eyes filled with surprise, came to Xu Ying's sides one on each side and, without saying a word, started to get involved.

The two men pinched Xu Ying's arm and exclaimed, "Wow, he's got some assets!"

"Good lad, you've actually trained?" Kang Honglei's eyes lit up with surprise. "The acting is fine, but I'm just asking if you're afraid of hard work?"

"I'm not afraid."

"Then I'll take it seriously, haha."

Lan Xiaolong stopped being stern and became somewhat excited. "I feel like you really brought Yu Xiaoqing to life. If it weren't for the clothes, I think it would be even more realistic."

This is the greatest affirmation from the author. Xu Ying humbly said that he was only able to grasp the emotions of the character.

"The only problem is that the pay for our show won't be too high..." Kang Honglei said with some difficulty.

"Just keep the same pay as before." Xu Ying didn't care, after all, he knew the true nature of this drama. He remembered that among the main actors, the highest pay was only 5000 yuan per episode.

"The fee is a flat rate of 10 yuan, no less and no more..." Kang Honglei felt a little embarrassed as he said this. The other person came to the rescue and was so capable. It was really embarrassing to offer such a small fee.

Xu Ying was somewhat surprised. He had originally thought that he would earn at most 60,000 or 70,000, but now he was content with 100,000.

"No problem, director, that's already very kind of you."

"Alright, you must be tired from the journey. Go and rest first. I'll have them bring you the contract in a bit. Get some rest today, and you can train with them tomorrow."

"Okay, thank you Director Kang and Editor Lan."

After Xu Ying left, Kang Honglei walked back with his hands behind his back and said with a smile, "Old Lan, it's rare to see Gao Xixi so reliable. This isn't a newcomer, he's a real gem."

"That's right." Lan Xiaolong was in a great mood. "Everything is ready now, we just need to wait for them to finish training before we can begin."

......

After leaving the room, Xu Ying followed the staff to his own room.

This was Xu Ying's first time joining a production team and his first time filming.

The fatigue from the journey had long since vanished, and now only curiosity and anticipation remained in his heart.

He didn't have to wait long before the staff brought the contract, which Xu Ying glanced at casually and then signed.

Then he took a shower, lay down on the bed, took out his phone and called his homeroom teacher, Cui Xinqin, to tell her about joining the group and asking for leave.

Teacher Cui first congratulated him, then told him not to be arrogant and to study hard.

After hanging up the phone, Xu Ying saw the message Cui Xinqin posted in the class group.

[Teacher Cui: Xu Ying from our class has joined the film crew, and Zhu Yilong has also signed with a company and is preparing to film.]

Zhai Tianlin: ?

[Zhu Yilong: Hehehe.]

[Gao Ye: Seriously? You two moved that fast?]

[Chen Weidong: Congratulations!]

Xu Ying was browsing through his social media feed. Now that there was no WeChat or Moments, he could only use status updates and social media QQ Space as substitutes.

Just then, his phone vibrated. Xu Ying looked at it and saw that it was a message from Gao Ye.

[Gao Ye: Wow, Lao Xu, you and Yi Long are awesome! I'm so envious!]

[Xu Ying: Calm down, calm down.]

School hadn't started yet, and Gao Ye was still at home. She was filled with regret, wishing she had gone with them.

It's no wonder Gao Ye is envious; other classmates in the class have also made it into the entertainment industry. Because of her outgoing personality, she has a pretty good relationship with Xu Ying and Zhu Yilong.

The two had even made plans with her when they went to Hengdian. She thought it was just a trial and it definitely wouldn't work out, but unexpectedly it actually did.

I don't know when I'll be able to debut or when I'll become famous.

If she asks Xu Ying this question, Xu Ying can answer her.

Well, it's still early for her to debut, and even earlier for her to become truly famous.

After resting for a while, Xu Ying left the hotel and found a barbershop called "Starting Over".

"Boss, give me a super cool buzz cut."

"Dude, how come you look so cool with a buzz cut?"

The boss finished cutting.

"Hmm, he actually does look kind of handsome."