Entertainment News: Follow Wang Baoqiang's Rise to Film Emperor

And so... Lin Zhi met Huang Bo, the future domestic superstar and billion-dollar movie star, on the set of "Get on the Bus, Let's Go".

The group chatted for a while, and Lin Zhi even added Huang Bo's phone number.

Guan Hu suddenly pulled Lin Zhi aside and whispered, "Zhi, I have a friend who has a film that needs a young male actor. Would you like to give it a try?"

"Oh, a movie or a TV series?" Lin Zhi glanced at Guan Hu and asked with interest.

Guan Hu said, "It's a TV series, a modern drama. I'll give you the phone number. Go and meet the director of this show. Have a good talk with him. I think he'll hire you."

As he spoke, Guan Hu handed the director's phone number to Lin Zhi.

Lin Zhi saved it to his phone.

Guan Hu then solemnly instructed, "This Director Gong is a capable person. Just be humble and modest in your attitude... everything else should be fine!"

"He and I are old friends. I'll give him another call later and put in a good word for you. I think this project will work out!"

"If we succeed... hehe, you'll have to treat me to a good meal! Don't forget me... I hate ungrateful people the most!"

Lin Zhi gave Guan Hu a deep look.

Then he smiled and nodded: "Director Guan, don't worry, if I can get this role, I'll be richly rewarded!"

"We're all in the same boat, I won't be ignorant!"

Hearing Lin Zhi's "guarantee".

Guan Hu chuckled and patted Lin Zhi on the shoulder, saying, "Alright, then that's settled. Our group is about to move to another location, so you'd better go see Director Gong before tonight. I'm afraid someone will beat you to it if you're too late."

"There are so many newcomers in this industry now; every role is highly sought after!"

"Understood, understood, I'll go right now..." Lin Zhi took a breath and said.

He then waved goodbye to Huang Bo and the others before quickly leaving the set of "Get in the Car, Let's Go"...

"Teacher Lin, let's have a meal together sometime, it's on me."

Seeing Lin Zhi suddenly leave, Huang Bo shouted loudly at Lin Zhi's receding figure.

Upon hearing Huang Bo's words, Lin Zhi gave an "OK" sign without turning his head, indicating that he was okay with it.

After walking a little further away, I hailed a taxi and left the area.

We headed straight for Chaoyang.

The "Director Gong" mentioned by Guan Hu is actually named Gong Ruofei.

He is indeed a very famous and capable person in the industry!

He not only worked at Mango TV, but was also the producer and supervisor of the "Princess Pearl" series.

His professional skills and business acumen are both outstanding!

He is currently preparing for a TV series that is about to start filming, titled "Youth in Action".

It's a pretty obscure film!

Lin Zhi had never even heard of it in his previous life.

However, the main actors in the series are all quite famous in the future, namely: Fan Bingbin, Li Bingbin, Ren Quan, Pan Yueming, etc.

In later generations, these would all be considered A-list celebrities.

Of course, in mid-1999, these were still relatively new actors who had just debuted.

Both in terms of fame and salary, they are newcomers with relatively low fees.

and so……

Without a doubt, this is a low-to-medium budget production.

Apart from Huanzhu, Lin Zhi had only vaguely seen a handful of films directed by Gong Ruofei in his previous life, including "Bloody Xiangxi", "The Love Story of the Tang Dynasty", and "Heroes of the Great River".

Therefore, he was not very familiar with the famous director Gong.

After arriving at Gong Ruofei's hotel in Chaoyang District, Kyoto, by taxi, Lin Zhi immediately took out his phone to contact Director Gong and explain his purpose.

It's clear that Guan Hu had already given prior notice.

When Gong Ruofei heard on the phone that the actor who had been introduced by Guan Hu to audition for the role had arrived, she immediately met with Lin Zhi in the lobby on the first floor of the hotel.

"Director Gong, hello. My name is Lin Zhi. I heard you have a drama series that needs a male actor. I'd like to audition. Please give me a chance..."

Upon seeing the person above, Lin Zhi and Gong Ruofei immediately adopted an extremely humble and earnest attitude and spoke.

"Did you bring a resume?" Gong Ruofei smiled and looked Lin Zhi up and down before asking.

"Uh, sorry, I didn't bring my resume..." Lin Zhi paused, then spread his hands.

Back then, the domestic entertainment industry was still in its nascent, unregulated growth phase. Generally, apart from artists within the system, very few actors went to auditions, and they even brought resumes, profile cards, and model cards—materials that only became common in later years…

Normally, it's enough for someone to go.

Based on Lin Zhi's experience running around to different production teams these days, only artists and actors who have worked in developed places like Hollywood will habitually prepare all kinds of resumes and templates based on their overseas experience when they return to China to develop their careers.

As for amateur actors and artists who work in the domestic entertainment industry, they don't have this kind of "advanced" awareness yet. They just go around to auditions empty-handed. If they pass, they pass; if they don't, they don't. There's not much to say about it.

Lin Zhi has gradually gotten used to this environment since he entered the industry.

So when he was looking for roles, he never prepared a resume. No film or television production company had ever asked him for one before, so he hadn't prepared one.

Gong Ruofei suddenly asked him for his resume. Where did he get that kind of thing from?

He could only stand there awkwardly...

I'm at a loss for words!

Gong Ruofei noticed the slight embarrassment on Lin Zhi's face and immediately waved her hand, laughing, "It's okay that you didn't bring anything. Don't be nervous. Just tell me what plays you've acted in, what kind of roles you're suitable for, what your special skills are, what kinds of plays you can and can't play... Tell me all about it! We can communicate verbally."

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhi breathed a sigh of relief and began to speak eloquently.

Gong Ruofei listened attentively.

He would occasionally interrupt Lin Zhi's narration to ask questions he wanted to know.

Lin Zhi also patiently answered all the questions.

It seemed very sincere!

Director Gong clearly sensed his sincerity, and his words became increasingly amiable, with a more pronounced smile on his face.

The two chatted quite amicably.

The atmosphere grew increasingly warm and friendly...

"Okay, I understand. Come to the hotel room with me and act out a few scenes. I'll take a look. If the lines and stuff are fine, then the role is yours."

Half an hour later, Lin Zhi had finished saying what he needed to say, and Gong Ruofei had nothing more to ask, so she stood up, smiled and waved to Lin Zhi.

"Okay, okay... Thank you Director Gong for giving me this opportunity." Lin Zhi hurriedly stood up to express his gratitude.

Once they reached the hotel room upstairs, Director Gong called over an assistant, set up a commercial DV camera, and then outlined several scenarios and designed some lines for Lin Zhi, allowing him to improvise and perform freely. Director Gong himself sat behind the DV camera, carefully watching Lin Zhi's performance on camera...

"Phew~"

Lin Zhi turned his back, took a deep breath, and secretly cheered himself up. Then, under the observation of Gong Ruofei and the assistant, he acted out the scene given by Director Gong according to his own understanding, as if no one else was around.