HuaYu: A Great Director Starting with Dream of the Red Chamber

2026 3 Month 15 Day.

Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

The scene at the 98th Academy Awards ceremony.

Harrison Ford opened the beautifully wrapped envelope and brought it closer to the microphone.

"The winner of Best Picture is 'World War I: The Second War'!"

The stars shone brightly, and applause thundered.

The creators of "World War I: The Second World War" screamed as they stood up and excitedly hugged each other.

Director Li Yan is no exception.

He was clearly annoyed with those old guys at the Academy, who hadn't awarded him, a Chinese person, the Best Director Oscar.

But this is the Oscars, you have to laugh! Isn't it?

In the center of the stage, surrounded by the crowd, Li Yan picked up the microphone and was about to speak.

But that familiar voice rang out in my mind at the most inopportune moment:

[System Chinese localization patch pre-download successful.]

[Update ready.]

[Please select: Later / Start Update]

"open……"

"Update in progress, please do not turn off your computer."

"What...Ah...What joke!"

Having not used his mother tongue for many years, Li Yan, whose speech was a little slurred, was instantly plunged into darkness.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

A jumble of familiar sounds reached my ears.

A cool breeze blew by.

Li Yan shuddered and opened his eyes blankly.

"What's going on?"

He lowered his head, wearing a long robe and a jade belt around his waist.

Wearing sneakers and holding a phone...

Li Yan pressed hard on his throbbing temples.

Memories flooded back instantly.

"Not again?!"

Yes, he time-traveled again.

It is February 2nd, 2009.

The snow outside Huairou Film City hasn't melted yet.

Also known as Li Yan, he is from Shaanxi Province and is also an actor.

Both parents are alive and well, and the mother also has some artistic talent. She studied opera at the Sanyi Opera Troupe in her early years, apprenticing under Xiao Yuling and specializing in the role of a young lady.

However, she missed the opportune time and retired from the society early to support her family.

My dad is just an ordinary teacher.

It's easy to imagine that his childhood was not easy.

Singing, reciting, acting, fighting, language, mathematics, and foreign languages—you can't neglect any of them.

Until the year of the college entrance examination, he, who could have gotten into a good university, finally rebelled fiercely.

I got into the Central Academy of Drama's acting program.

My father was so angry he almost severed ties with me.

It's been over a year since I graduated, and I've only managed to land a minor role with just a few minutes of dialogue—Jiang Yuhan in "Dream of the Red Chamber".

Qi Guan, an actor, was the one who exchanged handkerchiefs with Jia Baoyu.

This is largely thanks to his background in traditional Chinese opera.

Li Yan scrolled through his phone, marveling at the sight.

Do not see do not know.

Well, this guy has fewer than a hundred contacts in his phone!

The balance is less than 800, and the credit card bill is 1300...

The last text message was from half a month ago: "Mom, send me some more money. I'll pay you back when the production crew pays me my salary in a few days."

Look at the life he's living, what's there to argue about!

"He's a graduate of the Central Academy of Drama, how did he end up like this?"

In his previous life, he was an ordinary Chinese boy who got into Imperial College London in New York and then became a director who managed Hollywood projects worth over $100 million.

I've never been this worried before.

Li Yan rubbed his cheeks and habitually activated the system.

[System upgrade encountered a compatibility issue. Please try again later.]

???

No!

[System upgrade encountered a compatibility issue. Please try again later.]

……

I tried several times, and the reaction was always the same.

Okay...

He wasn't too worried.

So, you used to be such a great director, and now you can't even make a living without my help?!

A Hong Kong "big-name director" can charge $6000 for a straw hat; if he were to set up a similar scheme...

Hmm, looks like it's hopeless.

Foreign monks are better at chanting scriptures.

He wasn't "Paul Lee" either; he was just a nobody actor named Li Yan.

I spent half a month on set just for one scene this afternoon.

A few lines of dialogue, a song, and 2 yuan.

Okay, thinking about the credit card bill, this is a job I need to do!

Having made so many movies over the years, and having done cameo roles before, this is nothing.

Furthermore, the production team of "Dream of the Red Chamber"—those who know, know!

Let's use this money to fill our stomachs first, and then slowly figure out what to film to make money.

"Gurgle~"

His stomach was rumbling, and he still hadn't decided which movie to start with.

I checked the time on my phone; it was already noon, and the production team still hadn't shown any sign of letting us have lunch.

In American film crews, someone has to go on strike.

After putting on his down jacket, he decided to find a place to get some food first.

Anyone who's worked on a film crew knows this.

Despite doing manual labor, the crew members actually have a pretty close relationship with the director and producer.

Generally, they only need to do the work of the directing team; other teams like photography and lighting have their own staff.

Li Yan first went to the entrance of the film studio and bought two packs of Furongwang cigarettes before wandering over to the production crew's area.

Sure enough, they had already started eating.

Li Yan immediately spotted the older member of the crew who had finished eating and was about to go for a smoke. He opened a pack of cigarettes and handed it to him: "Hey bro, did you hear anything? The actors' crew hasn't had their meal yet?"

"They're probably busy filming, we haven't seen anyone notify us."

The man took the cigarette, glanced at the theatrical robe under his down jacket, and asked, "What's wrong? Hungry? What kind of acting do you do?"

Li Yan also took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, then lit one for his older brother. "Hey, I'm just a nobody, a performer by Baoyu's side. I just want a warm bite on this cold day."

The older brother took a deep breath, exhaled smoke from his eyes, turned his head and called out, "Old Wang, do you have any extra boxed lunches? Bring one over for this young man."

"No need, I'll get it myself. You can just call me Li Yan, brother." As he spoke, he handed out cigarettes to the others as he walked.

Li Yan was very decisive in handling this matter.

He's done everything in Hollywood.

Even when directing "War of the Three Kingdoms II," during awards season, he still followed Warner Bros. around, frantically trying to curry favor with those old guys on the judging panel.

In the end, he still didn't get the Best Director award.

Leonardo DiCaprio had specifically told him that it would be difficult to win awards without changing one's nationality, but he didn't believe it.

To hell with the academy!

At worst, I'll just create my own award for fun.

When Little Li arrives, send him a bunch of Yiwu water guns!

Li Yan handed the remaining cigarettes to Old Wang, who was handing out boxed lunches, and then shoveled his food into the group of people smoking and chatting.

A cigarette after a meal, and you're as happy as an immortal.

When everyone is smoking, the conversation becomes more open.

There were many complaints, but also plenty of gossip.

I've started hearing stories about a lead actress who was three months pregnant and still had to work.

The older brother quickly stopped him, saying, "Go away! Where did you hear that? Don't spout nonsense!"

The underling who had spoken slapped himself in embarrassment and quickly shut his mouth.

Seeing this, Li Yan wisely exchanged phone numbers with his older brother, said hello, and strolled back into the shed.

Even after he had walked away, they were still lecturing their underlings.

"What kind of place is a film crew? Don't you know your place? Don't you want to keep your mouth shut?!"

The older brother glanced at Li Yan's retreating figure. "See? They're all shrewd people. Learn from them." He then turned back and glared at his younger brother. "If it weren't for your sister, try it with anyone else!"

In the waiting room, Li Yan, who had just finished eating, felt a little sleepy.

Before entering, he took a moment to glance at today's filming schedule.

Full of "flying pages".

In other words, all of these scenes were added on the spot yesterday.

This film crew is in complete chaos!

He casually found an empty chair and sat down, not paying any attention to the girl wearing a baseball cap next to him.

One of the main features of "Dream of the Red Chamber" is that there are many girls.

The girl turned to look at him in surprise, and Li Yan returned a polite smile.

He might not recognize his face at first glance, but from the side...

Oh, it's Yang Mi.