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

Have you eaten?

"I've eaten, how about you?"

Girls from Yanjing generally don't let things be said aloud.

Li Yan was a little puzzled. The food had just arrived after he left. What a coincidence!

"Didn't they put out lunch before I went out?"

"Oh, no, no, the food hasn't been served yet... I'm not used to responding to conversations."

Yang Mi scratched her head.

Having grown up on film sets, she has learned a great deal about interpersonal relationships.

In the same production, she can remember not only the actors, but also the names of the important staff members.

Her impression of Li Yan was that he was born in 1988, was good-looking, and very introverted.

Introverted people can't make it in this industry; Yang Mi had already put him on her list of people with no future.

I never expected that this taciturn guy would take the initiative to talk to her today.

This caught her off guard and made her feel quite awkward...

She didn't have any scenes to film today, so she came over to ask director and boss Li Shaohong for a break during lunch.

Seeing that it would take a while, she, being always generous, took the initiative to start a conversation.

Naturally, the two started chatting.

Li Yan has met countless people in Hollywood, and Yang Mi hasn't yet evolved into the "Big Honey" look.

She's a bit shrewd, but not much, and has a touch of the boldness of a girl from Beijing.

So in no time, he had stripped the girl down to her underwear.

The drama she starred in, "Chinese Paladin 3," premiered in two months, and the production company asked her to help with the promotion.

Li Shaohong, who is both the director and the owner of "Dream of the Red Chamber," will definitely not let the person go.

What does Tang Ren's drama have to do with me, Rong Xinda?

She's waiting for Yang Mi to become famous so she can give her newcomers a platform. They all have 15-year contracts, which means a lot of money!

Yang Mi was very frustrated: "They signed the contract, but I still have to negotiate things myself when there are problems. It's so annoying."

Li Yan thought for a moment, "Your contract is about to expire, isn't it?"

"what?"

"You're not planning to renew the contract, are you?"

Yang Mi was startled and instinctively lunged forward to cover his mouth.

Too many people will talk too much. This is still Rong Xinda's territory. If anyone hears her, she's doomed.

In fact, she had already decided not to renew her contract, without even telling her agent, Zeng Jia.

She won't reveal her true intentions until she's found someone else.

After secretly developing her condition for a long time, Yang Mi was flustered when Li Yan suddenly exposed it.

She glared fiercely at Li Yan and raised her little fist.

"If you dare tell anyone, you're dead!"

Cute yet fierce.

Li Yan raised his hand and made a zipping motion near his mouth.

She nodded in satisfaction and sat back down.

Patting her chest with lingering fear, she said, "I was so scared I can't even eat. You'll have to make it up to me later!"

Li Yan's gaze unconsciously followed the movement of her palm.

Well, it doesn't matter if I skip a meal...

Time always flies when you're chatting.

Soon it was Li Yan's turn to go on stage.

"Episode 13, Scene 7, 1 shot, 1 take, actors in position."

Behind the monitor, Li Shaohong gently rubbed her temples.

Filming this movie left her exhausted.

If it weren't for the fact that Rong Xinda could take a big bite out of them, she would never have taken on such a mess in the first place.

She glanced at her husband Zeng Nianping beside her, hoping he wouldn't ruin the reputation of "Palace of Desire" and "The Orange is Red".

Suppressing her inner turmoil, she waved her hand.

The script supervisor shouted, "Action!"

This scene is "Feng Ziying hosts a banquet for Jia Baoyu".

In the shot, at the antique-style dining table.

The original perspective should have been that of Jia Baoyu with his "dirty braid".

As soon as Li Yan, dressed in a lake-green long robe, entered the scene, Zeng Nianping, the director of photography behind the monitor, let out a soft "Eh."

so comfy.

New actors often have trouble finding the right camera angles; they either block the light or go out of frame.

But Li Yan is different.

He lifted his robe, sat down, and exuded a gentle and refined elegance in his movements.

While Jia Baoyu was still winking and making a surprised expression.

He had already turned slightly to the side.

He naturally positioned himself at the intersection of two front lights, avoiding direct overhead light, while the side backlight cast shadows on his nose and jawline, instantly enhancing the three-dimensionality of his features.

Li Yan's acting skills are actually not that outstanding, but his directing skills are not to be underestimated.

He instantly stole the show.

Li Shaohong did not call a halt.

In fact, she had almost given up hope on these newcomers.

They're either related to the investors or newcomers signed by their company. Putting aside their acting skills, their physical appearance and dialogue delivery are all subpar, so they all need to be taught on the spot.

Of all the shots taken so far, she thinks the composition of this particular scene is very beautiful.

She muttered to her husband beside her, "This scene... is a bit unfair."

In the next performance, Jiang Yuhan stood up to present her art.

Li Yan didn't rush to speak. He first straightened his sleeves, gently scanned his surroundings, and naturally walked to the best spot.

Immediately afterwards, he took his stance and began to sing.

"How delightful that you are born with a hundred charms, just like a living fairy descending from the heavens."

The moment the Kunqu opera's watermill tune started, the entire photography studio was instantly startled.

Unlike those fake singers who use affected, pretentious voices, his singing style clearly shows that he has put in a lot of hard work.

"In the prime of youth, when one is young, it is fitting to be paired with a phoenix."

Her voice, though alluring, was not lewd; beneath the long, melodious lyrics, it possessed a remarkable heroic quality.

Li Yan wrote a short biography of Jiang Yuhan, unlike Li Shaohong, because he had read the original novel of "Dream of the Red Chamber".

Despite his charming eyes and graceful figure, Jiang Yuhan, as an actor, did things that were more manly than most people after the Jia family fell into ruin.

"Ah! Look how high the Milky Way is, listen to the drumbeats from the watchtower, trim the silver lamp and we quietly enter the bridal chamber."

When the music ended, Li Yan stopped and stood still as a pine tree.

The seductive look in his eyes vanished instantly, and he reverted to being the gentle and refined man he always was.

After a few seconds of silence.

"Card!"

Zeng Nianping quickly turned around and shouted towards the light source, "Did you remember the light just now? We'll use that kind of lighting for close-ups in the future."

He then turned to his wife excitedly and said, "I feel like I've rediscovered the feeling of a handheld movie console."

Li Shaohong nodded repeatedly in satisfaction.

"Wow, I'm really good at this!"

Behind her, Yang Mi, who had been shamelessly waiting for someone to ask for leave, had been texting and chatting, but now her screen was completely black.

She stared blankly at the man in the center of the stage who was calmly unbuttoning his costume.

Is this still the same Li Yan she thought had no future?

If you can't even make it this way, then you must be really blind!

……

Half an hour later, it was just getting dark.

The snow on the road outside the Huairou Film and Television Base had not yet melted, and it was cold and slippery.

A van slowly glided along, beeped twice, and stopped beside Li Yan.

The car door opened, and a warm breeze rushed out.

"Get in the car." Yang Mi poked her head out, took off her baseball cap, and glanced at Li Yan. "Going back to the city? I'll give you a ride."

Li Yan didn't stand on ceremony. He stamped the remaining snow off his feet, got into the car, and closed the door.

Suddenly it felt much warmer.

Thanks.

"Your acting was amazing; you even impressed the director."

Li Yan leaned back lazily in his chair. "It's just basic stuff. It's all thanks to the contrast with my peers."

Yang Mi choked for a moment.

Why does this person talk in such a rude way?

"Hey, Li Yan."

She changed the subject, paused, and leaned closer to him, "About my contract that we talked about at noon... what do you think?"

Li Yan turned her head to the side, and in the dim car lights, her eyes were extremely serious.

"Want to hear the truth?"

"nonsense."

Li Yan thought for a moment and gave her a suggestion that wasn't really a suggestion:

"Your company is just a small workshop. While you have the big brother leading the way, you can still fool the old folks. But in two years, when all kinds of funds come in, Rongxinda will be eliminated."

"If I were you, I would use 'Chinese Paladin 3' as a stepping stone, get to know more investors, set up a studio, and go solo."

"Oh, by the way, don't touch Hong Kong capital, they don't have the money..."

Yang Mi's heart pounded wildly.

She had seriously considered going it alone.

Moreover, she could vaguely sense the prevailing trends within the industry.

This young man in front of me has only been around for a few days, yet he dares to be so sure?

I couldn't help but retort, "And what about you? You have that kind of vision, why are you just muddling along like this?"

"I'm saving money."

"Why save money?"

"Maybe if I keep saving them up, the next time you see me, you'll have to call me Director Li."

Upon seeing the film set, he felt a surge of excitement.

The chaos, inefficiency, and unprofessionalism of Li Shaohong's film crew made his desire to take back the director's chair particularly strong.

He frowned the whole time, almost to the point of physical discomfort.

It's disgusting.

I managed to hold back from speaking entirely thanks to the distractions from the women in the group.

Yao Di, Li Lin, Kan Qingzi, Xu Lu, Song Yi, Zhao Liying...

The ugly ones are indeed ugly, but the beautiful ones are truly pleasing to the eye.

The car stopped at the subway entrance.

Li Yan got out of the car, waved, and turned to disappear into the night.

Yang Mi watched his retreating figure, saved the phone number they had just exchanged, thought for a moment, and changed the nickname to "Li the Conman"...