Global Film Emperor

Chapter 524: A Lesson for the Students
Chen Dongsheng, male, nineteen years old, is a sophomore majoring in stage plays in the 2024 class of the Art Performance Department of Sichuan Academy of Drama. His mentor is Li Wenwei. He ranked first in his professional course in the summer final exam of 2025. His audition performance was "King Lear" and his second audition performance was "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

Peng Kuo, male, 23 years old, is a first-year graduate student in the Department of Art Performance at the Beijing Academy of Drama in 2021. He is pursuing a master's degree at the same school, majoring in film and television performance. His mentor is Jiang Zhongjie. He ranked first in his professional course in the summer final exam of 2025. His audition performance was "The Founding of an Army" and his second audition performance was "Let the Bullets Fly".

Ju Yulin, female, 20 years old, is a sophomore majoring in film and television performance at the Beijing Academy of Drama in 2024. Her mentor is Qi Qihong. She ranked fourth in her professional course exam in the summer of 2025. Her audition performance was "The Legend of the White Snake", and her second audition performance was "Living" (Zhuang Yu version).

Wu Chun, female, 18 years old, is a freshman in the Department of Performing Arts, Class of 2025, Shanghai Academy of Arts. She is currently majoring in film and television performance and her mentor is Lan Peihuan. She ranked second in her professional course in the summer final exam of 2025. Her audition performance was "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and her second audition performance was "Your Name".

Four resumes were put into his bag. With the bag on his back and a meal replacement energy bar in his mouth, Lu Ze stood in front of the mirror, tidied his hair, adjusted the collar of his polo shirt, and put on the rose gold Piaget Polo watch provided by the sponsor. His overall demeanor changed. He was no longer as dignified as when he wore a suit, but rather more gentle and approachable.

Listening to his teacher's wife's complaints about not being able to lose weight but still needing to eat, saying that meal replacements are unhealthy, Lu Ze smiled apologetically and made self-criticisms, but in reality, he slipped away, grabbed his car keys, and drove off before his teacher's wife could even notice.

Today is the first day that he officially met his four students. At noon, Lu Ze decided on his own to meet at a restaurant near the old man's house.

The film crew didn't come today, because they didn't dare to go into the old man's house to film randomly. Instead, they went to the restaurant to set up their equipment and film the scene of the four students meeting for the first time on their own. According to the PD, all four kids are here now and getting along well, chatting enthusiastically.

After a ten-minute drive, we arrived at our destination. My second brother had brought me here a year ago. It's a royal cuisine restaurant with very good food. The price isn't exactly cheap, considering the location, but compared to other famous restaurants nearby, it's a place where ordinary people can afford to eat at a decent price.

The food was delicious and authentic, and the prices weren't outrageously expensive. It was lunchtime, so naturally, there were quite a few people sitting there. Lu Ze stood at the door and looked around. There were less than thirty tables in total for dining, and they were all basically full. The PD was waiting at the front desk and led Lu Ze directly upstairs. There were quite a few people upstairs too, and they were already drinking at lunchtime. The noisy atmosphere was quite comfortable.

"Teacher Lu, please come in."

Even through the door, you could hear girls laughing inside. They seemed to be having a good chat. It makes sense, considering they were both from Beijing and quite talkative. They were even from the same school and department, so they were bound to know each other. With them around, the atmosphere was sure to get lively.

After knocking on the door and receiving a response, Lu Ze pushed the door open and went in. The private room instantly fell silent. The children, who had been laughing and joking, suddenly became like frightened chicks and hurriedly stood up to greet Lu Ze.

The private room was small, only about ten square meters. There was a dining table but not much room for anything else. The seating arrangement for the four children was quite interesting. The seat in the east was empty and reserved for Lu Ze. To Lu Ze's left were Peng Kuo and Ju Yulin, and to his right was Wu Chun. Directly opposite Lu Ze was Chen Dongsheng, near the door, sitting at the edge of the dining area.

"Please sit down, everyone. Let's serve the food. Are you all starving?"

With his backpack on an empty chair to the side, Lu Ze sat in the main seat with an air of authority. This was actually a very awkward situation. There were still few people, and no one dared to whisper or chat, let alone play on their phones. They could only be airheads, looking down at the floor tiles, not knowing if they could even melt them.

This awkward atmosphere was created by Lu Ze, and naturally, it was up to Lu Ze to dispel it. The problem was, what to talk about? At this moment, talking about things like, "What time did you all arrive?" or "Are you all starving?" would be pointless and meaningless. Lu Ze didn't ask any questions at first, but instead spoke up.

"Xiao Peng, ask the waiter if they have any tea, any kind will do, just pour me a cup."

To put it bluntly, people are quite perverse. Often, when someone completely overwhelms you with their every move and gesture, you feel incredibly suppressed, and some timid people even have difficulty breathing. But if they order you around once, you're fine, all your problems disappear, and you even feel refreshed and energetic, ready to do anything. Where can you find the justice in that?

Before the others could react, Peng Kuo, who had been ordered around, immediately perked up. He let out a shout and dashed out, soon returning with a pot of tea to pour Lu Ze a cup. At the same time, the waiter brought out the dishes. The table had been reserved in advance, and the dishes were all prepared. One dish after another was brought out, and the other three helped set the table. The atmosphere gradually eased.

What can you talk about with a bunch of kids who are almost twenty years younger than you? At the dinner table, you'll definitely start by talking about drinking capacity. Pour a glass of wine, whether it's baijiu or beer, whether you've drunk any or not, it's easier to talk than talking over a glass of soda.

It's not like they're corrupting the kids. Young people these days aren't as shy as they were in Lu Ze's time. On short video platforms, everyone's a wine connoisseur; having a couple of drinks won't hurt.

The PD, however, looked a bit dark-skinned while watching the monitor. But since he wasn't in the room, he didn't dare to object to Lu Ze. He could only grit his teeth and mark the time period, preparing to cut out the footage of pouring wine.

Lu Ze didn't drink. He wouldn't rely on alcohol to liven himself up. Then he followed the three essential topics for chatting with unemployed young people: hometown, food, and entertainment. In contrast, he followed the three essential topics for chatting with working people: industry, policies, and expenses. As long as he didn't say anything too harsh, he was unlikely to fall apart.

Secondly, and very importantly, when chatting with unfamiliar people, it's best not to focus solely on the two people in the conversation. Try to bring in a third person, someone you know and who knows them, such as "he" or "them." Since the conversation isn't about your own topic, everyone is more willing to talk a bit more. Here, Lu Ze is referring to Jiang Zhongjie, a tutor at Peng Kuo's school.

"Old Jiang is a funny guy. You told him you were chosen, right? The night before last, around 7 p.m., he called me and said that Xiao Peng is a good prospect, and that my judgment is pretty good, much better than Song Guiyuan's."

Lu Ze even imitated Jiang Zhongjie's tone of voice. As an award-winning actor, how could he not imitate him perfectly? This made the usually witty and handsome young man blush, and the other three kids laughed at him.

"Yes, after Teacher Jiang learned that I wanted to learn from you, he specifically told me to learn more from you. You are very skilled. If I learn even a move or two, I will be set for life."

"Then you'd better learn this well. One move of mine can make you full, but half a move won't make you full."

During the conversation, Lu Ze glanced at Chen Dongsheng. He was also smiling, not exactly out of place, but he found it difficult to join the conversation among the other three. This was related to the confidence of the other three children, as well as his own introverted nature. In their line of work, extroversion is certainly an advantage, but that's not the point. What Lu Ze noticed was that he was happier now than when he was with his mother.

Lu Ze didn't really want to teach a gloomy student, because with Lu Ze's teaching methods, a gloomy person could easily get stuck in the little world that Lu Ze helped create for him and couldn't get out. Such a person was dangerous, and Lu Ze didn't want to become an accomplice to make him addicted. So seeing Chen Dongsheng agree with him, even though he didn't say much, made Lu Ze feel relieved.

The conversation continued, but after a few drinks, the topic shifted from everyday family matters and industry anecdotes to more professional topics. The questions also gradually became more specific, using what was on hand to discuss how to play a waiter. To Lu Ze's relief, it was Chen Dongsheng who raised this question.

Compared to film and television acting, Chen Dongsheng, who previously specialized in stage performance, is arguably the most capable performer among the four, and he can handle all kinds of challenging stage plays.

However, it cannot be denied that he still lacks some experience in film and television performance, which makes his acting ability relatively limited. For example, he can play some noble and righteous roles, but he finds it difficult to handle some ordinary roles. So Lu Ze was very pleased when he asked this question, because he could quickly find his own shortcomings.

Have you ever worked as a waiter/waitress?

Lu Ze barely touched his chopsticks, leaned back in his chair, and, not caring whether the camera was on him or not, lit a cigarette and asked the four people. Except for Chen Dongsheng, the other three shook their heads.

"Come on, let's start with Chen Dongsheng. Take the biggest plate of food, go out and come back in, and serve the dishes."

Without a word, Xiao Chen readily took the plate and went out. A few seconds later, he knocked on the door, came in, and said first, "Hello, here is your order."

Seeing Lu Ze nod, he placed the plate on the table, set it out, turned and went out. After a while, he came back in and sat down, hesitatingly asking Lu Ze, "Teacher Lu, is this alright?"

"Let them talk."

Lu Ze turned to ask the three of them.

"I think it's okay."

"I also think it's fine, it's quite normal."

"No problem."

"Then you can try them one by one."

Upon hearing this, the three of them took turns bringing the dish over and over, making several trips. It was a very simple simulation; serving dishes is something anyone can do, so it wasn't difficult at all. The four of them felt that their performance was quite good and gave each other positive feedback. Lu Ze finished his cigarette and bent down to stub it out in the ashtray.

"If I were to give you a grade, you guys... would barely pass."

"why?"

Lu Ze smiled at the four eager students: "You've passed your professional courses, but is serving food now a performance?"

"Is it...or not..."

This question left the four of them bewildered. If it was a performance, then yes, serving food was indeed a performance process. But the process of serving food was real. So, was it a performance of serving food, or a performance interspersed within the process of serving food?

"That's the crux of the problem, because you didn't understand my question at all. I want you to actually serve me the food, not just perform serving food for me, understand? Simply put, you're not getting it right."

"So...teacher, where are we lacking?"

Wu Chun was the youngest and also the most direct; she spoke first while others were still thinking.

"What's wrong? Go and call the waiter."

Xiao Chen was still running errands. Before long, a waiter in a navy blue uniform walked in. Seeing the four of them still looking the waiter up and down and comparing him to themselves, Lu Ze smiled and spoke to the waiter.

"Hello, how many kilograms is the heaviest soup you have here?"

"For fish soup, there are two pounds of fish, plus the soup, it's about three pounds."

"How much is the heaviest of the display trays and serving platters?"

"The display trays and serving dishes together are quite heavy, probably more than ten kilograms at their heaviest."

"With the fish soup, it's about twenty catties?"

"Almost there, would you like one?"

"How many tables are occupied right now?" "There are probably over thirty tables."

"Here's what we'll do: bring me two portions of your heaviest dishes, the heavier the better, along with the heaviest plates. Send two portions to each table. Have them go over there now. Before all the dishes I ordered are served, have them serve all the dishes. If any food is spilled or plates are broken, it's on me. Men should handle at least two cases per trip, and women should handle at least one case per trip. If there's nothing else to do, go wash the dishes, pick out the heaviest ones to wash."

"what?"

The waiters were dumbfounded, feeling like their brains couldn't keep up. Was it really true that Mr. Zhao would pay for the entire meal? In all the time they'd been waiters, they'd seen people bring girls to dinner to cultivate relationships, and they'd seen nominal underlings accompany customers for drinks, but they'd never heard of bringing several good-looking men and women to a restaurant to work as free waiters.

"Go ahead, you guys go with this guy. You have to finish serving the food as quickly as possible and bring it to my private room last. Bring one serving to each of you."

"Hey...hey! Alright, then please follow me."

Not only were the waiters dumbfounded, but the four of them were also dumbfounded. Firstly, the tuition fee that Lu Ze paid for the four of them was not low. Judging from the prices on the menu, two dishes would cost nearly 500 yuan, and then they would have to multiply by 30. That would be enough for a family of three to eat for half a year.

Secondly, they were reluctant to go. Apart from Chen Dongsheng, the other three came from well-off families and had never done this kind of work before. Just thinking about having to carry dozens of kilograms of things while smiling at people, or touching the leftovers of customers and washing those greasy plates was enough to make them shudder. If their parents asked them to go, they would probably throw a tantrum and refuse. But with Lu Ze doing it... well, let's just do it.

So, apart from Chen Dongsheng, the other three rich kids who had never experienced hardship got up with bitter faces, but didn't say anything, rolled up their sleeves and walked out with the waiter.

However, not long after the four children left, Lu Ze received a call from the PD, who hoped that Lu Ze could give up this teaching method and began to persuade him earnestly.

“Teacher Lu, I know you’re a professional when it comes to acting, but… these kids are mostly used to being waited on hand and foot and haven’t done any physical labor. If they slip and fall, we can’t take responsibility if they get hurt. Besides, they could easily injure other customers. It’s not just a matter of delaying the shoot; it could cause you some trouble. Teacher Lu, what do you think… maybe we should just call it a day?”

"They're all adults, they'll know to be careful. Besides, I've already told them, nothing will happen."

Lu Ze seemed unconcerned about PD's concerns. He believed that while being a waiter might not be easy, the procedures were at least simple. In Lu Ze's view, they were all adults and shouldn't be unable to do this job.

This is perhaps what is called the one-sidedness of thinking. As time goes by, people always say that the new generation of children cannot be raised in the old way. In the process of the generational transition, the times have begun to change, but Lu Ze is not very familiar with the lifestyle of the new generation, or rather, the way to communicate with them.

Secondly, Lu Ze was not even as old as them back then, only seventeen or eighteen years old, and he was already working as a banquet waiter at a hotel in Lühua City to help his family pay off debts. If Lu Ze could do it, why couldn't these kids?

This excessive pampering is detrimental to young people, at least that's what Lu Ze thinks. Although not going to university is the biggest regret of Lu Ze's life, that period of time also significantly improved Lu Ze's resilience.

Faced with Lu Ze's indifference, the PD was helpless. Further persuasion would probably have no effect. In fact, he himself felt it was a small matter, and it could even provide good material for the program. His extra worries were just that he was afraid it would affect the program.

After failing to persuade him, he could only hang up the phone and relay the message to director Liu Xiang. But what could Liu Xiang do? He was no match for Lu Ze! No matter what, he wouldn't argue with Lu Ze over such a trivial matter. Having contradicted Lu Ze, he could only give a perfunctory response, telling the PD to have the cameraman follow the filming properly.

Lu Ze was unaware of the situation downstairs. He was drinking tea alone in the private room when more than an hour passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, many discerning people asked for the private room number and came over to thank Lu Ze. Of course, he was also recognized, so he had to grant their request for a photo and send the satisfied people away.

Twenty minutes later, Peng Kuo returned with the others. The four of them were clearly exhausted, their faces were flushed, their breathing was heavy, their hair was soaked with sweat, and their bangs and sideburns were matted and stuck to their faces, making them look quite disheveled.

The four of them thought it would only be a dozen or twenty laps. Even if the soup was a bit heavy, the restaurant wasn't like a playground, and the distance was so short that it wouldn't be too tiring. But to their surprise, after only three or four laps, the two girls and the slender Chen Dongsheng couldn't keep up. They were carrying dozens of kilograms of food entirely with the strength of their arms, and their triceps quickly went from sore to aching. Peng Kuo also gave up in the next few laps.

Watching the other waiters hold trays in their palms, their arms forming a triangle to give the trays a lever-like force, the four of them tried to imitate them, but almost spilled the food. They never dared to use these tricks again and could only watch enviously as the other waiters moved around with ease and grace.

Each subsequent dish delivery was torture for the four of them, a pain so intense that their fingers would cramp up if they exerted any force. But even so, the kitchen did not wait for them. All the chefs in the huge kitchen were working at full speed, so that as soon as they finished delivering to one table, the dishes for the next table, or even the next two tables, were already prepared.

"I can't take it anymore...my arm hurts so much..."

The four of them slumped in their chairs, muttering discouraging remarks, but Lu Ze had no intention of giving them a chance to rest. He clapped his hands after they had completely controlled the smiles on their faces.

"Now, let's go through it again, starting with Peng Kuo."

"Teacher, I beg you, just five minutes, please? You're really pushing us too hard..."

"No, right now. All of you, watch closely and see if there are any changes since the first time he served the dishes."

The four of them realized that no matter how much they begged, even if they knelt down and kowtowed to Lu Ze, he wouldn't let them off the hook. So they could only leave with long faces, carrying the dishes they had just served, and then go back in.

"Hello, Jinshui Ferry."

Peng Kuo gritted his teeth, carried the nearly twenty-pound fish soup to the table, his hands trembling so much that the plate clattered. He put the other dishes aside, placed the fish soup in the center of the table, and then turned to leave.

After re-entering the private room, Lu Ze finally showed a smile and asked the four people.

Has anything changed?

"It seems a bit..."

"If you can't tell, move on to the next one. Xiao Chen, you'd better set an example!"

In this way, the four of them took turns performing again, which meant that each person watched it three times. For these students with high acting talent, three viewings were enough to see the clues.

"Teacher Lu, is it a change in our demeanor?"

Chen Dongsheng said these words, but his tone was hesitant, as if he had mustered a lot of courage to say them. Lu Ze raised his eyelids, then lowered his head, picked up a piece of snow-white fish meat and put it in his mouth. He didn't need to chew it; it melted in his mouth with just a sip. Only after he had swallowed it completely did he open his mouth to ask a question.

"What changes have you noticed in your demeanor?"

"It seems... we've become a bit lax. When we serve dishes, we unconsciously lift our back foot, leaving only our supporting foot on the ground. Our attitude has also changed; we're not as attentive as we were the first time. Most importantly, we don't wait for the guests to tell us where to put the dishes; we just push other plates aside, put them anywhere, and leave."

"What was the waiter's mindset? Give me an explanation for why the waiter did that."

"I'm tired. There are so many people eating lunch, it's making me feel annoyed."

"Alright, come on, cheers."

Lu Ze raised his teacup and took a sip. It wasn't something that would make anyone suddenly realize the truth. The waiter's attitude and mentality were easy to guess. In short, he was tired and annoyed. It was that simple.

They weren't stupid enough to not understand such a simple mentality; it's just that they probably rarely paid attention to waiters on a daily basis, and they rarely encountered such a specific waiter role in school performances. In addition, when they saw Lu Ze, they unconsciously put on airs. Only Chen Dongsheng, whose family runs a breakfast shop, could understand, but... he studied stage plays, and Lu Ze's first emphasis was on letting him act, so what he performed still had that stage play flavor.

"Before describing a character's psychology, you need to know the time, place, and characters. Your teacher must have taught you this, right? Time: lunchtime. Place: a very popular mid-range restaurant in the city center. Characters: waiters serving food. Right? Good business means many people eating, so the waiters are naturally busy. Being busy leads to fatigue and frustration. The restaurant's prime location makes the waiters even more emboldened. First, they are not the owners, so the business's success is irrelevant to them. Second, as long as the price is right and the food is good, there will be no shortage of customers, so they don't have to worry about being fired. Under these conditions, even with training, their attitude is unlikely to be very good. They just need to be presentable and not rude. Secondly, there's the plate. You know how heavy it is, but imperial cuisine requires a certain style. There's no way around it. This shows that external forces make them even more frustrated and tired. This is what psychological description means."

Lu Ze pointed to the heavy platter with gold trim. The four of them understood and nodded in unison. They had only worked for a little over an hour and were already so tired that they wanted to curse. How much more so for these waiters who worked more than ten hours a day and encountered all kinds of customers.

"So, when you focus on the waiter's every move, even if you imitate the body movements very realistically, as long as there is no feeling of fatigue or boredom, it is unqualified in my eyes. What I want is this kind of emotion, only then will it be right. This is just a waiter in a restaurant. What about the waiters in a hole-in-the-wall restaurant? What about the waiters in a star-rated restaurant? In fact, the employees of every restaurant will have their mindset change due to changes in time, place, and people. In other words, if you are only playing a waiter, you have dozens or hundreds of ways to act, which change with the changes in the three elements. This requires a long period of experience accumulation and understanding of mindset."

"Teacher, is this what you wrote in your book? A character's mentality will form with the formation of the three elements, and will be incomplete when the three elements are missing. To understand a character is to understand the character that is inevitably born in a fixed time and place, which is deduced from the three elements?"

"Have you read any of my books?"

Lu Ze was slightly surprised as he watched Ju Yulin fluently recite the words Lu Ze had written.

"I've read it! I read it as soon as your book was released!"

"After seeing this, do you still not understand what I'm asking of you?"

In short, Xiao Ju, embarrassed, took a sip of beer.

"My teaching method may be different from what you learn in school. I use the method acting approach, and I can only teach you the method acting approach that I have summarized myself. Observe, observe, and observe again. Observe all aspects of human life and all walks of life. Only when you become them in real life can you become them on screen. I recommend that you take some time to study psychology. This is also quite important. All kinds of emotional changes have a reason. As long as a person has logic, or rather, has their own unique logic, then you can replicate that person on screen. Mastering the thought is much more important than mastering the lines and body language. You could say that language and body language are the inevitable products of thought."

"In this way, even if you want to play an ancient person or a person from the future, you can summarize, cut, and piece together the thoughts condensed after a lot of contact with all kinds of people to simulate and deduce a person that no one knows or recognizes, or even a person who does not exist at all. And because everyone's thoughts are limited, the character you create belongs only to you. No other actor can portray your flavor. This is my method of acting."

This long-winded explanation left the four of them bewildered. They were all pondering the meaning behind Lu Ze's words, and even planning their future studies. Lu Ze, however, didn't have time to wait for them to figure out anything. He slammed his hand on the table, startling the four of them. They turned to look at Lu Ze and saw him smiling warmly, leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, revealing a large gold watch, as he opened his mouth to speak.

"That's my first lesson for you. get out of class dismissed!"

"..."

The old group has been quiet for a while now, so here's the new group number: 1048101399.

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(End of this chapter)