Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 310 Field Visit
Jiang Qinqin is very happy now, holding the script that Wu Yuchen gave her and reading it over and over again without letting go.

Although "Departures" is not a film with a strong female lead, it is clearly an award-winning film, and she is undoubtedly the female lead.

Wu Yuchen laughed and said, "Alright, no one's going to steal your notebook. Take your time reading it~"

Jiang Qinqin put down her script, then stood up, hugged Wu Yuchen, and kissed him on the cheek: "Honey, you're so good~"

Wu Yuchen chuckled and said, "If I didn't bring back a script, wouldn't it have been a waste of your trip last time?"

Jiang Qinqin pouted and said coquettishly, "Oh dear, I really did come to see you last time~"

Wu Yuchen nodded: "Mmm, okay, okay, watch me. I'll also whisper sweet nothings in your ear and get you a role, right?"

Jiang Qinqin pouted, then wrapped her arms around Wu Yuchen's neck and blew into his ear, saying as she blew, "I'll blow! I'll blow!"

Wu Yuchen wasn't annoyed. He put his arm around her waist, silenced her with a kiss, and then said with a sly grin, "Don't just blow on the top, blow on the bottom too~"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qinqin immediately pinched Wu Yuchen: "Ouch! You're so naughty!"

After the two joked around for a while, Jiang Qinqin took Wu Yuchen's arm and asked, "Honey, who are you planning to cast as the male lead?"

Wu Yuchen shook his head and said, "It's hard to say now. Let's see how the auditions go and see who's the best fit."

In fact, what Wang Zhonglei conveyed to Feng Xiaogang over the phone differed from what Wu Yuchen said. His real requirement, which he publicly stated, was that the actor be over 30 years old, have a refined and elegant demeanor, and be of good appearance.

After Andy Lau learned about this, he immediately contacted Wu Yuchen to ask if he still had a chance after turning 40. Wu Yuchen jokingly told Andy Lau, "You look like you're not even 30 yet, come audition and see how it goes." That's how he ended up telling Wang Zhonglei.

The film "Departures" is a 2008 Japanese film that won the 2009 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, helping Japanese films win the award again after 53 years.

In fact, Japanese cinema enjoyed a golden age in the 1950s. Following the release of the classic film *Rashomon*, Japanese films won three Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film within five years, garnering numerous awards internationally. This period is known as the heyday of Japanese samurai films. However, after that, Japanese cinema gradually declined and has now entered a period of stagnation.

On the contrary, Chinese films have seen Wu Yuchen and Li An win Oscars in recent years, and actors like Jackie Chan and Jet Li have gained international fame, leading the international community to believe that Chinese films have entered a golden age.

That said, the movie "Departures" tells the story of a mortician's life, observing various kinds of death from the perspective of a novice mortician, and gazing at the loving people surrounding the deceased.

As for the adaptation rights to the novel that inspired the film "Departures," Wu Yuchen acquired them five years ago. The original novel, "The Coffin Bearer's Diary," published in 1993, records his 20 years as a coffin bearer, or mortician, in diary form.

Both Japan and China are Eastern cultures, and they share many similarities and commonalities, making "Departures" a suitable film for Wu Yuchen to direct. Of course, it also contains many unique Japanese cultural elements, which Wu Yuchen will localize.

However, since we need to localize the work, it's inevitable that we'll have to conduct on-site investigations. Wu Yuchen flicked Jiang Qinqin's nose: "Don't laugh. Come with me these next couple of days to see what morticians are doing. Let's see if you can still laugh then."

……

In the mourning hall, a man dressed in full protective gear was applying makeup to a corpse. He skillfully manipulated the tools, painting the corpse's face, changing the clothes, and tidying up the deceased's appearance.

This series of actions was fluid and graceful, giving people a strange sense of beauty. However, in the mourning hall, with no one around, Jiang Qinqin felt a bit eerie in this scene. Her body hair stood on end, and she didn't dare to let go of Wu Yuchen's hand.

After the whole process was over and she got out, Jiang Qinqin finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had felt really creeped out inside...

A moment later, the mortician Zuo Dawei came over after washing her. Seeing Jiang Qinqin's reaction, he said to Wu Yuchen apologetically, "Did I scare you?"

Wu Yuchen quickly waved his hand: "No, no, we're the ones who disturbed you!"

He then patted Jiang Qinqin on the shoulder, and Jiang Qinqin apologized to Zuo Dawei, saying, "I'm sorry, I couldn't control myself, I'm sorry!"

Zuo Dawei shook his head and said with a smile, "It's normal, it's normal. I'm used to it. Just because I work in this industry, my friends don't want to talk to me much, they think it's bad luck. Now my parents are worried about my marriage. The girls they introduce me to basically all turn down as soon as they hear I'm in this line of work. I'm prepared to be a bachelor for life..."

As he spoke, Zuo Dawei took out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and then said to Wu Yuchen, "Director Wu, are you still going to be on the shoot tomorrow?"

Wu Yuchen nodded and replied, "If the other party's family agrees, we still want to follow up."

Zuo Dawei said, "The family knows it's you, so they didn't object. But tomorrow's situation is a bit special... Tomorrow's deceased didn't die a natural death, it was a car accident, and I'm worried about you..."

Zuo Dawei didn't finish his sentence, but Wu Yuchen understood.

If it's a natural death, doing these tasks might be manageable. However, if it's a body from an accidental death, the workload for the mortician might double because the body might be in poor condition, covered in blood and gore, which severely tests a person's mental fortitude. Just thinking about it would send chills down the spine of an ordinary person.

Not only Wu Yuchen had thought of this, but Jiang Qinqin had as well, and her face paled slightly. However, Wu Yuchen then asked her, "Are you still willing to come tomorrow?"

Just thinking about it made Jiang Qinqin feel terrified, and she really didn't want to go. But then she saw Wu Yuchen's gaze and remembered that the female lead role was specially prepared for her. If she didn't even dare to observe him, how could she have the face to play this role? With that thought, Jiang Qinqin nodded: "Come on."

The next day, on the way back, Jiang Qinqin lay weakly in Wu Yuchen's arms, her face pale.

However, Wu Yuchen didn't seem disgusted at all. Not to mention Jiang Qinqin, even he almost couldn't bear to watch the whole thing. The corpse was so badly disfigured… it was hard to describe. Jiang Qinqin ran out and vomited three times, then came back to watch again, completely exhausted. Afterwards, she even followed Wu Yuchen and kept apologizing to the family.

Nestled in Wu Yuchen's arms, Jiang Qinqin said weakly:
"When I was reading the script, I just thought, 'The male lead is such a good person, what's there to mind? It's just a little unlucky, right?' But now that I've experienced it firsthand, I realize that being the wife of an embalmer requires a lot of mental fortitude. I understand now why the female lead was always against her husband becoming an embalmer; just thinking about it makes my heart ache..."

Wu Yuchen tightened his grip on her shoulders and comforted her, "See, we've achieved our goal, haven't we? If you hadn't experienced this firsthand, could you have understood the female lead's feelings? Actors need real-life experience to deliver a convincing performance!"

Jiang Qinqin nodded, then asked, "Will I come again later?"

Wu Yuchen thought for a moment and said, "You decide for yourself. If you feel you've got it pretty good, you don't have to come. Actually, it's not important whether you come or not. Once I've confirmed the male lead, he'll definitely be following me around every day!"

……

On the third day, Wu Yuchen ignored Jiang Qinqin and made a special appointment to chat with a female mortician.

The other person said nonchalantly, "Director Wu, in our line of work, it's perfectly normal for relatives and friends not to invite you to their weddings. To be honest, I don't even go home for Chinese New Year anymore; my parents think I'm bad luck."

“In my hometown, we worship the gods on the first and fifteenth of each lunar month. About three years ago, when I went home for the New Year, I saw that one of the apples placed in front of the shrine had fallen out, so I picked it up and put it back in place.”

When I went back to my room, I found that my mother had replaced all the offerings on the table. My heart sank. Did she think I was so 'dirty'?!

After listening, Wu Yuchen remained silent, unable to offer any words of comfort; he knew it was futile. However, he remembered this incident and planned to incorporate it into the film, expressing it through the male lead's colleague.

When the next male mortician, who was a bit more outgoing, came over, he smiled and said to Wu Yuchen, "When I go back to my hometown now, if people ask me what I do for a living, I just say I work in the civil affairs department! Otherwise, they won't even dare to approach you!"

"Let me tell you something scary. The first step for us morticians when doing makeup is applying foundation. Not long after I started working, once when I was wiping the eyes horizontally, the brush swept across the eye sockets of a corpse, and the corpse suddenly opened its eyes! I was so scared that I almost jumped out of my skin and ran away as fast as I could. At that moment, I swore that I would never do this job again!"

"What's going on? Did the person not really die completely and come back to life?"

"How could that be! Later, the old master and the doctor had to plead with me to come back. They said that after a person dies, their muscles become stiff, and sometimes their eyes will open wide, which is a normal muscle reaction. When I was brushing, I touched the muscles around the eye socket, which might have made his eyes open. I just had to help him close them again."

Wu Yuchen thought about the scene and found it frightening, but he figured if it were in a comedy, it would probably make people burst out laughing. Then he asked:

"Didn't you swear you wouldn't do it anymore? Why did you come back?"

"I don't know how to do anything else, but this makes a decent amount. I just need to keep it a secret from my family back home. Later, I'll find a wife there, have a kid for her to raise, and then we'll see what happens. Hehe~"

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head, but he didn't blame the other person; everyone has their own way of living.

Wu Yuchen only rested for a few days after returning from his trip, and then he started working on "Departures," mainly by conducting on-site research and interviews.

He didn't plan to shoot the movie immediately, but the preparatory work definitely had to be done first, especially the key role of the male lead. He had to select the male lead during this trip back, and then let him work with the morticians for a few months to experience life. If he knew music theory, that would be even better, and he could even pick up and practice the cello.

According to the script, the male protagonist was originally a cellist who suddenly lost his job and unexpectedly entered the funeral industry, which creates a sense of contrast for the audience. The rather traditional ritual of encoffining, combined with the male protagonist's upbringing in Western culture, creates a sense of contrast.

As for why the cello was chosen, it is because this instrument has a rich, full, and melodious tone that can not only express deep and complex emotions, but also contains a peaceful, tranquil, and comforting power that makes people feel as if they have returned to their mother's embrace.

The profession of mortician has always been about walking the line between life and death, ensuring that the deceased depart peacefully without regrets and bringing comfort to the living. Therefore, the cello is indeed a very suitable instrument.

At the same time, because the cello is not suitable for solo performances, unlike violins or pianos, and the social demand for it is not high, it is considered a niche instrument. Therefore, it is quite reasonable for the male protagonist, a cellist, to lose his job.

After a busy week, it was time for Wu Yuchen to audition for the male lead.

"The Spring Festival is less than a week away. I don't know why Director Wu scheduled the auditions for this time..." a fat man muttered a complaint.

Inside the car, the gentle and refined-looking Leon Lai immediately said, "Shut up! There are plenty of people who want to film Director Wu's movies. Don't say things like that when you get on set!"

"Mingzai, don't worry, I was just venting. I really hope you can get this role! I think you're a good fit for some of the requirements Director Wu has put forward, so your chances are pretty good!" the agent quickly said with a smile.

Leon Lai actually began seeking a transformation during his peak years. He never wanted to be seen as an idol; he wanted to be a serious actor. Especially in his acting career, while Andy Lau was still making a large number of commercial films, even bad ones, every year, Leon Lai began to focus on art films, such as "Comrades: Almost a Love Story," "Eighteen Springs," and "City of Glass," always wanting to prove himself. Last year, he finally achieved his goal, winning the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor.

I recently learned that Wu Yuchen's new project was holding auditions for the male lead, and I felt that I was perfect for the role, so I rushed over to audition. As for the Spring Festival, what difference does it make which year we celebrate? It doesn't matter at all compared to Director Wu's new film.

(End of this chapter)