I'm not a drama freak, I can really see through the script

Chapter 249, They risked their lives to protect us. We swore to protect them with our lives.

At this moment, Li Xuan arrived at the Martyrs' Memorial Hall in Shanghai.
Just like last time I visited the Terracotta Army, I wanted to find an answer and a feeling for the role I was going to play.

When Li Xuan entered the memorial hall, he thought that the feeling he had found would be the same as when he entered the Terracotta Army last time, and that it would be less difficult to experience that desolate history.

Feel the charm of that history, and even easily experience it, to feel the heroes' path and their tragic songs.

But this idea is completely wrong.

This is not what is called history, nor is it a desolate and grand epic; it is only a bloody tragedy, a continent forged with flesh and blood.

Since the War of Resistance against Japan, the memorial hall has unhesitatingly displayed the flesh and blood of the soldiers, their bones, their wounds, and their deaths to the public.

Human beings instinctively feel fear and dread when faced with the corpse of their own kind.

Li Xuan was the same.

These are instincts that cannot be controlled. Although many of the roles I play are ruthless killers, as an actor, as a Chinese person, and even as the character I play, I cannot hide the disgust and resistance I feel in the moment of killing or being killed.

But when I saw the bloody remains of my compatriots...

Li Xuan felt no disgust or any instinctive aversion.

There was only sadness, only anger.

As an actor, by studying micro-expressions and emotional responses, I can see the emotions of those who are dying or have already died through these blurry photos.

The fear of the Japanese soldiers.

And the fearlessness and faith in the eyes of our soldiers is the awareness to go forward on the road of certain death, and to use their flesh and blood to pave the way for the survival of their country.

These people are soldiers.

They are our soldiers.

I was born in an unfortunate era, a time of war and chaos, when the nation was teetering on the brink of collapse.

Internal and external troubles.

Brutal invaders burned villages, looted property, and committed murder, humiliation, and wailing before my eyes.

I am desperate.

until one day.

My father said.

They are coming.

They drove out the invaders, defeating their superior forces despite lacking food and clothing.

I find it unbelievable.

Because it is visibly clear to the naked eye that our soldiers are at a greater disadvantage.

But why were they able to win?

I went to ask my father with this question in mind.

He said that because the enemy has no faith, they are just a bunch of beasts, while we are human beings. Although we also have differences and contradictions, and believe in different paths represented by our own beliefs, there is one premise.

We are human beings, and human beings protect human beings. Faith and belief support them and protect us. Even if we are maimed, even if we are disemboweled and our flesh is torn apart, the enemy is small and their morale will collapse if they are wounded.

They are so great.

They are so pitiful.

My father was somewhat surprised by what I said. It's normal for a teenager to feel excited and have all sorts of emotions when he sees a hero.

But I never expected that I would cry.

It would break my heart.

They risked their lives to protect us.

Then who will protect them?

said the father.

I will protect them; I will become the one who protects them.

My father's surname is Qian, and his given name is Qian Zhijiang. I no longer know if that is his real name.

My name is An Zaitian. This is my name. Whether it's my real name or a pseudonym, I've long forgotten. Perhaps in the future, this name will become my past.

Who knows.

For a special operations soldier, a name is just a code name that can be discarded when necessary. Perhaps in the end, even I myself will not know whether the name is real or fake.

“My name is An Zaitian. I am the deputy director of the 701 Bureau’s Listening Department. I am the eyes and ears of the soldiers, and I am responsible for providing them with direction.”

They risked their lives to protect us.
We swear to protect them with our lives.

Protect this country, stay on the right path.

[Start Simulation: An Zaitian]
Meanwhile, the film crew that had been secretly plotting against them was also preparing to start filming.

Anti-Japanese war films are a popular genre. Although people often criticize them, saying that they are often "miracle dramas" (in a derogatory sense), from the perspective of producers, it is a genre that never gets old.

A genre with considerable potential in terms of both viewership ratings and the probability of winning awards.

One counterintuitive point is that...

In the television industry, it is the second most popular genre after historical dramas. Although it doesn't have the same dramatic tension as historical dramas, its lower limit is higher and stronger.

It can only be said that spy dramas are a genre that has never appeared before, and their viewership potential has not yet been proven, just like the Legend of Sword and Fairy back then. New genres need to be approached with caution, and someone needs to test the waters.

So there are quite a few people watching, at least Huayi Brothers. By sending out a "lower-tier horse" to test the waters, they actually wanted to gauge the temperature of the spy drama genre.

Even China Film Group is paying attention.

Of course, Han Ping's attention to him was probably more out of personal interest.
Because he himself is also a reader of Mai Jia's works.

"It's interesting that your favorite works and the actors you care about appear in the same production. That's interesting enough in itself."

Upon hearing that the lead role of An Zaitian was played by Li Xuan, Han Ping immediately knew that Li Xuan had hit a tough nut to crack this time.

There is a significant difference between modern war-themed dramas and historical dramas. Historical dramas are based on fantasy, while modern spy dramas are based on real people who actually lived through that era and are still alive.

This is not a matter of competing in knowledge, understanding, or historical background.

He can play a martial arts hero from a fantasy world, no problem. Every young person dreams of being a chivalrous knight-errant. From an acting perspective, the difficulty isn't actually that exaggerated, especially considering it's a spy drama.
A completely new subject matter.

The road ahead is uncertain, with no precedent to follow.

"This kid is practically a top-tier actor in the period drama genre. Why would he abandon his comfort zone and choose roles in other genres? Does he really want to go further?"

"Isn't this inevitable? If he's truly willing to hone his skills in period dramas, he'll definitely catch up with his seniors; it's almost a certainty." Jiang Wen said with great interest, "I knew this from the moment I met him. Judging from his talent and potential, he's almost destined to pursue the pinnacle. Whether as a director or an actor, he won't stop at being a star, nor will he stop at being called one of the 'Four Little Heavenly Kings'."

"But he hasn't caught up with the four most popular young actors yet."

"Hey~ it's only a matter of time."

A famous star in period dramas.

The title is good, but every genre has its own advantages and disadvantages. Wuxia is a genre created by the times, so its lower limit is high, but its upper limit is indeed a bit low.

From Jiang Wen's perspective, "The World's Number One" is already considered the pinnacle of his work, as it is top-tier in terms of both viewership ratings and character development.

However, considering both viewership ratings and overall influence, this top-tier genre can only be considered mediocre in terms of overall impact.

Not bad.

You saying he can't do it is impossible.

But to say he's exceptionally capable wouldn't be entirely true.

And in the same year, there was "Bright Sword".

That means you've truly reached the summit.

This represents the pinnacle of our field and our subject matter, and the pinnacle of our entire field and our collective understanding.

Starring Lee Yoo-bin.

After years of hard work and dedication, he achieved both fame and fortune, reaching the pinnacle of success as an actor and a star.

This is the depth of the subject matter.

Of course, this is not to say that martial arts themes are bad. It's just that everyone has different purposes and expectations when making films. Martial arts themes can quickly increase audience appeal, popularity, and familiarity, which are all obvious advantages.

It's a great way to accumulate initial capital, and Li Xuan is still in that stage. At least from Han Ping and Jiang Wen's perspective, Li Xuan still needs to accumulate a certain amount of fame, and period dramas are still the best way to accumulate commercial value.

He hasn't completed his initial capital accumulation yet and still needs something called fame to help him.

Although Jiang Wen had a very long-term vision for Li Xuan's future, for the moment, Li Xuan's level was still slightly inferior to that of the new generation of male protagonists.

He's still not as good as the four most popular young male stars of our time.

In other words, they are potential future stars, people who have the potential to become stars and become the pride of our time.
The speed at which they caught up can only be described as almost supernatural.

Okay, not just some, but extremely monstrous.

Just when you think he's about to reach his limit, just when you think he can slow down a little, his progress is not slow at all, it can even be said to be very fast.

It could even be described as terrifying.

"Indeed, he still needs commercial works to prove his commercial value. However, his eye for choosing dramas is not very good. He actually chose The Legend of Chu Liuxiang and even had a conflict with the literary consultant. He really made things more difficult for himself."

At this moment, Han Ping recalled the rumors and gossip about the two CCTV period drama projects, which were not good little rumors for the project.

People at CCTV may not necessarily understand Gu Long, but if you have a conflict with someone from CCTV, it definitely means you don't understand interpersonal relationships.

Jiang Wen, standing next to him, chuckled and said, "They might prefer to choose 'The Return of the Condor Heroes,' but we still have to let them act in it. Aren't you in the Beijing circle supposed to be keeping them out of the loop?"

Han Ping shrugged.

Lu Yi, Huang Xiaoming, and Nie Yuan—three of the hottest young actors vying for this role. Even if the Beijing entertainment circle doesn't put pressure on him, do you think Li Xuan can still snatch the role?

It's very difficult.

"I don't know if he'll suffer a setback in the period drama field, but he'll definitely face obstacles in the spy drama field this time." Han Ping paused and said, "If he wants to switch to directing, then his obstacles will be even stronger. The current market is not so simple." This kind of thing can be viewed from both macro and micro perspectives. From a micro perspective, it's very simple: predecessors will not allow someone without a pledge of loyalty to gradually get on the table. Not belonging to any circle is his obstacle.

From a macro perspective, it requires a keen eye for subject matter, the ability to control resources, and the capacity to coordinate effectively—it truly tests a person's comprehensive abilities.

To become a director, one either needs to accumulate experience and then unleash it, or one has the advantage of family connections and connections to help them manage resources.
So Li Xuan's biggest problem is that he has no background or anyone to help him in this industry. This is his biggest regret. Everyone else has a father, so he's not fighting alone. The most typical father-son combination is probably the Chen Kaizi father-son combination. Han Ping knows this. This point cannot be explored in depth, as it is a sensitive matter in the industry. After "The Promise" came out, those who know, know. There is nothing mysterious about it, and nothing to hide.

It can be said that forming a director or a producer requires a group of resources.

If you're going to work alone, just stick to being an actor. Or wait until you've accumulated enough experience before switching to directing and producing. But given Li Xuan's age, no matter how prodigious he is, objectively speaking, he'll be around forty before he can switch to directing, unless he can find a backer in the capital.

However, Han Ping felt that given Li Xuan's ambition, it would be strange if he actually switched to investing capital.

"So, I judge that his path should be to act, to keep acting, and when he is 40 years old, he will win both the TV King and the Best Actor awards, and at the same time announce that he will produce and direct. He will encounter some setbacks along the way, such as this spy drama. That is the setback he encountered."

Han Ping, being a seasoned veteran, could see Li Xuan's "future" at a glance.

Interlaced like mountains.

Even when dealing with different subjects, it's like being separated by a mountain.

Although he's called "The Man of a Thousand Faces," you shouldn't really think you have a thousand faces.

At this moment, Jiang Wen spoke.

"you sure?"

"I'm usually very good at judging people."

"You see, I'm not very accurate," Jiang Wen said with a slight smile. "You said I'm no ordinary person."

“You were never meant to be, and I still maintain my assessment of him, unless you can persuade him to join Huayi Brothers or Enlight Media.”

"Ha, maybe he wants to set up his own territory. You're really dreaming if you're trying to persuade him to become ZBZY's lackey."

“Set up your own territory? Then I have to change my perspective.”

"What do you think?"

"His career in the entertainment industry ended at the age of thirty."

at this time.

Li Xuan returned to the film crew, which wasn't unusual, at least not for director Liu Guanglong or the literary consultant.

Spending a day going out to 'gather information' won't change anything, but it will reveal their attitude.

Perhaps it's 'carefree' or 'under a lot of pressure', but neither is a good thing. At the very least, it shows that the lead actor's condition is not good.

Similarly, Wang Baoqiang, the lead actor in "Listening to the Wind," was in an unexpected state.

Like being possessed.

He was talking to himself about everything related to Ah Bing.

Honestly.

Liu Guanglong was genuinely surprised.

This unassuming young man seems to be quite extraordinary.

It is very difficult for people to overcome their instincts.

He plays a blind man, but normal people need to focus their eyes and cannot overcome this instinct to focus. To overcome this problem, it is actually very simple for the production team: give him fewer frontal shots. This is the best solution.

Use more side shots, since he's not particularly handsome anyway, so he probably wouldn't mind. Use fewer frontal shots. However, Liu Guanglong never expected that Wang Baoqiang would use a suboptimal solution.

That is, to solve the problem yourself.

His eyes lost focus, and he became blind, Abing.

This is the stupid method he chose.

A somewhat foolish, but admirable method.

That means overcoming it yourself.

Overcome instinct.

After he managed to overcome his instincts, Liu Longguang held him in higher regard.

"I never expected that this unassuming young man would actually be such a promising talent..." Mai Jia, standing nearby, remarked with great interest, "You can't judge a book by its cover."

He could see that, in terms of the fit of the role, Wang Baoqiang at this time was, in fact, a perfect fit.

"I can only say that our previous prejudices were indeed somewhat wrong; they were prejudices brought about by arrogance." Liu Guanglong was watching Wang Baoqiang, who was diligently copying the script. He was truly studying the script and the character.

The entire novel "The Plot" is divided into "listening to the wind", "watching the wind", and "catching the wind".

Representing a listening expert, a cryptography expert, and an undercover agent—three frontline personnel in the intelligence department—Liu Guanglong was completely engrossed in the novel, captivated by its content.
The most remarkable thing about "The Plot" is actually the author, Mai Jia. He truly experienced that era and even worked in the counter-espionage department during that time. That's why he was able to write the novel so vividly and immerse the reader in the story. While others make things up, he is a semi-realistic novelist who reflects and imitates everything from that era.

Of course, this is also the most 'tragic' aspect of Mai Jia's life.
even.

Mai Jia did slip in some of his own ideas, which is not hard to see after repeated viewings.

However, Liu Guanglong did not intend to pursue these personal opinions. After all, everyone has their own 'will' and 'self', and as long as the overall situation is correct, there is no need to say more.

Now, back on set, Wang Baoqiang, who plays Abing, has shown his 'talent' as an actor. He transforms into Abing, a blind man with extraordinary talent but the mind of a ten-year-old child.

If this were modern times, his identity would probably be that of a 'village guardian'.

But in Bureau 701, this hearing-impaired genius is the sword that guards the nation.

Just like on set, he's the 'Wind Listener,' an actor with a somewhat unusual appearance.

"That's interesting. Will he steal the spotlight from our An Zaitian?" At this moment, Chen Shu, who had arrived not far away, looked at Liu Guanglong with some interest. They were from the same generation, had worked together, and were familiar with each other.

Chen Shu is the actress who plays Huang Yiyi, a character from "Fish of the Volga".

She possesses a mature and intellectual beauty, and her role is that of a 'Qingyi' (a type of female role in Peking Opera). Although she is only thirty years old, her mature charm is very sophisticated and pleasant.

It has a peculiar 'fragrance'.

This is also Mai Jia's most satisfying casting choice. This Qingyi actress, a graduate of the Central Academy of Drama, is simply the perfect Huang Yiyi.

A brilliant mathematician who embraced the relatively open-minded emotional and intellectual concepts of the West—modern, avant-garde, pioneering—words completely opposite to those of his time.

Liu Guanglong felt that this was also the most interesting point in the first two chapters of "The Plot": Ah Bing was too "later" for Bureau 701, while Huang Yiyi was too "earlier" for Bureau 701.

What happens when two different people are in the same place, in a classified unit that protects the country?

What is the fate of the individual within a collective?
Chen Shu has already somewhat entered the role of Huang Yiyi; it's an 'immersive performance' approach.

"Actually, compared to An Zaitian, I think our Comrade Liu Guanglong is even better."

Originally, she was watching Liu Guanglong, until Li Xuan returned.

To be honest, from the very beginning, Huang Yiyi felt from the bottom of her heart that Liu Guanglong, a man who was older, more experienced, and more mature, would be more in line with her ideal of An Zaitian.

She hasn't even graduated from university yet, so how could she be associated with maturity? At least, as an actress herself, Chen Shu couldn't think of how to embody a mature character.

But now, the situation has proven her wrong.

When Li Xuan appeared before them.

There is a strange kind of maturity in it.

There is a kind of vicissitude.

In an instant, his eyes told a story.

But a moment later, it became blank.

Was that a coincidence?
No.

Not only Chen Shu, but also Liu Guanglong and Mai Jia noticed Li Xuan's performance.

In an instant, he transformed from a mature, composed, and profound scholar into a sunny, reserved, and somewhat intellectual one.

At first glance, the two seem to be the same.

That's just at first glance.
Actually, they are not the same.

At least, everyone can sense that something is different.

Even Mai Jia, among others, could sense it.

"It seems like things have changed in an instant, but it also seems like there's no difference?" At this moment, Chen Shu is just like Huang Yiyi in the drama, speaking her mind and asking questions without hesitation.

Clearly, the change in Li Xuan from the moment he entered the film set was instantaneous; the difference between "profound" and "restrained" seemed like a complete upheaval.

Unbelievable, they look almost identical.

At this moment, Liu Guanglong was also incredulous. The director watched as Li Xuan entered—

There was also a strange feeling.
It's exactly the same feeling as Chen Shu.

Only Mai Jia, the literary consultant who usually appears calm, the "father of spy novels," seems less composed and even somewhat shocked.

"He actually did it."

Compared to the blind musician Abing, who was able to imitate blind people, Li Xuan's performance at this moment surprised him even more.
Even shock.

He seemed to truly understand what this role represented.

What qualities are needed for a special operations operative to survive?
As a spy, the most important ability may not be any extreme professional skills, but rather the ability to survive without anyone knowing you are a spy. Only those who live in the shadows are qualified to expose the monsters hidden in the shadows.

What appears in the sunlight is all a disguise.

Even what your colleagues see may not be the truth.

Only they themselves know who they are behind the mask.

Or rather.

Even they themselves have forgotten which one is the real them.

These are the invisible guardians in the darkness.

(End of this chapter)