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

Chapter 252, Only with the Reality of 'Sacrifice' Can 'Enlightenment' Have Meaning

'Death' is part of the play.

For Li Xuan, this was indeed the case, because of the reality of 'death'.

Only with the awareness of 'sacrifice' can something have meaning, just like Qian Yijiang.
To perform the act of sacrifice, one must make one's body believe that the impending death is real.

I am really dead.

chaos.

dark.

Breathing, the world, are all breaking away.
I don't know how much time passed before I emerged from the state of 'death'.

Break free.

This system can block this special experience.

"Need not."

Li Xuan did not try to block out this experience of 'death'.

The fears, emotions, and feelings experienced before death are all real.

Am I not afraid?

I'm scared.

Tang Yina's desperate tango was a dance that released the fear of death.

But after venting their fear, the awareness to calmly face death...
When Li Xuan 'woke up,' he found that Liu Guanglong was about to call an ambulance.

"you're awake?"

"Yeah, I got too into character. I thought I was really in it."

At this moment, Li Xuan teased, and Liu Guanglong, who was standing next to him, looked at Li Xuan's nonchalant appearance and his mouth twitched. He was really too immersed in the moment.
You can even experience the feeling of 'death'.

At least, this was something he had never heard of or seen before.

Oh wait, I've seen it now.

"You've really opened my eyes in my acting career." Looking at Li Xuan, Liu Guanglong sighed. In all his years in the industry, he had never met an actor like Li Xuan, who could even 'act' death, and who could so easily break character while in such a state of immersion.

This person is truly a freak among freaks.

Liu Guanglong believed he was already excellent enough, the second student to be admitted to Beijing Film Academy with perfect appearance and temperament—oh wait, the person in front of him was also the top scorer at Beijing Film Academy, and he had excellent hard skills, with a perfect score in the professional exam.

Judging from the current situation, this Li Xuan is indeed a prodigy.

"Are you really not feeling any discomfort at all?"

No. At least not now.

At this moment, Li Xuan smiled slightly.

Filming for "The Plot" has wrapped.

Huang Yiyi and A Bing did not attend the wrap party this time. As the 'protagonists' of the first two chapters, they left the crew early on.

Whether as actors or as characters, they have all left.

The character's departure was undignified, but actors should always leave with dignity, especially Chen Shu. Her immersion in the role was truly profound; she might even need to see a doctor to check her mental state.
At the wrap party, Mai Jia had the most complex expression.

"Originally, I thought that as the original author and screenwriter of the book, I would be exhausted."

He thought he would focus more on adjusting the shooting style, camera angles, and the protagonist's state.

He said he was calm and didn't care, but in fact he cared a lot about this TV series, "Plot Against". It was his first TV adaptation of a novel, and he put a lot of effort into the script adaptation from "Listening to the Wind" to "Catching the Wind".

"I apologize for my arrogance, and raise a glass to you."

Li Xuan truly understands "The Plot".

He truly understood that era.

I have a question.

How did you manage to act so convincingly?

According to Liu Guanglong, an actor's "identification" and "immersion" mostly stem from genuine feelings and personal experiences. However, Li Xuan's experiences don't seem to reflect that era at all.

But 99% of the feeling is without any sense of distortion.

It even reminded Mai Jia of the feeling of comrades-in-arms.
Li Xuan couldn't possibly tell.

This must be my own 'real' experience.
After all, I truly 'lived' in that era of war and chaos, and I have memories of that time, of the blood and fire of that time.

years
Li Xuan didn't know how to answer Mai Jia, but he could have said something.

I'm incredibly gifted!
That's true.

But at this moment, Li Xuan looked at Mai Jia and said with a slight smile, "Perhaps it's because that spirit has been passed down to my generation."

If.

Just now at the dinner table, when everyone, including Mai Jia, felt a sense of relief amidst their exhaustion after wrapping up filming, this sentence came as a bolt from the blue.

At least, that's true for Mai Jia. This emotionally stable novelist, who once worked in the intelligence system and wrote novels like "Plot Against," which contain light and humanity within darkness, should theoretically be very, very stable in his emotions.

So far, Liu Guanglong hasn't seen him show any particular emotion.
But this time, he really cried.

At least, this time, it truly touched Mai Jia's heartstrings.

The spirit has been passed down to this generation.

What a romantic interpretation.

It was nighttime, and the next day they would be leaving the film set and returning to Beiping.

During this period, they were filming in two locations, Hengdian and Shanghai. They were currently in Shanghai, where the Oriental Pearl Tower was shining brightly at night. However, in Li Xuan's memory, it seemed to overlap with the devastated Shanghai that Qian Zhijiang remembered.

That white/// terrifying Republican era
The two overlap and intersect.
Different people see different things.

In my eyes.

In Qian Zhijiang's eyes.

In An Zaitian's eyes.

In a daze, Li Xuan saw that period of time.

The 'police dog' is responsible for contacting intelligence for the 'viper'. He is an indispensable person in the communication line, a respectable civil servant, the deputy mayor's secretary, and has a promising future.

'Mother hen', the secretary's housekeeper.

Until the police dog was shot dead, he shouted loudly—cancel the special envoy mission.

This is the intelligence he was willing to risk his life to transmit.

At this moment, his butler, that old Jin, that 'mother hen,' he cried.

He is my son.

It turns out that their relationship was only nominally that of butler and master; their true relationship was that of father and son.

Just like the relationship between Luo Xue and Qian Zhijiang, many underground communist groups back then had similar family dynamics.
Even a small piece of intelligence had to be delivered with one's life.

Sometimes, even sacrificing oneself doesn't ensure that intelligence can be transmitted.

but.

Something has been conveyed.
It is 'enlightenment', it is 'spirit'.

Li Xuan seemed to see it all: from the police dog to the hen, to the fallen comrades, then to Qian Zhijiang, then to the frail woman who loved her husband dearly, and finally to Luo Xue, who dissected her husband with her own hands.
Then to——

in front of you.

The last person to remain was named An Zaitian.

At this moment, this charismatic and extraordinary man was standing right next to Li Xuan.
Having lived a lifetime for my faith, even if I waver, I will never be lost.
This is An Zaitian.

"gorgeous."

This is the elderly An Zaitian, frail and old, his eyes gazing at the city before him, as if sparkling with starlight.

"Yes, it's beautiful. If we take the timeline to twenty years from now, it will be even more beautiful."

"Oh, is that so?" An Zaitian smiled and said, "That's great."

My blood is boiling with passion.

Fight for the truth!

Singing.
An Zaitian's figure had disappeared.
"Goodbye."

"There's no need to say goodbye, I'm still here, aren't I?"

Yes.

You still exist.

Your spirit still lives on.

Li Xuan remained silent, simply watching An Zaitian's final silhouette in this 'human world'.
He is about to 'die'.

He died peacefully in his sleep after the end of "The Plot".

Sometimes, Li Xuan would wonder if these figures were a sign of his unstable mental state—but it didn't matter.

They can think and speak, which means they probably exist.
[Simulation Ended: An Zaitian/Qian Zhijiang]

The legacy passed down through generations has forged a legacy of passion and song.

[Reward: Eye contact ability +1, ability to hide and express complex and multiple emotions]

Your ability to convey emotions through your eyes has reached a new level; your eyes can now convey more complex emotions.

Concealing and expressing complex and multifaceted emotions: As a spy, hiding your emotions and objectives are fundamental skills.

Filming "The Plot" was quite a unique experience.

For Li Xuan at least, it was an absolutely profound experience.
They were so profound. At least so far, they must be the ones who have made me the most "immersive".

The feeling that Qian Zhijiang and his son brought to themselves.

"Hey System, can our eye-tracking output capability be upgraded any further?"

Yes, the host's current eye contact output ability is (+), which is basically on par with Liang Chaowei's talent potential.

Wow, it can be upgraded again!

Li Xuan was somewhat surprised; it was really good. At least this ability to convey emotions through his eyes was truly useful in every role.
As for the concealment and expression of another complex and multifaceted emotion, the focus should be on the plural expression of multiple emotions—Zhou Gongzi should be an expert in this area.

If we say that Tony Leung's eyes are 'precise'.

Zhou Xun's eyes are 'complex' and 'changeable', and it is with this skill that she has become a superstar, with an international status no less than Zhang Ziyi. However, Zhang Ziyi's advantage lies in her appearance, commercial value, box office appeal, and international box office appeal.

Zhou Xun has strong acting skills and wins many awards, but her box office appeal is much weaker, which is a bit of a pity. After all, appearance is something that is innate. Even if you change it later, there will always be some flaws.

Take the actresses from the Korean Peninsula for example. There's Kim Sun-hee (the older sister), Kim Sun-hee (the younger sister), and Kim Sun-hee (the younger sister). But this one really hasn't had any work done. It's impossible that she didn't have that thing done.

There are all sorts of versions of Kim Sun-hee, but when you're with the real Kim Sun-hee, you're just outshone.

Must be seconds!

"call"

At this moment, Liu Yifei, Kim Sun-hee, and even Choo Ja-hyun and Gao Yuanyuan flashed through Li Xuan's mind.

Indeed, visualizing beautiful women easily brings physical and mental pleasure.

We must always look forward. Let's leave those things that belong on set for now. Time to go back to school!

At this moment, Li Xuan returned home. This cozy little house, less than 100 square meters, was simply decorated and very warm, and the location was quite good.

"Are you tired after filming?"

"Yeah, I'm a little tired this time."

"That's rare," Wei Ming said, looking at Li Xuan's exhausted appearance. "I thought you were made of iron."

Li Xuan used to be treated like livestock when filming.

In Wei Ming's words, he only knew one person in the industry who worked as hard as Xu Mianjiang, even pushing his body to the limit to film.
All I can say is that Li Xuan doesn't even trade stocks, yet he's working incredibly hard.

Even Wei Ming's friends are asking if his nephew is trading A-shares.

"How should I put it? This time it's not physical fatigue, I'm perfectly fine, it's just mental fatigue."

Of course, the main reason is probably that this "Plot Against" project is just too special.

It makes it difficult to escape mental exhaustion.

I am indeed a bit tired.

At this moment, Wei Ming spoke.

"Hey, you really need to get regular checkups. I've already bought you a checkup package, you can't skip that!"

Given the intensity of Li Xuan's filming schedule.

Regular checkups are still necessary.

Li Xuan did not refuse.

He chuckled to himself, only he knew how amazing his body was.

Oh no, only you know how awesome your system is.

Besides the medical check-up package, Wei Ming also told Li Xuan about some upcoming arrangements.

The Myth was a huge hit in South Korea.

This time, it can be said that Cheng Shilong's company, Emperor Group, and China Film Group made a fortune.

Too profitable.

The domestic box office was already profitable, but the Peninsula box office became a huge hit.

In fact, outside of China, people in Asia still remember Cheng Shilong mainly for his "Drunken Swordsman" series.

That was actually Chengshilong's true peak period.

Her subsequent works can be seen as a continuation of her peak.

This time, the co-production "The Myth" is once again refreshing our memories.

It's not an old work, but a new one.
This one-time refresh of Cheng Shilong's image can be considered an expansion and refresh of international influence, especially in Asia. The success of "Myth" is phenomenal, as it inherently carries the cultural and bloodline of Asian regions.

Especially with Kim Sun-hee's support, Peninsula achieved a box office of $280, making it the highest-grossing foreign film of the year.

Even Fantastic Four couldn't beat The Myth.

This is considered quite rare.

Hollywood blockbusters have their own influence all over the world. Although "Fantastic Four" is considered one of the weaker Hollywood blockbusters, even a fallen camel is bigger than a horse. It is still a Hollywood product. In this era of American cultural hegemony, foreign films generally dominate the box office, while French films are more successful in the art film sector.

The Asian region is also heavily influenced by Hollywood films. The fact that *The Myth* managed to overshadow Hollywood films on the Korean Peninsula is certainly due in large part to Kim Sun-hee's efforts, but the influence of Sung Si-ryong and the subsequent positive impact of the film's quality were also crucial factors.
In any case, "The Myth" can be considered a film that is still going strong and has not yet fully realized its potential.

This is also what Wei Ming mentioned; next, "The Myth" will be shown at the Busan International Film Festival.

The Myth will be nominated for the Huabiao Awards, the Hong Kong Film Awards, and the Hundred Flowers Awards. However, it seems likely that it will only receive a nomination at this point.

But it seems that it accomplished what it said it would do back then in "The Promise".

The Myth has successfully balanced artistic merit with commercial appeal.

"The Promise is actually quite popular in some ways, but it's not the movie itself that's popular." Wei Ming said with a strange expression.

Li Xuan was curious and puzzled. If it wasn't "The Promise" that was popular, then what was?

The derivative video of "The Promise", "A Bloodbath Caused by a Steamed Bun", is even more popular than "The Promise" itself - I heard that Chen Kaizi was very upset and even went to the media to angrily denounce the infringement.
However, they didn't use it for profit; they just used it to mock you, so it would be very difficult to sue for copyright infringement.
"Wuji... Hmm, I'm not sure how to comment."

At this moment, Li Xuan was also somewhat speechless. This movie did indeed have a somewhat abstract feel from beginning to end. It wasn't really that bad, but there was one original sin that was true: he didn't like this movie.

Being ugly is the biggest original sin.

While "Farewell My Concubine" is about the times and conveys moral lessons, its greatest strength is that it is entertaining and immersive.

When your movie is bad, all your excuses are useless and impure.

What happened next was quite simple. He didn't need to attend the Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Film or the Hundred Flowers Awards for Best Director, as he was clearly a runner-up. The Huabiao Awards for Outstanding International Co-productions also had nothing to do with Li Xuan. He didn't even attend these awards that he was just a runner-up for.

However, the Busan International Film Festival did invite a group of Li Xuan attend.
It is, after all, an international film festival award. It's not that this thing is more prestigious than domestic film awards, but it has a dimension that domestic film festivals can't provide—that is, the dimension of international influence.

In terms of popularity, Cheng Shilong and Stephen Chow are actually quite similar. In fact, Stephen Chow is undoubtedly number one in Guangdong Province. But if we have to say who is number one and who is number two, Cheng Shilong is number one and Stephen Chow is number two.

What it lacks is international influence.

It's just that most actors don't possess this rare quality, and can only circulate within the Chinese-speaking world.

Or rather, for most actors, this factor is of little use. Most people can't even break through the upper limit of the Chinese-speaking world, so that little bit of international influence factor won't affect their status. Even if they go to great lengths to do it, it won't be of much use.

The difference between Zhao Yanzi and Zhang Ziyi lies here, and the difference is quite significant. Zhang Ziyi is an international superstar with box office appeal in North America, making her quite formidable among Asians.

Only when you reach Cheng Shilong's level, or are close to it, and have access to top-tier works with international ambitions, can the factors of international influence be brought into play.
For Li Xuan now, Wei Ming also hopes that Li Xuan will go to the Busan International Film Festival this time—at least to broaden his horizons and relax from being constantly filming.

After all, machines need rest too!

Of course, Li Xuan felt that he should be stronger than a machine in the conventional sense.

Go ahead, it's all on the company's dime and they'll reimburse you.
At this moment, Li Xuan was back at school. Before, when he returned to school, the first thing his roommates would do was ask him to play basketball or something.

But when I returned to school this time, I found that Luo Jin and Zhu Yawen hadn't asked me to play basketball or have barbecue. When I found them, they were just staring blankly out the curtains in the classroom.

His eyes gleamed with an emotion called emptiness.

They're already thinking about the 'sky blue' thing.

This is a boring thing.

They all had a unique emotion in their eyes: confusion.

It happened before, and it happens now.

"You said, the sky is so blue."

"Yes, the sky is so blue."

"You two."

Li Xuan put his arms around their shoulders and asked with a smile, "What's wrong?"

"Hey! The big star is back!"

"Hey~~ Boss."

Zhu Yawen and Luo Jin, the two buddies, both smiled as they looked at Li Xuan.

Still the same as before.

That smile, after seeing the eldest brother return to the dormitory, was as if he had found his pillar of support.

That sense of dependence.

Li Xuan could sense it.

They possess the unique sense of bewilderment characteristic of young people in this era.

Something that exists in every era.

"He's our boss, so he doesn't have to think about the graduation play. We're different; we have to think about the graduation play."

At this moment, Zhu Yawen talked about her recent troubles.

He always spoke frankly to Li Xuan without hiding anything from him, and it was time for them to face each other.

That is, graduation.

It was only then that Li Xuan realized he would be a senior next year.

With more than half of my junior year over, my campus life at Beijing Film Academy is also coming to an end.

This was also the deadline for the protection that Principal Wang had mentioned, protecting Li Xuan from the harm of capital, and extending the protection to his senior year.

However, at this moment, capital has lost interest in Li Xuan, this "pest".

There are too many thorns; even if you swat them all, you won't make any money.

Pointless.

There's another saying that goes something like that.

If I can't beat XX, can't I at least beat you?

At the time, Li Xuan was just one example of what Principal Wang had done.

Since we can't target the typical case, let's target the others.

Zhu Yawen and Luo Jin were among them.

It's not that investors didn't offer them a price.

They thought the reason was very simple.

That's loyalty.

Li Xuan didn't understand and was stunned for a moment. Hearing this reason, he was somewhat dazed.

Li Xuan never expected this reason from the very beginning.

Interests, profits, exploitation, contracts.

Li Xuan considered many reasons, as did Luo Jin and Zhu Yawen, for refusing to be recruited by capital. The principal's legal education activities over the years were not intended to target capital.

If you dare to let a peasant talk about the law today, what would you dare to let him do tomorrow? I don't even want to think about it.

A principal who doesn't understand the situation should be dealt with severely.

Li Xuan had assumed that Luo Jin and Zhu Yawen had chosen to refuse offers from capital due to their school education.

I never expected the answer I got would be about loyalty.

That's a perfectly natural statement.

“When they were targeting you back then, they were really nasty. Now they're only letting you go because they think you're tough to mess with and there's no profit in it. It's pointless for us to go to companies and circles like this that are targeting my brother. It feels shabby and makes us feel resentful.”

"Yes, yes, it's really shabby. We will resolutely refuse those who have targeted my brother. One cannot be disloyal."

The two guys were talking back and forth.

This made Li Xuan feel a little ashamed.

Within this young body dwells a broad and insightful soul.

But what lies before me is the true soul of a young boy.

A spirited and reckless young man.

(End of this chapter)