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

Chapter 260, Huayi Brothers: Treat him like a youth film, Li Xuan is good at pranks, it's bound to flop!

"It turns out my initial approach was wrong."

In fact, there is one thing Li Xuan has to admit in the face of public opinion on the internet.

Can you play him well? Can you portray him well?

Indeed, I cannot analyze or comprehend this 'great' man who saved the nation from peril.
But that's not what he wanted to see.

What he wants to see is...

Just like the spirit I saw in the library during my student days.

The 'awareness' that carries the burden of a broken country on one's shoulders.

These realizations.

Passed on to the 'young people'.

[Just Like Young Students: Simulation Begins]

Wang Jinsong, as the class teacher, also went to the filming direction this time. Regardless of whether he was optimistic about the work or not, the fate of this class was already tied to him. As the class teacher of the 2002 class, he shared the honor and disgrace.

The main cast includes Jiang Yan, Zhu Yawen, Luo Jin, Li Xuan, and Gao Yuanyuan.

The male and female leads are Li Xuan and Gao Yuanyuan, respectively, with Gao Yuanyuan playing Yang Hui.

On the bus, everyone was holding their scripts, working diligently and earnestly, which goes without saying. However, apart from Li Xuan and Gao Yuanyuan, there were no other serious actors present.

How can these 'teenagers' carry a whole drama?
Regarding their expectations, Wang Jinsong felt that if he could successfully complete the filming and make it a complete work, it would already exceed his expectations.

I can console myself a little. At least my students have managed to make the impossible possible. If they can achieve 'completeness,' then my resume as a homeroom teacher is enough.

However, more than that, he was worried about the students' future.
The problem is that he offended the Beijing elite circle too badly.

"Forget it, things will work themselves out. Most of the students are here now, so I'll just come and take pictures too."

At this moment, Wang Jinsong didn't think too much about it. He just looked at the students in front of him, studying the script diligently. They were doing quite well.

Now, the crew is all in place, and the students are all there too, but Li Xuan is still nowhere to be found. This actor, screenwriter, and director all embody the three most important elements of a work.
Surprisingly, they were the last to arrive.

Wang Jingsong was somewhat amused and exasperated, but he felt that Li Xuan's mental fortitude was too strong, bearing the future of an entire class.

This can be considered, in a sense, the success of one general built on the bones of ten thousand.

The fact that he can shoulder this responsibility and pressure truly shows that he is a very capable person.

Li Xuan.
It was only after arriving at the film set and the First Normal School that they saw Li Xuan.

Ugh.

When Wang Jinsong saw Li Xuan, he seemed a little sullen, as if he really couldn't handle this 'greatness'.

His temperament remained as unconventional as ever, and even the smile on his face had a youthful frivolity, lacking any sense of solemnity.

Is it really possible?
Actually, others felt the same way. Li Xuan's performance was more unconventional than expected, lacking the sense of greatness that comes with being a great person. This was a bit unexpected, but he was the scriptwriter and director. How he should act and how well he could act remained to be seen.

"I believe everyone has read the script. Ready? Let's begin." Li Xuan smiled warmly.

It even gives people a feeling of 'warmth'.

There's also a carefree, youthful spirit.

Only Luo Jin and Zhu Yawen understood it to some extent.
Have we also gotten ourselves into a dead end?
Are we too fixated on the historical image of the "great"?
at this time.

They put down their scripts and said in unison.

"We are ready."

Li Xuan looked at the two of them and smiled.

"How much of the books you read when you came here do you still remember?"

Zhu Yawen then said.

"I remember quite a lot at first."

Luo Jin added.

"But now I've forgotten all of that."

"Forgot, it's good that you forgot."

Filming for "The Young Students" has officially begun.

In 1913, a cheerful, book-loving young man, who loved reading all kinds of books, both ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, including vernacular novels and famous essays.

This is a boy who instilled fear in the surrounding bookstores and stalls.

It wasn't that his reading affected his business, but rather that he often forgot to eat when he was reading, truly embodying the phrase "forgetting to eat and sleep."

The boy was obsessed with reading, obsessed with the act of reading itself.
He and his brothers were named Xiao Zisheng and Cai Sen.

We agreed to go to the same school together.

A school called Hunan First Normal School.

Prior to this, the three individuals were characterized by one being a voracious reader and an active, unconventional personality.

He was a refined and reserved man from a wealthy family who loved poetry and literature and was very traditional.

A diligent and self-reliant individual who, despite his family's poverty, strives for self-improvement.

Three figures.

The future Three Friends of Xiangjiang.

Now it seems quite ordinary, a strange sense of ordinariness.

The only thing they have in common is probably their childlike innocence.

I love reading and am obsessed with books.

Those from wealthy families enjoy writing poems and essays.

Diligent, self-reliant, and strong.

Before filming began, on the way there, Wang Jinsong noticed that their demeanor was clearly not like that. Along the way, they were still trying to embody the great man they had learned from historical materials and their books.

Now, I don't feel anything at all.

No way, you really 'forgot' everything?
At this moment, Li Xuan's unconventional demeanor gave people a strange feeling.

I won't say whether it's right or wrong.

But they didn't have any sense of 'greatness' about them at all; they were just like any other young man you could see anywhere.

That feeling was extremely strong.
Putting everything else aside, this was the first time Wang Jinsong had seen Li Xuan act, and even the first time he had seen him play a role in a film crew.

Li Xuan as the lead actor, and Li Xuan as the character.
He had been an actor for many years, and had even transitioned from actor to director, having directed and starred in his own films, but he had never seen anyone like Li Xuan before him.
He gives people a completely different feeling when he is a director and when he is an actor.

This is probably the most impressive part.

He really is, as you can tell, a bit of a monster.

As Li Xuan's director.
wrong.

That's not right.

Wang Jinsong shook his head, acting as the 'character' and directing this film, "The Young Students".

Or.

It led them into the play.

The director's art is to immerse the viewer, to make them feel as if they are actually there, entering into the experience.
That wasn't technical skill; it was Li Xuan using his own directing style.
Wang Jinsong originally thought that directing and acting in his own films was an extremely wasteful thing—being energetic is also a kind of talent.

Generally, when actors become directors, they all switch roles; they almost never stay on as actors.
Few people have that kind of energy.

Certainly, Li Xuan's energy at this moment was quite astonishing, but even more astonishing was his directing style as a director.

He himself is someone who is 'immersed' in it.

Unlike typical directors who need to guide others step-by-step into the role, he is the script himself, the center of the world. When acting with him, you will naturally be drawn into the play.

this kind of talent
Wang Jinsong was shocked. He only knew that he had the same expressive eyes as Tony Leung and good physical talent, but he never expected this.

Those two things weren't the most explosive.

It was the present situation, that unparalleled immersion.

Complete immersion – something many actors dream of, he achieved effortlessly.

It also influenced the actors around them, making them believe it as well.

What you see before you is reality.

You are not filming a movie.

But we live in another world.

Zhu Yawen and Luo Jin.

At this point, I forgot a lot of things, a lot of things I had memorized and seen at the beginning, the historical background of those great figures.

【Forgot】

Li Xuan even asked himself this question, which is a bit unbelievable. Which director would ask himself if he has forgotten the character's backstory while filming?

But Li Xuan would; he would ask that question, this seemingly absurd and somewhat unbelievable question.
And now, their feeling is correct.
While filming, I felt like I had shed my 'shackles' and 'restraints'.

Yang Hui, including Gao Yuanyuan, and Xiang Jingyu, including Jiang Yan, all had the same feeling.

There is no sense of 'restraint' at all.

What is that?
That natural feeling of being yourself, the feeling of being guided by Li Xuan, the feeling of students at Hunan First Normal University.

An unrestrained childhood.

until.

The sentence that teacher Yang Jichang said in class.

"To quell chaos, one must cultivate martial spirit; to maintain order, one must cultivate culture and improve people's hearts. Given the current state of the world, I believe that education should be the primary responsibility."

"China has been weak for a century because its people have not been enlightened. Only by vigorously promoting education can we sweep away the poverty, ignorance and backwardness of the entire nation with new culture and new knowledge."

This sentence. Just say it to the students.

At this moment, the camera panned and no longer focused on Li Xuan.

In Professor Yang, who is Yang Hui's father.

He was looking directly at him the whole time he was delivering those lines.

Passionate, generous
This teacher wasn't an actor from somewhere; he was a professor with a good sense of the camera, brought in from Hunan First Normal University.

No acting skills are required.

All you need to do is sincerely say these words in front of the camera.

This fire.

At that moment, Wang Jingsong, who was standing next to him, felt something ignite within him, something burning.
Suddenly I understood something.
I seem to understand.

Why did Li Xuan and his team portray such 'ordinary' and 'youthful' characters?

Under the guidance of Li Xuan, who is both the director and a "character" in the play, everyone who was burdened by the "baggage of a great man" has shed that burden and is embracing the role with the most peaceful attitude.

Even Gao Yuanyuan was a little surprised by Li Xuan's choice, but this kind of acting is really comfortable.

Being guided was an experience she couldn't find in other dramas. It reminded her of when she was filming "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber". What she couldn't forget was not Zhang Wuji, but Song Qingshu. Brother Qingshu should be the one.

Gao Yuanyuan had always had a vague feeling about it.

She had been searching for the source of this vague feeling, but she didn't know to whom this feeling was directed.

She couldn't suppress that feeling, but she just couldn't find it—yet she wasn't bothered by it.

Whether it was for Li Xuan or for Brother Qing Shu, the source of that feeling has never been truly found.
She is a very romantic person who doesn't dwell on the source of feelings. A feeling is a feeling; if it exists, it exists; if it doesn't, it doesn't exist. She is also brave enough to pursue the source of those feelings.

Just like now, I came to "The Young Pioneers" this time. The main reason is because it is his work. I came on impulse, no matter how my friends tried to persuade me. He is "Don Quixote". Being with him is like challenging windmills in a dream, pretending to be a knight, but in reality, it is just an empty dream.

She came too, even if it was just a dream.

Before coming here, I didn't know much about "The Young Pioneers" or Yang Hui. It wasn't until I truly understood her that I realized she was such a great woman, unlike any of the characters she had played. She was truly 'great'.

It's a bit difficult to portray her well. This clever, independent, and strong woman.

But at this very moment, Li Xuan was guiding her.

It guided her to understand the character and that era.

Don't let yourself carry too much burden.

Filming can feel 'relaxed'.

There's a feeling of 'being captivated' that I had while filming with Li Xuan—a feeling unique to me!

Gao Yuanyuan was certain of one thing: at least, filming with him genuinely brought her joy, and this joy and peace of mind were not feigned.

It's the most genuine feeling.

At this moment, Gao Yuanyuan had forgotten many things and was completely immersed in the play.

Let's go with Li Xuan to see this era, this turbulent era, immerse ourselves in it together, and see the young people together.

True Youth

The characters in the play exude a clear, vibrant, and highly individualistic feel.

To prove who says women are inferior to men, Xiang Jingyu disguises herself as Xiang Shengnan and meets Cai Sen, a rich young lady and a poor boy.

Wang Jinsong, however, felt...

This sense of youthfulness is something even the Shanghai film industry can't capture – probably because the actors in Shanghai's youth films are probably no longer young when they're filming, while the cast here is all at their most youthful and youngest age.

Perhaps we all feel a little lost, but we never lack the courage to break free from that loss.

This is probably how these teenagers feel, their greatest advantage.

And at this time.

During the filming, there were quite a few people on site, and generally no one stopped them.

Among them were people from the Beijing elite circle.

That's the feedback they gave us.

This film, titled "Just Like Our Youth," has a youthful tone and a style typical of films made in the Shanghai film circle.

Wang Haiyang couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.

"Youth film, should I say he's ignorant or fearless? To actually film the story of 'Young Students' like this, a youth film. I thought he had something good to show for it, but I didn't expect him to use such a boring approach. Jiang Li, is this the 'talent' you initially saw? He actually treated this subject matter with such a sloppy way, and you were actually worried that he could actually achieve something, and even sent someone from the marketing department to check it out. Look, this is the result."

Back then, Jiang Li was just a junior manager in the film production department; now she's the head of the department.

The director in charge of overall investment and production.

The production manager had been trying to bring Li Xuan into the project because of the film "Buried Alive".

In Jiang Li's words, it was because Wang Haiyang's agency offered too harsh conditions that talent was lost.

Wang Haiyang kept insisting he was innocent.

Is this what you call demanding? This redefines demanding!

I've already offered the best terms.

If they offer even better terms...

That would be going too far.

“He is talented as an actor, but this talent has also brought him immense arrogance, making him think that he can do whatever he wants in this market.” Wang Haiyang said at this time, “Being able to take this subject matter and turn it into a youth film shows that he has a rich enough imagination to do such a thing.”

He originally thought that "Buried Alive" was a display of his talent, but now it seems that it was just a flash of inspiration. That flash of inspiration became the source of his arrogance, making him think that he could become a director even before graduating from acting.

Too arrogant.

The information from the marketing department is professional.

Jiang Li, standing beside her, was also speechless. If it were really made in the style of Shanghai-style films, in the way they made youth films, then this work would be utterly terrible.

"If it's really filmed with the feeling of idol youth and adolescence, as the marketing department says, then this work can indeed be declared dead."

"Honestly, I mobilized so many resources to do this, and it's just a pretty effective example of making an example of someone."

Wang Haiyang sighed, realizing he had been too cautious. He had been trying to secure resources and contact Huang Xiaoming, attempting to shut him down from every angle and dimension.

I only want everything to be foolproof.

It seems like he was overthinking it, but he doesn't seem to have any intention of withdrawing the resources he's already given out; he still wants to be cautious.
It's just that this time it will be even better.

Peace of mind.

We just watched him rise to prominence, and then watched his empire crumble.

A prodigy was about to die in the womb before he could even be born.

Hopefully, his example will serve as a warning to those who come after him.

Hopefully, those who come after him will not be as foolish as he was, foolishly resisting capital. They should realize that trying to stop a chariot with one's bare hands will only lead to utter ruin and become the epitaph of fools.

They need to understand this deeply.

Let them know what true utter ruin means.

Wang Jinsong at this moment.

I watched the filming of the work right here.

You can talk about one thing.

That means Li Xuan's acting skills are truly amazing.

Having taught so many classes of students, some are able to bring out 100% of the script. That's a gift, an absolute sense of immersion, and the right feeling that makes it possible.

Princess Pearl, that was Zhao Yanzi, a role created through complete immersion and performance.

It was a stroke of luck; her quirky and clever personality was a perfect fit for Qiong Yao dramas, but beneath that quirky and clever exterior lay a touch of tragedy.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she was born with the perfect physique of Qiong Yao (a famous Chinese novelist

But Li Xuan is different; he really is different.

His 100% performance and understanding meant that not only he, but also everyone else in the group he led, were completely immersed in their roles because of him.

Regardless of whether this youth film-style development is right or wrong, at least one thing is guaranteed: his acting skills are truly solid.

His skill level is completely beyond what someone his age group possesses.

And at this time.

Wang Jinsong was also moved by these students, because the way they acted seemed to be no different from the students he usually knew.

That's exactly what they look like.

Anyway.

The youthful vigor and vitality of a boy are always incredibly endearing.

At this point, they entered another phase, their youth transitioning into the days when Yuan Shikai became emperor.

Yuan Shikai sent me a task.

He ordered these students to write congratulatory articles celebrating his election as emperor.

Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!

It was an imperial edict from His Majesty.

At this moment, the youthful interactions and feelings of those teenagers, like water, are shattered and just awakened.

These were turbulent and unpredictable years.

This is where the teenagers live.

An era of constant warfare.

(End of this chapter)