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

Chapter 267, "The Plot": A High-Starting, Low-Flying Novel

At this time, the work was still being broadcast.

Moreover, the pace is getting faster and faster, and the competition is becoming increasingly intense. The battles of wits and intrigue are so exciting to watch.

In a sense, there is a trend that is becoming increasingly ambitious and intense.
And the more you do this, the harder it is to implement.

But it absolutely does not hinder anything.

This is a work that started strong and continued to improve.

"How come he has such a good eye for choosing scripts?"

At this moment, Huang Xiaoming looked at Li Xuan with complicated emotions.

Damn it.

This could also make him bet correctly.

He always manages to hit the right rhythm with works that appeal to niche tastes, new themes, and new paths.

"That's probably his advantage, not relying on the influence of capital."

Chen Kun's expression was somewhat complicated.

Li Xuan indeed cannot get help from capital.

But capital isn't all good.

While he can provide you with high-quality resources, he may also provide you with low-quality resources, or he may offer you deals or promote someone else.

In a sense.

Li Xuan, being a lone wolf, chooses scripts entirely on his own.

"I always felt that his level of fame, which he achieved on his own, was truly earned. He didn't rely on any external forces, and it's hard for him to fall from that position because he climbed it step by step through genuine hard work."

At this moment, Chen Kun seemed to be a little envious of this younger generation.

The 'freedom' he displayed far exceeded his own.

This feeling of freedom was something he could never experience.

How wonderful it would be to choose scripts and roles entirely based on one's own aesthetic sense!

Huang Xiaoming also fell silent.

That's why he was jealous of Li Xuan.

It wasn't because of his speed of progress—those are all excuses. What I envied most was actually Li Xuan's unparalleled sense of freedom.

This kind of freedom is what people envy the most.

Something that everyone is jealous of.
“This time, it started strong and continued strong, so there’s no need to be envious. He chose the scripts himself and was even chosen, which is entirely due to his ‘aesthetic’ ability,” Chen Kun said from the side. “In this work, he can’t replace you as one of the four leading men.”

The "Four Little Fresh Meat" is an honorary title for the new generation of male stars in mainland China.

The four most outstanding new generation male stars are chosen based on their combined appeal, acting skills, image, and other factors. They are selected as the most popular stars, and the selection is only made every two to three years.

Chen Kun was one of the four most popular young actors in the last competition. Although he and Huang Xiaoming were in the same class, Chen Kun received this title earlier.

Now, Chen Kun is a true rising star of the middle generation.

"One film like 'Plot Against' isn't enough. Even if it starts strong and continues to rise, it's still not enough if it starts strong but ends weakly."

"Don't even mention a strong start followed by a decline; even Huayi Brothers feels terrible seeing a strong start followed by a decline." Huang Xiaoming paused, suddenly feeling a bit sympathetic.
Yes, I sympathize with the Huayi Brothers.

Li Xuan was a chicken, a chicken intended to be killed as a warning to others, but their recent misjudgment seems to have prevented them from killing the chicken; instead, it has made him even fatter.

They lifted a stone only to drop it on their own foot.

He doesn't empathize with capital; he sees it as a mutually exploitative relationship, and he doesn't believe that capital and he are truly in cahoots.

even.

damn it.

Huang Xiaoming didn't know whether he should feel sad or laugh.

While the final stage of the battle for "The Plot" was underway, two other films were quietly released and have already quietly achieved success.

The two works are "Election" and "Peace is Precious".

The two films did not perform well at the box office because they were not positioned as commercial films, but they were watched by a large number of people, and the audience was quite large.

This was 'custom-made' by a big shot, a funeral for the old era.

It was a slightly sad, but still a dignified farewell.

Having watched both films so far, the veteran executives, including the producers, are all quite satisfied—at least, those who were involved and able to see these films are very satisfied.

In the old days, he was still buried.

At this time, a group of directors, producers, and some 'old colleagues' were invited to the celebration banquet.

"A grand funeral should have been held when Hong Kong returned to China; this is merely a belated funeral."

At this moment, Xiang Huaqiang, who was standing next to him, said leisurely, "Indeed, it's very glamorous."

Jimmy is looking at a big mountain behind him.
It feels so good.

The acting was superb.

On the other side, among those invited to the banquet were some industry bigwigs, including Chen Kexing, Derek Yee, Wang Jing, Li An, Du Qifeng, Andy Lau, and Tony Leung.

"I think the best performances were actually by Tony Leung Ka-fai and Simon Yam." Derek Yee, speaking from a professional perspective, commented over drinks that, after watching both films, the best performances were by these two leading men.

The fishing scene is absolutely legendary; both actors performed exceptionally well.

"But it seems that the big boss prefers Li Xuan." Liu Dehua smiled slightly from the side.

Among those 'audiences', Li Xuan is still the most popular.

"It's because Li Xuan's performance evoked memories for them all," Wang Jing commented from the side. "The way he was chopping people up reminded me of my own youth, maybe of brothers, maybe of friends."

Andy Lau's lips twitched—indeed, everyone else was acting, but he was the only one who had actually been in the industry.

It reminded Andy Lau of filming "Island of Fire," which was truly a magical filming experience.

"I was just about to say that, in terms of acting skills, our two veteran actors are indeed more powerful, but in terms of truly immersive performance, Jimmy is still the better one."

Derek Yee was also somewhat interested in Li Xuan.

Is this still an actor?

He probably wouldn't even pass the political background check for a civil service exam in mainland China—it doesn't seem like an act.

When Xiang Huaqiang mentioned Li Xuan, he kept calling him "brother" and "brother," which made people curious about Li Xuan's true identity.

"From an actor's perspective, he also acted quite well."

Andy Lau smiled slightly and said, "It has a similar feel to Tony Leung."

"uh-huh."

Tony Leung himself was just sitting there, not very interested, and was only discussing "Lust, Caution" with Li An next to him.

Every now and then, you hear things like "real fighting." That does pique a little interest.

Clear yet lewd.

So he can make that kind of expression too.

At this point, Andy Lau stopped talking to him. They were already at odds, and there was no point in trying to get close to him.

However, at this time, the old-timers were indeed discussing this work and this movie with great enthusiasm. Some people were nostalgic, while others felt that that era was not something worth remembering.

It's good that we live in a peaceful and orderly era.

Don't worry about your heart being pierced by a sharp blade the next day.

Some people, like Du Qifeng, are discussing the awards this work might win.

For those two fishing groups, it was almost certain.

They are contenders for Best Actor.

For someone in their position...

Awards may be more important.

Awards and achievements.
Du Qifeng also felt that the biggest hope for this movie was probably in terms of winning awards.

They've reached a new level.

This is also what he expects from this work.

To win awards.

The purpose of making these art films is mostly the same: to win an award. With these two films, I should be able to win an award, right?

Although he is a director who is quite good at winning awards, if there is any shortcoming, it is probably his commercial success. It is difficult to achieve both critical and commercial acclaim.

Most directors can only go in one direction. The extreme opposite is Wang Jing, the "King of Bad Movies." Those who go in two directions are extremely rare.

Of course, there was one other person present.

Derek Yee is a rare director who can handle both roles well and excel at both.

At that moment, he was talking to his "leading man" about "Protégé".

"The script for 'Protégé' is quite good." Andy Lau, looking at the script, pondered for a moment before adding, "But I already have 'The Warlords' here."

To be honest, he still wants to achieve commercial success, and he especially wants to act opposite Jet Li.

Look at this actor who has returned from Hollywood, excelling in both acting and martial arts.

A kind of 'competitive spirit'.

Clearly, he was a lower-ranking actor than Jet Li, but Andy Lau didn't think his acting was any worse. His desire to be on screen with Jet Li stemmed more from his competitive spirit and his desire to learn from him.

As for his salary, Andy Lau received 1500 million.

Li Lianjie's is 1 million.

A salary of over 100 million!

The actor who played Kung Fu Emperor was paid almost ten times more than the Four Heavenly Kings. This huge difference in value must have made Andy Lau a little resentful.

After a trip to Hollywood, this is how much he's worth.

Are imported goods expensive?
"You're a good fit."

“If I were to recommend someone,” Andy Lau paused before continuing, “a young person whose salary is lower than mine, but whose acting potential is greater.”

"Li Xuan?"

"Huh? How do you know."

"Everyone in the industry knows you have a special fondness for a mainland guy," Derek Yee joked. "But now we know that your preference isn't unfounded."

He truly has immense potential.

And they certainly deserve this favor.

This enviable favoritism.

"I'm just doing what I feel I should do."

At this time, Liu Dehua said.

"Li Xuan should still be worthwhile, so is he good enough to be your second candidate?" Er Dongsheng thought about this question for a while.

"Being the second candidate shouldn't be a big problem, provided you tell me in person whether you really want to give up on my project. Let me tell you in advance, I have high expectations and ambitions for this work."

I want to achieve both box office success and awards.

This work is the culmination of ten years of hard work, and it should be considered an excellent piece for you.

Andy Lau pondered for a moment, then smiled with gentlemanly elegance.

Yes, I confirm. Let's give this opportunity to someone who needs it more. If it conflicts with his schedule, come back to me, and I'll take the role.

Derek Yee looked at Liu Dehua in front of him, staring straight into his eyes, trying to see the hypocrisy in them.

It's pointless to not see clearly.

After all, he's an actor, and his profession is his greatest skill.

Many people in the industry, including Derek Yee himself, have speculated about one thing: whether Andy Lau's gentlemanly demeanor is a persona he has cultivated or whether he is truly like that. After all, this persona was painstakingly created by Andy Lau's former employer, ATV.

Including the Four Heavenly Kings.

Each has its own unique characteristics.

At least when Derek Yee interacted with other people, it was mostly just talk.
But Andy Lau, ever since he was asked to play a gentleman...
After a moment of silence, Derek Yee finally spoke.

"You are a true gentleman."

At this point, for students at Beijing Film Academy, who are now in their senior year, most of them have already gone out for internships.

Wang Jinsong was more relaxed than expected. Of course, Chen Bing and Xu Xiaodan were still a little dissatisfied with his leisure time.
Why don't you try to salvage "The Young Students," a piece of work created by your students? After all, it's something your students came up with.

Ultimately, these two are all bark and no bite. Although they don't think highly of "The Young Pioneers," they actually hope that Wang Jinsong can salvage the project.

At the very least, as a teacher, you should participate in guiding graduation projects; that's what everyone else does.
Wang Jinsong had no way to express his bitterness at this moment. Actually, I wanted to give them some guidance.

But with my limited abilities, I don't know where to begin.

"Well, how should I put it... I don't know how to put it either, but Li Xuan does have his own talent."

"I heard he turned 'The Young Students' into a youth film." Xu Xiaodan naturally had his own connections at Huayi Brothers, so this was just hearsay.

"That's not wrong."

After careful consideration, Wang Jinsong concluded that calling it a youth film is perfectly accurate.

At this moment, Xu Xiaodan sighed.

That's the worst part. They turned this into a teen movie. This film doesn't seem like the kind of thing that can be made into an idol teen movie. In the end, it will be a double blow to both its reputation and audience.

"Let me tell you, this concerns our best student. If things go wrong, Huayi Brothers' fierce attack won't hold back."

In fact, the higher the praise for "The Young Pioneers" was given, the harder it fell. If people knew it was a pure youth idol drama, the marketing departments of those in the Beijing circle would have even fanned the flames.

Let this work, including Li Xuan, and the students of the 2002 class of Beijing Film Academy, burn brightly together.

Wang Jinsong really couldn't guarantee anything.

"I can only guarantee that they were all extremely serious and put in 100% effort."

That's all we can guarantee. As for quality, ratings, and whether this filming method is correct, those are all meaningless and useless to talk about now. Only by actually putting the work on the screen can we verify it.

To be precise, Wang Jinsong also felt that even if he thought it was good and not bad, what about the audience?

This is something that no one could possibly know, not even Huayi Brothers or the Beijing entertainment circle.

Only viewership ratings and box office revenue are real money.

That's when we can verify whether we've succeeded.

At this moment, the three of them arrived at the principal's office, wanting to discuss something, such as the matter of assigning class advisors to freshmen next year.

This year's graduating class is about to start, and the three teachers also need to find places to go.

When they arrived, they found the principal watching a videotape titled "Peace is Precious".

Jimmy's ruthless act of chopping people up is chilling to watch.

"Isn't that Li Xuan?" Chen Bing, standing beside her, recognized him immediately. The man who had silently and ruthlessly thrown someone into the meat grinder was none other than Li Xuan!
Wang Jingsong also opened his eyes wide and looked at this person. "Damn, it really is Li Xuan."

First reaction——

This person is definitely not a psychopath, because he was very calm when he killed someone, and his eyes didn't show any fluctuation, as if he were handling a piece of pork.

"More money! More money! Damn it! More money!!!"

The guy next to me was vomiting like crazy. Holy crap, what a great actor.

Maybe it's because Jimmy, who's chopping people up, is such a good actor.

"My God, is he really the same person as An Zaitian and Qian Zhijiang?" Chen Bing swallowed hard, feeling a bit nauseous. Wang Fengsheng was really something, watching the uncut version. When Jimmy was chopping meat, white tendons flew onto his face.

"Yes, the 'Hey Society' series of movies is quite popular in Hong Kong, and the scores are all quite high. It can be said to be the team for this year's Hong Kong Film Awards. I used to think that Hong Kong's 'Hey Society' movies gave people a sense of being old-fashioned, but watching this movie is more like watching a funeral for the old era. This funeral is quite grand, with power struggles and the level of entertainment is no less than watching the struggle for the throne among the princes."

Wang Fengsheng gave this power struggle film a very high rating.
It's highly immersive, the plot is very engaging—and most importantly, it's a visual feast featuring a veteran group of Hong Kong actors.

These are the potential winners for this year's Hong Kong Film Awards.

However, what Wang Fengsheng cared about most was Li Xuan.
"You guys are watching 'Plot Against' too, right?"

"Ah."

All three nodded, saying it had nothing to do with their student relationship; it was normal for someone their age to enjoy works that leaned towards a more mature audience.

"Just close your eyes and think about the relationship between Jimmy and Qian Zhijiang."

Hearing the principal's voice, they were somewhat puzzled, but they did as he said.

The relationship between them.

they
they.

It doesn't matter.

All three of them showed expressions of shock.

It doesn't matter!

In other words, these two characters have absolutely no similarities whatsoever.

Every character is a vibrant life, and even the two completely opposite sides can be created to feel completely different without leaving any trace.

There was not a trace or feeling whatsoever.

at this time.

Wang Fengsheng then felt a pang of emotion.

"What an utterly monstrous freak!"

On the other side of Hong Kong, the buzz is still building, and within certain small film circles, "Hey Society" is slowly gaining traction.

But "The Plot" no longer needs to slowly ferment.

In the very end, what will become of Qian Zhijiang, and to what extent will he go?

This is undoubtedly something that piques some curiosity.

What unbelievable tactics will he use to defeat the acting director?

This is the only 'spoiler' Li Xuan can give to his classmates, especially Wei Ming and the others.

"Well, to be honest, my feelings about 'The Young Pioneers' are partly based on the work 'The Plot'."

At this moment, Li Xuan recalled the feeling he had back then.

Indeed, many of them came from the novel "The Plot" at the time.

Let's start by exploring that period of history through the novel "The Plot".

Perhaps this is the charm of historical dramas.

Starting with "The Myth," I've increasingly come to appreciate the charm of history and the past. There are always those who, through human strength, have shaken the torrents of history and shouldered the destiny of their nation.

This charm
At the same time, historical dramas are also a key area for winning awards and achieving high viewership ratings.

Historical dramas are almost at the pinnacle of the genre. The reason why Huang Xiaoming was able to reach the peak right from his debut is related to the fact that he played the second lead role in a historical drama. One role is better than three.

Of course, regardless of status, Li Xuan felt that the charm of historical dramas was profound and weighty.

Let me state a simple truth.

A subject that can win awards and boost viewership.

That means it's popular with the people and has both critical and commercial success.

It is not the meaning given by the subject matter.

Rather, it is the popularity among the people that gives the subject matter its significance.

It is the meaning given to them by their audience.

At this moment, Li Xuan's thoughts returned to the present.

This is a plot that unfolds within the humiliating history of modern China.

And so we've come to the very end.

Qian Zhijiang won.

Wei Ming, who was looking at the artwork, also fell silent.

There was even a shocked silence.

day.

It was in this way that the most brutal victory was achieved.

Qian Zhijiang kept the information to himself.

Then, as a heroic fighter of the Party-state, he "suffered injustice" and committed suicide, and his body was transported out intact.

The intelligence was also smuggled out, by his wife, who had always emphasized her deep love for him, who personally cut open his stomach.

Buddha resides in my heart.

The prayer beads are engraved with information.

He died, but he won.

A strong start followed by continued upward movement?

No.

At this moment, Wang Haiyang was watching the ending of the drama and murmured to himself.

The treacherous, cunning, and powerful acting director.

No matter how intelligent he was, he could not understand that faith and awareness of living in the face of death.

The script is incredibly dramatic.

This work.

"Gao Kaishen is gone."

(End of this chapter)