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

Chapter 322, "Hidden in the Dust"

The responsibilities of both the director and the actor are very clear.

To bring out the best aspects of the work.

Damn it, to make things difficult for Huang Xiaoming, you'd risk your own 'reputation' and 'interests'? To risk your own...
Li Xuan would never do something so short-sighted as killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

The system's rewards.

But it's closely related to one's reputation.

Respect your own creative work.

That's also a kind of reasoning.

This applies to both directors and actors.

Then we went to Gansu to film "Hidden in the Dust".

The controversy surrounding "New Three Kingdoms" is still unfolding, but the online and newspaper discussions don't seem to be as intense as expected.

In Wei Ming's words, this is an attitude even more vicious than belittling.

This attitude is called ignoring.

The industry is paying more attention because it's a rare, large-scale project with significant meaning for the actors, but it doesn't resonate with the audience.

There are other IP works worth discussing.

However, CCTV completely ruined this path with "Journey to the West" and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

It's completely blocked!

It would be meaningless for others to take this path.

This is the absolute 'right to interpret scriptures,' something that any author or director who adapts an IP desires—an opportunity to go down in history, an opportunity that others find difficult to obtain.

“Indeed, after the official announcement of the filming of ‘New Three Kingdoms,’ I felt that there wasn’t much attention from the industry, probably because the old work was too classic.” Wei Ming clicked his tongue: “No wonder such a big project sent you to ‘test’.”

To be honest, Wei Ming also felt a sense of satisfaction from being a person with connections.
No wonder everyone craves this kind of thing.

The feeling of having something others don't, and the feeling of getting it effortlessly, can be very addictive.

It inspires people to pursue it.

It is human nature to pursue this sense of superiority, even though Wei Ming thinks he should be considered an honest person with sound values.

But now that things have come to this, I still hope to achieve it.

Go and get more of these things.

Li Xuan nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, it is large in scale, but also very difficult. It is a trial and a test."

At this time, for China Film Group, this production of "Three Kingdoms" should be considered a good thing.

"This is both an opportunity and a test. If he can achieve success as an actor and director in this 'Three Kingdoms' project, China Film Group will provide him with a steady stream of resources and engage in in-depth cooperation. But if he fails to achieve success, it means he is not worth so much training."

"Using a project like 'Three Kingdoms' as a touchstone for a seventh generation, Han Ping, oh Han Ping, your ambition is bigger than I imagined."

The person having tea with Han Ping was another bigwig in Beijing's elite circles—named Wang Shuo.

Ma Xiaogang was someone he mentored.
In their presence, Ma Xiaogang could only say "Ma Pants".

Even now, Xiao Gang is nothing more than a pair of pants.

Li Xuan and Ma Xiaogang are very similar. Both came from poor backgrounds, aspired to rise in society, and were talented. However, Ma Xiaogang chose to attach himself to the powerful and wealthy to achieve his current success.

As for the price, it's nothing more than being called "Ma Kuzi" (a derogatory term for a lackey or lackey).

Even with his current achievements, the name "Pants" will remain a part of his life.

But compared to the achievements, this is just a minor price to pay.

From the son of a railway worker to the now world-famous Ma Kuzi.

Although he is still wearing 'pants' now, they are no longer ordinary pants; they are extraordinary pants.
Um.
Ah.
"If we can nurture a great director, the cost of 'Three Kingdoms' is just a small price to pay," Han Ping said after taking a sip of tea. "Besides, he's someone Jiang Wen thinks highly of, so I feel that at the very least, I can gain more of Jiang Wen's favor."

Han Ping is the person within the entire Beijing entertainment circle who praises Jiang Wen the most, believing that he can replace Zhang Yimou as the number one director in China.

It could be said that Han Ping felt he wouldn't lose anything just to gain a little favor from Jiang Wen.

Wang Suo didn't have much to say about this, because he already knew the importance of talent.
With so many people wearing pants, why is it that only Ma Xiaogang can become "Ma Pants"? Most of the other "pants" are simply lost in the surging crowd.

A person without talent is despised even if they are a dog.

In fact, the older generation still has some nostalgia for the Three Kingdoms period, including Wang Shuo.

I don't believe the new one can surpass the old Three Kingdoms.

However, it also gave me a glimpse into Han Ping's control.

The reason for giving such preferential treatment to a seventh-generation director was actually to curry favor with Jiang Wen, rather than the seventh-generation director himself.

This also indirectly illustrates the nature of this resource.

This is truly something that ordinary companies can't compare to.
Jiang Wen
At this moment, Wang Shuo was thinking about this guy who had once stirred up a storm in the Chinese entertainment industry.

That legendary strongman, Jiang Wen.

His existence
If the Chinese entertainment industry truly undergoes a radical transformation in the future, perhaps Jiang Wen will indeed achieve incredible results.

What does Gansu have?

Loess, sand and gravel—and happiness.

At this moment, Yu Hua, who was preparing to set off, had a considerable degree of joy on his face.

After reading the script for "Hidden in the Dust," Yu Hua knew that Li Xuan was definitely his confidant.

Yu Hua, who was more proactive than anyone else, set off after having a meal with his old friends.

"You seem quite excited," Shi Tiesheng teased Yu Hua.

At this moment, Shi Tiesheng's face showed a sickly appearance.

Although he was in worse condition than before, his demeanor was better than expected.

Even as life gradually led him toward death, he felt no regret, remorse, or fear; he lived each day to the fullest.

That was the feeling that Li Xuan's "To Live" gave him: good things always happen while you're alive, and there's no need to worry about philosophical insights while you're still alive.

"Of course I'm excited. My confidant, Li Xuan, his script tells me that my upcoming filming will be very enjoyable," Yu Hua said with a simple, honest smile.

Indeed, even if his "living" is essentially meant to bring people a sense of hope, the art form he uses still evokes a feeling of "pain."
You have to feel pain first before you can appreciate the value of hope.
If you can't feel the value of being alive or of life, then go cry, go feel the pain!

Therefore, Yu Hua felt very excited, and had a feeling that after the broadcast of "Hidden in the Dust" this time, there would be batches of people who would lose sleep and shed tears!
Thinking of this, Yu Hua revealed a rather bright smile!

You two seem to be very much in cahoots.

"That's a bit more. Let's wait for our movie to be released. It will definitely give you a pleasant surprise."

Therefore, you must live until that time.

Shi Tiesheng nodded.

certain.

Even if it's just to see your work, my friend.

I will definitely live to see that time.
Sometimes, survival just needs a reason.

At this moment, Li Xuan arrived at the film set.

This film set is surrounded by yellow sand.

Sand, gravel, loess—these are the things that cover the area.

"Hidden in the Dust and Smoke".

The meaning behind the title of this script is actually a feeling of forgetting.

Marginalized people.

There are not many people left living in this yellow sand village. Most of the young people who are able to work have gone out to cities in the south.

Ma Youtie and Cao Guiying.

Even in such a desolate place, it was an extremely poor place.

It's in the poorest place.

They can also be considered losers.

The poorest bachelor in the village, at the very bottom of the social hierarchy, a man who, apart from being honest, is...

An ordinary man without any other labels, a man who has absolutely lost his right to reproduce in today's society, which is dominated by ambition, struggle, and hard work.

A woman with scoliosis, incontinence, and unsure if she can have children—a woman in this era who has lost all her 'weapons' as a woman.

Two losers, two people who, even in this impoverished village, were quintessential losers, and their story... This is Li Xuan at this moment.

He squatted on the mound, chin in hand, watching the people and things passing by.

Go and spread the feeling of poverty here.

As Li Xuan disappeared into the dust, he observed the situation while simultaneously allowing the script of this work to resonate with the system and himself.

Let the system guide you.

enter.

The location on the yellow earth land overlaps with the location in the script, but the person squatting here is no longer Li Xuan, but Ma Youtie.

Squatting here, looking at the sky, the land, the countryside, and himself all alone, a sense of 'bewilderment' lingered in Li Xuan's mind.
【Start simulation】

In the simulation, Li Xuan did not experience any enlightenment, pain, or great storms.

He was all alone, farming day after day. His parents and elder brother had all passed away, and he had only a shrewd third brother who disliked him. He worked for his third brother and survived as a long-term laborer in his family.

My third brother looks down on me, and so do his children.

From this day forward, I will always be alone.

Just one person.

at this time.

I sat in the wheat field, under the golden sun, with the yellow earth in the distance and the mud-brick houses.

During the Lunar New Year, he was all alone, eating coarse flour buns, and under the dim kerosene lamp, he cherished and luxuriously lit a lamp that could last until midnight to welcome the New Year.

I've always been alone.

They were all alone.

At this moment, Liu Yifei also set off under Liu Lili's watchful eye. Before leaving, she was holding the script in her hand, as if she were completely absorbed in it.

I was completely absorbed in the script of "Hidden in the Dust".

“Your daughter seems to really enjoy the script.”

“Hmm, that’s true.” Liu Lili stroked her chin and said, “Ever since she came back from Hong Kong, she has devoted herself to studying the script. To be honest, this is the first time I’ve seen her so ‘studious’.”

"the first time?"

"Yeah, first time."

Liu Lili added insult to injury: "I'm more serious about it than when I filmed 'Chinese Paladin' and 'The Return of the Condor Heroes.' As for comparing it to 'The Forbidden Kingdom,' I don't know, I haven't seen it."

"you"

Cai Yulong felt somewhat helpless. In fact, she really liked Liu Yifei. If Liu Yifei was willing, it would be best to keep her as Tangren Media's top star. She was willing to pay any price.
Even now, she can't find a better idol actress than Liu Yifei.

There are no "what ifs" in this world, and this situation is absolutely impossible now. As an international star, she cannot and will not accept the invitation from Tangren Media to star in this TV series.

"Sigh, judging from the location, the scale of 'Hidden in the Dust' is much smaller, probably because she really likes it." Cai Yulong said sourly from the side.

"Haha, you don't even make movies, why are you jealous? Forget it."

“This isn’t like you. If it were the old you, you would probably have said that your daughter was being unreasonable if she chose this project. How come you’ve changed so much?”

"Hmm, it might be because of Li Xuan. He and his script are indeed excellent?" Liu Lili paused and said, "It's not difficult to admit that someone is excellent."

Li Xuan.

At this moment, Cai Yulong must have felt a bit emotional. She didn't expect that his talent wasn't limited to being a TV drama director; this time, his film "Buried Alive" was so well-known that even someone like her who doesn't follow the film industry would know about it.

A powerhouse with ten times the box office revenue.

The novel "The Young Pioneers" made her realize that Li Xuan's talent was simply astonishing.

This time, "Buried Alive" really impressed her. She just couldn't understand how this person could fit such talent into their head.

No, it's not just about talent, but a combination of talent and acting skills. Even a simple script, without sufficient acting ability to interpret it, is nothing but a waste of time.
That was just a dream.

It was just a beautiful, passionate dream.

But Li Xuan did it.

A performance that combines acting skills and talent.

In some ways, Cai Yulong's desire for Li Xuan even surpasses that for Liu Yifei, an international starlet, because he is simply too well-rounded.

That's just too much to bear.

I want to have this talented young man.

Unfortunately, that's impossible.

"The feeling of longing for something that is unattainable is perhaps the most regrettable," Cai Yulong said with some emotion.

"On the other hand, while I acknowledge the script's excellence, I don't think Li Xuan can resist it, nor do I think my daughter can resist it."

Liu Lili received a completely opposite evaluation.

Even Mr. Cai was somewhat puzzled and taken aback.

You can clearly acknowledge the script's excellence.

But he won't admit that his daughter can act well?
But they won't admit that Li Xuan can act well?
“If it were Li Xuan from many years ago, I believe he could have done a good job with this script and this role. But the Li Xuan of many years ago is different from the Li Xuan of now. Perhaps his improved acting skills will allow him to handle more roles, but the role in this script cannot be interpreted by improved acting skills alone.”

“His talent and ability are truly outstanding, truly extraordinary, so when I saw the script, even though I knew my daughter couldn't handle it, I still readily agreed.”

Cai Yulong was a little itchy to try it.

It could make that picky old woman, Liu Lili, happy.

They can all say that the script is good.

She was very curious.

However, Liu Lili will definitely not reveal the specifics, as it concerns her and her daughter's professional ethics.

All I can say is that this script is not easy to handle.

He is very "traditional".

It's a good script in the traditional sense.

Unlike Buried Alive, it takes a different approach to overtake the competition. The screenwriter's thinking is not the same, and she can tell that.

Deeply involved with marginalized individuals.

Try to understand things from their perspective.

Go and show it.

It's somewhat like what the sixth generation of directors excelled at.

It expresses delicate emotions through humanities and marginalized people.

But Li Xuan is a man with "ambition." Although he was not born into a noble family, his spirit is absolutely extraordinary.

He upheld the bottom line of not compromising with capital and safeguarded his own interests, demonstrating extraordinary courage.

It is by no means ordinary.

Let this man with extraordinary spirit become an ordinary person, living a life of hardship at the very bottom of society.

It's not about doubting Li Xuan's abilities.

Let a lion play the role of an insect.

This is too difficult.

Compared to "letting go".

The matter of "receiving".

This is something that most young actors can't do.

If he can really do that, then he might actually be able to challenge for the Best Actor award.

wrong.

If he really can do it.

Then he is the Best Actor.

Using pure acting skills means becoming someone who has absolutely nothing in common with oneself.

And his own daughter, who was born into a noble family.

Needless to say, to put it bluntly, the person who has suffered the most is someone who drinks iced Americano.

How can we get her to become...
Um.
"The biggest failure of his film is that he is neither a pure director nor a pure screenwriter, but rather he cast his daughter and me as the male and female leads."

(End of this chapter)