Huayu: When the director changed his major

Chapter 190: A Ten-Year Movie Dream
8pm, Yanjing TV.

The large office on the fifth floor was still brightly lit.

"Hey, Li An. Are you here to pick up your wife again today?"

"Lee An, your wife is so happy."

But the person who came to pick up his wife was not Li An, but Xin Yukun.

When Xin Yukun heard these words from his wife's colleagues, he was certainly not stupid enough to think that they really thought he had Ang Lee's talent.

Especially the obviously teasing tone.

The subtext speaks for itself.

Xin Yukun just nodded, pretending not to care, but he felt mixed emotions in his heart.

Ang Lee is my idol, and I have always used his experience to encourage myself.

I didn't expect that I would become a synonym for being laughed at by others.

Of course, he also knows that not everyone can be Ang Lee.

He is 29 years old this year and his high school grades were very poor.

I also love movies very much, so I decided to drop out of school in my second year of high school.

The reason he gave to his parents was:

"My grades are not good, and the college entrance examination won't give me a better result. I want to make a movie."

No matter how his parents objected, Xin Yukun ignored them.

Because of his love for movies, he dropped out of school and immediately applied for admission to the Xi'an Film Academy at his own expense.

But within a few months he dropped out of school again.

Later he came to Yenching Film Academy, but he applied for the directing department and the literature department of Yenching Film Academy, but failed both times.

After that, I didn’t give up and applied for the auditing class of Beijing Film Academy, but failed again.

But these rejections did not extinguish Xin Yukun's passion for film.

Instead, he started from scratch on the set of Xi'an Film and Television City.

I worked as a tea waiter on the set, learned how to hold a recording rod, and learned photography.

After get off work, I read various theoretical books and try to write scripts.

In order to make it more convenient for him to watch movies, Xin Yukun even worked part-time in a video store for a period of time.

I recommend the Korean movies "Old Boy" and Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" to everyone I meet.

Thanks to his unremitting efforts, he was finally accepted by a local TV station in Xi'an.

Xin Yukun began to create column dramas on TV stations.

At the same time, I was waiting for the opportunity to go to Beijing.

Finally, in 08, the year of the Olympic Games, I was admitted to the advanced training class of the Photography Department of Beijing Film Academy and studied for one year.

The tuition fee of 3.5 yuan basically emptied his savings.

After graduation, Xin Yukun stayed in BJ to make a living by shooting promotional videos and commercials, but it was extremely unstable.

He even often puts money into it to pursue his dream of making movies.

I met my current wife Cui Yuxia through a friend’s introduction.

Cui Yuxia works at Yanjing Television Station as a news director.

Both of them love movies and the topics they talk about are particularly similar, so they hit it off immediately.

They got married soon after.

Because I work as a low-level editor and director at a TV station, I often work overtime to prepare scripts and arrange data.

I can't take care of my family.

So Xin Yukun did this to save some money and also to take care of his wife.

I come to bring lunch to my wife every day at noon.

If she works overtime at night, I will pick her up and take her home.

"Honey, wait for me another 10 minutes until I finish sorting the data."

"Ok."

Xin Yukun then waited by the side.

"A grown man without a job, delivering meals every day, relying on his wife for support."

"Don't say that. I have a dream of becoming a director like Ang Lee."

Occasionally people in the office point fingers at him, but he's used to it.

He couldn't refute it and could only keep his frustration inside.

But Cui Yuxia was a little unhappy, so she quickly finished the work at hand and took her husband downstairs.

Riding an electric bike, the streets of Yanjing are bustling with traffic and flashing neon lights.

I watched the cars whizzing past me, while I could only ride an electric bike with my wife.

I couldn't help but feel sad:
"Wife, how about I stop making movies? I've been doing this for ten years now. Maybe I just don't have the talent for it."

"I'll find another job and work hard. I should be able to support you, and you can have a easier time."

Cui Yuxia heard
"So what are you going to do?"

Xin Yukun was stunned for a moment by his wife's question.

Yeah, what can I do?

I don't know anything.

But when I think about how I cook and deliver meals to my wife every day, the food I cook is different every day.

Especially the braised noodles and pickled fish, which are my specialties.

So he said:

"Wife, maybe I can open a restaurant."

"Opening a restaurant is great, but will you like it? And you don't have to open a restaurant in Yanjing."

"Honey, I don't know if I like it, but I can't keep going like this. I only have 8000 yuan left on my card."

"Hubby, I want you to do what you like. Don't worry about money, I will support you."

Having said that, Cui Yuxia hugged Xin Yukun tightly with her arms.

She fell in love with Xin Yukun at first sight and admired this man whose eyes lit up when he talked about movies.

She believed that setbacks were only temporary for him and that he could find his own way.

"Honey, I believe in you. Besides, you've only been here for three years, and Li An has been a househusband for six. Let's keep going for another three years, okay?"

"Hubby, don't give up. You are the Li An in my heart."

When Xin Yukun heard his wife encouraging him, he was already in tears.

After returning to his crowded home, Xin Yukun finished his housework and buried his head in writing his script as usual.

After a busy day, Cui Yuxia lay on the bed and started browsing Weibo.

Not long after, Cui Yuxia suddenly jumped up, came to Xin Yukun excitedly and said:

"Honey, Mr. Zuibai is recruiting directors on Weibo!"

"The winning short film will receive at least NT$500 million in investment! Come and see!"

When Xin Yukun heard his wife say this, he also looked over with support.

But he knew that this plan of selecting directors was not about whether there was any inside story or not.

It is difficult to obtain investment qualifications based on your own strength.

After all, he was rejected three times by the Yanjing Film Academy, while Zuibai was a genius at the film academy.

"Husband, don't you have two books that you're looking for investment recently?"

"I'm a screenwriter and director after all. I've read the script and I think it's very good. Maybe it'll work if I give it a try!"

"Mine is a movie, and this one requires a short film under 30 minutes."

"Then you could condense the simpler part into 30 minutes. Maybe the story will be more compact!"

When Xin Yukun heard this, he was also moved.

If I wanted to make a movie directly as my first film, I would definitely not have the money, and no one would invest in someone as unknown as me.

But even if it’s just a 30-minute short film, I don’t have the money to make it.

So he said:

"Wife, forget it. There will definitely be a lot of people signing up this time. I don't think I'll have a chance."

"Honey, are you worried about money?"

"I still have 50,000 yuan on my card. Can we take it out and make a short film?"

When Xin Yukun heard this, he quickly refused:

"Wife, this is your hard-earned money. If the film fails, wouldn't it be a waste of money?"

"Honey, there has to be a beginning. It's hard to make a movie all at once. Why don't we work hard to make this 30-minute short film? It can be used as a stepping stone later."

"How about we just take part in Mr. Zuibai's director support program?"

"Honey, don't hesitate. This is a rare opportunity. I'll see if I can use the TV station's photography equipment. It'll save me some money! I can even make a cameo appearance!"

Xin Yukun looked at his wife with stars in her eyes.

Thinking about my dream of becoming a director which I have been pursuing for ten years.

Thinking about the ruthless ridicule from my wife’s colleagues and some friends.

Thinking of the tears I shed while riding an electric bike tonight.

I thought of Ang Lee’s experience, which I always used to encourage myself.

Thinking of my wife who supports me so much.

Grit your teeth and get ready to do it!

The last stand!
I have been preparing for ten years, this is the only chance.

If not, I should give up my dream of making movies.

Just be an ordinary person.

It's not a bad idea. With a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for?

But can I really succeed?
Cheng Xi's filming work continued to proceed in an orderly manner.

After filming these two scenes today, Li Xiaoran will be finished.

She played the role of Concubine Wei, who was unable to get pregnant due to multiple miscarriages.

So every time someone in the palace became pregnant, she would be jealous and try to make the baby abort.

But this time, his niece Xiao Qiang was pregnant.

Now she thought of a good plan, which was to kill the mother and keep the child, letting her die from heavy bleeding during childbirth.

At that time, she would naturally become the child's stepmother.

But when Xiao Qiang learned of this plan, she wanted to go out for help, but she was unable to do so because she was under strict supervision.

In desperation, she thought of aborting the child.

If you let it miscarry early, you can survive.

In a life-or-death situation, she had no choice.

She also thought of a plan to take revenge on her aunt, Concubine Wei.

The first scene.

It is the rivalry between Xiao Qiang, played by Sun Jiaqi, and Concubine Wei.

Xiao Qiang (Sun Jiaqi): "It's you, you took my child away!"

Concubine Wei (Li Xiaoran): "Qiang'er."

Xiao Qiang pinched Concubine Wei's neck and said, "You stole my child!"

"Ka, that Jiaqi, her acting was good, but she should have been more realistic when she pinched Sister Xiaoran."

"Sister Xiaoran, is everything okay on your end?"

"No problem, Director."

"Okay, let's do it again."

Cheng Xi looked at Sun Jiaqi pinching Li Xiaoran's neck, and inexplicably thought of that night.

And I also want to try it out.

Maybe Sister Da Ran will have a different charm.

"Ka, still no use. I can see it clearly on camera, it's too fake."

After saying that, Cheng Xi came in front of the two of them.

"Sister Xiaoran, do you mind if I demonstrate it to you?"

"You should do this, interlock your thumbs and apply force, instead of exerting force on the neck. This way it looks realistic and won't hurt the actor."

"Let your hands shake a little more, understand?"

"Understood, Director."

When Sun Jiaqi saw Cheng Xi demonstrating how to pinch Li Xiaoran, he thought of the madness of that night.

I really want to roll my eyes.

Unfortunately, Director Cheng never touched me again after that day.

While being demonstrated, Li Xiaoran deliberately glanced at Cheng Xi.

That look meant that he was expecting Cheng Xi to try harder.

Cheng Xi gave Da Ran a look of pretended disdain, which meant:

Stop teasing me, I'm filming.

Next, Sun Jiaqi tried Cheng Xi's method twice more and finally it worked.

The second scene.

The same setting is in Concubine Wei’s palace.

When the emperor came to ask Concubine Wei about the progress of the investigation into Concubine Xiao's miscarriage case.

Xiao Qiang suddenly ran out like a madman, saying that she was hungry.

Concubine Wei: "I'll ask the kitchen to prepare delicious food for you."

Xiao Qiang: "No, aunt, please don't feed Qiang'er that medicine anymore."

Xiao Qiang: "After taking that medicine, my stomach hurts all the time, like it's being twisted by a knife."

Xiao Qiang: "Qiang'er can't even hear the baby in her belly."

Li Shimin (Zhang Fengyi): "Have someone bring up the residue of the abortion-preserving medicine for the imperial physician to examine."

The imperial physician chewed the dregs carefully and said, "Your Majesty, the dregs contain Five Elements Grass, which can cause miscarriage in pregnant women."

Li Shimin: "Drag him away and hand him over to the Dali Temple for trial."

Concubine Wei: "No, Your Majesty, I was wronged!"

"Jia Qi, be careful to mix a touch of ignorance with your madness, so the audience can tell you're acting."

"Ka, this one is good, let's keep it."

The subsequent plot is that Concubine Wei was found by the Dali Temple to have killed many people in the harem, including framing Wu Meiniang several times.

Li Shimin was furious and ordered the death of Concubine Wei, and all the members of Wei's family were exiled to Lingnan.

At this point, only Shufei was left among the four concubines in the harem.

In the evening, Cheng Xi held a small wrap-up party for Li Xiaoran.

At the banquet, Fan Binbin took the initiative to toast Li Xiaoran.

"Sister Xiaoran, I will be lonely after you leave."

"Just don't make trouble even if you're lonely."

The two of them felt like they had become acquainted after a fight.

But Cheng Xi just couldn't believe that these two people could be together.

After the wrap party, Xiaoran drank a few glasses of champagne and got a little drunk.

Cheng Xi knew that she would definitely come to see him in the evening, so he didn't let Nazha come.

Nazha's scenes were scattered, and she had to film the main characters' scenes one by one first.

So she is still on the crew now.

But unexpectedly, when Cheng Xi opened the door, he saw two people at the door.

Of course there is no doubt that it must be Fan Binbin and Li Xiaoran.

Li Xiaoran: "Do you dare to go in with me?"

Fan Binbin: "There is nothing I dare not do."

It turned out that Fan Binbin knew that Li Xiaoran had finished filming and would leave tomorrow.

So he ran over and knocked on Li Xiaoran's door, ready to talk to her alone.

It just so happened that Li Xiaoran was about to go to Cheng Xi's room, and this scene happened.

Li Xiaoran: "Da Cheng, please move aside. I want to go in."

Fan Binbin: "Little kid, you saw it, she was the one who provoked me first."

No, weren't you guys fine just now?

Why are you acting like a fighting cock in front of me?

Just like that, the two big Buddhas came to the sofa in Cheng Xi's room.

Cheng Xi had no choice but to sit over there.

Li Xiaoran's face was rosy with whiteness because she drank some wine, which was very beautiful.

I don’t know if she really doesn’t know Fan Binbin is there or if she is deliberately pretending she doesn’t exist.

He came in and said a few words before he hung up on Cheng Xi.

"Da Cheng, it's the last day. I'm going to break the seal."

After saying that, he sat down in front of him.

He also put his feet on Cheng Xi.

Alas, Da Ran is really becoming more and more relaxed.

Your enemy is still here.

But what I didn't expect was that Da Ran said without fear of the excitement:
"I dare to sit on it, do you dare?"

"Da Cheng, I'm going to let her see who you like."

With Fan Binbin's temper, how could she accept it? She would fight back against anyone who was superior to her.

And he is known for his boldness.

So he immediately came to Cheng Xi to join the battle.

After helping Cheng Xi push for a while, he pushed Da Ran away impatiently.

I sat up by myself.

"It's been so long, it's my turn."

Cheng Xi was completely stunned.

Can you still play like this?

Have I become a tool for you to fight over victory or defeat?
So the two of them refused to give in to each other and each used his own unique skills.

Grab and grab.

"Kid, tell me, who's happier?"

"Da Cheng, tell me, am I more powerful?"

Both of them were enjoying it.

Only Director Cheng suffered tens of thousands of points of critical hits.

Da Cheng almost died from the slaps of these two people.

What a sin!
(I have watched Ang Lee's "A Dream of a Movie" many times and recommend it to everyone.)
　Please give me a monthly ticket, thank you great directors!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)