Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 192, "Black Peony," finalizes the cast.

The arrival of a new company under Starry Night Pictures is a significant event within the industry, but for the general public, it's not worth discussing; they'd rather criticize "The Banquet" for their own amusement.

At the end of the month, Jackie Chan brought "Rob-B-Hood," also distributed by Huayi Brothers. It received much better reviews and box office results than "The Banquet," which saved him a lot of face.

October has arrived, bringing with it a dry wind.

Leaves began to fall on the streets of Beijing. The sun was no longer scorching, but it was still dazzling, like a belated gentle warmth.

The ginkgo trees along the roadside are beginning to turn yellow, the sky is high and the clouds are light, and the autumn atmosphere is spreading everywhere.

Practice room.

The door had already been slowly closed, shutting out the noise outside. The indoor light was deliberately dimmed, leaving only a spotlight in the center, enveloping the rehearsal area in a quiet circle of light.

Today's rehearsals are different from usual; the actual costume fitting and audition are underway.

Wu Chen, Liu Tianchi, and Zhang Jiqing sat upright on it.

As the acting coach, Liu Tianchi specifically selected three scenes that were quite challenging, and then handed over the printed scripts for those scenes:

“You’re all familiar with the script, so let’s start with this performance without props. Everyone, take a mirror.”

The moment Liu Yifei took the paper, she looked at the title: [Prologue] - The Dream Begins.

She was very familiar with this part of the script; it was also the beginning of the entire film.

"Effie, you can go first. You have five minutes to get ready."

As Liu Tianchi finished speaking, Liu Yifei nodded slightly, her gaze still fixed on the script.

Script Excerpt: Prologue – The Dream Begins

INT. Backstage of the Beijing Kunqu Opera Troupe - Night - Indoor
It was late at night, and the corridor was long and dark.

Red palace lanterns hung low, their light flickering.

The camera slowly zooms in, passing through rows of old opera costumes hanging on the stage racks. The fabric flutters gently, rustling softly, like sleeping ghosts moving with the wind.

Walk through the corridor and you will arrive at a dressing room.

This is the script, but she needs to visualize the character in her mind based on the script.

She couldn't help but recall the character notes she had made before, and slowly pieced the story together.

Images began to surface in her mind, and for a moment she felt as if she were almost immersed in the character of Xu Wei from that era:

Inside the dressing room, Xu Wei sat upright in front of the dressing table. The old copper makeup lamp in front of the mirror cast a soft light, illuminating her fair and jade-like face.

She was dressed in a plain-colored practice uniform, her long hair loosely draped over her shoulders, her fingertips gently caressing a yellowed old photograph.

In the photo, a Kunqu Opera female role dressed in a gorgeous costume has smooth phoenix eyeliner drawn at the corners of her eyes, a dot of vermilion on her forehead, and a gentle yet enigmatic smile.

Her expression was strikingly similar to Xu Wei's.

Xu Wei frowned slightly, her gaze shifting.

On the back of the photo, faintly visible are the aged inscriptions: "A vow of life and death, a dream finally come true."

"I wonder how the two of them performed today?" Zhang Jiqing whispered to Liu Tianchi and Wu Chen.

"Judging from their expressions, it seems that Yifei is more immersed in the role than others, but whether she can actually pull it off is another matter." Liu Tianchi carefully examined the eyes of the two women.

When reading the script, the way the two actors look at each other's eyes can give a general indication of their level of immersion.

Five minutes were up, and Liu Yifei was the first to come out for her audition.

This segment is a one-man show. Because there is no environment to immerse the actor in, it means that the actor has to rely entirely on his temperament, eyes, and emotional expression to carry the entire performance without any physical props.

Liu Yifei stepped into the circle of lights, the light falling on her. Her shoulders and back were straight. She first closed her eyes tightly, and when she opened them again, her whole demeanor had subtly changed.

She stood in front of the mirror, motionless.

Five seconds.

ten seconds.

Just when everyone thought she was preparing, she suddenly moved.

It moved very slightly—the fingertips slowly traced a path through the air, as if holding something.

There is no physical object, only imagination.

She was stroking a photograph.

Liu Tianchi's eyelids twitched slightly, and he immediately realized that Liu Yifei was not "acting," but rather immersing herself in the role.

Zhang Jiqing gently rested her chin on her hand, her eyes full of admiration. That's how she got here. Many people talk about talent, but they don't realize that most people don't even reach the point where they have to rely on talent. Only by giving it your all can you have the right to talk about talent.

Effort can be seen and embodied.

The next second, Liu Yifei frowned slightly and whispered the words: "We pledged our lives to each other, and our dreams have finally come true."

As if suddenly sensing something, she turned her gaze to the mirror.

Her gaze initially held indifference, then suspicion, which gradually solidified into a chill, until it turned into an almost imperceptible fear.

The entire transition was devoid of any obvious movements, yet it was incredibly detailed. Even the slightest tremor in her eyes and the momentary twitch of her lips sent chills down one's spine.

Suddenly, her eyes twitched, and her body tensed, as if she had seen something—the "self" in the mirror was smiling.

She didn't imitate that smile; her lips twitched slightly, but her eyes were split into two emotions—the coldness reflected in the mirror and the fear in reality, which overlapped and coexisted on her face.

The air seemed to tighten. Wu Chen couldn't help but marvel at how well the performance was. He glanced at Liu Tianchi and Zhang Jiqing, whose eyes were also fixed on Liu Yifei.

Liu Yifei seemed unable to break free, yet she was forced to gaze at the illusion in the mirror.

Suddenly, she moved her lips.

A vocal style without background music, cold and subdued—

"The vibrant colors of spring have faded, leaving only broken wells and crumbling walls."

The singing style is very professional, clear and desolate, with a kind of poignant beauty that feels like it's drifting from behind the curtains of a stage from six hundred years ago.

She slowly raised her hand, her fingertips reaching towards the mirror as if piercing through the air...

Just as her hand was about to touch the mirror, Liu Yifei suddenly shuddered, her whole body trembling as if she had been startled awake from a dream.

She fell backward with a thud, her eyes blank—the next second, everything fell silent.

The rehearsal is over.

Wu Chen was the first to applaud, followed closely by Zhang Jiqing and Liu Tianchi.

"Thank you, teacher!" Liu Yifei seemed to have not yet recovered, and her voice lacked its usual crispness when she called out.

"Okay, take a break and calm down," Liu Tianchi replied with a smile, then called out, "Li Qin, get ready."

While Li Qin was preparing, the three of them kept talking in hushed tones.

"Director, teacher, I'm ready."

Five minutes later, Li Qin stood up, her expression calm, and walked steadily toward the mirror in front of the light circle to begin her rehearsal.

Her performance was equally remarkable—her expression of surprise was precise, her emotional changes were smooth, and her singing showed solid skills honed over more than ten years, making her more skilled and refined than Liu Yifei.

Unfortunately, the emotional tone makes it somewhat "orderly," lacking the impactful feeling of a sudden flash of inspiration.

Two more performances followed.

The second female lead, Liu Qing, also had a segment arranged for her.

"Director Wu, our suggestions are just for reference. The final decision still rests with you," Liu Tianchi said with a smile, folding the slip of paper with his name written on it and placing it on the table.

Zhang Jiqing was in the same boat, and the two of them were waiting for Wu Chen's final decision.

Wu Chen smiled slightly, picked up the two slips of paper, and slowly unfolded them—the names were the same: Liu Yifei.

The two seemed to agree on their choice.

Wu Chen nodded, then turned over the name he had chosen, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Coincidentally, that's what I was thinking too."

"Xu Wei from Yifei is more suitable. She has both the traditional constraints of strict family education in the early stages and the tension after the emotional breakthrough."
"We can arrange another practical exercise in the remaining month, Teacher Zhang, let's discuss it."

Liu Tianchi smiled and glanced at Wu Chen when he talked about the emotional breakthrough.

Once the decision is made, the subsequent work will proceed naturally.

Zhang Jiqing also made a special phone call to Cai Zhengren, who nodded slightly upon hearing the news.

He wasn't worried about the female lead or the second female lead. Li Qin hadn't lost out in the year of training, since she was learning Kunqu Opera and was studying under Zhang Jiqing, the "Queen of Kunqu Opera."

His concern was whether Li Qin would be able to go back and continue learning Kunqu Opera.
Zhang Jiqing on the other end of the phone seemed to understand his thoughts and said softly:
"Why worry about this? I have my own path to follow."

If your heart can never go back, even if you do, you can't change it back.

Cai Zhengren remained silent for a few seconds, then finally sighed softly:
"You're just easygoing."

(End of this chapter)