Rebirth of Chinese Entertainment, the Diary of a 95 Flower

Zhang Qing instructed the crew members on set to take their positions.

Liu Haochun sat alone in the corner of the noodle shop, with a bowl of noodles with soybean paste gradually getting cold on the table in front of him.

I still can't get into the zone.

She took out her phone, wanting to send a message to Jiang Yang, but was afraid of bothering him.

I want to tell my parents that I'm going to play the female lead, but I'm afraid of receiving a cold reply: What are you so proud of?
Did your parents see the live broadcast of the press conference for the start of filming of "Fighter of the Destiny"?

If they didn't see it, will my parents watch the full version now that it's out?
The more I think about it, the more...

My mind is in turmoil.

The more you worry about not being able to perform well.

My phone suddenly vibrated.

I received an email with the subject line: [To Me Before Filming Today]
Liu Haochun was slightly taken aback.

Only then did I remember.

It was a scheduled email she sent to herself last night.

I was afraid that I would be in a mess when filming started, so I took advantage of my calm mind last night to write some words so that I can feel at ease now.

Open the email, and it says:

[Liu Haochun, I am you from last night.]

I know you must be very nervous right now, afraid of not performing well, afraid of letting Jiang Yang down, and afraid of disappointing everyone.

Take a deep breath and listen to me.

You probably haven't received a response from your parents yet.

They might not watch your show, praise you, or even reply to your messages.

It's okay, Jiang Yang will see.

Even if he's very busy right now, he'll definitely watch the playback after he's done, watching every frame of your performance and remembering every subtle expression.

Jiang Yang once said, "You are very good." Those three words are worth more than a thousand perfunctory compliments.

Do you remember when you auditioned for "Fighter of the Destiny" and your expression was so stiff from nervousness? It was Jiang Yang who taught you line by line, helping you to bring the soul of your audition performance to life.

He's never worried about you not acting well; he's only worried about you not daring to act.

So Haochun, don't be a coward.

They tear open their most wretched and pathetic side for the camera to see.

The more authentic you are, the more proud Jiang Yang will be of you.

Don't think about not being able to let Jiang Yang down; think about making sure everyone remembers the name Liu Haochun!
—Leaves this at 2:17 AM last night, Liu Haochun.
"Haochun, are you in the zone?" Zhang Qing sat back down in front of the monitor, observing Liu Haochun who hadn't started filming yet. He noticed that Liu Haochun was actually playing on his phone and was about to ask him a question.

He suddenly stopped talking.

Seeing Liu Haochun put away his phone, he glanced at the monitor.

His eyes have changed.

She's changed from Liu Haochun, who arrived half an hour ago carrying a large bag of milk tea and chatting politely with the staff.

There was weariness and despair in his eyes.

"Is this the actor Jiang Yang trained?"

Unlike his previous work with other actors, Zhang Qing did not offer instruction when the actors were struggling to find their rhythm.

He remained seated in front of the monitor.

I saw Liu Haochun touching the edge of the bowl with her fingers, and there was dirt under her fingernails from the makeup artist.

Practice the action of picking up noodles with trembling hands several times. The chopsticks should not be too steady, nor should they be too fake. It should look like you are so hungry that you have no strength but are still forcing yourself to stay.

This is a very emotional solo scene; there is no one acting alongside him.

The characters rely primarily on facial expressions and actions to convey their inner feelings to the audience.

She repeatedly adjusted her posture, hunching her back and slightly tucking her shoulders in, constantly trying to find the right feeling.

This is the kind of physique that Jiang Yang had warned about, one that is crushed by life.

In the monitor footage, Liu Haochun's shoulders slumped slightly, and the curvature of his spine revealed his fatigue.

Even their breathing was deliberately lightened, as if even panting would exhaust their strength.

The frequency of the hand tremors was not deliberate at all.

It was as if they had really been hungry.

"When Liu Haochun acts, once he gets into character, it seems like he's not using the typical methods of someone with formal acting training..."

I've looked at Liu Haochun's information. He didn't graduate from a professional acting school. He's still a senior at the Affiliated High School of Beijing Dance Academy. He participated in the art exam for Beijing Dance Academy and I heard that his preliminary and final exam results were good. He'll definitely do well in the third exam. He'll be admitted once his college entrance exam scores are released.

I heard he got a supporting role contract in a big-budget production like "Fighter of the Destiny".

The audition was conducted personally by Mr. Xu, the company's general manager.

I initially thought it was due to connections, but after getting to know her, I realized that this young girl is quite capable.

The actors I used to mentor always asked me about their motivations and logic in performing.

Liu Haochun didn't ask these questions.

No explanation is needed at all.

She just sat there, and in just a few seconds, she was already in the same state as the girl from Beijing who had been swindled out of all her savings in Jiang Yang's script.

How was Jiang Yang trained?
There was no time to think about these things.

The main camera and auxiliary camera positions are all set up.

The script supervisor squatted in the corner with the synchronous recording machine, his headphone cord tangled around his ankle.

"Director Zhang, I'm in character now." Liu Haochun stood up, chatted briefly with Zhang Qing, and went outside the noodle shop, looking down at the ground to maintain his character.

Waiting for filming to begin.

Be ready to be in the frame at any time, that is, to enter the camera's shooting frame.

An assistant on set raised a megaphone: "Silence!"

The noodle shop suddenly fell silent.

"Countdown to live filming: ten, nine... one!"

The clapperboard clicked.

"action!"

Liu Haochun walked into the noodle shop wearing a cheap sweatshirt, faded jeans with worn-out knees, and carrying a tattered backpack.

Behind him were extras.

She pulled out a few crumpled coins, hesitated for a moment, and then ordered only the cheapest bowl of noodles with soybean paste.

I sat down at the table with the backlight set up, and my phone screen lit up.

It was a message from a staff member.

The camera zooms in.

The note on the screen was from Mom, and it read: [“Daughter, if you can’t hold on, come home. Don’t force yourself.”]
Liu Haochun typed a few words: ["Okay, I miss home too. Maybe someone as clueless as me just can't compete with people from big cities."]
My finger hovers over the send button.

It wasn't sent.

Her fingertips trembled as she deleted the message and edited it again: ["It's okay, Mom. You learn from your mistakes. I'll do well. I'll bring you some good food for the New Year."]
The message still hasn't been sent.

Press the delete key to delete repeatedly.

I didn't reply in the end, so I locked my phone and threw it into my bag.

"Not bad, it portrays the struggle that every struggling artist in Beijing goes through—the decision of whether to give up or not." Zhang Qing squinted as he watched, while constantly monitoring the focus of the handheld camera.

There are no lines in this scene.

Make sure to capture Liu Haochun's expression in the shot, especially his eyes.

When Liu Haochun acts, the emotions in his eyes seem to speak volumes, making him very expressive.

It's been a long time since I've seen such a lively new actor.

Are all the actors at Jiangyang Company like this? Or did he just happen to see the best one?

I didn't think much about it.

Liu Haochun's performance continues.

The noodle shop owner, playing an extra, serves the noodles. Still, there are no lines.

They didn't even give the noodle shop owner a full-body shot, because they had done a test shoot before Liu Haochun arrived. As soon as the camera hit him, the noodle shop owner's expression immediately froze and looked very unnatural, even though he was acting out the job he did every day.

The noodles were just served.

The phone Liu Haochun had stuffed into his bag rang briefly.

It's a bank deduction SMS message.

It reads: [Your account ending in 5346 has a withdrawal of 50,000 yuan.]
“Penalty for breach of contract…” Liu Haochun murmured.

Liu Haochun's fingers froze, his pupils widened, and his breath stopped for a second.

Then I frantically scrolled through the chat history and found the agent's last voice message.

Click to open.

The microphone clearly recorded the agent's voice into the phone's speaker: "Xiao Liu, the company is just following the contract."

The voice acting was pre-recorded by the voice actor.

His voice carried a hint of laughter.

She gripped the chopsticks tightly, her knuckles turning white, and sent a voice message, saying, "You guys..."

He said two words.

His voice choked.

Suddenly, he slammed his chopsticks down and yelled into his phone: "Which clause in your contract says a 50,000 yuan penalty for breach of contract?! Call the police! I'm calling the police right now!"
After shouting, he immediately looked around in a panic, afraid of being watched by other diners.

Zhang Qing, holding a megaphone, directed the extras in the noodle shop: "Okay, everyone turn your heads to look at Liu Haochun."

The extras all turned around in unison.

Liu Haochun immediately lowered his head, placed his phone screen-down on the table, and continued eating his noodles.

Zhang Qing stared at the monitor.

Seeing Liu Haochun put away his phone and numbly mix noodles, not even wiping the sauce that splashed onto his hands.

As arranged in the script.

With a sob in her voice, she murmured self-deprecatingly, "I'm so stupid. I actually believed what they said about making me famous. I'm just a migrant worker from out of town. I don't even know which way the gates of the Beijing Film Academy are open. What kind of actor am I?"

Zhang Qing did not call "cut".

If it were any other new actor, they would have already performed more than ten shows by this point.

We had to reshoot, and change the angle, in case the editing was disjointed and the mistake was exposed.

So far.

Liu Haochun performed very well.

The scene just now, the way it was performed, made the audience feel that when the female protagonist in the MV's dreams were crushed by reality, the first person she attacked was herself.

Liu Haochun stuffed the noodles into his mouth, then suddenly covered his mouth to stop himself from crying out loud.

Zhang Qing nodded slightly, quite satisfied. This scene would most likely be done in one take, and Jiang Yang wouldn't even need to be on set to supervise; he could just give Jiang Yang the finished product later… Wait a minute!! What's going on?!
Where are the tears?!

Zhang Qing squinted, stretched his neck toward the monitor screen, and then peered toward Liu Haochun.

Once he confirmed that Liu Haochun's eyes were only slightly red and there were no tears, he immediately shouted, "Cut!"

Hear the words.

Liu Haochun's shoulders twitched.

Returning to a normal expression,
I knew where I went wrong, but I still asked, "What's wrong, Director Zhang?"

Zhang Qing stood up and walked over, forcing a smile, his tone gentle: "Haochun, you were in a good mood just now, but you didn't shed any tears."

"I'm sorry, Director Zhang, I'll try again."

I thought Liu Haochun had just made a mistake this time.

It wasn't until the third take that Zhang Qing called Liu Haochun over: "Haochun, come and take a look."

Zhang Qing frowned and pointed at the monitor replay: "Haochun, your earlier scenes of suppressed emotions were so realistic, but why do you...?"

Liu Haochun pursed his lips, his voice trembling: "I... I don't know. I actually understand the character's mental state."

The fifth time.

Liu Haochun could cry; his eyes were filled with tears, but they wouldn't fall.

But it's a feeling of being wronged.

It wasn't the kind of resentful tears described in Jiang Yang's script; there was no suppressed anger.

The tenth time.

This was the tenth bowl of noodles the noodle shop owner had served.

I'm still stuck on the crying scene hurdle.

It wasn't that Liu Haochun couldn't cry; Zhang Qing noticed that while he could shed tears, his emotions were always off.

Zhang Qing told the staff to take a break and let Liu Haochun get a feel for things on his own.

With so many takes, Liu Haochun felt that even the staff were getting impatient.

I overheard a stagehand mutter quietly, "Tsk, connections just don't work."

Liu Haochun pretended not to hear and sat alone at the table, staring at the cold noodles in the bowl.

I am indeed someone with connections.

Thanks to Jiang Yang's connections.

So what? She was an artist under Jiangyang Company... She suppressed the urge to retort. She wasn't her mother, so she couldn't insult her.

As Jiang Yang once said, after many takes on set, people would often bicker, which was a way of venting their emotions.

If we take this too seriously, the filming process will never end.

Liu Haochun gently stirred the now-cold noodles in the bowl, his voice very soft as he tried to calm himself. In a voice only he could hear, he murmured:

“It’s okay. Ten takes or twenty takes are fine. Jiang Yang said that acting is not an exam. There are no standard answers. As long as you can act well, it doesn’t matter if you get scolded.”

I miss Jiangyang.

During the last audition, Jiang Yang taught me how to act.

I was so nervous that my palms were sweating, but when I looked up and saw him smiling, I suddenly wasn't afraid anymore.

Liu Haochun looked up and glanced around.

I saw extras waiting for the next scene to be filmed in the noodle shop, and I saw Director Zhang sitting in front of the monitor watching the playback.

There are stagehands who use bold pens to write notes on the clapperboard for the next performance.

There were onlookers outside the noodle shop.

There is no Jiang Yang.

Judging by the time, Jiang Yang should be on his way to take Zhang Ruonan to the high-speed rail station, or taking Xiwei and Chaoyue to the airport.

Then I should get busy with other things.

Take out your phone.

Seeing Yang Chaoyue pop up in the [Pretty Girl Battle 4] group: [“Waiting for the flight is so boring, what is everyone doing? MaiMai, let’s chat.”]
Zhao Jinmai commented: [“Lao Ke is a word from my hometown. Why would you, a Jiangsu native, learn it? You wouldn’t understand it anyway.”]
Zhao Jinmai sent another message: [“Chaoyue, I get so angry just seeing you send messages.”]
Yang Chaoyue replied: [“What’s wrong?”]
Zhao Jinmai sent a message: [“You figure out what’s going on yourself. You sent me that set of Huanggang exam papers three days ago, and I’ve been working on them ever since. My mom even said, ‘Your friends bought you these exam papers, they must really love studying.’ I’m talking nonsense! You guys are just deliberately messing with me. I’m more tired now than when we were filming ‘A Little Reunion’!”]
Yang Chaoyue replied: ["I also love learning. If I hadn't dropped out of school back then, I would definitely be working even harder than you now."]
Yang Chaoyue then sent: [“MaiMai, take a picture of the questions you can’t answer and send it to the group. I’ll help you answer them.”]
Zhao Jinmai immediately posted a photo in the group.

It was just taken.

A history question.

The inscription reads: "An official surnamed Lin was appointed Imperial Commissioner by the Qing government. He resolutely cracked down on opium smuggling, forcing opium dealers in Yin State to hand over approximately 237 million catties of opium, which was publicly destroyed on the Humen beach from June 3rd to 25th, 1839. This event is known as..."

It is followed by a fill-in-the-blank line.

Yang Chaoyue sent a message: ["The burning of opium at Humen."]
Zhao Jinmai replied: [“Great job, Chaoyue, you’re quite capable.”]
Yang Chaoyue sent a message: [“It was all taught to me by Brother Yang.”]
She then sent another message: [“There’s still one blank to fill in. What’s the name of this official surnamed Lin?”]
Yang Chaoyue replied instantly: ["Lam Ching-ying."]
PS:

My goodness, I was stunned when I checked my phone during the day. The Fairy Goddess gave me a Silver Alliance reward! This is the first time I've received a reward from a Master of Alliance while writing a book, and it's from the Fairy Goddess. This is also the first time I've received a Silver Alliance reward. I'm going to go to the group and kneel down to the Fairy Goddess a hundred times.

The Silver Alliance was supposed to add fifty more chapters, but that might not be possible during this time as we're busy. This chapter was released on high speed, and for now, I can only try my best to guarantee at least 4,000 words. I will add more chapters later.

Liu Haochun: "Thank you, Ya Shi Fairy, for giving me this beloved ring... Your appearance made me believe that I deserve to be seen."

Zhang Ruonan: "Thank you Azure Firefly for the support... I strive to become excellent so that I can say to my childhood self, who often cried, 'Look, I did it.'"

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