The birth of an actor

Chapter 104 Going Against the Mainstream

"That's called 'detailed explanation'! And 'detailed and rambling'... How can an actor not distinguish between retroflex and alveolar consonants?"

Xu Qing scolded him irritably, then continued driving as he spoke:
Have you read his books?

"have not seen."

"...You haven't read a single one? That can't be. Isn't he your favorite character this generation?"

What does "our generation" mean?

Anxin was both amused and exasperated.

"I was less than ten years old when he became famous."

Wang Shuo became famous in the 1980s; back then, he was indeed just a little kid.

Unexpectedly, Xu Qing shook his head slightly after hearing this:
"You need to read more books, you know? Knowledge and broadening your horizons are quite important for actors."

"I think so, but I haven't been really into reading miscellaneous books lately. I mostly use the library card from a senior student at the Beijing Film Academy to read books about film and television. As for miscellaneous books... the one I've read most recently with Wang Shuo is probably the screenplay version of 'Teahouse.' I used to be indifferent to Lao She, or rather, the Beijing School of literature. I always thought their writing was too witty and sarcastic. But after reading 'Teahouse,' I found it wasn't quite what I expected, so I borrowed some of their essays and found them quite interesting. Recently, I've also started reading Shi Tiesheng, and I just finished reading 'Me and the Temple of Heaven' from his essay collection... I really liked that piece..."

It's just casual conversation, so there's really no particular theme or purpose.

Listening to An Xin rattle off the names of several books as if they were her own treasures, Xu Qing nodded with a smile:

"That's right, reading more books is never a bad thing."

"However, I haven't read any of Wang Shuo's books. I was planning to, but I never had the chance. But he's actually a very nice person, very loyal, and he's been good to me too."

"Human nature and thoughts have nothing to do with each other."

Xu Qing shook his head and uttered a conclusion that was questionable, perhaps even a fallacy:

"His books... those who like them truly like them, but to the mainstream literary world, they're like a knife; each book he publishes is like a stab in the back of some people's hearts."

"..."

Let's be honest, are we talking about Wang Shuo or Guo Degang?

How come there's a distinction between mainstream and non-mainstream now?

“I knew he didn’t get along with many writers, and they’ve been exchanging insults for years.”

"It's inappropriate to call it a war of words. For intellectuals, it's all about using the pen as a weapon. What you described is certainly correct, but to them it's an insult and a loss of face."

"What's that? A rebuttal based on differing values?"

"Ha~"

Xu Qing suddenly laughed:

"You're quite good at using fancy words, so literary."

As she spoke, she held the steering wheel with one hand and pushed up her large sunglasses with the other, her voice carrying a hint of perfume:
"But this time it's different; some of the stories he's writing are getting increasingly out of line. As far as I know, at least three of his films have been rejected since last year. It seems one of them was directed by himself, and the other two were collaborations with Feng Xiaogang. This is actually a signal..."

"Sister, do you mean someone in high-ranking positions is targeting him?"

Is it necessary to target him?

Xu Qing shrugged casually:

"To put it simply, everything is like grains of sand forming a tower. If you offend me today and I can't argue with you, I'll tolerate it. If you offend Wang Jinghua tomorrow and she can't argue with you, I'll tolerate that too. But if you offend one person a day, and you offend too many people, those grains of sand will eventually create a sandstorm. That will become a natural disaster."

Anxin will naturally understand this principle.

only……

"What about on a larger scale?"

"To put it more broadly, the ideas in your books contradict our views. You teach people how to be thugs and hooligans, yet you're still so popular. What are you trying to do? So, whether intentionally or unintentionally, Wang Shuo should have given in after discovering his works were being rejected repeatedly, but he didn't... so he's bound to have a bad ending."

"In other words, it's not that he specifically offended anyone, but rather that he went against mainstream values?"

"Yes."

Xu Qing nodded:

"That's why I told you to stay away from him. Even though you're just a kid and nobody will take you seriously, it's always better to stay away from him."

As she spoke, she became interested:

"So, what does Wang Shuo want with you?"

"Well, I was the one who gave him some deer antlers at first..."

"..."

Xu Qing's expression turned strange.

Clearly, she knew what deer antlers were used for.

But then I immediately heard Anxin say the following:

"However, during the Chinese New Year, he specifically sought me out with Lei... Xu Jinglei, to have her fortune told."

"What is it? What do you want?"

"Fortune telling".

"Oh my, I didn't realize this little kid was a charlatan?"

"……hey-hey."

Anxin smiled and shook her head slightly:

"Sister Qing, do you believe in this?"

"I don't believe it. I'm a staunch materialist."

"Then don't ask. It concerns other people's privacy, so I can't say anything."

"So mysterious? What's this all about? Is it some kind of secret that can't be revealed?"

"Ha, right."

So Xu Qing stopped asking questions.

Just as she said, her grandparents' generation were staunch materialists, and she really didn't believe in these things.

Again.

It was just casual conversation. But that conversation in the car that day seemed like a prophecy, coming true in an instant.

An Xin was unaware of this matter before, so he didn't pay attention. But after learning about it, he began to actively collect newspapers and magazines, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Only then did I realize... putting everything else aside, some local newspapers in Yanjing had a dedicated page almost every day to criticize Wang Shuo.

He had hardly ever heard of the authors whose names were on the sign, but their words were exceptionally sharp.

Most of the criticisms were literary, while some were direct and sarcastic attacks.

Some people claim that "hooligan literature" is a cancer on contemporary society, poisoning teenagers, and some even link the rising juvenile delinquency rate to his books...

I felt at ease watching it, and my back even broke out in a sweat.

Is this really a death sentence for Wang Shuo?
He felt a little sentimental, but his life continued as usual.

On the 20th, Sister Hua notified him to go for a second audition.

He was with Fan Bingbing.

Both of them advanced to the second round.

So, on the morning of the 20th, Wang Jinghua accompanied the two of them to the audition.

Although it's almost April, the mornings in Yanjing are still quite chilly. After the three of them arrived at the office building, An Xin led Fan Bing into the waiting hall. Then, Wang Jinghua told the two of them, "I'm going out to find out who's here today," and left them in the hall.

Fan Bing yawned, looking a little bored, and glanced at An Xin unconsciously.

Seeing that his eyes were downcast and he looked like he hadn't woken up yet, I knew he was quietly getting into the zone again, so I didn't disturb him.

After waiting for a while, a few more people came into the audition room.

Unfortunately, she didn't recognize any of them.

Others look at her, and she looks at others.

After just one glance, they silently looked away.

We're all competitors, so there's no point in having any conversations or developing any friendships.

After waiting for a while, Wang Jinghua suddenly appeared at the entrance of the waiting hall:
"Don't worry, Bingbing, come here."

Fan Bing was startled. Seeing Sister Hua waving in their direction, he instinctively stood up. After taking a step, he turned around and saw An Xin still in a half-asleep state, so he quickly pulled him back.

"Sister Hua is calling us."

"?"

Anxin followed along in a daze and saw Wang Jinghua standing with a middle-aged man with long hair tied in a single ponytail, exuding an artistic aura.

"Bingbing, don't worry, this is Zhao Lei, Director Zhao. One of the two cinematographers for 'Farewell My Concubine'."

"!"

Fan Bing suddenly shuddered.

Quickly bow:

"Hello Director Zhao, I am Fan Bing. It is an honor to meet you."

"Ah."

Zhao Lei smiled and nodded as a greeting, but his gaze shifted from her to An Xin.

"Hello Director Zhao, my name is An Xin..."

"Yes, I know you."

After looking An Xin up and down, he smiled and said:
"You must have quite a background; I've heard that four families recommended you."

"..."

Anxin's lips twitched.

Seeing An Xin's expression, Zhao Lei laughed heartily:
"Ha, do your best in a bit. Jinghua, I'm going now."

"Okay, Director Zhao, please go ahead with your work. I'll visit you another day."

After Wang Jinghua and her two children politely saw the famous director off, Fan Bing only dared to breathe freely after the man had walked away.
"Sister Hua, is he the director of 'Farewell My Concubine'?"

"He's the director of photography."

Wang Jinghua quickly corrected her statement:
"He and Gu Changwei co-directed. Don't make this mistake again; it's easy to offend people." (Note 1)

"Oh, alright."

Fan Bing immediately nodded to indicate that she understood, and then she continued:

"You two better perform well in a bit, especially An Xin. Although this incident was a coincidence, since Director Zhao remembers you, you have a great chance, understand?"

"Hmm?...Oh, okay."

Anxin absentmindedly replied that she understood.

Then he walked back to the waiting room on his own.

Wang Jinghua was speechless for a moment, but Fan Bing smiled and whispered:

"Sister Hua, relax and get into the zone. He's not really listening to anything right now, so don't worry, he'll definitely be fine."

"I know...you should get ready too."

"Uh-huh."

A moment later, Fan Bing handed An Xin the number plate, which was personally issued by the staff.

An Xin is number 7, while Fan Bing is number 12.

It seems like today's audition was a mixed audition, with men and women all together.

Before long, the call for numbers sounded, and the second round of auditions officially began.

At that moment, the sound of a reliable BP motor rang out.

Upon hearing this, and seeing that An Xin didn't react, Fan Bing simply took it off for him and glanced at it:
"Who is Sister Lei Lei? Xu Jinglei?"

Anxin's gaze remained calm as she looked at the words "Anxin, call back, Sister Leilei" on the pager, as if she hadn't seen them at all.

(Note 1: The cinematographers for *Farewell My Concubine* were Gu Changwei and another Taiwanese cinematographer named Zhao Faquan. However, this guy… I dug for ages, but couldn't find out where he went afterward. According to Wikipedia, he switched to shooting commercials. I'm quite puzzled; with such a prestigious reputation, why would he go into advertising? Based on some plot developments after *That Dog*, I've made some major alterations here.)
(End of this chapter)