Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 557, Section 555: Advancing on Three Fronts Simultaneously

the other side.

Beijing.

On a summer afternoon, sunlight streamed through the large French windows, casting shimmering spots of light on the gleaming floor of Gao Yuanyuan's apartment. The air was filled with the unique scent of baby milk.

Wang Xian and Wang Ruoruo, who will turn two years old in early August, perfectly embody the boundless energy of children at this age that makes parents both love and "hate" them.

According to child development psychology, toddlers who are one year and eleven months old are in a critical period of development of gross motor skills and language skills.

They are usually able to walk steadily and independently, even jog, and enjoy climbing; in terms of language, their vocabulary has exploded, they can speak simple sentences containing two or three words, and they are beginning to understand more complex instructions.

Right now, these two little guys are perfectly putting theory into practice.

Wang Ruoruo stumbled after a rolling little ball, calling out indistinctly, "Ball... little brother... take it!"

Wang Xian was even more "destructive." He had just successfully torn the title pages of a stack of scripts that Gao Yuanyuan had read into "snowflakes," and was excitedly scattering them everywhere, his cheerful laughter ringing out.

"Xianxian! No!" Gao Yuanyuan quickly stopped her son from trying to cut a potted plant next to them, her tone filled with helplessness and doting.

She was wearing comfortable cotton loungewear, her hair was casually tied up, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Taking care of kids is full of sweetness, but it's also physically demanding, especially when dealing with two little ones who are bursting with curiosity.

Just as she had carried Wang Xian away from the danger zone and was preparing to clean up the mess on the floor, her cell phone, which was on the sofa, rang at an inopportune moment.

“Mom…the phone!” Wang Ruoruo pointed to the sofa, mimicking the tone she often heard.

Gao Yuanyuan sighed, bent down to pick up a few scraps of paper, quickly walked to the sofa, and glanced at the caller ID—it was Li Qing.

She immediately gestured to the nanny who was waiting nearby, and the nanny understood and quickly stepped forward to take over the responsibility of looking after the two children.

Gao Yuanyuan took her phone, walked to the relatively quiet balcony, and pressed the answer button.

"Hello, Li Qing." Her voice still carried a slight pant from her recent busy work.

"Mr. Gao, am I disturbing you?" Li Qing's voice came from the other end of the phone, revealing obvious joy and competence.

"It's okay, go ahead," Gao Yuanyuan said, adjusting her breathing.

"Good news, Mr. Gao. Zhang Hanyun's contract has been finalized. Both parties have confirmed the contract details, and her parents have also signed it."

Li Qing spoke quickly but clearly, “The process went very smoothly. We presented our resources and plans, and they didn’t hesitate much. The production team was also taken care of. Mr. Wang and Mr. Cai from Enlight Media gave her face and wouldn’t make things difficult for her in the subsequent competition. On the contrary, they might give her some screen time as a prelude.”

"Very good." Gao Yuanyuan's lips curled up slightly, revealing a satisfied expression.

"By the way, the competition isn't over yet. Let her focus on the competition, experience the process, and build a good rapport with the audience."

Gao Yuanyuan instructed, "Leave two capable people in Xingcheng to take good care of her in her daily life and keep an eye on public opinion. As soon as the competition ends, regardless of her ranking, bring her back to Beijing immediately. The preliminary work for the album can begin."

"Understood, Mr. Gao. I've arranged the team; they're all experienced veterans who will take good care of Hanyun and will keep you informed." Li Qing immediately agreed.

"Thank you for your hard work," Gao Yuanyuan said before hanging up the phone.

……

Here.

Jingxin Building, the headquarters of Shengying Media Group.

The investment negotiation meeting for the "Ace Bodyguard" project has just concluded.

The atmosphere inside the meeting room was harmonious.

As Wang Sheng had previously promised, Shengying Media, as the controlling party, led the investment in this project. Jackie Chan's side continued the model they used when collaborating with Wang Sheng on "Night at the Museum," refraining from receiving a high upfront fee. Instead, he converted it into an investment, directly investing in the project and sharing both risks and profits with the investors.

This model deeply binds his personal interests to the film's final market performance, and also reflects his strong confidence in Wang Sheng's vision and the project itself.

The remaining investment shares in the project were, unsurprisingly, quickly divided up by the "national team" capital that held shares in Shengying Media.

For these investors, investing in blockbuster films produced by Sheng Ying Group and backed by Jackie Chan's prestigious brand is almost one of the lowest-risk and most stable-return options.

They don't even need to scrutinize the script details; the labels "planned by Wang Sheng," "starring Jackie Chan," and "distributed by Sheng Ying" are enough.

The project has been assigned to Wu Yiyi, a director within the Shengying Group known for his expertise in commercial genre films and strong execution capabilities.

After finalizing the core concept, lead actors, and investment framework, Wang Sheng no longer interfered too much with the specific preparations.

He had confidence in Wu Yiyi's abilities and knew that delegating authority appropriately would allow the team to grow faster.

At this point, Wang Sheng was no longer in the country.

Two days before Gao Yuanyuan received Li Qing's call, he had already arrived in Seoul, South Korea.

……

Seoul, South Korea, Taewon Entertainment Preparatory Center.

The atmosphere in the spacious rehearsal room was serious and focused.

With the film "Seoul Farewell" (adapted from "A Farewell") about to begin filming, director Wang Sheng personally supervised the process and convened all the main actors for a final script reading.

Around the long conference table, Ryu Seung-ryong, Shin Young-kyun, Hwang Jung-min and other veteran South Korean actors sat upright, opposite them Li Bingbing and Fan Xiaopang, who were equally focused.

After nearly five months of almost grueling intensive training—hiring top Korean dialogue teachers, immersing themselves in a language environment, watching numerous Korean films and television dramas, and repeatedly practicing their lines—Li Bingbing and Fan Xiaopang's efforts finally paid off.

At the start of the reading, Li Bingbing's character "Park Min-hee" (original version Seo Min) and Ryu Seung-ryong's character "Kim Ji-hoon" (original version Nader) had a heated argument over the issues of "immigration" and "supporting their father".

Li Bingbing's Korean lines are clear and fluent. Although you can still tell the foreign accent if you listen carefully, her intonation, rhythm and emotional fullness have reached the level required for performance. She can accurately convey the character's anxiety, disappointment and determination.

Fan Xiaopang plays the nanny "Han Jing'en" (original version Ritz), who has relatively fewer lines, but needs to better portray the character's low social status and cautiousness.

Her pronunciation was also excellent; she captured the timid yet slightly stubborn tone perfectly.

Shin Young-kyun, who played the elderly father, nodded slightly, a hint of appreciation in his eyes.

He had reservations about whether the two Chinese lead actors could handle the original Korean audio performance, but the performance on set dispelled his doubts.

At least, he saw the effort and progress of these two Chinese actors in terms of sincerity and basic linguistic competence.

Wang Sheng sat in the main seat, listening quietly, a pen between his fingers, occasionally tapping the script lightly to jot down details that needed fine-tuning.

He didn't interrupt anyone's performance, but his calm demeanor kept everyone on their toes.

Im Yoon-ah, who plays the key young girl "Kim Seo-hyun" (originally Teuk-me), sat a little further away, watching her seniors rehearse attentively and learning quietly.

The entire reading session lasted for several hours, during which the main scenes were reviewed and rehearsed. When the last line of dialogue was delivered, Wang Sheng closed the script in his hands.

"Overall, it's good." He said, his voice steady, his gaze sweeping over each actor present. "The hard work of the past few months has paid off. Bingbing and Xiaopang, your Korean lines are basically up to the standard of using the original audio. We can refine them further during the later recording."

He paused, then emphasized, “Seoul Farewell is not just a family drama; it’s a mirror reflecting choices, dilemmas, and the gray areas of human nature. I hope you all don’t just ‘act,’ but rather ‘become’ those characters. I hope you can maintain this focus and dedication for the next month or so.”

Wang Sheng stood up, looked around, and made his final announcement:

"All departments of the production team are ready. I hereby announce the official formation of the 'Seoul Farewell' production team. We will officially begin filming in three days!"

(End of this chapter)