Huayu: Serious director, who's eavesdropping on your thoughts?

Director Zhang was stunned by these words. After a long while, he took a deep breath, took out his phone, and gritted his teeth, saying:

"Alright, alright... what a special permission from President Han! Since you've put it this way..."

I'll call Mr. Han right now. You're joking about the whole project. Mr. Han will never agree to this!

Let me make this clear from the start: if the higher-ups get angry and want to withdraw their investment, don't blame me. I'll handle this strictly by law.

"Go ahead and fight," Zhao Huaiyuan said calmly. "I trust President Han's judgment."

..

At this moment, outside the China Film Group building.

A cold wind blows, leaves fall, and the army...

Damn, why is he singing? No, that's just the first half of the sentence describing Huang Bo's current state of mind.

I'm not going to sing.

Huang Bo squatted by the flower bed, a red plum cigarette between his fingers, with cigarette butts scattered all over the ground.

"Hey," Ning Hao walked over and squatted down next to him, "How about it? I told you a long time ago not to do those singing, dancing, and rapping stuff, but you wouldn't listen."

"I just wanted to take a chance. Compared to others, I have no advantage in any aspect."

Huang Bo gave a wry smile, took a deep drag on his cigarette, and coughed repeatedly, choking on the smoke.

"Haozi, do you think I'm really not suited for this kind of work? Years ago, I performed in nightclubs and sang in various bars, but people all thought I was ugly."

Later, he tried his hand at business, starting a factory, but it failed. He finally managed to get into the Beijing Film Academy's dubbing program, but it was all for naught.

Huang Bo exhaled a smoke ring, somewhat bewildered: "I'm almost thirty this year, Haozi, thirty is the age to be established, but where am I? I haven't even gotten a foothold yet."

Ning Hao wanted to say a few words, but he couldn't utter a single sentence.

In this appearance-obsessed industry, talent sometimes really is worthless.

"I've thought it all out." Huang Bo stubbed out his cigarette on the ground.

"I want to go back to Qingdao Island, back to my hometown. My sister-in-law introduced me to someone. If that doesn't work out, I'll go work in a leather factory making leather shoes. Anyway, I'm done with all this fussing. I'm tired of it all. I'll just settle down and live a peaceful life from now on."

"Don't mind."

Ning Hao grew anxious. "I know your acting skills. Aren't I the assistant director now? Maybe I can find an opportunity to arrange a small role with lines for you."

"Stop, don't! Although I haven't had much contact with Zhao Huaiyuan, I know he's the kind of person who can't tolerate any wrongdoing. You just got the assistant director job, don't do something like this, or it will give him a bad impression of you."

Huang Bo stopped him.

"Just hang in there, there'll always be a chance," Ning Hao said, unwilling to lose this friend and feeling somewhat resentful.

"It's good to persevere, but what will we use to persevere? The northwest wind to fill our stomachs?"

Huang Bo chuckled self-deprecatingly, dusted himself off, and stood up.

"Alright, stop trying to comfort me. I'm fine. I'll treat you to drinks tonight; consider it my farewell dinner in this industry."

Seeing Huang Bo's resigned expression, Ning Hao felt a pang of sadness, a painful sadness.

Just then, Ning Hao's phone rang.

"Feed? I'm Ning Hao... Huh? What? Say it again??"

Ning Hao's voice suddenly rose seven or eight octaves, and he looked at Huang Bo in disbelief.

Huang Bo felt a chill run down his spine from his gaze: "What's wrong?"

Ning Hao ignored him and instead repeatedly confirmed with the person on the other end of the phone:

"The male lead? Really the male lead? Are you kidding me?... Okay, okay! I'll tell him right away!"

Huang Bo, watching anxiously from the side, asked, "What's wrong? What happened? Are they talking about me? Tell me!"

Ning Hao finally hung up the phone, forcibly suppressing the smile on his lips and putting on a sorrowful expression.

He patted Huang Bo on the shoulder.

"Hiroko, forget it... let's go back to Karujima."

The glimmer of light in Huang Bo's eyes was completely extinguished in that instant.

Although I had prepared myself mentally, I still felt completely devastated when I actually heard the news.

"I knew it..."

Huang Bo lowered his head, his eyes reddening, and he ground the cigarette butt on the ground with his toe.

"Although I helped him out, it's a big production, how could they possibly use me? I knew it, it was expected, it was expected..."

The more he talked, the more wronged he felt, and the more he thought about it, the more frustrated he felt.

I've struggled in Beijing for so many years, spent so much money, and met so many people, but what the hell has it all been for?!

He completely snapped.

He slammed the half-finished cigarette pack in his pocket to the ground, his neck stiff, his eyes red, and roared:

"Screw your movie dreams! I'm not putting up with this anymore! I think these people are blind! Everyone's blind!"

Don't try to comfort me. This lousy play, even if Zhao Huaiyuan were kneeling on the ground begging me to act, I'd rather starve to death, die out there, go back to my hometown to farm and make shoes than act again! Whoever acts in it is a coward!

"It would be good to go home and see my mother; it's been so long since I've been back."

"Pfft..."

Ning Hao laughed out loud, then suddenly kicked Huang Bo in the butt.

"Fine, you said it yourself, whoever plays the role is the grandson."

He took out his phone, pretending to call back, "Then I'll call Director Zhao back right now and tell him that Teacher Huang Bo has backbone, doesn't think much of our male lead, and that he should tear up the contract and find someone else."

Huang Bo was still angry and was stunned for several seconds after hearing this.

Immediately afterwards, as if struck by lightning, he jumped up with a whoosh.

He grabbed Ning Hao's hand, his voice trembling with excitement: "Haozi, what...what did you just say? The male lead? Give me...give me the contract?"

"Yes! It's you! That Zhao Huaiyuan, he withstood the pressure and secured the contract for you, now he wants you to get up there and sign it!"

Ning Hao stopped teasing him and stopped pretending, then laughed loudly.

An overwhelming surprise came crashing down like a tsunami.

One second Huang Bo was full of backbone, the next he was just following the law of truth.

With a catapult-like start, he could accelerate to 100 meters in just 0 seconds and rush into the building. His legs were nimble, completely unlike his previous listless state.

He's practically a superman!

"Hey, wait a minute!"

Ning Hao grabbed him and teased, "Who said that just now? That you wouldn't act even if you knelt on the ground begging? Whoever acts is the grandson? Going home to see their mother?"

Huang Bo paused, looking completely innocent, and said:

"Huh? Did I say that?"

He said in a serious tone, "Hey, you must have misheard. The wind was too strong just now. That was the wind saying it, not me."

After saying that, the two looked at each other and burst into laughter in the cold wind.

The cold wind blows, leaves fall...a dream is a green flower...

My dear traveler, don't miss home~~ don't miss your mother~~

..

Upstairs office.

Zhao Huaiyuan stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the two figures who were both crying and laughing, and gently exhaled.

"The once unattainable genius director and billion-dollar movie star have now become my underlings, haha."

Just then, the office door was pushed open.

Director Zhang walked in with a complicated expression. The matter was of great importance, so he chose to come in person to report instead of making a phone call.

Now the results are out.

"How was it? Did President Han swear?" Zhao Huaiyuan asked with a smile.

"He cursed."

Director Zhang had a long face. "But he was cursing at me."

"Hmm? How so?"

"That's what President Han said: 'Trust those you employ, and don't employ those you don't trust.' Since he said to let Zhao Huaiyuan do it, then let him do it. Even if he wants to use a dog as the male lead, China Film Group will provide the platform. Just let him go all out. If he wins, it'll be a miracle; if he loses, it's China Film Group's responsibility!"

Zhao Huaiyuan smiled.

This is Han Sanping, the head of the Chinese film industry. With this kind of courage, he deserves to be in that position.

"Since President Han has spoken, then it's settled." Director Zhang sighed and accepted reality.

Although the two of them were at odds just now, they didn't hold any grudges. Whether they held grudges or not, it was all for work!

"The male lead is settled, but what about the female lead? Xiao Zhao, there are all sorts of rumors flying around about that Luobo Pit project. Everyone's saying this role was tailor-made for Liu Yifei, but I think this young lady is quite suitable too. Why don't we just go with the flow and cast her?"

In Director Zhang's view, the other party was simply trying to avoid suspicion and prevent gossip.

From any perspective, Liu Yifei is the most suitable, the most perfect, and the safest choice, not to mention her previous collaboration with the other party on "The Tuner".

Aren't they good friends?

Zhao Huaiyuan didn't speak. He went to the table, sat down again, and lightly tapped his fingers on the surface.

He recalled the little jade pot in the original short film from his previous life; the purity and naivety in its eyes were something that would be very difficult to portray.

Liu Yifei is not suitable.

"So you mean..." Director Zhang was a little confused. After being reprimanded by Han Sanping, he didn't dare to make any decisions on his own.

Everything depends on Zhao Huaiyuan's decision.

"It's not possible to decide at the moment."

Zhao Huaiyuan looked out the window, feeling a bit of a headache.

If the male lead is like the weeds on the ground, everywhere and easy to find, then the female lead is like the bright moon in the sky, a jade pot that carries countless homesicknesses. If she is even slightly different, the drama is ruined.

"Pass down the word: the final audition for the female lead will begin tomorrow morning."