Entertainment Era: My Good Sister Is All Over the World

The night seemed darker than at any other time before dawn.

The moment before one reaches the point of suffering and eventual triumph is often the most difficult and unbearable.

—Sima Ling, *The Mist*, 1979

……

The audition proceeded smoothly.

Gradually, many roles found one or two suitable candidates.

During this time, Huang Wenbin sat quietly on the sidelines observing, occasionally taking notes.

Chen Huaikai would also ask for his opinion from time to time.

Regarding the lead role of Zhang Mazi, many big names came to audition, such as Zhang Lianwen and Tan Tianqian, big stars from Beijing Film Studio. At this time, they were in their thirties, with solid acting skills and enough fame.

Both of them came for Zhang Mazi.

Zhang Lianwen was born in 1945 and started acting in 1973. In 1975, he played Zhou Tingshan, an oil worker, in the TV series "The Pioneers". This role was somewhat similar to the character of Wang Jinxi, the "Iron Man", which made him famous.

What truly catapulted him to stardom was the 1981 television series "Enemy Camp Eighteen Years," the first of its kind in China, in which he played the lead role of Jiang Bo. Of course, that hasn't happened yet.

Tan Tianqian was born in 1944 and became an actor at the Beijing Film Studio in 1973, but he didn't actually act in his first film until 1976. In February of this year, after the release of the sports-themed film "The Flying Swallow," in which he starred, he and the female lead, Naren Hua, immediately became famous throughout the country.

However, he faded from the screen in the early 1990s and gradually became unknown.

His wife, Cao Cuibin, however, became quite famous in later generations. She was known for playing the grandmother of the main characters, most notably Fan Xian's grandmother in "Joy of Life" and the matriarch of the Sheng family in "The Story of Minglan."

However, Chen Huaikai was not very satisfied with the auditions of these two people.

Zhang Lianwen has a tough-guy look, which actually suits Zhang Mazi quite well.

However, his acting was slightly off. When portraying the character Zhang Mazi, he followed the current trend of portraying positive characters in a "perfect" way, making Zhang Mazi seem like a political commissar.

As for Tan Tianqian, his appearance doesn't quite match. He is handsome, has a refined and scholarly demeanor, and a bit of a gentleman. He belongs to the type of handsome young man, which doesn't quite fit Zhang Mazi.

However, Chen Huaikai did not eliminate them directly, but kept them all for the next round.

We need to have them actually act out a few scenes to find out who is the perfect fit for the role.

In this day and age, finding actors requires not only physical resemblance but also a spiritual resemblance, and it takes more time to achieve this.

In the 1990s, with the rise of commercial films, basically all that was needed to act was a little bit of charisma.

Later on, anything that resembled something in appearance or spirit could be used, as long as you had capital or traffic.

Soon it was Wang Gang and Zhang Guoli's turn, whom Huang Wenbin had recommended.

Wang Gang was the first to go on stage.

If it were an older Wang Gang, Huang Wenbin would recommend him to play Master Huang or Master Tang, but Wang Gang is now in his thirties and not yet that experienced, so he can only play Hu Baiqianwan.

But Wang Gang was also somewhat arrogant, and he suggested that he directly try out Master Tang's acting.

This is a cunning old fox, not only with a complex personality, but also with many years of experience in the underworld. It's not easy for an ordinary person to play this kind of role well.

Wang Gang, however, was confident. He simply hunched his shoulders slightly and dragged his steps a bit, which gave him a hint of old age. His eyes were both shrewd and timid. If he wore makeup, he could easily play a cunning old fox around fifty years old.

Chen Huaikai selected a scene to test Wang Gang, specifically the scene where Lao Tang is dying and interacts with Zhang Mazi.

Wang Gang almost perfectly portrayed Lao Tang's state of mind as a dying man speaks kind words, while also conveying a sense of resentment and unwillingness.

"Good, your performance was very good." Chen Huaikai was in a great mood. He had finally met an actor who could completely grasp the role. "I can't say that this role is yours, but you can move on to the next round."

Wang Gang was very modest and thanked everyone present: "Thank you Director Chen, thank you screenwriter Huang, thank you everyone else, and thank you..."

Chen Huaikai waved him out.

Next up was Zhang Guoli.

"My name is Zhang Guoli, a senior actor from the Chengdu Railway Art Troupe. I'm here to audition for the role of Xiao Liuzi."

He has always acted in stage plays. He has acted in movies, but only as an extra, appearing on screen for less than two minutes.

Now, facing Chen Huaikai, a renowned director from the Beijing Film Studio, he couldn't help but feel a little intimidated.

Fortunately, he has a strong heart and a resilient personality, so he quickly recovered.

"Okay, then you try out this scene."

Chen Huaikai was also curious about the young man in front of him. After all, he was personally recommended by screenwriter Huang Wenbin, so he must have something special about him.

Zhang Guoli took a sheet of paper from the assistant director, glanced at it, and realized that this scene would be difficult to act.

"Ah Bin, you'll act alongside him!" Chen Huaikai turned to Huang Wenbin and said with a smile.

Huang Wenbin's eyes widened: "Why is it me again?"

"You're not happy about it?" Chen Huaikai looked at him strangely.

"No." Huang Wenbin just wanted to slack off, but Chen Huaikai kept calling on him, so there was nothing he could do.

Huang Wenbin glanced at the scene that Chen Huaikai had circled for him and felt a chill run down his spine, because the scene was the one where Liu Zi disemboweled himself to prove his innocence.

The entire transformation of Xiao Liuzi's character is thanks to this scene.

At the same time, this scene is also the heart of the entire movie "Let the Bullets Fly". The plot will then become like a runaway bull, rampaging and exhilarating, until it becomes uncontrollable.

"I'll be the martial arts examinee, and you, Yu Yang, will be the one selling cold noodles," Chen Huaikai said with a smile. "I'll give you five minutes to prepare."

Because this scene was very important, Chen Huaikai gave Zhang Guoli an extra three minutes.

Zhang Guoli is, after all, a stage actor, so remembering some lines shouldn't be a problem for him.

He spent five minutes familiarizing himself with the character and lines, then nodded and said, "I'm ready."

The script supervisor on the side clapped his hands.

"Sixth Master, you ate two bowls of noodles, but only paid for one!"

Huang Wenbin spoke in a sarcastic tone, clearly indignant.

"Bullshit!" Zhang Guoli instantly switched into action, as if undergoing a stress response, spitting out, "I only ate one bowl of noodles and paid him for one bowl!"

Huang Wenbin raised his eyelids, glanced at the non-existent vendor selling cold noodles, and casually asked, "How many bowls did he eat?"

Assistant Director Yu's voice rang out: "Two bowls."

"Impossible!" Chen Huaikai, caught up in his acting, suddenly raised his voice, tinged with anger: "Sixth Master is the county magistrate's son, how could he possibly owe you money for drugs!"

Yu Yang, too lazy to put in the effort, delivered his lines emotionlessly: "I ate two bowls of noodles, but paid for one!"

"The county magistrate must give Goose City a fair trial!"

Huang Wenbin's lips curled into a sneer, his tone laced with sarcasm. He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards the air and said, "Fine, today we're here to demand fairness!"

"From whom should we ask?"

"The county magistrate's son!"

"Because he ate two bowls of noodles, but only paid for one!"

As Huang Wenbin read this, he suddenly roared with righteous indignation: "This is what you call unfairness!"

Then the true intentions were revealed: "Since the county magistrate's son is leading the way in unfairness, then what the county magistrate says is worthless!"

"I love you, Mom!" Zhang Guoli suddenly widened his eyes and rushed forward.

"Sixth Master!"

Yu Yang's line ruthlessly cut in, "Hu Wan, Sixth Master is the county magistrate's son, how could he possibly owe him money for drugs? You saw it with your own eyes!"

Zhang Guoli almost lost his composure when he heard such emotionless lines.

Fortunately, he was a stage actor with many years of experience, so he was able to handle this level of performance and tried his best to maintain the character's emotions.

"..."

After a few lines of dialogue, the main event finally arrived.

Zhang Guoli's character, Xiao Liuzi, is initially at a loss. He has been following Zhang Mazi since he was old enough to understand things and has always been well protected.

Although he was a bandit, his mind was still that of a child who hadn't grown up.

He realized that Hu Wan was targeting his father, but he had no idea how to break the deadlock.

In his heart, Zhang Mazi was a god-like figure, and he would never allow anyone to insult him like that; he would rather die himself.

"You're a villain!" Zhang Guoli was now fully engaged in the attack, his eyes glaring fiercely at Huang Wenbin.

Unfazed, Huang Wenbin retorted defiantly, "Oh?"

"Trying to be more evil, huh!"

Zhang Guoli's face revealed a resolute look, the kind of emotion one would have when facing certain death. "I'm even more wicked than you!"

He made a knife shape with his hand and plunged it into his stomach without hesitation.

He was stabbed so hard that he almost cried out in pain.

"Watch closely, everyone!" Zhang Guoli's gaze swept over everyone in the conference room. "I've got two bowls of noodles in my belly today, I'm not going to die for nothing!"

Huang Wenbin said with a playful look in his eyes, "If all you have in your belly is a bowl of noodles, I'll die!"

There should have been a line from the martial arts examinee here, but for some reason, the assistant director didn't say it.

Chen Huaikai frowned slightly, but did not say anything to remind them, as that would disrupt the actors' rhythm.

"Where's the jelly?" Huang Wenbin had no choice but to continue, "You have to pull it horizontally to see it clearly! It's too shallow, I can't see it."

"pull!"

"Is there only one bowl?!" Zhang Guoli's face was contorted with rage, and cold sweat broke out on his brow as he roared, "Is there only one bowl?!"

Then, with clear yet aggrieved eyes, she looked at Huang Wenbin: "It's your turn!"

A hint of appreciation flashed in Huang Wenbin's eyes, and he said with a smile, "I know you only ate one bowl; you fell for it!"

The grievance in Zhang Guoli's eyes immediately turned into despair, and a trace of resentment as his suspicions were confirmed.

This scene ends here.

However, the entire conference room was completely silent.

The people waiting outside were also curious about what was going on inside.

Wang Gang, who had already made the arrangements, was also waiting outside for Zhang Guoli, and he was also puzzled at this moment.

He was listening outside and thought Zhang Guoli was performing very well, so why was there no sound?

"good!"

Half a minute later, Chen Huaikai finally exclaimed, "You're full of energy! This role is yours, don't look for anyone else!"