Entertainment Era: My Good Sister Is All Over the World

To fight against stupidity is something even the gods cannot win.

—Kurt Vonnegut, *The Caged Bird*, 1979

……

The next day.

Li Xuejian arrived very early as expected.

He asked the staff at the Beijing Film Studio for some information about "Let the Bullets Fly".

The above lists some character information, as well as background information about the movie.

Li Xuejian pondered this information repeatedly, constructing a rough model of the film in his mind.

Then, he looked at the basic information of the characters. There were three main characters. He didn't have any illusions. Instead, he looked at the supporting characters who had a lot of screen time.

He first looked at the protagonist's team, from the second oldest to the seventh oldest, comparing his own conditions with each of them.

The second one is definitely not suitable; he's a muscular man, a burly bandit.

The third brother was fierce and decisive, but somewhat rebellious. However, he was eventually influenced by the second brother and became a true warrior.

The fourth brother is ruthless and vicious, and is indeed the one who kills without hesitation in the team. He doesn't have many scenes, nor is he particularly outstanding. He doesn't have much room to develop his character, and he's not a good fit for the role.

The fifth one is the oldest, but he's still a virgin. Did that young man last night want me to act in this?

I don't think so.

Li Xuejian shook his head inwardly. The character of Xiao Liuzi was quite outstanding, with some shining moments, and it was worth a try.

Forget about the seventh brother; he's the youngest and more of a tool.

These roles are not really suitable for him, but of course, if he really had to play them, he could pull them off.

Let's take a look at the villain Huang Silang's side. There are four characters with some screen time.

Hu Qian, who looked to be in his thirties, was Master Huang's confidant and had always been by Master Huang's side.

Hu Bai appears relatively infrequently, but he does many dirty things, such as impersonating a troublemaker to rob city dwellers and humiliating women.

Hu Wan is an all-around butler type. He is ruthless and vicious, yet he is also good at judging situations. There is a lot to explore about him, and he appears on screen quite often.

Finally, there's the martial arts graduate. This character is quite complex. In the early stages, he followed Master Huang in fighting against the county magistrate, and later he followed the county magistrate in fighting against Master Huang. What happened in between is unknown to him, and it's not written in the records.

He could only guess that something major had happened.

However, this role is not suitable for him either, because he is now quite thin and does not have the physique of a martial arts examinee.

If given a month, he might get stronger.

After much deliberation, Li Xuejian felt confident that he could land one of the roles, either Lao Wu or Hu Baiqianwan.

Based on his own personal opinion, it must be Hu Wan.

This character also has his moments of brilliance, and his personality is quite complex, offering much to explore.

For example, his closeness with Master Huang, the closeness of his relationship with Ninth Concubine Hua, and his relationships with Hu Bai and Hu Qian...

Just as he was pondering this, the audition had already begun, and by the time he lined up, there were already more than a dozen people ahead of him.

Half an hour had passed by the time it was his turn.

As soon as he walked in, he greeted everyone: "My name is Li Xuejian. I'd like to meet all the directors and performers. I'm an actor from the Air Force Political Department Art Troupe."

"Which role would you like to audition for?" a somewhat familiar voice rang out.

Li Xuejian looked up and was surprised to find a young man among the directors sitting in front of him—the very same young man he had bumped into in front of the Beijing Film Studio the night before.

No wonder this young man encouraged him to come and give it a try; it turns out he was one of the creators of this film.

"I want to try out the role of Hu Wan." Li Xuejian didn't dare to be greedy and chose one that he was relatively confident about.

"Okay." Chen Huaikai also noticed Huang Wenbin's attitude, so he smiled and handed over a page of the script: "Try this scene, you have two minutes to prepare."

Li Xuejian took the manuscript with both hands and carefully looked at its contents.

It's the same story as the tea ceremony, specifically the part where Liu Zi disembowels himself to prove his innocence.

Huang Wenbin is now playing Xiao Liuzi again, acting alongside Li Xuejian.

Two minutes later, Li Xuejian was almost ready and officially began.

The performance ended quickly.

Li Xuejian's performance was quite perfect, especially when he said the line "Isn't this bullying an honest person?" He was both impassioned and a little smug, which perfectly captured Hu Wan's hysterical nature.

Chen Huaikai was very satisfied with Li Xuejian's performance and said with a smile, "You did a great job. This role is yours. You'll be going to the studio for an audition this afternoon, so remember to arrive early."

"Okay, thank you Director Chen, thank you... comrades." Li Xuejian wanted to thank Huang Wenbin, but he didn't know his name, so he thanked him as well.

"Is it someone you've got your eye on again?" Chen Huaikai said to Huang Wenbin with a smile as soon as Li Xuejian left.

Huang Wenbin shook his head: "I just bumped into him at the entrance of the Beijing Film Studio last night and casually recommended him to come. I didn't expect it to actually work out."

"Although he's not particularly good-looking, he definitely has potential," Chen Huaikai nodded. "He has an excellent ability to understand his characters and is a hard worker."

Not long after, a commotion suddenly broke out outside.

A moment later, a burly man burst through the door, his voice booming, "Director Chen, I'm not late, am I?"

Huang Wenbin's eyes lit up when he saw this man; he was truly a tough guy.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Yang Zaibao, an actor from the Shanghai Film Studio. I've been invited by Director Chen to audition for a role!"

Yang Zaibao casually took off his coat and hung it on the rack next to him, then smiled and said to everyone present, "What are you all standing there for? Let's begin."

It was clear that everyone present recognized him, including Huang Wenbin, who had long admired his reputation.

In this era, he was incredibly popular and was known as "China's Ken Takakura".

In the recently released film "From Slave to General," he perfectly portrayed a lowly man born into slavery who joined a warlord's army for survival and revenge. He gradually recognized the reactionary nature of the army, accepted revolutionary ideas, and evolved into a communist fighter, ultimately sacrificing his life in battle.

Excluding the plot involving his final sacrifice, it can almost be considered a prequel to Zhang Mazi's story.

Yang Zaibao exuded confidence, his every move was incredibly composed, and he radiated an aura of self-assurance.

"Even if you're an old friend of mine, you still have to audition!" Chen Huaikai joked, handing him a page of the script. "You still only have two minutes."

Yang Zaibao rolled up his sleeves, took the manuscript, and glanced at it at an angle: "This play is simple."

Then, he handed the manuscript back to Chen Huaikai, saying, "It won't take more than two minutes; you can begin now."

"You come to Ma Bangde and act opposite him!" Chen Huaikai said to Huang Wenbin.

Huang Wenbin was prepared; he knew that Director Chen would pull this stunt. The scene he was paired with was the one where Ma Bangde and his group fell into the water and were then captured and questioned by bandits.

"Is this young man your second son?" Yang Zaibao teased with a smile. "He's been hiding him well; I've never even seen him before."

Chen Huaikai glared at him: "Stop talking nonsense. This is the screenwriter of our play, and also a writer, named Huang Wenbin."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Yang Zaibao bowed to Huang Wenbin, "I misspoke."

"It's nothing!" Huang Wenbin didn't care about such a small matter. "Let's start the audition."

Yang Zaibao nodded.

Huang Wenbin was already prepared. He looked at Chen Huaikai, clearly waiting for him to recite Xiao Liuzi's words: "Dad, we've searched everywhere, no money, no goods, no silver! There are two people left alive, should we kill them or not!"

"You're the same Xiao Liuzi!" Chen Huaikai knew what Huang Wenbin was up to and couldn't help but glare at him.

Huang Wenbin smiled and, speaking in Xiao Liu's voice, delivered the line that led to the conversation between Ma Bangde and Zhang Mazi!

Yang Zaibao rubbed his palms together, making a sound that replaced the alarm clock in the play.

Then, in a slow, deliberate tone, he said, "Where's the money hidden? Tell me! If you don't tell me before the alarm rings, you'll lose your head!"

Huang Wenbin immediately screamed, "Ah—!"

"Cry?" Yang Zaibao sneered. "Crying counts as time!"

Then the two of them automatically ignored what the lady had said.

"So you're the county magistrate!" Yang Zaibao raised an eyebrow, leaned forward slightly, and looked at Huang Wenbin with an imposing air.

Huang Wenbin shook his head frantically, then waited two seconds before the alarm clock in the drama rang. He suddenly shouted, "Money, money... money as soon as I take office, money as soon as I take office!"

Yang stared at Huang Wenbin in Baoding without saying a word, clearly waiting for him to continue.

"I went to the city with the county magistrate to take office. As long as we took office, we would get money!" Huang Wenbin said with a hint of panic. "But the county magistrate drowned, so we don't have any now."

Yang Zaibao narrowed his eyes slightly, a smile playing on his lips as he sized up Huang Wenbin, his palms rubbing together incessantly: "I'll give you another round, continuing down the path of buying official positions."

……

At the end of this scene, Yang Zaibao's voice was incredibly loud, so loud that the entire building could probably hear him: "Brothers, let's take over Goose City!"

Many people on the sidelines couldn't help but applaud; the performance was truly wonderful and incredibly enjoyable to watch.

Yang Zaibao looked at Huang Wenbin with great admiration: "You acted very well, and you're handsome too. Why don't you become an actor?"

"It's fine for him to be a screenwriter, what's it to you?" Chen Huaikai glanced at Yang Zaibao. "This role is yours. Remember to come to the studio this afternoon to take some stills and try out a scene or two."

"Alright!" Yang Zaibao stood up, said goodbye to everyone, and added to Huang Wenbin, "You really have the makings of a good actor, give it a try sometime."

Huang Wenbin said, "Thank you, but that's not my concern."

Yang Zaibao smiled, took back his coat, and slowly walked out.

A little while later, another big shot arrived – Mr. Ge.

When he tested Ma Bangde, it was naturally incredibly smooth and effortless for him.

Although he has played many stereotypical villains, his acting skills have been honed through countless trials, and he can play any type of role. He is the type of actor whose acting skills are underestimated.

Near the end, it turned out to be Jiao Huang, a darling of the Shanghai Youth Drama Troupe.

He was born in Beijing, but his ancestral home is in Hebei. He grew up in Shanghai. After graduating from the Shanghai Theatre Academy in 1959, he joined the Shanghai Youth Drama Troupe.

He had always been deeply fascinated by stage plays, only occasionally taking on one or two film roles. It wasn't until he retired in 1997 that he began to loosen his restrictions and gradually took on some film and television roles, such as Kangxi in "Yongzheng Dynasty" and Qianlong in "Qianlong Dynasty".

He brought the character of Emperor Kangxi to life so well that he became the model for playing the emperor.

Huang Wenbin couldn't help but glance at Chen Huaikai. Needless to say, this person must have been invited by him as well.

Jiao Huang also greeted him very politely.

Chen Huaikai chose a scene and acted it out with him personally, and without exception, it was a perfect performance.

In this way, the three main characters were completely decided.

Other roles have also been cast one after another.

Once the actors are confirmed, the progress will be incredibly fast.