Huayu Entertainment: Starting with Exorcising Evil from a Film Queen

"Of course I'm happy!" Zhao Liying took a big gulp of cool water, wiped her mouth, and said, "I'm even happier that you found a good job than if I had found one myself."

"We are revolutionary comrades who crawled out of piles of corpses together!"

She spoke with such boldness and confidence.

Hearing this, Zhang Ze felt a warm current flow through his heart.

In a place where everyone is scrambling to climb the social ladder, such pure kindness and blessings are truly rare.

"Oh, right," Zhao Lixiang seemed to remember something, took out a small notebook and pen from her bag, and pushed them in front of Zhang Ze, "You're a featured actor now, your acting skills are definitely better than mine."

"I have a scene I'm having recently come up with, and I just can't get into it. Could you take a look and give me some feedback?"

She looked at Zhang Ze with anticipation.

Zhao Liying is a very persevering and studious person.

However, she herself doesn't have access to high-level circles, and her family isn't very well-off.

His acting skills are all self-taught.

Therefore, she was eager to study properly.

Even if you have artist contracts with Huayi Brothers, it's all for nothing if you don't have the resources.

He doesn't even have an agent, and he only earns a few hundred yuan a month. He has to work as an extra to support himself.

Zhang Ze was aware of these circumstances, so he did not refuse.

Despite his self-taught background, he has a skill panel for allocating points and guidance from Director Dong. Based on theory alone, he is indeed much better than Zhao Liying, who is just figuring things out on her own.

Zhang Ze took the notebook, which contained the lines she had copied down in her neat handwriting, along with some performance notes she had made herself.

It's a scene about a maid; there aren't many lines, but the emotions are very complex.

You need to show concern for the young lady, fear of the master, and a hint of resentment.

Zhang Ze glanced at it, then, combining what he had learned from Director Dong with his own understanding of acting, he began to analyze it for her.

"You can't just be afraid here."

He pointed to one of the lines, "Your identity is that of a maid, but you grew up with your mistress. Your fear should be mixed with your heartache for her."

"So your action can't just be about shrinking your neck. You can stand forward a little and use your body to make a subconscious gesture of wanting to protect, but as soon as you come into contact with the master's majesty, you immediately shrink back."

"This brings out the depth and complexity of the character."

Zhao Liying listened intently, quickly jotting down notes in her notebook. Every now and then, she would look up and mimic the actions Zhang Ze described, striking a few poses herself.

She studied very diligently and was quick to grasp the key points after Zhang Ze only gave her a few pointers.

"I get it!" She slapped the table excitedly. "So that's how it is! Now that you explain it, I can immediately picture it in my mind!"

Seeing her overjoyed at even the slightest progress, Zhang Ze suddenly felt that this was perhaps what an actor should be like.

Pure, simple, and full of passion.

Unlike in the "Dream of the Red Chamber" crew, even a popular young actor like Chen Kun always had an air of weariness and anxiety about him.

Li Xiaoran was also exhausted by her past emotional entanglements.

They gained fame and status, but seemed to have lost their original joy.

The meal was enjoyed with great enthusiasm.

Zhang Ze and Zhao Liying chatted for several hours, from acting to gossip about the film crew, and then back to their respective predicaments.

The dishes on the table were barely touched, but there were many empty wine bottles.

It was Zhao Liying who initially suggested it, saying it was to celebrate Zhang Ze becoming a special guest actor and to commemorate their revolutionary friendship.

Zhang Ze couldn't refuse her, so he drank with her.

After a few bottles of beer, Zhao Liying's face, which was already flushed from eating spicy food, was now tinged with an even more intoxicating blush.

She became more talkative, clutching the wine bottle, her eyes somewhat unfocused.

"Do you know, Zhang Ze, I have no way out."

She suddenly spoke, her voice hoarse from drinking and tinged with a barely perceptible vulnerability.

"I must succeed; I have no other choice but to succeed."

Unlike many people in this circle who have connections and backup plans, she can simply go home and inherit the family fortune if her ventures fail.

There was no one behind her.

Zhang Ze listened quietly and poured her another half glass of wine.

The two bumped into each other.

The icy liquid slid down my throat, but it ignited an even fiercer fire in my heart.

They talked a lot.

They talked about their aspirations for the future, their unwavering courage in acting, and their insignificant perseverance in this vast yet cold film and television city.

Zhao Liying talked about the many film crews she went to and the many nameless roles she played, sometimes without even a clear view of her face.

She recounted how she stood outside the director's door for three hours for a role with only a few lines, only to be impatiently chased away by the assistant director.

She wasn't crying when she spoke; instead, she was laughing.

But that smile was more heartbreaking than tears.

Zhang Ze also talked about some things that happened to him in the mountains back then.

As night deepened, fewer and fewer people were in the small restaurant, until finally only their table remained.

The owner came over and paid the bill, but didn't rush them. He just tidied up the table next to him.

"Let's go, it's too late, I'll take you home." Zhang Ze said, getting up as he saw that she was already swaying a little.

"Hmm..." Zhao Liying responded vaguely, stood up while holding onto the table, but staggered.

Zhang Ze reacted quickly and caught her.

Her body was very light, carrying a hint of alcohol and a faint, youthful fragrance.

Helping Zhao Liying out of the restaurant, the cool night breeze sobered them up a bit, but their steps were still unsteady.

The two lived not far from each other, so they didn't take a taxi.

Zhang Ze helped her walk back step by step.

Throughout the journey, Zhao Liying remained quiet, her head resting on his shoulder, it was unclear whether she was asleep or lost in thought.

When they arrived at the door, Zhang Ze took out his keys, ready to escort her to the door.

He stopped in front of her door. "Let's go back."

Unexpectedly, Zhao Liying, who had been quiet all along, suddenly grabbed his arm and shook her head.

"I'm not going back."

Her voice carried the stubbornness of someone who was drunk.

Zhang Ze said with a hint of helplessness, "We're home, where else can we go?"

"Let's go to your room."

Zhao Liying raised her head, and her large, dark eyes shone brightly in the dimly lit stairwell.

She started acting crazy while drunk.

"I'm not going back, I'm going to your room!"

She clung tightly to Zhang Ze, refusing to let go; despite her small stature, she possessed extraordinary strength.

Zhang Ze was both amused and exasperated.

What kind of nonsense is this?

During the scuffle, the motion-activated lights in the hallway went out, only to turn back on because of their movements.

"Stop fooling around, it won't look good if someone sees us," Zhang Ze said in a low voice.

"I don't care!" Zhao Liying's stubbornness flared up. "I'm going to your place!"

Zhang Ze was in a real bind.