Huayu: Starting with Hijacking from "The Story of a Noble Family"

The auditions took two days, and all the actors were finalized on Sunday afternoon.

They are all supporting roles, and the casting is done from students. So the acting skills required can't be too high. The main thing is whether their image and temperament match.

In the original version of "Our Times" from the previous life, the acting of the main actors was also not very good.

Xu Heng then handed the scripts for each of their roles to the actors, allowing them to study and research their characters in advance. The makeup artists on set would also design special makeup and styling for them.

The production team didn't have much funding, but they had plenty of manpower, and some of them were willing to work for free, as long as they could be credited.

Even 20 years from now, 3000 yuan can hire a life assistant and screenwriter, and that would be in Shanghai, where you wouldn't even be allowed to put your name on the screen!

However, Xu Heng would definitely not do that...

The next day, Monday, March 10th, Xu Heng arrived at the meeting room that the school had specially provided for him early in the morning. At that time, a third-year female student majoring in fine arts design was waiting for him in the meeting room.

This senior colleague was also his exclusive makeup artist for the upcoming film "Our Times".

As for the film's costume design, it was handled by a senior professor from the art department, as were the other designers.

However, he didn't wear makeup, nor was it necessary. He simply got his hair done and then went back to his dorm to change into a high-end casual suit and leather shoes.

Seeing him like this, his three roommates felt a surge of envy and jealousy.

Xu Heng was already very handsome, but now, dressed in this formal suit, he was even more handsome than ever!

He then went to the school parking lot and got into a brand new Santana 2000.

He bought this car a while ago for 19 yuan, and it's registered under the company's name.

Nowadays, people from other places can buy and drive cars in Beijing, but they cannot directly register them with Beijing license plates.

Moreover, he wants to make movies, and even if he's affiliated with a company, he needs to have his own. Having a car would also be more convenient if he needs to handle anything or when filming.

He also bought several used vans for the film crew to use; it wasn't that he couldn't afford new ones, but there was no need.

He's still a student and doesn't have any outstanding works to show for it, so it's not appropriate for him to be too high-profile.

He then drove to the Media Center near CCTV to attend a media screening of "The Story of a Noble Family," a designated publicity location by CCTV's Film and Television Department.

Upon arriving at the conference room on the second floor, producer You Jianming, director Li Dawei, lead actress Dong Jie, and second lead actress Liu Yifei were already there.

Upon seeing Xu Heng today, Liu Yifei's eyes lit up immediately; this was the first time she had ever seen Xu Heng dressed so formally.

Xu Heng used to mostly wear jeans with casual clothes and sneakers, and although he was already very handsome, he's definitely even more handsome today!

But she couldn't help feeling a little regretful. If she had known it would turn out this way, she should have dressed up nicely today too...

You Jianming and Li Dawei were also immediately impressed.

The more handsome Xu Heng is, the more he stands out, which is beneficial to the success of the drama.

Only Dong Jie looked a little unpleasant. The second female lead was already stealing the spotlight, but now the male lead was almost stealing all the limelight!

Xu Heng and Liu Yifei then began chatting happily, while Liu Xiaoli, standing to the side, became even more worried...

At 10 o'clock, the media attending today's screening began to sign in and enter the venue.

At 10:10, producer Yu Jianming introduced the drama to the media, followed by director Li Dawei.

At around 10:25, the trailer started playing, including iconic scenes such as Jin Yanxi and Leng Qingqiu's first encounter in the alley, their confession in the sunflower field, Bai Xiuzhu's coquettish jealousy, and the Jin family's banquet and wedding.

Finally, the full version of the theme song "Dark Fragrance" was played publicly for the first time.

At approximately 10:50, the session began with a Q&A session between the creators and the media.

The main cast and crew sat on the stage, answering questions from reporters sitting in the audience.

The first person to be asked a question was Xu Heng, who is currently the most talked-about actor in the drama.

"Xu Heng, what do you think of your performance in this drama?"

"I think it's already very good."

"What do you think was the biggest challenge in playing Jin Yanxi?"

"I think the biggest challenge is physical strength. There are more than 1700 scenes in total, and I have nearly 1000 of them. Sometimes I can only sleep three hours a day."

"So, which did you find more tiring to film, 'The Story of a Noble Family' or 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'?"

"Of course, filming 'The Story of a Noble Family' was more tiring, after all, I was only one of the male leads in 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'."

"You and Liu Yifei have already collaborated on two dramas. What are your thoughts?"

"I think Effie is a natural-born star, and of course, so am I."

"What about Dong Jie?"

"Dong Jie will definitely become famous after this drama airs, because the role of Leng Qingqiu is perfect for her."

"There are rumors that your relationship with Dong Jie on set wasn't very good. Is that true?"

"Maybe we weren't very familiar with each other at the beginning, and everyone's energy was focused on the play, so we didn't have time or energy to think about other things."

"And what about you and Liu Yifei? Aren't you two quite close?"

"I'm closer to Yifei because the director assigned me to give her acting advice since it was her first time acting, so we had more time to spend together."

"So what's your relationship now?"

"Of course, we're very good friends, what else could it be?"

The reporters were all very curious about the relationship between Xu Heng and Liu Yifei.

The production team must also be hoping to generate some eye-catching news, especially since the two had previously been rumored to be dating.

However, Liu Yifei is too young, and today's screening is a formal event where only journalists from reputable media outlets are qualified to attend. Therefore, it's impossible to ask her any inappropriate questions.

The reporter then asked Dong Jie and Liu Yifei some more questions, which they answered very well, though they were inevitably a little nervous.

This was especially true for Liu Yifei, as it was her first time participating in a formal media promotional event since her debut.

After the Q&A session, a separate interview lasted about 20 minutes.

Finally, the main cast and crew took a group photo, and Xu Heng, Liu Yifei, and Dong Jie took a separate photo. The screening then came to an end.

Lunch was arranged by You Jianming, and all the main creative team members were present, along with a leader from CCTV's film and television department.

However, Xu Heng said he couldn't drink alcohol because he had to drive later and had work in the afternoon.

Liu Yifei is too young to drink.

It was only then that You Jianming and Li Dawei learned that Xu Heng was about to shoot a movie, which he would direct and invest in himself!

Although it's only a movie with a budget of two or three million, and we don't know how well it will do at the box office after its release, it's still quite remarkable!

The two didn't say much; at this moment, the real protagonist wasn't Xu Heng.

When Xu Heng said that he couldn't drink alcohol today, the CCTV leader's expression turned noticeably unpleasant, but Xu Heng didn't care at all.

He hasn't started strictly enforcing drunk driving laws yet, but he certainly wouldn't drive after drinking.

After lunch, Xu Heng went straight back to school; obviously, the pre-production work for the film couldn't be completed so quickly.

Liu Yifei and her mother went home in a car arranged by her godfather. Liu Yifei had taken the day off and didn't have to go to class in the afternoon.

However, she will continue to study Xu Heng's script at home in the afternoon, and carefully study the character of the female lead, Lin Zhenxin.