1991: The Era of Hong Kong Dramas

In his entire life, Lau Ching-wan had never encountered such a difficult path before, and Huo Sheng sitting on the stage gave him a lot of confidence.

Huo Sheng was also very much looking forward to it, after all, Lau Ching-wan is recognized as the pinnacle of acting skills in the Hong Kong film industry, a four-time Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actor.

Although he's still just an extra, his skills are probably better than anyone else's.

"Producer Wei, you're great!"

"Hello, Director Yuan!"

"Hello, Mr./Ms. Huo!"

Liu Qingyun bowed to each of them as he entered.

"No need to be so formal."

Wai Ka-fai waved his hand, his tone relaxed, "Thank you for recommending such a good screenwriter and script to me."

"You're too kind, I was just running an errand."

"Okay, let's begin if we're ready."

Without further ado, Wai Ka-fai got straight to the point.

Liu Qingyun nodded, straightened his body, and then closed his eyes.

The meeting room fell silent.

About five seconds later, he opened his eyes again.

Those eyes, which usually held a hint of naivety and dullness, darkened, revealing a surge of angry crimson.

"My dad died a terrible death... my mom died a terrible death... my whole family was tortured so badly..."

He stared straight ahead at a rigid angle, as if looking at a long-gone relative, his voice low, almost squeezed out from his throat.

"I've never believed in fate since I was little. I thought that as long as I worked hard enough and was ruthless enough, I could get anything back. But I couldn't fight against fate or luck, and in the end, I had nothing..."

After he finished speaking, he took a deep breath, his bloodshot eyes trembled slightly, but no tears fell. Instead, he suppressed all his hatred and resentment, turning them into bitterness.

"If I don't seek revenge, I'm not even human!"

"..."

The meeting room fell silent for a moment.

Lau Ching-wan is naturally talented, and with a long period of prior practice, his performance, while not flawless, is more than capable of handling both television dramas and movies. He is very charismatic and can draw the audience into the story with just a monologue.

Yuan Yingming, who had been sitting there absentmindedly with his hands clasped in front of him, paused halfway through the conversation, as if he had just thought of something, and began to scribble and draw in his notebook.

While watching Lau Ching-wan's performance, he mentally rehearsed the filming process and came up with a few brilliant shot ideas, which he planned to write down.

Wai Ka-fai was also somewhat taken aback, as Lau Ching-wan's "lifelike acting style" perfectly matched his aesthetic.

His eyes shone even brighter, and he laughed, "Qingyun, you can go out now and make some preparations later."

The meaning was quite clear. Liu Qingyun suppressed a smile and bowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you all for your hard work!"

As soon as the others left, the four of them immediately started a meeting.

Yuan Yingming spoke first, his tone confident: "First, he fits the role; second, he's a good actor. He's definitely the best choice for Fang Zhanbo. I don't think the others need to try."

"agree."

"agree."

Huo Sheng smiled. Liu Qingyun had been biding his time for eight years and had finally gotten the opportunity he deserved.

Wai Ka-fai made a mark on his notebook, "Then it's settled."

With the actor for Fong Chin-bo confirmed, the morning's auditions came to an end, leaving no room for other possibilities. The cast for "The Greed of Man" was now finalized.

The male lead, Lau Ching-wan, plays Fong Chin-bo.

The female lead, Yammie Lam, plays Law Wai-ling, Fong Chin-bo's "mother".

Supporting male actors: Siu Chung-hang, Tao Dayu, Ng Kai-ming, Kwok Ching-hung; Supporting female actors: Kwok Oi-ming, Ng Wing-hung, Gigi Lai, Yeung Ling.

Upon confirmation, the artists' department immediately notified the actor to prepare their schedule in advance.

That's right, I notified them immediately after I left the house.

TVB's efficiency is insane; they don't give any time for capital operations at all.

As for Fong Chun-sun's audition and Vivian Chow's casting call, they were both scheduled for the afternoon. Legendary seniors Lau Chung-yan and Michael Miu were invited, so of course they couldn't be squeezed together with the younger generation.

……

The audition ended in the morning.

Huo Sheng and Lau Ching-wan went to the TVB cafeteria for a meal.

For the first few days, Huo Sheng stayed in his dormitory. Later, Ning Wan helped him get meals every day, so he didn't eat in the cafeteria very often.

However, the chefs here are highly skilled, proficient in Cantonese dishes and also have some knowledge of Northern stir-fry.

When I pushed the door open, there were already quite a few people sitting inside.

"There are seats over there, please sit there."

"Um."

The two got their food and chose a quiet spot to sit down.

Liu Qingyun took a couple of bites of rice, then suddenly stopped and stared blankly at the char siu on his plate for a while.

"Is that settled?"

He looked up at Huo Sheng, and hesitated, "I mean... the male lead, is that it?"

"Or what, should I hold another press conference for you?"

Huo Sheng picked up a piece of pork rib and said with a smile, "Just don't have too high expectations for the pay. Let's focus on getting opportunities first."

"It's nothing."

Lau Ching-wan waved his hand, then suddenly whispered, "Who's the female lead?"

Who do you hope it is?

Huo Sheng glanced at him sideways.

"Cough cough."

Lau Ching-wan feigned seriousness, "I saw this year's Miss Hong Kong contestants auditioning this morning—"

"Amy Kwok?"

"Yes, yes, that's the name."

Liu Qingyun lowered his voice even further, his gaze darting around as if afraid of being overheard, "What role did she audition for again?"

"Long Jiwen".

Lau Ching-wan's eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up: "Doesn't that mean I have a romantic storyline with him?"

"Don't make that face, you look like a loser."

"I'm just thinking about it; I wouldn't dare actually talk to her."

Liu Qingyun looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "I heard that he studied rocket building abroad, unlike me, who dropped out of school in Form 5."

"Whoa!"

Huo Sheng calmly replied, "You're better than me. I'm only in my third year of middle school."

Huo Sheng was someone Liu Qingyun had rescued from a bar, so he knew the situation well. He said dismissively, "Not to mention the two of us, in this entire cafeteria, there are no more than five people who have gone to high school."

TVB's acting training program only requires a secondary school diploma to enter, resulting in a large number of illiterate students. The so-called "Five Tigers" and "Four Heavenly Kings" all only have a Form 5 education; the only way to slightly improve the overall level is through the annual Miss Hong Kong pageant.

"Lau Ching-wan!"

As they were talking, Lam Kit-ying brought over the food, plopped down opposite him, looked Lau Ching-wan up and down, and exclaimed, "Look at your face! How could I be playing your mother?"

Age is just an age thing, it's all irrelevant!

Liu Qingyun stroked his chin and chuckled, "Let me shave, then it'll be about right—"

"Almost what? Almost what?"

Lan Jieying rolled her eyes at him. "I'm only a year older than you. When it airs, won't the audience think we're from different generations?"

"I'd feel like I'm losing out if you called me 'Mom'!"

"You should be grateful that he can be my son!"

Lan Jieying took a bite of fish, and only then did she notice Huo Sheng beside her. She quickly said, "Director Huo, you're here too!"

Huo Sheng nodded. "Hello, Sister Lan."

Lam Kit-ying put down her chopsticks and smiled a little embarrassedly: "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention just now, I was so busy scolding Lau Ching-wan, please don't mind."

"You're too kind, just call me Asheng."

Yammie Lam is 28 years old this year. She has experienced the suicides of two boyfriends and was blacklisted by TVB. She has long lost the aloofness she once had.

In terms of position, Huo Sheng is a screenwriter; in terms of age, Huo Sheng is the youngest.

Getting along with them is truly a complex and contradictory situation.

Lam Kit-ying was naturally unwilling, and made some polite exchanges. After some back and forth, she finally called him "Ah Sheng".

The atmosphere was finally not so awkward.

Lan Jieying picked up her soup bowl and took a sip, her gaze shifting between Huo Sheng and Liu Qingyun with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

"By the way, how did you two meet? You seem to be quite close."

Liu Qingyun and Huo Sheng exchanged a glance.

"this……"

Lau Ching-wan scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "I was drinking at a bar in Lan Kwai Fong the other day, and Ah Sheng was working there as a waiter. We chatted for a bit, and he thought I was suitable to play Fong Chin-bo, so he showed me the script."

Lan Jieying's chopsticks paused in mid-air, her expression somewhat subtle. "A bar waiter?"

"Um."

"A script written by a bartender was submitted by an extra, and now it's competing for a prime-time slot?"

Liu Qingyun chuckled twice.

"Now it seems that's how it is."