1991: The Era of Hong Kong Dramas

"Act 1, Scene 2, 3, 2, 1..."

"Action!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Vivian Chow squeezed out of the crowd at the stock exchange.

Her gaze swept over every face, her steps hurried and fragmented, the hem of her brown skirt swaying with each step like a startled butterfly.

Her breathing became more and more rapid, her chest heaving violently, as if something was stuck in her throat.

Suddenly, she saw Liu Qingyun.

Her eyes lit up, and she paused, not rushing over, but first scanning him from head to toe to make sure he was unharmed. Only then did her shoulders slump down half an inch, as if a stone had been lifted off her shoulders.

"Zhanbo——"

She jogged over, a little unsteady, and threw herself into his arms, clutching the back of his shirt tightly with both hands, burying her face in it, remaining motionless for a long time, gently and slowly releasing the emotions that had been building up all day.

Behind the monitor, Yuan Yingming paused for two seconds without calling "cut".

He turned to look at Huo Sheng and smiled, "Not bad, you even teach actors how to act."

"I can't even act myself, how could I teach?"

Huo Sheng smiled and said, "I just helped her figure out the character and adjust her mood."

Once Vivian Chow fully understands a character, her performance becomes very spirited, with natural and rich facial expressions and smooth transitions between different parts.

In Huo Sheng's opinion, she performed much better than the original version.

Moreover, she is really beautiful and very eye-catching, almost making the surrounding passersby and actors disappear.

"Oh?"

Yuan Yingming was clearly very satisfied and smiled, "You've got some skills; you've saved me a lot of time."

After saying that, he turned around and finally shouted:

"Passed!"

The atmosphere on set instantly brightened, and the staff breathed a sigh of relief, feeling they could leave work on time today—the film crew doesn't care about human relationships, they only care about the schedule.

Everyone thought that they wouldn't be able to finish today's filming schedule, so no one was allowed to leave and everyone had to stay and work overtime, which nobody likes.

For a corporate slave like me, let alone leaving get off work early, even being able to leave on time is something to celebrate!

Vivian Chow remained standing there, savoring the inexplicable yet seamless feeling she had just experienced. She found it quite wonderful and no longer felt as anxious as before.

"Not bad, you're getting the hang of it, you're improving very quickly."

Liu Qingyun came over with a smile and praised him.

Vivian Chow turned around, not looking down on him because of his past as an extra, but earnestly saying, "Thank you, you've inspired me too."

Lau Ching-wan waved his hand, revealing a set of white teeth: "Don't be so polite. Your good acting has nothing to do with me. You're too modest."

"It's really good, I want to learn from you."

Liu Qingyun was a little embarrassed by her praise. He touched his face and laughed, "I guess I'm the ugliest male lead you've ever worked with."

"Hmm... I also acted in 'The Diary of a Small Man' with Lawrence Cheng."

After she finished speaking, she pursed her lips, looking a little embarrassed.

The downside of not being able to lie is that you can't learn to speak with high emotional intelligence.

Liu Qingyun was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "So I barely won?"

"I did not mean that……"

He didn't really take it to heart, and waved his hand with a smile: "Alright, I'll go prepare for the next scene."

The next scene will be filmed where Fang Zhanbo is sitting in his office, toasting champagne and reminiscing about his parents.

Vivian Chow nodded, though she was still immersed in the joy of first learning the ropes while she was talking.

She suddenly realized that the screenwriter surnamed Huo wasn't so bad after all.

Thinking of this, she subconsciously glanced around—Huo Sheng was sitting in the director's chair, whispering to a young woman, talking about something.

Vivian Chow pursed her lips and looked away.

Today was the first scene. Next, the crew will focus on filming the first seven episodes, mainly the scenes between Damian Lau and Adam Cheng.

Her scenes are scheduled for later, so she won't be filming for the time being.

……

"Teacher Huo, I'd like to learn from you, is that alright?"

The girl talking to Huo Sheng was his assistant, Ning Wan.

She was also present at the opening ceremony today.

As Huo Sheng's assistant, she always stood behind him, watching him explain the scene to Vivian Chow and discuss the plot with Yuan Yingming. She single-handedly took on all the roles of screenwriter, on-set director, and psychological counselor.

After filming both scenes, she carefully observed them. Although she was not yet proficient, she could feel that the whole story was fast-paced, the relationships between the characters in each scene were solid, and the sense of immersion was very strong—things that cannot be learned in schools and training classes.

This is genuine talent and skill!

To be able to work as a screenwriter's assistant for the first time under such a talented screenwriter should be considered a very lucky thing.

But after following Huo Sheng for a month, all she did every day was deliver meals, run errands, and organize manuscripts.

Other main creators and screenwriters all have one or two assistants by their side, who have already started helping with research and writing scene breakdowns, but she is still doing odd jobs.

Every time she saw Huo Sheng so busy that he barely had time to breathe, she wanted to go over and ask if there was anything she could do to help, but she swallowed the words back.

She couldn't figure out Huo Sheng's personality. Although he seemed very kind, he had a strong sense of boundaries and was always very polite.

If things continue like this, and she doesn't take the initiative to ask again, by the time "The Great Era" is finished filming, there might not be a place for her by Huo Sheng's side anymore.

There are plenty of assistant screenwriters; it's not difficult to find another one.

In TVB's system, screenwriters are trained through a mentorship program where experienced writers guide newcomers. Assistant screenwriters first help the main creators with research and script revision, learning on the job.

Once you've mastered certain creative skills, you can try writing episodes. As for whether you'll graduate and join another production team, be promoted to a second lead creator, or become a dialogue writer, that's another story.

Wai Ka-fai hoped there would be more screenwriters in the crew, so that if Huo Sheng had any urgent matters, the crew wouldn't be paralyzed and shut down, which would be unbearable for everyone.

Ning Wan was the apprentice he had prepared for Huo Sheng, but it seems Huo Sheng didn't understand and really used her as a errand girl.

Huo Sheng was watching the replay of the performance on the monitor when he suddenly heard this. He was slightly surprised and asked, "Study? Study what?"

Ning Wan bowed shyly, "I want to learn from you how to write a good script and how to be a good screenwriter."

"Feel sorry."

Huo Sheng was taken aback, and subconsciously replied, "I don't have anything to teach you, I actually..."

He wasn't confident he could create a high-rated work, otherwise he would have written his own original script instead of shamelessly plagiarizing. But he couldn't explain this to Ning Wan.

Ning Wan persisted.

"Professor Huo, please don't be so modest."

I truly admire your creative talent and really want to learn from you. Even if I don't become your apprentice, I'd be happy to work as a stagehand helping with script recording.

She persisted until she realized she might not have Huo Sheng's trust yet, and fearing he might suspect she was trying to steal the manuscript, she quickly added, "I can sign a confidentiality agreement!"

She grew anxious, her voice rising considerably, "I'll sign anything—a training agreement, a confidentiality agreement, or…"

"No, no need."

Huo Sheng quickly waved his hand, "There's no point in taking the script out now."

"The Great Era" has already started filming, so stealing the manuscript now is only good for making Huo Sheng work himself to death and rewrite it.

Moreover, Huo Sheng believed he was fairly accurate in judging people.

Having spent over a month with Ning Wan, I found that she was very well-behaved, never barging into my office without permission, and was very meticulous at work. She even made sure that the lunch boxes she delivered every day were not duplicated and were a balanced mix of meat and vegetables.

In his opinion, Ning Wan was not the kind of person who would steal a script.