Huayu: Starting with Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Western Chu

The Sichuan restaurant is located in an alley east of Hengdian World Studios. It has a small storefront, and the smell of cooking oil can be smelled from half a street away.

When Chen Mo led Wang Bao to the door, Xu Zhinian was already sitting by the window with three cold dishes in front of him. He hadn't touched his chopsticks yet and was looking down at his phone.

"They're here."

Chen Mo pushed open the door and went in.

Xu Zhinian looked up, saw Chen Mo first, smiled, and then shifted his gaze to behind Chen Mo.

A sense of curiosity grew within me.

Wang Bao followed behind Chen Mo. He was a little over 1.7 meters tall, dark-skinned and muscular, with a buzz cut, a square face, a faded old T-shirt, pants with patches on the knees, and army green rubber-soled shoes with mud spots on them.

The person standing at the entrance of the Sichuan restaurant looked almost like someone who had just finished harvesting crops and rushed over for a banquet.

Xu Zhinian's mind raced.

Chen Mo's distant cousin from the countryside.

I came to Hengdian to stay with my cousin, hoping he would treat me to a good meal?

Thinking of this, he stood up, put on a smile again, and nodded politely to Wang Bao.

"Chen Mo, who is this?"

Chen Mo pulled up a chair and sat down, saying something quite naturally.

"I found Feng Yuxiu for you."

Xu Zhinian's smile froze completely this time.

He looked at Chen Mo, then at Wang Bao, then back at Chen Mo, confirming that he hadn't misheard.

Feng Yuxiu.

Who is that character?

The young generation of martial arts prodigies possess a fierce determination and obsession that emanates from their very bones. They are willing to risk their lives in pursuit of the ultimate martial arts, and their very presence exudes a sense of danger.

Xu Zhinian glanced at Wang Bao again.

Wang Bao stood awkwardly by the table, unsure of what to do with his hands. He finally put them in his pockets, then realized it was impolite and took them out and let them hang by his side. A simple, honest smile was on his dark face.

Xu Zhinian took a deep breath.

People can't be seen.

He silently repeated the four words three times in his mind, then forced a polite smile and extended his right hand.

"Hello, may I ask which teacher you are? Which production team did you work with before?"

Wang Bao quickly reached out and shook it twice, speaking in a thick Hebei accent:

"My name is Wang Bao. I used to be an extra and never acted in any serious films or TV shows. Today, I heard from this guy that there was a role for me, so I came along."

Xu Zhinian's hand was being shaken up and down by Wang Bao, and he was struggling to maintain the smile on his face.

"Okay, okay, please have a seat."

Wang Bao sat down obediently, placing his hands neatly on his knees, his back ramrod straight, his posture like that of a primary school student waiting for his homeroom teacher to talk to him.

Xu Zhinian turned to look at Chen Mo, conveying a message with his eyes: Let's go outside and talk for a bit.

Chen Mo understood, stood up, and patted Wang Bao on the shoulder.

"Take a look at the menu first, and order whatever you'd like. Don't be shy."

Wang Bao nodded, took the menu, and was immediately drawn to the prices on the first page. He muttered to himself, "Why is this shredded pork with garlic sauce so expensive?"

Chen Mo and Xu Zhinian walked to the door.

The moment the door closed, Xu Zhinian exploded.

"Dude, are you kidding me?"

His voice was very low, but he couldn't suppress his emotions.

"You cast a background actor to play Feng Yuxiu? Feng Yuxiu! That's the core role in my script, and you gave me a background actor?"

Chen Mo leaned against the door frame, arms crossed, his expression calm.

"Don't rush..."

"How can I not be in a hurry?"

Xu Zhinian raised his hand and pointed into the room.

"Filming starts next week. Wu Jing's injury is already a headache for me. I was quite touched that you said you would help me find someone, thinking you were a really loyal guy. But the person you found for me... Look at him, look at him like that. When he sits there, can the audience believe he's a martial arts prodigy? A crazy martial arts fanatic? Are you kidding me! I'm even afraid that if he gets impatient, he'll throw two corncobs at me."

Xu Zhinian paused, took a breath, and leaned closer in a low voice.

"Chen Mo, let me be frank with you. I understand you're worried about your brother's life, but you're even more worried about your brother driving a Range Rover, aren't you? If this film flops, all my three years of hard work will go down the drain, and I'll lose all my million-dollar angel investment. How am I supposed to survive in this industry after that?"

Chen Mo waited for him to finish speaking before responding immediately.

He knew about the pressure Xu Zhinian was under.

It took three years to develop a script, and after finally securing investment, the lead actor got injured just before filming started. Now, everyone is on their limit, and anyone would explode in that situation.

"Are you done talking?" Chen Mo asked.

"That's all."

"Then listen to me for a moment."

Chen Mo straightened up and looked into Xu Zhinian's eyes.

"First, what is the physical description of Feng Yuxiu in your script? Think about it yourself."

Xu Zhinian paused for a moment, then went through the character biography he had written in his mind.

"Lean, strong, with sharp eyes..."

"Lean and muscular. The one inside is a bit dark and muscular, but if you style him, the difference isn't as big as you think."

Chen Mo said.

"Feng Yuxiu is a martial arts fanatic. People who practice martial arts year-round naturally tend to be muscular. You didn't write him as a pale-faced scholar when you wrote the script, did you?"

Xu Zhinian remained silent.

"Secondly, what is the core of Feng Yuxiu's character? You wrote it yourself, so you know it better than I do. It's that kind of crazy passion for martial arts."

"Actors with formal training can portray the form, but they can't capture the sense of realism."

"The person inside spent six years at Shaolin Temple. He went in at the age of eight and came out at the age of fourteen. Every day he would get up before dawn to practice horse stance and practice in the snow in winter. His hands and feet were covered in frostbite. People who can endure it have martial arts in their bones."

Xu Zhinian's brows relaxed slightly.

"Third, in your plays, how much of the screen time is dialogue-heavy? How many scenes feature long monologues?"

Xu Zhinian went through it in his mind.

"There aren't many dialogue scenes... there are only four or five scenes with long monologues, the rest are mostly action scenes."

"That's right."

Chen Mo said.

"His acting skills are definitely lacking, I'm not exaggerating, but Feng Yuxiu in your play doesn't talk much to begin with. He's a man who lets his fists do the talking. Shortcomings in dialogue can be made up for with post-production dubbing, but you can't make up for things in action scenes. Showy moves are showy moves, and real kung fu is real kung fu. The audience can tell the difference at a glance."

Xu Zhinian remained silent.

He leaned against the wall, his hands in his pockets, and thought for a while with his head down.

"There's one more thing," Chen Mo added. "After you go in, have him perform a set of boxing moves. You can watch it yourself."

Xu Zhinian raised his head.

"this one?"

"This is it. Take a look and then decide. If it's okay, great. If not, I'll help you think of another way. I will never force someone to you just because of face. This is your hard work of three years, and I know it better than anyone else."

Xu Zhinian stared at Chen Mo for two seconds.

He'd known Chen Mo for five years; he really wouldn't make fun of him over something like this.

"Okay, let's go in and take a look."

The two people pushed open the door and returned to the table.

Wang Bao had already ordered the food, closed the menu and placed it on the corner of the table. He poured himself a cup of hot water and was sipping it slowly.

Seeing the two people return, he quickly stood up.

"Um... I only ordered two dishes, shredded pork with garlic sauce and shredded potatoes. I didn't dare to order anything too expensive."

Xu Zhinian glanced at Chen Mo, who remained expressionless.

"It's alright, add whatever you want to eat." Xu Zhinian sat down, shifted her posture, leaned forward, and rested her elbows on the table. "Wang Bao, right?"

"Yes, my name is Wang Bao."

"I heard from Chen Mo that you've practiced martial arts?"

"I trained at Shaolin Temple for six years."

"Okay, after we finish eating, show me a set of boxing moves, okay?"

Wang Bao glanced at Chen Mo, and Chen Mo nodded at him.

"Okay!" Wang Bao answered readily.

During the meal, Xu Zhinian chatted with Wang Bao for a few minutes, seemingly casually.

Ask him where he's from.

Ask him why he came to Hengdian.

When asked what his most frequent minor roles were, he replied...

After finishing their meal, the three of them left the Sichuan restaurant and walked into a quiet alleyway.

"That's fine, you play one set," Xu Zhinian said.

Wang Bao nodded, took a few steps back, and stood still.

This time he practiced the Five-Step Fist, a basic skill for beginners in Shaolin Kung Fu.

It looks simple, but every move is solid and powerful. The punches, kicks, and waists are all in place, without any unnecessary movements. The whole person is like a machine that has been calibrated countless times, with every part in its proper place.

After he finished, he added another section, a set of Shaolin staff techniques.

Lacking a stick, he casually picked up a bamboo pole used for drying clothes from the side.

The bamboo pole whistled through his hands as he chopped, smashed, flicked, and thrust, each strike hitting its mark. When he finished, the bamboo pole slammed to the ground with a dull thud, kicking up a small cloud of dust.

The alleyway fell silent for a moment.

Xu Zhinian stood still, his hands in his pockets, without moving.

He stared at Wang Bao for a long time.

Wang Bao stopped his attack, turned around, his dark face covered in sweat, and grinned at Xu Zhinian.

"How is it? Is it okay?"

Xu Zhinian did not answer him, but turned to look at Chen Mo.

Chen Mo leaned against the wall, arms crossed, saying nothing, just looking at him with a slight upturn at the corner of her mouth.

Xu Zhinian took a deep breath and turned to look at Wang Bao.

His mind had already begun to automatically conflate the person in front of him with Feng Yuxiu.

It seems there's actually some truth to it.

"Come to the second floor of Building A3 in Hengdian Film and Television Industrial Park at nine o'clock the day after tomorrow, and bring your ID card," Xu Zhinian said.

Wang Bao was stunned for a moment.

"What...what does this mean?"

"Audition." Xu Zhinian took his hands out of his pockets, patted Wang Bao's shoulder, and said, "I've prepared lines for two scenes for you. Go back and memorize them, then come for the audition the day after tomorrow."

"An audition? Me? Really?"

"real."

"Then... then do I have a chance to play that... Feng Yuxiu?"

"There is a chance."

Xu Zhinian paused for a moment, then added a sentence.

"But it's just an opportunity. If you don't pass the audition, I won't force you to work out of consideration for anyone else. I'm telling you this upfront."

"Okay!" Wang Bao nodded vigorously. "I understand. I'll definitely memorize the lines well and prepare properly!"

Chen Mo walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

"Go back and prepare well. Don't overthink it. We'll talk about tomorrow's problems then."

"Why."

Wang Bao nodded and walked out of the alley. After a few steps, he turned back, bowed deeply to the two people, and then turned and jogged away.

Xu Zhinian watched that figure disappear into the alleyway and remained silent for a while.

"Chen Mo."

"Um."

Do you think he's capable?

"I think he's worth a try."

Xu Zhinian nodded and said nothing more.

The two stood side by side in the alley, the sky above them slowly darkening, and the lights of Hengdian World Studios in the distance began to illuminate one by one.