Huayu: The young actress is heavily dependent on me

Back in her hotel room in Hengdian, Chen Li had just poured herself a glass of warm water when her phone rang.

It's a friend request from an unknown WeChat user.

The note reads "Ban Shu Legend Casting Team - Xiao Li".

Chen Li accepted the request, and the other party replied almost instantly.

"Hello, Ms. Chen Li, I am Xiao Li, the assistant director of 'Ban Shu Legend'."

"Sister Jing Tian told us about your situation, and the director is also very interested. Here are two audition clips for the role of Kou Feng. Choose the one you feel most connected with and come to the set for the audition at 10 a.m. tomorrow."

Immediately afterwards, two voice-to-text messages and corresponding screenshots of the script were sent over.

Chen Li swiped the screen, looking at each item one by one.

The first was their first encounter at the palace gate.

Kou Feng, relying on being the son of the Grand Master of Ceremonies, deliberately made things difficult for An Xin, the Loulan princess who had just entered the Central Plains.

The second is the farewell at the foot of the city wall.

When the Xiongnu invaded, Kou Feng volunteered to go on the expedition with the army. Before leaving, he secretly arranged to meet An Xin.

Despite being filled with reluctance, they insisted on pretending to be indifferent.

In fact, young Lin Shu and Kou Feng had many similarities.

Both characters are young men from noble families.

Chen Li has the perfect role-playing card for Lin Shu, making it a piece of cake for him to portray this kind of young aristocratic temperament.

Chen Li's finger stopped on the second clip.

However, the charm of the character Kou Feng is never limited to his outward arrogance and sharp tongue.

More importantly, it lies in his inherent sense of national responsibility and the deep affection hidden beneath his pride.

This sense of contrast is the most difficult to grasp.

It is a great test of an actor's expressive eyes and delivery of lines.

Chen Li took a deep breath and began to ponder.

There's definitely nothing wrong with his eyesight.

What we need to practice now is the emotional progression in the lines.

Fortunately, Chen Li is also a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy, so he has a solid foundation in dialogue delivery.

Chen Li quickly found her rhythm and began practicing continuously.

......

Chen Li arrived at the audition location at 1:30 pm the next day.

The production crew of "Ban Shu Legend" was located in a studio in Hengdian World Studios.

There were already seven or eight people waiting at the door, all there to audition for the role of Kou Feng.

He found a chair in a corner, sat down, and waited quietly.

A tall boy sat next to me, wearing a dark blue hoodie, looking very nervous.

"Are you here to try out Kou Feng too?" the other person asked, their voice trembling slightly.

"Mm." Chen Li nodded.

Have you acted before?

"It's been acted out, but it hasn't aired yet."

"I've played a few minor roles, all of them extras who don't survive more than two episodes."

The boy gave a wry smile and wiped the sweat from his palms.

"I heard the director has high standards; the character of Kou Feng needs to look noble and also be good at fighting..."

"You'll fight? Fight what?"

"As for the action scenes, Kou Feng has a lot of action scenes, and he'll also be going to the battlefield later on."

"The director wanted the actors to have at least some martial arts background, especially in spear fighting or archery, otherwise the filming wouldn't look good."

Chen Li's heart skipped a beat.

Long spear? Mounted archery?

The system's Lin Shu Perfect Role-Playing Card gave him the perfect opportunity to master basic spear techniques and mounted archery.

Isn't this just a fish-poaching game?

The two chatted for a few more minutes. The tall boy was named Zhang Yang and was a graduate of the Central Academy of Drama.

He has been working on film sets for almost a year, and his biggest role is the fifth male lead in a web series.

"I reckon they're just here to make up the numbers," Zhang Yang sighed, gesturing with his chin to the other side.

"Look at that guy over there, his name is Mi Re. I heard he's someone Yu Zheng has his eye on, and it's basically already decided."

Chen Li followed his gaze.

Sitting in the corner was a young actor with deep-set features and an exotic appearance, who was looking down at the script with a focused expression.

Rice heat.

Chen Li certainly knew this name.

It was this role in his previous life that made Mi Re stand out, and his on-screen pairing with Dilraba Dilmurat gained him a lot of fans.

But now...

Now that we're here, let's each rely on our own abilities.

Just then, I heard light footsteps behind me, along with a faint scent of perfume.

"Chen Li!"

He turned around; it was Jing Tian.

She wore a light pink sweatshirt and jeans today, with her hair casually tied in a ponytail, looking like a college student.

Dilraba was standing next to him, wearing a white T-shirt and a light blue skirt.

Holding a cup of milk tea in her hand, she was taking small sips with her cherry-like lips.

People waiting for their auditions all looked over, their expressions varied.

There was curiosity, envy, and also that "we're definitely connected" kind of scrutiny.

"Sister Jingtian? What brings you here?" Chen Li stood up, somewhat surprised.

"Little Dilraba, I'm here to cheer you on!" Jing Tian patted Dilraba's shoulder with a smile.

"Is that right, Xiaodi?"

Dilraba almost choked on her milk tea, coughing twice and her cheeks turning slightly red.

"Sister Jingtian, don't talk nonsense... I just happened to be passing by and came to take a look."

"On the way? Your hotel is half a street away from here." Jing Tian exposed her without any mercy.

Dilraba's face turned even redder. She lowered her head and sipped her milk tea, pretending she hadn't heard anything.

As long as I'm not embarrassed, it's others who are embarrassed.

Chen Li smiled but didn't expose her: "Thank you for coming."

"What's wrong with that?" Jing Tian lowered his voice and leaned closer.

"But I'll let you in on a secret: Yu Zheng isn't here today, so casting director Zhang Lin is in charge."

"Sister Zhang is very professional; she only cares about ability, not connections. Just perform normally."

"Oh, right," Jing Tian added.

"Sister Zhang values ​​martial arts skills highly. There are horse battle scenes in the later stages of Kou Feng's story. If you know anything about spear fighting or archery, be sure to tell her. Don't keep it to yourself."

Chen Li nodded: "I know a little."

Jing Tian's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"Yes, I've learned that before."

Jing Tian looked him up and down, his smile deepening.

"Well done, Chen Li. You've been keeping a low profile. Xiao Di and I will be waiting to see how you perform."

As she spoke, she pulled Dilraba to sit down in the rest area.

After Dilraba sat down, she secretly glanced at Chen Li, then quickly looked away and continued drinking her milk tea.

Whispers could be heard from those around them.

"That's Jing Tian, ​​isn't it..."

"Isn't she one of the lead actresses in the film? Why is she here specifically to cheer for that person?"

"It's all about connections. These days, auditions are all about connections."

Chen Li heard it, but didn't pay attention.

He looked down and scrolled through the audition clips saved on his phone, then silently recited his lines again.

"Eleventh, Chen Li."

Staff members came out and called out numbers.

Chen Li got up and straightened her clothes.

"Keep it up!" came Jing Tian's voice from behind.

He turned around, and Jing Tianchong gave him a thumbs up.

Dilraba, who was standing next to her, hesitated for a moment, then made a small "fighting" gesture.

Then quickly pull your hand back, pretending to look at your phone.

Chen Li smiled and pushed open the door to the audition room.

The audition room was small, with three people sitting behind a long table.

The person in the middle is casting director Zhang Lin, around forty years old, with short hair, wearing black-rimmed glasses, and sharp eyes.

On the left is the martial arts instructor, surnamed Liu. He's strong and fit, and you can tell he's a trained fighter.

On the right is a young female screenwriter, holding a notebook and preparing to take notes.

"Hello everyone, I am Chen Li, a student from the 13 class of Beijing Film Academy."

Chen Li walked to the center of the room and bowed slightly.

Zhang Lin looked down at the resume, then looked up at him, her gaze lingering on his face for two seconds.

It has a good appearance.

He has well-defined features and a clean-cut appearance.

Most importantly, their eyes are expressive, as if they can speak.

He looks like a man with a story!

That's interesting!

"Which clip should we try?" Zhang Lin asked.

"The second one was a farewell at the foot of the city wall."

"Okay, let's begin."

Chen Li nodded, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

When I opened my eyes again, my gaze had completely changed.

Those were the eyes of a noble boy.

Proud, stubborn, with an innate sense of superiority, but now there's another layer to it.

Reluctant to part with it.

And the feigned ease as they desperately tried to hide their reluctance.

He had no props, but it was as if a girl dressed in Loulan clothing was really standing in front of him.

"Feed," he said, his voice deliberately light and flirtatious, but with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor at the end.

"I'm leaving."

He paused, his gaze shifting slightly, as if observing the other person's reaction.

"Go to war. You know the Xiongnu, right? A bunch of arrogant fools who dare to invade the borders of our great Han Dynasty."

As he said this, his chin was slightly raised, and his lips held their usual arrogance, but his eyes betrayed him.

"What's with that look in your eyes?" He suddenly laughed, a slightly stiff smile.

"Could it be that they're reluctant to part with me?"

He reached out as if to touch the other person's hair, but stopped in mid-air.

His fingers twitched slightly, then he pulled them back.

"Alright, stop making that face." He turned his face away, his voice lowering.

"It's not like I'm not coming back."

There was a two-second silence.

His Adam's apple bobbed, as if he were swallowing some emotion.

When he spoke again, his voice was a little hoarse, but he still tried his best to maintain that nonchalant tone:

"When I get back, I'll take you to the market. You can eat as many candied hawthorns as you want, it's on me."

He took a step back, as if he were really about to leave.

But then he paused for a moment.

He didn't turn around, but simply turned his face to the side, revealing half of his sharply defined features.

"Don't worry." When he called that name, his voice finally shed all pretense, becoming very soft and gentle.

"wait for me."

Then he turned around and strode away.

His back was ramrod straight, his pride undiminished.

The audition room was silent for a full five seconds.

Zhang Lin didn't speak immediately, but instead wrote a few words in her notebook.

The female screenwriter next to her held her breath, still reeling from the audition clip.

Martial arts instructor Master Liu leaned back in his chair, looking at Chen Li thoughtfully.

Zhang Lin looked up and adjusted her glasses: "You acted really well."

Her tone was calm, but her evaluation was high.

"Especially the eyes," she added.

"That feeling of being reluctant to part but too embarrassed to say it, you captured it perfectly."

"Thank you, Teacher Zhang." Chen Li bowed slightly.

Zhang Lin looked down and flipped through his resume again, her gaze lingering on the section on special skills.

"I noticed your resume also says... you're skilled in mounted archery and spear techniques?"