Huayu: The young actress is heavily dependent on me

The host gestured to a staff member to hand over the microphone.

Chen Li stood up, and all three hundred pairs of eyes in the room fell on him.

"Hello Director Zhang, I'm a first-year student majoring in acting."

Zhang Yimou looked at him and nodded.

"I noticed a detail. Throughout the film, Lu Yanshi's clothing follows a very clear color scheme," Chen Li said calmly.

"From the gray cotton-padded jacket she wore when she returned from the Northwest, to the dark blue Zhongshan suit she wore when she went to repair Feng Wanyu's piano, Gong Li's Feng Wanyu's clothes were always gray, white and blue, the brightest one being that old floral shirt. I hardly saw red in the whole movie—except for one place."

The room suddenly fell silent; even the sound of flipping through notebooks stopped.

"The red chili peppers hanging in Feng Wanyu's house, and the red couplet that was half-fallen off on her neighbor's door."

"I was wondering if these were the few dark red spots you deliberately left after removing the color. Red has always been a symbol of vitality and flamboyance in your films, but in 'Coming Home,' it only exists in the most inconspicuous corners of daily life."

"Is this you intentionally telling the audience that in that era, vibrant emotions could only retreat to the edge of darkness, but they did not completely disappear?"

"Just like Feng Wanyu's memories of Lu Yanshi, they seem to have disappeared, but in reality, they've always lingered in some corner?"

The screening room was so quiet that you could hear the faint hum of the fluorescent lights.

Zhang Yimou was silent for a moment. He looked down at the microphone in his hand, then looked up at the straight-standing first-year acting student.

"You little student," he finally spoke, leaning forward slightly, his voice clearly showing surprise and admiration.

"You looked very closely. Those few chili peppers and the old couplets were indeed things that I and the art team repeatedly considered."

"During the color grading process, we deliberately reduced the saturation of red to below the normal value, leaving only a few spots. But you can see so much; even I didn't think of that much detail."

He paused for a moment: "What's your name?"

"Chen Li".

"Chen Li," Zhang Yimou read it aloud, then nodded.

"Very well, I'll remember you."

Chen Li was slightly taken aback, then smiled:

"Thank you, Director Zhang. I just think that the most interesting part of watching a movie is when the director hides something in the frame and the audience finds it."

Zhang Yimou chuckled, picked up the microphone, and spoke in a more intimate tone than before:

"You're in acting, right? Study hard, don't waste these eyes. A good actor not only knows how to act, but also how to appreciate a performance."

The audience erupted in applause once again, this time even more enthusiastic than before.

Meng Ziyi stared wide-eyed at Chen Li:

No, you're really good at it!

My husband is amazing!

Chen Yao also looked over, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

When Zhang Yimou stepped off the stage, he glanced back at Chen Li's direction, but this time he didn't say anything.

......

"I said Chen Li, why don't you become a film critic? You've been praising your teachers for a long time for being able to see through the color and narrative of Director Zhang's films."

At the dinner table, Meng Ziyi looked at Chen Li's profile with admiration, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

Chen Yao took a sip of beer and winked at Chen Li.

"Being a film critic is so boring, it's a waste of my talent," Chen Li shrugged.

"Tch! You think you're so great?" Meng Ziyi scoffed.

"But you are truly gifted as an actor, with a strong understanding of the subject."

"I don't just want to be an actor, I also want to start my own studio and become a producer."

Chen Yao was taken aback upon hearing this, and a thought struck her.

I never expected him to have such ambitions.

Does that mean he won't be coming to Tangren?

Chen Yao felt a sudden pang of disappointment.

"Start your own business? Then I'll have to invest!" said the young heiress Meng Ziyi with a smile.

Chen Li knew that Meng Ziyi's family was the daughter of a capitalist from Northeast China, and that her family was very wealthy.

"So, given my situation, could I possibly get a job as the boss's wife?"

"Then you'll have to compete for it; this position is highly sought after," Chen Li said seriously.

"You're so annoying!" Meng Ziyi said coquettishly, thinking that Chen Li was joking with her.

Chen Yao, standing to the side, took Chen Li's words seriously.

Still in competition? Doesn't that mean I still have a chance?

"Chen Li, if I wanted to join your team, would you agree?" Chen Yao asked cautiously, looking at Chen Li expectantly.

"Of course! But you have to be an undercover agent for me in Tangren first, then I'll recruit you," Chen Li said with a smile.

Chen Li has been eyeing Tangren's resources for a long time. If he could poach some of Tangren's resources, it would be enough for him to use for a long time.

Later, many of Tangren's big names were poached by other companies, such as Liang Shengquan, the director of the Legend of Sword and Fairy series, and Chen Gufang, the stylist of Scarlet Heart, who were poached by Huanyu Entertainment.

Song Xiaotao, the costume designer for the Legend of Sword and Fairy series, was poached by Yu Zheng.

Poaching Chen Yao was just the first step. Next, he planned to infiltrate the Wu Xin: The Monster Killer crew to scout out a few more elites and build up his company's talent pool.

"Okay! I'll wait for you!" Chen Yao was immediately delighted upon hearing Chen Li's promise and raised her glass.

"Come on, let me first toast to the future CEO Chen!"

The three cups clinked together.

After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became increasingly lively.

The two girls became more and more relaxed, chatting and laughing with Chen Li.

A group of passersby looked over, filled with envy and amazement.

This handsome guy is so lucky, he's got two beautiful women on his left and right, and they're both flirting with him.

Sure enough, being handsome means you can do whatever you want!

All good things must come to an end. After a satisfying meal, the group hailed a taxi and prepared to head home.

Meng Ziyi pulled Chen Li to the back seat, leaving Chen Yao to sit in the passenger seat.

"Look at you, how could you let a girl sit in the front?" Chen Li whispered in Meng Ziyi's ear.

"I don't care, I just want to hold you by my side!"

Meng Ziyi blushed and whispered in Chen Li's ear, her breath reeking of alcohol, which was quite alluring.

Chen Li looked at Chen Yao, who was already asleep in front of him, and the driver, who was now completely focused on driving, and smiled wickedly.

His hand stealthily reached down...

By the time Meng Ziyi realized what was happening, it was too late.

"Oh, you bad guy, you..." Meng Ziyi's face flushed red, and his whole body went numb.

"Chen Yao is still ahead!"

"It's alright, she's asleep. As long as you don't make a sound, no one will notice." Chen Li chuckled, his hands continuing their work.

Meng Ziyi could only suppress his body's reaction and dared not make a sound, for fear of being discovered by the driver in front and Chen Yao.

Just as I was about to let out a groan, the car stopped.

We've arrived at the Beijing Film Academy campus.

The three of them got out of the car. Meng Ziyi was still not over it. Her legs were weak. She stared at Chen Li with her big, watery eyes, wanting to say something but holding back.

"What's wrong, Sister Meng? Are you feeling unwell?" Chen Yao looked at Meng Ziyi, who was supporting her leg, with curiosity.

"It's nothing, I just got bitten by a dog." Meng Ziyi gave Chen Li a resentful look.

"A dog? Where's the dog?" Chen Yao looked around, completely bewildered.

"Yaoyao, you go back first. I'll chat with Chen Li a little longer," Meng Ziyi said.

"Okay... I'll be going now." Chen Yao nodded, glanced at the two of them one last time, and didn't ask any more questions.

I feel like I've missed something...

"Okay, Chen Li, you just wait!" Meng Ziyi glared at Chen Li angrily, then pulled Chen Li away.

"Where are you going? I want to go back to sleep!"

"Sleep? You've already aroused me, and you still want to sleep?" Meng Ziyi dragged Chen Li directly to the hotel and booked a couple's suite.

Tonight, another sleepless night.