Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

In the office,

After checking the list information and confirming Luo Jin's identity as a candidate, Wang Jingsong, the head of the Performing Arts Department, issued him a temporary admission ticket.

It wasn't about Zhuang Huai'an's face; this kind of thing happens once or twice a year during the Beijing Film Academy's entrance exams. As long as you know the process, the school is willing to help them retake it. It's not like the college entrance exam; it's not that strict.

That's what he said, but Wang Jingsong still criticized Luo Jin with a serious expression.

Luo Jin bowed deeply to the two of them with a grateful expression, "Thank you, teachers, thank you, seniors."

"Alright, go prepare for your exam."

After seeing the young fellow villager off, Zhuang Huai'an sat down in front of Wang Jingsong and handed him a cigarette with a grin.

"Huai'an, you think highly of him?"

"Not really, it's just that we're from the same hometown, so I'll help if I can."

"I think he's quite suitable," Wang Jingsong said, exhaling a puff of smoke. "He has a typical handsome young appearance."

Wang Jingsong just took office as the head of the performance department this year and is also one of the chief examiners for this year's art exams. If he can say one thing, Luo Jin is already guaranteed a spot.

He could say such things, but Zhuang Huai'an couldn't; he could only smile along.

After finishing his cigarette, Zhuang Huai'an got up to say goodbye.

As soon as he opened the office door, a hand slapped him in the chest.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was going to knock."

"Oh, it's okay, you can go in."

"Thanks."

A soft, sweet voice rang out, and Zhuang Huai'an subconsciously looked over. A delicate, jade-like face came into view, with a hint of shyness in her clear, bright eyes and a somewhat childish look in her features.

The sudden beauty overload stunned Zhuang Huai'an for a moment.

Seeing him frozen in shock, the girl raised her hand and waved it in front of his eyes. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Zhuang Huai'an said, feeling a little embarrassed. He took a step back and tried to save face, "I was thinking about the script and got a little distracted."

"Script, are you a senior in the literature department?" The girl's eyes sparkled, showing none of the aloofness she remembered.

"No, I'm a directing major." Zhuang Huai'an smiled, feeling that the distance between them was still a bit too close, so he took a step back to make it easier for her to enter.

A cough from Wang Jingsong behind her interrupted their conversation. The young woman smiled at Zhuang Huai'an, stepped into the office, and said, "Hello, Teacher Wang, I am Liu Yifei."

"Oh, it's Yifei."

Zhuang Huai'an shook his head and chuckled, not listening any further. He walked out of the office and was greeted by a middle-aged woman who looked somewhat similar to a young girl.

As Zhuang Huai'an brushed past her, he gave her a polite smile and a nod.

Although Liu Xiaoli didn't know what this tall, handsome young man meant, she smiled and nodded in response, thanks to her good upbringing over the years.

I went back to my dorm and took a nap.

The three brothers from 404 walked side by side into Wang Hongwei's office, where Old Wang was chatting happily with two other teachers, smoking and enjoying themselves.

"Teacher Wang, Teacher Zhang, Teacher Jiang, what are you talking about?"

Zhuang Huai'an stepped forward to greet them, then refilled the three of their cigarettes, sat down next to Old Wang, and took on the task of making tea.

"We're just joking around," Zhang Jiandong replied with a laugh, teasingly adding, "I heard you got a videotape of a stranger from Lao Wang. Lao Jiang and I are free today, so we thought we'd come and hear your opinion as a film director."

Jiang Wei, who was standing to the side, also smiled and nodded.

Many people may not have heard of these two names, but their co-directed work, "Don't Talk to Strangers," can be described as a phenomenal TV series.

Even though Feng Yuanzhen, who played the abusive man An Jiahe, later played effeminate men and eunuchs, he couldn't shake the public's impression of him as an abusive man.

Even official statements about domestic violence use stills of Teacher Feng with a ferocious expression.

"Teacher Zhang's words are truly unbearable for the students."

Zhuang Huai'an said with a wry smile, "I can't even come close to your and Teacher Jiang's level, so how dare I offer any opinions?"

Seeing his pained expression, Zhang Jiandong laughed heartily.

"Alright, what's the matter that you asked me to invite the two teachers over?" As expected of his mentor, Old Wang spoke up to help his good disciple out of the predicament.

"That's right."

Zhuang Huai'an glanced gratefully at his mentor, cleared his throat, and got down to business.

"After reading the works of the two teachers, I had a new idea in my mind, so I wrote a notebook and hope that the two teachers can help me fill in the gaps and provide guidance."

"Did you bring the script?" Jiang Wei, who was in charge of screenwriting, asked.

"I brought it."

Zhuang Huai'an gave Wolong a look, and Wang Zhiyong nodded, took out three scripts from his bag, and handed them to the three teachers.

The vanished lover.

Jiang Wei looked at the cover and muttered to himself, "This name is rather interesting."

For a moment, only the sound of turning pages could be heard in the room.

Old Wang read it the fastest. He put down the script and looked at his good apprentice with a satisfied expression.

"This notebook is amazing!"

Zhang Jiandong and Jiang Wei also finished reading. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock. Is this what genius level is like?

The story of Lost Lover

The male and female protagonists were a loving couple, but on their fifth wedding anniversary, the female protagonist suddenly disappeared.

As the investigation deepened, all the evidence pointed to the male protagonist, who was portrayed as a scumbag who was unfaithful to his marriage.

But in reality, this was a carefully planned scam by the female protagonist. Disappointed with the male protagonist, she decided to fake her death to take revenge on him. She fabricated a murder scene and misled the police through her diary and other means.

However, reality deviated from her plan.

When she discovered that there was public sympathy for her husband, she changed her mind and decided to step in and continue to maintain their seemingly harmonious but actually riddled-with-holes marriage.

At the end of the story, the male protagonist learns everything and angrily questions: "What we are doing now is all about controlling each other. Besides hatred and hurting each other, what other meaning is there?"

The female protagonist's answer, as the saying goes, is: This is marriage.

The men inside smoked their cigarettes and remained silent for a while.

Zhang Jiandong exhaled a puff of smoke and asked, "For this film, you want Feng Yuanzhen and Mei Ting to star, right?"

"That's the idea," Zhuang Huai'an nodded, a mischievous grin on his face. "In the TV series, Teacher Feng beat Mei Ting up so badly, so it's reasonable for Mei Ting to get revenge in the movie, right?"

With no chance of winning a major award, Zhuang Huai'an could only focus on boosting box office revenue.

Once this gimmick and plot twist are released, will those who have watched the TV series be able to resist their curiosity?

"That makes perfect sense." Honest Jiang Wei agreed. If he were an audience member, he would definitely want to go to the cinema to experience the salty taste.

Old Wang, standing to the side, rubbed his teeth. His good disciple had just been confirmed as the sect's holy son, and now they were looking for actors from the Central Academy of Drama for his second movie.

Is it really that hard to break the curse of Beijing Film Academy directors using actors from the Central Academy of Drama?

Seemingly sensing Lao Wang's thoughts, Zhuang Huai'an smiled and said, "Apart from the male and female leads, the hunting team will remain the same. After all, they are all family members, so we feel at ease using them."

During this period, the later senior brothers and sisters intentionally or unintentionally inquired about Zhuang Huai'an's next plan from Wolong and Fengchu.

The quality of a film can be roughly judged during the production process. They are all from academic backgrounds, so they have this ability to discern.