Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

As for the music, Zhuang Huai'an also had some ideas in mind.

His current state is that he understands in his mind, but his hands don't.

Helpless, they had to ask Lao Wang to step in and find a professional composer. After five or six days of work, it was finally all done.

It's already 2002, today is January 14th, and winter vacation will start in two days.

For his protégé's first feature film, Wang Hongwei naturally wanted to support him, so he issued a call to action, gathering all the professors in the school to the small auditorium to "criticize" Zhuang Huai'an.

At 2 PM, the three brothers from room 404 stood at the entrance of the small auditorium to greet guests.

The first to arrive was Tian Zhuangzhuang, the leader, followed by Xie Xiaojin, the head of the directing department, and other professors from the directing department. Poor Lao Wang, a dignified head teacher, could only follow behind a group of old men.

Zhuang Huai'an really wanted to ask him: "A true man is born between heaven and earth, Lao Wang, do you accept this?"

The reality was that these people were direct descendants of the 404 Three Brothers sect, legitimate backers, so the three could only stand obediently and greet them politely.

After the directing professors went in, the acting professors followed, along with other post-production professors.

Finally, the grand finale featured the sect leader and the supreme elders.

After welcoming everyone inside, the three boys from the vocational high school class (Lin Jiachuan) sneaked in, closed the door, locked it, and stuck themselves to the wall to act as security guards.

Today's projectionist is Ning Hao.

The total hunting time is 115 minutes.

At the beginning of the film, the teachers were quietly discussing the use of light and shadow and the texture of the picture, but as the plot deepened, the entire small auditorium fell silent, as if they were facing the accusations of the whole town from Lu Kai's perspective.

With a soft click, the screen went black, and the main lights on the auditorium ceiling came on.

"This film..." Tian Zhuangzhuang's expression was complicated.

Wang Hongwei, standing to the side, perfectly mimicked You Sheng's expression, his mouth practically twisted to the sky.

Snap, snap,

Zhang Huijun suppressed his joy and was the first to applaud.

Snap snap snap snap snap snap snap snap,

Thunderous applause erupted instantly.

"Huai'an," Dean Zhang waved for him to come forward.

"The camerawork is excellent, and the plot is solid, especially the open ending, which is similar to the ending of The Tuner."

"Thank you for your praise, Dean."

Zhuang Huai'an humbly stated, "The smooth filming of this movie wouldn't have been possible without the strong support of the school, especially the senior students who joined the crew. They were serious and sincere in their work, and their contributions are no less than mine."

Zhang Huijun found these words agreeable. At his position, he no longer cared about one or two talented individuals, but rather about overall development.

"Huai'an, you're much better than your fellow disciples!"

It is well known that the Beijing Film Academy produces directors, but directors from the Beijing Film Academy prefer to use actors from the Central Academy of Drama.

Apart from the little girl and the male lead's son, all the other actors and crew members in Zhuang Huai'an's film are graduates of the Beijing Film Academy. This gesture made Zhang Huijun feel very comforted.

"Oh, by the way, your previous film, The Tuner, was supposed to be sent to Berlin, but the timeline was a bit tight, so I put it on hold."

Zhang Huijun laughed and said, "I didn't expect your first feature film to be so excellent. How about it? Should the school help you submit it to Cannes for a screening?"

"I couldn't be happier, Dean!"

Zhuang Huai'an thought for a moment, then asked, "But this film hasn't passed censorship yet. Is it possible to send it to Cannes in time?"

"That's not a problem," Zhang Huijun said with a meaningful smile. "The existence of a school is not just about teaching and nurturing students; sometimes, it's also about standing up for students."

Wow, that feels great!

The leader then led the teachers away again.

After enjoying a few compliments from his brothers, Zhuang Huai'an asked Wang Zhiyong to make several copies of the tape and send them to Lao Wang's office for reporting. He also kept a copy for his own records.

"Brother, are you going back to Shaozhou for the New Year?" Zhuang Huai'an asked.

"No," Zhang Songwen shook his head and said with a wry smile, "You know how troublesome it is to go back to our area."

Zhuang Huai'an nodded. His hometown and Zhang Songwen's hometown were next to each other. Although they were from different provinces, they both belonged to the Hakka language family, so the two called each other "brother".

"And you?"

"I'm not replying either. I've been too busy lately to try and buy tickets."

Zhuang Huai'an didn't even try to rob him. When he returned to his hometown from Beijing, there were no direct flights, and there weren't even direct trains. He had to take an 18-hour train ride from Beijing to the provincial capital, Hero City, then another 9 hours to Qianzhou City, and finally a more than 1-hour private car ride to the county seat.

The current Spring Festival travel rush environment and transportation situation are hard to describe in a few words.

"What about you? Are you going home?" Zhuang Huai'an asked the others.

"I've bought the train tickets with Haozi, we have to go back," Wolong and Fengchu replied.

"Although I am a Tujia, my parents are both in Beijing," Zhou Yiwei shrugged.

"Me too." Lin Jiachuan (Brother Dao) nodded with a smile.

"Okay, then come to my house for the New Year, cousin."

Zhuang Huai'an extended an invitation: "I have a residence in the capital, so the two of us can keep each other company."

"I'm afraid that won't work," Zhang Songwen said awkwardly. "I took on a job. China Travel Service has a group of Southeast Asian Hakka people who want to travel around Beijing for 20 days. The manager of China Travel Service knows that I am also Hakka, so he invited me to be their tour guide."

"Okay, okay, see you after the New Year."

After leaving the address of the courtyard house for the five people, Zhuang Huai'an went back to his dormitory, packed a few clothes, and took a taxi straight to Houhai.

As for tomorrow's final exam,

"The Hunt" is the best answer.

Back in the courtyard house, as soon as he opened the door to the main room, Zhuang Huai'an couldn't help but frown.

It's only been two months since I last came back, and there's already a thick layer of dust inside.

Those damn allies are truly despicable!

Zhuang Huai'an gritted his teeth, experiencing for the first time what it meant to be a good student dragged down by bad students.

While we are working hard to plant trees and prevent sand and dust storms, they are also engaging in rampant logging and excessive grazing.

He couldn't understand how anyone could worship someone in a dilapidated place where millions of people lived in the sewers of a capital city.

I'm talking to you, you cultist dog, you filthy ear-slapping!

Zhuang Huai'an brought over a basin of water and first cleaned the main room, so that at least there was a place to stand.

Sitting in the armchair, Zhuang Huai'an thought for a moment, then flipped open a newspaper he had left behind some time ago, and sure enough, he saw Little GG at the bottom of the third page.

After contacting a housekeeping company and expressing my desire to hire them for a month, they responded quickly, arriving with two robust housekeepers within half an hour.

"Mr. Zhuang, please rest assured, our company relies on its reputation. Apart from the cleaning lady coming to clean once a day in the morning, she will absolutely not disturb you at other times."

"Okay, I'm home most of the time. If the housekeeper comes and sees the door is locked, she doesn't need to clean; she can just go back inside."

"Okay, I'll make sure you understand."

After signing the contract, Zhuang Huai'an invited the manager to sit down and have some tea, and the two women quickly started working.

Zhuang Huai'an fiddled with the Kung Fu tea set and handed him a cup. The other man politely bent his finger and tapped it on the tea table.

"Manager Liu, besides housekeeping, do you offer in-home cooking services?"

"Yes, Mr. Zhuang, yes."

Manager Liu smiled professionally and said, "Our company has two types of cooks. One type is a nanny-style housekeeper, in which case you need to provide accommodation. The other type is a cook who is only responsible for cooking three meals a day. It depends on which type you want."

Oh, by the way, even home-based housekeepers only cook, they don't handle the cleaning.

"I understand," Zhuang Huai'an said, handing over a cigarette and nodding. "Everyone has their strengths."

Manager Liu took the cigarette from Hua Zi with both hands and lit it for him with a smooth motion.

"Although I have all the cooking utensils here, I've never cooked with them. Here's what we'll do: arrange for an aunt to go and buy the seasonings and ingredients, and have her bring them over to try the dishes. If they're suitable, we can sign a contract."

"Okay, Mr. Zhuang, may I ask what your usual tastes are?"

"I'm from Jiangxi Province, and I can't live without spicy food."

"Got it, I'll make the call right now."