Huayu: Starting with mentoring female stars

"Why aren't you watching anymore?" Liu Yifei asked.

"I've finished reading it," Chen Zhou replied.

"Really? You're exaggerating. Even just reading it lightly would take an hour or two."

"Is this how you help me understand the character?"

"Are you kidding me?!"

Liu Yifei, harboring some resentment, glared at Chen Zhou.

"Tell me your understanding of this character first," Chen Zhou got down to business.

"The script describes her as an orphan seeking revenge for her father, with a cold and aloof personality."

"She lives in the world of Chinese martial arts, but gets caught up in a fantastical plot to save Sun Wukong."

"That's why I can't grasp her core essence."

"If the focus is too much on ruthlessness, I'm afraid it will turn into a cold-blooded revenge machine."

"It leans too much towards softness and loses the heroic spirit of a female warrior."

"I wanted to incorporate the dynamism of Western narratives, but I was afraid of ruining the charm of Chinese martial arts."

"Ugh! So annoying! I feel like no matter how I act, it's wrong!"

Liu Yifei became more and more conflicted as she spoke.

"So, what do you think is the core of this character?" Chen Zhou asked.

"My parents were killed, and my country was trampled upon. Of course, I want revenge," Liu Yifei replied immediately.

Chen Zhou's gaze was sharp. "No, the core of Golden Swallow's life has never been revenge, but rather obsession and redemption. Revenge is her obsession, while redemption is her soul."

"Redemption? Her mind is full of revenge, how could it be redemption?"

"She never gave up on revenge until the very end, and was even willing to sacrifice herself for it. Where is there even a trace of redemption in that?"

In Liu Yifei's mind, Golden Swallow is the ultimate lone and courageous avenger, and all her actions should revolve around revenge.

Chen Zhou opened the script again and began explaining the scene: "Look here..."

After speaking succinctly...

Chen Zhou provided a summary.

"Redemption is not about letting go of hatred, but about guarding one's true self."

"You must remember that Golden Swallow is not a perfect heroine. She has flaws, fears, and vulnerabilities. It is precisely these imperfections that make the character more real and more moving."

Chen Zhou's words were all exquisite and insightful.

Liu Yifei remained silent for a long time, immersed in this emotion, and the image of Golden Swallow in her mind became clearer and clearer.

She had previously been fixated on the label of "female knight-errant" and struggled with the fusion of Eastern and Western aesthetics.

However, it overlooked the character's essential nature as a human being and the layers of her inner emotions.

Chen Zhou's words were like a beacon, illuminating her confused mind and allowing her to instantly understand the soul of the character.

"That's right, that's exactly it, that's the Golden Swallow..."

When Liu Yifei came to her senses, her eyes were filled with shock and admiration as she looked at Chen Zhou.

"No matter what role you play, grasping the core elements will make your efforts twice as effective."

"Just like the Wang Yuyan you played before, you captured her gentleness and insight."

"In playing Zhao Ling'er, I captured her liveliness and purity."

"The same goes for Golden Swallow. As long as you grasp her obsession and tenderness, her struggles and growth, you will definitely be able to create a memorable image of a chivalrous woman."

Chen Zhou preached.

"Thank you, teacher. I benefited greatly from your lesson; it was truly a masterclass!"

Out of excitement, Liu Yifei even changed how she addressed Chen Zhou.

"I'm glad you're satisfied." Chen Zhou smiled slightly.

Back in school, you said you were only good at directing, and not good at analyzing the depth of a character.

So it turns out you were just hiding it all along.

"Now that this store has opened, they've finally made their presence known."

"Junior brother, you're so naughty!"

Liu Yifei looked angry, yet also appeared adorably dazed.

Chen Zhou remained silent.

Of course, he couldn't say that he had traveled from another time.

"But I still don't understand why you suddenly gave up being a director and opened an acting class here. Isn't that a waste of your university major?" Liu Yifei asked, puzzled.

"I didn't give up, but three days ago on the set of 'Nanjing Nanjing,' I was fired by Lu Chuan."

"To make a living, I have no choice but to work as a performance teacher for now."

"After all, this is a subject I'm quite good at."

Chen Zhou spoke.

"So that's how it is," Liu Yifei muttered.

She didn't follow other film crews, so she hadn't heard of "Nanjing Nanjing".

As for that Lu Chuan, I've never heard of her either.

In short, she knew that her junior brother had been bullied.

Then, like a little adult, she encouraged him, saying, "Don't be discouraged. This is only temporary. If anything happens in the future, remember to tell your senior sister. Your senior sister will protect you."

"Sissi! What are you doing here!"

There was a woman at the door who looked very anxious.

Her outfit was very fashionable, with long, wavy hair and black stockings and high heels as her signature look.

Walking down the street with that kind of style, he'd definitely turn heads.

"Mom, what brings you here?" Liu Yifei looked towards the door, quite surprised.

Liu Xiaoli stormed into the store. "You still have the nerve to say that? I only left the hotel for a little while. How could you sneak out on your own? It's so dangerous at night. What if you ran into bad guys?"

"You know that The Forbidden Kingdom is about to start filming, but I still can't figure out the character, which is really frustrating."

"I also saw that a junior from Beijing Film Academy had just opened a shop here, so I came to take a look."

"Mom, you have no idea how amazing my junior brother is. He explained all the details of the character that I didn't understand in just a short time."

"I now feel that I'm incredibly strong!"

Liu Yifei explained happily.

"Junior brother?" Liu Xiaoli looked at Chen Zhou with a puzzled expression.

"Yes," Liu Yifei replied.

"He is quite handsome," Liu Xiaoli blurted out.

"Auntie, you're joking. I have an ordinary appearance," Chen Zhou said.

Liu Xiaoli took Liu Yifei's arm. "Let's go, it's time to go back."

Although Liu Yifei wanted to stay a little longer, she had no choice but to wave goodbye to Chen Zhou and leave reluctantly.

"Wait!" Chen Zhou called out.

"As expected, my junior brother doesn't want me to leave either." Liu Yifei was overjoyed.

"Senior sister, you forgot to pay," Chen Zhou said.

"..." Liu Yifei was stunned on the spot.

She gave an awkward laugh, paid the tutoring fee to Chen Zhou, and then left with her mother.

Later that evening, two more customers entered the store, and Chen Zhou carefully guided them, successfully completing today's task.

So Chen Zhou simply closed the door and rested.

Working even one extra second is disrespectful to oneself.

After all, he didn't start the performance class to make money.

A while later.

in the car.

"Xixi, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but it's very dangerous for you to sneak out and meet a boy alone like this," Liu Xiaoli said seriously.

"Where is the danger? Junior brother isn't a bad person," Liu Yifei said.

"Even if it's not true, if those unscrupulous media outlets take pictures of it, they'll spread rumors again."

"Believe it or not, a perfectly good senior-junior relationship can turn into an exposed secret romance."

You need to be careful.

Liu Xiaoli spoke.

Liu Yifei pouted, "Isn't that how the media always is? Even if I don't do anything, they'll still make a big deal out of it. Didn't they say before that I'm some kind of transgender person? Am I really supposed to be afraid to go out because of these rumors?"

"Sigh." Liu Xiaoli sighed, unable to bear continuing her lecture.