Global Film Emperor

Chapter 532, "The Actor's Diary," recording has ended.

September 12th, Beijing Academy of Drama.

The start of the semester was later this year, and the freshmen just finished their military training today. They are now traveling by bus from the training ground to the campus. Although art students are exposed to cosmetics much earlier than ordinary students, they still look quite young compared to their seniors. These new students are currently following their instructors' instructions, carrying their bags and standing in line. However, the short military training has not taught them to be quiet, and their youthful laughter is still abundant.

Across the street, at the school gate, banners welcoming new students had already been put up, making the students feel valued by the school. A faint sense of belonging arose in their hearts, which was the initial feeling of becoming a member of the school, and would later deepen with the daily companionship of teachers and classmates.

The buses followed the traffic police's instructions and drove away from the school in sequence. The students began to cross the road. However, soon, some drivers ran over to the traffic police and talked to them, occasionally pointing to their own cars. The traffic police seemed to realize something, looked at the long line of students, nodded to the drivers, and after the drivers expressed their gratitude and returned to their buses, the officers held out their hands to signal the students crossing the road to stop first, and waved to let the drivers' vehicles reach the school gate first.

The students then realized that it wasn't just one car, but more than ten identical new cars driving towards the school. Although they weren't luxury cars, the brand-new vehicles still exuded a certain aura. At the same time, these cars all had a logo called "Actor's Diary" printed on their doors. Following behind were several minivans with the same logo carrying many space boxes. A small amount of equipment was already being set up at the school gate. Due to the return of freshmen, the film crew, with the students' consent, focused their cameras on the freshmen. The students expressed both curiosity and a bit of unexpected embarrassment.

Although this is the top performing arts school in the country, with an exceptionally strong student body, relatively few of these students have actually seen the filming location of the program. Freshmen with actual filming experience generally do not travel back to school on the bus with the main group. This is not a privilege for famous freshmen, but rather for safety reasons.

Therefore, when these inexperienced children faced real-life filming, their performance was mostly unsatisfactory. Some deliberately bowed their heads and adopted a stiff posture, some were at a loss for what to do, and some looked awkwardly into the distance. There were not many children who dared to face the camera with a confident smile and wave.

Seeing this, the film crew felt there was no more footage to shoot, and they packed up and left a few minutes later, leaving behind only those students who were anxious about their appearance because they hadn't worn makeup and didn't dare to appear on camera, and those who felt they had acted stupidly, feeling sorry for themselves. This also aroused the students' curiosity, making them speculate about the purpose of this variety show's trip.

Regardless of what the new students thought, after all the new trains were registered, the security department allowed them to pass. The trains shuttled through the lush green campus and finally stopped in the parking lot next to the teaching building. The passengers, whose identities were being guessed, got off the train, causing the passersby who were watching nearby to jump up in surprise.

There were forty-seven people in this group, none of whom were actors. If they were on the street, few people would notice them. But where was this? The Imperial Academy of Drama! Here, they were more sought after than big stars, because among these forty-seven people were more than ten directors, most of whom were well-known film directors.

The other passengers were also top professionals such as executives, screenwriters, and production leaders from major entertainment companies. Forty-odd people may not seem like much, but behind many of the outstanding works produced nationwide each year, there are their figures. Each of them carries considerable weight in the industry.

The group got off the bus and, like the freshmen, relaxed and chatted and laughed in the parking lot. However, compared to the freshmen's topics, their conversations were all about money and lacked the energy of the young people.

To accommodate the filming schedule of the program, the audition times for these twelve production teams were adjusted, and the audition locations were unified, all held at the Imperial Academy of Drama in Beijing. This allowed for simultaneous auditions for a single role at the same location on the same day, while also giving them the opportunity to serve as guests at the welcome party, thus adding some prestige to this year's event.

Among these forty-odd people, some were alumni of the Imperial Theatre. As students who had once lived and studied there, they led the conversation, discussing the changes the Imperial Theatre had undergone over the decades based on their own experiences.

Before they had talked for long, a number of people came out of the teaching building, including four mentors including Lu Ze, as well as teachers and directors from various departments of the school as representatives to welcome them. They chatted with these pillars of the industry to lay some foundation for the students' employment in advance.

Lu Ze and his three companions did not step forward to interrupt. Although these people came for the show, they were, after all, playing away from home, and they still had to give the hosts some face. After their conversation was over, teachers Tang Juan and Guan Yong stepped forward to communicate with all parties, while Lu Ze and Lao Song finished up the conversation.

"Lu'er, you've lost weight again. You need to take care of yourself. How about Huaiyangchun tonight? I ordered abalone for you. Eat some to replenish your nutrition. Don't be too hard on yourself."

"This... Brother Tao, you really went to great lengths, still thinking about my affairs. You're much better than Lao Song. I'm always around him, and he never offered to get me anything good to eat. Okay, I'll take advantage of you tonight, Brother Tao."

The biggest obstacle to weight loss often doesn't come from within yourself, but from those dinner invitations that you simply can't refuse. People have shown enough concern and even specially ordered things for you to try. It's really hard to refuse such hospitality. Since they've already said that, do you keep making excuses and then go, or just accept directly? You don't need to think about it at all.

As soon as Old Song said this, he turned his head and mouthed "get lost" without arguing further. He automatically ignored Lu Ze's framing. Ever since that bastard Lu Ze returned to his master's house, all kinds of nutritious but low-calorie meals were taken care of by the women in the house. He was waited on hand and foot. His master's wife was afraid that he would become delirious from hunger, and she wished she could give Lu Ze the cane that the old man used to use when he had rheumatism. The other brothers' wives and sisters-in-law also remembered this and would specially cook some nourishing soups for them to bring over. Lu Ze's complexion was much rosier than when he first came back from abroad, and he no longer looked like a sickly person.

However, in interpersonal relationships, when accepting the kindness of others, you often need to let someone you are really close to criticize you a few times, so that those who want to be close to you can reciprocate your goodwill.

Therefore, most of the people who praise and chat with each other at drinking parties are strangers, while acquaintances usually chat quietly (except when there are girls present). The relationship between Lu Ze and Song Guiyuan is also like this. When necessary, the two always turn their backs to each other, willingly becoming each other's shields.

Tao, the producer, was pleased to receive a satisfactory answer, which also made many people who were not very familiar with Lu Ze want to get closer to him. As a result, the dinner parties grew larger and larger, until they called the hotel, which thought they were holding a banquet.

However, since they had work to do and the cameras were constantly filming them, after a brief encounter, everyone followed the school leaders upstairs. Under the arrangement of the film crew, each crew entered their own audition room, waiting for the auditioning actors to arrive.

The audition started at 10 a.m. The first to arrive were the twelve trainees from the program team, who were making final preparations with their teachers. It was clear that they hadn't slept well the night before; they all looked like wilted eggplants, listless and dejected. Even Lu Ze's four students were no exception.

Lu Ze did not offer any encouragement or words of comfort. Although it was their first job interview and nervousness was inevitable, it would be too fragile for them to need encouragement from a teacher to cheer up. At the same time, the production team needed them to have this kind of emotion for the storyline to be complete.

Lu Ze simply led them through the script's key points again and again, focusing on those points that would impress the interviewers, stirring their emotions, and preparing them to approach the interview with the same emotional intensity they would have when filming was about to begin.

Then, the real actors, the rivals of Lu Ze's four rookies, arrived...

"Teacher Lu, the four students need to go to the interview venue to wait."

"Alright, you guys go ahead, I'll wait for your good news."

Lu Ze didn't get up. He simply closed Peng Kuo's script and put it aside. He spoke briefly to the four children who had just relaxed but whose emotions had become tense again after hearing the PD speak. The four were a little dumbfounded and didn't say much. They followed the PD out. Only then did Lu Ze realize that Wu Chun was using crutches.

……

"Peng Kuo, you're in this room. Go in and rest first. When your name is called, go to room 402 for your interview. Good luck, don't be nervous. Dong Sheng, you're in this room. Go to room 405 for your audition. Ju Yulin is in room 407, and Wu Chun is in room 409. Go and rest first, and do your best."

The PD led Wu Chun to the room door. Seeing that Ju Yulin was still at the door of the next lounge and hadn't gone in, the two smiled at each other, clenched their fists to encourage one another, and then Wu Chun took a deep breath, knocked on the door and went in. And then... she went numb.

The young actress born in the 00s, whom I used to admire for her looks, sat on a chair directly opposite the door, her long legs slightly crossed, quietly flipping through the script. When she saw Wu Chun come in, she raised her eyelids, revealed a slight smile, and nodded as a greeting.

Her legs went weak. In an instant, Wu Chun's legs went weak, barely able to support her body. Even taking a step was difficult. Although she was mentally prepared to compete on the same stage with big stars, the program team did not say that her opponent was her "goddess," even if this "goddess" was not a very good actress.

As an actress who has been famous for several years, she first became popular by acting in TV dramas. She debuted with a pure and lovely image and had all kinds of resources at her peak. However, she insisted on acting in movies. After several box office failures, she could no longer be considered a box office guarantee in the film industry. Naturally, the resources from film companies were greatly reduced. It is no wonder that she had to audition herself to compete with Wu Chun for a supporting role.

As a half-fan of the "goddess" and a student of acting herself, Wu Chun's current situation was basically transparent to her. Wu Chun was just too naive, not stupid. She realized that the "goddess" in front of her was not her main competitor. However, because the other party had such a strong celebrity filter and a very strong aura after training, she was nervous and felt a little ashamed. But she felt relieved. So she quietly walked to the farthest position from the other party, put her legs together, put the script on her lap, and while reading the script, she would occasionally steal a sneaky glance at the other party.

The other person was really beautiful, with delicate features and a professionally styled body. She looked very fashionable. When compared to herself, Wu Chun would unconsciously pick her toes. It wasn't that Wu Chun was ugly, but without systematic training and transformation, she had a more wild and untamed air about her.

Furthermore, the other party didn't seem to like him at all. If it weren't for the camera filming, he probably wouldn't have even given a smile. But that's understandable. After all, in the eyes of other auditioning actors, they were just there to make up the numbers. Although they had a chance to win the role, the series of actions that changed the audition location and time to give back to the variety show contestants was always very unpleasant. I'm clearly not a pageboy, so why should I study with a prince whose authenticity is unknown?

It's not uncommon for auditioning actors to have this kind of sentiment; they just can't show their hostility in front of the camera. However, Wu Chun is relatively lucky. The truly terrifying private confrontation actually occurred in the break room of Peng Kuo's audition, where men were gathered. The age requirement for his role wasn't very strict, which led to many middle-aged male stars participating in this audition.

It's often said that women are prone to these kinds of veiled contradictions, but the men in this circle aren't much better. First, they showered Peng Kuo with praise, then, once the praise was enough, they would subtly criticize him with sarcastic remarks. Fortunately, Peng Kuo's family situation was quite complicated, and he was relatively mature, so he was able to control his emotions and avoid losing his balance. If it had been Wu Chun interviewing in this turbulent environment, she might have overthinked and lost her composure.

Lu Ze had a clear view of the four people's situation on the monitor. When the PD asked him to say a few words, he didn't try to analyze the mentality of the other auditioning actors for the audience. This kind of thing was commonplace for him when he was young. It was a provocative act against the one with the best chance of getting the audition. To put it bluntly, it was a weird mentality of "I'll still annoy you even if I don't get selected." However, nowadays, these petty people's words have become more and more subtle. If you don't think carefully about what they say, other people may not be able to understand what they mean.

As time passed, all the auditioning actors arrived, and after being notified by the PD, various production teams began to summon actors to begin their performances.

Of the twelve groups, the group with the fewest auditioning actors was Chen Dongsheng's group, with only two people. "Poor Village" has very high requirements for the role, and the image requirements are also very specific. In addition, the filming environment will definitely be very harsh. For many young actors, this is a very thankless role. If it weren't for Chen Dongsheng's sudden appearance, it is very likely that Chen Dongsheng's opponent would have received a role offer from the production team. However, the other party is not aware of this at the moment.

The first to audition was his opponent, a slender young man with fair skin. After staying in the audition room for about twenty minutes, he pushed open the door and came out. He packed his things, glanced at Chen Dongsheng out of the corner of his eye, and still had some confidence in his eyes. Their eyes met for a moment and then immediately looked away. His opponent did not say anything and slowly left the rest room.

The feeling of "it's my turn" instantly surged into his brain, and sweat immediately seeped from the soles of his feet, wetting his socks. He could feel the slightly rough texture of the cotton socks after they absorbed the water. Not long after, the staff informed him that he could go in for the interview. Chen Dongsheng slowly got up, his knees making a grating sound as if they hadn't been oiled in a long time. He clasped the script together, gently placed it on the chair he was sitting on, and then stood at the door of the audition room and knocked.

"Please come in."

The man's voice from inside the room was like an electric current, instantly piercing Chen Dongsheng, giving him goosebumps and causing his body to tremble slightly. He pushed open the door and went in. Four interviewers, three men and one woman, were sitting opposite him, smiling at him.

"Hello teacher."

"Chen Dongsheng, am I right? Hello, please close the door and have a seat."

The female interviewer was in charge of reviewing the audition candidates' information. She looked through Chen Dongsheng's resume. Although the relatively blank information didn't contain any outstanding achievements, her smile widened when she saw that Chen Dongsheng had a background in opera performance and excellent grades in school. She whispered to the other three men and then showed it to them.

The dialogue in this film is very concise, with virtually no wasted words. Therefore, the burden of expressing the plot and the characters' emotions falls on physical expression. Opera demands a high level of physical movement, which means that Chen Dongsheng has a significant advantage in this production.

He sat down, placing his hands on his knees. Four pairs of eyes looked him up and down. Judging from their expressions, they were quite satisfied with Chen Dongsheng's appearance. He wasn't that handsome, but his cheekbones were slightly high, which made his lower face look taller and he appeared somewhat thin. He wasn't very tall either, which was an important point.

"How have you been feeling after studying with Teacher Lu for a few months?"

Instead of directly asking him to perform, they started chatting about everyday things, which made Chen Dongsheng, who had only taken on some small jobs, very uncomfortable. In the past, no one would ask you these questions during interviews, and you didn't even need to perform. They would just look you over and take the job if you were good, and leave if you weren't. This made Chen Dongsheng feel a little uncomfortable, and he secretly wondered if this was the difference that someone had connections behind the scenes.

"Teacher Lu... not only taught me acting skills, but also helped me a lot in life."

"I hope I don't raise you to be a little old man."

The man on the far left interjected, making the other three interviewers laugh. They had all had some contact with Lu Ze. While he wasn't exactly dull, he certainly had a retired old man's air about him. It wasn't surprising that a teacher with that old-fashioned, cadre-like demeanor could produce a few little old men. The four of them thought about it and felt a bit like they'd been living in Bengbu. This idle chatter stopped short of abrupt. Sensing that Chen Dongsheng had relaxed somewhat, the woman asked him if he was ready, and received an affirmative answer.

The show begins.

……

The repeated rehearsals and preparations of the past few days played a crucial role at this moment. He sat on the ground against the wall, recalling his days in Dunhuang. The pain of feeling like his intestines were about to come out was remembered, and his brain reacted, causing changes in his body. He soon discovered that, starting from his fingertips, his strength was slowly contracting, flowing back to his torso, and finally disappearing. His limbs began to weaken, and even his eyes gradually lost their luster.

Simply put, I was so exhausted from diarrhea.

The sandstorm seemed to fill his mouth and nose again. He was so dehydrated that even after licking the back of his hand, it remained dry. Numbness, weakness, and difficulty breathing were his current symptoms.

His breathing difficulties caused him to gasp for air, making it difficult for others to hear him breathe. He lowered his head, his bangs obscuring his eyes, and the four of them could only see below the tip of his nose. He parted his lips slightly and murmured an unnamed children's song in a voice so hoarse it was barely audible.

The boy, who was once clean, tidy, and sunny, now displayed a dejected air of utter exhaustion. His right index finger rested on his hip, still gently tapping the marble floor. According to the script, he had discovered that the riverbed he had been searching for had completely dried up. In the final moments of his life, he used his last bit of strength to dig out only clumps of yellow earth. Perhaps if he dug a little more, he could find some water, but he was too weak and was about to die of thirst by the river.

He had no strength left to support his body. He swayed slightly twice, then collapsed onto the marble floor with a thud, his head hitting the ground.

He was still muttering something, seemingly hallucinating, which gave his eyes a fleeting glimmer of light. With his last bit of strength, he reached out and grabbed a clod of earth, putting it back to his mouth. At that moment, the four interviewers finally heard his last words.

"Mom, I'm not hungry anymore, I have steamed buns to eat."

……

"teacher."

There were no cameras from the production crew filming in the audition room. The video would only be handed over to the production crew after the contracts with the actors were signed. The four teachers had nothing to do, so they returned to their offices to wait for the students to bring good news.

Lu Ze was flipping through last year's newspapers when he picked up his teacup. Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and Ju Yulin stood in the doorway with a script in her hand. She didn't come in. The two looked at each other in silence. After a while, a smile gradually appeared on Ju Yulin's feigned calm face, eventually becoming brighter and brighter.

"Congratulations."

Seeing her expression, Lu Ze gently put down his teacup and stood up, a smile appearing on his face. For some reason, when Ju Yulin saw Lu Ze's smile, her eyes instantly turned red, and she rushed from the doorway into Lu Ze's arms.

"Thank you... thank you, teacher."

……

five minutes later.

"Yes! Yes! Teacher, I've succeeded! Director Liu said I need to sign the contract with him this afternoon!"

Peng Kuo waved his arms and ran in like a baboon, even more frantic than Ju Yulin. This was director Liu Ying's new film! This was a movie! The highest pursuit in the film and television industry! Such a high starting point had him completely bewitched. Being able to film Liu Ying's new film was definitely a good omen for him. After all, Lu Ze had also truly soared to fame by filming Liu Ying's film. This... who knows, maybe he would take off too?

The corridor leading back to Lu Ze's office was definitely the longest he had ever walked. The joy on his face finally became uncontrollable once he entered the room. He slid to his knees and rolled on the floor, his whole body twisting like a strange creature, writhing right at Lu Ze's feet. Lu Ze couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, fold the newspaper into a fan, and then forcefully slapped it on Peng Kuo's head.

"Get up! Stop crawling around like a maggot."

……

Another seven or eight minutes passed.

From a distance, they could hear crying. The three people in the office initially didn't think much of it, but as the crying grew closer and clearer, they all felt it was familiar. Lu Ze immediately became worried and turned to Peng Kuo, signaling him to open the door and check the situation. However, just as Peng Kuo was about to open the door, Lu Ze stopped him, sensing something was amiss.

In the end, Wu Chun pushed open the door and walked in herself. She was sobbing and kept rubbing her eyes with her hands. Her makeup, which she had carefully put on this morning, was all ruined. Ju Yulin, as a good older sister, got up to go over and comfort her, but before she could reach Wu Chun's side, Wu Chun bumped her head into Lu Ze's thigh.

The impact was quite severe. Lu Ze didn't have much flesh on his leg, and his skull collided with his shinbone. The pain made Lu Ze's face twitch involuntarily, but he couldn't care less about his leg at the moment. He looked down at Wu Chun, who was hugging his thigh and crying, and after considering his words for a few seconds, he finally cautiously asked only three words.

"How about it?"

"Director Zhang... Director Zhang asked me to go to Shanghai next week to join the crew."

"Hi~"

Immediately, the three of them felt relieved. Lu Ze leaned back and gently patted Wu Chun's head, saying, "Then why are you crying? This is a good thing."

"I will miss you and Sister Ju."

As the saying goes, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Lu Ze usually spoils Wu Chun the most, not only because she is the youngest, but also because she is really likable. Although she is gentle, she is not hesitant. On the contrary, she is straightforward, hardworking and eager to learn. Among the four, she is the only one who has never been slapped by Lu Ze.

Having spent so much time together, Lu Ze naturally had deep feelings for her, so it was no wonder she cried. Hearing her say this, Lu Ze smiled with a hint of doting and helped her to sit down with Ju Yulin, offering her words of comfort. On the other hand, Peng Kuo pointed to himself and leaned over to ask a question.

"What about me? Are you willing to abandon your brother Peng?"

"You're willing to give up... Your feet stink, you should leave now."

Peng Kuo, that brat, just had to make trouble for himself. After being scolded, he finally behaved himself, sitting to the side with his legs crossed and chewing bubble gum, silently watching Wu Chun slowly calm down and stop saying things about not wanting to separate. Although he was in a better mood, tears were still falling.

Ju Yulin wiped away her tears and asked, "Alright, alright, it's not like we'll never see each other again, why are you crying? Be good, don't cry."

"Sister Ju, I don't want to cry either."

"Then why are you still crying? You said you didn't want to cry."

"I...I have a headache..."

……

Half an hour passed, and there was still no news from the crew of "Poor Village," which had the fewest auditionees; Chen Dongsheng had not returned.

Lu Ze was a little worried, so he personally called the PD to ask if Chen Dongsheng had left the teaching building. He was relieved after receiving a negative answer.

This child is different from the other three students. Lu Ze couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't do something extreme. If it were the other three students, Lu Ze wouldn't care if they came back in a few hours, but Chen Dongsheng was different.

Half an hour later, the PD called to say that he had come out of the audition room. Just as he hung up, Chen Dongsheng pushed open the door and walked in.

He had no expression, and his calm demeanor made people wonder if it was really as they thought, that only Chen Dongsheng was not selected out of the four students.

No one spoke; they just stared wide-eyed as Chen Dongsheng walked up to Lu Ze and bowed deeply.

"Thank you, teacher. I've signed the contract... I succeeded."

……

The recording of "Actor's Diary" has ended, and the teachers' scores are as follows.

Guan Yong: Three trainees have been hired.

Tang Juan: Two students have been hired.

Song Guiyuan: Two students have been hired.

Lu Ze: Everyone, join the team!
"..."

(End of this chapter)