Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 5: Classmate and Roommate of Beijing Film Academy 2000 Vocational School

"They are not worthy to fight me."

"In my eyes, they are worse than pustules."

"I'm afraid it's not me who's going to get hurt, but the so-called four masters around you."

"Tsk..."

As he recited the script, Yan Li's expression became increasingly indescribable.

I want to scold the screenwriter again!

Yuwen Chengdu was an invincible general. Before he met Li Yuanba, he had never encountered any opponent. It was normal for such a person to be a little arrogant, but he should be the kind of domineering and unruly person who was full of confidence in his own martial arts.

But the lines are too mean and watery, not like a brave and intrepid warrior, but a Hong Kong gangster shouting on the streets.

Ok?
Yan Li finally reacted. When he read the script before, he felt that the character of Yuwen Chengdu was a little familiar.

If you put this in a Hong Kong gangster movie now, doesn't he look like the villain boss in Young and Dangerous?
He brags all the time, starts fights at every turn, and often gets slapped in the face. High-ranking officials and generals in the court take the lead in lining up, but he has no character or charm at all.

This rubbish screenwriter completely used the Young and Dangerous tropes to write Yuwen Chengdu...

Moreover, according to this line of thought, Yan Li looked at the plot in the script involving court struggles and wars, which was no different from the power struggles and territory grabbing within the gang.

Yan Li really doubted whether the future intelligence he saw in the monthly intelligence that this drama would become popular was true?
However, thinking about the previous drama "My Fair Princess", which had similarly outrageous historical details but was a huge hit, Yan Li became a little less confident.

The market speaks for itself. Perhaps many viewers just like this kind of historical gangster drama with a shocking plot?
Although he was confused and unhappy in his heart, Yan Li still memorized his lines honestly after receiving his salary.

There is no shame in making money!
Chow Yun-fat, Jackie Chan and others have made many bad movies, and veteran artists have also fallen into the trap. They want to choose the script they like and wait until they become famous in the future.

"..."

In the past, Yan Li was more accustomed to reading aloud when memorizing lines.

On the one hand, reciting deepens memory, and on the other hand, it can also practice tone, intonation, pauses, stress, etc.

It's not enough to just memorize the lines. Remembering them is just the basic premise. When you say them, they have to fit the character and the plot. It requires practice and adjustment bit by bit.

But today's lines are really too embarrassing. After reading a few paragraphs just now, Yan Li always felt that the people passing by and nearby looked at him strangely.

So I had to resort to silent memorization, first memorizing the words, and then practicing them aloud in my hotel room at night...

Yan Li has been practicing his lines in the woods since breakfast this morning.

Around ten o'clock, the sun was shining brightly and the weather was getting hot. There were only a few people left near the grove, which was originally sparsely populated.
The long-haired girl also packed up and left. When she passed by Yan Li, she waved and said hello.

Yan Li was concentrating on memorizing his lines and nodded perfunctorily. The girl with long hair didn't take it seriously and walked away.

It was not until nearly eleven o'clock that the shade of the trees was not enough to block the sunlight. Considering that he still had to perform, Yan Li, who was afraid of getting tanned, packed up and went back to the hotel.

After having lunch at noon, Yan Li went to the dressing room to put on makeup nervously.

Unfortunately, Wang Xiu was here today, but fortunately, Wang Xiu was busy putting makeup on others and had no time to pay attention to him.

Makeup finalization refers to the process of determining the character's appearance, makeup, and some clothing before filming begins.

Otherwise, there would be no time to design the styling and matching costumes for the actors before filming starts every day. Therefore, it is usually determined before filming starts, and then the actors will be made up according to the pre-determined styling during filming.

Yuwen Chengdu didn't have many scenes, and the crew of "Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties" didn't pay much attention to it, or it could be said that the crew itself didn't have high requirements for costumes and props.

Except for a few leading actors, the rest are basically the same, with fixed styling and makeup, and at most changing clothes and accessories.

Yan Li’s makeup today is actually similar to what he did yesterday when he met the director.

He was wearing a hood and black leather armor. His skin was slightly painted darker and his eyebrows were slightly raised, making his face look more ferocious.

The makeup artist was about to put on Yan Li's beard when he was stopped by someone. It was Wang Xiu, whom Yan Li didn't want to face.

The latter looked at Yan Li in the mirror, tapped his chin with his finger, and said to Yan Li's makeup artist.

"I think it's better not to have a beard. It makes him look younger and more fierce. A beard makes him look more calm, which is a bit inconsistent with the character."

Upon hearing this, Yan Li also looked at himself in the mirror and compared it with his look from yesterday.

You know what, this Wang Xiu is really capable!
With the beard on, Yan Li looked tough, capable, brave and courageous. It was obvious that he was not a simple person, but more like a brave and resourceful handsome man like Qin Qiong.

Without the beard, he loses some of his shrewd and calm temperament, but instead highlights his bravery and toughness, making him look more like a strong and fierce general.

After reading the script, Yan Li knew very well what kind of person Yuwen Chengdu was in the play.

He is arrogant and has no brains, relying solely on force. Wang Xiu's suggestion is accurate and to the point.

Yan Li was a little impressed by Wang Xiu. Putting other things aside, he always respected people with abilities.

With the help of Wang Xiu, Yan Li successfully completed the makeup with good results.

When it was almost time to remove makeup, another makeup artist called with something, so Wang Xiu came over to help.

"Handsome guy, I feel like you're a little afraid of me?"

Yan Li was a little embarrassed, Wang Xiu joked with a smile, and Yan Li nodded.

"Ah."

Wang Xiu was stunned. He didn't expect Yan Li to admit it directly. It took him a few seconds to come back to his senses.

"why?"

"You know it yourself."

"……How did you know?"

Wang Xiu was really curious. He understood Yan Li's previous avoidance of some details about him.

Nowadays, the atmosphere in the mainland is conservative. After knowing his situation, many straight men will have some resistance to it to some extent. Yan Li is considered polite. He has also seen people give him cold faces or even curse at him.

But what he really didn't understand was how Yan Li had figured it out. Wang Xiu considered himself to be a normal, at best, polite person. They'd only met twice, and there hadn't been anything wrong with their interactions. This was their first time working together on this film, and he didn't know many of the other people. His familiar colleagues hadn't let anyone know about it either. So how had he been exposed?
"I met someone who behaved and spoke similarly to you before. My intuition is pretty good, so..."

Of course Yan Li would not tell the truth and just made up an excuse.

Wang Xiu didn't quite believe it, but he didn't hesitate and clapped his hands happily.

"If you're not comfortable, let Sister Liu do it for you later."

He was so straightforward that Yan Li felt embarrassed. "Well, go ahead and do it. I didn't mean anything else. I'm young and inexperienced, so I might be overthinking it."

"It's okay, I understand."

Wang Xiu probably had a lot of experience, so he didn't take it seriously. He patted Yan Li's strong shoulders and smiled.

"As a handsome guy, people will always miss you wherever you go. But don't worry, I have someone."

Yan Li bowed and said, "Then I am ugly and have done something wrong. I apologize to you."

"Oh, that's too much."

After talking things out, the atmosphere between the two sides naturally became much more harmonious. Wang Xiu also took the initiative to make some suggestions regarding Yan Li's appearance and figure, which benefited the latter a lot.

When he left the dressing room, it was already dark. Yan Li thought about it and decided to walk to the barbecue restaurant he had seen in the morning.

As he was short of money, he ordered some of the must-have fatty kidneys and lamb skewers to be taken away to test the quality. Yan Li also bought a portion of fried pancakes and returned to the hotel.

I tried the barbecue first. Hmm, it tasted really good. The kidneys were crispy, tender and fatty, and the lamb skewers were fresh, fragrant and delicious.

It would be even better with two glasses of cold beer, but I still have to memorize my lines tonight, so business comes first.

After quickly cleaning up dinner, Yan Li continued to memorize the script. When it was almost nine o'clock, his cell phone rang.

Yan Li answered the phone: "Hello, Jiachuan."

"Brother Li, how's your role going?"

The voice of Yan Li’s college classmate and roommate Lin Jiachuan came from the other end of the phone.

"It's settled. I just finished my makeup today and will be on set the day after tomorrow."

"Great."

Excited shouts from Lin Jiachuan and others came from the other end of the phone. Yan Li smiled and lay down on the bed.

"Song Wen and Yi Wei are nearby?"

"OK."

There was a brief pause, and then another deep voice rang out: "Lao Yan, I'm Song Wen. You should focus on filming in Hengdian. The brothers are waiting to return to Beijing to celebrate the success."

"Do not worry."

The last roommate, Zhou Yiwei, also grabbed the phone: "Brother Li, do you need anything? Can we mail it to you?"

"I have everything I need. The assistant director I mentioned earlier is very caring towards me. I even have a single room on set."

Hearing his brothers' concern, Yan Li felt warm in his heart.

Lin Jiachuan, Zhang Songwen and Zhou Yiwei were classmates in the 2000 acting department of Beijing Film Academy, as well as college roommates. They were also Yan Li's best friends during his two years in Beijing.

The brothers eat, live, study, play and run groups together, help each other and have formed a deep friendship with each other.

This time, Yan Li came to Hengdian alone to film a movie right after graduation. The three brothers who stayed in Beijing were always thinking about him and called him several times.

"Okay, long distance calls are expensive. Let's stop here for today. I'll call you back in a couple of days."

In 2002, domestic inter-provincial long-distance calls cost more than 1 yuan per minute, and both making and receiving calls were charged. Even if roaming services were activated, it was not cheap.

My brothers and I just graduated a few days ago, and our careers have just started or haven't even started yet. We have very little income, so we don't dare to make long-distance calls.

Just as he was about to hang up the phone, Zhou Yiwei suddenly interrupted him and stammered for a few words before he couldn't help but speak.

"Brother Li, I met Sister Xuan at school today."

Yan Li frowned slightly: "Hmm?"

The Sister Xuan mentioned by Zhou Yiwei is his "ex-girlfriend" Dong Xuan, a student of the 2000 undergraduate class of the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy and also one of the school beauties of Beijing Film Academy.

"Doesn't the school require us to move to a new dorm before summer vacation? She asked me if I'd rented a place, whether I was renting alone or sharing a place. From the way she spoke, it seemed like she wanted to find out your address."

"Oh."

Yan Li only said one word, which made Lin Jiachuan, who was listening nearby, anxious: "Brother Li, are you really breaking up?"

"That's what she said."

Yan Li finally said a few more words, and Zhang Songwen, the oldest and most stable among the group, also spoke to persuade him.

"It's just a little angry remark from the little girl. Just coax her into submission."

"It's not that I didn't coax her, it's just that she didn't respond and I didn't indulge her bad temper."

Yan Li snorted lightly, and the roommates on the other end of the phone looked at each other. Zhou Yiwei, the youngest, said something fair.

"You can't blame Sister Xuan either. You were with that schoolmate named Huang Shengyi..."

"Cough cough."

Yan Li coughed and interrupted Zhou Yiwei: "There's nothing wrong between us. It's just a simple senior advising a junior. Don't slander my innocence."

"..."

Having said that, the roommates were reluctant to try to persuade him any further, after all, it was Yan Li's own personal matter.

(End of this chapter)