Rebirth: A big star falls in love with me

But the heaviness in his heart did not lessen.

---

Four p.m.

During a break in filming, Zhang Yu received a call from an unknown number.

"Hello, Director Zhang? This is Song Qian!" A clear and lively voice came from the other end of the phone, slightly out of breath, as if she had been running. "I've arrived in Hengdian! I just got off the plane!"

Zhang Yu was taken aback: "Song Qian? Aren't you training in South Korea?"

"I'm back early!" Song Qian said happily. "I took a week off from work, saying I was going back to China to visit family, but actually I came to see you filming! Director Zhang, are you on set now? Can I come over?"

This seventeen-year-old girl always does things so unpredictably. Zhang Yu glanced at the filming schedule: "We're filming now, you..."

"Then I'll wait for you to finish filming!" Song Qian said immediately. "I'll wait outside the set, I definitely won't disturb you! Director Zhang, I just want to see what you're like when you're working, so I can learn from you!"

She spoke so earnestly that Zhang Yu couldn't bear to refuse: "Alright, wait for me at the south gate of the Ming and Qing Palace. I'll have the assistant director pick you up."

"Thank you, Director Zhang!" Song Qian cheered and hung up the phone.

An hour later, filming wrapped up. Zhang Yu walked out of the set and saw Song Qian standing under the sycamore tree at the south gate.

Today she was wearing a white sweatshirt and blue jeans, carrying a backpack, her hair tied in a high ponytail, and without makeup, radiating youthful energy. Upon seeing Zhang Yu, her eyes lit up, and she waved enthusiastically: "Director Zhang!"

"Have you been waiting long?" Zhang Yu walked over.

"Not long, not long!" Song Qian shook her head and took out a small box from her bag. "Director Zhang, this is Korean red ginseng candy. Here! It's good for your health if you eat it when you stay up late!"

Zhang Yu took the box, a warmth spreading through his heart: "Thank you. But you took a day off just to bring me candy?"

“Of course not!” Song Qian said seriously, “I’m here to learn! Director Zhang, I trained in Korea, dancing and singing for more than ten hours every day, but I always felt… something was missing. Later I realized that it was the ‘soul’ that was missing. Korea’s training system is very comprehensive, but it’s too mechanical, treating artists like commodities. But what I want to be is an ‘actor,’ a creator with a soul.”

She spoke with such depth, completely unlike a seventeen-year-old girl. Zhang Yu looked at her: "So what do you want to learn from me?"

"Learn how to find that 'soul'." Song Qian's eyes sparkled. "Director Zhang, I've seen 'Autumn Day' and I really liked it. Every character in it has a soul, and they're all memorable. I'd like to know, how did you do it?"

This is a very broad question. Zhang Yu thought for a moment: "Simply put, it's about treating the characters like real people. When writing the script, I write a short biography for each character—what they like, what they're afraid of, what they experienced in their childhood, and why they became who they are now. When filming, I talk to the actors about these things to help them understand the character's inner world."

"What if the actor doesn't understand?"

“Then explain it again and again, try it again and again, until you understand it,” Zhang Yu said. “Song Qian, acting is not a technical skill, it’s a skill that comes from the heart. You have to move yourself first before you can move the audience.”

Song Qian listened attentively, taking out a small notebook from her bag to take notes. Her earnestness reminded Zhang Yu of himself back then—full of passion for film and reverence for creation.

"Director Zhang," Song Qian finished taking notes and looked up at him, "I heard... Sister Chen Chen is in the hospital?"

"Yes, I'll be discharged tomorrow."

"Then...you must be very worried, right?" Song Qian said softly. "Director Zhang, although I don't know what happened between you and Sister Chen Chen, I think...you're a good person. Good people will be rewarded."

She spoke naively, but sincerely. Zhang Yu laughed: "How do you know I'm a good person?"

“I have a feeling,” Song Qian said confidently. “Director Zhang, I have a good eye for people. Although you sometimes seem cold, you have a warm heart. You are very responsible to every actor and take every scene seriously. A person like that can’t be a bad person.”

Zhang Yu looked at her, this seventeen-year-old girl, her eyes as clear as mountain spring water, untouched by the corruption of this industry. Her trust was pure and untainted.

“Song Qian,” he said softly, “this circle is very complicated. Don’t easily trust anyone, including me.”

“I know it’s complicated,” Song Qian nodded, “but I choose to trust my gut feeling. Director Zhang, I trust you.”

Her starlight mark was fully formed at this moment—a mixture of worship, trust, a pursuit of art, and a touch of a young girl's innocent affection.

Progress: 28.

Zhang Yu suddenly realized that this game might not only involve harm.

Perhaps, in the process, he can also truly help and empower some people.

---

Six o'clock in the evening.

That evening, while Zhang Yu was revising the script in his hotel room, the doorbell rang. Through the peephole, he saw Yang Mi standing outside.

She wasn't wearing makeup today, just a simple white T-shirt and gray sweatpants, her long hair loose, a stark contrast to her usual radiant self. But even without makeup, her features remained delicate, her skin fair, and she possessed a unique kind of pure innocence.

"Yang Mi?" Zhang Yu opened the door. "What's up?"

"Can we go inside and talk?" Yang Mi whispered. "It'll only take a few minutes."

Zhang Yu stepped aside to let her in. Yang Mi sat down on the sofa, took the water Zhang Yu offered, and took a big gulp.

"Director Zhang, I'd like to talk to you about something," she said, getting straight to the point. "It's about the contract with Huayi Brothers."

Zhang Yu raised an eyebrow: "How did you know?"

"Sister Li Bing contacted me," Yang Mi said. "Huayi Brothers wants to sign me, and they've offered good terms. But I want to know... will you sign?"

"Why do you ask?"

“Because if you sign, I will sign,” Yang Mi said directly. “If you don’t sign, I won’t sign either.”

Zhang Yu looked at her and said, "Yang Mi, this is your career. Don't make decisions because of me."

“No, this is my decision.” Yang Mi shook her head. “Director Zhang, I’m a very realistic person. I know what I want. I want to be famous, I want to succeed, and I want to gain a foothold in this industry. But I also know that it’s hard to go it alone. I need someone to guide me and support me.”

She paused, then continued, "You are the most talented director I have ever met, and also the director who understands actors the most. With you, I can learn, act well, and truly grow. No matter how good Huayi Brothers' resources are, they are all for naught without good directors and good scripts. So my choice is simple—wherever you go, I will go."

She spoke calmly, her words purely based on self-interest, but Zhang Yu sensed the trust in her voice.

“Yang Mi, Huayi Brothers’ contracts are very strict, and the penalties for breach of contract are very high,” Zhang Yu reminded her. “If you sign them, you’ll be tied down for the next five years.”

“I know,” Yang Mi nodded, “but high risk, high reward. And… I trust you. Director Zhang, you won’t let those who follow you suffer losses.”

This trust carries more weight than any flattery. Zhang Yu paused for a moment: "What if I said I might not sign with Huayi Brothers, but instead set up my own studio?"

Yang Mi's eyes lit up: "Then I want to follow you even more!"

"why?"