The producer cried, “Mr. Guo, don’t joke with me!”

Guo’s expression suddenly became serious. “I’m not joking with you! I’ll tell you what, you give me a chance, and no matter how it turns out, I’ll invest another 10 million!”

Producer: “Mr. Guo, it’s not a matter of money…”

While they were talking, the deputy director sneaked in and told Director Xie what happened.

Director Xie looked at the two men with an ugly expression. “What are you doing?”

When Guo Wenyuan came over, Director Xie was naturally very unhappy. For a big director like him, the demand for autonomy in filming was very high.

Given his status in the industry, he could totally ignore the fact that minority shareholders like Guo Wenyuan kept interfering.

The producer was sandwiched in the middle. He didn’t know how to explain it and felt that neither side treated him humane.

Guo Wenyuan, on the other hand, stepped up and shook Director Xie’s hand. “Director Xie, I’ve heard about you for a long time. I’ve always liked your movies, especially your movie ‘The River of Time’, which is my favorite movie.”

Director Xie, who was still angry, was stupefied for a moment. “You like ‘The Long River of Time’ ?”

Even the deputy director looked at Guo Wenyuan with surprise.

Director Xie had made a lot of films in his life, some of which achieved a very high box office, some entered the club of 100 million yuan, and some won awards, but few people knew that Director Xie’s favorite film was “The Long River of Time,” which he had made in his early years.

Director Xie frowned at the producer and said, “Did you tell him that?”

The producer couldn’t decide if he should cry or laugh. “What can I say? I didn’t know it was the best film in your mind before today.”

Indeed, Director Xie seldom talked about his films with others. Only his few partners who had worked with him for many years knew about it. However, Director Xie was confident that they would never talk about it.

It seemed that this Guo really liked “The Long River of Time”.

Director Xie’s expression slowly relaxed. Unexpectedly, the investor’s expression was still very confident.

Seeing this, Guo Wenyuan hurriedly said, “Please, don’t get me wrong. I came here purely to admire you. I would never tell you what to do. Don’t worry!”

Director Xie smiled and said deliberately, “It’s alright, you’re an investor, so it doesn’t matter if you have any opinions.”

“No, no, no, you misunderstood me. I just heard that your ‘Red Actress’ is auditioning here. So I was a little curious and came to have a look. If it’s inconvenient for you, I’ll leave right now.”

When Guo Wenyuan finished speaking, he was about to leave.

Director Xie winked to the deputy director, and the deputy director hurriedly came forward to hold Guo Wenyuan up. “Mr. Guo, if you want to watch the audition, I will arrange a seat for you, but I am afraid you will feel bored.”

As soon as Guo Wenyuan was pulled by him, he immediately turned back and said with a smile, “I won’t, I won’t. . . I like watching this.”

Deputy director: ”…” Couldn’t you at least hold on for another minute?

Guo Wenyuan repeatedly promised, “Director Xie, don’t worry. I’ll only take a look and won’t say another word.”

He was so sincere that the last hesitation in Director Xie’s heart dissipated, so they went back to the audition room, leaving only the ignorant producer behind.

Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

–

Guo Wenyuan entered the audition room, and as he had said, he sat there without saying a word.

Weng Tian didn’t recognize Guo Wenyuan, but as she saw him come in with Director Xie and the others, talking and laughing with Director Xie, she thought he was Director Xie’s friend, so she didn’t take him seriously.

Director Xie asked them to continue the interrupted audition.

In this scene starred Cheng Yanxin, the heroine, and Zhou Hanchen, the male lead. They were already in love with each other, but they couldn’t be together due to their identities. In order to protect Zhou Hanchen, Cheng Yanxin could only ask him to leave in a cold voice.

There weren’t many lines in this passage, but it was a very difficult one testing the eye expression and the facial expression.

When the assistant stood in position, Weng Tian closed her eyes and prepared for a few minutes. When she opened them again, there were tears in the corners of her eyes. She tried to control her body’s shaking, and said, “Go and don’t come again!”

The supporting actor stepped forward. “Cheng Yanxin!”

Weng Tian suddenly stepped back and said, “Don’t come here!” She raised her face, that was full of pain, but the tears didn’t roll from her eyes, “You know we can’t.”

The supporting actor wanted to add something, but Weng Tian had already closed the door. Then she slowly slid down as if she had her back against the wall, biting her lips stubbornly and refrained from whimpering. The tears that stayed in the corners of her eyes for a long time finally fell down.

The explosive power of this acting was very strong, especially the tears that didn’t fall, which almost ripped to pieces the hearts of all the people present.

Coupled with the fact that she was interrupted in the process of preparing, she still acted so steadily when she started over. She was worthy of being praised as the most talented actress of the new generation.

However, Director Xie was not as satisfied as before.  He seemed to be thinking about something and did not speak.

Weng Tian was originally very satisfied with her performance, but when she saw Director Xie’s expression, she was a bit flustered.

After a long time, Director Xie regained his mind, and said lightly, “Try another one, just before Cheng Yanxin dies, the later one.”

This section was not in the audition script sent to the actors before. The deputy director could only flip through the script on the spot to find the section, and then give the script to Weng Tian.

Director Xie said, “You can go to the next room to prepare for half an hour. Is that enough?”

Weng Tian was ready for the director’s question in advance and nodded at once. “It’s enough.”

Director Xie lead her to the room, and then said to the deputy director, “Next!”

After three or four auditions in a row, Director Xie was still not satisfied. He was already a bit older and a bit impatient, so he asked the deputy director to suspend the audition.

The deputy director filled the cup with hot water for him and put it on the table. Looking back, he saw Guo Wenyuan holding a thermos cup of the same type and drinking wolfberry tea in a manner no different from that of an old man in the park.

Deputy director: ”…”

When Director Xie saw that the deputy director froze, he turned his head around and saw Guo Wenyuan. It was only then that he remembered that he had left the investor on the sidelines for half an hour.

Although Director Xie disliked the guidance of external investors, he had after all been in the film circle for so many years. He didn’t want to annoy the investor and had to do some face-to-face work at the very least.

So he turned his head and asked Guo Wenyuan with a smile, “Is Mr. Guo bored?”

Guo Wenyuan shook his head, “No, I think it’s interesting.”

Director Xie: “…”

Director Xie could not tell whether Guo Wenyuan was telling the truth or not. He could only ask again, “Does Mr. Guo have any opinions? We can always talk about them.”

Guo Wenyuan looked at him with surprise. “May I say them?” Without waiting for Director Xie’s reply, who had only said it out of courtesy, he gladly went on by himself, “Then I’ll just say a few words.”

Director Xie: “…”

However, it was not easy for Director Xie, who was the one to spill the water with his own words, to make him shut up. Anyway, he would only be talking nonsense.

Guo Wenyuan straightened his back and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, looking like he was preparing to work hard.

“Take the scene in which the leading actors face each other, for example. The crying scenes of these actresses are all very good, but in this scene, crying is the least important thing.”

As soon as he said this, Director Xie, who wasn’t paying attention to him, got somewhat interested. “Go on.”

Guo Wenyuan was not polite either. “I haven’t read the script, but I have read the book ‘Red Actress’. For Cheng Yanxin, the most painful thing is not to be separated from Zhou Hanchen, but to know that this separation is their farewell. Since she decided to use her identity to help in the Anti Japanese War, she was ready for a sacrifice.”

“Her tears are to mourn this fruitless relationship, but her eyes should not be like this. Such a love affair can belong to any woman, but it should not belong to Cheng Yanxin.”

When Guo Wenyuan finished speaking, the staff at the scene froze, and even the producers who knew him from before could not believe that it was him who said it.

On the contrary, Director Xie not only smiled, but even clapped slowly.

Guo Wenyuan was still not satisfied. “Of course, in addition to the actress, the performance of the supporting role is also a little pompous…”

Deputy director in charge of supporting the performance: “…”

Seeing Guo Wenyuan continue speaking, the deputy director couldn’t help but say, “Mr. Guo, you seem to know a lot about acting. Why don’t you go up and try it later?”

Director Xie: “Xiao Chen!”

Unexpectedly, when Guo Wenyuan heard him, he not only was not angry, but even showed a look of surprise. “Really? Then I will not be polite.”

Deputy director: ”…”

Wait, that’s not how the script goes!!

He thought vaguely of the scene when Guo Wenyuan was invited to come in to watch the audition. It made him feel that he had been set up.

Guo Wenyuan didn’t give him any chance to back off on his promise. He went to the scene and took the script. He sat back on his chair and began to go through it carefully.

The deputy director looked at Director Xie with an aggrieved look and Director Xie pressed his forehead, feeling that today’s audition process was almost magical, but it was proposed by his own people, so he had no choice but to acquiesce.

Anyway, it was just an audition. It should…. still be alright?

The deputy director was deprived of the opportunity to assist, and went next door to call Weng Tian over.

Weng Tian walked in and found that the cast assistant had been changed, so she was stunned for a moment.

The other side seemed to have entered the role. “Xiao Chen, please call the start.”

Deputy director: ”…”

Weng Tian felt somewhat inexplicable, but at this moment she couldn’t bear to think any more. She recalled the lines she had just memorized, and then entered the role with her eyes closed.

The moment she closed her eyes, Guo Wenyuan, who was standing opposite her, seemed to become a different person suddenly.

His originally straight body bent slightly, his knees were also bent slightly, hands clasped on the chest, a humble smile on his face. Even though he was dressed in a suit, in everyone’s eyes he became the living image of an old housekeeper.

Director Xie’s expression couldn’t help getting a bit more serious.

Weng Tian opened her eyes and was almost frightened by Guo Wenyuan, but fortunately, she adjusted just in time.

“Uncle Chang, it’s up to you to distribute what’s in my jewelry box. If anyone likes anything in this courtyard, they may take it. The rest will be burned.”

Hearing her say this, Uncle Chang’s back seemed to become a little more hunched. He answered softly, “Uh.”

“This house cost five hundred dollars to buy at first. Please, find a firm to sell it. The money you sell it for will be given to you for your old age.”

Uncle Chang’s body trembled slightly as he answered, “Ah.”

It was just a little softer than before, as if he was suppressing something.

“I’ve kept all the flowers and plants in this yard for so many years, and now I can no longer take care of them. If someone wants them, give them away. If no one wants them, bury them in front of my grave in the future…”

“Bah, bah, bah!” Uncle Chang hurriedly raised his head, his eyes red, his lips shaking, and like every superstitious old man, he murmured, “No, taboo, no, taboo…”

While speaking, he folded his hands and worshipped with a hurried expression, for fear that the gods and Buddha in the sky would blame them.

“Uncle Chang!”

Uncle Chang stopped his Buddha worship and reluctantly smiled at her with a smile that was even uglier than crying. “The young lady is still a child….”

At the end of this audition, both of them returned to normal.

But for the rest of the audience, it was exciting.

Not mentioning that Guo Wenyuan’s performance was so brilliant, that it almost brought them into the scene, they even noticed that Chang Shu was a native of Dongjiang and spoke in a Dongjiang dialect.

At the beginning, the deputy director who was trying to hold back was speechless. After all, the other’s performance was really above his.

Director Xie looked at Guo Wenyuan thoughtfully. “Your acting is really like that of an old friend of mine.”

Guo Wenyuan took his time and replied happily, “Director Xie’s friend, must be an actor with excellent acting skills. I’ll take it as a compliment.”

“Hmm,” Director Xie said faintly. “This thick skin is even more like him.”

Guo Wenyuan: “…”

Edited by : LuLu

Proofreader: Taalia

Support translation: