msmithbooks Chapter 136 That sound, that momentum, that penetrating power
Chapter 136 That sound, that momentum, that penetrating power
"Alright, Teacher Hua, you're busy now."
Shen Li escaped from Hua Fengyi's dormitory almost simultaneously.
As I ran down the stairs, I could still feel my heart pounding wildly.
The lingering sensation of Hua Fengyi's fingers seemed to remain on her chin—warm, soft yet firm, like they had hooks attached to it.
The teachers at Beijing Film Academy are all incredibly charismatic.
Teacher Meng is the "practice-oriented" type, Teacher Du is the "professional and rigorous" type, Mu Yuan is the "gentle but firm" type, Teacher Qin is the "smiling but ruthless" type, and what about Hua Fengyi?
Hua Fengyi is a "practice-oriented" teacher... She personally teaches, step by step, and her teaching method is simple and straightforward but has explosive results.
Shen Li touched her chin, and her lips twitched.
To be honest, Hua Fengyi's demonstration of "looking me in the eyes" just now, although it scared him quite a bit, was indeed very insightful.
Lanxiu's coldness is "smilingly telling you to step back," not "sternly telling you to get lost."
"I've learned something new," Shen Li muttered to herself as she ran toward the experimental theater.
The experimental small theater is located in the southeast corner of the school. It is a rather old building with red brick walls, a pointed roof, and a faded sign hanging at the entrance, making it look like a theater from the Republican era.
The drama club and the acting department usually hold all kinds of rehearsals and performances here.
When Shen Li arrived, the backstage corridor was in a mess. Several students in costumes rushed by, carrying prop swords and wigs, their wigs askew.
The door to the dressing room was half-open, and the buzzing of a hair dryer and the urging of the makeup artist could be heard from inside.
He found the dressing room Hua Fengyi had mentioned, and following orders, without knocking, he squatted down and slipped the brown paper envelope under the door.
Just as I straightened up to leave, the door was suddenly pulled open with a "whoosh".
A bald man poked his head out; his head was shiny, like a freshly peeled boiled egg.
He had a small mustache and wore a wrinkled director's vest with pockets bulging with pens, scripts, and walkie-talkies.
His brows were furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly, and his eyes were as irritable as a bear that had just been woken up.
"Delivering a script?" The bald man looked Shen Li up and down, his tone unfriendly.
"Yes, yes, Director Zhou, Teacher Hua asked me to submit my script revision suggestions." Shen Li quickly put on an innocent smile.
Director Zhou snorted, bent down to pick up the envelope, and glanced at the documents inside.
Then his brows furrowed even more, but the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, revealing an expression that was hard to tell whether he was crying or laughing.
"That woman, she's changed my script again."
He muttered something, but there was an indescribable complexity in his tone.
"Are you Hua Fengyi's student?"
Shen Li's eyes darted around, and countless thoughts flashed through her mind.
Director Zhou? This bald guy has a fiery temper, and the fact that he refers to Hua Fengyi as "this woman" suggests their relationship is more than just friendship...
They are either old acquaintances or have had conflicts, or they are both old acquaintances and have had conflicts.
Hua Fengyi left the entertainment industry to stay at the university before graduating. Could Director Zhou know something about this?
"Yes, yes, students in Teacher Hua's dialogue class."
Shen Li put on an innocent smile and spoke in a humble tone like a model student, "Director Zhou, you're busy, I'll be leaving now."
"etc."
Director Zhou stuffed the documents into his vest pocket, his hot-tempered eyes sizing up Shen Li.
"His appearance is alright. Can he act?"
Shen Li was taken aback: "I...I know a little. I'm a freshman in the acting department, and I just started learning."
"Freshman year?"
Director Zhou's brows furrowed even more, but quickly relaxed again.
"Freshman year is great, it's cheap. There's a play the day after tomorrow, and we need a supporting actor to play the younger version of the male lead in my play. It's not much, just two scenes, with lines. One is running in the rain, and the other is crying in front of a mirror. Can you take the role?"
Shen Li's mind went blank.
Supporting role! Has lines! Two scenes! Directed by Director Zhou himself!
What the hell is this? A pie falling from the sky? No, it's a Manchu Han Imperial Feast falling from the sky! And it's free!
But Shen Li quickly calmed down.
There's no such thing as a free lunch in this industry.
Why did Director Zhou contact me? Was it because he was Hua Fengyi's student? Or because I helped deliver a document?
This is too hasty...it doesn't make sense...
"Director Zhou, your film..."
Shen Li asked tentatively, her face still bearing that憨厚 smile, but her mind was racing.
"What type? What role? What preparations do I need to make?"
"Art film".
Director Zhou's words were concise and to the point.
"The character is a rebellious teenager who has fallen out with his family and run away from home. All you need to do is... don't put on airs. Cry when you need to, run when you need to. If you act well, you'll get a raise; if you don't, you're fired."
He added, "By the way, the pay isn't high, 800 for both scenes. You decide for yourself."
Eight hundred!
Shen Li immediately started calculating in her mind.
His bank account balance has just broken four figures. "LiliRun" is still in the internal testing phase and has not yet started to make a profit. Although proxy ordering and flash delivery are stable, they are slow to generate income.
Eight hundred yuan isn't a lot, but every little bit helps.
More importantly... this is a film directed by Zhou.
He didn't know Director Zhou well, but Hua Fengyi was willing to help him revise the script, which meant that he was at least somewhat capable.
If you get in touch with a director like that, wouldn't your career path in the film and television industry become much wider?
"Director Zhou, I'll take it." Shen Li said without hesitation. "What time the day after tomorrow? Where?"
Director Zhou pulled a crumpled business card from his vest pocket and slapped it into Shen Li's hand:
"The address is on the fly. Be there promptly at 2 PM the day after tomorrow. If you're even one minute late, I'll replace you."
After saying that, she turned around and went back to the dressing room, slamming the door shut.
Shen Li looked down at the business card...
Zhou Tie, independent director.
Below is a phone number and an address in Area C of the film studio.
Eight hundred dollars, two scenes, supporting role in an art film.
This is the first step for Shen Li to evolve from a "pool background character" to a "supporting role with lines"!
However... Shen Li's mind was still racing with calculations.
It's still strange. Hua Fengyi. Zhou Tie. Script revision. Leaving the entertainment industry to stay at the university.
These keywords collided and pieced together in Shen Li's mind, vaguely revealing the flavor of old stories.
Hua Fengyi suddenly retired from the entertainment industry just before graduation. Mu Yuan said in his film history class, "Due to personal reasons, I cannot say more." Dai Xiao looked up information and said that a director had a falling out with the school... Could that director be Zhou Tie?
The more Shen Li thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
Hua Fengyi retired from the entertainment industry, and Zhou Tie had a falling out; there must be a story between these two.
The fact that Hua Fengyi is now helping Zhou Tie revise the script shows that the two have at least not fallen out... and may even still be in contact.
There's hope!
Feeling smug and gossiping, Shen Li emerged from the experimental mini-theater.
The dim yellow light from the streetlights on campus, like diluted egg yolk, spilled onto the cement road, casting long shadows.
A cool evening breeze blew, carrying the unique floral fragrance of autumn, mixed with the lingering smell of cooking oil from the canteen—a truly complex and refreshing experience.
He strolled back to his dormitory with his hands in his pockets, still pondering the matter of Zhou Tie's business card from earlier.
A fierce argument erupted from the fork in the road ahead. The sound, the intensity, the penetrating power—it was like two loudspeakers blasting at each other; it could be heard clearly within a radius of fifty meters.