The next day, Liu Rulan took Xiao He to see Director Yan.
This is an ancient-style film and television base on the outskirts of Beijing. Everywhere there are antique buildings and pavilions. Even the people walking on the road are mostly dressed in elegant ancient costumes. Every now and then, tricycles loaded with equipment and props pass through the crowd. Xiao He and Liu Rulan walk among the crowd and feel a strange sense of traveling through time.
Because the production team was ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ still in the preparation stage, the location was in a semi-abandoned state when they arrived at the film set.
Several prop masters were setting up the props, while a young man in a plaid shirt with rolled-up sleeves stood on a platform, holding a megaphone and directing: "A little to the left, yes, a little to the right, no, no, a little to the left—"
Xiao He and Liu Rulan did not interrupt rashly, but waited on the side for the young man to direct the prop masters.
Finally, the props were placed in the right positions, and everyone on site breathed a sigh of relief.
Xiao He was exhausted from watching, and when he saw that it was finally over, he quickly went over to Liu Rulan and said, "Hello, Director Yan, we were recommended by Director Zhuang."
Yan Shaohan looked at the two of them, then coughed lightly, ruffled his hair, and jumped off the platform in what he thought was a very cool way. He landed in front of them, one leg apart and the other straight, and said in a tone of feigned maturity and magnetism, "Oh, it's you two. I've been waiting for you for a long time. Teacher Zhuang already told me in advance that you are very welcome to my film set."
Xiao He: ...Where did this delusional teenager come from?
Liu Rulan: ...Is this guy reliable for making TV shows?
As a professional, Xiao He maintained his smile, while Liu Rulan quickly picked up the conversation: "Before coming here, I heard that Director Yan was young and promising with outstanding abilities. Now that I see him, he is indeed a very talented person in all aspects. He is really amazing!"
Xiao He chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, I really love Director Yan's work, 'Yu Ye.' I wonder when Director Yan will update the comic? As your reader, I'm really anxious!"
Yan Shaohan was initially in a good mood after hearing Liu Rulan's praise, but his face fell when he heard Xiao He urging him to update the story. He coughed lightly, pretending not to care, "...Ahem, let's not rush this."
Oh no, another one is here to urge for more updates!
Seeing this, Liu Rulan quickly spoke up for Yan Shaohan: "Director Yan is busy with filming, so it's normal for updates to be a little slow—"
At the same time, she raised her elbow and subtly bumped Xiao He.
Xiao He: "..."
Okay, okay, I won't say anything.
Fortunately, Yan Shaohan didn't take it to heart. He still retained the innocence of a college student, remembering bad things quickly but forgetting them just as fast. After Liu Rulan changed the subject, he immediately began to talk endlessly about his own experiences.
Xiao He: ...So active, so eager to share, does this guy never get tired?
Compared to Xiao He's secretly hidden urge to complain, Liu Rulan was much more proactive, acting as a good listener while subtly guiding Yan Shaohan's conversation towards the filming of "Yu Ye".
Yan Shaohan rambled on and on, completely excited, before finally turning to Xiao He to observe his appearance: "Hmm, his looks are perfect, but as for his demeanor—"
Xiao He clenched his fist imperceptibly.
Before leaving the house, he even gave himself a mental pep talk in front of the mirror to make himself look younger and more energetic.
I wonder what the effect will be...
"The vibe suits her perfectly!"
Yan Shaohan nodded in satisfaction, then stroked his chin: "It's just that when I look at you, I feel like you look familiar..."
Xiao He pointed out: "My most recent works are Shen Jue in The Thief Catcher and Meng Zetian in Hidden Stars."
Yan Shaohan suddenly remembered and looked at Xiao He with shock: "Ah, oh right! So it was you who played Shen Jue! Awesome, buddy! I thought you were a really fierce person in real life, but now that I see you, you're actually quite friendly and normal! I almost didn't recognize you!"
Xiao He: "...Yes, that's me."
Take this as a compliment.
"Then I don't need to worry at all. Yin Qi has a lot of action scenes. If filming starts later, we'll all be counting on you!" Yan Shaohan immediately patted Xiao He on the shoulder, acting like best buddies with him. "Can I get your autograph later? Oh no, I'd prefer a photo too! I can post it on my WeChat Moments later!"
Xiao He: "Okay."
What was supposed to be a serious audition ended very hastily.
I originally thought that at least we would go through the normal audition process and act out a few scenes, but I didn't expect that Yan Shaohan would be so easy to talk to. He didn't even go through the process and directly asked Xiao He and Liu Rulan to prepare to sign the contract.
After everything was settled, Yan Shaohan warmly invited Xiao He and Liu Rulan to have lunch in the next district: "I've been looking forward to that popular restaurant next door for a long time! If you're interested, you can go check it out together! You can pet cats while eating steak! It's super fun."
Xiao He: ? If that's really the case, the restaurant must be covered in cat hair, right?
Xiao He suddenly felt a tickle in his nose.
He also likes cats and dogs, but he's a bit of a germaphobe, so he doesn't force himself to participate.
Xiao He: "I'm sorry, Director Yan, we're not available at noon today."
Liu Rulan also politely declined, saying, "Thank you for the invitation, Director Yan, but let's call it a day. Xiao He's flight is this afternoon, and we need to prepare to return to Shanghai."
"I see—"
Yan Shaohan was a little disappointed, but he quickly recovered and promised, "Then next time. There are quite a few interesting restaurants and photo spots in Shanghai. I'll go and check them out when I have the chance."
“Okay, Sister Liu and I welcome Director Yan to come anytime...”
After leaving the film set, Xiao He finally breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
I never expected that Director Yan would be this kind of person... To be honest, he's really unreliable—more unreliable than any of the directors Xiao He had met before.
"Sister Liu, is this guy capable?"
Xiao He expressed his concerns.
In recent years, nine out of ten manga adaptations have failed miserably, with almost none succeeding. If "Sumi" is not well-made, not only will no one else be able to help, but even the manga author himself will not be able to do anything about it, and netizens will have to criticize it.
Xiao He was initially quite excited, but now, seeing the director, he felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him.
Liu Rulan was not as worried as Xiao He: "Don't worry, Director Zhuang is the producer of this drama. Even if Yan Shaohan is not capable, Director Zhuang is there to guarantee that it won't be too bad."
However, Liu Rulan had said these words several times already, and it was unclear whether she was comforting Xiao He or convincing herself.
Xiao He sighed, "Alright, we can only trust him for now."
The character Yin Qi is truly captivating, and it presents a completely new challenge for him. If Xiao He were to give up now, he would certainly be unwilling to do so.
What else can we do? We can only grit our teeth and keep acting, hoping that Yan Shaohan isn't really as unreliable as he seems.
