Time flies, and it's already the last few days of February.
Xiao He has successfully marinated himself.
Even when eating at the company, he would subconsciously adjust his sleeves before picking up his chopsticks to prevent them from scratching the table.
After realizing he was wearing modern clothes, Xiao He would give a helpless laugh.
Liu Rulan glanced at it and teased from the side, "Oh, whose ancient-style young man has come out?"
Xiao He:...
Don't talk about it, don't talk about it.
-
Overall, the intensive training was quite effective. If Xiao He's ancient costumes used to have a touch of the roguishness of a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person from the martial arts world), then now he truly looks like a young master from a prestigious family, exuding arrogance.
Able to fight on the battlefield and write with passion when at rest, this is the demeanor of a distinguished family.
Although she had been jokingly saying that Xiao He had turned into a young man in ancient style, Liu Rulan was still momentarily stunned when she saw him dressed in ancient costume with full makeup and hair.
The spirited young men of yesteryear have vanished; now standing before them are refined and elegant scholars.
That completely different aura was truly astonishing.
Liu Rulan circled around Xiao He, then a hint of regret appeared on her face: "It's a pity that Emperor Chen is not a true scholar. With your temperament, you are more suited to playing the role of a behind-the-scenes strategist in historical dramas."
Ideally, the character should be a powerful minister who secretly plots and seeks revenge behind the scenes.
He appears refined and dignified, with an elegant demeanor, but in reality, he is cunning and manipulative, a master of intrigue and manipulation, a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Tsk tsk, what a pity, what a pity.
Liu Rulan immediately took a picture: "Remember this, I'll help you look for it later."
Xiao He sighed helplessly, "Sister Liu, you really are a woman of action."
However, after thinking about it, he did not refuse: "It's not bad to look for roles in advance. If I fail the audition for 'The Imperial Empire,' I can immediately turn around and join another production to save face."
Since they're all period dramas and political intrigues anyway, and he's trained so hard for so long, he might as well take the role.
Liu Rulan immediately rolled her eyes: "Then don't even think about it. This audition is a do-or-die situation."
"Otherwise, just wait and see how the winner mocks you!"
The audition process for "The Imperial Empire" has now entered a heated phase, with tomorrow being the final audition day, and almost everyone is paying close attention to it.
Sure enough, just a few days after resuming work, news about the auditions for "The Imperial Empire" has spread like wildfire, and the list of candidates has become a hot topic of conversation among netizens.
Although the news of the audition for "The Imperial Empire" was deliberately leaked by them to trick Yun Ziqi, it is truly unexpected that it has attracted so much attention.
What was even more unexpected was that, apart from Yun Ziqi, others were also fighting tooth and nail for this spot, with a marketing campaign every day and a scandal reversal every two days, it was practically a chaotic battle within the industry.
The operations department, having just returned to work, had no time to adjust before getting busy helping Xiao He fend off wave after wave of public criticism.
That's absolutely terrifying.
Liu Rulan believed that if Xiao He failed the audition, countless marketing accounts would immediately emerge to ridicule him.
After all, Xiao He's journey has been remarkably smooth, and there must be many people secretly resenting him.
Xiao He slightly raised his neck, letting the stylist adjust his collar. Hearing Liu Rulan's words, he sighed helplessly, "I can only say that I will do my best. If it doesn't work, I will go abroad for a few days to avoid the storm."
He was referring to "Ford v Ferrari 7," which was released during the Qingming Festival in April.
The spring season is a regular release window for many Hollywood blockbusters. This period generally corresponds to the time around the Qingming Festival in China. However, that period is also the time when many domestic films finish the Spring Festival and prepare to build up their strength for the May Day holiday. There are fewer top domestic films, and most of them are imported films filling the gap.
Therefore, many people will find that a lot of imported films are released during the Qingming Festival and even throughout April, and for several years the box office champion of the Qingming Festival has been an imported film.
This time, Fortuna F.R. 7 is no exception. In order to show its importance to the domestic market, they chose to release the film globally at the same time as the Qingming Festival in China, so that audiences at home and abroad can watch the film at the same time.
As a key figure in bringing "Ford v Ferrari 7" to the domestic market, it is natural for Xiao He to make a trip abroad to participate in a global tour.
As early as during the Spring Festival, Jamie's assistant made a special phone call to Xiao He to wish him a happy Spring Festival and invite him to participate in the promotional activities at the end of March.
To be honest, their crew's attitude was incredibly good, almost unlike an all-white production team. They have always valued and treated the Chinese market fairly, without doing anything that would make people uncomfortable.
Perhaps this is why Xiao He was willing to make the trip to overseas promotional events.
Speaking of going abroad—
Liu Rulan hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Did Mr. Jamies say anything else during your last phone call?"
Hmm, I don't think so.
Xiao He pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Director Tannis is getting old, his health has always been poor, and his output has gradually slowed down, so I really don't know if they have any other work arrangements later."
Although connecting with an internationally renowned director like Tannis was indeed exciting, after traveling abroad and considering the current global situation, Xiao He really didn't dare to accept invitations from those directors.
Upon hearing this, Liu Rulan could only sigh: "Who could have imagined it would turn out like this? Since they haven't said anything, let's leave it at that for now and focus on the domestic situation."
Who would have thought?
People used to rush out into the world, but now they feel they can support themselves better in China.
During this sensitive period, Liu Rulan did not want Xiao He to become a victim of political oppression.
Instead, she was somewhat worried. She was concerned that Xiao He might encounter trouble abroad, and she was also worried that he might get too close to those celebrities, and if something happened, he might get dragged into the mess by those foreigners.
Xiao He was unaware of Liu Da's worries. After straightening his clothes, he followed the photographer to the photo studio for a photoshoot.
"Sister Liu, please remember to draw lots for me and arrange the audition time for tomorrow."
"All right."
Liu Rulan pulled herself out of her thoughts and stopped worrying about those issues. Instead, she contacted Qiu Zhenlong's assistant to confirm the detailed audition time.
...
The next day, the auditions for the final male lead of "The Imperial Empire" officially began.
The audition was held at an art center in Beijing.
Located in the central district, this art center displays calligraphy, paintings, and video works year-round. It doesn't have many visitors on weekdays and is often used by film crews for auditions and readings. The space is spacious and elegant, with a strong professional atmosphere and a strong artistic vibe. As soon as Xiao He stepped into the center, he was greeted by the faint scent of ink.
As the most important hall on the first floor, it is now filled with calligraphy and paintings by literati, including many genuine antiques.
In particular, next to the spot that everyone inevitably passes when going up the revolving building, there is a piece of calligraphy on display at this moment. Its strong presence made Xiao He see it at a glance.
The characters were powerful and vigorous, with rich and deep ink, exuding an overwhelming aura. They were imposing and dignified, filled with the ambition and unrestrained spirit of an emperor.
With just one glance, Xiao He was inexplicably ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ convinced that this was an authentic work left behind by Emperor Chen.
—This is not a copy, not an imitation; it is an original piece written by the author himself and passed down to this day.
After practicing for a while, Xiao He has gained a deeper understanding of this emperor, and even his everyday handwriting has taken on a touch of the emperor's style.
He had also meticulously recreated the images of the authentic calligraphy and paintings circulating online, making it seem as if, at that moment, he had truly achieved a cross-temporal communication with Emperor Chen.
Xiao He couldn't help but be drawn in and walked to the display case to examine it carefully.
Papermaking technology existed in that era, eliminating the need for cumbersome bamboo slips or silk scrolls. As a result, the emperor's authentic works were easier to preserve and had high collection and exhibition value. Works by successful emperors like Emperor Chen, which are imbued with rich historical significance, are the top choice for many calligraphy enthusiasts and antique collectors both at home and abroad. It is no exaggeration to call them priceless treasures.
However, Xiao He had never paid attention to this field before and was a complete outsider. He didn't know how many of Emperor Chen's original works still existed, or which collector or museum owned this work, or why it was here. He just subconsciously felt that the calligraphy in front of him was very shocking.
Even someone like him, who doesn't study calligraphy much, can intuitively feel the spirit and arrogance of an emperor from that era just by standing here.
Even the lights shining on both sides made the words on it appear even more distant and high above.
