Chapter 225: The Four Great Masters

They walked into the Literature Department office, and Jiang Huaiyan was right there.

"Little Wei, welcome, welcome! How should we address this one?" He immediately recognized Zhu Lin as the figure from yesterday's poster—unexpectedly more beautiful than in the image, though slightly older than Little Wei.

"Director Jiang, hello, I'm Zhu Lin," Linjie introduced herself, having heard she once starred in Xiyingchang's The Traitor and was highly satisfied.

Then she learned Zhu Lin was an amateur actress currently working in drug testing at a research institute, and was greatly surprised.

Noticing Jiang Huaiyan's expression, Wei Ming quickly added: "Although Comrade Zhu Lin isn't a professional actress, she plans to enroll in the Film Academy's amateur acting class and has exceptional talent—she previously worked in dance at the Cultural Troupe."

"Oh, I don't have any objection to amateurs," Jiang Huaiyan said, "Coincidentally, our director specifically wants an amateur actress."

"Ah!" The couple exchanged glances—how coincidental!

Jiang Huaiyan added: "May I ask Comrade Zhu Lin's age?"

Zhu Lin glanced at Wei Ming: "Twenty-eight."

Though Wei Ming already knew, hearing her say it aloud in front of her lover still stung—my life began before yours, but when you were born, I was already old.

Had it not been for this age gap, she would have long ago invited Xiao Hong and the others to dinner and made them call her sister-in-law.

Jiang Huaiyan sighed: "The age is suitable."

Wei Ming hurriedly asked: "Director Jiang, which director's new film is this?"

"It's Shui Hua's new work."

Hearing it was Shui Hua, Zhu Lin's expression changed—this was the famed director of The White-Haired Girl, The Lin Family Shop, and Eternal Life in the Flames, one of Beiyingchang's Four Great Masters!

Zhu Lin and her parents and sister had watched these few classics countless times.

But those were all Shui Hua's works from the 1950s and 60s—he produced nothing for over a decade. He finally made West Sands Children a few years ago, nearly finished, only for policy changes to bury it completely—also Zhu Shimao's big-screen debut.

Hearing Jiang Huaiyan mention Shui Hua's new film, Wei Ming knew exactly which one—it was among the director's most representative works in his later career.

Jiang Huaiyan told them: "It's based on Lu Xun's story A Tragedy of Life, in commemoration of his centenary next year."

Wei Ming nodded—Lu Xun was born in 1881; meanwhile, Shangyingchang had chosen The True Story of Ah Q for adaptation, directed by Xia Meng's ex-boyfriend Cen Fan, with Yan Shunkai as the male lead.

"The male lead, Juan Sheng, is tentatively cast as Wang Xinggang from Bayi Studio; the female lead, Zi Jun, remains undecided."

Wang Xinggang was also one of New China's Twenty-Two Great Movie Stars and had collaborated with Shui Hua on Eternal Life in the Flames—he was nearly fifty, too old.

Jiang Huaiyan asked Zhu Lin: "Have you read A Tragedy of Life?"

Zhu Lin nodded. Though not among Lu Xun's most famous stories, she had read it—it was his only love story, and short, barely over ten thousand characters.

But Wang Xinggang was nothing like the Juan Sheng she imagined while reading—the age difference was too great.

Jiang Huaiyan added: "Shui Hua actually had a preferred actress in mind—Lin Ying, who previously worked with him on Eternal Life in the Flames. But factory leadership, including Director Wang, all felt she was unsuitable."

Lin Ying wasn't really a professional actress either—she graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music and was once a figure skater; both her parents had been professors at Yenching University.

Born into an intellectual family, herself a college graduate, she carried the scholarly aura of an intellectual—that was precisely why Shui Hua chose her.

But the problem was Lin Ying was nine years older than Zhu Lin—nearly forty now.

Yet Zi Jun was a progressive, liberated college student, no older than twenty at the start, and no more than thirty when she died.

The age gap between these two leads was wildly inappropriate for the story, and became a major point of controversy after the film's release.

Wei Ming asked: "Are there other contenders for the female lead?"

Jiang Huaiyan said: "Many in the factory favor Fang Shu—she's twenty-three, closer to Zi Jun's age—but she's too young compared to Wang Xinggang; they look more like father and daughter than lovers."

That's why Jiang Huaiyan, upon seeing Zhu Lin's photo on the street, thought to try her.

Perhaps that's also why Shui Hua wanted Lin Ying—both leads being middle-aged made their chemistry less jarring.

But that wasn't Wei Ming's concern. Though he didn't think this film would be hugely successful, the industry still respected it—it won many awards. What was there to complain about for a newcomer getting such an opportunity?

The key now was whether she could land the female lead.

Wei Ming asked: "When can Comrade Zhu Lin meet Director Shui Hua?"

Jiang Huaiyan: "Not today—he's not at the factory. Here's what we'll do: you've got a phone at home, right? When you're free, I'll call you, and you can meet the director. Use the time to prepare well."

Wei Ming asked again: "Has the script been published?"

Jiang Huaiyan pulled out a copy of Film Creation: "You can take this to read. But Shui Hua often changes scenes and scripts on a whim—re-shooting from scratch."

Wei Ming knew this well—it was one reason Shui Hua's output was so limited; he'd been criticized for wasting state resources.

After leaving Beiyingchang, Wei Ming took Linjie straight to the Overseas Chinese Apartment to analyze the script and rehearse with her.

Both had read the novel—it told, in the first-person monologue of Juan Sheng, how he and Zi Jun defied feudal barriers to pursue marital freedom, built a home, but ultimately one was wounded and the other died—a failed love story.

The screenplay faithfully adapted the original, expanding the ten-thousand-character novel with domestic details, still dominated by the male lead's inner monologues—a highly lyrical, prose-like narrative.

Due to her family background, Zhu Lin's temperament closely matched Zi Jun's, and she understood Zi Jun's choices.

To Zi Jun, Juan Sheng was the pioneer of liberation—she frequently visited him, listened to his talks on new culture, new morality, new ideas, and from admiration turned to love, willing to defy her parents and live with him without marriage.

After all, they shared the same ideals.

So after committing to Wei Ming, she gave herself completely to him—even without marriage or a promise—and she had no regrets. Who could resist such a young man?

But now, rereading the story, Zi Jun's failure and death gave Zhu Lin profound insight.

When Juan Sheng lost his job, their income vanished. Zi Jun grew increasingly despised by him, eventually ate the chicken she'd raised, released her beloved dog, was abandoned by him to her parents, and died of depression.

The tragedy stemmed largely from her seeing Juan Sheng as her only world, tying her entire being to one man, lacking any means of self-sustenance, and lacking inner strength.

She looked at the script, then at Wei Ming—this man was good, but she couldn't become like Zi Jun, sinking too deep.

But not sinking deep… wasn't satisfying!

Wei Ming: "How's your reading going? Shall we try a scene?"

"Sure, go ahead," Zhu Lin said. She'd trained with Wei Ming for a long time and was confident.

But the moment she spoke, Wei Ming stopped her.

"Your delivery feels wrong—not like a 1920s Peking University student. Too casual. Think of similar characters from period works you've seen."

"I think students back then all wore scarves," Zhu Lin thought.

Wei Ming smiled: "You're thinking of The Song of Youth."

He pulled out his winter scarf. Zhu Lin immediately felt like Lin Daojing—she had the very spirit of the May Fourth youth.

Wei Ming had seen the film version of A Tragedy of Life and knew exactly what Shui Hua wanted—he guided Zhu Lin directly toward that vision.

And Zhu Lin was younger and more beautiful than the original lead, Lin Ying—her chances were still good.

Zhu Lin herself felt she was improving, and grew even more grateful to Wei Ming.

"Juan Sheng~"

Linjie would use rehearsals to give Wei Ming little kisses—yet when he tried to go further, she'd pull away with "We're rehearsing."

By dinnertime, Wei Ming said: "Let's go out to eat. Afterward, I'll take you home."

Zhu Lin: "Can we practice again tomorrow?"

"Of course. Your performance isn't good enough—we must seize every moment."

Just as Zhu Lin put down the scarf and they were about to leave, the door opened.

Wei Hong turned the key; Yunyun carried a vegetable basket. Their eyes met—awkward silence.

Wei Ming spoke first, calm: "You two are home early today?"

Wei Hong stammered: "Y-yes."

Yunyun added: "We wanted to cook dinner for Brother."

Wei Ming opened the door wider: "Perfect. Cook then—we won't go out."

Wei Ming looked at Zhu Lin, inviting her to stay.

Zhu Lin understood, smiling: "Then we'll be a bother."

Wei Hong longed to ask: What was Brother doing with this beautiful woman during work hours?

Wei Ming explained directly through conversation: "They're cooking—let's go over our lines again. Time is short."

Zhu Lin: "Alright."

"What lines?" Wei Hong asked quickly.

"Oh," Wei Ming said, "Beiyingchang reached out to me about inviting Linjie to audition for the female lead in a film. She's competing with other actresses—we're preparing hard for the role."

"Oh!" Wei Hong exclaimed happily, "So Linjie really is an actress!"

"I'm no actress—just an amateur. Lucky enough to play a minor role once," Zhu Lin laughed. "They found me because of your poster. Thank your brother."

Wei Hong: "Brother's taste is excellent—both women on the poster are stunning!"

Zhu Lin looked at Wei Ming: "Oh, two women? Who else is on your poster?"

Rather than let Wei Hong reveal it, Wei Ming confessed: "The other is Gong Ying. She helped us get the women's fashion designs from Shangyingchang. We owe her a lot—if we'd waited until The Love of Lushan started screening, it'd be too late." Wei Ming's honesty left Zhu Lin speechless—Gong Ying had genuinely helped.

But why was she so eager to help? What was their relationship?

She knew Gong Ying owed her role in The Herdsman to Wei Ming's efforts.

Was it simply a mentor and protégé bond?

In the kitchen, the two girls cooked, occasionally glancing at the two rehearsing in the living room.

Wei Hong said to Yunyun: "Do you think Brother's good-looking enough to be an actor?"

Yunyun: "Definitely. Better-looking than Tang Guoqiang."

Wei Hong: "And his voice is nice too."

Yunyun: "Mm-hmm."

Far away in Hong Kong, little Zhou Hui also agreed—Ah Ming's voice really was nice.

She'd received a package from Ah Ming that morning but hadn't opened it due to time constraints.

After school, she went to help at "Holly's" near Hong Kong University, returning home with her mother and Ghost Uncle only after dark.

Business was booming—she, as the daughter of privilege, had to pay attention.

!

But Zhou Ma couldn't bear to let her go; she feared it would hurt her daughter's academic performance, so she had already discussed hiring someone with Ghost Bo.

Ghost Bo agreed—given their profits, hiring help would bring in more than before, and the child's education came first.

Back home, Min, who had already eaten dinner at the shop, slipped into her room and opened the package, finding the tape recording from Ming—and quietly turned the volume down to listen.

"Wow, so this is standard Mandarin!" She had rarely encountered Mandarin speakers in Hong Kong without accents, especially Shandong or Shanghai accents.

On the tape, Wei Ming clarified he was not a teacher at Peking University.

"You might be mistaken—I'm just an employee at Peking University, and I may even become a student there soon. But my real job is writing: serious literature, fairy tales, popular fiction—I write all of them. Outside of that, I also enjoy art, music, photography, sports."

Min's eyes sparkled: he was so talented in everything!

Ming: "Also, recently I started a clothing store with some friends. Mainland China is now pushing reform and opening up, making economic development the priority and encouraging people to earn money."

Min was stunned. She had always thought private business on the mainland meant arrest—many who fled to Hong Kong said as much.

But she didn't think it odd for a genius like him to run a business. Who in Hong Kong didn't envy Jin Yong? He owned the Ming Pao media empire, and the other three couldn't even be mentioned in the same breath without the label "Four Great Wits of Hong Kong."

Not only did Min see no problem—she wanted to contribute to Ming's future business empire. Since he was in clothing, she'd buy some Hong Kong fashion magazines tomorrow and mail them to him.

With that thought, Min felt cheerful—but remembered her homework was unfinished, so she quickly picked up her pen and got to work.

The next morning, when Min went to school, her mother had already left; the morning sales were crucial to the shop's daily income, so her mother and Ghost Bo always rose early.

Min no longer waited for her mother to prepare breakfast—she bought it from a street stall instead.

As Min went downstairs, she suddenly saw a middle-aged man blocking Old Cai, the vegetable vendor, asking about "Ghost Bo."

Min walked over and asked: "What do you want with Ghost Bo?"

The man said: "I'm an old friend of his. He left me this address and told me to come if I ever needed help."

He spoke Cantonese too, looked refined, wore glasses: "Oh, he's at work—you'll find him at the shop."

Then she gave him the address; he thanked her repeatedly.

When the man arrived at Haoli Lai, the shop had passed its morning rush—few customers remained. Ghost Bo and Zhou Ma were drafting a hiring notice to post at the door.

Many people from the mainland or Southeast Asia came to Hong Kong for very low wages.

"Welcome!" Zhou Ma hurried forward to greet the visitor.

Ghost Bo looked up, smiled: "Oh, you're here."

Liu Bin, father of the Dragon, nodded and stepped closer: "I've been out for a while. I came especially to thank you, Ghost Bo. Back then, I was constantly bullied and excluded—but after you came, it stopped."

So he knew Ghost Bo was no ordinary man, and had come specifically to join him, hoping they could rebuild a gang.

Clearly, Liu Bin still longed for the gang business.

Ghost Bo laughed: "You've come at the right time—we're hiring. Would you like to work here?"

"Huh?" Liu Bin glanced around the thirty-square-meter shop—is this a fish ball noodle place or a noodle place?

Seeing his skepticism, Ghost Bo frowned slightly; Liu Bin immediately said: "I'll do it! As long as I follow you, I'll do anything!"

Ghost Bo tossed him a rag: "Don't you see those customers left? Clean up."

"Ah? Oh, okay!" Liu Bin got to work immediately—he hadn't even finished the hiring paperwork, yet he was already the third person at Haoli Lai.

After spending over half a year in prison, his old gang had been absorbed by a larger one. He immediately wrote his wife to say he was safe; after observing the situation, he decided the gang had no future and chose to join Ghost Bo.

Upon hearing this good news, his wife immediately called Meiyingchang and told her son.

Liu Rulong, who was diligently learning at Meiyingchang, burst into tears of joy upon hearing the news.

He knew Ming still cared about his father—he'd even asked Hong Kong friends to visit him—so he wanted to call Wei Ming.

At lunch break, A Long immediately called Wei Ming's home.

"Who is it? Annoying!" Wei Ming and Lin Jie had just finished, still savoring the moment, when the living room phone rang.

Zhu Lin: "Could it be Beiyingchang?"

"Oh! Maybe!" Wei Ming quickly wrapped himself in a blanket and answered—it was A Long.

But it was good news; Wei Ming didn't scold him, and even planned to write Ghost Bo a letter, hoping to steer Uncle Liu toward the right path—gang work had no future.

After hanging up, Wei Ming flopped onto the bed and hugged Lin Jie: "That was my buddy's call, Lin Jie. When we recover, let's keep practicing—you can't tempt me again, I've got weak willpower."

Zhu Lin bit his shoulder: "Hmph, I can tell."

In the afternoon, they dared not cross any lines—Xiao Hong and the others could return at any moment.

Unexpectedly, before Xiao Hong returned, Jiang Huaiyan called.

He told Wei Ming: "The time is set—day after tomorrow morning, all candidates will meet the director together."

"Ah, day after tomorrow?"

"What, is Zhu Lin unavailable?"

"She's available."

Wei Ming wasn't—he had his driver's license test that day.

Zhu Lin knew this; after hanging up, she advised: "I'll take the bus myself. Besides, such an important role—the director won't change his mind just because of you."

"That's true—I don't have that much influence." Wei Ming gently stroked Zhu Lin's cheek. "Then the rest of the path is up to you, sister."

Zhu Lin was eager—she didn't want to rely too much on Xiao Wei, like Zi Jun, who, by clinging too tightly to Juan Sheng, ended up depressed and dying.

But tomorrow she'd still need him once—Wei Ming's method of breaking down scenes, chewing them over, suited her average talent perfectly; lately she felt she was merging with Zi Jun.

"Click!"

Hearing the lock turn, Wei Ming and Zhu Lin quickly pulled apart—the two young cooks had returned.

Soon came audition day. Wei Ming arrived at school, and Master Liu drove him to the testing venue.

The date was set by them—multiple organizations' candidates were tested together; upon asking, many turned out to be from government offices.

Meanwhile, Zhu Lin arrived alone at Beiyingchang. With her were Lin Ying, favored by Director Shui Hua, and Fang Shu, preferred by other Beiyingchang leaders.

Fang Shu had starred last year with Zhang Tielin in the CCTV drama "A Youth," and appeared in Beiyingchang's "Look at This Family," plus she'd played Little Radish Head as a child—she was practically pre-selected by Beiyingchang; after graduation, she'd surely join. Others included Beiyingchang staff like Cai Ming.

Lin Ying, though older, had a glorious past.

Yet facing such rivals, Zhu Lin felt no fear—only fierce determination, like a May Fourth young woman.

Wei Ming waited endlessly, never called. Zhu Lin became the first candidate to meet the director.

Only at noon did Wei Ming's turn come—he passed effortlessly, as expected.

Master Liu excitedly slapped Wei Ming's shoulder and promised to immediately apply for his road test.

After passing, Wei Ming couldn't abandon Master Liu—he treated the devoted old man to a fine meal and ordered a bottle of Xifeng liquor.

So when returning to Peking University, Wei Ming drove the whole way himself—he hadn't drunk.

After dropping off Master Liu, Wei Ming immediately rode his motorcycle to Beiyingchang, handing the gatekeeper an old Da Qianmen cigarette.

"Has the audition for Director Shui Hua's film ended?"

"Not yet—they'll resume after lunch."

Hearing this, Wei Ming didn't enter—he feared disturbing Lin Jie's state. He turned around to check if his Sihe Academy paperwork had come through.

…

(Guaranteed two-in-one)

(End of Chapter)