Chapter 4: What Kind of Person is Hong Shixian?

Seeing the producer nod, the smile on Ling Xiaosu’s face deepened a little, and the smile on the director’s face deepened a little as well.

"Since that’s the case, let’s begin," the director said.

The cameraman to the side set up the camera, while the screenwriter handed out the scripts.

"I’ll give you 15 minutes," the director said. "We’ll officially start in 15 minutes."

Ling Xiaosu flipped through the script, a look of surprise appearing on his face.

This script had been changed quite a bit according to his suggestions.

It was already very different from the first version.

It was clear that the production team was very sincere toward him, but unfortunately, he really didn’t have much interest in this show.

Serving as a platform for two women to act against—he had never received such treatment since he started his career.

Qi Hui read the script earnestly, trying to understand the character while memorizing his lines as much as possible.

*Huh? The character of Hong Shixian doesn’t seem quite right...* Qi Hui thought to himself.

Looking at Hong Shixian from the perspective of the script, he was a bit different from the Hong Shixian in his memories of his past life.

As for Zhang Ruoyun... he was somewhat absent-minded even while looking at the script.

He was just here to make up the numbers.

"Alright, time’s up," the director said, tapping the table. "The three of you, introduce yourselves first."

"Tell us about your specialties or your past works."

He didn’t know much about these three actors.

"Director, I don’t need an introduction, do I?" Ling Xiaosu said with a cheeky grin.

The director felt a bit helpless and looked toward Zhang Ruoyun.

"Zhang Ruoyun, student of the 2007 Performance Class at the Beijing Film Academy," Little Zhang stood up and said seriously:

"No specialties, and no works."

The director frowned, nodded slowly, and said nothing.

"Qi Hui, student of the 2005 Performance Class at the Beijing Film Academy," Qi Hui stood up, a slight smile on his face: "I know Korean, and I have no works."

"Hm? Korean?" The previously indifferent producer, screenwriter, and lead actress Choo Ja-hyun all looked up almost simultaneously, staring at Qi Hui in surprise.

Ling Xiaosu and Zhang Ruoyun beside him were equally surprised as they looked at Qi Hui.

"You even know Korean?" the director said, also somewhat shocked.

Someone who knows Korean is a rare talent.

The Korean Wave was incredibly rampant these days.

Korean dramas like *Jewel in the Palace*, *Autumn in My Heart*, and *Miss Mermaid* were immensely popular.

People in 2024 would find it hard to imagine just how explosive the popularity of Korean dramas was back then.

Put it this way: the classic *Drawing Sword*, which was popular all over the country, was only just qualified to compete with *Autumn in My Heart* at the time.

Korean groups like TVXQ and Super Junior were red-hot, and their appearance fees for just a few minutes could reach several million.

Korean music, Korean stars, and the Korean Wave were all the rage on the mainland.

It even reached a point later on where a certain host knelt in public for his Korean idol.

The rampant Korean Wave forced Jay Chou to shout at an evening gala: [Don’t let the Korean Wave become more and more rampant; the Chinese Wave is the best.]

Qi Hui smiled and nodded; he had just refreshed it.

Choo Ja-hyun, off to the side, raised her hand and asked weakly: "너정말한국말알아? (Do you really know Korean?)"

She wasn’t a big star like TVXQ; on the contrary, she was just a minor actress who couldn’t come and go as she pleased like TVXQ.

She needed to follow the production team, act very earnestly, and endure her fair share of hardships.

Moreover, her Chinese wasn’t very good either.

Working and struggling in a foreign land, she sometimes missed the sound of her native tongue.

People working away from home all had this feeling; hearing their native tongue would always feel inexplicably intimate.

It wasn’t just Choo Ja-hyun; Wu Jing was the same.

When he was struggling in Hong Kong, Wu Jing carried a cassette tape of Guo Degang’s crosstalk collection and a radio, just to listen to crosstalk and broadcasts from the north to soothe his homesickness.

After all, this wasn’t the 2024 where mobile phones, the internet, and high-speed rail were incredibly developed.

Qi Hui smiled and said: "그럼요, 한국어는어렵지않아요. (Of course, Korean isn’t hard to learn.)"

The incredibly fluent conversation, the cadence of the tone, and the syllables that others couldn’t understand.

Everyone present understood that Qi Hui really knew Korean.

Now, even the producer, who hadn’t cared much, sat up straight.

"Not bad, not bad." The look in the director’s eyes as he looked at Qi Hui held a bit more satisfaction:

"Continue, tell us your understanding of the character Hong Shixian."

"A philanderer who is a womanizer and can’t control himself," Zhang Ruoyun said. "I think the role’s purpose is to be a vase and a platform, existing to act against the two female leads."

Hearing this, the director and screenwriter frowned at the same time.

The character of Hong Shixian wasn’t that simple.

"Teacher Ling, why don’t you give it a try?" The director and screenwriter looked at Ling Xiaosu; he had been the first to come into contact with the script and had the deepest understanding of Hong Shixian.

"A cowardly and timid young master," Ling Xiaosu replied:

"The character of Hong Shixian, although he wavers between two women and is a jerk—a scumbag."

"But in essence, he is a cowardly and timid person. He doesn’t dare to defy his father, he doesn’t dare to directly reject Ae-ri, and he has no courage to confess everything to Pinru, seek forgiveness, and let his life return to the right track."

Hearing this, the director and screenwriter’s slightly furrowed brows relaxed.

There was some deviation, but it was still acceptable.

If they really chose him, it would be much easier to coach him after he joined the crew.

"Qi Hui, how do you view the character of Hong Shixian?" The director looked at Qi Hui and asked.

Qi Hui pondered for a moment and said slowly: "This is a person who has personality defects caused by his original family."

"Oh?" The director and screenwriter exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised.

Qi Hui continued: "First, his status is the son of a real estate company chairman. His father has a strong personality and a fiery temper; when he discovered his wife was gambling, he didn’t try to persuade her, but directly took a knife to chop off her hand."

"Secondly, Hong Shixian is extremely terrified of his father. He constantly says his father will kill him, constantly says he is doomed, and what’s more, his father actually hits him."

"This, to a certain extent, caused Hong Shixian’s timidity and cowardice; he has no courage."

As he spoke, Qi Hui flipped through the script, found a few lines of dialogue to show, and pointed out two scenes where he gets beaten.

"In addition, he has a mother who dotes on him excessively," Qi Hui continued. "This leads to Hong Shixian being self-centered, demanding excessively without knowing how to be grateful."

"His mother’s doting doesn’t make him psychologically sound; on the contrary, it makes him more twisted because his mother has no principles, gambles, and doesn’t have a high status at home. Such doting is inherently harmful to him."

"Hong Shixian grew up in a family that was materially extremely rich but mentally extremely twisted."

"His father brought him inferiority and cowardice; his mother made him arrogant and vain, not knowing how to be grateful."

"Hong Shixian, strictly speaking, suffers from psychological illness."

"Ae-ri, who is staying at the Lin family, is just like Hong Shixian; she has psychological illness, and she and Hong Shixian are fellow patients."

"And Lin Pinru, who has a healthy family and a healthy personality, is Hong Shixian’s salvation. Unfortunately, Hong Shixian lost his salvation."

Having said this, Qi Hui paused and said seriously:

"The theme of the script *Temptation of Going Home* is not temptation and desire, but family."

The director slapped his thigh and shouted: "Well said!"

What he wanted to film was not some cheating or extramarital affair at all.

What he wanted to film was family!

"Wonderful!" The screenwriter also slapped his thigh, looking at Qi Hui with complete satisfaction.

Beside Qi Hui, Zhang Ruoyun scratched his head. Does this playboy have so many things to dig into?

How come I didn’t see it?

"So that’s how it is..." Ling Xiaosu suddenly realized.

He had seen Hong Shixian’s timidity and cowardice, but he had just learned where that timidity and cowardice came from.

This junior brother really has something!

The producer, however, frowned and silently unscrewed his water bottle to take a tactical sip.

This is looking a bit bad...