Chapter 183: Curtain Call and Opening

In Beijing, Wu Yu had already had his company begin preparations for the film crew. The location scouting for the film *Love* was simple; it primarily took place within the apartment where the elderly couple lived. Therefore, before leaving, he had already instructed the assistant director to find a house that felt lived-in and was decorated warmly.

The elderly Wang Danfeng also returned to Beijing with him. She took the initiative to suggest communicating and interacting with the male lead, Ge Cunzhuang, in advance. After all, the two were to play an elderly married couple, and the film required shooting some of their daily life, so there certainly needed to be a sense of rapport. They needed to discuss details of their living habits beforehand to avoid discovering that the feeling was off only when they arrived on set to shoot.

Meanwhile, Gong Li also set aside the script for *Love* that she had been holding. The script was excellent, but it was a pity that the role given to her had too few scenes, leaving little room for performance.

At the same time, she looked at another script placed on the table: *Beautiful Mother*. It was truly a coincidence this time; one person wanted her to play a daughter, while the other wanted her to play a mother. Compared to the former, she was the absolute female lead in *Beautiful Mother*, and it was a female-centric film; the entire movie revolved around her.

Looking at these two scripts, Gong Li's choice was, of course... to have them both!

*Beautiful Mother* could be pushed back; in any case, her scenes in *Love* weren't that numerous. Besides, this was Wu Yu; delaying things for a month or two for his sake was nothing—it was worth it!

When Wu Yu hung up the phone, he also wore a smile. The film *Love* had a total of three main characters: the elderly couple and their daughter. Of course, the daughter's role was a supporting one by comparison.

Wu Yu hadn't considered letting Jiang Qinqin or any other woman around him play the daughter's role. You couldn't exactly find a twenty-something-year-old to play the daughter of two seventy or eighty-year-olds, could you? It would be too jarring.

In reality, Gong Li would also have to age herself by about 10 years for this role, appearing in a state of around 40 years old. Actually, there were plenty of actresses suitable for this role, so Wu Yu hadn't been worried at all from the start, but it would be such a pity not to use the "Empress Gong" when she was right there!

Wu Yu hadn't hidden the fact that he was preparing a new film this time, which led people from all walks of life to come and probe for information. However, upon hearing that the film was a subject about the elderly and that even Gong Li could only play a small supporting role, everyone sighed and shook their heads.

Wu Yu's projects were absolute hot commodities now. As a director who could win awards and also secure commercial box office success, he was even more attractive than Chen Kaizi had been back then. As long as one could get involved, even a supporting role could count as a decent credential.

Just as Wu Yu had the crew preparations mostly ready and was having Wang Danfeng and Ge Cunzhuang build rapport, he received another piece of news: the casting for *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* had concluded.

Wu Yu looked at the somewhat weary expression on Ceng Li's face, walked over, cupped her face, and stroked it: "Li Zi, are you okay?"

Ceng Li shook her head: "I just feel a bit empty inside after training for several months and then failing to get the part..."

Regarding this failure, Ceng Li felt complicated. After all, the person Li An had ultimately chosen was her classmate and roommate, Zhang Ziyi, and she had essentially lost directly to her.

Wu Yu roughly understood this emotion, which was similar to fearing one's brother would suffer but also fearing he would succeed. He gently patted Ceng Li and said: "It's okay. Not every role is suitable; you did your best, and that's enough."

Ceng Li didn't speak upon hearing this. Afterward, she leaned her head on Wu Yu's shoulder and said: "Actually, I felt before that Director Li would likely choose Ziyi."

"Oh?"

"Ziyi trained like her life depended on it every time. Half a month ago, during a real-combat practice session with the instructor, her hand hit the instructor's sword, and one of her fingernails was sliced right off. She didn't even make a sound and wanted to continue; even the coach was frightened by her. I knew then that I wasn't as good as her..." Ceng Li murmured.

Wu Yu listened to Ceng Li's words and clicked his tongue in admiration. She was worthy of being called "International Zhang"; she was ruthless!

And that ruthlessness was exactly what the role of Yu Jiaolong required. It was no wonder Li An chose her; based on Ceng Li's description, Wu Yu would have chosen Zhang Ziyi too.

In the previous life, Zhang Ziyi's performance in *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* was extremely brilliant, completely overshadowing the other female lead, Yang Ziqiong. Even Zhou Run could not suppress her sharp edge. Afterward, even Li An said that it was Zhang Ziyi who made *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* a success.

Wu Yu kissed her cheek lightly and comforted her by her ear: "You don't have to compare yourself to her. Everyone has their own path. Do you feel you gained anything from this training camp?"

Ceng Li nodded. Having trained for several months and receiving pointers from Li An from time to time, the gains were naturally not small: "I want to go back to school for a while."

Seeing her state, Wu Yu knew that once her tension eased, she would likely be physically and mentally exhausted. It would be better for her to return to school to calm her mind and settle down properly. He wouldn't arrange any projects for her for now; let her take it easy. Moreover, it seemed *The Grand Mansion Gate* would be airing soon, and she might have to follow the *The Grand Mansion Gate* crew to run promotional programs.

The next day, Wu Yu went to see Li Xiaoran. At this moment, Li Xiaoran was sitting in front of the computer, intently clicking the mouse and pressing the keyboard, playing *StarCraft*.

Her operations were fierce as a tiger, but in less than half a moment, she was wiped out by the computer's Zerg army. Li Xiaoran pouted, slapped the keyboard, and cursed: "What is this! How did it develop so much faster than me! The computer is cheating!"

Seeing her like this, Wu Yu couldn't help but smile and ask: "Seeing you like this, I'm relieved!"

Li Xiaoran couldn't help but stand up to take a sip of water, acting as if she didn't care at all: "What's there to worry about? Isn't it just a film? It's not your movie anyway!"

Wu Yu asked with a chuckle: "You really don't care?"

Having trained painstakingly for several months, she felt Li An had been quite fond of her, but in the end, she failed to get the part. Naturally, Li Xiaoran was unwilling to accept it. Being asked by Wu Yu, she stopped pretending and complained:

"That Zhang Ziyi is a lunatic. It's just a second female lead; why play with your life!"

In the setting of *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*, Yang Ziqiong's Yu Xiulian was the first female lead, and Yu Jiaolong was the second. Yet, for this second lead, Zhang Ziyi acted like her life depended on it, making everyone else feel the pressure. In the end, she still wasn't chosen, which left the somewhat lazy Li Xiaoran with quite a few grievances.

Wu Yu thought for a moment and asked: "Sister Ranran, what are your plans for the next step?"

Li Xiaoran put her hands on her hips: "I'll play games for half a month first!"

Wu Yu shook his head with a smile. Alright, no need for him to comfort her. With games around, her self-regulation ability was top-notch!

Half a month wasn't long; in that case, he could introduce an opportunity to her.

Wu Yu asked: "Sister Ranran, do you want to act in a comedy?"

"Comedy? Like *Don't Want to Grow Up*?" Li Xiaoran immediately grabbed Wu Yu's arm and asked.

Wu Yu waved his hand: "No, just a comedy to make people laugh, like a New Year film."

Upon hearing "New Year film," Li Xiaoran reacted quickly: "Feng Xiaogang?"

"Yes, he is preparing a new film, *Sorry Baby*. If you want to act in it, I'll recommend you; it's the female lead."

Li Xiaoran thought about it and felt that shooting a comedy wouldn't be bad to change her mood, so she nodded.

Wu Yu didn't waste words and called Feng Xiaogang directly.

"Oh, Wu Dao, you're sending me a Golden Horse Best Actress to be the female lead? Then I couldn't ask for more! Xiaoran grew up in Beijing; she's perfect for my movie—an excellent choice!"

"Then thank you, Director Feng. Please take good care of Xiaoran after she joins the crew~"

In the previous life, the female lead of *Sorry Baby* was originally Wu Qianlian. The producers wanted to add a Hong Kong/Taiwan star to attract audiences, but it was obvious that not only did it fail to achieve the effect, but Wu Qianlian also didn't integrate into the atmosphere of this Beijing-style comedy, making the whole film feel somewhat out of place.

Now, after Wu Yu's phone call, the female lead was changed to Li Xiaoran. In any case, he felt the effect would be better than Wu Qianlian's.

Inside the concert hall, a young man on stage finished his piano solo and bowed to the audience below. An elderly couple also clapped along with the audience, showing sincere smiles, happy for their student.

Backstage, they hugged the student, chatted with some peers and friends who had come along, and were praised for having cultivated another excellent musician.

After walking out of the music hall, the elderly couple wore cashmere coats and bowler hats. The old lady was also carrying a small bag, chatting casually about the student's performance as they walked. It was clear that this was an elderly couple with great upbringing and taste. The old gentleman would even humorously praise his wife, causing her to reveal a sweet smile—warm and beautiful.

"Cut! Very good, the temperament of both teachers is spot on~"

Wu Yu praised. The choice of people this time was indeed correct. An elderly couple who were decent and cultured appeared vividly on camera, along with this sense of rapport and warmth, immediately giving people a sense of peaceful and comfortable tranquility.

What he was shooting now was the beginning of the film, showing the beautiful life of a retired elderly couple supporting each other—plain yet simple. Many people felt a yearning after watching it, thinking this was the ideal state everyone pursued when they grew old. It was a typical case of "suppressing before raising" to lay the groundwork for what followed.

The location scouting for this film wasn't complicated, so Wu Yu adopted a chronological shooting method, which was more conducive to the changes in the actors' emotions.

At this time, Huang Lei walked over and asked Wu Yu: "Wu Dao, how was I just now?"

That's right, the person Wu Yu invited to play the elderly couple's musician student was Huang Lei, and it was he who had been playing on stage just now. Huang Lei wasn't "greasy" yet; he had a literary temperament, very suitable for playing this role.

His role could be considered the second male lead; there was a scene later where he came to visit after the old lady became paralyzed, but the screen time and room for performance were relatively small.

Although the focus of the film wasn't on him, Wu Yu still complimented Huang Lei: "Elegant and composed!"

Hearing Wu Yu say this, Huang Lei was also happy. He had watched Wu Yu grow up all the way, from a student in his class to an internationally renowned director who had won the Golden Bear and conquered Hollywood.

During this time, Huang Lei had actually wanted to act in Wu Yu's films, but it was a pity that he either missed out or there were no roles suitable for him. This time, Wu Yu thought of him for his Oscar-contending film, and playing a supporting role was finally a collaboration.

Wu Yu reminded Huang Lei again: "Huang Laoshi, your appearance later is quite important, especially the look in your eyes; you must let the audience see it at a glance."

"Don't worry, don't worry, I won't hold you back!" Huang Lei promised.

"Dad, do you need help?"

"No need. You're so busy with work; how many days can you stay at home? Across an ocean, there's nothing you can do." Ge Cunzhuang waved his hand.

Gong Li opened her mouth, wanting to say something but unable to. She had heard that her mother had a stroke and was hospitalized, so she specifically asked for leave from America to visit. But just as her father said, it wasn't easy for her to struggle in America, and she couldn't stay long at all.

Ge Cunzhuang moved his gaze away from Gong Li, and after a moment, he raised his eyelids and said: "After your mom is discharged in a few days, you should go. We can take care of ourselves; if we can't, we can hire a nanny or caregiver."

Gong Li nodded, and then chatted with her father about her children and other things, just like an ordinary father and daughter.

"Action!"

Ge Cunzhuang opened the door and saw that the person standing outside was his and his wife's proud student, Huang Lei. He couldn't help but reveal a happy expression: "Xiao Lei, why did you come? Come in quickly~"

Huang Lei smiled and said: "Teacher, I called you before but no one answered. I just returned from the tour, so I wanted to come and visit you again!"

Huang Lei was also holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand: "This is for Teacher Wang. I know she likes jasmine flowers the most!"

"Thank you, Xiao Lei, you're very thoughtful~" Ge Cunzhuang led Huang Lei into the house.

After Huang Lei entered the living room and saw that Wang Danfeng wasn't there, he asked curiously: "Is Teacher Wang not here?"

Ge Cunzhuang paused his steps: "Oh, she is, she's inside the room."

Huang Lei bowed slightly and said apologetically: "I'm disturbing your rest!"

"I'll go put the flowers in a vase first, and then I'll tell Teacher Wang." Ge Cunzhuang hesitated and said.

Huang Lei sat in the living room for a while, waiting and waiting without seeing anyone come out, but his good upbringing meant he wouldn't move around, only constantly looking left and right, examining the various things in the house.

Then he heard the sound of a door clicking open. Huang Lei stood up immediately, a bright smile on his face to welcome his mentor. However, he then saw Ge Cunzhuang pushing a wheelchair, and the old lady in the wheelchair was none other than his dear Teacher Wang.

In an instant, the smile on Huang Lei's face froze, unable to hide the shock in his eyes. And before he could speak, the old lady was the first to reveal an elegant smile as usual: "Xiao Lei, I'm so happy to see you come!"

Huang Lei let the frozen smile on his face continue, then it became bright again, and he politely replied: "Hello, Teacher Wang!"

The old lady smiled and said: "Sit down quickly, don't keep a stiff face; just be casual when you come home."

Afterward, the old lady took the initiative to start a topic, asking him about his concert tour, asking if he would release a record later, and saying she would go buy it to support him when the time came.

Huang Lei maintained a decent smile while answering the teacher's questions, but it could be seen that he was very restrained, and the look of sadness and sorrow flashed in his eyes from time to time.

Finally, the smile on Huang Lei's face faded, and he couldn't help but ask with concern: "What happened to your health?"

The air froze in an instant. Ge Cunzhuang lowered his head, while Wang Danfeng maintained her smile and forced herself to say: "It's just paralysis on the right side of the body. People are like this when they get old."

"How did..."

Huang Lei still wanted to continue asking, but was directly interrupted by Wang Danfeng: "Can we talk about something else?"

Clearly, this old lady couldn't stand the student's gaze—sadness, sorrow, pity, sympathy. Even if these were all well-intentioned, she, with her extremely strong self-esteem, didn't want to see these in others' eyes.

"Ah, okay, of course..."

Huang Lei sensed the teacher's mood and immediately shrank his body back, showing that he had no intention of offending.

"Xiao Lei, can you play a G-minor piano piece for me again?"

Afterward, Huang Lei played a piece with deep feeling. Amidst the piano music, he also understood: faced with the mentor who had once been tall and imposing, and the lady who had always been elegant and charming in his memory, there was no need for too many words. Just playing a piece that the teacher had once taught him was the best kindness.

Respect wasn't tearing open the wound of illness in the name of concern, but using a warmth that both could feel to heal the wound.

"Cut!"

After Huang Lei walked over, Wu Yu gave him a thumbs up: "Huang Laoshi, this performance is very good; the emotion and scale are handled very well!"

In this scene, Huang Lei was the key; it was through his emotional changes that the audience could further understand the female lead's inner feelings.

"Haha, to have you say it's good, this trip wasn't in vain!"

For just this short scene, Huang Lei had also pondered for half a month. Whether as a teacher or a student, he had been both, so he had dug very deeply into the emotions involved. ===== CHAPTER 184 =====