Chapter 65

At noon, Yan Li dropped Huang Shengyi off at a crossroad near Beijing Film Academy, then left by car.

He wouldn't appear in public with Huang Shengyi at Beijing Film Academy—it would be trouble if Guan Yue and the others saw them.

Huang Shengyi didn't want Yan Li to see her off either, since she had just broken up with Jia Nailiang.

Staying out all night could be excused with other reasons, but openly walking with another man was an entirely different matter.

If Yan Li and she officially became a couple, even if it damaged her public image, she'd accept it—but now, with things so ambiguous, she didn't even know how to explain it.

After turning another corner from Beijing Film Academy, Yan Li arrived at Jimenli, went upstairs, and unlocked his door.

Zhou Yi, Zhang Songwen, and Lin Jiachuan were all there; as soon as they saw Yan Li return, they immediately surrounded him.

Lin Jiachuan winked and asked, "Li Ge, you spent all night and half the morning buying cigarettes—did you go to Hebei Province to buy them?"

Zhang Songwen was more direct: "Yesterday, me and Chuan were watching from upstairs—it was a woman. Who is she?"

"A friend."

Yan Li uttered only those four words, and no matter how much they pressed, he wouldn't say more; the three of them were forced to guess wildly.

Lin Jiachuan thought it was one of the junior students he met at the KTV that day; Zhang Songwen believed Yan Li had been flirting with someone outside; Zhou Yi went the craziest, bringing up Jiang Shan—Yan Li kicked him several times.

Too tired to deal with these ridiculous roommates, Yan Li went to his bedroom to play stocks on his computer.

Today, the intelligence system gave him a relatively important stock tip; he didn't trust calling in orders, so he came back personally to act.

Otherwise, according to Yan Li's original plan, neither he nor Huang Shengyi would have left their rental apartment in Zhiqiang Nan Yuan today……

Just after finishing his stock trading, Yan Li browsed online forums and saw many netizens fiercely arguing over the movie Hero.

The film was a box-office smash, breaking records left and right, but its critical reception was sharply divided.

Film critics voiced opposing opinions, netizens argued endlessly, and some even erupted into shouting matches—moderators couldn't delete posts fast enough.

Yan Li watched with great interest; in his memory, the last movie to cause such a stir had been Titanic.

But back then, the internet wasn't well-developed, and Yan Li didn't even know how to go online—he could only read a few debates in newspapers.

This time, he was witnessing firsthand how a major film ignited massive online discussion and controversy; astonished and intrigued, he gained deeper insight into how a blockbuster film could impact reality.

The cultural and entertainment industry might not be large in scale, but its voice was certainly loud……

While browsing online, Yan Li's phone rang; after answering and chatting for a few moments, his voice rose noticeably.

"Director Hu wants to see me?"

"I'm free—I'll head over right away. Cuiyu Tea House, right? I'll be there within an hour."

Yan Li hung up, began changing clothes, still a little stunned.

Director Hu Mei of Emperor Wu of Han wanted to meet him—and the intelligence system hadn't warned him.

Was this a random system failure, or had she decided on the spot today?

Though a small surprise, Yan Li wasn't alarmed; he had already done his groundwork, prepared everything he could, and now he would do his best and leave the rest to fate.

————

About forty minutes later, Yan Li arrived at the destination and first met Li Xing, the assistant director of Emperor Wu of Han.

"Li Ge, what's going on?"

"Good news."

Thanks to Yan Li's deliberate efforts to befriend him, Li Xing had a decent relationship with him and happily gave him the inside info.

"Director Hu today met with a promising actor playing Wei Qing, but after their talk, she was dissatisfied—she's now meeting other candidates, and I recommended you."

"You're lucky—four actors were considered, two happened to be out of Jingcheng, leaving only you and one other."

"The other guy lives far away and hasn't arrived yet—you've got the advantage of being first, and with the previous candidate having failed, perform well and you might just impress Director Hu."

Yan Li finally understood—he immediately thanked Li Xing.

"Thanks, Li Ge—I'll treat you when this is done."

Yan Li didn't yet know if Li Xing's words were truthful, but based on his understanding of Li Xing, even if there was some exaggeration, it wasn't extreme—he owed him this favor.

"No problem. Get ready a bit—I'll take you in."

Li Xing genuinely wanted Yan Li to land the role; partly because they were on good terms, and partly because Yan Li knew the rules—helping this happen would bring him benefits too.

Under Li Xing's cover, Yan Li adjusted his demeanor before entering the tea house.

Inside the tea house were three people; Yan Li had already learned from Li Xing who they were—

Director Hu Mei, screenwriter Jiang Qitao, and veteran actor Jiao Huang, who portrayed Emperor Jing of Han.

When filming Emperor Yongzheng, Director Hu Mei had developed a close personal friendship with Jiao Huang; they later collaborated again on the anti-corruption drama Loyalty; now, for Emperor Wu of Han, Hu Mei invited Jiao Huang to join the crew as a senior advisor.

It was said Jiao Huang had come to Jingcheng for an event, and since he was a master performer, Hu Mei asked him to help screen candidates and lend his eye.

"Director Hu, Master Jiao, Teacher Jiang—hello."

Yan Li bowed respectfully and introduced himself; Hu Mei said nothing, studying Yan Li's physique closely, silently nodding.

She had seen Yan Li's photos, but static images couldn't match the immediacy of seeing him in person.

His features were upright and rugged, his stature tall and straight—he was indeed perfect for a military general.

But he looked slightly too young, and his aura was a bit too outwardly bold—not matching her vision of Wei Qing's quiet endurance.

Hu Mei remained silent; screenwriter Jiang Qitao led the interview, asking Yan Li his views on the historical context of Emperor Wu's era and the character of Wei Qing.

The previous actor's failure wasn't due to his acting ability.

After all, he was an actor Hu Mei had favored—his professional skills were certainly up to standard.

But good acting didn't mean he could portray the character correctly.

The actor had barely understood the history of Emperor Wu's era or the character of Wei Qing—or if he had, it was superficial, resulting in hollow words and shallow performance.

This made Hu Mei and the others now pay closer attention to how much the actors knew about history and character—wanting to see if they'd done their homework.

The actors called in today had all been subtly informed beforehand, so this wasn't a surprise test.

Moreover, Hu Mei didn't expect any of them to know the history in depth—just that they could speak meaningfully.

The key is that she wants to see his attitude!

And now, he's squarely walked into Yan Li's crosshairs.

Since he first learned about the news of "Emperor Wu of Han" months ago, he's been continuously preparing.

He's worn out the relevant passages in the "Records of the Grand Historian," and has chewed through the duller, more obscure "Book of Han" several times; he's also read no shortage of related historical texts, studies, and discussions.

Even now, calling Yan Li an expert on the era of Emperor Wu of Han would be an exaggeration, but he could certainly outmatch 99.99% of ordinary people.

"Dear professors, let me first speak about Wei Qing. In my humble opinion, Wei Qing was one of the very few high-ranking generals in history whose military and political abilities were both exceptional; his personal charisma and political wisdom were, in some ways, even greater than his military talent…"

Yan Li, already an excellent speaker, had prepared extensively beforehand—even rehearsing his speech multiple times in his mind—and now he spoke without pause.

Soon, half an hour passed, yet Yan Li showed no sign of stopping; he was comparing evaluations of Wei Qing in the "Book of Han" and the "Records of the Grand Historian," criticizing Sima Qian for injecting personal bias into his historical writing and so on.

Hu Mei, Jiang Qitao, and Jiao Huang exchanged glances, all somewhat bewildered.

Is this really an actor audition, or a history major's thesis defense?

(End of Chapter)