Chapter 66: Truly Suited to Play Huo Qubing, Loves Bold and Risky Tactics

Cuirain Tea House

After another few minutes, Director Hu Mei couldn't hold back and interrupted Seeing Yan Li's fluent speech.

After all, this is an actor audition, not a lecture—no one can sit through an hour-long monologue, and there are more actors waiting behind.

Though she halted Seeing Yan Li's narration, compared to her earlier indifference, Hu Mei's smile now felt much warmer, her gaze toward Seeing Yan Li filled with appreciation.

She felt this young man not only had good looks, but more importantly, held the right attitude—he was a promising prospect.

Screenwriter Jiang Qitao and veteran actor Jiao Huang also held favorable impressions of Seeing Yan Li.

From a screenwriter's perspective, they naturally favored actors with deep understanding of the character, plot, and historical context.

From a senior actor's standpoint, they appreciated young newcomers willing to put in the hard work to study their roles.

All three developed a liking for Seeing Yan Li; the audition atmosphere gradually shifted from stern and tense to friendly and relaxed.

Hu Mei flipped through Seeing Yan Li's file: "It says here you can fight—can you handle action scenes? How's your horseback riding?"

"No problem at all."

Seeing Yan Li nodded, emphasizing his role as Yuwen Chengdu in "Heroes of Sui and Tang."

Outsiders didn't know Yuwen Chengdu in "Heroes of Sui and Tang" was a despicable side character chasing female leads.

On the surface, the title of "Second Greatest Hero of Sui and Tang" still carried weight; portraying such a fierce warrior proved Seeing Yan Li's appearance suited a military general and that he had some experience.

Hu Mei turned and whispered a few words to Jiang Qitao, glancing occasionally at Seeing Yan Li and nodding slightly.

Conservatory-trained, excellent appearance, played military generals, trained in martial arts, knows how to ride, and understands the role deeply.

Aside from his youth and lack of fame, he was by far the most well-rounded candidate she'd auditioned.

Yet precisely these two points were things Hu Mei didn't care much about.

When filming "Emperor Yongzheng," she'd used many unknown actors and plenty of newcomers.

Like Li Wei, Hongzhou, Hongshi, Liu Molin, and Qiao Yindie—all were newcomers with few prior dramas.

Even Lin Jing, the actress already confirmed for Wei Zifu in "Emperor Wu of Han," had only been in the industry a few years, same age as Seeing Yan Li—both born in 1980.

With Chen Baoguo and Jiao Huang anchoring the cast, there was no need for supporting actors to carry promotion or publicity, so Hu Mei had no fear of using newcomers.

In fact, she believed newcomers were better—clean slates were easier to paint on, and they were obedient and cost-effective.

Hu Mei pulled out a thinner script for Wei Qing and handed it to Seeing Yan Li, asking him to familiarize himself and try a scene.

With little dialogue and plot, Seeing Yan Li memorized the lines in minutes, cultivated his emotion, and rehearsed with Jiao Huang personally guiding him.

After two scenes, Hu Mei remained silent, scribbling notes on her pad, uncertain.

In her view, Seeing Yan Li's Wei Qing was slightly immature, but not bad—barely acceptable.

This level met Hu Mei's requirements, yet didn't move her deeply—it hovered in ambiguity: not using him felt like a waste, but using him felt slightly unsatisfying.

Seeing Yan Li sensed Hu Mei's hesitation and spoke up: "Director Hu, could I try for Huo Qubing?"

Huo Qubing?!

Hu Mei froze, then realized—she'd been too fixated.

If Wei Qing doesn't fit, switch to another role!

Honestly, Seeing Yan Li's youth put him at a disadvantage for Wei Qing's mature, middle-aged scenes—but it was an advantage for Huo Qubing.

Earlier, Hu Mei had listed Seeing Yan Li as a candidate for Wei Qing because his facial features carried a hint of maturity and steadiness, matching her vision of Wei Qing's reserved humility.

But meeting him in person, Hu Mei realized Seeing Yan Li, though polite and respectful, also possessed traits typical of youth.

Especially just now, when he spoke at length about Wei Qing before them—confident, bold, fearless, truly radiating youthful vigor.

Hu Mei turned to Jiang Qitao: "Did you bring the Huo Qubing script?"

He shook his head—they'd prepared only for Wei Qing's audition.

But Jiang Qitao was the screenwriter—the scripts lived in his mind; he quickly found a solution.

"I'll find you a few scenes with rough plot and dialogue. You've clearly studied Huo Qubing—feel free to improvise. We're mainly assessing your sense of the character."

This suited Seeing Yan Li perfectly—he'd rehearsed privately; without a script to constrain him, he could better showcase his strengths.

This time, he didn't need Jiao Huang to cue him; Seeing Yan Li prepared himself, then began performing.

He slightly lifted his head, posture straight, eyes sharp as they swept across the room, voice resounding with power.

"Someone once asked me, 'Your aunt is Empress, your uncle is General, you've been favored by the Emperor since childhood, born into wealth—why risk your life on the battlefield?' I told him: I, Huo Qubing, didn't come to fight for survival—I came to take the heads of the Xiongnu."

"These barbarian invaders refuse to embrace our civilization, repeatedly violating the dignity of Great Han. I shall sweep away the Xiongnu for His Majesty and restore the glory of Han."

"Today, follow me on a surprise strike straight to their royal court—first capture the Xiongnu Chanyu, break their bones, and make them understand the might of Han soldiers."

"..."

Arrogant! Direct!

Noble! Valiant!

Fiery, in the prime of youth, radiant with heroism!

Watching Seeing Yan Li's audition, Hu Mei's eyes grew brighter and brighter—she'd chosen the right role.

Seeing Yan Li's portrayal of Huo Qubing was several levels above his earlier performance as Wei Qing.

Saying he embodied the living Champion Marquis might be exaggerated, but there was undeniably a hint of the spirit.

Jiang Qitao savored Seeing Yan Li's lines—youth indeed had ambition; his delivery was even bolder than his own written dialogue for Huo Qubing. Hmm, worth considering.

Jiao Huang watched silently; when Seeing Yan Li finished, he tossed him a cigarette to help him relax.

Seeing Yan Li thanked him, accepted it but didn't light it, turning to Hu Mei—the one with final authority.

"Director Hu, what do you think?"

Hu Mei paused, then handed her notebook to Seeing Yan Li: "Write down your email. I'll have someone send you the Huo Qubing script—study it, then come back in a few days for a makeup and screen test."

Seeing Yan Li's face lit up—he understood the subtext; though unspoken, Hu Mei's words carried clear meaning.

Makeup and screen test—she clearly wanted to see his look and let producers and other senior crew members observe him.

*Han Wu the Great Emperor* is not *Conquest*—director Gao Qunshu tried two scenes and locked it in on the spot—and it's certainly not *Sui-Tang Heroes* or *The Treasure Bowl*; he didn't even need to audition for those.

This is a historical blockbuster costing tens of millions, a project that ranks among the top in the industry; Hu Mei's word carries weight, but it's not a one-person show.

Still, Huo Qubing is only a supporting role after all. Once Hu Mei nodded, as long as the later costume fitting and screen test went smoothly, it was basically a done deal.

"Thank you, Director Hu. I'll definitely work hard."

Seeing Yan Li quickly pledged his stance. Hu Mei exchanged a few more warm words with him, then let him go first—after all, there were other actors waiting to audition behind him.

How Seeing Yan Li, on his way out, greeted and thanked assistant director Li Xing goes unmentioned. Hu Mei turned her gaze to Jiao Huang.

"Teacher Jiao, what did you think of that young man just now?"

Jiao Huang's voice was deep and resonant: "Good external conditions, solid acting, willing to put in the work."

And he's sharp, with plenty of nerve too!

That last line Jiao Huang didn't say aloud, only muttered to himself.

As a top-tier actor with decades in the profession, Jiao Huang had seen right through it just now.

From the very start, Seeing Yan Li had almost certainly come aiming for Huo Qubing!

At first, when Seeing Yan Li auditioned for Wei Qing, Jiao Huang hadn't noticed anything fishy, assuming it was just a young actor whose ability wasn't up to par.

But when Seeing Yan Li later auditioned for Huo Qubing and went all-out, his performance level jumped dramatically—only then did Jiao Huang realize that during the Wei Qing audition, Seeing Yan Li had probably been holding back.

As a result, not only did it make several people feel he was even better suited to play Huo Qubing, but the build-up-before-payoff also added an element of surprise and delight, racking up plenty of impression points.

Still, if this gambit had backfired—not landing Huo Qubing and losing Wei Qing as a fallback too—

Thinking of this, Jiao Huang couldn't help feeling that Seeing Yan Li really was a good fit for Huo Qubing: fond of unorthodox moves and bold gambits, playing a game where high risk brings high reward………

(End of chapter)