Chapter 252: The Book Protector

Regarding the long-term cooperation with Penguin, the studio and Penguin are still communicating the details.

And this evening, Luo Mo Studio released the character posters for the cast of "Sword Fairy" on major social media platforms.

Xu Chujing did not end up playing a supporting role, but will make a cameo appearance in it instead.

As soon as these character posters were released, they sparked heated discussions on the internet.

"Is this Li Xiaoyao too handsome?"

"I'm completely in love!"

"Costume dramas are saved! Costume dramas are saved!"

"Hahaha, my eyes have been cleansed, my eyes have been cleansed!"

"Major production crews, come and take a look, this is what a handsome man in a costume drama should look like!"

The Li Xiaoyao played by Luo Mo is positioned on a mountain peak in the poster, surrounded by swirling clouds and mist.

And he is holding a small, palm-sized sword with a metallic texture.

Yes, it is exactly that scene where Hu Ge openly showed off his coolness at the beginning of the first episode of "Sword Fairy 1".

As for the character posters of Ding Xiaoyu, Shen Yinuo, and the others, they also made netizens feel that it was a feast for the eyes.

"Is this Xinyu heiress Shen Yinuo playing herself?"

"Hahaha, yes, I saw that the character description says she is the young mistress of Lin Family Fort, Lin Yueru."

"That works, she's wealthy both on and off screen."

Someone like Ding Xiaoyu has become the guarantee for acting skills in this drama.

Her acting skills as a young veteran actress have always been widely recognized by the audience.

"With Yu here, the female lead's acting won't look awkward at least."

"Yu is very professional when acting, unlike many actors nowadays, who keep their makeup exquisite whether they are injured or in a sorry state!"

"Exactly, exactly, I watched a drama a few days ago where the female lead rolled through a mud puddle, her clothes were all dirty, but her face was fully made up."

"Right, it feels like it's not a costume drama, but a makeup tutorial."

Several character posters had extremely high numbers of likes and comments, and even directly climbed onto the Weibo Hot Search.

This caused everyone's expectations for "Sword Fairy" to soar.

At the very least, it proves that when Luo Mo serves as director, his aesthetic sense is on point.

Whether the drama is good or not is another matter, but the 【Costume, Makeup, and Props】 truly won my heart.

Logically speaking, with such good feedback from netizens, Luo Mo should be in a great mood.

But he is feeling a bit miserable right now.

"There is so much work." Luo Mo slumped on the office sofa, sighing up at the ceiling.

"Sword Fairy" and "Classics in China", these two projects alone were busy enough, and as a result, he had just received an invitation to the Spring Festival Gala.

Due to the huge success of the National Day Gala, Qian Qingyun is actually directing the Spring Festival Gala again!

This member of the older generation of the Four Great Directors has become the first director in this world to direct the Spring Festival Gala twice.

Although the Spring Festival Gala in this world has been going downhill over the years, this thing has a different nature after all.

Most importantly, Qian Qingyun was full of sincerity and told Luo Mo directly that he would give him prime time.

And the stage is for him to choose; if you want to sing solo, then sing solo. If you want to sing a duet, then sing a duet.

You have to know that a solo performance at the Spring Festival Gala is a top-tier privilege.

Ordinary people are completely unqualified to enjoy such a benefit.

Besides this, Aurora Girls also received a rehearsal invitation from Qian Qingyun.

The song was directly specified, and that is "Chinese Language"!

Although there are several rounds of rehearsals for the Spring Festival Gala and one might be eliminated halfway through, other girl groups in this world don't even have the qualifications to go to rehearsals!

If Aurora Girls really make it to the Spring Festival Gala, that would mean Luo Mo has once again single-handedly created a miracle!

However, it is interesting to note that Qian Qingyun did not notify Xinyu first, but informed Luo Mo about this matter first.

Luo Mo said in the group of seven: "I'll tell you some good news, Director Qian has chosen 'Chinese Language', you can participate in the Spring Festival Gala rehearsals."

In an instant, the group exploded!

"Spring Festival Gala!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Shen Yinuo directly sent a long string of countless exclamation marks.

Luo Mo was speechless: "What's up, padding the word count for me in the group chat?"

The other members were also one by one excited enough to jump up.

Language could no longer express their mood, only silly meme stickers could.

A series of stickers appeared in the group chat, and the Aurora Girls all knew very well that if they could successfully step onto the stage of the Spring Festival Gala, they would be the undisputed number one girl group in the country starting from next year!

If this news were to be announced, it could drop a bunch of people's jaws.

In fact, Luo Mo only just debuted this year, and newcomers are not allowed to step onto the stage of the Spring Festival Gala.

But Qian Qingyun had already made an exception for him once during the National Day Gala, and now that he is making another exception, everyone is used to it.

"Director Luo, which song does Director Qian want you to sing at the Spring Festival Gala?" asked Dong Dong, a member of Aurora Girls.

"Me? Director Qian naturally hopes that I can come up with a new song in the Chinese Style. Of course, listening to what he meant, an old song is fine too," Luo Mo said.

It really is busy; the energetic Luo Mo also felt a trace of exhaustion.

He felt that his retirement plan could be appropriately moved forward again.

However, he has an understanding of his own personality.

He always felt that if he retired too early, the following scene would occur.

"Director Luo, since you retired, Pineapple feels it can do it again, Cilong has also started to become arrogant, and Wang Shisong, Yuan Hewen, and others have started making big moves."

Luo Mo heard this.

"Help me up!"

Retired, yet not entirely retired.

What is this!

………

………

On the other side, the first episode of *Classic* was about to officially begin recording.

To be precise, the first and second episodes were to be recorded together, finished within four days.

Luo Mo took a flight to Beijing and began the recording that very afternoon.

On Earth, the first episode featured Ni Dahong playing Fu Sheng, the "Book Protector" of the *Classic of History*.

His acting skills were truly exquisite; a single look could make many in the audience burst into tears.

In this regard, Luo Mo had always felt that another veteran artist's eye acting was heaven-defying, and that was the old gentleman You Benchang, who played Ji Gong.

When he played Ji Gong, there was a classic scene where his face held two states; if you covered half of his face, you would find one side crying while the other was laughing.

He also once played an old man in a bad film who traveled through time to save his lover; this scene had only one action, which was pressing his hand on the woman's car door to stop her from getting out.

It was strange; just a single action and a single look made countless viewers burst into tears when watching this clip.

As soon as Luo Mo arrived at the recording site, he went to visit the old man who was a member of the National Theatre of China and a National First-Class Actor.

The old man's name was Luo Chun, and he shared the same surname as Luo Mo.

Ning Dan had sent Luo Mo a clip of the old man's audition, and Luo Mo was simply stunned by his talent.

This made him realize how correct he was to make this program.

Inviting a group of "National Team" Actors to compete in acting in front of him, while he could also openly ask them for advice.

"I've hit the jackpot, hit the jackpot!" Luo Mo thought to himself.

Luo Chun was a very easygoing old man; a small number of veteran Actors were difficult to get along with and had very big egos.

When Luo Mo took the script to rehearse with him, he agreed with a smile. After finishing one run, he even took the initiative to ask Luo Mo to go through it with him again.

Ning Dan watched from the side and discovered that this young man was truly incredibly serious when learning, filling himself with knowledge whenever he had the chance.

Most importantly, he was thick-skinned and told Luo Chun in a poised manner that he was about to become a Newcomer Actor.

This made Luo Chun instantly understand that he intended to learn from him.

Perhaps it was because they were of the same family five hundred years ago, or perhaps because the *Classic* program truly moved him, causing him to hold Luo Mo, the co-director and producer, in higher regard, and he actually gave Luo Mo some pointers.

It was just that for the things he taught, Luo Mo could understand some, but others he couldn't understand at all.

"Can you learn it?" Luo Chun asked with a smile.

"Uh, fifty-fifty?" Luo Mo did not hide it.

"Fifty-fifty, then that's right." Luo Chun nodded.

"Every Actor must find their own tricks when performing; just like crying scenes, the method each person uses to make themselves shed tears might be different."

"Although acting mostly starts with imitation, you must remember to find your own tricks and your own path," Luo Chun said. "I can only give you some suggestions and my own insights; don't be stubborn and only think about what I've said."

Luo Mo listened from the side, nodding continuously.

The entire recording process for the first episode was very arduous, lasting until late into the night.

Luo Chun was very old, yet he was extremely dedicated.

Everyone wanted him to rest early, thinking some content could just be re-recorded tomorrow.

But the old man insisted that if he went to rest, it would delay more people's work and affect everyone's schedule.

In this situation, he did not forget to instruct Luo Mo, saying in a joking tone: "So, a good Actor had best also have a good body, haha."

The final effect presented was top-tier.

Luo Chun, playing Fu Sheng, said: "I spent my life protecting the *Classic*, never imagining that the *Classic* would be left mostly incomplete because of me."

His eyes were unfocused, desolate, and filled with guilt.

The old man's eyes were not as bright as a young person's; they were already somewhat cloudy.

Yet the slight lack of focus in his eyes was incredibly moving.

"I have failed my ancestors, and I have failed my departed wife and children." Luo Chun raised both hands, pressed them downward, and then bowed his whole body over the desk, his forehead striking his own folded hands.

He remained slumped over the desk at the center of the stage, not rising for a long time; sobs emerged, and the old man's shoulders heaved slightly.

The staff backstage were all moved by this, and as for the audience who came to assist with the recording, many were already streaming with tears.

This made them realize that after Luo Mo joined the team, the variety shows everyone was doing now were worlds apart from those in the past.

It didn't even feel like making a variety show, but rather doing something meaningful, completing a mission of Glory.

Today's recording didn't end until 11:00 PM.

Many people nowadays scoff at 11:00 PM, feeling it isn't late at all. But one must know, this was working from daytime until 11:00 PM, and it was high-intensity work.

Tomorrow morning, everyone still had to re-record a small portion, and then record a portion of new Backstage Interviews.

As for the afternoon, they would begin recording the second episode.

According to the plan, the first episode was to be broadcast on CCTV next Saturday; the time was still a bit tight.

When it was almost time for the lunch break, Xu Chujing came to visit the set, bringing lunch she had carefully prepared for Luo Mo and the others.

(PS: The second update. According to the original plan and outline, the recording process and the process of learning acting would be written in more detail, but it would drag the pacing, and I'm afraid everyone might lose patience, so it will be slightly streamlined.

Additionally, I never intended to give Luo Mo a cheat code right away, letting him have heaven-defying acting skills from the start; 【Learning】 will always be a theme. After all, I personally feel that achieving great success shouldn't be written too easily.)

(End of chapter)