Chapter 35: Gong Xue

"Director Wang!"

One day, after another meeting concluded, Chen Qi stopped Wang Haowei.

"Little Chen, is there something you need?"

"It’s like this. I was reading a magazine yesterday while I had some free time, and it introduced a film called 'Sacrificial Red' produced by the Changchun Film Studio. The lead actress in it is both pure and beautiful; she might be suitable for 'Romance on Lushan Mountain'."

"Oh?"

Wang Haowei perked up and asked, "Tell me more about it."

"Her name is Gong Xue. I’m not sure which unit she belongs to, but she plays three roles in the film."

"Three?"

"Yes, a mother, a daughter, and a fairy—she plays all of them. Anyway, I think her image is quite good, so I wanted to recommend her to you."

"Gong Xue... alright, I’ve noted it down. I’ll ask around immediately! Sigh, it’s hard on you, a young kid like you, to be putting so much effort into casting."

"I’m part of the crew, too; it’s only right."

After Chen Qi left, Wang Haowei immediately contacted the Changchun Film Studio.

"You’re asking about Gong Xue? Oh, we went through so much trouble to get her to act for us..."

The person on the other end started complaining immediately. "She is with the General Political Department (GPD) Drama Troupe. Two years ago, we wanted to cast her in 'The Lamp,' but the GPD wouldn’t let her go. Then, when we were preparing to shoot 'Sacrificial Red,' we thought of her again, but the GPD still wouldn’t release her, saying she had to perform in Yunnan.

"As it turned out, she suffered a fracture and couldn't go, so she was in the hospital recuperating.

"We waited for her for a full four months before we could start filming. We had to send people repeatedly to negotiate, plead, and use every connection we had before the GPD finally relented."

"Just what kind of a fairy is she that you’d pursue her like that?" Wang Haowei laughed.

"Haha, you’ll see for yourself once you meet her!"

This conversation thoroughly piqued Wang Haowei’s interest, and she promptly contacted the GPD.

The GPD Drama Troupe was quite formidable. She didn't act rashly but first reached out to a friend named Che Xiaotong. Che was an actor in the drama troupe who had played the Golden Horned King in 'Journey to the West,' provided voice work for 'Haier Brothers,' and frequently portrayed Marshal Liu in 'Drawing Sword,' making him a specialist in that role.

He had a daughter named Che Xiao—a rather interesting name for the pair...

Che Xiaotong brought over a few photos of Gong Xue.

Upon seeing them, Wang Haowei understood exactly why the Changchun Film Studio was willing to wait four months just to cast her.

***

This was a unique era.

Chen Qi might appear carefree, but he was actually very calculating.

Take English, for example. He only dared to carry an English book and look at it every day, creating the illusion that he was studying hard. If he didn't hide it and just started speaking English out of the blue—well, come on! Do you think counter-espionage is a game?

1979 and 1980—don't let the one-year gap fool you; many things were vastly different.

The 80s were wild, and the 90s were even wilder; that was truly the era of unchecked freedom.

As for 'Romance on Lushan Mountain,' while the content seemed bold, it was actually catering to the tastes of the higher-ups. And as for the casting, he wouldn't have spoken up if he hadn't seen the production moving too slowly.

Wang Haowei was highly proactive. She bypassed the GPD Drama Troupe and privately invited Gong Xue to visit.

***

So, on this morning, the creative team gathered in the small conference room, waiting for the candidate to arrive.

Chen Qi sat in the corner as usual, feeling quite expectant. There was a saying on the internet: "Zhu Lin of the North, Gong Xue of the South," the two beauties of the 80s! But that wasn't a common saying at the time; it was something later generations of internet users came up with after looking back through history.

Gong Xue was truly famous, while Zhu Lin was perhaps a bit behind, having done more television work—her role as the Queen of the Women's Kingdom was a massive boost to her fame.

Since he was here, he naturally wanted to see the beauties of this era one by one. He couldn't just keep seeing Cai Ming...

They hadn't waited long when they heard voices outside, as if someone was asking for directions.

Then, footsteps approached, becoming light and hesitant at the doorway. A figure appeared before everyone. Wang Haowei and the creative team all cast their eyes toward the door.

She was wearing a military uniform and a cap, with a pair of white sandals on her feet. She was of medium height, around 163 centimeters.

Her feet were dainty.

Her hair peeked out from under her cap, seemingly a bit wavy, and below that was a face no larger than a palm. Her eyebrows were arched, her eyes were graceful, and the shape of her lips was delicate and refined. When she smiled, her teeth were white and even—a rare trait indeed.

Everyone knew the phrase "bright eyes and white teeth," but few had a clear image of it. Yet, seeing her now, the phrase spontaneously appeared in everyone’s minds.

"Hello, Director Wang!"

"Hello, everyone!"

She was a bit nervous and bowed as she entered.

"Hello, hello, please, have a seat!"

Wang Haowei gestured for her to sit and smiled, saying, "I invited you privately today; Che must have told you about it, right?"

"Teacher Che told me. Thank you for your consideration."

She had just sat down when she felt the urge to stand up again. Wang Haowei waved her hand quickly. "It's alright, no need to be so formal. It makes me feel awkward. Let’s just chat casually. Could you take off your hat?"

"Of course!"

She reached up and removed it. Wang Haowei’s eyes brightened even more. "I heard you are from Shanghai?"

"Yes, I was born in Shanghai."

"What do your parents do?"

"My father is a photographer, and my mother is an artist. After graduating from middle school, I went to Jiangxi to work in the countryside."

"Jiangxi?"

Wang Haowei blinked and asked, "Then how did you end up in the GPD?"

"I first applied to be a cultural soldier in the army. At that time, the GPD Drama Troupe was putting on a play called 'Ten Thousand Waters and a Thousand Mountains,' and they picked me, so I stayed... Last year, I filmed 'Sacrificial Red' with the Changchun Film Studio..."

The room became very quiet, leaving only the sound of questions and answers.

Because she spoke so softly—completely different from the boisterous Beijing-girl style of someone like Fang Shu—everyone unconsciously lowered their own voices. She sat there with her legs together, hands on her lap, and her back perfectly straight, like a student taking an exam.

"Are you familiar with 'Romance on Lushan Mountain'?"

"Not very. Teacher Che said it's a love story."

"More or less. It contains love, but also patriotism... By the way, I heard you’re 26. Are you married?"

"Not yet."

"Have you had any romantic experience?"

"I’ve always been in the military..."

She blushed. "I don't have much experience."

Wang Haowei laughed again. She had her read a few lines, savored the delivery, and then asked, "Are you interested in appearing in 'Romance on Lushan Mountain'?"

"I would be very willing to, if you could give me the opportunity."

"Tell you what, take a script home and read it thoroughly. I’ll handle the drama troupe side of things; I’ll be responsible for the communication. But I have to be clear: I can't guarantee you’ll definitely be cast. This is just an audition and preliminary preparation."

"Understood. Thank you, Director, and thank you, teachers!"

She stood up and bowed again.

"Let me introduce you. This is our screenwriter, our famous little talent, Chen Qi!"

"Hello, nice to meet you!"

"Hello!"

Gong Xue was surprised by his youth but still used formal titles. The two shook hands lightly. She then met the cinematographer, the assistant director, and the others before taking her leave.

A meeting began immediately after she left.

"First, she’s pure. Second, she’s modern!"

"The purity goes without saying, but she lacks a bit of a 'modern' feel."

"I think she’s fine. What does it mean to be 'modern' anyway? If you’re looking for someone who looks naturally exotic, that’s too hard to find. In reality, with the right styling, beautiful clothes, and a trendy hairstyle, that’s what we call modern!"

"The audience hasn't seen what an American overseas Chinese looks like. If we really try to find someone by that standard, we might fail. We still need to align with Chinese aesthetics."

"Regardless, let’s bring her in. We’ll have one group with Fang Shu and Zhou Liqing, and another with Gong Xue and Tang Guoqiang. Let’s get the clothes from Hong Kong and see how they look."

"Yes, that sounds good!"

"..."

Chen Qi was a bit speechless.

In this day and age, shooting a movie meant filming one shot a day, and a single production could take a whole year—it was the norm.

You could call it meticulous attention to art, or you could call it low efficiency. Everything required a meeting, and they would discuss things over and over again. He had fully experienced this during his time here.

Chen Qi clutched his notebook and headed out of the conference room, head down.

The screenwriter’s voice still holds so little weight. But I will climb to the top, step by step!

(Thanks to Slime Under the Ice for the silver-tier donation... That's all!)