There are indeed some good scripts that haven't been discovered yet, like the script that made Xu Anqi a hit before, which was discovered by Shen Huai's discerning eye. But then again, finding a hidden gem isn't so easy.
Although this is a variety show, with Director Yu involved, the quality is guaranteed. Moreover, the diverse cast of characters makes it an excellent opportunity to showcase Chu Meibo's acting skills.
If it weren't for the fact that she had done Zhang Li a favor when dealing with Ye Cang's situation at "The Rising Star," she might not have spoken up for Chu Meibo in front of Director Yu.
Zhang Li misunderstood that he was worried about Chu Meibo's studies. After all, she had heard that the girl was repeating her senior year of high school, and in the set photos released by the "Tianji" crew, Chu Meibo was always writing test papers.
She couldn't help but say, "Don't worry, this program is still in the early stages of preparation, and there's still a lot to do. I reckon it won't be until after the New Year, so it won't interfere with her exams. — Don't let her miss such a good opportunity."
“No, you misunderstand,” Shen Huai said. “For Chu Meibo, this opportunity is probably even more important than the exam. I know what’s important. I should also thank you for introducing Meibo to me.”
Zhang Li smiled and said, "You're welcome. But I'm not just doing this to repay a favor. The young lady under your supervision is indeed a good actress. If she can be selected by Director Yu, that's her own talent."
Shen Huai's mind raced, but his expression remained calm: "Producer Zhang, are there any other competitors competing with Mei Bo this time?"
“You’ve come to the right person.” Zhang Li leaned forward slightly and lowered her voice a bit. “I heard that there are two other young girls participating in the audition. One is from a theater troupe and has even won an award. The other is Mr. Xue’s youngest daughter, who has been singing opera since elementary school and started performing on stage at the age of fourteen. She has been performing for six years and is known as ‘Little Yun Zhuoyi’.”
Shen Huai frowned slightly: "Singing opera?"
Zhang Li: "It is said that there is a role that tells the story of Yun Zhuoyi's life, so naturally she has to sing a few lines. In addition, she also has to be able to dance. This 'Little Yun Zhuoyi' has an excellent figure and is probably your formidable rival."
If Zhang Li was repaying a favor before, then her current words can be seen as her showing goodwill towards Shen Huai.
Shen Huai understood immediately: "I will remember Producer Zhang's kindness."
“It’s so easy to talk to smart people,” Zhang Li said with a smile. “I’m saying this because I really want to make friends with Mr. Shen. I’ve been in this industry for many years, and this is the first time I’ve met someone with such good taste as Mr. Shen.”
"Whether it's Ye Cang or Chu Meibo, although they are still newcomers, they are already among the best in this industry. I can't think of any other adjectives besides calling them geniuses. Mr. Shen's ability to bring these geniuses under his wing shows that his vision and courage are top-notch in the industry. Perhaps in a few years, this industry will have a new look because of you and the artists under your management."
Shen Huai was surprised that Zhang Li would say these things, and he was both amused and exasperated.
That might be how it appears to outsiders, but he knew exactly what was going on.
Faced with Zhang Li's probing gaze.
Shen Huai could only sigh and say, "Maybe I'm just lucky, or maybe it's just a ghost."
Zhang Li: "???"
Chapter 59
Shen Huai had arranged an audition time with Director Yu and then returned to the "Honey" production team.
After listening to his explanation, Chu Meibo became quite interested in the variety show. In fact, since returning to the world, Chu Meibo has been very interested in all forms of acting.
Shen Huai then told Chu Meibo what Zhang Li had said.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Chu Meibo's expression revealed a rare hint of...disdain.
"Yun Chuoyi?"
Shen Huai also noticed that her expression was a bit off: "Do you two have a grudge?"
Chu Meibo mumbled a few words, but didn't say anything more.
Shen Huai put that aside for the time being and asked.
"I know you used to study opera, but this body of yours hasn't been trained yet. And you're going to play the famous female old man Yun Zhuoyi. How confident are you?"
Chu Meibo frowned and pondered for a moment, then sang a short a cappella. Although her voice was somewhat limited, she did have some of Yun Zhuoyi's style, which was enough to fool laymen.
Besides Yun Zhuoyi, there is another important character, a famous femme fatale in history, who is known for her dancing skills.
Fortunately, Chu Chu had studied dance before, and Chu Meibo did not slack off after her resurrection. With just a period of training, she should be able to master both Peking Opera movements and classical dance.
Shen Huai had a plan in mind; several names had already flashed through his head. Before the audition, he arranged for someone to tutor Chu Meibo. He could foresee that Chu Meibo would have an even harder time in the coming period.
Chu Meibo herself was not afraid of any of these things; she had never backed down from anything related to acting.
No, you can't say that. She was quite helpless when she acted with Wen Hanyi recently.
Wen Hanyi has a very good temper, but he is not naturally suited for acting. In today's terms, he has a very heavy idol image to maintain.
But acting requires breaking yourself down and getting back into a new character.
In various film and television academies, the first lesson in the acting department is to liberate one's nature, which means hoping that actors will accept their imperfections and get rid of their "sense of shame".
However, all the training Wen Hanyi received had already made him accustomed to showing his best side to his fans at any time. He couldn't break free from his persona, so naturally, he couldn't talk about acting.
These two are completely opposite.
Not to mention, Wen Hanyi himself doesn't work hard, and forgetting his lyrics is a common occurrence for him.
If Chu Meibo hadn't had such strong self-control, he probably would have been pulled out of character long ago.
So, in such a simple campus drama as "Honey," she felt it was many times more tiring than "The Secret." The only consolation was that Tao Xuanxuan gradually came to appreciate the fun of acting and has been putting in much more effort lately.
Tao Xuanxuan's arrogant personality is not likable, but perhaps because acting with Wen Hanyi was too painful, she missed the thrill of getting the scene right in one take with Chu Meibo, so her attitude towards Chu Meibo was much better than before.
Tang Tang was also experiencing her daily breakdowns. The male lead she envisioned had turned out like this; she felt like dying. Unfortunately, even though she was now the head screenwriter, she remained a nobody on the production team, and no one paid attention to what she said.
Tang Tang had no one to confide in on set, so she could only chat with Chu Meibo when she was off-set. While chatting, she ended up correcting Chu Meibo's exam paper.
Chu Meibo then learned that Tang Tang was actually a top student in college. If it weren't for her love of movies and TV series, which led her to take the screenwriting exam, she would have had no problem getting into Zhongjing University with her scores back then.
So what was originally intended to comfort Tangtang ended up becoming a tutoring class.
Chu Meibo: "..."