Chapter 29: This Acting Is Absolutely Incredible

Little Steel Cannon and Xu Fan sat in the third row, while the first two rows were entirely occupied by directors from the Beijing Film Academy (BFA) circle.

Watching Cao Yang speaking eloquently on stage, perhaps reminded of his own arduous journey, Little Steel Cannon whispered, "The kid is truly lucky. His path in the film industry will be much easier from now on."

Xu Fan kept a smile on her face, maintaining her posture as she looked toward the stage. Her voice drifted softly to Little Steel Cannon’s ear, "Isn't it just a nominal credit? How much help can it really be for him?"

"You don't understand how this works. We insiders know the truth, but with those two Silver Bears... playing the tiger's skin is extremely effective."

Little Steel Cannon paused for a moment after saying "Silver Bear." He truly envied those accolades—after all, who doesn't harbor the dream of being an artist?

He then turned his head to ask Wang Zhonglei of Huayi, who was sitting next to him, "If this kid on stage is willing to attach his name as director, would you be willing to invest, Mr. Wang?"

Wang Zhonglei didn't hesitate, "As long as he's willing to attach his name, we can pair him with two experienced assistant directors and cast a Hong Kong star as the lead. It would be very easy to make money."

Little Steel Cannon grinned at Xu Fan and shrugged, wearing an expression that said, "See, didn't I tell you?"

Wang Xiaoshuai, sitting in the second row directly in front of Little Steel Cannon, had overheard their conversation. He turned around and stared at Little Steel Cannon for a good ten seconds with a look of pure contempt, before softly muttering, "Just watch the movie, will you?"

Little Steel Cannon was stunned. What was that jerk implying?

Xu Fan patted Little Steel Cannon’s arm, signaling him to keep his mouth shut. The first two rows were filled with BFA people; why provoke them?

On stage, Li Xiaoran was speaking. Wang Zhonglei felt a stir of interest. He leaned toward Little Steel Cannon and asked, "This Berlin Best Actress award couldn't possibly be fake, right?"

Little Steel Cannon immediately understood Wang Zhonglei's intent—he was looking to poach talent. A Berlin Best Actress—the first from mainland China—was recognized internationally, which provided a natural advantage for a career in the West.

"If that could be faked, it wouldn't be so rare," Little Steel Cannon replied.

Wang Zhonglei fell silent, deep in thought, calculating what kind of offer would be needed to poach Li Xiaoran. Last year, Wang Jinghua had partnered with Huayi to establish their talent agency, which still lacked a top-tier actress. If he could sign Li Xiaoran, she would become their flagship star.

At that moment, the interaction on stage concluded. The time was up, the cast and crew stepped down, and the film began.

"Huh?"

As the plot unfolded, Little Steel Cannon stared at the screen, unable to look away. He couldn't help but sigh—the lead actress was truly magnificent!

If only he had such an actress for himself...

Little Steel Cannon felt a jolt. If he could collaborate with an actress of this caliber, could he also make a splash in Europe? In an instant, a strong feeling of "I could do this too" washed over him.

At the same time, his doubts began to grow. Could such simple, fixed camera positions, so many one- or two-minute shots, and even a four-minute long take that exhausted an entire reel of film, really have been shot by that jerk Tian Zhuangzhuang? It didn't seem like it. No, definitely not.

He was all too familiar with the so-called "Fifth Generation" directors. They were all self-important, viewing themselves as "artists," each with a unique obsession for every frame and every shot. They would never use such straightforward long takes and repetitive fixed-position shots. These types of shots, let alone being used by the Fifth Generation, were things even the students at the Beijing Film Academy would deem beneath them.

Yet, it was precisely these simple, plain shots that had created a film that pulled the audience deep into its world.

Little Steel Cannon analyzed for a moment, then slapped his thigh, startling Xu Fan, whose eyes were red from the film. He had found the reason: the director had "taken a shortcut."

The director had funneled almost all the focus onto the lead actress, using her emotions to drive the audience’s own. The film didn't show off the director's technical mastery of lens language, but in terms of stirring emotions, it was absolutely top-notch.

When the movie ended, Xu Fan was still lost in the emotions evoked by the lead actress. Little Steel Cannon, however, was now certain: this was absolutely not shot by that jerk Tian.

From somewhere in the crowd, applause began to ripple, growing louder and louder until it became thunderous.

Wang Zhonglei next to him exhaled, easing the emotional tension left by the film. He looked at Little Steel Cannon and said, "That didn't even look like acting."

"Incredible!" Little Steel Cannon added.

Anyone present with a shred of discernment wouldn't suspect Tian Zhuangzhuang of directing this. This was a quintessential auteur film with a very distinct signature.

"The director is only a junior?" Wang Zhonglei asked again.

"Incredible!" Little Steel Cannon repeated.

Wang Zhonglei’s heart burned with ambition—this time not for Li Xiaoran, but for Cao Yang, the junior student. If he could win him over, Huayi would have another trump card in their deck.

"Milk Tea" Liu took three or four minutes to recover from the lingering melancholy, but her heart remained heavy with sorrow and loss. She couldn't let it go—the scumbag director didn't even go after the heroine! Even the final apology and tearful confession were just a dream the heroine had!

She couldn't help but think of herself. Back then, wasn't she just like the heroine, her heart full of her mentor, waiting for him to... even her dreams were just like the heroine's, yet they yielded no results.

"Does he miss me the way I miss him?" Milk Tea Liu whispered to herself.

"What?" Huang Lei was startled. He, too, had been infected by the heroine's emotions and had only vaguely heard her speak.

"Nothing."

Milk Tea Liu suddenly felt that the face which had once looked so handsome to her now seemed somewhat repulsive.

Compared to a director who could capture the delicate, emotional resonance of *The Day After*, he had absolutely no substance—just an empty shell.

Why did you reject such a good film? Why did you reject it on my behalf? Why did you reject it without even telling me? Don't you know this film was practically tailor-made for me? Don't you know that if I had played the role, I could have delivered that same raw, personal feeling? Don't you know that if not for you acting on your own, I would be the Berlin Best Actress right now!

It's over! We are finished!

The cast began to take the stage, and the applause, which had just begun to die down, erupted once more. When it finally ceased, the process continued: they began drawing lucky fans to sign autographs, a necessary part of the promotional tour. Only through interaction could the audience feel a sense of participation.

Cao Yang was chatting with a group of BFA directors. The doubts of some had vanished, and those who knew the inside story were suddenly enlightened; no wonder he had gained the favor of Professor Situ—the kid truly had talent.

Of course, many still felt, "The kid is just damn lucky to have encountered a powerhouse performance from Li Xiaoran. If someone gave me a Li Xiaoran, I could haul in a few big awards too."

"Cao Yang, the emotional rendering in your film is excellent, and there is genuine humanistic concern. But as for your lens language, it's still too crude. Practice more; you must think, learn, and practice more." Chen Kaige patted Cao Yang on the shoulder and cautioned, "You are still young. Don't be complacent just because you won two Silver Bears. You must not get arrogant, otherwise, even if your teachers don't say anything, as your senior, I will certainly have to lecture you."

Cao Yang smiled, "Don't worry, Senior. I've been studying lens language recently. In my next film, you will definitely see progress."

As soon as he stepped away, Li Xiaoran pulled over a man with a gentle appearance and introduced him, "Director Cao, this is my good friend Chen Kun. He really wants to meet you. He has taken great care of me and introduced many resources to me in the past."

"Director Cao, hello, I am Chen Kun."

Chen Kun bowed slightly and shook Cao Yang's hand, saying, "Thank you for looking after Xiaoran. Back at the Oriental Song and Dance Troupe, she was incredibly loyal and took such good care of me."

"Hello, Chen Kun. Thank you for looking after Xiaoran as well. You are one of the most successful actors to come out of our school in the last two years—a true idol."

"You are too kind, you are too kind. I hope to have the opportunity to collaborate with you, Director Cao."

"There will be chances."