novelraw Chapter 92: Ah, the King of Guan Zhong Has Arrived!
Chapter 92: Ah, the King of Guan Zhong Has Arrived!
The day before the audition, Wei Song's assistant sent an electronic copy of a script excerpt to Sun Zhou's email.
The Hongmen Feast from The Legend of Han and Chu.
Ever since Jiang Ci last visited Wei Song, their assistants had already connected with each other.
Sun Zhou found the hotel manager to print it out, not daring to delay for a single second, practically charging into Jiang Ci's room.
"Ci-ge! The script! The Hongmen Feast excerpt!"
Jiang Ci had just finished his evening physical conditioning training and was sitting on the carpet stretching. Hearing this, he took the few pages of paper that were still warm.
He quickly skimmed through them.
Fan Zeng's murderous intent, Xiang Bo's protection, Zhang Liang's mediation, Liu Bang's show of weakness.
Clashing blades and swords, undercurrents surging.
Finally, his gaze rested on Xiang Yu's first line of dialogue upon entering."Ah, it's the King of Guanzhong who has arrived."
Sun Zhou was already rubbing his hands together on the side, his whole person entering battle mode, nervously helping him run lines.
"Ci-ge, I'll play Liu Bang! I'm humble! I'm especially humble!"
"Look, as soon as I enter the tent, I 'thump' kneel down for you and say: 'Your servant and the General joined forces to attack Qin, the General fought north of the river, your servant fought south of the river...'"
Sun Zhou recited with great emotion, completely immersing himself in that Duke of Pei walking on a knife's edge.
Jiang Ci, however, didn't engage with the scene at all.
He was just holding that page of the script, his finger lightly tapping on that standalone "ah" character, looking at it over and over.
"Ci-ge?"
Sun Zhou performed a solo act for a long time, only to realize Jiang Ci had no reaction at all, so he couldn't help but stop.
"Could you at least give some reaction! Xiang Zhuang performs the sword dance! Murderous intent! There needs to be murderous intent!"
Jiang Ci ignored him, just muttering to himself.
"This 'ah' character, it's not right."
Sun Zhou was completely baffled.
He leaned over, staring at that character for a long time.
"Ah? What ah? Isn't it just an interjection? Meaning 'oh, you're here.'"
"No." Jiang Ci shook his head. "This 'ah,' it's the soul of the entire scene."
Sun Zhou felt his CPU was about to overheat.
He thought Jiang Ci might be under too much pressure and starting to nitpick.
With their backs against the wall, instead of studying how to portray Xiang Yu's might and dominance, he's obsessing over a grammatical particle?
In Jiang Ci's mind, however, a brainstorming storm was raging.
His previous understanding of Xiang Yu was "I-see-no-one."
A great male lead living in his own drama, how could he possibly put a cannon fodder extra unworthy of entering the play in his eyes?
Therefore, the key to the Hongmen Feast scene wasn't the murderous intent of Xiang Zhuang's sword dance at all, but rather Xiang Yu's "dimensional reduction strike" from beginning to end.
What he wanted wasn't "intimidation," but "disregard."
This "ah" character was the essence of that "disregard."
It wasn't surprise, much less a warning filled with killing intent.
Then what should it be?
It should be a drawn-out sound tinged with laziness and understanding.
The subtext was: "Oh, that little side character has finally shown up."
It was filled with the protagonist's absolute sense of control over the extra, and impatience at having his peace disturbed.
Yes, that's the feeling!
Having grasped this point, Jiang Ci suddenly felt the entire scene's structure became clear.
He took out his phone and opened the search bar.
Sun Zhou watched him, wide-eyed, as his fingers swiftly typed a line on the screen.
"How to use interjections like 'oh,' 'hmm,' 'ah' to embody a casual, arrogant kingly aura?"
Sun Zhou: "..."
Peng Shaofeng's team hired the action director from Wolf War.
Our Ci-ge hired the internet's "memeology" master.
This... can this win?
...
At the same time.
In the presidential suite of another hotel, the atmosphere was equally serious.
Peng Shaofeng, wearing a loose practice uniform, stood in the center of the room.
His agent, along with a senior action director specially invited from Hong Kong, were gathered around him making final adjustments.
"Feng-ge, when you sit down, the movement can be a bit larger. Have that feeling of sitting down with a thump that makes the whole mountain shake."
"But when getting up, be light. This contrast is what can embody the Conqueror's sense of effortless strength." The action director said while demonstrating himself.
Peng Shaofeng nodded, practicing meticulously over and over.
His agent held the script, reminding him from the side.
"Run the lines one more time, pay attention to giving enough oppressive feeling. Make the person opposite you feel their legs go weak just hearing you speak."
Peng Shaofeng sank his stance, his entire aura instantly becoming sharp and fierce.
He slowly opened his mouth, enunciating clearly with a strong, resonant voice.
"Ah, it's the King of Guanzhong who has arrived."
That one "ah" character was loud, majestic, full of a king's bearing and contempt.
Perfect.
The agent and action director exchanged a glance, seeing satisfaction in each other's eyes.
This was the Conqueror of Western Chu they wanted.
A single look could decide the life and death of millions.
...
The next day.
The audition location was set in a large photography studio at Huaxing Pictures headquarters.
The studio was brightly lit.
Director Wei Song, the head screenwriter, several main producers, and representatives from major investors like Evergreen Entertainment and Huaxing Pictures were all present.
A long table was set up in the center of the space. The people sitting behind it were all key figures who could decide the fate of a major production.
The atmosphere was extremely serious.
Peng Shaofeng and his team arrived early.
He had changed into a well-tailored casual outfit, his tall and straight figure standing out like a crane among chickens in the crowd.
He effortlessly chatted with familiar producers and directors, his every gesture exuding innate confidence.
His agent leaned in and whispered in his ear.
"The newcomer Director Wei values is called Jiang Ci, said to be a student with no background. Don't pay him too much mind."
Peng Shaofeng gave a slight nod, not taking it to heart.
For him, this audition was just a formality anyway.
Soon, the studio door was pushed open.
Jiang Ci appeared on time, accompanied by Sun Zhou.
He wore a simple T-shirt and jeans, his figure lean. Among the glamorously dressed industry bigwigs and the powerfully charismatic Peng Shaofeng, he seemed somewhat out of place.
He didn't greet anyone, just quietly walked over to a chair in the corner and sat down, closing his eyes as if resting his spirit.
This quietness formed a stark contrast to the lively atmosphere on site.
Peng Shaofeng's gaze lingered on him for a second before disinterestedly shifting away.
Too weak.
Neither his aura nor his appearance seemed like someone who could play the Conqueror.
Just then, an elderly man wearing a Zhongshan suit, looking spirited and hale, also walked into the photography studio.
It was the veteran actor Liu Hanyu, specially invited to play Liu Bang for the audition.
As soon as Liu Hanyu entered, Wei Song immediately stood up to greet him.
After exchanging pleasantries, Liu Hanyu's gaze swept over the two completely different young men in the room.
He looked at Peng Shaofeng. That air of 'who else but me' was indeed fitting.
He then looked toward Jiang Ci in the corner, that young man so quiet he was almost invisible.
Interesting.
One was like a fire burning fiercely, the other like still water of unfathomable depth.
For Wei Song to value this young man so highly, daring to let him compete with Evergreen's "crown prince," he must have his exceptional qualities.
He wanted to see just what abilities this young man possessed.
Everyone was present.
Wei Song walked to the center of the space, clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.
"Everyone, thank you for being here today."
He didn't waste words, getting straight to the point.
"Today's audition content is the Hongmen Feast excerpt."
His gaze swept over Peng Shaofeng, then landed on Jiang Ci.
"For Xiang Yu's costume, we have prepared two sets."
He pointed to the side where a clothing rack held a huge object an assistant had just wheeled in, covered with a black cloth.
"One set is the heavy armor meticulously prepared by Mr. Peng's team."
He then pointed to another clothing rack holding a set of finely crafted black everyday clothes.
"The other set is the everyday clothes I prepared."
Wei Song's expression showed no preference; he was just calmly stating a fact.
Everyone in the entire photography studio focused their gazes on the two young men in the center.
Wei Song slowly spoke, throwing out the first challenge of the day.
"Who goes first, you decide for yourselves."