Chapter 43: She Was Just a Passerby
The day had finally arrived. For her, the most important day of her life had finally come. Yes, her screen test day was here. Whether she could become famous from this, it all depended on today.
Would she fail here, or shine brightly? It all depended on her fate. Today, she had to secure the sole leading role among thousands. She wanted to stand on the all-star stage, becoming the most dazzling star. Most importantly, the person competing against her on the same stage today was Nangong Ying. She had to compete head-on with Nangong Ying for the female lead position.
She had specially dressed up today, borrowing a long dress from Nangong Ying, and even wore high heels. However, after entering the company building, the staff informed her that she would be taken for makeup and costume change later, so the clothes she was wearing didn’t really matter much. But thinking that the first impression was important, she let it go.
And she also had to thank Ye Zhiyun for finding her a place to stay. The accommodation costs in Shenzhen were already expensive, and staying for a few days was really killing her. Fortunately, Ye Zhiyun had reliable connections and reduced her room rate significantly, also finding her a place with a good environment. Such a nice hotel would easily cost at least a thousand yuan per night in Shenzhen, but Ye Zhiyun managed to reduce it considerably.
She didn’t expect to owe her a favor. She would have to repay her in the future. But thinking back to how they had argued not long ago, the world was truly strange. Now, there was actually no barrier between them.
Following the staff’s footsteps, Yu Linna was led into the waiting room. The moment the door opened, a flash of blue hair drifted past her eyes, and a slightly surprised face flashed before her. The door opened fully. The girl stood in front of her, wearing a fitting long dress, a gold necklace hanging on her chest. She had specially put on makeup for today, looking quite different from usual.
“Yo, Nangong…”
Yu Linna greeted her with a wry smile. Thinking that she would soon be competing head-on with Nangong Ying, she couldn’t help but feel a knot in her stomach. But she was her best friend; she couldn’t back down. At this point, she could only give it her all and declare war on her in her most perfect state.
She wanted to defeat Nangong Ying on this stage.
Taking a deep breath, calming her nervous heart, she stood in front of Nangong Ying, her eyes gradually becoming resolute. At this moment, all weakness was gone, leaving only the purest fighting spirit.
“I’m going to beat you.”
Nangong Ying was stunned at first, then smiled.
“Then I’ll be waiting.”
Between them, no more words were needed; just this sentence was enough.
Nangong Ying and Yu Linna, they were now candidates competing for the leading role on stage. Each was unique, irreplaceable.
Among the actors auditioning this time, they were mainly divided into two categories. One category consisted of newcomer actors who advanced through the normal selection process and finally obtained the screen test qualification. The other category consisted of actors who directly obtained the director’s permission for the screen test through recommendations from people within the industry. Among these thousand-plus people, only one protagonist could emerge, and the decision day was today.
Yu Linna waited patiently. Then, after the staff called her, she came out of the waiting room. Led by the makeup artist, she went in for makeup. She sat still, letting the makeup artist apply makeup. Skincare lotion was wiped across her face, foundation slowly applied. She just sat quietly, waiting for the makeup artist to finish. Those who could come here were not simple people. Those who got the chance for a screen test wouldn’t be ordinary people.
Although Yu Linna was a newcomer, she proved through her efforts that hard work pays off. Although she might not be the best, she would definitely strive to the extreme.
“Miss Yu, please come on stage.”
“Yes.”
She changed into the costume, put on the hairpin, and her light body stepped into the screen test room. As soon as she entered, the director and assistant director were both present, along with several staff members responsible for the screen test. She unconsciously became nervous but quickly calmed down.
The movie they were going to shoot was set in the late Qing Dynasty, against the backdrop of the declining martial arts world. It told the story of the relationship between the martial arts world and the imperial court in a chaotic era, especially after the invasion of the Eight-Nation Alliance, and how these martial artists should face the upcoming dynastic change. The story was a female-led drama, with all stories revolving around the female lead. The female lead was temporarily undecided, but the storyline of her reviving the martial arts world had to be carried through.
“Alright, stand in front of the camera, tell us your name and age, and then state your thoughts on this story.”
“OK. My name is Yu Linna, I’m 17 years old. Although I’m not yet an adult, I already have acting experience. I was a stage play actress at a theater for a period and have a certain understanding of acting. Regarding the story of this movie, I feel it’s a very good story. Unlike past fictional historical and overly entertainment-focused martial arts stories, it’s clear that the focus of this story is on humanistic care. I think this is a philosophical exploration of why people live and exist in a chaotic era, concerning martial artists and the declining imperial court.”
Her performance was indeed good. At the beginning, she answered fluently and had her own unique understanding of the story. Judging from the synopsis, the story did seem potentially bad, but she could find the shining points of the story, aptly analyzing the most suitable direction and the positioning of the film.
Because the story was set in the end times and involved the martial arts world and the Qing court, and the female lead had to be central throughout, although there was a male lead as her lover, they ultimately couldn’t be together in that era. The end of the story was that the female lead, for the sake of the new era, willingly gave up her identity and ideals, joining the revolutionary army to fight against the imperial court. Finally, she was severely injured in the final battle and permanently frozen in the far north. After that, the Xinhai Revolution arrived…
To embody the female lead’s resolute character and perfectly interpret her charm in the chaotic era was undoubtedly a very difficult task. But Yu Linna still persisted in performing in front of the camera, fighting for this final opportunity for herself.
“I love you. I love you more than anyone else in the world, but I cannot love you. In this era where the martial arts world and the imperial court are declining, fighting each other will lead nowhere. Only by opening up a new era can the martial arts world and the common people continue to survive. I don’t want foreign powers to invade our land, so I cannot love you.”
Her acting was still very immature. When expressing the female lead’s strong emotions, her control was still insufficient.
However, her understanding of the female lead and her ideas about the plot were her own, which was a great advantage in the competition. Plus, her mixed-race appearance, if her background was set as a mixed-blood child of a Westerner and an old Chinese person when perfecting the female lead’s background, it would definitely strengthen the story’s conflict and would also be something the audience would enjoy seeing.
If there was anything wrong, it was that the risk was too great. Because currently, no one dared to let a mixed-race actor carry a major production female-led drama. Audiences were used to seeing Chinese faces, and suddenly having a protagonist with a Western appearance would inevitably pose a risk. But if it was done right, that would be another story.
“Alright, finally I want to ask you, have you learned any dance or similar things, even just a little bit?”
“No.”
“OK, I understand. Then Miss Yu, you can finish.”
If that’s the case, then they might need to hire several stunt doubles for filming later, the director thought. He already had plans to use her as the female lead in the play. However, there were many action scenes in the play, requiring wire work. If Yu Linna joined the crew, it would really be necessary to hire stunt doubles.
After Yu Linna went down, the subsequent screen tests proceeded in an orderly manner. Yu Linna quietly waited for her results.
“Next young lady, please introduce yourself in front of the camera, and your thoughts on the story.”
“My name is Nangong Ying, 18 years old, just became an adult. Regarding this story, I think it’s a very good script, the creativity is really excellent, and I look forward to acting in it.”
Nangong Ying entered calmly, answered fluently, showing no nervousness in front of the camera. Because of her rich stage experience, she displayed sufficient proficiency. Although she hadn’t filmed anything before, she performed very well in front of the camera. Although she didn’t offer much insight into the story, stating that she would follow the director’s arrangements after joining the crew, she was just an actress responsible for filming.
And after that, she also began the acting test segment. She adjusted her mindset, her expression gradually changed, and her state of mind became different.
“Alright, since you think I’m wrong, how do you judge that you are right? You say you want to live for the common people, fight for the world. I’d like to know, why should I risk my life for you? I fight for the martial arts world, for letting the Chinese people carry forward kung fu. Why should I fight the foreigners for this imperial court?”
…
“Then tell me, how will you defeat me?”
…
“No matter how strong I am, how capable I am at fighting, I cannot save a country. When the country is in peril, everyone has a responsibility. But this country, what can I use to save it? Our country is vast and populous. In terms of numbers, terrain, combat power, where are we inferior to others? But why do we always lose? Isn’t it because our minds are rigid? Relying on mere passion is impossible to serve the country!”
What surprised Director Zhang was that this newcomer named Nangong Ying’s acting skills were quite good. Perhaps because of her rich stage experience, she felt no pressure acting and could even perform with her own unique style, almost perfectly matching the effect the director wanted.
In terms of acting skills, Nangong Ying was already outstanding and had a considerable advantage in the competition. Although she couldn’t compare with award-winning actors and actresses, for someone like her who hadn’t systematically studied acting, it was already quite impressive.
The screen test entered the next stage. The director planned to let her leave after finishing the test. He hadn’t planned to officially use Nangong Ying yet, as the final results weren’t out.
“Wait a moment, Director. In the remaining time, can I perform something else?”
“Of course, what do you want to perform?”
“Director, there seem to be quite a few action scenes in this film. I roughly looked, at least around two thousand scenes. I think I can complete these high-difficulty fight scenes myself, without needing a stunt double. I’ve learned martial arts before, and I know how to perform martial arts routines.”
She said this as an effort to secure the role. She wasn’t thinking much, just wanted to strive for this role.
The director was initially surprised. After roughly flipping through her profile, he learned that she had previously won a national martial arts championship. This meant her martial arts foundation was very good, perhaps even better than a stunt double’s, which piqued the director’s interest.
“Nangong, can you perform a set of martial arts in front of the camera?”
“Of course.”
Nangong Ying stood properly in front of the camera, assumed a horse stance, and then began her martial arts movements. Each set of fist techniques and kicking movements possessed aesthetic beauty, very pleasing to watch. Although she was fighting, it looked like dancing. Her movements weren’t violent at all, but extremely graceful, like dancing elegantly. A master’s demeanor was instantly revealed.
Not just the director, even the crew members were stunned. They had never seen such graceful martial arts movements!
It wasn’t that there were no action actors in the entertainment industry before, but action movements with such aesthetic beauty, like ballet-like martial arts, this was the first time they had seen it. Her movements weren’t fierce, nor comical, but full of beauty. Such movements had never been done by anyone before.
“OK, that’s enough.”
The screen test ended. Nangong Ying bowed deeply, then exited the screen test room, leaving only the director there, astonished.
Suddenly, Director Zhang slammed the table hard, shaking the entire table almost overturning it, startling everyone.
“It’s decided, it’s her! It’s her! She’s the protagonist I want! I want to shoot an innovative action film! I want to hire a martial arts choreographer! I want to shoot a great film!”
For this girl, this director was willing to revise the script and perfect more things.
Ultimately, the title of the female lead of the movie fell upon Nangong Ying’s head. In the end, Yu Linna still gained nothing. Her efforts, after all, could not overcome fate.