Entertainment Industry: I am a top-tier movie star

Chapter 2 Joining the Group

After parting ways with Naza in the corridor, Chen Nianbei had just stepped down the stairs when her phone vibrated.

I took it out and saw it was a text message from my dad:

"I've already spoken to your Uncle Kong. The address is: Area 3 of Huairou Film and Television Base, the film crew of 'Battle of Changsha'."

His phone number is 138xxxxxxx. Go directly to him when you arrive, and he'll arrange a job as a stagehand assistant for you.

Son, study hard this time, don't embarrass your dad.

The message ended with an awkward smiley face emoji.

Chen Nianbei stared at the line of text, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

In his past life, he had a very strained relationship with his father. He resented his father for always trying to "arrange" his life, and his father was angry that he was not ambitious enough.

Later, when he fell on hard times, his father secretly asked someone to introduce him to roles in stage plays.

"Stage assistant..." he repeated softly, then put his phone away.

That's good, just what he wanted.

If Uncle Kong really gives him a role with lines just because of his father, it will only cause trouble.

His current body hasn't undergone systematic training, and his delivery of lines and control of his body are not up to the level he had at forty.

You need to gradually get back into form.

When Wang Hao returned to the dormitory, he had already gone to the library.

Chen Nianbei turned on his old Lenovo laptop, connected to the intermittent WiFi in the dormitory, and began to look up information about "Battle of Changsha".

He had memories of this drama from his past life.

Directed by Kong Sheng and starring Huo Jianhua and Yang Zhi, the film tells the story of the joys and sorrows of an ordinary family during the Battle of Changsha.

It received good reviews, but its popularity wasn't top-tier when it aired; it's the kind of work that "stays popular" until the end.

Years later, people will still bring it up and say, "It's a great show that I missed back then."

He vaguely remembered a few key points: meticulous production, realistic war scenes, and delicate emotional portrayal.

Yang Zhi's transformation in this drama was quite successful, breaking away from her child star image.

Huo Jianhua's role seems to be somewhat controversial; some people feel that his acting is too "pretentious"...

But these are not things he should be concerned about right now.

Chen Nianbei opened the document and began typing:

"1938, Changsha...field hospital...Hu family..."

Based on fragments of his past life memories and the historical materials he could find, he gradually pieced together the possible historical background, character relationships, and key scenes involved in the drama.

This wasn't to show off, but rather a habit he had cultivated over many years.

Before joining the crew, you must know the story better than anyone else.

Just like an old hunter who needs to familiarize himself with every path before going into the mountains.

He stopped typing halfway through, staring at the dense text on the screen, and suddenly remembered his first time joining a film crew in his past life.

It was a period drama, and he played the second male lead.

The night before joining the crew, I was drinking at a bar until the early hours of the morning without even flipping through the script. The next day, I was just reading numbers from the script.

The director frowned, but the producer smiled and said, "It's okay, as long as the face looks good."

Looking back now, that director never worked with him again.

……

The next morning, Chen Nianbei boarded a bus bound for Huairou with a backpack.

Taking a taxi is too expensive.

Although my dad is in business, he strictly controls my allowance, calling it "cultivating independence."

Besides a few changes of clothes, the backpack contained only that thick notebook.

He wrote until 2 a.m. last night, going through everything he could think of.

Now, with my eyes closed, I can picture the streets of Changsha on the night of the fire, the smell of disinfectant mixed with blood in the field hospital, and the Hu family's dining table creaking from the impact of the artillery fire.

These are details that won't be written in the script, but as an actor, you have to know them.

The bus ride took more than two hours to reach Huairou.

Chen Nianbei found District 3 according to the address and saw a street scene in the style of the Republic of China in the distance. Extras dressed in gray-blue military uniforms were walking around on the street, and the props team was loading sandbags onto a truck.

The scene was so busy that no one paid attention to this unfamiliar face.

Chen Nianbei didn't rush to make a call. Instead, he found a quiet corner and stood there for more than ten minutes, observing.

Where are the directing crew located? What are the camera crew doing? Where is the actors' rest area? How are the production crews managing the operations?

These intricacies, which he spent over a decade figuring out in his previous life, are now ingrained in his mind like instinct.

"Young man, who are you looking for?"

An older man wearing a stagehand badge walked over. His tone was polite, but his eyes were wary.

Film crews hate irrelevant people the most.

"Hello, I'm looking for Director Kong Sheng. My name is Chen Nianbei; he should know I'm coming."

When Chen Nianbei spoke, he bowed slightly, neither overly humble nor arrogant.

The stagehand glanced at him a few times, and seeing that he had a good attitude, pointed to a blue tent not far away:

"Director Kong is watching the monitor over there. But filming is in progress right now, so you'll have to wait a bit."

"Understood, thank you."

Chen Nianbei didn't rush over; instead, she asked:

"Uncle, is our team short-handed right now? I see that the props over there seem to be a lot of work to do."

The production assistant was taken aback, then laughed: "What, you want to get to work before even meeting the director?"

"Anyway, we're just waiting."

Chen Nianbei also laughed, "I often help move things at school too."

That's half true and half false.

In his previous life, he didn't have to do these things after he became famous, but later when he was in a small film crew, what didn't he do?

He was skilled at everything, from moving equipment and ordering boxed lunches to even helping with lighting setup.

The older man took a liking to him and pointed to a pile of wooden crates on the street corner:

"Okay, then do me a favor and move these to that warehouse over there. Be careful, there are porcelain props inside."

"Okay."

Chen Nianbei took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and got to work.

The box was heavy, but he was only twenty years old and had plenty of strength.

One trip, two trips, three trips... He carried it very steadily, without making any noise that would affect the filming.

As I finished moving the fifth box, a voice came from behind me:

"You're quite strong."

Chen Nianbei turned around and saw a man wearing a military green vest with graying hair standing there, holding a walkie-talkie in his hand. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were sharp.

Kong Sheng.

He looked much the same as I had in my previous life, only a few years younger, and his brows weren't furrowed as deeply.

"Director Kong".

Chen Nianbei put down the suitcase, wiped her hands, and instead of rushing forward, stood still and nodded slightly.

"I am Chen Nianbei."

Kong Sheng looked him up and down, his gaze seeming to see right through him.

After several seconds, he finally spoke:

"Old Chen's son? He doesn't look quite the same as when he was a child."

"I was too young then, I hadn't fully grown yet," Chen Nianbei replied naturally.

A hint of a smile flashed in Kong Sheng's eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

"Your dad said you should come and learn, even if it's just doing odd jobs."

He paused, "But my crew doesn't support idlers, not even Old Chen's son."

These words were blunt, even a bit impolite. Several stagehands nearby secretly glanced over.

Chen Nianbei, however, understood the implied meaning.

Kong Sheng was not making things difficult for him, but rather testing him.

To test whether he was the kind of pampered, spoiled person who couldn't endure hardship.

"clear."

Chen Nianbei nodded.

"I just checked the set, and the props and production crews are short-staffed. I can do anything, so please feel free to assign me tasks."

"Can it do anything?"

Kong Sheng raised an eyebrow. "What about an actor's job? Don't you want to try out?"

"think."

Chen Nianbei answered frankly, "But it's not the right time yet. My lines and physical performance are not up to par, and forcing it will only delay the production schedule."

"It would be better to do the odd jobs well first, figure out how the crew operates, and maybe even learn something from them."

That's very honest, even a little too honest.

A man who looked like an assistant director couldn't help but glance at him, probably thinking, "This young man is quite clear-headed."

Kong Sheng was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly turned around:

"Come with me."

Chen Nianbei followed. The two walked behind the monitor, and Kong Sheng pointed to the screen:

"In this scene, Yang Zhi is looking for her brother. What do you think?"

On the screen, Yang Zhi is squatting in the ruins, searching through them. Her face is covered in dust, and tears are streaming down her face mixed with mud.

Chen Nianbei looked at it carefully for more than ten seconds before speaking:

"The emotions are strong, but the details could be more authentic."

"Oh?"

"Her hands were too clean when she was rummaging through things."

Chen Nianbei said, "After digging through the ruins for a long time, your fingers should have small scratches and there should be dirt under your fingernails."

Also, when she wiped her tears just now, the dust on the back of her hand should have rubbed onto her face, leaving streaks, but now her face is covered more evenly, as if a makeup artist had touched it up.

He spoke fluently, almost in one breath.

Kong Sheng listened without speaking, staring at the screen. After another half minute, he picked up the walkie-talkie:

"Makeup team, add some subtle wound effects to Yang Zhi's hands, and make her nails look dirty."

Also, let her wipe her own tears; don't let her touch up her makeup, I want natural-looking tears.

He put down the walkie-talkie and turned to look at Chen Nianbei: "Good observation skills. Did you learn that at school?"

"Half of it is, and the other half..." Chen Nianbei smiled, "might be talent?"

That joke was perfectly timed.

Kong Sheng finally revealed a genuine smile:

"Okay, then go report to the production crew. But don't just move boxes; come see me after work every day and tell me about the problems you saw today."

"no problem."

"Also," Kong Sheng added, "I'll tell your dad that you did a great job."

"No," Chen Nianbei quickly said, "Just say 'still under observation.' Otherwise, my dad might think you're just trying to save face for him."

Kong Sheng paused for a moment, then laughed out loud: "You lad...you're interesting. Go ahead."

Chen Nianbei turned and walked towards the stage management team, feeling the gaze following him from behind.

He knew he had passed the first hurdle.

It wasn't because of her father's influence, but because of the perfect sense of proportion that came with her forty years of experience.

As he walked over to the stage crew, the older man from before handed him a bottle of water.

"Not bad, kid. Director Kong rarely smiles at people."

Chen Nianbei turned on the tap, took a sip of water, and thought to himself: This is just the beginning.

He looked at the next scene being prepared not far away, where Huo Jianhua and Yang Zhi were rehearsing their lines. Sunlight streamed through the eaves of the Republican-era street scene, casting dappled shadows on the bluestone slabs.