Chapter 68
Zhou Xingyun has come to Shanghai.
Xu Ying had a meal with her, and after the meal, the two of them drove to Liu Meng's studio. Zhou Xingyun was very curious about the costumes and styling of the crew.
"Wow, these are all clothes you designed!"
Xu Ying and Liu Meng had seen the paintings in the corridor so many times that they were used to them and didn't think much of them. But Zhou Xingyun, who was here for the first time, couldn't hide her amazement and delight when she saw so many unique and beautiful clothes.
"Yes, many of them were drawn by YaYa, and some were done by our studio."
Huh?
Xu Ying hadn't looked closely before, but after hearing Liu Meng's words, she looked up at the paintings on the wall again and saw some unfamiliar ones. She figured these must be their team's own creations.
"I wonder how beautiful this decoration will look when it's finished!"
Zhou Xingyun patted Xu Ying on the shoulder, feeling that entrusting the decoration to her was absolutely the right thing to do.
"You'll have to handle the styling. By the way, have you thought about that Mr. Liu you mentioned before?"
Teacher Liu was the teacher who specifically instructed the actors on etiquette during the filming of "Empress Wu Zetian". Xu Ying wanted to find her again to be the etiquette instructor for the filming of "Legend of the Qing Dynasty".
"Yes, I plan to visit you in the next couple of days."
Professor Liu is a retired professor from the Film Academy, and her professional level is beyond question. In addition, given our previous collaboration, it is only right and proper for her to visit her in person and clarify things.
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"OK."
Zhou Xingyun: "......"
She just said it casually, and surprisingly she actually agreed.
However, she always keeps her word.
The next day, Xu Ying and Zhou Xingyun went to see Teacher Liu. Teacher Liu lived in an old neighborhood near the film academy. The area was not very crowded and the environment was very quiet.
Looking at the old houses around him, Zhou Xingyun exclaimed, "It feels like going back to fifty or sixty years ago."
Xu Ying laughed and said, "Do you know what it was like fifty or sixty years ago?"
She wasn't even born fifty or sixty years ago.
Zhou Xingyun glanced at her: "Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen pigs run, right? This is obviously one of those old houses. Teacher Liu's house is so close to the school, maybe it's a welfare house allocated to her by the school..."
Chatting and laughing all the way, the two of them quickly arrived at Teacher Liu's door with the gifts in hand.
Xu Ying stepped forward and knocked on the door.
The door didn't open, but a little girl's childish voice came from behind it: "Who are you?"
"Hello, children, we're looking for Teacher Liu."
"Teacher Liu...it's my grandma. Please wait a moment. My grandma went out to buy groceries and hasn't come back yet. I can't let you in."
Before her grandmother passed away, she told her not to open the door for anyone.
"Okay, we won't go in. We'll just stand at the door and wait."
After Xu Ying finished speaking, she heard the sound of footsteps running away, probably because the child had gone back to his room.
The two waited a short while before Teacher Liu returned carrying a bag. Seeing Xu Ying and Zhou Xingyun, she looked pleasantly surprised: "What brings you two here?"
After parting ways with the cast of "Empress Wu Zetian", they hadn't seen each other for almost a year.
Xu Ying smiled and said, "I came to visit you and also to see if I could ask you to come out of retirement."
Teacher Liu opened the door and invited the two in. Upon hearing this, he turned around in surprise and said, "You're asking me to come out of seclusion?"
She doesn't go online much and didn't know that Xu Ying and Zhou Xingyun were collaborating on a TV series again, let alone that they had organized a nationwide audition for actors.
"Yes, yes, teacher, you don't know, do you? Xu Ying and I are collaborating again. Have you heard of 'Legend of the Qing Dynasty'? This time, we're planning something big..."
Zhou Xingyun, being very outgoing, readily took the cloth bag containing the vegetables from Teacher Liu's hand and, while pulling Teacher Liu inside, chattered on about the upcoming arrangements.
Teacher Liu was pleased to hear this.
Before she could even ask a question, the little girl in the room must have heard the noise. She ran out and boasted to her grandmother, "Grandma, Grandma, someone knocked on the door just now, but I didn't open it!"
"I know, Yinyin did a great job. Keep it up next time. When Grandma comes back, she'll invite the guests in herself..."
After coaxing her granddaughter to go back to her room to do her homework, Teacher Liu went to the kitchen and poured two glasses of water: "Have some water."
"Thanks."
“Yinyin is my granddaughter. Her parents had some things to do these past two days, so she took care of me for two days,” Teacher Liu said as she sat down. “Where can I watch the ‘Legend of the Qing Dynasty’ that you just mentioned? I’d like to watch it too.”
Judging from what Zhou Xingyun just said, this drama is a women's drama, and women's dramas are not easy to film. If you are not careful, you can easily please neither side of the audience.
Zhou Xingyun glanced at Xu Ying, clearly wanting Xu Ying to help Teacher Liu find it.
Xu Ying: "......"
It always feels strange to teach someone how to search for your own novel in person.
Seeing that Zhou Xingyun remained silent, she had no choice but to speak up herself: "Teacher Feihong Novel Network, do you know about this?"
Teacher Liu shook her head.
really.
Xu Ying then began to teach Teacher Liu how to download the software, find his novel, and subscribe to it.
"This software is great, there are so many books on it," Teacher Liu glanced at the page, which was densely packed with the names of novels.
Zhou Xingyun chuckled to himself.
Xu Ying rolled her eyes at her and said to Teacher Liu, "Teacher, we came here today to ask you to be our advisor for 'Legend of the Qing Dynasty.' We were wondering if you would be available in August?"
Filming will begin in September, and August is just the right time to train the actresses.
Teacher Liu hesitated.
August is summer vacation, and my son and daughter-in-law will probably leave their granddaughter at home for her to take care of.
Xu Ying followed her gaze and saw the room that the little girl named Yinyin had run into: "What's wrong, teacher? Is there something you're worried about?"
“The child’s parents are busy with work, so I might have to take care of him during the summer vacation.”
“If she’s willing, you can actually bring her to the film set.”
Teacher Liu was somewhat tempted.
However, she didn't agree on the spot. She would have to discuss it with her family later. She waved her hand and stood up: "Let's not talk about this now. I just bought some groceries. Stay for lunch!"
"Sure, we'll both lend a hand."
......
Teacher Liu was clearly tempted by Xu Ying's invitation, and even if she didn't agree on the spot, Xu Ying had nothing to worry about.
After returning home, she and Zhou Xingyun began to screen the initial list of actors.
The official website of "Legend of the Qing Dynasty" has set up an email address, and girls from all over the country who meet the age range and are interested can apply. There are no requirements at all whether they are in the entertainment industry or not.
Such broad requirements resulted in the registration email inbox being flooded with messages.
Zhou Xingyun's eyes have been strained from looking at things for the past two days.
"My requirements aren't high, I just want these people to have decent features. But look at these people! How can they be so confident in themselves? And this guy, what are you doing here?!"
Xu Ying silently closed the email in her hand and opened the next one to continue reading: "Just close it directly, why get angry?"
If everyone gets angry, how can everyone possibly stay angry?
"Actually, appearance isn't the most important thing. The main thing is that some people are obviously here to cause trouble. Their bios are all messed up. Do they think they're funny?"
Zhou Xingyun is very casual in her personal life, but she is actually very serious and dedicated to her work. Therefore, she dislikes those who are perfunctory or even make their personal profiles abstract.
It makes me angry just looking at it.
Xu Ying leaned over, picked up her mouse, and gently clicked the "X" on her screen, instantly making the resume disappear.
"That's fine. She's not serious about her work, so just ignore her."
Xu Ying was right, but Zhou Xingyun had a fiery temper.
"It's a good thing she's not in front of me, otherwise I would have given her a good scolding," Zhou Xingyun said, when Xu Ying's phone suddenly rang.
It was a call from Teacher Liu.
"They've probably sent a reply," Zhou Xingyun said. "Answer it quickly!"
Under her anxious gaze, Xu Ying answered the phone: "Hello, Teacher Liu."
"It's me. About what you and Xiao Zhou told me last time, I asked my granddaughter's opinion, and she's willing to come with me to the film set during the summer vacation..."
!
Xu Ying glanced at her phone in surprise. She thought that when Teacher Liu asked for her family's opinion, he meant her son and daughter-in-law. She didn't expect that he meant her granddaughter's opinion.
She thought it and said it aloud.
Teacher Liu casually said on the other end of the phone, "Why should I ask them? They don't even have time to take care of their own children, yet they dare to criticize how I take care of them!"
......
"Okay, Teacher Liu, it's settled then. The production team will call you to let you know the specific training time later."
Xu Ying hung up the phone.
Zhou Xingyun, who was listening nearby, understood the implication and was delighted: "Teacher Liu agreed?"
Xu Ying nodded: "Yes, Yinyin should come with Teacher Liu."
"That's alright."
Zhou Xingyun had a very good impression of the little girl named Yinyin.
That day, when we went to Teacher Liu's house for dinner, the child stayed quietly in the room doing homework. When we came out to eat, he was also very well-behaved. It's clear that he was well-taught by his parents.
She is a very likable child.
*
The official email address for "Legend of the Qing Dynasty" received tens of thousands of resumes.
It's impossible that Xu Ying and Zhou Xingyun could all be watching. Director Zhou Yu and the casting director of the crew were the main force, and Luo Ying, who was far away in Beijing, was also watching.
As one of the investors in this drama, he was very concerned about the progress of the audition, so he was accidentally recruited by Zhou Xingyun to be a recruit.
"I don't trust other people's opinions. What if someone screens out good candidates? I trust you to handle things..."
Zhou Xingyun successfully persuaded Luo Ying to work for free.
However, now that Luo Ying has a company, he can't stay in Shanghai with her the whole time like he did with "Empress Wu Zetian". He only agreed to go there as a judge when the auditions officially begin.
As for now, we can only review it for her online.
Online is also fine.
Zhou Xingyun sent over the casting requirements of the production team and repeatedly reminded him not to be too strict in the initial screening. He should keep almost everyone who looked good, and she, Xu Ying, and Director Zhou would review them again later.
Xu Ying found it amusing. Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly remembered something.
"ah!"
Back when Ms. Liu was on the set of "Empress Wu Zetian," weren't there two girls from her school whom she quite liked? Now that she has this opportunity, she might keep an eye out for suitable roles for them...
No, no, that won't do.
Xu Ying quickly realized that something was wrong.
This time, "Legend of the Qing Dynasty" is a nationwide audition. Since they're holding an audition, why pre-select two people? It doesn't sound good if this gets out. Let's wait for another opportunity.
If she has another script to film next time, she must remember to mention it and ask the two girls if there are any suitable roles.
Thinking this, Xu Ying picked up her phone and wrote it down in her notes app.
She was afraid she would forget about it again.
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