Three days after the discussion between Shao Yichen and Li Qianqian.
Qi Gelong sat in the conference room of Morning Star Media Company, outwardly composed but inwardly somewhat nervous.
Three days ago, he had received a call from this company, saying the chairman had specifically requested him as the lead actor and hoped he would consider it.
The content was so outlandish that he initially thought it was a prank, until they sent him half of the screenplay, and he realized they weren't mocking him.
After opening this half-screenplay and skimming through it once, he immediately decided to push aside all his current work and rush to Morning Star Media to meet the director who wanted to collaborate with him.
His urgency wasn't because the screenplay's content was particularly brilliant—after all, he'd only seen the first half and hadn't read it very carefully, only enough to determine that the first half's plot logic was sound—but because it had been too long since he'd received such a legitimate acting job.
Indeed, Qi Gelong could be said to have had his moment of fame.
Ten years ago, he had played one of the main characters in the wildly popular period comedy "Apricot Blossom Island Chronicles"—the Right Guardian of Apricot Blossom Sect, Qi Jieba (Stutterer Qi). His unique speech pattern, amusing comedic lines, combined with Qi Gelong's naturally comedic appearance, left a deep impression on many viewers. While not many people might know the actor Qi Gelong, when mentioning Qi Jieba, many would have a moment of realization, drawing out a long "Oh—": "It's the stuttering Right Guardian from Apricot Blossom Island!"
Even now, ten years later, based on that character, when Qi Gelong walked down the street, quite a few people would still find him familiar.
But after that hugely successful comedy, Qi Gelong never again had a character that people remembered.
This wasn't for lack of trying. He had accepted some scripts for serious dramas, but whether because Qi Jieba had typecast him in viewers' eyes, or because his acting skills weren't captivating enough, most people seeing him in a drama would first think of Qi Jieba.
When audiences couldn't even immerse themselves in the story, how could he shape a character?
Gradually, no one invited him to act anymore. He could only rely on the fading glory of his brief fame ten years ago, accepting subpar s and reciting ridiculous, comical lines.
But Qi Gelong wasn't resigned to this fate.
He had formal training and didn't consider his acting skills inferior.
—He just lacked a good screenplay, a good character, and a bit of luck!
He still wanted to be an actor and prove his abilities through his roles!
After ten years, he had almost abandoned this thought, when suddenly he received contact from Morning Star Media Company.
He absolutely couldn't miss this opportunity!
For this reason, he decisively chose to visit Morning Star Media even without knowing the director's name. Because he knew this might be the last glimmer of hope in his acting career.
As Qi Gelong was contemplating, the conference room door knocked twice with a "thump thump" and then opened.
Qi Gelong looked up, realizing that the person walking in behind the young general manager who had earlier welcomed him must be the film's director.
But to his surprise, this director wasn't the steady middle-aged person he had imagined—after all, Qi Gelong thought viewers who knew him would be around that age—but rather someone who looked like they had just graduated.
This young person walked quickly to him, displayed a sincere expression, and earnestly said—
"Teacher Dong Qiang, I'm so honored that you're interested in taking the lead role in this film!"
Qi Gelong: ?
Does my name have anything to do with Dong Qiang?
Qi Gelong, Qi Dong Qiang—are you drumming?
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As soon as Shao Yichen uttered "Teacher Dong Qiang," she realized she had misspoken.
—It was all because she had watched too many Qi Jieba meme videos yesterday!
Before hastily deciding to invite Qi Dong Qiang—no, Qi Gelong—Shao Yichen didn't actually know much about this comedy actor. To avoid appearing ignorant when meeting him, the night before meeting Qi Gelong, she had frantically watched this actor's works on the Dulu Dulu video platform.
"Apricot Blossom Island Chronicles" had been all the rage at one time, and she had watched it as a child, so naturally there was no need to revisit it; but she had truly never heard of this actor's other works.
Moreover, whenever she watched Qi Gelong's other serious dramas, her mind would involuntarily recall Qi Jieba's face, Qi Jieba's tone, Qi Jieba's exaggerated expressions... and then she couldn't continue watching, only able to hastily drag the progress bar and swallow it whole.
Later, she simply searched for Qi Gelong's work compilations, and was successfully attracted by the recommended videos below the compilation, opening a Qi Jieba meme video.
Thus, Shao Yichen became unstoppable on the path of meme videos, accompanied by her own goose-like laughter. She jumped from one meme video to another, from "Reform Spring Breeze Blows Across the Land" to "People of Apricot Blossom Show True Grit," and finally to "Qi Gelong Dong Qiang Dong Qiang"—no, "Seven Gelong Dong Qiang Dong Qiang."
Shao Yichen dared say this was the most infectious meme video she had ever seen, the lingering sound echoing in her mind for three days, causing her to hear "Qi, Qi, Qi Gelong, Qi Gelong Dong Qiang Dong Qiang—" repeating in Qi Jieba's stuttering tone as soon as she saw that familiar face when meeting Qi Gelong the next day...
Under these circumstances, she spoke without thinking and called out "Teacher Dong Qiang."
The expression on Qi Gelong's face instantly became less than pleasant.
Shao Yichen didn't know whether Qi Gelong knew about his meme videos, but regardless, the name Qi Gelong definitely had nothing to do with "Teacher Dong Qiang."
Realizing her slip, she quickly remedied it: "I apologize, Teacher Qi. I was actually thinking of a village teacher character you played before. I remember that teacher was also called Dong Qiang, and because the impression was so deep, I misspoke. In fact, it was precisely because I saw your TV drama that I specifically wanted to invite you to play the male lead in this screenplay, because the protagonist is also a teacher and has many similarities with that TV drama..."
Shao Yichen's explanation was half-truth, half-fiction. Qi Gelong had indeed once played a village teacher in a tragic drama, and his name was indeed "Dong" something. Whether because Qi Gelong's appearance in this drama differed too greatly from Qi Jieba, or because this was a script Qi Gelong accepted long after Apricot Blossom Island, this drama was indeed the only television series besides Apricot Blossom Island that Shao Yichen had watched completely without being influenced by Qi Jieba. Although calling out "Teacher Dong Qiang" wasn't because of this drama, Shao Yichen felt her excuse was reasonably plausible.
Indeed, after hearing this explanation, Qi Gelong didn't suspect anything, successfully resolving the awkwardness of calling him by the wrong name at their first meeting. He was even somewhat touched, because he had indeed put a lot of effort into that TV drama and felt his acting had broken through, but the results couldn't have been worse—despite being a prime-time exclusive drama, its ratings hovered around decimal points.
And today, he actually heard someone praising this drama highly, even stating it was specifically because of his acting in this drama that they had provided him with this screenplay.
Qi Gelong's favorable impression of this unknown young director instantly increased.
—Youth wasn't an issue! Experience wasn't the most important factor! To evaluate a director, one should look at their directing ability.
Among the directors he had previously worked with, there were also some with impressive resumes, yet their works still flopped, didn't they?
Shao Yichen observed his expression, saw that Qi Gelong had been successfully fooled, and breathed a sigh of relief. To further divert his attention, she quickly presented the printed screenplay with both hands: "I remember one of the reasons Teacher Qi Gelong specially rushed here was to understand the overall content of this screenplay, so I specifically brought a printed copy. If you don't mind, you can take a look now, offer some suggestions, and we can consider them all!"
The screenplay she handed over this time was finally no longer the original manuscript written in her own chicken-scratch handwriting, but an electronic version proofread by Li Qianqian. Shao Yichen's screenplay journey had finally made slow progress after two films, evolving from handwritten to electronic scripts—a cause for celebration.
As for why they had only sent half the screenplay before, the reason was simple. It wasn't that they were trying to be mysterious—it was just that at the time, they had only inputted and proofread up to the first half.
Of course, this reason couldn't be told to Qi Gelong.
Qi Gelong accepted the screenplay without saying much more, simply nodding briefly before beginning to read the latter half.
After all, no matter how well he got along with this director, the quality of the screenplay would always be the most important factor.
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A quarter of an hour later.
Qi Gelong finished reading.
He closed the screenplay and remained silent for a long time.
This screenplay truly exceeded his expectations.
He had seen many screenplays and knew that many started strong but ended weakly, lacking staying power. They might initially have some highlights but conclude hastily, ultimately giving viewers a worse impression than screenplays with ordinary beginnings but complete story arcs.
When he saw only the first half of the screenplay, he had mentally prepared himself and silently decided that regardless of the screenplay's quality, he would strive to perform well, seizing what might be his last acting opportunity.
But he hadn't expected the screenplay's quality to exceed his expectations to such an extent.
Not that the screenplay was poor, but rather that it was too perfect for him—so perfect that he couldn't believe he could get the lead role in such a good screenplay!
This screenplay wasn't the simple comedy he had assumed. Beyond the humor, it had moving moments, suffering, difficulties, and separations. But even these emotions that weren't laugh-inducing were expressed in humorous ways, making people laugh with tears and reflect after laughing.
And the character he would play, Old Tang, was undoubtedly the soul and core of this screenplay.
He would lead four disciples, solve problems encountered during filmmaking, and struggle against difficulties. But the most important problem he needed to solve in the screenplay was to resolve his own mental block about filmmaking and step out from the shadow of his past.
Naturally, portraying such a deep, meaningful character with psychological transformation required a certain level of acting skill.
But wasn't this exactly the opportunity to prove himself that Qi Delong had been seeking? Hadn't he always wanted to prove that he hadn't just gotten lucky with Apricot Blossom Island, but that he truly had acting skills worthy of that wildly successful comedy from ten years ago?
In the ten wasted years since Apricot Blossom Island aired, hadn't he, like Old Tang, been merely wasting time, unable to escape the shadow of the past? And now, just like Old Tang in the screenplay, he too had encountered a turning point that could transform his life!
Contemplating the connection between the screenplay's content and his own life, Qi Delong was momentarily overcome with emotion. He had a premonition that if he could portray Old Tang well, perhaps he too, like this character, could escape his current predicament and forge a new path.
With this thought, Qi Delong stood up on the spot.
He turned to Shao Yichen and solemnly said: "Director, I accept this screenplay!"
"I promise I can portray the character of Old Tang well! No, I am the most suitable 'Old Tang'!"
Author's Note: Shao Yichen: Welcome, Teacher Dong Qiang, to our production team.
Qi Delong: ? My name is Qi Delong.
Today's second update completed~
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