Huayu: I Have a Doraemon

Chapter 11 The Actor's Self-Cultivation

The Yifu Building is less of a building and more of an art center.

The building houses a variety of functional spaces, including teaching buildings, training buildings, lecture halls, rehearsal halls, and an inner courtyard.

Zhao Nana led Lin An up to the third floor, and after several twists and turns, they arrived at a corridor covered with gray sound-absorbing panels.

At the end of the corridor, in a room of about 80 square meters, the lighting technician was busy adjusting the lights. Several folding chairs were scattered in the corner, with the words "Director," "Assistant Director," and "Screenwriter" pasted on the backs of the chairs.

A dozen or twenty people stood in several small circles, scattered around, talking in hushed tones.

"So many..." Lin An murmured in amazement.

That's just how this industry is.

Zhao Nana scratched her head, a self-deprecating smile tinged with sadness:

"Actually, this is considered good. Many more people don't even have the chance to audition. Of course, this is also a kind of luck."

Just as Lin An was about to ask "why", a commotion came from the direction of the room.

Seven or eight boys filed out of the room at the end of the corridor, their steps heavy and their eyes dejected.

They're eliminated already? They haven't even done anything yet!

Lin An stared wide-eyed, utterly incredulous.

Zhao Nana and Hai Qing remained calm, clearly already used to it.

"Actually, it's already very good."

Zhao Nana pointed to the students in the room who were holding scripts and looking nervous:

"At least we have the opportunity to prove ourselves. As long as we can make an impression, we can get ahead of others next time."

Lin An nodded thoughtfully and concluded:

"Information is more important than ability, and relationships are more important than information."

Zhao Nana glanced at him in surprise:

"You're actually able to accept this... You've worked before?"

Generally speaking, students who haven't truly entered society cannot accept such a highly objectifying scenario in a short period of time.

Haiqing also looked over.

She sensed something was off about this junior the moment they met, and now she saw that he was even more... much more... than she had imagined.

Hmm, weird.

Lin An, who was labeled "weird," shrugged and said casually:

"I set up a street stall with my friends during summer vacation."

Is it true or not...? Zhao Nana's expression turned strange:

"The tuition for continuing education courses is not cheap."

In her view, young people who attend advanced training courses are nothing more than two types of people—those who are so immersed in art that they can't extricate themselves, and those who are idle and indulge in pleasure.

Either way, your family must be incredibly wealthy!

"That's not cheap? That's damn expensive!" Lin An thought to himself, not dwelling on the topic, and instead asked:

"Shouldn't we hurry inside?"

Shouldn't this kind of thing be first-come, first-served?

Zhao Nana shook her head and said, "After the preliminary audition, there is a second audition, and after the second audition, there is a makeup test... As long as you haven't officially joined the crew, there is always the possibility of unforeseen circumstances. It doesn't matter if you're a step earlier or later."

That's true... You have to compare prices before buying groceries, let alone auditioning, which is all based on feeling... If I were the director, I would also try more things if time allowed... Lin An's mind was instantly flooded with all sorts of grudges and entanglements from his previous life in the entertainment industry.

At this moment, another group of students came out of the room, their demeanor and behavior being almost identical to the previous group.

One of the girls, who was rather thin and had a heroic air about her, waved wearily at Haiqing.

"Xiao Wen?"

Hai Qing paused for a moment, then quickly went to meet her. "How is it?"

The girl named Xiao Wen sighed:

"Their temperament doesn't meet the standard; they want the innocent type."

Haiqing comforted her, "It's alright, there will be other opportunities in the future."

After saying that, she gave a self-deprecating twitch at the corner of her mouth:

"Given your condition, I feel like there's no need for you to go anymore."

Zhao Nana's expression also turned dejected.

She has a larger frame and is not the innocent type.

While temperament doesn't determine everything, in the Beijing Film Academy with its large cast of actors, it's enough for the creative team to make a judgment.

The atmosphere became tense.

Lin An couldn't stand the environment, so he coughed and asked:

"Which film crew is this? Who are the director and producer?"

The girl didn't know who the young man in front of her was, but she still answered instinctively:

"The producer of 'Internet Addict's Diary' is unknown, but the directors are Lü Xiaopin and Lin Cong."

Hmm, I don't recognize any of them... Lin An sighed inwardly, but it wasn't too surprising.

In my past life, I didn't pay much attention to the entertainment industry; my knowledge of related topics was limited to casual gossip.

"Internet Addict's Diary? Is it an urban drama?" Lin An asked.

The girl nodded and said, "It's an urban sitcom about three internet addicts living under the same roof, scheming and fighting over two female characters."

What kind of devilish plot is this... Lin An secretly marveled at the differences between eras.

If this story were told 20 years from now, it would definitely cause a huge uproar online.

The girl seemed a bit tired and didn't seem inclined to continue explaining. After a brief farewell to Haiqing and Zhao Nana, she dragged herself away.

After the other person had completely disappeared down the corridor, Zhao Nana quietly let out a breath, composed herself, and said to Lin An:

"She is actually a very good actress. She was admitted to the acting department with the highest score of 97. She also studied dance for 7 years and is good at various musical instruments. Our teachers often praised her."

Why are you telling me all this? Do you think I'd mock your failures?

Excuse me, but the person standing in front of you is an utterly penniless man burdened with debt... I have no right to mock anyone!

Lin An suppressed his urge to complain and said to the room at the end:

"Just do your best. Like you said before, even if you fail, you'll still leave an impression."

Zhao Nana was taken aback, then chuckled softly:

"That's true."

Haiqing's eyes softened as well.

At that moment, the room door opened again.

A middle-aged man wearing a baseball cap leaned out halfway, his gaze sweeping around the corridor before finally settling on Hai Qing and Zhao Nana.

"From the performing arts department?"

Haiqing nodded.

"Come in, next group."

Zhao Nana took a deep breath and slapped her cheeks with both hands, trying to clear her head.

Haiqing didn't make any extra movements, she just straightened her collar.

The two exchanged a glance and walked together toward the door.

The middle-aged man then saw Lin An and asked, "Aren't you coming?"

Lin An said, "I'm a literature major."

The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow slightly, looked him up and down for a moment, and then said after thinking for a while:

"Let's give it a try, since we're already here."

"It's probably free anyway..." Lin An thought to himself, and followed them inside.

……

……

The room was quieter than the hallway.

Sound-absorbing panels covered all four walls, and three soft lights shone from different directions, illuminating the entire space brightly.

In the center of the room, there was an irregular area with a diameter of about three meters, and a semicircle was marked on the floor with white tape.

Folding tables were arranged in a row, with four men and one woman sitting behind them. Scripts, notebooks, and a large number of mineral water bottles were spread out on the table in front of them.

The monitor in the corner is connected to a camera, and the picture is slightly blurry.

Besides Haiqing and Zhao Nana, there were six or seven other students waiting in the room.

Lin An was the last to enter. He quietly found a spot against the wall where he wouldn't block the way, put his hands in his pockets, and adopted a "I'm just here to visit" attitude.

What does auditioning have to do with literature majors?

He's not an actor, and he has no intention of becoming one.

After Haiqing and Zhao Nana finished their tests, he would leave with them. After paying the tuition, he would take Doraemon to Wangfujing to set up a street stall and browse Taobao.

The plan is perfect.

However, the next moment, a voice came from behind the folding table:

"That student standing by the wall, yes, it's you."

Lin An looked up and his gaze met that of a middle-aged man with a buzz cut wearing a black T-shirt behind the folding table.

Lin An blinked.

Blinked again.

Next, move one step to the left.

The middle-aged man's gaze immediately followed.

After a brief silence, Lin An took another step to the left.

The middle-aged man's gaze followed again.

Lin An fell silent again, then began to hop, hop, hop left, hop right, hop right, hop right...