Chapter 00137: Southern Gong Xue, Northern Zhu Lin
# Southern Gong Xue, Northern Zhu Lin
Chapter 137
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 137: Southern Gong Xue, Northern Zhu Lin
"It's not easy. This is like a formal exam, with preliminary and secondary rounds."
"Classes won't start until next spring. The Beijing Film Academy is strict. They won't even take your tuition if you rush to pay it."
"Most of them are just here to practice. I saw a bunch of older men in front, some in their thirties, older than me. The school definitely won't accept them."
"I saw that too. There aren't any women either."
The two of them were chatting back and forth, their words flowing like water.
Zhang Guangbei, standing tall at 184 cm, had a broad view.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he whispered, "Hey, hey, a woman is coming!"
The three of them turned their heads in unison, and Chen Qi's expression grew even more peculiar.
From the building entrance came a woman in her twenties, with short hair, a tall and slender figure, slightly tanned skin, and a round, full face.
Her features were bold and dignified, with a touch of heroic charm.
She jogged over, her voice pleasant: "Am I late? Is there still time?"
"There's still time, we're still in line!" Li Chengru hurriedly replied.
"That's good, I'm exhausted!"
She seemed to have rushed here, fanning herself with her hand, a slight sweat on her forehead.
Her big eyes swept over the three of them, landing on Chen Qi.
Just as she was about to speak, Zhang Guangbei cut in: "He's a student, here to chat. We're here to sign up, and we might be classmates in the future!"
"Oh, hello, hello!"
Zhu Lin smiled, her teeth white and even, and she shook hands with them.
At this moment, she was at the peak of her youth, more beautiful than when she played the Queen of the Daughter Kingdom, though her lack of fashion sense made her seem a bit rustic.
"..."
Chen Qi could only marvel.
This amateur acting class was full of hidden talents!
The Beijing Film Academy had admitted a batch of acting students in 1978, but didn't admit any in 1979 or this year, only opening an amateur class.
Besides Li Chengru, Zhang Guangbei, and Zhu Lin, the class also included Li Qinqin, Zhao Baogang, Li Qiang, and others, though they weren't seen today.
Li Qiang played Ximen Qing in the CCTV adaptation of *Water Margin*, and Li Qinqin was a familiar face as Abbess Dingyi in *The Smiling, Proud Wanderer*.
Zhao Baogang, of course, was a renowned TV director.
Some of these people had acting experience, while others were purely aspiring actors.
For example, Zhu Lin had starred in *The Traitor* last year, then returned to her research institute job.
But the seed of acting had already sprouted in her heart, and when she saw the admissions notice, she rushed to sign up.
She also thought Chen Qi was a student and kept asking, "Classmate, are you in the acting class? What do you usually study? Is it the same as the amateur class?"
"Pretty much, except we condense four years of coursework into five months for you."
Chen Qi spoke off the cuff, saying, "Right now, we're studying Stanislavski's acting system, which is quite systematic. To put it simply, it's about turning yourself into an empty cup. When acting, you need to have the mindset of an empty cup. Whatever role you're given, you pour that role into yourself."
"That's so professional, no wonder you're studying this."
Zhu Lin blinked her big eyes and smiled again.
"All talk, just fooling outsiders," Li Chengru snorted.
"Yeah, you look younger than me," Zhang Guangbei also snorted.
"Ding ling ling! Ding ling ling!"
Just then, the class bell rang.
Chen Qi didn't bother arguing with the two of them and pulled out a pen and paper from his bag, saying, "Since we've met, it's fate. Leave your names and addresses. I might have roles for you in the future."
Huh???
The three of them were stunned.
Li Chengru asked, baffled, "Classmate, who are you..."
"My name is Chen Qi."
"..."
There was an eerie silence for two seconds before Zhu Lin was the first to react, exclaiming, "The one from *Romance on Lushan Mountain*..."
She realized she was too loud and quickly covered her mouth, whispering, "Are you really Chen Qi? The screenwriter of *Romance on Lushan Mountain*?! I watched it three times, don't fool me!"
"I have no reason to lie. I came to find a teacher, but seeing you all in line was interesting, so I came to chat."
Chen Qi took out his ID to prove his identity.
Zhu Lin was even more excited now, but in a public place, she couldn't make a scene.
She said, "*Romance on Lushan Mountain* was so good. I went once with my colleagues, once with my parents, and once by myself..."
"Alright, alright, leave your contact information. I need to go upstairs."
"Oh, sure, sure!"
Zhu Lin quickly wrote down her contact info.
Chen Qi handed the notebook to the other two, smiling, "What about you two?"
"..."
A real man knows when to bend and when to stand tall.
Li Chengru grabbed the pen, muttering, "I didn't recognize greatness. Please don't hold it against me."
"Me too, me too!" Zhang Guangbei chimed in.
"Alright, see you around!"
Chen Qi waved and headed upstairs.
He thought to himself that these three were all good.
It would be nice to work with them in the future.
Li Chengru wasn't great in period dramas, but Zhang Guangbei was good.
Could he play Chen Shimei? No, he lacked acting experience.
Maybe one of the four background characters like Wang Chao, Ma Han, Zhang Long, or Zhao Hu.
His big, dumb frame would suit that.
As for Zhu Lin, he hadn't thought of a role for her yet.
He'd have to get to know her better.
He couldn't help but touch his nose.
Later, people online would say "Northern Zhu Lin, Southern Gong Xue," and today he had finally met both.
In terms of fame and status in the 1980s, Zhu Lin wasn't a top-tier star, but the childhood nostalgia of her role as the Queen of the Daughter Kingdom was so strong that it gave rise to this saying.
Zhu Lin didn't achieve much in film, mainly focusing on TV dramas, and she won a Golden Eagle Award once.
People always say that as kids, they only cared about the monkey in *Journey to the West*, but Chen Qi wasn't like that.
Maybe he was precocious, but he was well-versed in the beauties of *Journey to the West*—the Queen, the Apricot Fairy, Chang'e, the Jade-Faced Fox, Princess Wansheng, and even Tang Sanzang's mother.
His favorite was Zhao Lirong.
Well, the old lady was timeless...
He returned to the classroom, where Hu Weili was tidying up.
Hu Weili also thought he was a student and asked, "Classmate, do you need something?"
Being young wasn't always great!
Chen Qi shrugged, walked over, and introduced himself, explaining his purpose.
Hu Weili's eyes lit up, not because of Chen Qi, but with the gleam of "I can make money again."
What more needs to be said about Hu Weili?
*The Swordsman*, *Royal Tramp*, *The Heroic Trio*, *Once Upon a Time in China III*, *The East is Red*, *Flirting Scholar*, *C'est la vie, mon chéri*, *Drunken Master II*, *Hail the Judge*, *The Bodyguard from Beijing*, *The Lovers*...
Alongside James Wong, Joseph Koo, and Lowell Lo, he was a defining name in the music of Hong Kong cinema's golden age.
He was already somewhat famous in mainland China, and his brother worked in the Hong Kong Legislative Council.
In 1986, he brought Hu Weili to Hong Kong.
There, the creative space was larger, and the pay was better—Hu Weili loved taking on jobs to earn money, as he needed to save for his children's overseas tuition.
So he warmly welcomed Chen Qi, chatted for a while, and then asked, "Do you need a score, or are you looking for someone to compose a song?"
"Both!"
Chen Qi took out two lyrics from his bag and said, "Let's talk about composing first. Take a look."
Hu Weili took them, read through them, and praised, "These lyrics are great. What kind of movie is this?"
"Martial arts!"
"Martial arts? Oh..."
Hu Weili didn't show the same strange expression others had.
He asked, "What kind of style are you looking for?"
"I have a few melodies in mind, but I don't know music theory, so I can't write them down. I don't mean to disrespect your work, but I think these tunes are quite fitting. Please give me your thoughts."
"No problem, let me hear them."
So Chen Qi half-sang, half-hummed a melody.
He couldn't sing the whole thing, or the entire song would come out.
He just needed to convey the style.
"Let me record it. Do it again!"
Hu Weili grabbed a recorder and had Chen Qi hum it again.
He said, "One is gentle and lyrical, showing romantic love, and the other is bold and heroic, showing the spirit of a hero. Is that right?"
"Yes, yes! For the bold and heroic one, could you use some powerful instruments, like the suona?"
"You know your stuff, and you say you don't understand."
"No, no, I really only know the basics."
Hu Weili didn't mind.
As long as he got paid, it was fine.
By convention, scoring a movie could earn him 300, and composing a song would be extra.
This was a big job.
After discussing for a while, Hu Weili seemed to have found inspiration.
He sat at the piano, lightly touched the keys, and a melodious tune flowed out—it was *The Beauty's Song*.
It included Chen Qi's melody, as well as Hu Weili's own additions, but the style was consistent, soft and lyrical, full of romantic love.
"..."
Chen Qi listened quietly.
After two verses, he clapped and said, "You're truly a master. This is exactly what I wanted."
"Then I know how to write it. This kind of song is quite rare, very commercial. Aren't you afraid of controversy?" Hu Weili smiled.
"My movie is even more controversial. If you have time, come to the Beijing Film Studio and take a look at the footage. The scoring task might be tight. It needs to be done by February next year."
"You tell me what you need, and I'll deliver. If I think I can do it, I'll take it. Deal!"
"Alright, it's settled!"
(End of chapter...)