Brother Dao Took the Entertainment Industry by Storm, Fans Beg Me Not to Kill Anymore

Chapter 533: Director Yang Li’s Collaboration and Guidance

After visiting Li Hanyue, Xiao Heʼs task in Qin City was not yet fully complete.

Lao Qi drove the car and dropped them off outside a quiet coffee shop in the center of Qin City.

As soon as they pushed the door open, a staff member came over to greet them.

”Hello, do you have a reservation?”

Liu Rulan exchanged a few words with the staff member, who then led them upstairs.

The group followed the staff member into one of the private rooms.

Director Yang Li inside had also just arrived, having just taken off his coat and draped it over a chair. Seeing Xiao He and Liu Rulan enter, he greeted them with a hearty laugh. ”Youʼre here? Sit, sit, make yourselves at home. Itʼs just the few of us this time.”

”Hello, Director Yang.”

Xiao He responded with a smile while pulling out a chair to sit down. Liu Rulan, who had entered a step behind, stood at the door, gave the staff member their order, then also greeted Director Yang Li with a smile and sat down.

”Before you came, I already explained the situation. Since you were willing to come, I assume you agree with the preliminary conditions we offered?”
After the staff member served the coffee, Yang Li got straight to the point.

”Yes, thatʼs right. Actually, weʼve been interested in participating in this type of project, but we just never had the right lead to get involved. This time, weʼre really very grateful to Director Yang for giving me this opportunity...”

Xiao He immediately and clearly expressed his attitude.

To be honest, not just anyone can get into these mainstream propaganda film projects. First, connections and background are essential. Second, thereʼs political vetting and external public opinion status, etc. Finally, acting skill and personal fit for the role come into play.

Frankly, for the current Xiao He, the last two conditions were the simplest. Aside from him, a ”criminal in waiting,” teetering on the edge of passing censorship, his parents had no issues whatsoever. Acting-wise, he had just won the Bai Ming Award for Best Actor, so his ability didnʼt need proving.

As long as Director Yang Li was willing to consider him, he would definitely seize the opportunity and climb up, even if it broke his original ”villain” principle. But gaining official recognition was undoubtedly more helpful for Xiao Heʼs current development.

”Thatʼs good. Let me give you a general overview of the situation.”

Director Yang Li pulled a document from his bag and said, ”You should know that next year is the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March. Generally, we would produce one or two film works as tribute films. This time, Iʼm responsible for one of the themes, which is the Long March Snow Mountain.”

He placed the document on the table, glanced at Liu Rulan, and confirmed again with Xiao He, ”Many shots for this snow mountain film will be on-location. You need to be mentally prepared. If you have any concerns, you can raise them with me now.”

Xiao He immediately assured him, ”Director Yang, rest assured! I can endure hardship, and I also have many professional skills. I will definitely meet your filming requirements!”

Yang Li looked steadily at Xiao He, as if confirming his sincerity, then nodded. ”Good.”

Xiao He then took the document from him and opened it to review.

The filmʼs title was very simple: ”Red Journey on the Snowy Ridge.” It mainly told the story of the Red Army crossing the first major snow mountain on the Long March, Mount Jiajin, and the various difficulties they encountered.

The plot was still the familiar approach of using the small to illustrate the large, using a personal perspective to showcase the hardships of the journey and depict vivid ensemble characters. Given Xiao Heʼs status, he naturally wouldnʼt be considered for the protagonist role. The document Yang Li showed him directly included the details of the supporting character he would need to portray.

Chen Shitou, a soldier in the transport squad, originally a farmer from Sichuan, with a simple, honest, and stubborn personality, possessing great strength. Responsible for carrying the companyʼs medical kit and some dry rations. His screen time is relatively short, sacrificing himself at a critical juncture while crossing the snow mountain.

With just a quick scan, Xiao He had a general idea of the kind of story it was.

After all, they had grown up hearing such stories and had seen countless similar plots praising such figures. Overall, it wasnʼt particularly fresh. Under previous circumstances, Xiao He would never have been interested.

Although the character image was noble, the setting was stereotypical and one-dimensional, not particularly outstanding. This was an unavoidable choice for ensemble films.

Using Xiao Heʼs acting skills on such a small role was somewhat of a waste.

But such a minor role wouldnʼt take many days to film. If he could use this opportunity to connect with Director Yang Li, he might have the chance to access more important roles in the future...

”I can do it.”

Xiao He handed the document to Liu Rulan beside him and gave Yang Li his answer directly.

Yang Li breathed a sigh of relief. ”Good. The filming conditions on location will be quite tough. Prepare yourselves in advance.”

”Yes, I understand.” Xiao He nodded. ”Itʼs just the filming schedule, roughly when will it be? I already have commitments scheduled for the second half of the year. If filming is required, the timing might be quite tight.”

”Weʼre also in a hurry, mainly to catch this yearʼs snow season, around December to January. Besides on-location filming, there will also be some studio filming, but that depends on the actual situation.” Yang Li explained. ”Iʼll notify you well in advance, donʼt worry.”

”Okay.” Xiao He expressed understanding. ”Weʼll follow your arrangements anytime.”

By then, they should have just finished filming ”Super Spacetime Confrontation,” so thereʼs a perfect opportunity to transition seamlessly to this project.

”Excellent, itʼs settled then.”

Director Yang Li finalized the matter directly.

”Thank you, Director Yang, for giving us this opportunity.”

Liu Rulan immediately stood up and shook hands with Yang Li to express gratitude.

Yang Li smiled and shook his head. ”This opportunity is something you earned yourselves.”

If Xiao He werenʼt excellent enough, he would never have collaborated with them.

There was another matter—

Yang Li was quite satisfied with Xiao He and Liu Rulanʼs attitude and couldnʼt help but offer a few more pointers. ”Our filming this time is set in Rong City. The tourism bureau there seems to be preparing a winter tourism promotion campaign. If youʼre interested, you could try to get in touch.”

Sure enough, Liu Rulanʼs eyes immediately lit up. Although Xiao He didnʼt fully understand, he also knew that any official collaboration would definitely benefit him.

”Tourism momentum has been strong nationwide these past few years, and the higher-ups are also keen on supporting it, following up with many series of promotional film shorts. The previous themes were grassland, desert, hills, and beach. This time, the theme is snow mountain, so scenic spots everywhere are making efforts.”

Director Yang Li, true to his status as an official external personnel, understood these matters far better than Xiao He and Liu Rulan. This time, seeing that this young man Xiao He was indeed quite good, he spoke a few extra words. ”Our filming this time will also cooperate with the official side. Make sure to showcase yourselves more then. I heard they also plan to combine it with skiing sports this time. Xiao He, your resume is very good. You might actually get to participate in their local cultural tourism filming.”

Xiao Heʼs resume indeed gave him a lot of competitive edge. Director Yang Li also noticed while reviewing the resume that Xiao He knew these sports. Just for that, he didnʼt mind helping Xiao He go further.

Young people who can persist in constantly improving themselves are really not that common anymore.

Being a cultural tourism promotion ambassador brings name recognition and positive benefits no less than participating in mainstream propaganda films.

If Xiao He can use these opportunities to ”clean up” his ”villain” reputation, winning awards in the future might not be as difficult as it is now.

For people wanting to keep climbing higher, you canʼt just walk a dark path all the way. Positive feedback is essential, and public image needs to be good too.

Xiao He quickly nodded. ”I understand. Thank you for the pointers, Director Yang.”

So indeed, different types of directors have different styles. Director Ning Jiaqiʼs faction mostly makes commercial films, and the resources they hold are mostly related to capital. Director Yang Li mostly films mainstream propaganda, cooperating more closely with official channels, and the resources he holds are mostly related to officialdom.

These connections, they really need to work harder to expand!