Reshaping Life (Showbiz)
Chapter 38

Page 38

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Sister Red was persuaded by Li Guorui. She decided to stay by Brother Ming's side, steal intelligence, and help the police solve the case.

However, Sister Red was not a professional spy after all. As each deal was busted by the police, Brother Ming gradually realized there was a mole among his people. During the final arrest operation, the police used Sister Red's clues to round up the entire gang of drug traffickers. But Brother Ming, the ringleader, had prepared in advance and escaped to T Country with several of his trusted men.

To retaliate against Sister Red, Brother Ming knocked out and abducted Sister Red, who had already been placed under police protection, before he left. On the smuggling vessel, he injected her with drugs and handed her over to his men. After the ship arrived in T Country, Brother Ming threw Sister Red directly into T Country's red-light district, where she became the lowest kind of streetwalker.

A year later, Sister Red died during a drug-induced episode, leaving behind only an infant named Fang.

Eighteen years later, Li Guorui, who had been tracking the drug kingpin Brother Ming, came to T Country on another case and accidentally discovered Fang's identity. Li Guorui had never expected that Sister Red had died, or that she had given birth to Fang before her death. He had expected even less that Fang had been born addicted to drugs, raised from childhood in garbage dumps on the milk of stray cats and dogs. Unable to escape the grip of his addiction, Fang would do anything to earn money for drugs. Ruthless, bold, and vicious from a young age, he had already become the somewhat renowned leader of a local gang.

Li Guorui could not accept that Sister Red's son had become like this. He found Fang and told him about Sister Red. Li Guorui told Fang that Sister Red had not been a prostitute, but a hero. He said she had not deliberately abandoned Fang, and urged him to turn over a new leaf. Otherwise, Sister Red would not be happy in heaven either.

At the same time, Brother Ming, who had established himself in T Country, also discovered Li Guorui's whereabouts. He decided to use Fang to wipe out Li Guorui's group and avenge himself and his brothers...

Director Mai Chengliang directly selected Best Actor Liu Jiawei to play the male lead, Li Guorui, and Best Actor Wang Zhen to play the chief villain, Brother Ming. As for Sister Red, renowned Best Actress Liang Yulin was invited to make a guest appearance.

This was also the intention of the producers and investors.

Unfortunately, Mai Chengliang had yet to find a suitable actor for Fang, another pivotal character.

After accepting the role, Liu Jiawei read the script and recommended someone to Director Mai Chengliang.

It was Lu Heng, who was working as a child laborer far away in Beijing.

During the filming of Autumn Dew White, Best Actor Liu had already witnessed Lu Heng's talent and diligence. While staying at a hotel in Beijing, he had also watched Exchanging Lives and personally seen Lu Heng confront the human traffickers.

Fang's role had plenty of scenes and carried a heavy burden, making the casting especially demanding. The actor's age, acting ability, fighting skills, and perseverance were all indispensable.

Mai Chengliang had originally thought highly of Ji Wenxi, a rising popular idol from Hong Kong, and Ji Wenxi had been very willing to take the role. Unfortunately, during the final negotiations, Ji Wenxi's agency refused the strict requirement that he lose thirty pounds for the part. Mai Chengliang was even less willing to lower his artistic standards for an artist's so-called idol image. The two sides simply could not reach an agreement, so the matter ultimately fell through.

Liu Jiawei then took the opportunity to recommend the candidate he favored. Before Lu Heng came over for the audition, he showed Mai Chengliang footage of Lu Heng's appearance on Exchanging Lives.

Lu Heng's simple, unpretentious appearance and fierce fighting skills immediately won Mai Chengliang over. He promptly had his assistant call Huaxia Imperial Entertainment and extend an audition invitation.

The audition was held in Hong Kong.

Come to think of it, this was Lu Heng's first time flying to Hong Kong in his life.

More than a decade earlier, this international metropolis known as the "Pearl of the Orient" still radiated incomparable splendor. Crowds bustled through its streets, and it truly deserved its reputation as a shopping paradise.

Time was the most wondrous painter in the world, using the passing years as its brush to freely paint one magnificent picture after another.

Accompanying Lu Heng to the audition were Huaxia Imperial Entertainment's president, Wei Zhanjie, and his son, Wei Linxuan. Though the father and son claimed they were there to accompany him to the audition, they actually had another important mission. It was simply inconvenient for the media and the public to know about it, so they kept it under wraps.

Fortunately, after arriving at the hotel, the group went their separate ways.

After resting briefly, Lu Heng headed straight to the audition.

He had been given an audition scene personally selected by Director Mai Chengliang.

Ever since watching the Exchanging Lives footage, Director Mai had formed a preconceived impression. He had no doubts about Lu Heng's appearance or fighting skills; what worried him was Lu Heng's acting.

So he decisively chose a scene in which Fang suffered a drug craving for Lu Heng to perform.

It was also one of the most explosive and harrowing scenes in the entire film.

Because of his mother, Fang had been addicted to drugs from the moment he was born. Without the care of parents or family, baby Fang had been discarded in a garbage dump and raised on the milk of stray cats and dogs nearby.

The mother who should have been his shelter of love had left him with nothing but drug addiction, illness, and humiliation. The shadows of his childhood made Fang cold and ruthless, while the addiction lingering in his body also affected his temperament. On one hand, it preserved in him the savage instincts of a beast; on the other, it made him secretly yearn for the warmth of a family.

When Fang was still small and weak, he was once adopted by an elderly couple who collected recyclables. The couple had no children of their own, so they treated Fang as their own grandson.

However, Fang had been addicted to drugs since before he was born. Whenever his addiction flared up, he recognized neither family nor friends and wanted only drugs. The elderly couple had no money to give him any, and he would even lash out at them.

During one accidental shove, Fang, in the grip of his addiction, personally pushed his grandfather into the corner of a table, splitting his forehead open and drawing a great deal of blood.

Seeing his unconscious grandfather and terrified grandmother, Fang broke down in tears once he came to his senses. He knew there was no hope left for him in this life. Unable to bear seeing the disappointment and fear in his grandparents' eyes, Fang fled the house in panic.

This was the scene Lu Heng had to audition with.

After receiving the script, Lu Heng felt a little overwhelmed.

Sitting in the audition room, Mai Chengliang said with a warm smile, "Don't be nervous. Perform it however you want. I just want to see your potential."

End of Chapter
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