To Be A Star - ZhanYi

Chapter - 9

The plot of the story is purely fictitious, any similarity to the reality is purely coincidental.

The trip to Hengdian was really long. It took fourteen hours to get to Yiwu, and the weather there was gloomy. But the best part of the journey was the beautiful countryside with its plains and mountains that looked like a green ocean. It made him feel nostalgic for his life back in Yaoshang.

After reaching Yiwu, he had to take a bus to Hengdian, but unfortunately, it was raining. He couldn't help but curse quietly. At times, he wondered if coming to Hengdian was a mistake. He had made a hasty decision and wished he had discussed it with his friends LeiLei and Jia-ge, but he didn't.

Arriving in Hengdian, he was amazed. He never expected it to be so fascinating. The night was still young, and despite the rain, people were walking on the roads, and some were even riding motorbikes while wearing Hanfu!

Now that he was there, he didn't know what to do next. He had no idea how to meet YiBo, the person he wanted to see. He didn't even know the name of the costume drama in which YiBo would have a guest appearance. Feeling a bit lost, he went to a roadside stall and used the money he brought to order Liangmian and Jianbing to eat.

Standing next to him was a group of younger people. They were talking about the filming locations. He wanted to ask them about YiBo's drama, but before he could, they left. Then, some women wearing hanfu costumes ordered food from the same stall. Their outfits were stunning, and he wondered why they were eating at a roadside stall.

"Are you new here?" a voice interrupted his thoughts. He turned to see the vendor who asked the question. He nodded.

"Why are you here? Do you want to act?" the vendor asked.

Why am I here? To see Wang YiBo. Do I want to act? Do I really want to? Maybe I should... maybe I can meet Wang YiBo... maybe I can become a star like him... Maybe I can even protect him then... Maybe...

Maybe.

"Yes," he finally replied.

"Do you have an actor's certificate?" one of the women in hanfu asked.

Being new here, he felt like everything was starting from scratch again. He swallowed the lump in his throat. It was a mistake. I should have stayed in Daxing.

"No," he said.

"Then wait here tomorrow morning. I have a friend who will take all the newcomers to the Performer's Association. I'll inform him," she said, throwing the plate in the dustbin. "Laoban, settle the bill," she added, and both women hurried away.

"Is this your first time here?" the vendor asked, and he nodded.

"Yeah, is there any place to rest?" Xiao Zhan asked. The journey took almost 16 hours, and he really needed some sleep.

"Look around you, young man. Those buildings are all hotels. It depends on your budget and preferences to choose where to stay," the vendor replied.

He had brought some money with him – his salary from the fitness center. He had never touched the money from the recycling mill, it was in a different account. But he knew it wouldn't be enough if he stayed here, and he had no idea how long he would be staying.

He asked the man to suggest a cheap hotel, and the man did.

Sleep took over his thoughts of the next day as he lay down on the bed in the damp-smelling room.

The next morning, he hurried to the food stall. The weather was gloomy, but thankfully, it didn't rain. He felt grateful for that. A man in his thirties was leading a group of people, and the vendor asked the man to take Xiao Zhan with them. The man asked Xiao Zhan to pay him 100 RMB, and this time, Xiao Zhan didn't mind the money because he believed he would soon become an actor.

The man led them to Hengdian World Studios' Performer Association. Once again, the staff asked him for money, and he gave it willingly to buy his Actor's Certificate. He felt incredibly happy, thinking that he might get to stand next to YiBo if he could figure out which series YiBo was appearing in.

But what comes next? This question kept haunting him every time it was brought up.

The young boy next to him introduced himself as Yin ZhiKan, "Ge, we are also actors. If you join us, we can share a room, and the rent will be less. Is that okay with you?"

Xiao Zhan found this to be suspicious, so he asked, "Why would you ask a person who didn't even give his name to share a room with you?"

"Ge, our journeys here are long. We will soon get to know each other. We won't cheat you, I asked just for the sake of sharing. You know, everyone has their own groups here, and if we're together, we might even get cast in the same films and series," Yin ZhiKan explained.

How can everyone act in the same film and series? Xiao Zhan wondered. There are only main roles, friend roles, family roles, and guest roles. Is Hengdian that big to give opportunities to all of us?

Despite his doubts, Xiao Zhan agreed to join the group. It turned out he was the oldest among them, just a fresh twenty-five-year-old man, while the others were between seventeen to twenty-one years old. Even though he was the eldest, he felt like the most inexperienced one among them.

The five of them crammed into the same room with just one restroom. Xiao Zhan couldn't help but miss his single-room apartment.

The next day, he went along with them to the filming location. It was a costume drama, and he wore the hanfu that he had bought along with them. He felt puzzled about buying the hanfu and wig because he knew that every series and film have their own costume designer. Why should he buy the costumes himself? Despite his curiosity, he didn't ask them and just went along with the group.

When they arrived at the filming location, he was awestruck. It was the imperial palace set, and his jaw dropped in amazement. Even though he had been in Beijing for two years, he hadn't visited any of the scenic spots. The set was an exact replica of the imperial palace he had seen in pictures. He couldn't contain his excitement and immediately took out his mobile phone, which he had kept in his pants under the hanfu, and started clicking various images of the set.

The boys pulled him from taking photos, Yin ZhiKan scolded him "Ge, you can take images later. Now we have to go before the filming starts"

"And don't take out your mobile when you're in the crew"

It was this again. How would the filming start if the actors weren't present? They are here and without them how would the filming start? He didn't even meet the director and the producer yet. He sighed but he stopped himself from asking the question to Yin ZhiKan.

××××××

20210905