Chapter 54 Rehearsal
In November, the capital city has become increasingly cold.

Over the past half month, Liu Zhou has been very busy.

From selecting actors, to customizing costumes and props, to applying for venues, Liu Zhou did everything personally.

Now everything is finally arranged. We are just waiting for the experimental theater to be available on Saturday night so that we can have the first rehearsal.

Today is Thursday, which is a good time for Liu Zhou to have two days off.

However, even though he was resting, Liu Zhou still thought about it again from beginning to end to see if there was anything he had missed.

The scripts have been distributed, and the actors for each role are already memorizing their lines, writing biographies, and figuring out their roles.

The finished costumes and props have been placed in the backstage warehouse of the small theater.

Then, as the director, I have communicated with the set design and lighting staff many times, and the plan for each scene has been roughly finalized.

After thinking it over and finding that there was nothing missing, Liu Zhou closed his eyes and rested in the warm sun.

Suddenly, a rhythmic "click, click, click" sound came into Liu Zhou's ears.

Liu Zhou opened his eyes and what came into his sight was a young woman wearing a white brocade cheongsam, with fiery red lips and a curvy figure, walking towards him with a graceful look.

At this time, the sunlight shone obliquely on her, as if covering her with a layer of glory. Liu Zhou could not help but stare at her in amazement.

It was not until the woman stood in front of Liu Zhou that he could see clearly that it was Zeng Li.

Zeng Li saw Liu Zhou looking stunned and couldn't help but chuckle:

"Zhou Zhou, how is it?"

"very nice!"

"Who asked if I'm pretty? Do you think I have that kind of charming and seductive temperament?"

"Yes, but not much. It feels a bit fairy-like."

Hearing Liu Zhou's words, Zeng Li couldn't help but sigh:
"It seems like it still doesn't work. I just can't act out the charm of a mature woman."

"Don't be anxious, and don't put too much pressure on yourself. This role is a bit difficult."

Zeng Lidu is still just an innocent girl, and it would be difficult for her to perform the charm and seductiveness of a mature woman without certain experiences.

She can only rely on herself to observe, imitate, understand and experience.

At this time, Liu Zhou came behind Zeng Li, slowly hugged her waist, and whispered in her ear:

"Lizi, you don't know how charming you are right now. Do you feel it? You have to be responsible."

Zeng Li's pretty face turned slightly red, she twisted her body and said:

"Don't do anything bad."

"Lizi, we have been dating for a year."

"It's still noon."

Hearing Zeng Li's words, Liu Zhouyi picked her up and walked towards the backyard, saying:
"Now is a good time!"

This is called momentary pleasure!
……

On Saturday, before six o'clock in the afternoon, everyone had already gathered at the Experimental Theater of the Central Academy of Drama.

Everyone first simply read the script together, which was actually just an exchange of their understanding and experience of their own roles, which would also allow the actors playing opposite roles to better grasp each other's rhythm.

"Today is our first rehearsal, so we won't be wearing makeup. Is everyone ready?"

"Ready."

"If you're ready, let's get started."

Liu Zhou found a seat with a good view and sat down, while others began to prepare to go on stage.

Sanmin Primary School has one principal and three teachers.

The principal, Zhang Yiman and Pei Huaishan sat around the table, while Zhou Tienan, played by Qin Hao, went out.

Not far away, there is a school bell.

"What a broken thing, why is it so useless?"

Qin Hao spoke with a Northeastern accent, and the script also states that Zhou Tienan is from the Northeast.

The bell for class stopped working, so Tienan and his gang took it down, then returned to the "office" of Sanmin Primary School and sat next to the three people.

"Principal," Pei Kuishan said at this time, "We have too many students leaving. There are only six who took the exam. We should use this holiday to go deep into the nearby villages and do some work with the parents of the children."

Principal Sun immediately said:

"Kuishan, I have thought about the problem of difficulty in recruiting students, and I have decided that starting from next semester, we should provide scholarships to the children who come to class."

Pei Kuishan asked:

“What does it mean to give out scholarships?”

Principal Sun said:

“It’s just encouragement.”

Pei Kuishan questioned:

"Giving money to students, isn't that a bad idea?" At this moment, Zhou Tienan suddenly said:
"I support Principal Sun's opinion."

Pei Kuishan disagreed, "What did you hear that made you support it?"

"I don't care!" Tienan is a straightforward person, "Anyway, I support the principal."

This is the opening of “Duds Get Water”. This opening may seem simple, but it actually explains a lot of things, just like Zhou Tienan tinkering with the class bell, which is to introduce important characters.

"Tienan! Don't worry about the bell. I've asked Jiajia to find someone to fix it." Principal Sun's words actually introduced a lot of things.

In a drama, a character usually introduces himself to the audience through a monologue.

In this drama, the names of all the characters in the play are explained to the audience through this kind of dialogue.

This method can inadvertently introduce the characters in the play, allowing the audience to feel sufficiently involved.

"Zhang Yiman, what is your attitude towards this bonus issue?" Pei Huaishan said to the only female character in the scene.

Here, the name of the heroine in the play is also introduced.

In fact, there is a detail here. Among the several people who appeared, only Zhang Yiman's name was fully introduced. If the audience pays attention, they can notice that Zhang Yiman should be the heroine of this drama.

"What scholarship?" Zeng Li asked with a smile, as if she had not listened carefully to what everyone had said before.

At this point, the characters in the play have basically been revealed.

Principal Sun is an idealistic person, Pei Kuishan is a stingy person who only cares about money, and Zhou Tienan is a very righteous person who speaks very straightforwardly.

"stop!"

Just when everyone was about to continue the performance, Liu Zhou interrupted them.

Facing everyone's gaze, Liu Zhou frowned and said:

"I feel like your performances are all pretty good, but the overall feeling I get is a little off."

"Old Liu, what's wrong?" Qin Hao asked.

Liu Zhou didn't say anything, but looked back and forth at the people on the stage. Suddenly, his eyes stopped on Niu Qingfeng.

"Nima, I said something was wrong, it's just that you're too handsome, Lao Niu!"

Pei Huaishan, played by Niu Qingfeng, is a character who looks like a bad guy at first glance, but at this time, Niu Qingfeng is still a handsome guy with a delicate appearance, without any of the temperament that he would have when he played bad guys in later years.

"Me?" Niu Qingfeng pointed at himself in confusion.

So it’s my fault that I’m handsome!
"Yes, you can't be too handsome, or people will think you are a bad guy when they see you."

"Wouldn't it be fine after putting on makeup?"

"Then go with the makeup artist to try out some makeup first, otherwise I'm a little worried. I didn't consider how handsome you are now."

"Ok."

Niu Qingfeng was a little amused and confused. Wasn’t I handsome before?

Since it couldn't be scheduled for the time being, Liu Zhou simply asked each of them to try on the makeup.

After a while, they all returned to the stage one by one.

Liu Zhou was satisfied with the makeup of the other characters, except for the middle-aged makeup of Principal Sun, played by Tian Zheng, which looked a little bit out of place.

In the end, it was Niu Qingfeng who made Liu Zhou a little dissatisfied.

If you look at him up close, although Niu Qingfeng is handsome, his slightly narrowed eyes immediately make people feel that he is not a good person.

If it's a TV series or a movie, that's fine, but if it's a drama, that's not a problem.

Because it is difficult for the audience to see your micro-expressions clearly, you can only perform in a slightly exaggerated way.

This way, you won’t be seen as a bad person at first glance.

Liu Zhou thought about it and suddenly came up with an idea.

He found a piece of white paper, cut it into a small square, then used a pen to paint the middle black to form a circle. Then he walked in front of Niu Qingfeng and stuck the small square on Niu Qingfeng's forehead.

Looking at it this way, it looks like a plaster.

With a plaster on his forehead, Niu Qingfeng's image changed instantly.

"Hahaha……"

Everyone couldn't help but laugh when they saw his appearance.

A handsome guy, after putting on a plaster, all his charm is gone and he immediately looks a little wretched.

Niu Qingfeng's mind was full of black lines, but he still accepted the plaster.

"Okay, everyone, stop laughing and go through it in its entirety first."

After hearing Liu Zhou's words, everyone stopped smiling and went through the entire script from beginning to end.

Liu Zhou did not interrupt them. After they performed the whole performance, they knew some of the shortcomings without Liu Zhou saying anything.

The night passed quickly, and everyone reluctantly left the theater until the security guard came over to urge them to leave.

(End of this chapter)