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

Chapter 690: Elder Qian: These Inconsiderate Young People...

"I wouldn't exactly call it close either."Xiao He quickly explained what he knew, telling Elder Qian about their brief exchange on the night of the Lantern Festival.

Although he had indeed felt a bit regretful at the time that Qian Wenhao hadn't planned to do anything to preserve the authentic script and set things right regarding what had happened in the past, now looking back, Xiao He was somewhat relieved. He was glad that guy Qian Wenhao hadn't done anything that could have affected Xiao He's own future.

After all, from what he heard, Qian Wenhao seemed to be an important member of the association, and his family had deep ties to the world of calligraphy. For him to reach his current position, he must have put in a lot of effort. It wouldn't have been right for him to ruin his future over something like that.

After hearing Xiao He's account, Elder Qian didn't show much emotion. He simply stroked his chin, remained silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "Then you don't need to worry too much about him. That brat took more than a month of sick leave all at once recently. No one at the association has seen him. If it weren't for me using my old face to smooth things over, the others would have kicked him out by now."

That was also the reason why he couldn't help frowning when he heard the name Qian Wenhao.

"Why did he take such a long sick leave?"

Xiao He was very confused.

Elder Qian let out a cold snort, still seemingly filled with dissatisfaction toward his junior, Qian Wenhao. He merely said, "I heard it's because a classmate from his old archaeology department asked him to help with something. Who knows what he's thinking! Next time I see him, I'll definitely have his father break his legs!"

Xiao He: Whoa, so this guy Qian Wenhao actually studied archaeology. Wouldn't have guessed that.

But thinking about it carefully, it made sense. With his background in calligraphy, studying history or archaeology-related fields was pretty logical.

What he was really curious about was what exactly Qian Wenhao was up to. What could possibly be more attractive to him than Emperor Chen's authentic calligraphy?

This was completely different from how he had acted before!

Xiao He was genuinely curious now.

But he also knew this was someone else's private matter. He probably wouldn't get anything more out of Elder Qian here, since their relationship was only so-so anyway. They had only met once, so he had no right to pry so deeply and risk becoming annoying.

"I see. I thought he took long leave because he was sick or something. Since he's fine, that's good—"

Xiao He didn't want to make the elder worry about younger family members, so he took the opportunity to change the subject. "Ah, young people are like that. Sometimes they act on a whim. Take me for example—I just finished practicing Su style a while back, and now I want to learn Liu style. When I have free time, I always want to find something to keep myself busy."

Elder Qian paused, no longer dwelling on the matter of Qian Wenhao. Instead, he scolded Xiao He with a smile, "You little brat, cultivating one's character is also a required course when learning calligraphy! With a beginner as half-hearted as you, when will you ever develop the style you want?"

If it weren't for the fact that Xiao He's calligraphy talent could truly be described as unprecedented genius, Elder Qian would have harshly rebuked such an impatient young man for speaking with such "quick success" mentality.

However, Elder Qian had to admit that Xiao He had the capital to be half-hearted. After all, a living and breathing "printer" walking the earth was about as impressive as it got.

This young beginner could imitate almost any style he studied, and his learning speed could only be described as monstrous. The collection of classic copybooks Elder Qian could provide was starting to look dangerously inadequate.

Sometimes Elder Qian even suspected that this kid hadn't drunk enough of Meng Po's soup back in the day and hadn't forgotten much. Then he had trained hard for over twenty years, just waiting for this moment to mess with this old man...

But thinking about it, it was impossible.

The progress was real. Elder Qian didn't think he was old enough to be going blind yet.

Xiao He naturally didn't know about the old man's melancholy thoughts. He just chuckled, spread his hands, and said in a very casual tone, "There's nothing I can do about it. Just practicing is already exhausting enough for me. As for creating my own calligraphy system, I'll leave that to you seniors."

Elder Qian said in distress, "Oh my, and you think you're in the right."

Why!

Why did such a genius in the calligraphy world have to become a celebrity!

If he were in any other profession, he could have advised him otherwise!

Xiao He quickly took advantage of a staff member calling him and said, "Elder Qian, I'm going to get my makeup done. I have scenes this afternoon. Let's talk later!"

Then, under Elder Qian's piercing glare, he quickly slipped away.

There was no helping it. This old man was exceptionally stubborn about certain things.

Better make a run for it!

Elder Qian stood there, half speechless and half helpless, watching the young man leave. Finally, he shook his head with regret.

"One by one, they're all so hard to deal with..."

...

That afternoon, Xiao He started filming his first scene.

This first scene was the big opening—the single most important scene in "Imperial Enterprise"—the coronation ceremony.

On the high platform, the gilded dragon throne sat in solemn grandeur. Before the steps, a long vermillion carpet was spread. On both sides stood bronze ritual vessels, with tall lamp posts rising high. The air was faintly scented with sandalwood.

Production assistants adjusted camera positions and lighting. The props department meticulously checked the arrangement of ritual vessels. Other staff members also bustled about. Extras dressed in ancient official robes of various ranks arrived one after another and began taking their positions according to the crew's instructions.

Xiao He looked up and felt that the hall was majestic and the ceremony solemn. Even before filming began, the aura of an emperor was already pressing down on him.

The filming location the production team had chosen for the coronation ceremony was one of the most common old backdrops used in many historical costume dramas. It had witnessed the rise and fall of countless fictional and real historical dynasties. Throughout all of Hengdian, it was a "veteran" that had rendered meritorious service, already carrying a hint of true dragon aura without the crew needing to add much decoration. It exuded the absolute authority and solemnity of historical emperors.

To be honest, choosing the coronation ceremony as the first scene on the very first day of shooting made it hard for Xiao He not to believe this was Director Chou's deliberate arrangement.

And this guess became a confirmed truth the moment he was led to meet Director Chou.

"This scene is very important. You must give it your full attention and show me your complete ability. If I'm not satisfied, you can pack up and leave right after this first scene—"

Qiu Zhenlong was wearing a white training outfit paired with a gray vest today, looking more casual than an old man strolling through the park. But the walkie-talkie in his hand clearly held the power of life and death over everyone present. He looked more like an emperor than Xiao He did, almost ready to attack his target at the slightest disagreement.

Probably because he still had concerns about Xiao He's ability, even in front of everyone present, Qiu Zhenlong spoke quite unceremoniously, directly revealing his malicious intent in choosing this scene.

—Do well, stay.

—Do poorly, get out right now!