Superstars of Tomorrow

Mo Lang did not dare believe it, but he didn’t wish to think about someone negatively. Fang Zhao’s compositions for the "100-Year Period of Destruction" had been really good.

"This Fang Zhao person, what sort of background does he have? Did he go through any extraordinary experiences?" Mo Lang asked one of his assistants.

That assistant was normally in charge of helping Mo Lang source and tidy up all sorts of information.

Hearing Mo Long’s question, that assistant immediately replied, "This Fang Zhao might be young, but he has much more extraordinary experiences than an ordinary person."

"Eh?" This time, Mo Lang was really curious.

Normally, he would not concern himself with things outside of the artistic circles. Previously, when he had looked up Fang Zhao’s information, he had only read up on the composing aspects and had not even glanced at anything else. But now, there were too many doubts surrounding Fang Zhao.

This assistant had previously helped Mo Lang compile information concerning Fang Zhao, thus his reply being quick. He briefly spoke about Fang Zhao’s life after graduating, starting his career with the "100-Year Period of Destruction" series, amazing the world through gaming, and his rendering of meritorious deeds during his military service. These were all matters that had been reported by the media.

Mo Lang’s expression kept changing. Amazed, rueful, then displeased. "He still went to acting?!"

"Right. According to the resources, he is a member of the consultant team for the Yanzhou chapter of ’Founding Era’ and received an invite to the music team. Afterward, he vied for and won the role of Fang Zhao, an important role in the series. Now, he is still frequently filming on set."

"No wonder he only submitted one manuscript!" Mo Lang disapproved of composers acting in films and series. Wouldn’t it be better to put all their effort into composing?

However, Fang Zhao’s actions were pardonable.

Even though Mo Lang was not an actor and didn’t watch shows, he knew how difficult it was for a youngster to act as an older person! And it just so happened that Fang Zhao had beaten so many other strong and veteran actors for that role and had not been replaced yet. From that, Mo Lang knew that there were no issues with Fang Zhao’s acting chops.

"So..." Mo Lang stared at the draft in his hands and muttered incomprehensibly to himself, "If this youngster was too immersed in his character, he wouldn’t necessarily have been able to produce such a piece... If that is the case... he really has astounding talent!"

Hearing about all these experiences of Fang Zhao’s, Mo Lang slightly believed that Fang Zhao had composed this piece all by himself.

As if remembering something, Mo Lang suddenly got up and returned to his study, opened the file for the script, and scrolled to the part of the story indicated on Fang Zhao’s draft.

"Yanzhou chapter... season nine... Ah, here! Why does it fit here?"

The tune wasn’t intense, nor was it sorrowful. It had a different style from others, yet it had something extra...

Mo Lang’s lips trembled a few times before he excitedly slapped the table. "Yes! Just like this!"

The four assistants standing outside were nearly frightened and wanted to say, Take it easy, old man! Stay calm, don’t get too worked up!

After all, he was already advanced in age and had been recently vexed. The four assistants were all especially worried about Old Mr. Mo’s physical condition. Whenever he was engrossed in something, he didn’t care about anything else, especially after he had retired, when skipping meals and neglecting sleep had become a common occurrence. In the past, he had fainted from fatigue and hunger numerous times while composing. Over here, nowadays, the four assistants took turns watching over him, worried that if this old man was careless, he might faint.

Mo Lang was still inside mumbling something incomprehensible to himself. The four assistants could not hear what he was saying, but they saw that Mo Lang was so excited his hands were trembling, and his aged face had an enlightened glow.

Having been with Old Mr. Mo for so long, they couldn’t remember previous time he had gotten so worked up. Now, though, he had gotten so worked up over a musical draft that Fang Zhao had sent over.

Mo Lang took a deep breath and told his assistant. "Tell Fang Zhao to pay me a visit!"

After that, Mo Lang scrolled through his address book and made a call to Lead Director Roman.

In the last two days, Roman had been hard pressed. As filming progressed further, not only were the actors under a lot of pressure, he himself was so busy that he was like a spinning top. He wished he could split himself into two. His eye circles were much darker, and his temper was even more fiery than before. His face was dark all the time.

At this moment, Roman was admonishing someone. A certain director had drunk a little too much the previous night and been given an additional, last-minute filming assignment. His mental state had not been able to keep up and he had kept making mistakes and been caught redhanded by Roman.

As he was flipping out, Roman heard the phone he carried on him ring. This was a phone issued to the internal members of the film district. It meant that the caller was someone he should answer.

When he fished his phone out of his pocket and saw who it was, the raging expression on Roman’s face gradually withdrew as he stepped over to a refreshment lounge at the side to answer the call. He respectfully answered, "Venerable Mo? What is it? You are asking about Fang Zhao?"

Roman had originally thought that Venerable Mo had called to speak about a certain scene’s accompaniment music. He had not expected Old Mr. Mo to ask about Fang Zhao.

"Yeah, that fella is still filming... Recently? He has had much fewer scenes recently, but I heard that he is still under a lot of pressure, since he was deeply immersed in his character. You might not know, but all the actors in the cast are like this. Nobody is able to fully relax in their free time... However, his physical condition is still all right. He can eat eight portions for a meal and then go running and punch sandbags... Right, right, his scenes last till season nine... Right, right, right! That youngster is indeed a genius! Not just any ordinary genius! And I was the one who unearthed him!"

Others in the cast and crew could only see Roman’s actions and expressions through the glass window. They could not hear what he was saying. Many people also saw a faint smile appear on Roman’s face.

"That’s strange. Today, Roman’s devilish face seems rather pleasant. He is even laughing so happily. Who is he talking to?" someone whispered to the person beside him.

The director that had been receiving a lecture let out a sigh of relief. He had at least gotten through today. When Roman was in a good mood, he wouldn’t continue admonishing others.

Inside the refreshment lounge, Roman answered Mo Lang’s queries. Although Mo Lang did not speak of the reason he was asking about Fang Zhao, from his tone, Roman could hear that Mo Lang thought highly of Fang Zhao.

Being immersed deeply in character and having eight portions of food, Fang Zhao was under a lot of pressure was what Roman had heard the people in the cast and crew saying. As for whether it was true or not, he had not verified it—he simply hadn’t had the time. Now that Mo Lang asked, he had just randomly talked about all this.

Mo Lang did not ask too much and ended the call after a few sentences.

Recalling Mo Lang’s tone during the call, Roman could not help but give a mischievous laugh. Fang Zhao was really capable to have been able to gain the recognition of Mo Lang, an artist right at the apex!

"I wonder how I got this pair of all-seeing eyes. I’m really too awesome!"

At the other side, after Fang Zhao received the notification from Mo Lang’s assistant, he quickly made his way up. This time, he wasn’t stopped outside and was brought in right away.

"Venerable Mo, you were looking for me?" Fang Zhao noticed Mo Lang holding on to that musical score draft. Further, observing his facial expressions, Fang Zhao had some idea of what was up.

Following the sound, Mo Lang shifted his attention away from the draft in his hands. He had just been going through the score mentally, and he guessed that Fang Zhao had created this piece because he was too into his character. But to be able to compose something like this was just too difficult! This wasn’t something an ordinary genius could describe!

"Fang Zhao!" Mo lang raised his hand and waved the score sheet, his gaze become really acute. he spoke with a pause after every word. "Did you compose it yourself? Without any help?"

Fang Zhao did not shrink away from Mo Lang’s piercing gaze. "Yes, I did it all on my own."

"Very, very well done!" The way Mo Lang was staring at Fang Zhao was as if he was staring at a rare treasure. "Come over here and take a seat. I have some questions I wish to ask you."

Mo Lang asked about everything from the composing concept to precise techniques and the sentiments and subject of the composition. The more he listened to Fang Zhao, the more he believed that this was a piece Fang Zhao had created himself. He could tell whether or not it was an original composition just from these questions.

And what pleasantly surprised Mo Lang was Fang Zhao’s composing concept. On a fixed level, it was identical to the concept he had when he was composing background music for the series.

It was rare to meet someone with an identical concept, and Mo Lang was delighted. Previously, when he had hit a bottleneck while composing, he had sought out a few old friends for some discussion. Unfortunately, everyone’s concepts differed, and the more they discussed, the more hot-tempered they got, and the discussion turned into arguments and debates.

Mo Lang had worried about the important 10-minute ending theme of the series so much that he had nearly yanked all the hairs from his beard clean. Today, he had received some enlightenment from Fang Zhao’s score sheet and gained quite a bit of inspiration from his discussion with Fang Zhao.

This feeling of being enlightened suddenly was something other people had no way of understanding.

In the words of Mo Lang, this sort of enlightenment had a value that could not be measured, and as an elder, Mo Lang felt that he should show his thanks. The submission was the submission, and enlightenment was enlightenment. Fang Zhao had helped him, so he would return the favor.

For official matters, Mo Lang had no way of offering a shortcut. This was a matter of principles. But for private matters, he didn’t care anymore.

After they finished their discussion, Mo Lang dragged Fang Zhao out.

The four assistant’s realized that Mo Lang’s gloomy expression that had lasted many days had been replaced by a smile, as if he had seen his own grandson... No, Even when Old Mr. Mo met his own grandson, his smile was not even as warm as this.

The four assistant’s scanned Fang Zhao curiously, pondering in their hearts. How had Fang Zhao been able to make Old Mr. Mo this happy?

Mo Lang took no notice of his assistant’s expressions and dragged Fang Zhao over to a cabinet. Turning to an assistant, he said, "Open it. I remember that there is still quite a bit that was delivered."

The assistant in charge of the "store" paused for a second and answered, "Oh, right, there is still a lot of stuff." As he spoke, he went to open the cabinet door.

This cabinet was filled with specialty goods, tea leaves, alcohol, and some high-grade foodstuffs with high medicinal value. These had been delivered by government departments and a few large investors in the series. This was preferential treatment an artist of Mo Lang’s status received. In other words, these were all specifically meant for Mo Lang.

Mo Lang picked up three boxes from inside and pushed them toward Fang Zhao.

Fang Zhao didn’t accept them and was thinking of what to say. Mo Lang pulled a long face. "Take it!"

It wouldn’t be good for Fang Zhao to reject this, so he reached out to take one of the boxes. "Thank you, Venerable Mo. This box is enough."

"Just that small box of biscuits? How can that be enough! Take them all, take these too! Leaving them here is a waste; nobody eats them. You are still growing. I heard that you can eat eight boxed meals and not be full? Hey, just eating all those won’t do. You still have to compose after filming too, right? Take this box of tea leaves. It alleviates overheating, aids digestion, and perks you up.

Fang Zhao: "..." Since when did I eat eight portions of boxed meals? Where did you hear that from?

Mo Lang fished out yet another box and pushed it toward Fang Zhao. "Have this wine. Who knows, you might be able to gather more inspiration. I normally drink this too."

Fang Zhao hurriedly said, "There is a rule for the cast and crew. Consuming alcohol is prohibited during the filming period."

"It’s nothing, the alcohol content is low. It is just like medicinal wine. In any case, drinking a little is fine. It is good for the body."

As he spoke, Mo Lang pushed yet another box of energy supplements toward Fang Zhao.

"Eat, bring these all back and finish them fast. All of these strengthen the body and have no side effects! People have limited energy. You are still young, so you have to eat more while your body is still growing. The next time you come over, you will definitely be full of energy! I already asked the lead director, you don’t have much screen time nowadays, but you are under a lot of pressure. Make sure you don’t collapse. When you have the time, make sure to come over so we can discuss more." Mo Lang didn’t wish to talk about music with a listless person.

As the assistant in charge of the "store" saw box after box being handed over, his heart ached, but he also had no means of stopping it. All these things belonged to Mo Lang. Obviously, he was free to give them out as he wished.

When Fang Zhao came out, he was carrying many bags both big and small.

The assistant sending him out had a smile on his face. This time around, it was sincere. "Keep the stuff Old Mr. Mo has given you. Don’t worry about it and don’t bother sending a gift in return. Venerable Mo doesn’t accept gifts. If you wish to repay him, then compose more. Venerable Mo only has an interest in musical works. He doesn’t really value physical items."

Fang Zhao was actually deeply moved. He could also tell the value of these specialty items. Mo Lang was a person who only looked at artistic value. Now, Fang Zhao had been given so many items because Mo Lang had gained some enlightenment from the draft he had submitted and had found some inspiration while chatting with Fang Zhao.

From Mo Lang’s point of view, the enlightenment and inspiration he had gained from Fang Zhao had a much higher value than the items he had given away.

Actually, when Fang Zhao had been answering questions about his composing, he had not spoken the entire truth. There were some things that could not be said, so he had only selected a portion that was fine. Coincidentally, these viewpoints had matched the concept Mo Lang had for composing the ending theme for the series.

At the same time, through his exchange with Mo Lang, Fang Zhao had also found out a lot about the 10-minute accompaniment piece for the series ending.

As he was thinking about the direction of the 10-minute accompaniment piece, the elevator had already reached the ground floor. Fang Zhao walked out and across the large hall as he headed to the main entrance. It was already late and the sky was dark. He could still catch the last few buses back to the living quarters.

Since it was already late, the ground floor of the music center was very empty and no one was around.

As Fang Zhao headed to the main entrance, a bunch of people came out of the elevator on the other side. These people were orchestra members that had just completed a rehearsal.

When they saw Fang Zhao toting bags of all sizes, the group that was chatting happily fell silent in a flash.

Many pairs of searchlight-like eyes scanned the stuff Fang Zhao was holding as if they had seen something unfathomable.

Fang Zhao gave a slight nod to them, and under the weird silence, exited the main doors of the music center.

After Fang Zhao exited, the silent group roared to life and began discussing.

"Were those... specialty products?"

"Looking at the packaging, those were definitely specialty products, and high-grade ones at that! Our orchestra head was also given some by his teacher."

"From what I know, only people of Venerable Mo’s status can enjoy these specialty products."

"I heard that Fang Zhao went over to Venerable Mo’s to submit his draft."

The group once again fell silent.

By that night, many people from the music team knew about this incident, and even more people were curious about the draft Fang Zhao had submitted. Exactly what kind of piece was it that could have allowed Fang Zhao to receive this sort of treatment from Mo Lang?

In the following few days, Fang Zhao had filming assignments too. He had already submitted his draft, so his focus now returned to filming. From time to time, the director would discuss the script with Fang Zhao, and in between, Mo Lang also called him over twice to talk.

The level of complexity of the actual history was much higher than the series. There were also many darker details that could not be revealed. The light was magnified, but the darkness was confined to an acceptable range.

As for pacifying the political aspect, when it came to handling the scenes of historical figure Fang Zhao, some adjustments had to be made.

Fang Zhao was a historical figure. No one could deny his feats and achievements, but ultimately, he never lasted till the end.

Furthermore, it was already over 500 years into the New Era. History was just affairs that had already passed. What mattered were the people that were living now.

If Fang Zhao was magnified too much, the embellishing was too intense, and he left too deep an impression on audiences, the Wu family might find themselves in an awkward situation.

Today, during lunch, Fang Zhao was asked by Director Bai to have lunch with everyone.

Nowadays, everyone in the large cast and crew of "Founding Era" knew that besides fighting very well, this young actor Fang Zhao could also eat a lot.

It was rumored that the more this youngster was under pressure, and the deeper he was immersed in his character, the more he ate!

At the start, people had said that he ate four boxed meals, and some had said that Fang Zhao had had five portions for a meal. Later on, it had been said that he’d had eight portions, and more people were circulating this.

Eight portions of boxed meals. How much pressure was he under to be able to eat all of them!?

Many actors were jealous. They would simply have no appetite when they were under a lot of pressure or immersed too deeply in a character. It was no wonder that many people loved to eat together with Fang Zhao. With such a voracious eater beside them, they would also able to eat more.

What made people even more depressed was that despite eating so much, Fang Zhao’s size did not change much. It was said that he still continued running and training with sandbags. People at the gym frequently saw newly changed large sandbags lying there like corpses.

After lunch, Fang Zhao was dragged out by Director Bai to discuss some minor details in the script.

An old actor saw Fang Zhao being called over and said to the person beside him, "Fang Zhao’s body seems like it is made of iron. If the Fang Zhao back then had this sort of body, there wouldn’t be a Wu family in Yanzhou."

"I have always felt that Fang Zhao and the one he acts as are very similar, but looking at it now, they aren’t alike at all, at least not in terms of their physicality."

"Sigh, that individual’s body was too weak, so he wasn’t able to endure till the end of that period.

At the same time, Director Bai had called Fang Zhao to one side and asked a few questions about some details in the script that needed alterations.

The start of the filming of season nine was approaching. The script had gone through numerous rounds of adjustments and was closed to being finalized.

"How do you wish to die?" Director Bai suddenly asked.

Fang Zhao was dazed for a moment, following which he found the question funny.

How many years had it been!

It had been a long time since anyone had dared to say these words straight to his face!

However, Fang Zhao also know what Director Bai meant.

When it came to the point in time where a character died in battle, how the character died was already written in the script, but the directors would inquire with the actors on their point of view. If an actor’s form was good, filming might go along with the actor’s own notion and allow them to improvise. This might possibly be better than following the script.

But it couldn’t be too excessive either, which was why Director Bai had asked.

"Die standing up? Die while kneeling? Lying down and dying? Lying down face-first and dying?" Director Bai asked.

"Lying on my back and dying," Fang Zhao replied.

"Oh right, the whole face can’t be seen if you lie face down. Dying while standing and dying while kneeling have been done many times in filming by others already."

Fang Zhao: "..."

He had really died while lying on his back.