Today South Road Hotel is particularly lively. The entire 17th floor has been booked by a filming crew. As soon as the elevator door opens, you can see a signboard that says:
[The Duel Audition | Conference Room]
Preparations for the new movie have been underway for a while now. Casting began after the final version of the script was set. Today they're casting for one of the main roles in the movie - "Gong Lan".
Many actresses have come to audition today. Usually you'd only see so many female celebrities together at large parties and red carpet events. They're all sitting in the temporary waiting room holding onto their scripts, waiting for the director and investors to call them in one by one.
Inside the conference room, Yuan Xintong flipped through the script and asked the screenwriter in dissatisfaction:
"Wasn't this role originally called Yun Lan? Why did it suddenly change?"
The screenwriter didn't say anything. The woman next to him spoke up:
"One of the investors for this movie is the Yun Family. The female lead's name is the same as the decision maker of the Yun Family. She was very unhappy about it. That's all."
Yuan Xintong looked at her, then made some notes on the script:
"Song Huan, so you've switched from martial arts to literature? What a coincidence running into you here!"
"Tsk! It was an order from above. They said to get in touch with you and collaborate well. I don't even know if we can collaborate well. I'll do whatever they tell me to do."
Song Huan glanced at her and impatiently said while hugging her arms,
"The efficiency is too low. It's been a whole morning just waiting."
"When do we start? Senior sister Yuan?"
Yuan Xintong glanced back at her and waved at her assistant Xia Ye. Xia understood and left the conference room for the waiting room.
...
"Please wait outside, teachers. We'll call you in one by one. Teacher, please come in with me first."
The assistant said and entered the conference room with the actress in the front of the line.
As soon as she came in, she handed her resume to the assistant. While the assistant passed out her resume to each judge, she introduced herself - which agency she's signed to, what TV shows she has acted in, which endorsements she has filmed, and listed all of her accomplishments one by one.
After she finished, the entire conference room fell silent.
Everyone looked towards Yuan Xintong. Although everyone could share their opinions, the final decision still lied with the director.
The director didn't say anything, so it was difficult for others to speak up.
"Next."
Yuan Xintong broke the silence, but her words left everyone puzzled.
"Di...director, I haven't even started my audition yet..."
Even the actress standing in the middle of the room couldn't accept this.
"Not pretty enough."
Yuan Xintong rejected her outright. The actress' face turned white then red. She left after saying "Excuse me".
"Tsk! You have a sharp tongue. Do you have any friends in the industry?"
Song Huan laughed as she spoke.
Yuan Xintong didn't get angry at the mockery. She signaled her assistant Xia Ye to bring in the next one, and said to Song Huan:
"Your colleagues carry real weapons, yet you run your mouth without care. Aren't you living well?"
Song Huan laughed even more:
"That's because we have discipline. Besides, trash that breaks down after a few taunts isn't qualified to work in our unit. If we were out in the front lines and the opponent cursed us a couple times, and our mental defense collapsed, how could we carry out our work? Right?"
Yuan Xintong nodded. As she jotted down notes, she didn't forget to lecture Song Huan:
"What a coincidence. It's the same in our industry. Those who want to wear the crown must bear the weight. I haven't even started scolding yet she can't handle it already. She's just like that."
The next actress who came in was immediately told by Yuan Xintong:
"Not pretty enough."
It was the same for the one after.
All four people in the first group were eliminated.
"Next group."
Yuan Xintong's pen flew across the paper as she wrote something. When she looked up, only her assistant Xia Ye came in.
"That's it?"
This surprised Yuan Xintong a little.
Only four people came to audition???
Xia Ye shook her head and explained to Director Yuan:
"No, the four teachers who just auditioned took issue with what you said. They feel like you didn't even give them a chance before eliminating them. They think you only care about looks and that it's unfair..."
The actresses who came to audition this time were all famous. Each one of them was a great beauty if judged individually. Even if there were differences in acting skills, a picky director could be understood. But they were judged on their looks, which they took pride in!
Unacceptable. The four eliminated actresses were not having it.
"So they're standing outside now, and won't let anyone else in."
Assistant Xia Ye lowered her voice.
"Ahaha, Director Yuan has offended people."
Song Huan didn't just watch the show, she even egged it on.
"Fine."
Director Yuan closed her notebook, ignoring Song Huan. She turned to her assistant and said,
"How many people came in total? Have them all come in. I'll explain my requirements clearly once. Those who feel they fit the criteria and are capable can stay. For the others, we'll see if their self-evaluation is accurate or not."
"Okay."
Ye Jiahe nodded and made another call to Qin Wei after stepping out. From her understanding, this role was originally slated for Qin Wei. There were no plans to publicly audition. But things suddenly changed yesterday and this last minute audition was scheduled.
Even on such short notice, over 30 actresses came. Some even cancelled a lot of work to make it to this audition.
What kind of person is Director Yuan? A rising director, box office guarantee, her works are amazing and well-received by the industry and general audience. She has an eye for talent, newcomers recognized by her can directly enter the industry. Established actors who work with her can aim for major awards.
Seniors describe her in just four words -
"Exceptionally talented."
She has the arrogance to match her capabilities and never fears offending people.
With her new movie, there has been a lot of talk in the industry. The role of "Gong Lan" in particular attracted much attention.
Everyone wants it. They're eyeing it like tigers eyeing prey.
But this belongs to Qin Wei. Ye Jiahe firmly believed so.
But as a lowly assistant, she can't rig things behind the scenes. She's also worried this is the production playing with Qin Wei. She can only ask the person herself to confirm.
"Stupid goose Er E, answer the phone!!!"
Ye Jiahe called many times but it was always the same -
[The user you dialed is busy...beep beep beep]
"So annoyed!"
Ye Jiahe didn't have any other options. She could only focus on work for now.
...
On the other hand, Qin Wei was sitting in her living room video chatting with Su Yang.
Su Yang's voice came through on the phone:
"The area bounded by the curve y equals sinx, between x equals 0 and x equals π, and the x-axis... Qin Wei, wake up."
"Qin Wei, wake up..."
"Qin Wei...slacking off, is it? Want me to give you math problems as therapy for your insomnia? Fine, okay, hello? Xiao Xiao Jie?"
Qin Wei was groggy as she looked at Su Yang.
"Mmhmm mmhmm mmhmm, oh oh oh, sin equals x..."
Qin Wei mumbled while touching the corner of her mouth.
No drool. She was sleeping very soundly.
Su Yang watched Qin Wei very calmly:
"I used to think I had pretty good temper. If I get married and have a kid in the future, I'll definitely be gentle with him. Things like yelling about homework definitely won't happen to me.
Qin Wei, I was wrong. I'm no different than ordinary people. Thank you Qin Wei for letting me experience a parent's despair early. My cultivation is lacking. I'm not qualified to give you math problems. My blood pressure is rising now."
