Chapter 21

Upon hearing this, Shi Fangyue glanced at the assistant who was secretly plotting something, but said nothing.

A good boss should allow his subordinates to be a little clever.

Moreover, he was quite pleased to have such morally upright subordinates, since morally upright people are easier to control.

"Alright, go and talk to the director. Even if Shi Ru might not like it, we still need to make sure he can use it whenever he wants."

Shi Fangyue spoke casually, as if he were buying some cheap toy for his nephew.

"Yes." Assistant Lin had used up all his courage by speaking out for justice just now. Now that he was being ordered, even if he didn't want to be an accomplice, he had no choice but to do it.

"Zhu Yu?! I already... knew that!"

Before the final interview began, the director received a call from his boss, informing him that Zhu Yu was the only candidate to play the lead role in the play.

The director was baffled. He had originally planned to choose her, but the leader's deliberate instruction made him immediately rebellious.

I really want to kick this nepotism hire out of the production crew!

While sitting at the interview table reviewing Zhu Yu's resume, the director remained kind and approachable, as if he were looking at a rough gem worthy of being polished.

At this moment, as he looked at the person who cautiously pushed the door open and entered, he couldn't suppress the cold smile on his lips.

The acting wasn't great, but they were quite good at playing the game of unspoken rules.

"Alright, let's get started. Our time is precious, and we don't have time to listen to your self-introduction."

Zhu Yugang bowed, only to be interrupted by the director frantically banging on a triangle, leaving him standing there somewhat embarrassed.

What's going on? Sitting next to the director is the screenwriter who has worked with the director on several films.

Seeing him acting like he was on steroids, they practically trampled his shoes under the table.

The director, without batting an eye, pulled his foot back under his seat and hid it. This guy really stomped hard; his big toe was numb from being stepped on.

Zhu Yu was completely unaware of the director's change in attitude. At that moment, she nervously walked to the table and took the scene she needed to perform from the staff member's hand.

Shi Ru sat in the row behind the director. He wasn't supposed to come, but his uncle said that since it was his first time participating in this type of event, he should be familiar with all the steps.

When he first arrived, the director offered him the lead seat, but he refused. He believed that professional matters should be handled by professionals, and he would just observe from the sidelines.

Hearing Shi Ru say this, the director looked at him with a kinder expression.

"Didn't you think highly of this girl? What's gotten into you now?"

The screenwriter, Zhao, was a middle-aged woman around forty years old, wearing a light green cheongsam with gold flecks, and her hair was tied up with a hairpin.

She smiled reassuringly at Zhu Yu, then gestured for her to begin her performance.

He quickly scribbled a sentence and pushed the paper in front of the director.

"I was just told to take care of her."

The director made no attempt to cover for anyone; the words he wrote in anger were incredibly forceful.

Upon seeing this, screenwriter Zhao frowned.

The reason Connor restarted the show was to bring in fresh talent.

The goal is to give these recent acting graduates a chance to perform and to find some promising talents to sign.

Zhu Yu was originally considered to be among the best in this group, with both acting skills and appearance being quite good.

Even without orders from above, she has a high chance of getting the role.

Of course, with that statement, she was 100% sure she got the role...

But the little girl narrowed the road!

When Zhao looked at Zhu Yu again, his eyes couldn't help but show a hint of heartache.

So after Zhu Yu finished her performance, neither the director nor the screenwriter offered any comments. Only the producer, who represented the investors, turned around and asked Shi Ru if he had anything to say.

Zhu Yu and Shi Ru's eyes met. To avoid suspicion, Zhu Yu put on her best acting skills and pretended that the two were meeting for the first time.

Shi Ru simply winked slowly at Zhu Yu, then shook his head: "I have nothing to say, you can continue."

If only all leaders could be as worry-free as Shi Ru.

The producer naturally saw the line the director had written, but he didn't seem to mind it much.

This is the entertainment industry, not anything else; it's an industry where relationships are paramount.

"Next!"

Although the roles have already been decided internally, the necessary procedures still need to be followed. It's just a pity for the other candidates; they all became part of the denominator.

Thinking of this, the director felt a pang of sympathy. She had high hopes for a few of the remaining candidates and even made a special mention of it during her comments, saying that she hoped they could work together again next time.

It's a rare opportunity for these fledgling actors to receive detailed feedback from the director and screenwriter.

Little did they know, all of this was thanks to Zhu Yu. Although Zhu Yu herself was completely unaware of this.

She was still feeling frustrated by the interviewer's indifferent attitude during the interview.

In this biased approach of analyzing judges' behavior, the director and screenwriter's actions undoubtedly indicate that they do not like Zhu Yu.

"That's it, it's really hopeless this time. They're not even bothering to comment... Is it because they have too much to say?"

Zhu Yu didn't leave; she sat in the waiting hall, still somewhat unwilling to give up.

I watched helplessly as everyone who went in stayed for more than half an hour.

She was the only one who went in with 15 points and came out with 20.

The candidates around her who hadn't yet been interviewed were whispering among themselves, making Zhu Yu feel uneasy. Finally, she couldn't sit still any longer.

Although she didn't hear anyone chirping at her, at that moment, every sound sounded like a mockery and sarcasm to her.

Dejected, he returned to his dormitory and ignored even Tan Lingling, who came up to him with concern. He went straight back to his bed.

She needs to be alone to process her emotions.

-

When are you going to tell her to start rehearsals?

After the interview ended and everyone left, the director and screenwriter left in the same car.

The two have been partners and friends for many years. They even bought houses in the same neighborhood.

"No rush, let's talk about it when we're almost there."

Although she compromised with her superiors to choose her this time, once the director's rebellious spirit took hold, no one could stop him.

She was chosen, but in stage plays, there are always A and B roles.

The original lead actress didn't leave; she just changed roles. She went back and immediately notified people to bring her in for the lead role.

As for Zhu Yu... who says that a B-list character isn't a main character? A B-list character is also a main character and has a chance to appear, okay?

This way, she could comply with the orders from above without tarnishing her work.

The director patted himself on the back for his ingenuity!

"There's no need for that, she's just a young girl."

Understanding the director's meaning, the screenwriter felt a little reluctant. This industry is highly competitive and full of temptations, so it's normal for a young girl to occasionally go astray.

There's no need to scheme against them like that.

"Hmph, little girl." The director scoffed at the screenwriter's opinion.

"It's because there are too many people like this that they've muddied up the good waters. Today they're asking for connections, tomorrow they're asking someone for help."

"Let's just not stage this play anymore, let them use it for playing house!"

Seeing how angry the director was, the screenwriter knew that she was traumatized by that incident, so she couldn't persuade her anymore. She could only silently change the song, hoping to use the song to soothe her friend's mood.

Even if a girl with connections runs into a wall here, she'll still get a better deal and will never fall behind.

Instead of worrying about her, the screenwriter thought it would be better to pay attention to how well the other properly selected children were analyzing their roles.

So screenwriter Zhao took out his phone and created a group chat with all the other lead actors selected this time, except for Zhu Yu.

"Go back today and write a short biography of each of you and send it to me."

The message was quickly flooded with replies, and screenwriter Zhao felt extremely pleased with the responses from these kind-hearted children.

"Brother Ye, Zhu Yu is back, and she seems to be in a bad mood."

After calling Zhu Yu several times without receiving a response, Tan Lingling sat at the table and sent a message to Zhou Ye as if she wanted to take credit.

"knew."

Zhou Ye happened to be on his phone chatting with someone, and when he saw it, he didn't care and just replied casually.

"You can level up, but you don't have enough chips right now!"

Zhou Ye was lying in his villa, looking through photos sent to him by others on his phone.

Although he was not the heir to the family business, he did run a small business of his own.

Thanks to my friends' support, business is pretty good.

The person messaging Zhou Ye is the one who got in through connections and wants to get a membership card.

Verifying funds is a very common first step, but the person in question is not of high quality and shows little sincerity.

Zhou Ye didn't think much of it, so he wasn't very interested.

"Come over this afternoon to collect your reward."

Tan Lingling was overjoyed to receive the reply. During this time, Zhou Ye had gradually lost interest in her, but because she could help Zhou Ye keep an eye on Zhu Yu's affairs, she actually gained much more than before.

Life without suffering and with abundant resources is simply wonderful!

Zhou Ye owns a beauty salon, which uses only top-of-the-line imported equipment, and even the skincare products are all from luxury brands that are not sold to the public.

It has a very high level of sophistication.

This beauty salon uses a membership system based on referrals from acquaintances. Ever since she learned about this place, Tan Lingling had been eager to get a membership card.

The cost must have been very high, but when Lingling accompanied Zhou Ye, she went inside once.

She watched as a girl with yellow skin and many freckles emerged, eventually becoming fair and radiant.

The very next day, a brand used this girl's image in a newly released promotional video.

What Tan Lingling cared about was not the beauty effect, but the huge capital market represented by this beauty salon.

She had only been here once, but she had already seen several high-ranking officials from major fashion brands, and even several vice presidents from media companies.

Zhou Ye is promiscuous. If she follows him, she will not only be tormented, but she will also have no chance of rising in status. Tan Lingling is well aware of this.

She needed an opportunity to meet more upper-class men; she wanted to change her fate.

She wanted to rise to the top and become a phoenix.