"Worried" about money 3: She is a good prospect.

Song Zhao looked up at the sound and felt that the person looked familiar. Suddenly she remembered that this was the assistant director who had given her his business card before the New Year.

"Director Wang, hello."

Wang Ming asked, "You don't look well. Have you encountered any difficulties?"

Song Zhao grasped at a straw, "You said last time that there was a role you wanted me to try out."

“That’s already decided.” Wang Ming was surprised by her drastic change in attitude. “Didn’t you say just over two months ago that you weren’t interested in this industry?”

"I need money..."

"How many?"

"2 million."

"I know a few talent agencies, and some artists signed with them because their families were going through financial difficulties. You could give it a try too."

"Will the company lend me the money first?" Song Zhao asked anxiously.

"If you're in a hurry, try Canxing. They also invested in the show I'm working on. It's a large company with plenty of money, and they've had a precedent of paying artists upfront. However, the company has a very high threshold. If you don't show some real talent, they won't consider you."

Song Zhao humbly asked, "May I ask you for some guidance?"

"The market demands a lot from artists these days. They need to have a good image, be able to sing, dance, and act. But the most important thing is resources. The company values ​​the people who can bring in their own resources the most."

After a moment's thought, Song Zhao asked, "Are there any other roles in this play that haven't been cast yet? Or do you have other plays that you're casting for?"

"I must say, you're quick to pick things up," Wang Ming joked. "Actually, there's one role in this show that hasn't been cast yet. It's a third female lead, the male lead's Deadpool. She's supposed to be a highly skilled martial artist with few lines, mostly action scenes. It's still more than a week before the casting is finalized, but the actresses competing for this role have already been training hard for three months. If you want to get the role, your chances aren't very high."

“I can do it. Please give me a chance. One week. I will prove that I am more suitable for the role than anyone else.”

Wang Ming could see that she had a certain drive. If she were pushed under high pressure like this, she would either be completely defeated or her potential would be unleashed, allowing her to soar to great heights.

“I’ll introduce you to an agent. You can talk to her.” He hesitated for a moment, then added, “At most, I can get you a training opportunity. Whether I can impress the director is not up to me.”

This was the greatest help Song Zhao had received in the past few days. After countless rejections, he realized that even a timely act of kindness, even if it was just a small favor, was incredibly precious.

With Wang Ming's recommendation, getting past the agent was easy. Song Zhao's appearance was already a huge advantage. In an entertainment industry where young actresses dominate the market, her large, unique features and clear voice made her stand out. As long as she maintained good character and emotional intelligence, becoming famous was only a matter of time.

If Song Zhao wasn't considering this industry for the money, her agent Cindy could have signed her directly. Given her situation, Cindy took her to the director's office.

Director Lin Ruizhe was just poached from a rival company by Canxing this year, and it's the perfect time for him to make his mark.

During her audition, Song Zhao sang Eason Chan's "Red Rose." After singing just two lines, Lin Ruizhe waved her hand to interrupt and asked if she had anything else. Song Zhao remained calm and performed a poetry recitation, Li Bai's "Bring in the Wine." She had even won an award for this poetry recitation in junior high school, but she was interrupted again before she could reach the climax of her performance.

The two interruptions made Song Zhao a little nervous. He still had a smile on his face, but it was slightly stiff.

"Anything else?" Lin Ruizhe asked casually.

“I spoke with the director of ‘A Lifetime of Devotion’ yesterday, and the role of Liu Shao will be given to me.”

This is Song Zhao's last trump card. If this doesn't work, then she has no more bargaining chips.

"Although it's just the third female lead, I'm new to the industry and need to get some experience with small roles first."

For a newcomer, getting a role as the third female lead, let alone a screen time or a single line, is already a huge achievement. To gain the other party's trust quickly, Song Zhao needs to project confidence.

"Has it been signed yet?"

"No, it will be signed in a week. I want to send it to my agency."

Lin Ruizhe scrutinized her, his eyes scanning her face, seemingly considering whether to expose her pretense.

Song Zhao smiled and looked back into his eyes. The more uncertain she felt, the more confident she had to appear. She knew that if she showed any weakness, she would lose everything.

"I'll give you a week. Come to me with the contract. If it works out, I'll sign two copies a day and lend you the money. If it doesn't work out, this will be the last time I see you."

Song Zhao smiled and shrugged, saying, "See you in a week, Mr. Lin."

After the audition, Song Zhao rushed to the training camp, where she spent seven days in seclusion. When the coaches saw her suddenly appear, they assumed she was just there to experience life. The other actors were already having their movements corrected by the martial arts choreographer, and since she arrived late, there was no way anyone would teach her from scratch, and no one had time to pay attention to her. She just sat in a corner, watching others practice their moves on her own.

Wang Ming noticed her predicament but didn't bother with her anymore; bringing her in was already the greatest help he could offer.

Seven days later, Lin Ruizhe also arrived at the training camp. The production company had invested in the drama, and the main actors were all artists under the company's management. He would come over to inspect the place from time to time.

"Oh, Mr. Lin is here to inspect our work?" Director Feng Gang said with a smile.

Lin Ruizhe chuckled and said, "Not at all. I just came to see if my kids have caused you any trouble. If they've made you angry, I'll definitely give them a good talking to when I get back."

"If everyone can endure hardship and practice diligently, the filming will be much easier. The problem is that the quality varies greatly, with some being good and others being bad, which will slow down the entire production."

"Several important actors were personally selected by you. With you overseeing the process, how could it possibly be any worse?"

The two of them exchanged words back and forth, and after saying so many insincere pleasantries, they could speak so calmly that their words were no different from what they truly thought.

"Bring those actors from Liushao over here, let me take a look."

"Okay."

As soon as Director Feng spoke, Wang Ming eagerly led the group of the third female lead over, making a total of five people including Song Zhao. By this time, several rounds of eliminations had already taken place, but Song Zhao, thanks to Wang Ming's help and arriving late, hadn't been eliminated yet.

"Let's go one by one," the director said casually, pointing to the tall one. "That one, you are..."

Song Zhao saw Lin Ruizhe. She knew that her boasting that day had been exposed, but she remained calm and smiled, saying, "Song Zhao, an unremarkable name, hard to remember."

"Oh, you can go first."

Song Zhao was the last to arrive, but the first to perform, making her vulnerable. The moment she bowed and stood up, her eyes sharpened, her steps became firm, her punches were powerful, and her movements were tight and swift as her fists and feet collided.

The instructor's moves were also very fast. Song Zhao steadily parried each move according to the memorized techniques. His arms were taut when blocking, and his movements were swift when dodging. The subtle changes in his facial expressions revealed a genuine ruthlessness.

Not only the audience but also those on stage watched with great enjoyment, feeling unsatisfied and even wanting to applaud and cheer for her.

After performing the entire routine, Song Zhao's expression turned calm and gentle, and she stepped aside.

After a long period of training, the others were excellent in both skill and precision. While admiring their excellence, Song Zhao was also nervous. However, she would not admit defeat until the results were announced.

After all five of them finished their performances, Feng Gang and Lin Ruizhe applauded them, then asked them to leave and called over the action director, Jin Xuan.

"Which of these students do you think is the best?" Feng Gang asked.

"Since you asked, I'll just tell you the truth. Jin Shuang is great. I taught her personally, and she's the one who learned the best. It's really rare for her to have persisted in practicing for so long."

"What do you think of the first girl?"

Jin Xuan hesitated for a moment before saying, "To be honest, there are still quite a few flaws in her movements, and her accuracy is also lacking. However, this girl is ruthless and has potential."

"How so?" Feng Gang asked.

"When she first came last week, she watched others do the movements and then tried to imitate them herself. While others rested, she stretched her legs and did splits. She was never idle. The first time she came to me was to ask me to help her stretch. She didn't have any basic skills, and her bones were already stiff. She didn't cry or scream when I was stretching her. How can someone who can endure so much not be ruthless?"

Feng Gang lit a cigarette meaningfully, then looked at Lin Ruizhe and asked, "Mr. Lin, who do you think is better?"

Lin Ruizhe said, "I don't interfere with the selection. Some of the people here are artists from our company. It's not right for me to be biased, nor is it right for me to be impartial. It's up to you."

"Go ahead and tell me, just treat it as a casual chat."

"Forget it, if I say something, it would be the same as interfering with your choice."

Feng Gang laughed and said, "If everyone respected creation as much as Director Lin, our jobs as directors would be much easier."

“Go and call the first girl over,” Feng Gang said, turning to Wang Ming.

Jin Xuan asked doubtfully, "The director wants to use her? Her movements are nowhere near as good as Jin Shuang's."

"I know, what I want is that ruthlessness of hers. Acting, acting is the most important thing."

Song Zhao ran over expectantly, "Director."

"Which company are you from?" Feng Gang asked.

"I haven't signed it yet."

"Hmm...would you like to sign with me?"

"Wow, I'm so lucky, what a surprise!" Song Zhao exclaimed in surprise, then added with a hint of regret, "It's just... Cindy from Canxing contacted me first..."

Feng Gang smiled at Lin Ruizhe, who casually replied, "Sorry, Director Feng, my people beat me to it."

“Oh, it’s my fault for being too small.” Feng Gang then said to Song Zhao, “The role of Liu Shao is yours.” As he spoke, he had Wang Ming give her the script.

Song Zhao was so excited that she almost burst into tears. She pinched her thigh hard to calm herself down, gripped the script tightly, and bowed, saying, "Thank you, director. I will definitely play this role well."

Things went much more smoothly after that. Lin Ruizhe helped her apply for a loan, and once their brokerage contract was signed, the money would be directly deposited into her account.

"The contract term is five years. The company will take 10% of the resources it brings in, and you will take 20% of the resources you bring in yourself. Of course, your share of the commission will be used to pay back the company's money until you pay it off. In addition, you will receive a monthly allowance for hair and makeup, transportation allowance, and other miscellaneous expenses totaling about 2,000 yuan."

"I want 22% of the resources I take myself. As for the rest, I have no objection to the salary. However, I do have some requirements. No unspoken rules or drinking with clients. I won't film Category III films. I still need to take the college entrance examination. I hope all of these can be written into the contract."

This was the first time Lin Ruizhe had ever encountered an artist who wanted to borrow money and was so confident in negotiating with him. He became more interested in her, thinking, "Other artists don't have as many problems as you."

Song Zhao smiled and said, "I don't think there's anything wrong with fair trade. If making a few conditions is considered a problem, then what about the clauses in the contract that bind me? My making conditions shows that I am sincere in joining Canxing and will not consider other options."

"The company supports applications to art schools, but we don't recommend other types of schools."

"Okay."

"Can I borrow your phone?"

Song Zhao hesitated for a moment, but still handed it to him. Lin Ruizhe skillfully opened Song Zhao's phone and took out the SIM card.

What does this mean?

"Dating is prohibited during the contract period. The company will provide you with a SIM card, and your phone will be kept by your agent in principle. She will check your phone anytime, anywhere."

"These are all terms in the contract. You can refuse to sign now. Once you sign, you will not only have to repay the principal and interest but also pay a penalty for breach of contract. Think it over carefully."

Lin Ruizhe's words plunged Song Zhao's thoughts into despair. She recalled every moment with Nan Qi. Five years—five years is neither a long nor a short time, but for those who miss each other, every minute and every second of separation feels like torture. Could they endure it?

Five years later, what will happen when they meet again? Will their relationship withstand five years of separation? Will Nanqi still love her after five years?

Cindy placed the revised contract in front of Song Zhao, saying, "This is the result of your own hard work, so don't let it all go to waste."

I can't think about all that. If Nanqi can't get out, what's the point of talking about feelings?

Song Zhao flipped through the contract from beginning to end and quickly signed it on the last page.

"Give yourself a stage name, something eye-catching."

After thinking for a while, Song Zhao said, "Let's call her Song Siwei."

"Be prepared for danger in times of peace?"

"The 'si' in 'longing,' and the 'wei' in 'rose.'"