Chapter 90: Shi Miyuan

Coincidentally, a guest also visited the office of Zeng Jia, the artist director of Tengda Culture.

"Mi Mi, has the filming of The Condor Heroes been completed?"

On the fluffy and soft sofa, Zeng Jia sat close to Yang Mi, holding her tender little hand, with a gentle tone and a friendly expression.

Yang Mi was a little reserved. Although Zeng Jia used to work with her in Rongxingda, he was the agent of the top female employee Zhou Xun, and they had basically no contact in the past, as a nobody in the company.

Not quite used to Zeng Jia's sudden enthusiasm, Yang Mi smiled awkwardly and whispered, "Well, we finished filming smoothly last month after completing some reshoots."

Zeng Jia nodded slightly. Since the filming of The Return of the Condor Heroes has been completed, if Yang Mi can star in Nightclub, there will be no conflict in schedule.

Originally, if Zeng Jia had not left Rong Xingda and did not switch jobs, she would have taken over Yang Mi's agency affairs after Zhou Xun and Rong Xingda terminated their contract in August. However, because of Song Ci's existence, the future trajectory has quietly changed.

Originally, Tengda Culture was planning to shoot its first film. She and Zhang Zhao argued hard for the role of the female lead Tang Xiaolian to be played by Wang Luodan, or at the very least, by Lu Yi. In short, the company's own artists had to be used.

However, Zhang Zhao's attitude was unexpectedly tough. He firmly disagreed with Wang Luodan and Lu Yiza's role and wanted to organize a small-scale open audition for casting.

Zeng Jia was powerless and had to settle for the next best thing, which was Yang Mi, an artist from his old employer.

So he revealed the news that Tengda Culture was filming "Nightclub" to her, and as a favor, he asked her to audition for the female lead.

After chatting about some family matters and building a closer relationship, Zeng Jia got down to business: "I've read your script. How are your preparations?"

Yang Mi nodded vigorously. She cherished the opportunity to be on the big screen very much. She had memorized the script by heart and was very grateful to Zeng Jia.

"Thank you, Sister Jia, for giving me this opportunity. I'm ready."

Zeng Jia shook his head and didn't take credit for it. "You still have to rely on yourself! By the way, Zhou Xun will leave Rongxingda next month. What plans does the company have for you?"

Arrangement! Yang Mi was completely confused. The company didn't care about her much now, so she asked Zhao Ruoyao to take care of her temporarily.

Zeng Jia saw Yang Mi's confused expression and felt that this was why she wanted to change jobs.

A wise bird chooses the right tree to roost in. Rong Xingda's attitude of not caring about its own artists is doomed to decline.

At this moment, Zeng Jia had already thought about recruiting Yang Mi to Tengda Culture. She particularly liked the spiritual energy in Yang Mi. With a little training, she could become another trump card in her hand.

At 1:45 p.m., in the lounge temporarily converted from the Tengda Culture Conference Room.

When Yang Mi left Zeng Jiana and came here, she saw that many actresses had come to the lounge for audition.

Although it was a small audition, Yang Mi counted and found that there were more than ten people, some of whom were familiar faces she had seen on TV.

Everyone had different expressions, some were serious and solemn, some were nervous and solemn, some were closing their eyes to rest and adjust their state, and some were taking the time to look through the script and recite the lines.

A girl sitting in the innermost seat caught Yang Mi's attention. She was the only one who looked the most relaxed, looking around curiously.

Maybe because it was the girl’s first audition and she was very excited, the other party kept his eyes on her when she entered the lounge.

Yang Mi and the girl's eyes met in the air. The other party smiled at her lightly, with dimples appearing on her face, with an inexplicable intimacy and tenderness.

Yang Mi also smiled at her, then found a seat in the corner and sat down, quietly waiting for the audition to begin.

The girl was Liu Shishi. After leaving Jiang Tiantian’s office, she came here early to wait.

This is the first time that the two future top 85 flowers have met, and perhaps neither of them has remembered each other at this time.

As it approached two o'clock, Gao Yuanyuan came floating over on time.

Her exquisite makeup, sexy and charming face, and elegant and charming figure all demonstrate her intellectual and mature temperament, which immediately brought invisible pressure to all the auditioning actresses present.

The competition is so fierce, Yang Mi sighed helplessly in her heart. She thought she had made sufficient preparations for today's audition, but she didn't expect that famous actresses also came to compete. It seems that she has no chance this time.

At 2 o'clock sharp, a staff member came to the door of the lounge and started calling people according to the list.

"First person, Li Xiaolu, please go to the next door for the audition."

A girl stood up and walked confidently and calmly to the audition room next door.

At this moment, no one present had the mind to think about anything else. They looked towards the door from time to time and calculated the time silently in their hearts.

Generally speaking, if the audition time is not long, it basically means that the audition has failed. On the contrary, the longer the time, the more recognized the director and producer are.

Li Xiaolu's audition took a long time, and it took him about twenty minutes to return to the lounge.

Compared to the uncertainty when she first entered, she now looked relaxed with a faint smile on her face, and it was obvious that the audition went well.

Everyone couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling in their hearts. The first person to be interviewed was chosen by the director, which meant that he must have performed well. With Li Xiaolu as an example, it would be even more difficult for the next people to win the director's favor.

Several more people were called over for audition, but none of them stayed as long as Li Xiaolu. The gap was very obvious. When they came out, they were all dejected, obviously having been rejected and eliminated.

"Next one, Gao Yuanyuan."

Gao Yuanyuan slowly stood up, adjusted her skirt, and walked into the audition room with an elegant manner and a gentle smile on her face.

Gao Yuanyuan knocked on the door and entered. In the not-so-spacious audition room, there was a long table with three interviewers sitting behind it.

Gao Yuanyuan looked at the three people quietly without making any expression.

According to Xika, the person sitting in the middle is the producer, Zhang Zhao, general manager of Tengda Culture, with a dignified look and awe-inspiring look.

On the right is the assistant director and casting director, whose name is Ma Xin. She doesn’t know him, but he looks young and has a young face, so he must be a young director.

To her surprise, the director on the left was actually actor Xu Zheng.

Suppressing the doubts in her heart, Gao Yuanyuan walked to the center of the audition room and greeted the three people opposite her politely, "Hello, Mr. Zhang! Director Xu! Director Ma!"

After all, she is a famous actress, and assistant director Ma Xin is still relatively inexperienced, so he responded enthusiastically, "Hello, Miss Gao!"

Xu Zheng did not act like a director and also responded with a smile and a nod.

Zhang Zhao lowered his head to check Gao Yuanyuan's resume, expressionless, without a word of greeting: "Let's get started."

Zhang Zhao spoke, and Ma Xin put away the thought of chatting with Gao Yuanyuan, and immediately said seriously: "Miss Gao, please tell me your understanding of the role of Tang Xiaolian."

Gao Yuanyuan smiled and spoke eloquently, "Tang Xiaolian is beautiful, intelligent, resourceful and brave. She is always trying to save her companions and herself from danger..."

Xu Zheng nodded frequently, Gao Yuanyuan really understood this role very well.

Zhang Zhao listened to a part of it and found it was similar to what Li Xiaolu, the first auditioner, said. After Gao Yuanyuan finished speaking, he said, "Very well said, Miss Gao. Go back and wait for the news."

"Okay, ah!" Gao Yuanyuan was happy at first, then she reacted and was surprised. It was over!

It was only three minutes in total. Why didn't you test her lines and examine her acting skills? All the preparation work in the early stage was useless.

Although she was unwilling, Gao Yuanyuan could only retreat in disappointment since Zhang Zhao had spoken.

Ma Xin is young after all. Gao Yuanyuan just came out of the audition room and couldn't wait to express her opinion: "Mr. Zhang, I think Gao Yuanyuan is good and very suitable to play the female lead."

Xu Zheng lowered his head and said nothing. He leisurely picked up the cup of tea and drank a sip of tea. In his heart, he felt a little disdainful of Ma Xin, his deputy who graduated from the directing department of the Central Academy of Drama.

Young people have not experienced the harsh treatment of society and are a little ignorant of the immensity of the world. What's the point of thinking you're good? Nominally there are three people interviewing, but Zhang Zhao is the only one who really makes the decision.

During this period, he was improving his directing skills and even went to the Shanghai Theatre Academy to use his connections to find a temporary teacher.

Last month, Tengda Culture suddenly approached him, expressing its appreciation for his talent and willingness to support his transformation into a director. It also provided him with the script of "Nightclub" to test the waters.

Xu Zheng naturally would not refuse such a good thing as pie in the sky. Famous directors in the entertainment industry have a much higher status than actors.

He had long wanted to get rid of the image of Zhu Bajie in the audience's mind, so he naturally had to seize this opportunity.

So he hit it off with Tengda Culture, and even though the contract terms were a bit harsh, he still agreed to direct "Nightclub".

Zhang Zhao did not comment on Ma Xin's opinion. In fact, he was not very optimistic about Gao Yuanyuan. He felt that she looked too mature and bright and was not suitable for the role of Tang Xiaolian.

His favorite candidate was the first auditioner, Li Xiaolu, whose acting skills, lines, and other aspects were all quite good.

Moreover, Li Xiaolu has a strong background. He comes from a family of performing arts, and his elders have close ties with the Bayi Film Studio.

The entertainment industry is all about personal relationships and social etiquette. If he does Li Xiaolu a favor today, her elders may have to return the favor to him in the future.

Unfortunately, he didn't dare to go against the wishes of his big boss, and the audition was just a formality and publicity.

Zhang Zhao ordered, "Call the next one."

The staff hurried to the lounge next door to continue calling people.

"Master Liu!"

It turned out that her name was Liu Shishi. Yang Mi remembered the girl who had made eye contact with her when she first arrived. She always felt that she had a good impression of her and wanted to get to know her.

Liu Shishi took a deep breath and walked into the audition room. She was a little nervous. Although her boyfriend told her that she had been chosen, the person who auditioned before her was Gao Yuanyuan, so she thought she would perform very well.

If his performance was too bad, in stark contrast to Gao Yuanyuan, it would be a loss of face for Song Ci and would make it difficult for him to act in front of his subordinates.

Liu Shishi did the same thing as Gao Yuanyuan. She first greeted the producer and director, and then stood there quietly, waiting for the interviewers' instructions.

However, compared to Gao Yuanyuan's calmness, Liu Shishi felt a little nervous. After all, it was her first time to audition and she had no experience at all.

Zhang Zhao carefully looked at the super-connected person in front of him. It was the first time he met Liu Shishi. She was wearing a white shirt and skirt, and looked pure and gentle, with a quiet temperament. She had a standard first love face, which was indeed the type that young men liked most.

He and Wang Jing had asked around and found out that the big boss really liked his childhood sweetheart.

Zhang Zhao was naturally polite to Liu Shishi. Before Ma Xin could speak, he asked, and his tone was no longer as cold and indifferent as before.

"Ms. Liu, could you please tell me your understanding of the role you are auditioning for?"

Zhang Zhao didn't exchange pleasantries with Liu Shishi. On the surface, he acted as if he was doing his job impartially, but the shrewd Xu Zheng still saw through his flaws.

Xu Zheng glanced at Zhang Zhao meaningfully. Among so many girls auditioning, this was the first time Zhang Zhao took the initiative to speak, and his tone was obviously different, gentle and friendly.

Xu Zheng, who has been in the circle for so many years, knows the ins and outs of it. The girl in front of him is probably from a prominent family and Zhang Zhao cannot afford to offend her.

Liu Shishi did her homework before coming and even consulted her boyfriend, the screenwriter, for advice. She gave a textbook-like speech that explained the role of Tang Xiaolian very thoroughly.

Xu Zheng didn't care at all about understanding the role. The heroine of "Nightclub", Tang Xiaolian, was not a complicated character.

Every actor who auditioned could speak very clearly and there was nothing new. He was currently carefully reviewing the resume submitted by Liu Shishi for the audition.

He graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy and is from the same school as Tengda's top star and second male lead Qiao Zhengyu. This is nothing, as Tengda doesn't even use its own female artists. He doesn't think Qiao Zhengyu has the ability to arrange a female lead.

It’s just that this girl’s agency, Tangren Film and Television, is a bit strange. They have never arranged any drama for her.

There are only two possibilities for a young girl to jump directly from the Shanghai circle to the Beijing circle to audition for the female lead. Either she is overestimating her own abilities and is wishful thinking. Or she has a strong background and connections. Combined with Zhang Zhao's attitude just now, the girl in front of him is obviously the latter.

Seeing Liu Shishi's expectant expression, Zhang Zhao smiled and affirmed, "That's very profound. It seems that Miss Liu understands the role very well. Please read a few more passages from the script so that we can examine your line delivery skills."

Liu Shishi cleared her throat and read the script aloud in a clear, soft and emotional voice.

Zhang Zhao nodded. Although she was a relative of someone who got the job through backdoor channels, she was still considered to be of some standard. At least she wasn't a mediocre actress.

"Ms. Liu, let's stop here. Please go back first. We will call you to inform you of the audition results."

After hearing Zhang Zhao's instructions, Liu Shishi politely said goodbye and waited for the result.

"Next, Yang Mi."

"Next one, Jiang Yiyan."

One actress after another came in and out for the audition. Two and a half hours passed in a flash and the half-day audition finally came to an end. After the meeting, several auditioners were discussing the final cast.

Ma Xin is young and energetic, with a strong desire to perform. He wants to overshadow Xu Zheng, who has crossed over to become a director, and he expresses his opinions to Zhang Zhao in a loud voice.

"Mr. Zhang, I think Gao Yuanyuan is the most suitable among these people. She has outstanding appearance and good acting skills. Moreover, she is the most famous, which will help increase the box office."

"Director Xu, what do you think?" Zhang Zhao asked Xu Zheng calmly while arranging a stack of resumes in his hand.

Xu Zheng stretched his shoulders, which were a little stiff and sore from sitting for a long time, and replied with a smile, "All is fine. Mr. Zhang, you decide."

Ma Xin curled his lips when he heard this, and looked down on Xu Zheng even more. As a director, he didn't even have any ideas on hiring people. What could an actor who crossed over to become a director know about film shooting?

(End of this chapter)