*

After Shen Yanshan left, Nan Qing and Song Beiting seemed unaffected by his words and continued to enjoy their dinner happily.

But when the mushroom soup arrived, Nan Qing glanced at him and casually said:

"What Shen Yanshan said just now was nonsense."

Song Beiting paused, holding the key, then raised his eyelashes and smiled.

"Yes, I know."

He seemed indifferent, but only he knew that the bittersweet emotions in his heart were surging wildly.

It's not that I don't believe what she says.

But he had seen so many outstanding men surrounding her.

He doesn't even have the right to ask these questions now.

But he was lucky enough to be seen by her.

Suddenly, Song Beiting took out a bank card from his backpack and gently pushed it across the table.

"Hmm?" Nan Qing put down the silver spoon in her hand and looked at him in confusion.

"My salary card."

"I usually use the black card that my senior gave me, this one... I don't need it anymore."

Nan Qing's gaze shifted between the card and himself. "So, for me?"

Song Beiting nodded. There wasn't much money inside, but he would work hard, and...

You only hand over your salary card to your closest people, right?

Like any ordinary couple, they intertwined their lives closely.

Nan Qing picked up the card and looked at it, then asked without refusing, "What's the password?"

"...It's my senior's birthday."

When he said this, Song Beiting didn't even dare to look her in the eye, and the tips of his ears instantly burned.

Why didn't he remember to change the password before giving it to me...?

But to his surprise, Nan Qing, who always liked to tease and joke with him, didn't say anything this time. He simply put the card into his bag and said, "Okay, then I won't be polite with you. I'll really know how to use this card, so don't feel bad about it later."

"I won't feel bad."

"Feel free to use it, senior."

“Then I’ll take it to get a new bag cleaned tomorrow. I just saw a new one that I really like.” Nan Qing observed his expression with great interest.

Song Beiting paused for a moment, but quickly composed himself: "Okay."

The money inside is definitely not enough. I'll have to find Sister Zhou later and ask when the salary for this show will be paid.

Actually, Nanqing was just teasing him. The price of that bag was enough to empty this card several times over. Judging from his expression, he was probably calculating in his mind how many jobs he would need to take on to fill the hole.

Song Beiting became even busier in the following period.

He needs to continue taking acting classes and has also taken on many gigs, making his presence felt online and within the industry. However, his main priority is auditioning for roles and getting cast, as he needs to produce work as soon as possible.

Over here, Zhou Jing walked quickly in her high heels, frantically typing on her phone while giving him instructions:

"Director Zhang is a perfectionist and doesn't like actors to be too deliberate. If you can handle this role, we won't try the other two."

"Um."

Song Beiting followed beside him, wearing sunglasses and looking indifferent.

As they approached, Zhou Jing stopped, turned to look at him, and said gently, "But don't be nervous. It's good to be able to save face. If it doesn't work out, we can find another one."

He nodded, and then gave a deep, resonant "Mm".

Seeing that he was reluctant to say even a few words, Zhou Jing felt somewhat helpless. When she first met him in President Ning's office, she thought he was a handsome young man.

But after getting to know him for so long, I've found that he truly deserves the title of "cool and aloof campus heartthrob" at Tsinghua and Peking Universities.

"You really have a temper..." She shook her head. "Never mind, let's go."

It's okay for him to be aloof; many fans fall for that. After all, he's just so good-looking, and his acting talent is truly exceptional. He was born for this.

There were many actors sitting outside the casting studio, all there to audition for the role.

Song Beiting glanced at the list and recognized a few people. Zhou Jing had once sent him a file containing information on some of the more well-known actors in the entertainment industry.

He looked away and followed Zhou Jing to sign in.

"Illusion Media, Song Beiting." Zhou Jing handed the documents to the assistant in charge of queuing.

The assistant flipped through the list, glanced up at Song Beiting with a subtle look in his eyes, and handed him a number plate: "Your number is 18. There are two more people arriving soon."

Zhou Jing seemed oblivious to the way she was sizing up Song Beiting. She smiled, took the plaque, and spoke in a neutral tone:

"Okay, thank you."

She found a corner spot and asked Song Beiting to wait there while she went to find someone.

Song Beiting sat there alone, leaning back in his chair, closing his eyes, and recalling the script he had read before.

The character we're talking about today doesn't have many scenes in this TV series, but he's present throughout the entire series, and his character is extremely distinct: a young emperor, tyrannical by nature, who eventually goes mad and is overthrown by the male lead.

A good performance in this kind of role can leave a lasting impression, while a bad performance will just come across as exaggerated and pretentious.

"Number 18."

Hearing his number called, he opened his eyes, stood up, straightened his clothes, took off his glasses, and pushed open the door to the audition room.

The space inside was quite large, and there was a long table in front of him with five people sitting there.

But to his surprise, he saw that Nan Qing was also there, and was sitting in the middle.

He paused for a moment, but quickly regained his composure and stood about five steps away from the long table.

"Hello everyone, I am Song Beiting from Illusion Media."

His voice was steady and clear, and his gaze politely swept over the five interviewees in front of him, finally lingering on Nan Qing's face for a moment.

She was looking at him too, her red lips parted in a half-smile.

When Song Beiting entered, the director Zhang Wen, producer, and editor sitting to Nan Qing's right all showed a hint of amazement in their eyes.

The actress in front of me is really beautiful.

Her face alone possesses an androgynous beauty, but her aura is cool and detached; the way she stands there is like a beautiful painting.

But today they've chosen an emperor, or a tyrant, who requires a sharp sense of oppression and madness, not this breathtaking beauty.

So Zhang Wen didn't pay much attention to him from the first moment he saw him.

He picked up the documents and glanced at them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw President Ning of the Ning Group sitting next to him, and Zhou Jing behind her. He immediately understood.

So that's the actor.

But that would probably disappoint this big spender.

When the Ning Group approached me, they invested 100 million yuan in this TV series and asked for an audition opportunity for the third male lead.

But he also made it very clear that this was just an audition opportunity, and he would have to see the actor to determine if he was suitable.

With such a large sum of money coming in, he certainly wouldn't refuse, especially since it's Ning's money.

With this funding, the production of this TV series can be upgraded from S-level to S+.

Although he felt that the other party's image was far from the image of a tyrant in his mind, Zhang Wen did not immediately reject him. He had to give the big investor an explanation.

"Let's begin." He put down the documents and looked at Song Beiting.

Immediately, the assistant handed Song Beiting a piece of paper with only one sentence written on it.

With the enemy at the gates and the court officials pressuring him to abdicate, he was forced to do so.