Chapter 4

Three months ago.

After agreeing on an audition date with Yuan Chengyin's casting team, Sister Hou finally felt like she was going to do something big.

Just a few years into her career, her title was merely executive agent. Her base salary was low, and Hulu Media didn't offer commissions. It was only occasionally included in performance and bonuses, and whether or not it would be paid was uncertain. She had no background; it was only a childhood dream, coupled with a bit of luck, that led her to this industry.

The days seemed endless, and before Yuan Chengyin's email arrived, she didn't know how long it would take for her to make a name for herself.

After taking over Ranlong, she was finally promoted to the position of agent. Even if it was only for Ranlong, if she could successfully join Yuan Chengyin's crew, she could save herself several years of detours.

It seems that what Zhou Banxian, the guy with the big hair, said was right. Ranlong is really her lucky star.

But the savings in her slush fund were too small to be brought to the table. After the makeover she'd undergone according to Ranlong's demands, she'd be left with nothing but coarse food until next month's paycheck.

It turns out that the true meaning of "risking death to survive" is waiting for her here.

On the day of the audition, Hou Jie put on the suit hanging in the closet, stepped on the high heels that had been tortured for beauty, and carefully put on her makeup. She looked at herself in the mirror again and again, and the more she looked, the more satisfied she became.

Thinking about Ranlong's depressed look in the rental house, I really don't know who is going to audition today.

It was not until the driver drove her into Ranlong's residential complex that she remembered a classic truth that was often circulated in and out of the circle.

There is a gap between the beautiful actress and an ordinary person like me.

The wall of the cliff.

A tall woman was standing in front of the short and dilapidated building. The driver and Sister Hou's attention were caught by the woman in an instant.

The woman's long curly hair fell softly and charmingly on her shoulders, just like in a shampoo commercial. Her dark brown hair was faintly tinged with bright red, and she looked energetic and graceful.

She was wearing a pair of distressed denim shorts, with two long, translucent white legs stretching out from the trouser legs. Under the afternoon sun, they seemed to emit an alluring hazy glow.

The weather in late spring was still a little chilly. She wore a black off-shoulder sweatshirt, revealing half of her hanger-like collarbone. Her eyes, which were moving up and down, had to stop here.

Her presence was out of place with the weathered old residential buildings, smelly garbage rooms and dirty stray cats and dogs around her. The elderly men and women passing by had nothing to do and stopped to cast curious glances at her.

The driver stammered, pointing at the woman standing between the broken bicycles, and asked, "Yes, that one? From our company?"

Sister Hou stared at the woman dazedly and said, "Uh, can I ask?"

Sister Hou rolled down the car window and didn't dare to ask for a moment.

Ranlong came over by himself, pointed at Sister Hou's nose and said, "Come down. Open the car door for me."

Well, it must be her ancestor.

After getting in the car, Ranlong took off his sunglasses and read the script quietly for a rare moment.

From time to time, Hou Jie would peek at Ranlong in the rearview mirror. Her makeup was delicate, a departure from her usual gloomy, dark-eyed look. As she lowered her brows and read the script, her long eyelashes fluttered, a truly captivating sight.

Sister Hou thought, how could such a good-looking celebrity have such an annoying soul?

If Ranlong had been willing to apologize back then, the video would have been quickly put behind him. Perhaps he would have received a great script and become a huge star a long time ago, instead of having to squat in a shabby house, watching over a shabby live broadcast room, and humbly begging the "big brother" to give him one more rocket.

Although it's not shameful to do anything to make money, and Sister Hou working like a slave in the office is no better than her, but since God has fed her so much, why can't she just open her mouth and eat it?

Sister Hou couldn't figure it out.

The audition was held in the office building of Lingdong Film and Television. I didn't see any other actors who were auditioning with me as I took the elevator and walked through the corridor.

If the address of this office building was not correct, Sister Hou would have been on the phone with the police all the time.

The door of the audition room was open. Ranlong walked in. Sister Hou looked around and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Qiu An is not here.

Director Yuan Chengyin and producer Wang Jie sat in the middle, flanked by a few people who were probably from the casting team. To Yu Hou Jie, they all looked unfamiliar, save for one woman who looked pretty and seemed familiar.

Having been bewildered by Ranlong's appearance for a long time, Sister Hou only realized at the audition site that the role that Ranlong was assigned to was not meant to be one that matched her image.

no.

Sister Hou was sharp-eyed and noticed that after Yuan Chengyin looked at the hot pants with dyed red hair, he showed a look that was half confused and half questioning.

After the greetings, Sister Hou took Ranlong's sunglasses and handbag and stood behind the familiar pretty woman. Seeing Ranlong standing opposite her, she suddenly felt a little nervous.

Believe in her ancestors, after all, she graduated from a professional school and once made the bold statement that "it is impossible for her to not be selected."

"Xiao Ran, long time no see." Yuan Chengyin greeted calmly. His voice was not as sharp as Sister Hou had imagined. On the contrary, it was somewhat soft and sounded amiable.

Upon hearing this, Ranlong raised his neck and pointed his nose at Yuan Chengyin: "Why are you pretending to be so familiar with me? Stop acting like we're related. Just get over it."

…

Sister Hou couldn't believe her ears. It turned out that Ran Long wasn't just a tyrant at home, she was also a tyrant outside. Perhaps if she were given a mixed egg, she'd be able to create a world of her own.

How could a person be so courageous? Especially since she only got the chance to audition this time because of connections.

Sister Hou couldn't tell whether he was courageous or shameless.

The people present were still relatively inexperienced. After hearing Ranlong's words, their faces turned grim and they dared not utter a single word. The scene seemed to be silent for two minutes, the only sound during which was the "click" of Sister Hou's high heels as she stepped back.

I don’t know him. Sister Hou really wants to say, I don’t know this person.

"Hmm..." Yuan Chengyin took a long time to recover. "Let's not talk about anything else, let's get started. Xiaoran, let's call your character 'Office Animal' for now. The first clip is that you accompany a colleague to an art exhibition. There you see a painting with a curve that looks very much like you. You recognize the artist, the 'painter' from back then. You feel mixed emotions, and as soon as you turn around, you see that long-lost friend..."

"Enough! Master, stop reading. Is there anyone here who doesn't know the script? No, right?" Ran Long rolled up his sleeves impatiently.

Yuan Chengyin sighed softly and agreed with her, "Okay, let's get started when you're ready. There's a camera on your left, just treat that as a painting."

Ranlong turned to the left.

It was finally about to begin, and Sister Hou took a deep breath nervously. At this moment, the woman next to Sister Hou suddenly turned around and glanced at her.

Is this someone you know? The more Sister Hou looked at him, the more she felt like she had seen his face and figure somewhere before.

While he was pondering, the door facing away from Ranlong opened, and a woman in black trousers and a rust-red shirt walked in.

Sister Hou's heart jumped into her throat as she immediately remembered the familiar person in front of her. Wasn't it Qiu An's assistant?!

Ranlong stared at the painting for a while, his chest pounding, and said, "Hmph, interesting."

Yuan Chengyin frowned and stared at Ranlong with an expression of disbelief.

Not only did she add a word to herself, she also added an inexplicable word.

The character that Ranlong is going to play is an introverted office worker who can get by efficiently but still feels confused in his work life year after year.

It’s nothing, sister.

"cut."

After the sigh, Ranlong turned her head hard, and her long hair swept up a gust of wind in the air, almost hitting the face of the person behind her.

Yuan Chengyin raised his hand, seeming to want to say something but stopped himself.

After seeing who was coming, Ranlong suddenly pointed and shouted with full force: "Oh my god! You scared me! Why are you here?"

What the hell.

Yuan Chengyin held his forehead, as if all his strength had been drained away. He said weakly, "Stop, stop for a moment."

Ranlong's posture did not change. Qiu An, whose nose was pointed at, was stunned for a moment, then he crossed his arms, covered his mouth with one hand, and smiled.

"What are you laughing at?" Ranlong's fur exploded.

Qiu An restrained his smile, lowered his brows and apologized: "I'm sorry..."

"Qiu An!" Ran Long interrupted her. "Yuan Chengyin! I knew you two liked to play dirty tricks, but I didn't know it was this shady? I already knew the role of the painter was reserved for Qiu An, but you asked me to audition. Shouldn't anyone who wants to act with me tell me in advance? Huh? Are you kidding me? Do you even know how to write the word respect?"

The staff present were all aghast at this scene, shifting restlessly. Director Yuan was a kind and generous person, and this was the first time they had heard someone speak of her like this to her face, and they felt uncomfortable for a moment.

Yuan Chengyin felt a little embarrassed after being scolded by Ranlong and didn't know how to respond.

Sister Hou scratched her head and was about to apologize to Qiu An's assistant with a smile, but was stopped by Ran Long: "Sister Hou! What are you doing?! This isn't our fault, don't bow down to them first!"

Sister Hou was stunned. Looking at the casting crew's unanimous gazes, she had never felt her scalp take center stage like this.

Ah, is there really something going on with her here?

"Xiao Ran."

Qiu An called Ran Long gently, and everyone's eyes finally moved back to the direction of her voice. Sister Hou kowtowed to Qiu An a hundred times in her heart.

"Xiao Ran, I'm sorry. This was my idea. I didn't consider your feelings. I was inconsiderate. I apologize to you. Let's start over."

Ran Long gave her a cold look, turned around, and muttered, "You're pretending. Your green tea addiction is back. You're cursing me in your heart, waiting for me to embarrass myself and humiliate me in public. You're going to hold this Hongmen Feast."

His voice is not loud, but as an actor who graduated from a professional school, his lines are well-delivered.

Anyway, Sister Hou was standing in the last row and heard it clearly.

Is it considered a work-related injury? Hulu Media owes her some compensation for mental damages.

Qiu An didn't get angry after hearing this, but simply responded with a smile, which made Ran Long look like a unreasonable child.

After trying several times, Ranlong gradually calmed down, but the result still did not meet Yuan Chengyin's requirements.

"Let's not talk about how we acted when we were looking at the painting. Why did you look like you saw a ghost when you turned around and saw the painter?"

Ranlong: “Yes, I did.”

Yuan Chengyin: “…”

Qiu An: "It's okay, let's do it again."

This happened over and over again several times, and Sister Hou's feet were tired from standing.

Qiu An was patient, but Yuan Chengyin broke down first, the pen she was holding in her hand nearly breaking. So she said, "Well, don't do that again. Let's move on."

In the second scene, the office worker sees her husband and child who accompanied the painter to the exhibition. She is confused and has no intention of continuing to visit the exhibition. She breaks away from her colleagues and runs to the bathroom, where she encounters the painter who has followed her.

"Why are you still drawing that kind of stuff?"

"That kind of thing?" The painter swayed his body, tilted his head, and looked at the office animal leisurely.

"Don't ask questions when you already know the answer."

Ranlong twisted his body unhappily.

Yuan Chengyin was biting his nails.

"Oh, that painting. Isn't the theme of this exhibition 'Form and Beauty'?" The painter leaned close to Ranlong and whispered in her ear, "The body I'm most familiar with is still yours."

Ranlong twisted his body unhappily.

Yuan Chengyin was biting his nails.

The painter placed his hand on Ranlong's hip and said softly, "How is it? It's a good painting, isn't it? It bears some resemblance to your appearance back then."

Unhappy with...

Yuan Chengyin bit off a nail and said, "Stop, stop, stop, you office animal! Where's our disgust? Where's our sense of shame? Why are you so unhappy? Do you want to hit someone?"

Ranlong: "Yeah, I want to fight."

Yuan Chengyin: “…”

Qiu An: "It's okay, let's do it again."

It's quite hard, Yuan Chengyin thought. Being a director isn't as glamorous as it seems.