Chapter 403 4032 Combination

403:

Chen Xiang quickly wrote the notice and posted it on his school's forum. He also contacted classmates from No. 1 High School who were scattered across other universities, asking them to help spread the word.

The class group chat at No. 1 High School instantly buzzed with excitement again: [Wow, Ye Qingxi's going to make a movie? He's giving up acting to become a director?!]

He must be the most highly educated director in the entertainment industry!

[Our arts and culture committee member is amazing!]

[Are you only accepting applications for the second female lead? Are you not accepting applications for the second male lead?]

[Question: If I can't find an internship, could I intern on your film set?]

Chen Xiang: ? ? ?

Chen Xiang pointed and berated: "How come you can't find an internship?! Didn't you pay attention in class during college?!"

Ye Qingxi chimed in: "[Contact me if you can't find an internship, just message me privately~]"

He got along well with everyone when he was in school, and his classmates at No. 1 High School were always very kind to him. So if anyone really needs help now, Ye Qingxi wouldn't mind helping them. Anyway, he has plenty of companies.

As soon as he said that, several people messaged him privately. It wasn't that they couldn't find a job, but their families weren't well-off, and they didn't have connections with big companies. They could only find small companies, so they wanted to see if Ye Qingxi could help them find a better internship.

Ye Qingxi talked seriously with all the classmates who had privately messaged him, and then assigned them to a branch of the Mu Group or Mu Shaoyan and Duan Yi's game company based on their personalities, interests and abilities.

"However, I can't guarantee whether I'll get a permanent position after graduation," he said.

"It's okay, it's okay, I'll definitely work hard!" the students said enthusiastically.

Ye Qingxi replied with a cheer and told her father and uncle about it.

"Okay." Mu Shaowu replied politely, "I'll have my assistant talk to the branch office's HR tomorrow."

Mu Shaoyan went even further, saying, "Since you recommended him, I'll definitely make sure he's well taken care of."

"No, no, no," Ye Qingxi quickly said. "I'm letting him go over there, not so that you, Uncle, can take care of him. Just treat him like a normal intern. That way, whether he stays or not, it will be a valuable experience for him."

Essentially, Ye Qingxi only wanted to provide them with an opportunity, but whether they could seize it and turn it into their own future depended on their own efforts.

Mu Shaowu and Mu Shaoyan understood his meaning, so they didn't ask anyone to give them special treatment and treated them as ordinary interns.

In less than a week, Chen Xiang received many resumes from applicants.

On Mu Shaowu's side, Zeng Chong had also compiled the corresponding list and sent it to Ye Qingxi. Along with the list, there were also videos of each person without makeup, videos with makeup, and some acting clips.

Ye Qingxi, Chen Xiang, and Huo Zinan screened the candidates together, set a time, and sent audition notices to those who had passed the initial screening. The selection process for the female lead and second female lead thus began quietly.

As it turns out, there are still very few potential acting geniuses.

Most of the college students who audition are better suited for still photography than acting.

Ye Qingxi patiently tried one after another, and finally, after half a month, she settled on the female lead and the second female lead.

The female lead is a contracted artist from Wutong Entertainment. She graduated from a professional acting school and is only 24 years old. She has a very pretty face, but she has only played supporting roles before, so her popularity is relatively low.

She clearly put a lot of effort into auditioning for the lead role of Ye Qingxi. She not only put a lot of effort into her makeup and styling on the day of the audition, but also took the initiative to get an extra audition segment to perform for Ye Qingxi and the others.

Ye Qingxi has always had a good impression of hardworking and diligent people, and given that her overall qualifications were indeed the best among all the auditionees, she decided to cast her without much hesitation.

The second female lead was chosen from a girl from the neighboring Tsinghua University. Although she had never acted before and was not a professionally trained actress, her temperament was a perfect fit, and she could play the role naturally.

With this, the preliminary selection process came to a close.

Ye Qingxi asked Zeng Chong to help her draft contracts, which were signed with the female lead and the second female lead, and also with Huo Zinan and Chen Xiang.

Huo Zinan's agency contract is still with Xingli at this time. However, when Ye Qingxi asked Li Jing to help sign Huo Zinan, she only wanted to take him away from his family and let him study and grow up like a normal child. Therefore, there was no profit sharing from signing a film and television contract.

“Since it’s not written in the contract, then you don’t need to share your earnings with the company; it’s all yours,” Ye Qingxi said, making the decision.

Huo Zinan has it tough too. He's all alone here now, truly a loner, and he even owes Ye Qingxi a lot of money. So, subconsciously, Ye Qingxi still wants to help him.

Anyway, his uncle has always spoiled him, and he even managed to help him get Huo Zinan away from the Huo family under the guise of signing a contract, so he would definitely agree to his unauthorized decision.

However, Huo Zinan did not agree.

“Let’s do 20/80,” he said. “This is your movie anyway. If you don’t make it, I can’t act in it, and I won’t make any money. It’s your uncle’s company. You’re all family, so the company takes 80% and I’ll take 20%.

Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?

Ye Qingxi thought he was really generous.

He didn't listen to Huo Zinan at all. The two argued for a long time and finally settled on a 50/50 split.

Huo Zinan wanted to further reduce his share of the profits, but was silenced by Huo's question, "Do you still want to act in my movies in the future?"

He tentatively asked, "Will you still contact me in the future?"

Ye Qingxi thought his question was absurd, "Can't I come to you?"

"Of course not." Huo Zinan smiled.

He just didn't expect that.

He thought Ye Qingxi had approached him for this role simply because his image happened to be suitable.

After he became a director, he naturally had to meet and collaborate with more actors.

Instead of just being with him.

“I’m using this project as a test to see if I can transition from acting to directing. So don’t feel bad that your role in this project doesn’t have as much room to develop as the female lead. Wait for the next project; I’ll definitely give you more room to grow in the next one,” Ye Qingxi said.

Huo Zinan shook his head, "How could I possibly dislike it?"

He looked at Ye Qingxi and said, "I'll take any role as long as you're willing to let me act."

Upon hearing this, Ye Qingxi reached out and put her arm around his shoulder. She truly deserved to be his good friend.

Chen Xiang was somewhat shocked when he received his contract.

He didn't expect Ye Qingxi to give him a contract so quickly, and he was even more surprised that the terms of the contract were so good.

But he's not exactly a top-tier professional agent.

Chen Xiang pondered, "After I finish filming this movie with you, it will be time for my internship. I'll go to your dad's entertainment company for an internship, working under his former agent, so I won't hold you back in the future."

“Sure.” Ye Qingxi had no objections and immediately recommended Zeng Chong’s WeChat to Chen Xiang.

She then said to Zeng Chong, "Uncle Zeng, this is my manager. Could you help me mentor him?"

Zeng Chong: ...No, he's just getting old, it's not like he's quitting. Why not just let him lead the team?

Zeng Chong may be old, but he can still lead people, kid!

Zeng Chong felt a pang of regret, but still replied gently, "Okay~"

"Hmph, just you wait," Zeng Chong thought to himself. "When the time comes, I'll teach this future Ye Qingxi's manager a lesson. Don't let her talent go to waste!"

Ye Qingxi used her spare time to almost finish the preparations for the film, and the final exams were approaching.

Although he was busy outside of class, he listened attentively in class and had a good memory, so he wasn't worried about the final exam. He easily memorized the key points the teacher highlighted, and entered and left the exam room with his roommate.

This time, he didn't rush home, but instead had a meal with his roommates.

As the meal was drawing to a close, Ye Qingxi asked them, "You'll all be starting your internships next semester. Where are you all planning to intern?"

Ye Qingxi hadn't planned to ask this question beforehand, after all, they were from B University, how could they not find an internship?

It was during a conversation with a classmate from No. 1 High School that Ye Qingxi realized that while it was possible to find a company, a large company was still a company, a small company was still a company, and even a company without any business license or registration was still a company. The differences between them were incomparable.

His roommates all came from ordinary families; they weren't poor, but they weren't rich either. Their families couldn't provide much help, so they had to rely on themselves most of the time.

“I haven’t even looked yet,” Zhou Cang said.

“I don’t have any either,” Su Lang said.

"I did find two, but they were both pretty average. I plan to look again during the holidays," Zhang Jiang said.

Ye Qingxi nodded, "Then would you like to work for our company?"

The three people: !!!

"Is it okay?" Zhou Cang asked him.

“Of course,” Ye Qingxi said.

His roommate is very serious and studies very hard; he just sometimes lacks an opportunity or a way to advance.

"You can decide for yourselves. If you need anything, just give me a call. Of course, if you have a better company, then you don't need to come here just to give me face," Ye Qingxi said with a smile.

His words were very polite to the other party, as if the other party agreeing to let him intern at their company was a favor to him, rather than him helping the other party.

His roommates looked at him and couldn't help but feel a little moved.

Finally, Zhang Jiang spoke first, "I really want to go."

He was the oldest in the dormitory and came from the poorest family. He had parents with meager salaries and a younger sister who was still in school, so he realistically hoped that his future would be better.

Ye Qingxi appreciated his dormitory head, so he arranged for him to intern at the group headquarters.

As soon as Zhang Jiang spoke, Su Lang and Zhou Cang didn't hesitate any longer and said they wanted to as well.

They were far less mature, steady, patient, and hardworking than Zhang Jiang, but they were more quick-witted and had more lively personalities, so Ye Qingxi recommended that they go to Mu Shaoyan's game company.

Over the years, Mu Shaoyan and Duan Yi's game company has grown bigger and bigger, and has become a major game company.

Therefore, Su Lang and Zhou Cang were very excited when they heard this, and couldn't wait to start their internships the next day.

"And you, where are you going?" Zhou Cang asked curiously.

"Isn't he going to make a movie?" Zhang Jiang asked.

"Don't you go to your family company after filming the movie?" Zhou Cang asked, puzzled.

Ye Qingxi shook her head, "After filming the movie, we still have to do post-production, and we still have to deal with distribution and release. And even if this one is finished, there will be another one."

"So you really intend to pursue a career as a director and not go back to your family company?" Su Lang said.

"I won't go back yet." Ye Qingxi smiled. "That's why I'm sending you all here to do your internships and work hard. When I come back later, you'll all be my people."

"Haha, that's definitely no problem," Su Lang said.

The four of them chatted and laughed as they finished their farewell dinner before the restaurant closed.

They walked back arm in arm, and before they knew it, they were talking about things that had happened in the past three years.

As Ye Qingxi listened, she felt as if scenes from the past were playing out before her eyes.

His three years of university were both ordinary and extraordinary, calm and turbulent.

He experienced all the college life experiences he hadn't had in his previous life in this one.

Roommates you live with, clubs you're interested in, skipping classes on a whim, and university trips you plan with friends.

There are many, many more.

Ye Qingxi was very happy and satisfied.

He attended Peking University, where he spent three fulfilling yet wasted years.

I met new people, learned new skills, and determined my future direction.

Hearing her roommates' loud laughter, Ye Qingxi couldn't help but laugh along with them.

In the future, I hope they can all laugh so heartily and freely.

May it always be like tonight.

Ye Qingxi is on vacation, and the movie is about to start filming.

He didn't create any related Weibo accounts; he simply held a launch ceremony at the school and officially began filming his first movie.

It was summer vacation, and although most students at No. 1 High School were on holiday, the students who were about to enter their senior year were still taking extra classes. When they saw Ye Qingxi and the others filming a movie at their school, they couldn't help but start talking about it.

"That's Ye Qingxi! She's so beautiful!"

"Huo Zinan next to him is also quite good."

"I heard that Ye Qingxi was the top scorer in their year?"

"It seems so. The top scorers in both arts and sciences that year came from our school. The principal was overjoyed."

"He's such a good student, why did he become a director?"

"Maybe he likes it. He's acted in several dramas before, and he acted quite well."

"Wow, that's amazing! He's an actor and a student, and he even got into Peking University, becoming the top scorer in his year's college entrance exam. How smart must he be?"

"That must be really smart! Hey, do you think I should ask him for an autograph? Would he sign it?"

"Probably. I heard from an older female student that Ye Qingxi is a really nice person. She was very approachable at school and got along well with everyone."

"Seriously, how can someone live such a wonderful life? It's so enviable."

"That's right."

Just then, the school bell rang, and the teacher entered the classroom with her books.

She looked at the students in the class, smiled, and asked them, "Do you think the world of movie making is exciting?"

The students then smiled knowingly.

"That's why you should cherish this last year even more and work hard! Let me tell you, the Ye Qingxi you see now was incredibly diligent when she was in school. She not only mastered the knowledge points of the senior year early on, but she also spent every day, every class, and every break doing practice problems."

“Back then, he always came in first place in every exam.”

"So he easily got into Peking University and was the top liberal arts student."

"Look at Ye Qingxi, with her looks and circumstances, she's worked so hard. Do you think you're prettier than her, or that you're better at studying than her?"

classmate:……

"Right? So keep working hard. When you work as hard as him and get into Peking University, you can live just as carefree a life in the future."

The teacher finished speaking before the class began.

The students listened and felt that the world was really scary. How could someone like Ye Qingxi work so hard?

This is absolutely outrageous!

So they should still try their best.

Ye Qingxi was completely unaware that he had unwittingly become a vivid positive example, as he was currently busy directing a scene.

"Huo Zinan, your gaze needs to be gentler, it needs to show pity and regret. You have feelings for her, so you're very unwilling to accept that she's become like this. You need to show it so that the audience can realize it, okay?"

"And Du Xiang, you're not really a bad girl. You're just trying to protect yourself. You don't really like your current life, so you have to hold back and not act like you're really tough."

The two nodded in unison and reenacted the scene.

Ye Qingxi watched and felt that it was still not right, so she simply demonstrated it for them herself.

His demonstration made Huo Zinan and Du Xiang realize where the gap lay.

Du Xiang couldn't help but exclaim, "Director Ye, your acting skills are just too good!"

Huo Zinan thought so too; he even thought, "You can totally direct and act in this yourself."

Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?

Ye Qingxi wasn't that interested.

He now only wants to be a director, and that's all he wants to do.

"It's okay, you two can do it too, keep it up!" Ye Qingxi encouraged them.

Seeing this, Huo Zinan and Du Xiang worked even harder.

Huo Zinan, in particular, even took the initiative to ask Du Xiang to rehearse the next day's scenes together after filming.

Du Xiang readily agreed.

The two were working hard, one not wanting to disappoint Ye Qingxi, and the other wanting to secure a future for themselves. Unconsciously, they began to cooperate better and better, and their acting in scenes together became more and more natural.

When Feng Que and Mu Shaowu arrived, they saw their son sitting behind the monitor with the air of a director. After the male and female leads finished their scene together, he stood up, praising their excellent performance while instructing them on how to improve.

"You know what, it's actually quite decent," Mu Shaowu said.

Feng Que thought so too.

The two watched each other quietly for a while until Chen Xiang noticed and reminded Ye Qingxi. Ye Qingxi turned around and saw that they had actually arrived.

"Why are you here?" Ye Qingxi asked in surprise as she walked toward them.

"Didn't you say you turned on the camera, so I came to check?" Mu Shaowu said with a smile. "Not bad, it's quite impressive, Director Ye~"

“Director Ye, you have truly surpassed your teacher. At your age, I didn’t have your demeanor at all,” Feng Que said.

Feeling a little embarrassed by their comments, Ye Qingxi blushed and said, "Why are you making fun of me as soon as you arrive? If you keep doing this, I won't let you come again."

“I didn’t,” Mu Shaowu said. “I’m being sincere.”

“Me too.” Feng Que nodded.

Ye Qingxi: ...

Ye Qingxi had no choice but to pull the two of them over and have them sit in front of the monitor to watch the footage she had previously filmed.

"How is it?" he asked. "Is there anything I can improve?"

Feng Que looked on, somewhat surprised.

I must say, his son is really talented.

Even in his first film, he couldn't have used lighting and shadow so well.

Not only his use of light and shadow, but also his sense of color is excellent.

Clear, bright, and vibrant, it looks like a sunny summer day, unconsciously reminding one of youth.

"You're quite impressive," Feng Que praised. "You really are talented."

Ye Qingxi was pleasantly surprised, "Really?"

"Of course, would Daddy lie to you?"

"Judging from your composition and color, you are already much better than many youth film directors."

Ye Qingxi laughed, looking quite happy.

Mu Shaowu also thought he filmed it very well. Unlike Feng Que, he was more used to analyzing it from an artistic perspective. He simply thought the people in the film were very beautiful, the scenery was also very beautiful, and the people and scenery blended together. He captured every close-up of the actors, their expressions, and their micro-expressions. So much so that he could feel the emotions between the main characters after just watching this short clip.

“Not bad,” Mu Shaowu said. “Much better than some of the directors I’ve encountered.”

"Is this referring to some directors, or am I?" Feng Que asked astutely.

Mu Shaowu: ? ? ?

Mu Shaowu: ...

"There's no need to be so sensitive."

Feng Que nodded, "That's true, I'm quite capable."

Ye Qingxi smiled, thinking that his father and stepfather hadn't changed at all over the years and were still just as adorable.

“Then I’ll just keep filming like this,” he said.

"Mm." Mu Shaowu nodded.

Ye Qingxi then started filming again.

After filming wrapped up for the day, Ye Qingxi finished work and went home with Mu Shaowu and Feng Que.

Mu Shaowu and Feng Que felt sorry for the child. Seeing that he was filming and still wanted to go home, they couldn't help but advise him, "I think you should stay in your house at No. 1 Middle School. Otherwise, you'll come back at night and have to leave again in the morning. It's so tiring."

Ye Qingxi shook her head, "It's nothing."

“You’re just here to sleep, so what difference does it make where you sleep?” Feng Que said.

Ye Qingxi looked at him, "Of course it's different, Daddy. Don't flatter yourself. I didn't come back to sleep with you. I went to find my great-grandfather and slept with him."

Feng Que chuckled, "Your great-grandfather has already gone to bed by now."

“So I’ll be able to see him when I wake up tomorrow morning,” Ye Qingxi said. “If you don’t want to see me, there are plenty of other people who do.”

Phoenix Palace: ...

Feng Que simply couldn't do anything about his son.

Seeing this, Mu Shaowu stopped trying to persuade him and only said, "Then take care of yourself. If you really can't, Dad can come stay with you."

Ye Qingxi laughed, "I've only ever heard of someone accompanying someone to study, this is the first time I've heard of someone accompanying a tutor."

"Who told you to be your dad's little darling?" Mu Shaowu ruffled his hair.

Feng Que also said, "That's right, I can stay at your place, there's room for me anyway."

Ye Qingxi refused, "Let's forget it."

The house near No. 1 Middle School was too small for an average family, but for his father and stepfather, who had grown up running around the yard, it must have been too cramped.

Ye Qingxi got out of the car and said goodbye to her father and father-in-law, "Then I'm going to find my great-grandfather."

“Go ahead,” Feng Que said. “But I want to clarify one thing: it’s not that I don’t want to see you; I wish I could see you every day.”

“That’s perfect. You can take me to school tomorrow morning, and we can see each other then~” Ye Qingxi smiled at him.

"Okay." Feng Que pinched his cheek.

Ye Qingxi waved to them before heading to Old Master Feng's villa.

To his surprise, Grandpa Feng was not asleep and was still painting.

Ye Qingxi checked the time and reminded him, "Great-Grandpa, you should go to sleep."

"You're back," Grandpa Feng said with a smile. "You've come back just in time. Let's see how your great-grandfather's painting turned out."

Ye Qingxi took a closer look and, to her surprise, her great-grandfather's traditional Chinese painting was actually quite good.

Ye Qingxi nodded, "That's good."

"Really? Then I'll give you this painting from your great-grandfather. You can frame it and hang it in your bedroom next to your grandfather's calligraphy."

Ye Qingxi: ...

Ye Qingxi was both amused and exasperated.

He wondered why the old man was painting so late at night instead of sleeping, and it turned out he was competing with his grandfather.

He looked at the lush ancient trees in the painting, the falling green leaves, and the child who was sleeping soundly against the tree.

Could this be me? Ye Qingxi wondered.

But he's so old now, he's no longer a child.

But in the eyes of elders, no matter how old a child grows, even if they are already adults, they are still children.

She is the child who needs care and love.

"Okay," Ye Qingxi agreed, "I'll frame it later."

Grandpa Feng was satisfied.

Now, when others enter his grandson's room, they can see not only Mu Feng's calligraphy but also his paintings.

Grandpa Feng carefully put the painting away. "Let me frame it for you."

The framing will be even more expensive and eye-catching than Mu Feng's, hmph.

Ye Qingxi was afraid of this, so she quickly said, "Let me do it. I had my grandfather's framed by myself, so yours should be too."

What he said made sense to Grandpa Feng.

He handed the painting to him and said, "Then frame it and tell your great-grandfather."

"Mm." Ye Qingxi nodded.

He took the painting and left the study with Old Master Feng, heading towards Old Master Feng's bedroom.

"How's your movie coming along?" Grandpa Feng asked with concern.

"It's great. My dad and my daddy went to see it today, and they both said it was pretty good."

"That's for sure. You're your daddy's child. Like father, like son. He's good at this, so naturally you are too."

Ye Qingxi nodded silently, without mentioning that his father was not related to him by blood at all.

After escorting Grandpa Feng back to his bedroom, Ye Qingxi returned to her own bedroom in Grandpa Feng's villa.

He carefully put the painting away and then took a shower.

After taking a shower, Ye Qingxi sent Qin Cheng a message: [Are you coming back soon?]

After sending the message, Ye Qingxi casually forwarded it to Pei Liang.

Qin Cheng replied quickly: 【Mm.】

Pei Liang's response was a little slower: "[They're back.]"

Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?

Ye Qingxi exclaimed in surprise: "Why didn't you tell me, or mention it in the group chat, or even ask us to pick you up at the airport?"

Pei Liang: ...

Pei Liang replied two minutes later: [You landed too late, and weren't you filming a movie?]

Ye Qingxi: [But Zhong Yan is alright, did you tell him?]

Pei Liang: ...

Pei Liang: [It's too late, I don't want him to go through all that trouble.]

Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?

Ye Qingxi felt that this was not a valid reason.

He could have simply told them his arrival time openly and then said it was too late to pick them up, and they might not have gone then.

Instead of doing it like this, sneaking around like this, arriving home without telling them.

If he hadn't asked, he wouldn't have known he was back.

Something's not right.

Ye Qingxi keenly sensed that something was amiss with his friend Wang.