Chapter 14
"Are you free this afternoon? Would you like to go see a musical together? A friend gave me two tickets."
I had just gotten my phone back after the interview when a message popped up.
It was sent by Shi Ru.
These days, Shi Ru has been in frequent contact with her and often accompanies her to her horse riding lessons.
Zhu Yu readily accepted this, but felt a little embarrassed, so he always treated the person to a meal.
With such a large meal of meat and fish every week, she felt her waist and abdomen becoming increasingly full.
After thinking about it, she realized that the preliminary selection here was divided into three rounds. She had only participated in the first round so far, and there were two more rounds this afternoon and tomorrow morning.
However, judging from the attitude of the casting judges just now, Zhu Yu knew perfectly well that she probably wouldn't be selected.
This is a suspenseful, slightly horror-themed episodic detective story, so there isn't much need for female characters.
During the interview, Zhu Yu observed carefully and noticed that the judges' attention was not focused on the contestants' performances at all.
His lewd gaze lingered on the woman's beautiful curves like a snake's forked tongue. During Zhu Yu's performance, he was also blatantly implying that they could "talk about it in detail" later.
Rather than a casting call, it's more like a concubine selection game for people whose minds are driven by their sperm.
Perhaps these people are just indulging in their voyeuristic and verbal fascination, but in the end, the choice will still be based on actual results.
Young people who have dreams and work hard for them should not become toys for these "successful people" to amuse themselves.
Zhu Yu was furious, but there was nothing she could do.
I decided to skip the afternoon interview. In a film crew like this, one is bound to suffer a lot of workplace bullying and sexual harassment.
Rather than trying to find a way to success in a circle full of scoundrels, it's better to cultivate a good relationship with the undisputed big shot, Shi Ru.
He's already capable of independently investing in film productions, which shows he has considerable influence; even a little bit of it is enough for him.
"You're free, what musical are you interested in?"
-
Seeing that she replied to his message quickly, Shi Ru asked and learned that she didn't have any classes, so he simply drove over to pick her up and go to lunch together.
"Here, less ice and three-tenths sugar." As soon as she opened the passenger door and sat down, before she even fastened her seatbelt, Shi Ru picked up a paper bag and handed it to her.
Upon opening it, I found two cups of milk tea.
"A cup of lychee milk and a cup of matcha milk pudding, both are new. I didn't know which one you liked, so I bought them both."
Shi Ru herself doesn't usually drink milk tea. Although she's not in the entertainment industry, she doesn't have high requirements for her figure.
However, Shi Ru has high standards for himself, and he will not touch "junk food" such as milk tea, which is high in calories and sugar.
Normally, he only drinks water, and occasionally he drinks some coffee or tea.
"I can't finish two glasses, and if I drink this much, I won't need to eat lunch."
Both cups are made of a semi-transparent material; one is a delicate pink, while the other is a light green.
Both cups were covered with a thick layer of milk foam.
For reasons unknown, Shi Ru ordered a large cup.
After taking a beautiful photo of them together, Zhu Yu inserted the straw and handed the pink lychee milk to Shi Ru.
"Here, I can't finish it all by myself."
She's been controlling her sugar intake lately and doesn't really want anything too sweet. The matcha flavor is a bit bitter, and although it might not be lower in sugar than lychee milk, Zhu Yu can still fool herself!
Shi Ru glanced at the milk tea that was handed to him, but didn't say he wouldn't drink it. He just took it, held it to his lips, and then put it in the cup holder.
"Fasten your seatbelts, let's go."
He touched the steering wheel, seemingly realizing something was wrong, and then put his hand back on it. After watching Zhu Yu fasten her seatbelt, he stepped on the gas and sped off.
This time we booked a new-style restaurant, which is said to have quite innovative dishes.
Most importantly, they only serve ten tables of customers a day and do not accept orders.
When they arrived, there were still two tables of customers who hadn't come yet; the food wasn't served until everyone was present.
"I don't know how the food is at this restaurant, but they certainly have a lot of fancy and elaborate dishes!"
Zhu Yu and Shi Ru sat side by side in the corner of the oval table. Beside Shi Ru stood a servant in a suit, who was explaining the ingenuity of the table setting and the theme of this issue's cuisine.
A building would pop up on the table one moment, and then several plates would rise up the next.
"Gentlemen, here are some hot, sanitizing towels for you to wash your hands."
The servants placed the plates that had been raised in front of the two women next to them.
"Thank you." Shi Ru listened to Zhu Yu's whispered complaints with his right ear, while his left ear gleaned useful information from the servant's rambling words.
"The head chef of this restaurant won a gold medal at the German Okonda Chef Competition and has a good reputation."
Shi Ru explained to Zhu Yu.
Zhu Yu had never been involved in the culinary world and didn't know much about competitions or head chefs; she mostly frequented hot pot restaurants.
In a typical small restaurant, the owner is the head chef, and the head chef is the owner's... Are there any competitions for Chinese cuisine?
I don't know, I don't understand.
She just wanted the food to be served quickly. The interview had really put her to the test, and if it weren't for the milk tea, she would have been exhausted.
"Everyone's here, the food will be served right away."
It wasn't until all the tableware had been served that the other two tables of guests, who arrived late, finally came in and took their seats.
By this time, the servants behind the others had all left, leaving only the servants behind them who bowed slightly to explain to them.
Shi Ru noticed that Zhu Yu seemed a little restless. From the previous few meals he had with her, he could tell that this girl had a distinctly Chinese palate. Every time they had a meal together, it was either hot pot or a Chinese restaurant. She had basically never touched Western food, French food, Thai food, Japanese food, or Indian food.
Fortunately, his reassurance was effective; Zhu Yu at least appeared less anxious.
The first course was served in turn by seven servants.
The reason it's served in sequence is not because the waiters serve each guest individually, but because they break down a dish into seven servings.
The first person placed a plate in front of Zhu Yu, on which was a white, semi-circular solid.
The second person holds a small pot shaped like Aladdin's lamp, and after a series of movements, slowly pours out a golden liquid onto the white solid.
The third person took out a small wooden stick and scraped it...
Although there were many people, everyone moved very quickly, with each person having only about three seconds of performance time on average.
The last person gently placed a basil leaf in the middle of the white solid.
"This is a special pre-meal snack that we prepared to help clear your palate and also to stimulate your appetite."
The waiters returned to the tables of guests.
He half-squatted down and explained the creative idea and ingredients of this dessert to Zhu Yu and Shi Ru.
As he spoke, corresponding ingredients popped up on the table.
Unnecessary table rituals have increased...
Zhu Yu closed her eyes in despair; she wanted to eat…
Compared to Zhu Yu's restlessness, Shi Ru appeared much more composed. He listened to the servant's detailed explanation, nodding occasionally and sometimes delving into a particular issue.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Noticing that Zhu Yu's eyes were somewhat unfocused, Shi Ru glanced at the open kitchen not far away, knowing that the next dish would be served soon.
"Wait... when will the main course be served?" Zhu Yu felt that her life was being wasted and her time was being squandered.
Most importantly, when she first entered the store, the staff politely but firmly refused to let her bring in her milk tea, which she had only taken a few sips of.
Who knows why a restaurant would have lockers for small items outside?!
She was so angry about her low blood sugar that she almost had a stroke.
The so-called appetizer was not bad, but the texture was really like air!
It was gone before I could even taste it... as if it had never happened, like an illusion.
Seeing that Zhu Yu really couldn't understand, Shi Ru couldn't help but feel a little regretful for bringing her to try this store.
At least in terms of portion size and speed of service, it certainly can't compare to small restaurants outside.
After finally finishing their meal, Zhu Yu eagerly took the milk tea that Shi Ru had retrieved from the locker, which she hadn't finished drinking yet.
"How much did this meal cost?"
"Not much. Let's go. You didn't seem full. What should we eat?"
Shi Ru casually tossed the receipt into the trash can, glanced at the sun outside, and nonchalantly switched places with Zhu Yu.
With his height, if he stands here, a step away from Zhu Yu, he can just help shield her from the sun.
Before long, the car was parked at the entrance by the store's employees.
"I know a place where the food is definitely better than here!"
Unfortunately, after checking the navigation, they found that the location Zhu Yu mentioned was completely opposite to the theater they were going to.
If you go there, you'll definitely miss the start of the musical.
“It’s okay, we can go after we finish watching the show,” Shi Ru comforted her. “It’s good to save room so we can eat more later.”
"Okay, shall we go to the theater now?"
"Okay. Let's go!"
This was Zhu Yu's first time seeing a live musical, and she was surprised to find that it was just as good as a stage play.
The female lead, in particular, has a clear, high-pitched voice and lively, expressive features.
Logically, lyrics with fixed singing styles should affect the actor's emotional expression to some extent, but their performances showed no such influence.
This musical tells the story of the robot Oliver and the human girl Jung Ni who meet and, after experiencing a series of hilarious and absurd events, each gain a new understanding of the meaning of life.
After watching it, Zhu Yu once again realized her shortcomings in acting, especially in physical movements and verbal expression.
There is a certain distance between the audience seats on the stage, unlike a concert or a TV shoot where there are cameras recording and zooming in on details.
Stage performances rely heavily on movement and dialogue, so not only should the movements be amplified appropriately, but the dialogue must also be clear.
Zhu Yu secretly tried it in her mind, but she couldn't do it.
"So, is there any actor you like? We can go backstage and take a photo together."
The friend who gave Shi Ru the ticket is actually the owner of this theater; getting backstage is just a matter of a word.
To be honest, Zhu Yu was tempted, but the gap between her and those already famous actors was too great. Even looking at the actors' introductions, one of them was a senior from the same department.
"No, with my current skill level, I'd just make myself a laughingstock."
"How could that be? You've been honing your acting skills lately, and you're trying to make friends with them so you can have someone to look after you in this area in the future."
Shi Ru bringing Zhu Yu to this concert may well have been a way of introducing her to connections.
That makes sense, Zhu Yu comforted herself. After all, she was still a student, and it was normal for her to have a gap with her seniors who had graduated several years ago.
"Oh well."
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