Xie Yuyao and Ye Xingchang walked out of the study. Ye's mother, who was setting out the bowls and chopsticks, saw them and said warmly, "Yaoyao, sit down and eat."
"Thank you, Auntie," Xie Yuyao said with a smile, a blush of embarrassment appearing on her face.
She was eager to find Ye Xingchang as soon as she arrived in Beijing. Even though she knew that her sudden visit in the evening would be a disturbance, she still came.
Now that the host has served the food, it would be extremely impolite to suggest leaving.
Following the Ye family's tradition of not speaking while eating, after introducing the dishes and inviting her to try them, Ye's mother didn't say anything more, which made Xie Yuyao secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
At the same time, in a private room at the Kyoto Hotel restaurant, Director Zhu was having dinner with his friend Lu Wenxuan.
After a few rounds of drinks, Lu Wenxuan leaned back in his chair and asked Director Zhu about his recent situation: "How's the preparation for your new movie going?"
Director Zhu sighed, "Everything is ready, except for the female lead, who hasn't been decided yet."
"I do have someone in mind." Lu Wenxuan raised his glass and took a small sip, then said cautiously, "Do you know the fourth young lady of the Ye family?"
Director Zhu squinted and asked, "Is she General Ye's granddaughter?"
“That’s right, she’s a member of the military’s cultural troupe. She really likes your male lead actor, Jiang Ziming, and wants to act opposite him.” Lu Wenxuan finished speaking and added, “Of course, if you feel she’s not suitable after the audition, just pretend I didn’t say anything.”
Director Zhu said impatiently, "You know my way of doing things."
"Just one meeting, and it's up to you whether it works out or not," Lu Wenxuan pleaded.
Those in the industry know that Director Zhu is tough and decisive in his actions. He always chooses only suitable candidates and does not care about factors other than the actor's family background.
Lu Wenxuan had no other choice but to recommend him to Director Zhu. If Director Zhu had rejected him because he felt it was inappropriate, no one would have had anything to say.
Director Zhu knew that he worked in the cultural department, which was different from his own job, so he reluctantly nodded.
“That’s perfect. She’s eating at this restaurant. I’ll go call her over.” Lu Wenxuan happily got up and left the private room.
Before long, a slender, beautiful, and graceful young woman followed Lu Wenxuan into the private room.
"Director Zhu, hello. I am Ye Yinan. I have long admired your name."
Director Zhu carefully examined Ye Yinan. Her eyebrows were delicate, her lips were smiling, and she was full of vitality. She was clearly a girl who had been well protected and knew nothing of the hardships of life.
"Hello, I'm Zhu Zhiming. I'd like to know first whether you only want to play the female lead, or if you're open to other roles as well." Director Zhu said seriously, quickly getting into work mode.
"I'd like to hear your advice first," Ye Yinan said, her humility tinged with pride.
She didn't lose her mind because of "idol worship". Although she doesn't necessarily want to play the female lead, she wouldn't care if it was just an unlikable minor character or a passerby.
"Then please perform a scene where you are bullied by your in-laws, but have to endure it for some reason."
"yes."
Ye Yinan stirred her emotions, imagining herself trapped in a predicament, unable to escape. She clenched her fingers, lowered her head slightly, and adopted a humble posture, but her face revealed a stubborn and unyielding expression.
It must be said that her acting skills are solid, and she has excellent talent. However, for someone with her image and temperament to play the leading role, she needs a lot of meticulous work, and even then, it may not be possible to completely hide the traces of acting.
Director Zhu told Ye Yinan about the female lead's life experience, "To be honest, you have good talent, but after the female lead suffers a great change, she has to live in a deep mansion, bound and persecuted by feudal ideology. The sparks of this collision cannot be presented by acting alone. If you were to play the female lead, it would be very difficult."
"I will try my best," Ye Yinan said, her eyes revealing the confidence and determination of a daughter of a military family.
A hint of appreciation flashed in Director Zhu's eyes as he said, "I'll think about it some more and let you know the result as soon as possible."
"We look forward to hearing from you." Ye Yinan and Lu Wenxuan exchanged a glance and smiled sweetly.
It was getting late, so Director Zhu decided to end the banquet and saw Lu Wenxuan and Ye Yinan out of the restaurant.
Just as I stepped out the door, I saw Xie Yuyao hand a large black bag to a handsome man.
The man was wearing a military uniform with four pockets, clearly a mid-level officer. Was this the person she had come to Beijing to find?
"Third Brother!" Ye Yinan walked over with a bright smile. "What a coincidence, you're here too. And who is this?"
Ye Yinan looked at Xie Yuyao, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Xie Yuyao." After Ye Yinan finished speaking, she introduced Xie Yuyao, "This is my younger sister, Ye Yinan. She is the same age as you, but she is still like a child."
"Brother!" Ye Yinan scolded in dissatisfaction, then looked at Xie Yuyao and smiled warmly, "Don't listen to my nonsense, let's play together sometime."
Xie Yuyao looked at the girl who looked exactly like Ye's mother and nodded with a smile.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ye Yinan waved to Director Zhu and Lu Wenxuan, opened the car door, and drove away.
Following her gaze, Xie Yuyao saw Director Zhu and Lu Wenxuan standing under the eaves.
At this moment, when Lu Wenxuan saw Xie Yuyao, he was suddenly moved. Having just listened to Director Zhu talk about the life path of the female lead in the movie, he felt as if he saw the person in the story. The conflicting feeling made him, who worked with words, not know what words to use to accurately describe it.
Although she was smiling, the smile in her eyes didn't reach the bottom, and sadness wasn't obvious either. It seemed as if a flame of hope was burning in her heart, illuminating the dark path.
Those clear, bright eyes looked over, nodded in this direction, and then turned and walked along the street.
Looking at the somewhat lonely figure, Lu Wenxuan murmured, "Do you know that girl? Don't you think she looks a lot like the female lead in your new movie?"
"My purpose in going to Harbin on this business trip was to get her to make a movie, but unfortunately, she wasn't interested in that, so let's not talk about it." Director Zhu sighed again.
Lu Wenxuan sighed, "Now I finally understand why you couldn't settle on a female lead. 'Having seen the ocean, other waters seem insignificant; having beheld the clouds of Wushan, other clouds seem pale in comparison!'"
As Xie Yuyao walked along the dimly lit street, looking at the myriad lights on both sides, she felt extremely lonely as a stranger in a strange land, and the sense of drifting in her heart just wouldn't go away.
Once upon a time, someone forcefully entered her life, crossed the gap of time to stand beside her, and made a promise to be with her for life.
Now, however, no one knows where that person is or what kind of pain and torment they are suffering.
Despite possessing a cheat code, aside from handing over her tens of thousands of savings to Ye Xingchang so he could organize more people for the search and rescue, she is currently unable to play any other role.
God knows how much she wanted to fly to Zhao Honghui's side and be with him through the most difficult time.
Love arises without warning, and deepens with time. Recalling their moments together, she couldn't understand when she had fallen for him.
Perhaps, that first glance was breathtaking, and from then on, youthful beauty disrupted the fleeting nature of life.
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