Chapter 55 Audition
The word "goodbye" sounded light and airy, yet it made Lu Yan feel a sudden emptiness in his heart, as if he had a premonition that something was irrevocably being pulled away.
He instinctively wanted to chase after him, but his feet seemed to be nailed to the spot.
What can we say or do if we chase after them now?
After a long while, he raised his hand to cover his face, and a barely audible sigh escaped from his lips.
Ling Wei remained silent the entire way, and the system also hesitated to utter a sound.
"Unification".
"Here!" the system answered loudly with a start.
"Keep an eye on the news about Xiao Yue's drama crew for me," Ling Wei said, rubbing her hair. "I think I'll handle it myself."
Asking for favors is really not her style.
Lu Yan, we can be friends, but taking it a step further... seems unsuitable, so let's just forget about it.
The casting team for "The Legend of Xiao Yue" quietly sent out character breakdowns to various talent agencies, officially launching this selection process that has not yet attracted widespread attention.
In the original timeline, Xiang Wanxing went to audition for a small role after seeing the platform's announcement.
However, during the audition process, her lively performance caught the director's eye time and time again, and she was asked to audition for roles as the third female lead and even the first female lead.
Ultimately, the director overruled all objections and gave the lead role to this little-known actress.
Ling Wei analyzed that this director must have an extraordinary pursuit of the characters and the work, otherwise even if the production team is small, the leading lady with weight would never easily fall into the hands of a newcomer with no background.
According to the timeline provided by the system, which did not involve Ling Wei, at that time, Lu's parents had not yet suspected Su Yuqing's motives, while Su Yuqing seized several opportunities and accumulated some fame and status.
She then used the Lu family's influence to pressure the production team, causing the director to abandon the idea of publicly casting for the female lead.
At the same time, she also used the Lu family's influence to interfere with Xiang Wanxing's path to the selection, causing her to ultimately miss the casting call.
That's how Su Yuqing managed to get the role.
Now, Ling Wei's first priority is to ensure that Xiang Wanxing can successfully enter the director's field of vision.
She clicked on the detailed casting call and carefully browsed the production team list. She remembered that the director was also a graduate of the directing department in Beijing... Suddenly, her swiping finger paused, and her eyes lit up.
She saw a familiar name in the assistant director section of the directing team: Shu Yao. Wasn't this her close senior from the directing club in college?
When she brought Xiang Wanxing to the casting call, she still felt that everything was going incredibly smoothly.
"Weiwei!" A familiar voice came with surprise; it was Senior Shuyao.
"Senior!" Ling Wei greeted her with a smile.
Shu Yao enthusiastically grabbed her hand: "I've finished watching your 'Double Mirror'! It was so creatively filmed, you're a big star among our alumni now!"
"Senior, please stop teasing me," Ling Wei said modestly, waving her hand. "You're truly amazing to be able to participate in a project like 'The Legend of Xiao Yue.'"
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Shu Yao pulled Ling Wei aside and whispered, "Weiwei, I have some inside information for you. The director has actually given up on the public casting call for the female lead." Her eyes were full of implication. "This role... is basically decided internally."
Ling Wei had anticipated this, so she remained calm.
She smiled and said frankly, "Thank you for reminding us, senior. We understand."
She turned to Xiang Wanxing, who was standing quietly to the side, and gave her an encouraging look: "Go inside and wait."
Then, in a voice only the two of them could hear, he whispered, "Keep it up."
Xiang Wanxing nodded deeply and walked into the audition room with a determined look in her eyes. Shu Yao patted Ling Wei on the shoulder and followed her in.
Ling Wei waited quietly outside. The system anxiously chattered in her mind: "Will this work? What if…?"
Ling Wei gazed at the tree shadows swaying in the wind outside the window, her tone calm yet resolute: "I've done everything I could. Now, I believe in Wanxing."
She recalled that the preparations they had made these past few days went far beyond simply figuring out the characters. She believed that the person who had persuaded the director to go against all odds possessed the talent to shake up the established rules.
As long as Xiang Wanxing gets the opportunity to showcase herself and be seen by the director, she will have taken the most crucial step towards success.
Just as she was pondering this, the audition room door was pushed open, and Xiang Wanxing came running out, panting, her face showing an incredulous excitement:
"Sis! The director...the director says he wants to see you!"
Ling Wei was taken aback by what she heard; this was an unexpected turn of events.
Ling Wei followed Xiang Wanxing into the room and met director Chen Jing.
The other person was about thirty-two or thirty-three years old, wearing a simple dark work jacket, with his hair neatly tied back. His clean face was without makeup, but his eyes were sharp as an eagle, exuding unquestionable professionalism and authority.
The moment their eyes met, Ling Wei suddenly understood why Qi Mo had immediately concluded that "she is very capable" upon first meeting Xiang Wanxing. It was a keen intuition among kindred spirits regarding talent and potential.
Director Chen Jing didn't exchange many pleasantries. Her gaze fell directly on Ling Wei, and she got straight to the point: "I know you. You're the one who's recently emerged as a rising star in the short drama field."
Her tone was flat, revealing little emotion, before she turned her gaze to Xiang Wanxing beside her. "Your actress is very bold. She came right up and immediately asked to audition for the lead role."
“I told her clearly that the female lead had already been cast. But she didn’t give up. Instead, she clearly explained her understanding of the character Xiao Yue. It wasn’t based on the definitive conclusions in historical records, but rather on the limited script clips we released, which she used to analyze Xiao Yue’s inner struggles, ambitions, and forbearance at this moment.”
A hint of admiration flashed in Chen Jing's eyes.
Her gaze returned to Ling Wei, scrutinizing her. "Then I asked her which company she was from. That's when she called you over."
She raised an eyebrow slightly. "Director Ling, what's this? Are you starting to mentor actors now? Are you planning to set up your own studio?"
Ling Wei immediately put on a professional smile and laughed it off: "Senior, you flatter me too much. You know, I'm still just a worker at the station, and I have no choice in what I do. I just think this child is really talented and I don't want her to be buried, so I brought her here to broaden her horizons."
“I really liked her performance.” Chen Jing interrupted her polite remarks and gave her core assessment directly: “She is very talented, and in some ways, she is indeed the Xiao Yue in my mind.”
A flash of joy appeared in Ling Wei's eyes.
"However," Chen Jing changed the subject, throwing cold water on her enthusiasm, "this leading lady is someone brought in by the investors. You should know that, right?"
Ling Wei nodded.
Chen Jing narrowed her eyes, keenly noticing her reaction: "You don't seem surprised at all."
She hesitated for a moment, then suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question: "You and... Susie?"
Ling Wei sighed inwardly; as expected, this point would still be noticed.
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