Oh, the male lead
"Director Qian, what do you think of this?"
Chen Xiaojing sent the revised script over, and the other party quickly replied: "The casting and director have been tentatively decided. I'll send you their WeChat contacts in a bit so you can chat with them."
"no problem."
Soon, two business cards were sent over, one for the male lead and one for the female lead. Chen Xiaojing sent friend requests to both and waited for their responses.
The two of them started communicating with her on WeChat around the same time.
"Hello screenwriter, my name is Yu Yan. It's a pleasure to work with you on 'We'll Never See Dawn Again'," the male actor introduced himself first. "We can communicate through this account if anything comes up."
Chen Xiaojing habitually clicked into his WeChat Moments to check. There was only one post in the three-day visibility range, which was a beautiful sunset he had taken in City B.
She logged out and replied: "Okay, I'll explain it to you in detail during the script reading. I'm confident you can help me fully portray the character I'm writing."
The other person replied with a system-provided emoji.
“Hello, actor/actress, I am the screenwriter of this work, ‘We’ll Never See Dawn Again.’ You can contact me through this account if you need anything.” She sent a brief self-introduction, and the other party only replied with “Okay.”
"Xiaojing." Zhang Renyin entered her study from outside. "What would you like to eat for dinner?"
“Ah Jin and Fu Huanian should be back tonight, we can go over for dinner.” She ignored the computer. “If you’re worried about troubling them too much, we can eat at a restaurant outside.”
"Hmm." Zhang Renyin patted her head. "Let's go eat at a restaurant outside. Manager Zhou treats you like family, but I... I haven't spent much time with her after all."
"It's alright, Ren Yin. A Jin and Huan Nian are both very good people. They will respect my choice. You haven't spent much time with A Jin, but she's heard about you from me for a long time," Chen Xiaojing comforted him. "Have you finished listening to the audio drama from a while ago? I can download some more for you."
"No need, I'll go back to my room and rest for a while. Just call me if you're hungry and want to eat."
"Okay."
Zhang Renyin groped her way back to the guest room and closed the door. The apartment was extremely quiet; Chen Xiaojing could even hear her own breathing.
She opened her alternate account on Weibo, which she had registered using a secondary credit card.
It's become increasingly difficult to find news about Yang Ning on social media apps on mobile phones. Even though netizens have been digging up old posts to reveal a clean, gentle, and patriotic young woman, such news only lasts for a few hours at most.
The producer who had previously expressed interest in collaborating with her on that short film was still messaging her privately, hoping to reinvest in the project and needing her to sign a new agreement.
“No need. When we signed the contract, I said that if anything happened to the actor, the contract would be terminated immediately and I would take back the copyright.” She made a slightly bold decision. “Let me be frank, unless Yang Ning comes back to life, this work will never have the opportunity to be adapted into a film or television series.”
She sat down again to think about the details of "No More Dawn," her fingers flying across the keyboard, and soon she had sketched out the life of a character.
"Is the screenwriter there? We've tentatively decided to hold a script reading session for 'We'll Never Wait for Dawn Again' at the Baolai Hotel conference room tomorrow morning at nine o'clock. Are you free to participate?" Director Qian sent her an invitation link. "Don't worry, it won't be long. If you're concerned, you can bring your family members along."
"Okay. I'll be there on time."
After accepting the invitation, Chen Xiaojing suddenly felt a sense of relief. She had taken the first step in a long journey, and "No More Dawn" would be her stepping stone into the entertainment industry.
"Ren Yin." She gently knocked on the guest room door. "I have a script reading tomorrow, so I probably won't be able to go to B University with you. I'll contact a professor from B University to pick you up."
“Okay, it’s alright, you can go about your business.” Zhang Renyin paused for a moment, but still chose to respect her idea. “Contact Teacher Chen Xin for me, she was my mentor before.”
"Okay."
The sound of Chen Xiaojing's footsteps outside gradually faded into the distance, and soon her voice could be heard communicating with someone on the other end of the phone.
Last night, he received a message from Zhou Chenjin: "You should have some idea of what Xiaojing is planning to do. The entertainment industry is unimaginably chaotic. She has always been empathetic. Her classmates and I have advised her to protect herself, but she has clearly made a decision. She wants to challenge the capitalist bureaucrats in the entertainment industry, and first she must have the confidence to protect herself. HW doesn't get involved in politics, so this is your responsibility."
The return of a top academic to the public eye marks his first step into the political arena.
"Okay, we've discussed it." Xiaojing was clearly in a good mood. "Let's go out for dinner."
She took his hand and walked out of the apartment building. The bustling street was already filled with the pleasant smell of cooking.
“There are too many people here. Let’s walk a bit further. The shops over there are a bit more expensive, but there are fewer people.” Chen Xiaojing led him slowly. Through the glass windows on the street, they could see men and women clinking glasses in the private rooms, and the sound of glasses clinking could be clearly heard.
After turning a few corners, Chen Xiaojing smelled the rich aroma of coffee: "I want to buy a cup of coffee."
"You won't be able to sleep at night like this. You haven't been sleeping well lately."
"Then I'll buy fruit coffee, it's less concentrated." Chen Xiaojing didn't wait for her boyfriend's reply before pulling him into a budget coffee shop on the street corner.
A slender figure stood in front of the counter, wearing a mask and wired headphones, dressed in clothes that clearly indicated they were of average price.
"What would you like to drink?"
Orange Latte.
After the shop assistant behind the counter finished filling out the order, she went off to get busy. Chen Xiaojing couldn't help but take a closer look at the man standing next to her.
The face looked somewhat familiar. Chen Xiaojing opened her phone and sent Yu Yan a message: "Are you buying coffee?"
The man looked around after seeing the message. Chen Xiaojing gently patted his shoulder and said, "What a coincidence, we meet here the day before the script reading."
"Teacher Shangshui Luoying." Yu Yan paused for a moment, then greeted her politely, glancing at Zhang Renyin beside her without asking any further questions.
Chen Xiaojing waved her hand: "No need to call me Shangshui Luoying, my surname is Chen." She joked without malice, "I thought big stars all drank high-end beverages."
"That kind is too expensive." He said this very softly, but Chen Xiaojing still heard him. "You've been a big star since your debut, why do you say that? Is your company skimping on your pay?"
"Teacher Chen, would you like me to treat you to that drink? We'll need your help with the rest of the group." Yu Yan didn't directly answer her question. "How about it?"
Chen Xiaojing shook her head and politely declined: "Keep it for yourself. Sigh, why didn't you read the contract carefully before you said that? Focus on acting well in this drama, the long-tail effect should be enough for you to terminate the contract."
After taking the fruit coffee from the clerk, Chen Xiaojing waved goodbye to Yu Yan: "See you tomorrow, male lead."
After leaving the store, Zhang Renyin followed beside her, a hint of jealousy in his voice: "Oh, the male lead."
"Jealous?" Chen Xiaojing chuckled, exposing him. "Nothing much, I just think he has a good personality, he's humble and polite, which is very rare in the entertainment industry."
“Our Professor Zhang is different from them.” She took a sip of her fruit coffee, tilted her head back, and kissed Zhang Renyin on the corner of his mouth. The latter obediently bent down slightly, the sweet and sour taste filling his mouth. “How is it?”
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