She handed one of the cups of tea to Yuan You, saying, "Brother Yuan You, please have some tea."
When Ji Qingqing called his name, Yuan You raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at Ji Qingqing with a bit of flattery.
She could actually call out his name; if I remember correctly, this was their first time meeting.
"Thank you." Yuan You awkwardly reached out and took the teacup, glancing respectfully at Gu Jueye beside him. The boss hadn't even had a sip of tea yet, so how could he dare to drink it without permission?
Ji Qingqing hurriedly handed another cup of tea in her hand to Gu Jueye.
"My lord, have some tea."
Gu Jueye shifted his gaze from the documents, giving Ji Qingqing a calm and unwavering look: "Put it down."
Ji Qingqing's outstretched hands froze, bewildered by Gu Jueye's indifferent response.
Ji Miao saw this and felt sorry for his daughter, but he also thought it would be good to take this opportunity to make her give up.
"Miss Ji, let me do it."
Yuan You put down his teacup, stood up, politely took the teacup from Ji Qingqing, and then turned around and handed it to Gu Jueye.
"Boss, have some tea."
Gu Jueye responded, stretched out his well-defined hand, grasped the handle of the teacup, and slowly took a sip.
Ji Qingqing's beautiful face showed embarrassment.
Could it be that I'm not even as good as an assistant at attracting his attention?
*
After the audition
Bai Xiruo was initially 100% confident, but after waiting all afternoon, Director Kong Shen still hadn't given her any news.
Seeing Bai Xiruo anxiously walking back and forth in front of him, Zhou Hongwei advised, "Don't worry, with your mother here, you'll definitely get the role."
Bai Xiruo frowned, a hint of hatred flashing in her eyes: "I'm afraid she's not genuinely trying to help me."
As soon as she finished speaking, Bai Xiruo became more and more agitated and took out her phone to dial Han Songyan's number.
At this moment, Han Songyan is having dinner at a hotel with director Kong Shen, the producer, and the investors.
Upon seeing Bai Xiruo's call, Han Songyan's expression changed, and she already guessed what had happened.
After giving Kong Shen a brief explanation, Han Songyan left the private room, found the stairwell, and then pressed the answer button.
"Mom, you've finally answered my call." Bai Xiruo's words were laced with sarcasm.
Han Songyan said coldly, "After today's audition, Director Kong had a good impression of you, but he hasn't finalized the casting yet. You'll have to wait a little longer."
"You want me to wait? How long do I have to wait? Of all the actresses who came for the audition today, I'm the only one who knows the piano best. You should tell Director Kong Shen about my strengths."
Han Songyan rubbed her throbbing temples: "Director Kong Shen values this script very much. Even though I invested in this drama, there are three other investors. It's impossible for everyone to listen to me alone. If you think you've performed well enough, be confident. I'll let you know when the results are in. That's all."
Impatiently hanging up the phone, Han Songyan leaned weakly against the wall, one hand on her forehead, her eyes slightly lowered, looking utterly exhausted.
After resting for a while and adjusting her mood, Han Songyan returned to the private room.
At that moment, the producer happened to be bringing up the situation of the auditioning actors.
One of the investors said, "I think No. 18 is good. The girl has a very artistic vibe. I heard she has been drawing since elementary school. Her appearance is very similar to the original female lead. Moreover, I always feel that she looks somewhat similar to our Korean actress."
Kong Shen took a sip of beer and shook his head decisively: "Number 18 is no good. Her eyes are lifeless, her acting skills are lacking, and her piano playing is not very professional."
One investor advised, "Old Shen, I'm not trying to criticize you, but you're being too picky about casting this role. We're making a movie, not casting a pianist. As long as the appearance is similar, that's fine. As for the piano playing parts later on, we can find a professional voice actor."
“That’s right, I think Lao Xi is right. We’ve been delayed for a while because of this role, and we need to finalize it as soon as possible.”
Kong Shen remained silent, clearly disagreeing with the investors' intentions.
In fact, those in the industry know that investors will try to bring in people. Although Kong Shen is a big director in the film industry, he can't resist the power of capital. However, he has one principle: he must decide on the casting of the male and female leads. Otherwise, he would rather not make the film.
Seeing that the time was right, Han Songyan asked, "Director Kong, what did you think of Xi Ruo's performance today?"
Mentioning Bai Xiruo, Kong Shen's expression softened slightly: "Bai Xiruo plays the piano very professionally. No wonder you trained her. I also admit that Bai Xiruo is the most eye-catching among the female artists auditioning today, but I always feel that something is missing."
The producer sighed, "Old Shen, I think this is just your professional habit kicking in. Since Bai Xiruo meets all your requirements, and our Best Actress Han is personally guiding you, what else do you feel is missing?"
Let me think about it some more.
Kong Shen's ambiguous answer actually made Han Songyan feel a sense of relief.
From a professional perspective, Bai Xiruo is not suitable for this role; what she lacks is the sincerity and charisma that shines through when playing the piano.
Actually, she discovered this problem a long time ago.
When Bai Xiruo was 3 years old, in order to make her daughter love the piano as much as she did, she began to personally tutor her. However, she gradually discovered that Bai Xiruo did not seem to be very interested in the piano.
As Bai Xiruo grew up, she learned that her mother was an internationally renowned pianist. In order to be as excellent as her mother, she began to study seriously. Although Bai Xiruo was very smart, she did not have the talent in this area.
Han Songyan was also disappointed at the time, as her daughter did not inherit her genes in terms of talent.
Now Han Songyan finally understands that it's not that Bai Xiruo lacks talent, but that she is not her daughter at all.
Although Kong Shen is not a piano major, he is a person who is very passionate about the piano. Therefore, he is a very qualified listener. When Bai Xiru played that piece today, it seemed that there were no problems in the whole process. In fact, anyone who knows a little about piano could see that what Bai Xiru lacked most was attitude.
Because she didn't truly love the piano, her playing was like that of a meticulously crafted wooden puppet, lacking any soul.
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