Early in the morning, Wu Jiawan rolled up her shirt to shield herself from the drizzling rain and ran to the crew. The group message said that extras would be selected at 4:30 this morning, and everyone was vying for this opportunity.
Some do it for a meal ticket, those from better-off families do it for a chance to become famous, and those with real ability and background simply disdain this kind of luck-based approach.
Wu Jiawan lives in the suburbs, a full ten kilometers away from the crew. The rent is cheap and the cost of eating in nearby restaurants is naturally not high either.
My family often advises me on these days of getting up early and coming home late: "Son, there's no end to this life. You never know when your income will stop. What will you do when you're old?"
The cool air blew on his face. Wu Jiawan had thick arms and a strong body. His height of over 1.8 meters made him eye-catching in the crowd.
"Here we go, hurry up."
The aunt who was distributing breakfast at the door saw Wu Jiawan and enthusiastically pushed him into the house.
The casting location was an old house that had been built for filming. Wu Jiawan wiped the rain off his face and unexpectedly saw the middle-aged uncle in the courtyard walking back and forth in the rain in a pair of stained sneakers. He hadn't shaved his beard and looked sloppy.
Wu Jiawan sighed inwardly, "We live under the same roof. If I didn't have a bit of tact, I'd really treat this assistant director like a lunch vendor."
"Hey, you're really pissing me off." Seeing Wu Jiawan stomping her feet in anger, team leader Sister Liu gritted her teeth and pointed at Wu Jiawan and said, "Look, what time is it now? I wonder how many people are waiting to eat this meal."
Sister Liu tapped her watch, and with a look of dismay, she continued to scold, "When I needed you, I couldn't find you anywhere."
When Wu Jiawan heard this, an idea flashed through his mind. It seemed that there would be a chance for today's casting.
Restraining his excitement, Wu Jiawan looked at the crowd of people standing in front of him, each of them wearing costumes. He shamelessly asked one of them, "Brother, did the production manager just tell you? Are you still shortlisted?"
"It's too late. We don't need anyone on this trip."
The man who replied, though not as handsome as Wu Jiawan and a full head shorter, wore a smug expression on his costume. On a film set, efficiency is paramount; I've never heard of anyone delaying work for a minor actor.
Wu Jiawan was in a dilemma when suddenly a man came out from the side and pulled Wu Jiawan aside without saying a word.
"Who are you?"
Wu Jiawan looked up and saw that the man was wearing half of an ancient costume.
The man said hurriedly, "I see you're looking for work, and I just happened to have something urgent to do. I'll give you this costume. I won't ask for much. Fifty dollars, just so I can make it count."
Wu Jiawan had thought it was a piece of cake, but when he heard the fifty yuan, he felt uncomfortable. Seeing Wu Jiawan's hesitation, the man said nothing more and waved his hand to the unemployed people in the distance.
"Okay, fifty bucks."
Wu Jiawan readily paid fifty yuan to the man, put on the costume he had taken off, and stood in the line.
This fifty yuan was really unpleasant. The reward for a morning's appearance was two hundred yuan, and he could still earn one hundred and fifty yuan. Thinking of this, Wu Jiawan felt relieved. It was better than having no work to do for the whole morning.
But when he looked up, he happened to meet Sister Liu's eyes. They were not far away from each other, and Sister Liu did not show any strange expression, so she naturally ignored this little inside story.
This play was unusual, attracting a large audience and featuring two renowned directors. All Wu Jiawan and her supporting cast needed to do was to arrange their positions according to the camera angles before the main actors arrived, familiarizing themselves with the roles they were to play.
Wu Jiawan wore an elegant long gown woven with white brocade, playing the role of a passing young man. If it were a scene where other people did not show their faces, they would just be passing through.
Wu Jiawan is different. Just like when she was in school, the teacher would always see self-righteous students doing tricks while standing on the podium. Even if it didn't work once, if she persisted in the long run, someone would notice her one day.
At the very least, considering his spirit, Sister Liu would give him an extra bowl of rice.
The bearded uncle was previously an assistant director. In fact, he had just graduated a few years ago. It was said that he had some connections with investors and was given the title of assistant director.
Sister Liu followed Director Mao on his inspection tour. Although this group of extras were carefully selected and came from all corners of the world, each of them had some characteristics. Some walked with a sturdy manner, some had different-sized eyes when they spoke, and some had crooked mouths when they smiled. In Sister Liu's opinion, these were not big problems at all.
"You don't know this, but all the best extras in the city are here, and many of them are from prestigious schools."
Director Mao glanced sullenly at the extras on the street. He found Sister Liu's words amusing and said casually, "Find me someone I can see. Which prestigious university did they graduate from?"
Sister Liu looked a little embarrassed, but then she came up with an idea and pulled Director Mao in one direction.
As he was speaking, Director Mao caught a glimpse of a young man with a look of high spirits and vigor, and he couldn't help but move towards that person.
Sister Liu was secretly delighted because the person in front of her was Wu Jiawan.
When Wu Jiawan saw Director Liu coming, he thought this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so he subconsciously slowed down his pace and stood straighter.
"Is this the graduate from a prestigious university?" Director Mao was about to praise the young man when he vaguely saw what looked like sweatpants under his white coat.
"Step your legs out."
Wu Jiawan smiled innocently, but he couldn't take a single step. He replied without thinking, "Huh? What's wrong?"
What's wrong with this kid today? Director Mao pretended not to hear what he was saying. Sister Liu was anxious and secretly pinched Wu Jiawan.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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