Fuck you
Ji Rongyu didn't sleep all night last night as he worked hard on the manuscript. Today, he was able to get through the interview all thanks to the chrysanthemum tea he drank cup after cup.
Since it is chrysanthemum tea, its refreshing effect can be ignored, and its effect of reducing internal heat... is currently declining.
"Thank you for your performance," Ji Rongyu took a deep breath, interrupting the man's empty and exaggerated recitation of lines, "You can rest for a while."
The man asked confidently, "What do you think of my performance?"
Ji Rongyu tapped the pen in his hand lightly on the meeting minutes filled with swear words, looked up and smiled politely: "Very exciting."
"I'm very happy to receive your affirmation. Actually, I also want to say that I think the character of Fu Qianyu is the most charming in the novel, so he is actually very difficult to play. I also found that the original author made many logical errors in the process of characterization. This is a person that even the author cannot control."
The man boasted gravely, "So, in order to accurately portray his complex emotions, I even wrote a character analysis of several thousand words. If you're interested, we can have an in-depth discussion..."
"Excuse me," the assistant director beside him said, looking at Ji Rongyu's gradually stiffening smile, and pushed the teacup in front of him again. "This is the original author of our "Trapped Color". The person on my left is the screenwriter, Ms. Zhou. We all think that there is no problem with the characterization of Fu Qianyu."
"Ah...ah...I'm sorry." The man forced out a dry apology. Ji Rongyu made a "please" gesture, and his decent smile was shaky.
The door of the reception room was closed again, and screenwriter Zhou Xiaoqing habitually asked, "What do you think of this person?" After asking, he met Ji Rongyu's eyes, which almost could not hide the knife-like light.
"...very bad." Zhou Xiaoqing answered his own question, then quickly opened the document and deleted the name of the sixteenth auditioner.
"It looks like there's little hope today, but it's okay," the assistant director said cheerfully, glancing at his memo. "Several interested actors have contacted me, but unfortunately their schedules clash and they can't audition until tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, so the ones ahead of us are all newcomers. With them, we'd better lower our expectations to have a chance of a surprise."
Zhou Xiaoqing remained noncommittal. She glanced at the rest of the long list and said, "Actually, I'd like to recommend two people. Although their appearance doesn't quite match their character design, they have good acting skills and haven't been very popular. Therefore, their pay is as low-key as their personalities. They offer great value for money in all aspects."
"Then why don't you just call him over?" asked the assistant director.
Zhou Xiaoqing said: "There is one who just got married this year and his wife is pregnant."
The assistant director nodded. Several BL dramas in the past two years have used married actors with children, which limited their marketing and promotion efforts, resulting in mediocre feedback. To maximize attention, casting two single actors would be best.
Ji Rongyu asked, "What about the other one?"
Zhou Xiaoqing said: "I just got divorced last month."
Ji Rongyu: “…Oh.”
He put down the teacup that he had emptied for who knows how many times, then picked up the bound draft of the script on the table, looked at the sharp ink marks on the cover, and forced himself to take another deep breath.
This is the play "Trapped in Color" adapted from his BL novel of the same name. It tells the story of a nobleman who becomes a poor painter because his family falls into poverty. He has to make a living by selling paintings, but is inexplicably assassinated and falls into a scroll to brush a copy.
The protagonist of the story is the down-and-out painter Bai Qingheng, while the protagonist Fu Qianyu is the one who protects him.
Writing novels was originally just a personal hobby of Ji Rongyu after work. He has only written three books in four years. However, as his writing skills improved, his novels were liked by more and more people, and he felt quite accomplished about this.
However, he himself did not expect that his third novel "Trapped in Color" would suddenly become a hit. All the data were unreasonably good, and soon someone came to him to ask to buy the film and television rights. The other party seemed very sincere and not only assured him that he would not add any changes, but also took the initiative to hire him as the screenwriter.
In the entertainment industry that is obsessed with pursuing capital, fame and fortune, such a sponsor would be called stupid. In addition, this copyright fee can solve some of Ji Rongyu's urgent needs, so he has no reason not to agree.
After signing the contract, Ji Rongyu considered it over and over again and officially resigned from the company.
He began to read a lot of books on screenwriting and consulted Zhou Xiaoqing, who was a professional and experienced screenwriter. From sorting out the outline of each episode of the TV series to completing the final version of the script, he almost lost six or seven pounds.
This unprecedented experience taught Ji Rongyu a lot and gave him a lot of new inspiration. He had planned to use the free time before the official shooting to prepare for his next story, but he didn't expect that the sponsor suddenly had a split personality and evolved from being simple-minded to being immoral without saying a word.
The original shooting schedule was brought forward, the remaining preparation period was cut by more than half, and a completely amateur male lead was parachuted in.
It is said that he is the biological son of a schizophrenic financial sponsor.
It is said that in order to promote him, everyone in the crew has to listen to him in everything, but in order to avoid being discovered and criticized for the forced promotion, they have to do a good job on the surface.
Being both a role and a role, the entertainment industry is indeed still the one where capital has a dominance!
Ji Rongyu was so angry that his eyes hurt, but the contract had already been signed and he couldn't offend the financial sponsor, so he had no choice but to fight for the casting rights from the producer and save his hard work to the best of his ability.
But judging by the current situation, his rescue does not seem to be very meaningful.
Since the intention was clearly to promote someone, they couldn't overshadow the main cast. Consequently, those with significant fame were unwilling to play supporting roles, while those with talent were unwilling to be stepping stones. Furthermore, the filming start time was suddenly brought forward, and many actors were no longer available, making casting much more difficult.
Although they cast a wide net through open auditions, the quality of the amateurs varies greatly, and the role of Fu Qianyu is difficult to play. Even among professional acting students, no one who can hold up to the standard has been found so far.
What’s even more terrifying is that no one dares to have any confidence in the son of the wealthy sponsor who parachuted in.
Talk to him about acting? Playing the down-and-out painter with a complicated life?
Then he should go bankrupt first.
"Sister Xiaoqing, please call them over first and try," Ji Rongyu rubbed his eyebrows, "If Brother Chen knows anyone, feel free to call them over as well."
There is no hope for the son of the sponsor, Ji Rongyu thought. He can only hope that the professional capabilities of other important supporting roles and the crew can make up for the shortcomings and prevent the final effect of this drama from being too ugly.
Assistant Director Chen Feng shook his head. "None of the people I'm familiar with meet the requirements. I can't think of anyone willing to film a BL drama right now, and most of them probably don't have the time."
"I also have to ask them if they are willing to come." Zhou Xiaoqing went out to call the two male actors, and after returning, the three of them continued working.
The filming was forced to be moved forward, and many actors had no schedules, so they had to make the audition information public on the entire Internet, and anyone could apply with a photo.
From passers-by to students in art schools, to internet celebrities with high traffic on major apps and some slightly experienced extras, everyone who is confident in their looks and photo-editing skills has come.
When Ji Rongyu took a look at the resumes, he was surprised to see that the flowers of the motherland were so bright and beautiful, and each of the young men had his or her own strengths and was growing well.
As a result, when I sat next to the camera and put on glasses to look at it again, wow, my three parts of the face and five eyes were really stretched.
It would be fine if there were one or two cases of fraud, but 80% of them are irrelevant, and the number is heading towards 90%.
One of Ji Rongyu's three biggest hobbies in his life is looking at faces, and compared with those overly perfect retouched photos, the physical 3D versions of some people are too unappetizing.
Did these people even read the role requirements? They're so skinny and dare to play the killer protagonist? Aren't they afraid of getting swung back at by a sword while they're acting?
Even a ton of chrysanthemum tea couldn't quench his rage. Ji Rongyu closed his notebook expressionlessly. "Sorry, I think your performance is still too advanced. It's hard for us to pass the review if we keep doing it this way. How about next time? When we film Calabash Brothers vs. Hello Kitty, can you be the finale?"
"Oh...see you next time then?" The magical realist internet celebrity who had been deeply processed under the scalpel walked out the door, still wondering whether what Ji Rongyu said was true.
That’s Hello Kitty... He really wants to play it!
Ji Rongyu held the empty teacup and endured for a while, but finally couldn't bear it anymore, grabbed the script and slapped himself on the forehead.
Zhou Xiaoqing gave him a comforting look and said calmly, "It's okay, it's okay. You'll get used to it. Just lower your expectations a little at the next public audition."
There won't be a next time, Ji Rongyu thought. He would quit after this time. If the film and television copyrights of his novels could be sold in the future, whoever wants it can take it. He would accept any filming style.
When my son grows up, he should go out and explore on his own. As a father, of course the right thing to do is to let him fly.
"Let's take a break," Chen Feng also stood up and stretched, "at least give your eyes a break."
Zhou Xiaoqing reached out to turn off the video camera on the sofa. Ji Rongyu said "hmm" and pushed the door open to go out.
The villa they were staying in was provided by their sponsor. During the preparation period of the crew, except for the director, the core members of the team including screenwriters and photographers all lived here. Today, they even used the living room for the audition.
but……
The fresh meat in line were waiting in front. Ji Rongyu went out from the back door. He carefully observed this private villa which obviously showed a lot of signs of life. Finally, he couldn't help but send a message to Zhou Xiaoqing.
Ji Rongyu: Sister Xiaoqing, don’t film crews usually book rooms in hotels? Why are we staying in someone else’s villa?
Zhou Xiaoqing was browsing Weibo and replied to messages very quickly.
Sister Xiaoqing: According to the hearsay, it is the only reason that makes sense to me.
Sister Xiaoqing: It’s to save money.
Ji Rongyu: ...
Is this sponsor really mentally ill?
The main creative team of "Trapped in Color" are all well-known and powerful in the industry. Screenwriter Zhou Xiaoqing and director Gao Jian have collaborated on several award-winning TV series. The camera, lighting and recording team are also Gao Jian's usual team. The degree of restoration of various science fiction props is so high that even the original author Ji Rongyu almost couldn't control himself after seeing it, and wanted to move a few home and put them in a glass cabinet for collection.
Add to that the actors' salaries and other expenses, and compared with this huge amount of money, the money for the hotel is really not worth mentioning.
This isn't the way to save money, right?!
The brain circuit of this sponsor is really weird. To put it nicely, it is mysterious and unpredictable. To put it bluntly, it is a split personality. Even a typist like Ji Rongyu, who is used to guessing people's personalities and psychology, can't figure out what the other party is thinking.
Forget it, if he can't figure it out, then forget about it. Anyway, he will just work and get paid. After the audition is over, he will pack his luggage and go home to make soup for his grandfather.
Ji Rongyu yawned as he went downstairs and walked out the back door into the small garden.
Shangchuan City was beautiful and freezing in December, with the north wind blowing wildly. He came out of the well-heated house and was immediately sobered up by the biting cold air.
Ji Rongyu took off his gold-rimmed glasses and was just about to look into the distance and do some eye exercises when he saw an expensive commercial vehicle driving over and getting into the garage next to it as if it knew the way.
Judging from the situation, I'm afraid that the next time I mention Cao Cao, he'll appear.
Ji Rongyu quickly put his glasses back on and walked back to the outer hall pretending to pass by. He wanted to see clearly what this financial sponsor was.
The warm air hit his face, and after quickly wiping off the white mist on his lenses, Ji Rongyu frowned subconsciously.
To his surprise, the person who got out of the car was not a businessman in a suit, but a tall young man dressed casually.
Although the garage was not very bright, he could tell from the conspicuous handsome face that this person was probably here for an audition, and not the eccentric sponsor he had imagined.
But this guy is handsome, so Ji Rongyu smoothed his eyebrows halfway through his disappointment. He thought that having this guy to play the leading role in his work was worthy of his work.
He was about to turn around and go upstairs when the other party called him: "Hey, wait a minute, is the audition over now?"
Classmate? It's been a while since I've heard people call me that. Ji Rongyu turned around and saw the man approaching. He was at least 185cm tall, with high eyebrows, deep eyes, and a straight nose. His facial features were far superior to those of the other unsightly people.
The more Ji Rongyu looked at this face, the calmer he felt. Because he was very handsome, Ji Rongyu replied in a gentle voice: "It's not over yet. You can still queue up if you go up now."
"Then what are you doing here? Why don't you go upstairs and wait?" Instead of rushing upstairs, the other party looked at him thoughtfully, "You...you didn't know I was coming and deliberately blocked my way here, did you?"
Ji Rongyu: “Ah?”
The other person showed a look of disapproval and continued to talk nonsense to himself: "I'm telling you, the entertainment industry is very complicated. You have to have ulterior motives. It's useless to just stand here and block people. You have to be attentive and know my preferences in advance. You have to dress up carefully and look like you're not wearing anything at all. Only then can you please me."
Ji Rongyu: “Ah????”
He didn't understand the origin of this psychopath, so he subconsciously shifted his attention to another person.
The lunatic didn't come on his own. There was someone sitting in the driver's seat of the car. He had just parked the car, so he was a step slow in getting out.
He had a pair of round eyes and was holding something in his hand, looking like the assistant of this crazy person.
"It's a misunderstanding, Brother Lu. He's not an actor. He's the author and screenwriter, Rong Yu, the author of 'Trapped Color,' and the one in charge of today's auditions," the assistant recognized Ji Rongyu and quickly introduced him. "Hello, Mr. Rong Yu, my name is Tang Lin. I'm so sorry, he didn't mean it. He's... he's a little face-blind, face-blind!"
The psychopath listened to him and said without any hesitation: "I'm face blind? I'm not face blind!"
Ji Rongyu's heart, which had just calmed down, died peacefully again. He slowly put on a false smile and said, "Hello, Mr. Tang. Who is this?"
Tang Lin smiled sincerely. "He's Lu Xinyang. He'll be playing the leading male character you wrote when he joins the crew. Please take good care of him. I'm his assistant, and we're here for the audition today. Um... the role he's interviewing for hasn't been decided yet, right?"
It turns out that it was not the schizophrenic sponsor, but the sponsor's biological son.
This guy seemed to be half-baked. Ji Rongyu didn't even dare to imagine how he would portray the down-and-out painter with a complicated life in the novel.
Ji Rongyu barely maintained the respect and politeness due to RMB and greeted Lu Xinyang: "Not yet. The audition location is in the reception room upstairs. I'll take you two upstairs."
"Aren't you here for an audition? You weren't waiting for me at the door on purpose?" Lu Xinyang realized he had recognized the wrong person. Without even a second of guilt, he raised his hand and patted him on the shoulder in a familiar manner. "That's just a coincidence. It seems we are destined to be together!"
Ji Rongyu thought to himself, "Of course I didn't wait for you on purpose! How would I know who you are? How would I know you were coming?"
But this person didn't even give him a chance to speak and continued to pat him. Ji Rongyu didn't think he was much shorter than Lu Xinyang, but now he was caught off guard by such a series of blows, and he felt his thighs drop eight points in an instant.
"But I think you look pretty good. Are you really not filming?" Lu Xinyang put his arm around his shoulder and turned to look at Tang Lin with great interest. "Look at him, Xiao Tang, he's good-looking! Why don't you let him play the second male lead? I think he's quite suitable to turn me gay!"
Ji Rongyu, who didn't want to bend him at all, clenched his fists tightly. The words "fuck you" were stuck in his throat and rolled around for several times. In the end, he swallowed it with great difficulty.
Be respectful and polite to the sponsor's son.
They gave money.
Hot dance and fart death.
So Ji Rongyu, despite suffering from indigestion, tried hard to maintain a polite smile on his face, and just moved his lips to say "Fuck you".
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