Chapter 106: Signing

In the conference room of Feimin Entertainment's headquarters, Xiang Fei slapped a stack of exquisitely bound scripts onto the conference table with a "pa."

"The cast list for 'Shoplifters'." His fingers tapped lightly on the script cover, "Use only our own people for everyone."

Artist Director Lin Man opened the file.

"Let them read the script first." Xiang Fei lifted his coffee and took a sip, "

The conference room was deathly silent, save for the hum of the air conditioning vent. Several general managers exchanged glances, none daring to raise any further objections.

Xiang Fei stood up, adjusting his suit cuffs: "Within three days, I want to see the signing intent letters for all the actors. Meeting adjourned."

In the private reception room on the top floor of the company, as Chen Daoming pushed the door open, Xiang Fei was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking Beijingcheng.

"Guide, I heard you want me to play a thief?" Chen Daoming walked straight to the sofa and sat down.

Xiang Fei turned around, took a script from his briefcase, and handed it over: "Read scene thirty-seven first."

Chen Daoming took the script and casually flipped to the specified page. At first, his expression still carried a hint of nonchalance, but as he read deeper, his brows gradually furrowed, and the speed of his page-turning slowed down more and more. Ten minutes later, he suddenly lifted his head, a strange light flashing in his eyes: "This script..."

"Exciting enough, right?" Xiang Fei curled his lips, sat down opposite him, "This character, on the surface is a thief, but actually..."

"Is a mirror that reveals the true nature of contemporary society." Chen Daoming cut in, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of the script, "This 'father' picked up from a garbage heap, yet is more like a father than most biological fathers..."

Xiang Fei noticed the veteran actor's fingers trembling slightly.

"I'll do it." Chen Daoming suddenly closed the script,

In the artist's lounge, Zhou Xun curled up in a corner of the leather sofa, the script spread across her knees. When Xiang Fei pushed the door open and entered, the script in her hand fell to the floor with a "pa."

"Oh my god..." Zhou Xun murmured to herself, and as she bent down to pick up the script, she almost slid off the sofa, "This character..."

"Don't like it?" Xiang Fei raised an eyebrow, sitting on the single sofa opposite her.

"It's so layered!" Zhou Xun suddenly bounced up from the sofa, pacing back and forth on the carpet barefoot, "From the folk girl to that final transformation..." Her voice suddenly choked up, her eyes turning slightly red.

Xiang Fei quietly watched this future Best Actress get as excited as a little girl holding her favorite toy for the first time.

"I must play this role!" Zhou Xun suddenly turned around, her hands braced on the coffee table in front of Xiang Fei, in the company gym, Li Youbin was lifting weights on a bench press.

"The police role is yours alone." Xiang Fei handed over a towel.

Li Youbin took the towel and wiped his sweat, then casually opened the script: "How long has it been since I played a cop..."

"So the audience will be surprised." Xiang Fei pulled out a bottle of mineral water from behind him and threw it to him.

Li Youbin glanced through the script quickly while drinking, and suddenly choked: "This cop..."

"Too realistic?"

"Too flesh and blood." Li Youbin shook his head, excitement flashing in his eyes, "The first time I've seen one so three-dimensional." He put down the water bottle, grabbed his jacket, and walked out, "When does filming start? Where is the costume department? I want to try on costumes!"

In the company cafeteria, Wang Zhiwen was slowly savoring a cup of hand-drip coffee. Xiang Fei sat down directly opposite him and pushed a script over.

"Guest role, three days of shooting."

Wang Zhiwen didn't even look up: "What role?"

"Convenience store owner.

Only then did Wang Zhiwen lift his head, flipped open the script, and glanced at it: "Three lines of dialogue?"

"But every word cuts to the heart." Xiang Fei smiled.

Wang Zhiwen lowered his head to read carefully again, and suddenly clapped the table in admiration.

"A stroke of genius?" Xiang Fei cut in.

"I want to add scenes!" Wang Zhiwen blurted out, then laughed at himself immediately, "Forget it, these three lines are already classic enough.

"The mother role..." Her voice was somewhat choked.

"Too heavy?" Xiang Fei asked.

"No, too warm." Anita Mui took a deep breath, "Especially that line she says to the little girl at the end..." Her fingers gently stroked that line on the script.

"'What we steal isn't things, it's love.'" Xiang Fei recited the line softly.

Anita Mui fell silent for a moment, then suddenly lifted her head to stare directly into the camera: "I'll do it. The fee doesn't matter."