Chapter 112: Princess Yu Shu and the Premiere of *The Banquet*

As the male actors entered the intensive training phase, Wei Jin began to get a headache over the choice of the female lead.

There were many women around him suitable for the female lead; Gao Yuanyuan, Fan Bingbing, Liu Yan, and Yan Danchen were all possibilities.

However, Gao Yuanyuan had already appeared in two consecutive Wei Jin films; if he arranged it again, the relationship would be impossible to hide.

Fan Bingbing was the same; after all, she wasn't an artist under his own company, so what would it look like to show such excessive favoritism?

As for Liu Yan, it was purely because her acting skills were slightly lacking; if she played the female lead, it could only be a case of highlighting her natural talent.

Ever since that threesome last time, Yan Danchen had not contacted Wei Jin, and Wei Jin was too lazy to ask for a snub.

In the end, after some thought, Wei Jin chose Liu Yan. The female lead didn't have many scenes in this film, and there was no need to find a popular starlet; Wei Jin himself was the brand.

As for the other supporting actress, Wei Jin left it to the artist department to arrange. Who would have thought that Zhang Xu would actually recommend an unexpected candidate to him.

Chen Dong was 20 years old this year and was originally a student at Shaanbei Political and Legal University.

At the beginning of this year, a senior at school saw that she was exceptionally talented and beautiful, so she secretly helped her sign up for the CCTV grassroots talent show "Dream China." Relying on the instruments she had practiced since childhood and her own natural conditions, Chen Dong actually successfully broke into the top eight.

Although she was unfortunately eliminated in the end, she was spotted by Zhang Xu, who was everywhere digging for new talent. Another person who extended an olive branch to her was Hong Kong's Emperor Group.

But once Zhang Xu revealed his identity, Chen Dong's choice became very simple. Rather than going to the unfamiliar Hong Kong to slowly struggle to get ahead, it was better to join the Wei Jin Company, which was in its prime in the industry.

One must know that as a Shaanbei native, Chen Dong was naturally no stranger to Wei Jin, the famous director who had come out of her hometown.

Thus, under Zhang Xu's maneuvering, Chen Dong successfully became an artist under the Wei Jin Fengliu Film and Television Company.

Early in the morning, Chen Dong arrived at the company, having heard from Director Zhang over the phone that the boss wanted to see her.

After meeting Zhang Xu and learning that she had a chance to appear in Wei Jin's new work, Chen Dong felt a bit excited and a little nervous.

"Don't be nervous, the boss is very easy to talk to. With your conditions, there will definitely be no problem."

As the one who recommended her, Zhang Xu naturally hoped that the newly signed artist would be appreciated by the boss; this was also a recognition of his own work.

When he first saw Chen Dong on television, Zhang Xu felt that this girl had the look of a star. After interacting with her, he was even more appreciative of her excellent knowledge and scholarly aura. One must know that most stars in the entertainment industry were "fish that slipped through the net" of nine-year compulsory education; someone like Chen Dong, who had been excellent in both character and learning since childhood, was truly rare.

So Zhang Xu signed her without hesitation, even before he had time to report to the boss, although he did have the authority to do so.

"Mm, Director Zhang, I will work hard."

As if to cheer herself on, Chen Dong took a deep breath, trying to calm her mood.

The two soon arrived at Wei Jin's office.

"Director Wei, I've brought the newly signed artist. What do you think..."

"Sit down first, I'm drawing some storyboards."

Wei Jin greeted them without raising his head, then immediately immersed himself in his work again.

Hearing this, Zhang Xu did not disturb him, and took Chen Dong to sit quietly on the sofa to wait.

The longer she waited, the more nervous Chen Dong became; after all, this was her first time seeing a Big Shot like Wei Jin.

However, this moment of quiet also gave Chen Dong a chance to observe Wei Jin carefully. His cropped hair looked very spirited, his facial features were sharp and well-defined, and he was very handsome. Especially the masculine charm he exuded while focusing on his work made her blush a little.

"Uh, sorry for the long wait. Huh... you... are named Chen Dong?"

Wei Jin, having finished part of his work, looked up to greet them, but the woman who came into view surprised him somewhat:

"Yes, Director Wei, I am Chen Dong, from Shaanbei, a sophomore this year."

Although Chen Dong was nervous, she was, after all, the Youth League branch secretary at her school, so she didn't show any cowardice, but she was a little curious as to why the boss seemed to know her.

Most stars in the entertainment industry had stage names, but Wei Jin was not familiar with the industry in his past life, so how would he know who was using a stage name? The Chen Dong before him was a perfect example.

Looking at Chen Dong's familiar face, Wei Jin felt a bit emotional. Princess Yu Shu had also become his own artist? That's right, Chen Dong was the Bai Bin of his past life. If Zhang Xu hadn't appeared, she would have joined Emperor Group and, at Yang Shoucheng's suggestion, taken the stage name Bai Bin.

"Director Wei, take a look. I think her temperament has a classical flavor; she should meet the requirements of the role." Seeing Wei Jin fall silent, Zhang Xu couldn't help but speak up to fight for Chen Dong.

Hearing this, Wei Jin pulled back his thoughts and began to size up the girl's image. He had to admit, she was indeed very beautiful and truly had a classical charm. Her period costume look would likely be particularly atmospheric. Most importantly, it was enough to strike Wei Jin's aesthetic.

"Mm, the look is impeccable. Fine, let it be her. But the name Chen Dong is too masculine; let's pick a stage name..."

The role of Zhang Yan didn't have many scenes. If Zhang Xu hadn't emphasized that she was a newly signed artist, Wei Jin wouldn't have met her. However, after meeting her, Wei Jin had a new idea. "Director Zhang, does Director Wei mean that after this play, I am to be his assistant?"

Chen Dong—no, she should be called Bai Bin now, the stage name Wei Jin gave her, otherwise he always felt it was a bit awkward to call her by the other name.

"This is your luck arriving. You know Liu Yan, Director Wei's former assistant, right?"

Zhang Xu sighed at Bai Bin's good fortune. He had recommended several assistant candidates before, but Wei Jin hadn't taken a liking to any of them.

"She was only Director Wei's assistant for half a year, and now she is already the host of a popular variety show. I heard there are more variety shows coming up, and she is also the female lead in this play. So, grasp the opportunity well. Director Wei won't force anyone to do what they don't want to; on the contrary, whatever you like to do, Director Wei will help you."

Zhang Xu's words were absolutely true. With the example of Liu Yan before her, being Wei Jin's assistant could be considered a relatively high starting point in the industry.

Bai Bin was still a novice and didn't understand the cruelty of the entertainment industry, so she just nodded ignorantly.

On September 9, Wei Jin was invited to attend the premiere of *The Banquet*. His date this time was Bai Bin.

This premiere was held on a grand scale, an open-air ceremony held at Oriental Plaza.

As a bigwig, Wei Jin arrived almost exactly on time, but he still attracted the attention of the media:

"Director Wei, what is your take on *The Banquet*?"

"Of course, I'll sit and watch it... Just kidding. I haven't even seen the movie yet, so how can I express an opinion? I'll talk after I've seen it."

"..."

Ignoring the reporters, Wei Jin took Bai Bin by the hand and successfully reached the prepared venue. Soon, Wang came out to greet them:

"Director Wei, welcome. Thank you for coming."

"You're too polite, Wang. No need to attend to me; we're all in the industry, I'll just wander around myself."

Wei Jin didn't intend to find anyone to accompany him either. He took Bai Bin to find their seats and waited quietly.

From time to time, big stars in the industry came over to say hello, but seeing that Wei Jin had no desire to chat, they didn't deliberately try to strike up a conversation. This also allowed Bai Bin to truly witness the influence of her boss.

Zhou Xun and Huang Xiaoming, as the creative team for today, naturally also came over to express their gratitude for Wei Jin's attendance.

After some interaction, the premiere soon began. After the premiere ended, to avoid being surrounded and intercepted by the media for their opinions, Wei Jin left in a hurry with Bai Bin.

"Director Wei, how was this movie..."

On the way out, Bai Bin felt that she hadn't understood the movie, so she asked:

"Are you trying to say you didn't understand it? Or do you think it's not good?"

"No, how could Director Feng's film not be good? It must be that I didn't understand it."

As a newcomer, Bai Bin dared not question a great director.

"You don't have to be like that in front of me; this is just a rotten film, what kind of trash did I shoot."

Wei Jin, on the other hand, did not shy away from the truth; this film was indeed rotten, an Eastern version of Hamlet, neither fish nor fowl.

The key lines were also incredibly cringeworthy; despite being a serious subject, it was played out like a comedy. One can only say that Feng Dapao lives up to his name, with humor cells deep in his blood.

The audience's reaction after the release also confirmed Wei Jin's view. In the words of the media:

The lines in The Banquet can rival The Promise! Perfunctory, vulgar, pretentious, affected, and nonsensical. I worked my fingers to the bone today, here is the first update. I beg you big shots to subscribe to the latest chapter; the editor needs to look at the follow-up reading data to give recommendations. Nineteen thanks you deeply.

(End of this chapter)