Chapter 197: Auditioning and Hearing Gossip, While Filming is Underway

In early September, Nolan and his entourage arrived in Beijing. China Film Group took charge of the reception and officially announced that they were accepting audition resumes.

In an instant, the news spread rapidly across the internet, and netizens began to speculate about who the lucky person would be.

"Boss, are you really not coming over?"

This time, Hunter had come representing Summit Entertainment. He had originally intended to find an opportunity to show his loyalty to the boss, but he hadn't expected that he wouldn't even be able to see him.

"No, just remember my instructions. Don't make it too obvious."

"Don't worry, Boss. There won't be any slip-ups, I guarantee it."

Although Hunter was curious about the girl his boss favored, he understood the principle that the more one knows, the faster one dies; after all, that's how it's played out in movies.

The entire entertainment industry was focused on this matter. If not for Han Sanping issuing an order to prohibit interviews, China Film Group would likely have been packed to bursting by now; even so, a large number of reporters were staked out at the entrance of China Film Group.

Additionally, some of the sharper-minded ones began searching for Wei Jin, as he was both an investor and the screenwriter.

Unfortunately, Wei Jin was hidden even deeper. After the studio at the Digital Base was rented out, it was under completely closed management; as long as the production crew refused visitors, they simply couldn't get in.

This was truly "hiding in a small building to achieve unity, ignoring the spring, summer, autumn, and winter!" However, many in the industry knew he was shooting a new film, and those who were well-acquainted called to inquire, wanting to know if Wei Jin would be leading the casting.

Wei Jin's reply was also simple: the other investors were in charge, and he himself was not participating.

A call from Young Master Zhou was something Wei Jin hadn't expected. Wasn't *Painted Skin 2* still filming? But he still answered:

"You aren't suitable; you're a bit too old."

Wei Jin had originally thought she would get angry, but unexpectedly, the person on the other end of the phone started laughing.

"Haha, now I see that those few are all going to have made a wasted trip."

As long as it wasn't one of those rivals who got the role, Young Master Zhou could accept it.

Hanging up the phone, Wei Jin clicked his tongue in wonder. The infighting between the top actresses was truly damn spectacular. —— A few days later, China Film Group announced to the public that the auditions had begun.

The actresses who passed the first round of resume screening arrived at China Film Group one after another. A large number of media reporters were staked out outside China Film Group; even if they couldn't get in, snapping some first-hand material was good enough.

Because there was no script, everyone didn't know what kind of image the character had, so they could only dress themselves in the most exquisite direction.

Thus, the media captured such a scene: a long line, one actress after another meticulously dressed—some delicate and lovely, some mature and glamorous, some elegant in temperament, some classically graceful, and so on.

But everyone stood in line obediently. In front of such a major production, no matter what your status was, you had to be well-behaved.

For this, China Film Group opened up a banquet hall for reception, giving these actresses waiting in line a place to rest.

When Liu Yifei and her mother arrived, there were already quite a few people there. Looking around, it was full of female artists with beautiful faces and excellent figures.

The most conspicuous were the few top actresses: Zhang Ziyi, Li Bingbing, and Fan Bingbing.

Yang Mi had asked for leave from the *Chinese Paladin* crew to come over, while Jiang Yiyan and Tang Yan had just wrapped up filming with the *Nanjing* crew.

There were also Yu Nan, Huang Shengyi, Han Xue, Dong Xuan, Yan Danchen, and Zhang Jingchu—every one of them a well-known actress in the industry. And this was already after China Film Group's initial selection, which showed just how fierce the competition was.

Seeing Liu Yifei appear, many people on the scene felt that there was one more powerful competitor.

After all, she had already participated in *The Forbidden Kingdom*, and although her reputation domestically wasn't great, it was said that her reviews in North America were not low.

They were also glad that Jing Tian was already filming Wei Jin's movie; otherwise, there would be one more competitor.

*Now You See Me* had already finished its theatrical run, with a domestic box office of 408 million, creating a new history. Even more terrifying was that the global box office reached as high as 510 million USD.

It was no exaggeration to say that Jing Tian had a better chance than everyone present.

Many actors who had worked with Liu Yifei began to greet her: Li Bingbing, Jiang Yiyan, Yang Mi, and so on.

Liu Yifei also responded politely to each one, but what surprised her a little was that Zhang Jingchu, with whom she had no friendship, also came over to greet her.

Liu Xiaoli hurriedly pulled Liu Yifei away, as if avoiding a plague.

"Xixi, let's go, let's find a seat first."

"Mom, why are we avoiding her?"

Once they reached a secluded corner, Liu Yifei began to wonder.

"Don't get too close to that woman. Quite a few directors' wives are boycotting her. You also need to keep an eye on Wei Jin."

Zhang Jingchu had met with Gu Changwei at night again two days ago and had been photographed by reporters. This wasn't the first time, and Jiang Wenli was not so easy to deal with; she had gathered quite a few directors' wives, determined to suppress this improper trend.

Liu Xiaoli was also worried. Compared to Gu Changwei, Wei Jin was young, handsome, wealthy, and talented. If her daughter wanted to secure the position of the main wife in the future, she would have to put in a lot of effort. —— The audition process was not complicated, and the efficiency was very high. Yang Mi and Jiang Yiyan proceeded with their auditions one after another.

However, they didn't even stay for a few minutes before coming out, looking dejected. Everyone at the scene who saw this felt a sense of shared sorrow.

Yang Mi regretted it deeply in her heart. That director seemed to have been quite fond of her, but unfortunately, her English was too poor. She swore that she must pick up her English, though she didn't know if there would be such an opportunity in the future.

Before long, Zhang Ziyi also came out with a smile on her face. Many people saw this and suddenly became nervous.

This was intentional on Zhang Ziyi's part. These young girls didn't have the mental fortitude; the more nervous they were during their auditions later, the greater her own chances would be.

One by one, the female artists went in; some were directly turned away, while others were told to wait for news.

Li Bingbing was the former; Nolan told her directly that her age wasn't suitable, which made her feel quite embarrassed.

After coming out, she started chatting with Liu Yifei. After all, the two had worked together on *The Forbidden Kingdom*, and they were also in the same camp at the previous Bazaar night.

"Sister Bingbing, I just saw Teacher Liu Tao also came to audition. Didn't she retire from acting?"

At the beginning of this year, Liu Tao married a wealthy man outside the industry. At that time, the wedding was held in a very lively manner, and quite a few stars and artists in the industry went to show their support.

Liu Tao had even stated directly at the wedding that she was retiring from the entertainment industry to stay at home and focus on being a good wife and mother, so Liu Yifei felt a bit strange.

"Hey, don't mention it. This person is also down on her luck; I heard her family is about to go bankrupt."

The subprime mortgage crisis in North America was intensifying and had already affected the whole world; the entertainment industry could not be spared.

Liu Tao, who had already retired from the industry, started coming out to take on roles again, and she had complained to the media many times, saying that her family was riddled with debt and her husband was seriously ill, and so on.

Many people in the industry were watching the joke. Retiring from the industry with such grand words, only to come running back in less than half a year—wasn't this a slap in the face?

Li Bingbing also thought so; men were ultimately unreliable, and one must have one's own career. However, it seemed there really was no chance this time.

"Alright, I'm leaving first. Good luck, bye." "Okay, Sister Bingbing, bye."

Before long, someone came out and called Liu Yifei's name. With confidence on her face, Liu Yifei walked in.

Upon meeting Nolan, Liu Yifei introduced herself very fluently, not nervous at all. She believed that Wei Jin must have arranged everything.

Nolan also flipped through her resume. This beautiful girl in front of him had a very rich resume; *The Forbidden Kingdom* had a decent box office in North America, but what surprised him most was that she actually had two singles written by Wei Jin. He knew very well what that represented.

Hunter was also sizing up the boss's new flame, comparing her to Jing Tian in his mind, wondering who would be the true mistress of the house in the future.

"Crystal, right? Your English is fluent, and you have experience in action films. Very good, we will consider it carefully."

Hunter also gave Liu Yifei a gesture of encouragement from the side, and she smiled knowingly, understanding instantly.

"Thank you, Director Nolan. I look forward to your good news. Goodbye."

Liu Yifei waved with a smile and turned to walk out. — "Hunter, this is the girl Wei recommended, right? She is indeed quite suitable."

Flipping through the few resumes with notes on them in his hand again, Nolan asked:

"Of course. Wei treats films very seriously. In his eyes, everything serves the film. Ensuring quality is the top priority. He would absolutely never recommend an actor who doesn't meet the requirements."

Regarding his boss, Hunter naturally bragged to the skies, even though Wei Jin could not see it.

"Perhaps it is this attitude that has allowed him to achieve such success at this age."

Nolan felt a bit emotional; although his own commercial box office had already surpassed Wei Jin's, he was still far behind in terms of awards and honors.

"So, Christopher, do you feel like this trip was a waste of time?"

Hunter crossed his arms, leaning comfortably against the back of his seat, his tone somewhat teasing.

"No, I think I came for the right reason. This way, the Warner executives have no more reason to pressure me."

"Then, Christopher, do you have an answer?"

"Of course." — Nolan and his party left Beijing on the same day the auditions ended; they were going to scout the intended filming locations.

The industry was buzzing about that day's auditions. News claimed that everyone over thirty had been turned away, and Li Bingbing even stepped forward to acknowledge this.

Now, many actors who hadn't been cut on the spot were very excited; those famous "big flowers" were all over thirty, which meant their opportunity had arrived.

Among them, Zhang Ziyi was the happiest. Although the results weren't out yet, she was already confident of success, even indicating on several occasions that she likely wouldn't be in the country for the next period of time.

Her words made everyone else very uncomfortable; had she already secured the role? However, thinking about it carefully, Zhang Ziyi indeed had a great chance. She was a "big flower," was developing in Hollywood, met the age requirement, had deep ties with Warner, and had already acted in the sci-fi film *The Martian*. She was simply the perfect candidate.

For a time, many actresses were anxious; after all, it was a 250 million USD film. Even if the chance was slim, what if? — The outside turmoil did not affect Wei Jin. Inside the studio at the Digital Base, the *Lucy* crew was still filming in full swing.

"Mr. Zhang wants to offer you a job."

A voice came through the phone.

This was the translator on the other end of Mr. Zhang's phone, translating the drug lord's words into English for Jing Tian.

At this moment, Jing Tian's face was splattered with fresh blood. She was in extreme tension, yet she dared not touch the foreign substance on her face with her hands. In the lens, her pale complexion and bright red bloodstains were exceptionally distinct.

Seeing the foreigner who had been laughing wildly in front of her just a moment ago turn into a corpse, and then being dragged into the storage room by this South Korean drug lord's henchman.

Jing Tian had not yet recovered from the shock and asked, "A job?"

Cui Minzhi, with his hands pressed on the tabletop, saw the prey's counter-question and nodded with interest.

Seeing the affirmation from this cold-blooded devil, Jing Tian immediately spoke with a sobbing tone:

"No, I don't want any job, please..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she was knocked unconscious by Sun Honglei, who was playing the henchman.

"Cut! This take is good, very good."

Wei Jin watched the playback and was very satisfied with this take. This segment was mainly a scene between Cui Minzhi and Jing Tian, and both performed very well.

Hearing this, Jing Tian let out a sigh of relief. This scene required a high level of mental state from the actors; she felt her nerves were about to snap. If they had to do it a few more times, she feared she would have broken down.

"Tian Tian, your progress is truly not small. Very good."

Sun Honglei had a smile on his face, as if the fierce and menacing person from just a moment ago wasn't him at all.

Cui Minzhi, who was on the side, although he couldn't understand Sun Honglei's words, could roughly grasp the meaning and also gave Jing Tian a thumbs up. This made the young girl feel very happy, as if the fatigue on her body had been swept away.

"Thank you, Brother Honglei. It's all because you taught me well, hee hee."

During the filming these past few days, Jing Tian's earnest and hardworking attitude had gained the recognition of many in the crew. She also actively sought advice on acting from her seniors and got along very happily with everyone.

Before long, the Assistant and the makeup artist came over to help the actors remove their makeup, and the behind-the-scenes staff also began to pack up the relevant equipment. Today's filming tasks were considered complete.

After several days of filming, the plot of Jing Tian being kidnapped by the gang leader and subsequently being forced to open the mysterious safe was considered finished.

Soon, several staff members from the August First Film Studio came over to collect the prop guns from the actors.

The film *Lucy* had quite a few gunfights, and the props were all rented from the August First Film Studio. The country had very strict regulations on this aspect; even during filming, there were staff members from the August First Film Studio following the crew to prevent accidents.

Every time filming was completed, these prop guns and the remaining empty shell casings would be counted clearly and taken back by them for safekeeping. The management was quite strict.

"Tian Tian, you go back first later; I still have some things to do."

The Digital Base was in Huairou, and the crew had also arranged a hotel nearby, but Wei Jin and Jing Tian were generally used to going back to stay anyway; it didn't delay anything.

"Oh, then are you coming over tonight, Brother?"

Jing Tian's face was full of expectation. These days she had been living with Wei Jin, and being able to fall asleep in the arms of the man she loved every night made her incredibly happy.

"It will likely be very late, so let's skip it for today. You go back and get some rest early."

Noticing the disappointment on the young girl's face, and seemingly afraid she would overthink, Wei Jin added another sentence.

"Senior Brother Ning Hao has something to discuss with me; I might have to drink a bit. Don't wait for me tonight, be good."

Having too many women makes it hard to be in two places at once; Wei Jin also had a bit of a headache.

First update of the day, I earnestly request all book friends to reward me with subscriptions, follow-up reads, collections, monthly tickets, and recommendation tickets. Thank you, everyone! (End of chapter)