Chapter 388: Janice Man Re-emerges

In the audition for the heroine, James Pritzker's "Pritzker Pictures" film company was out in full force.

These people were also the old team that James had used for his previous short films, including cameramen, lighting engineers, sound engineers, production assistants, and assistant directors, etc.

Why did so many people come?

That was because in Hollywood, the audition for some main roles was actually similar to formal filming.

During the actor's audition performance, there would be several cameras recording simultaneously from different angles, and the lighting and sound effects would be almost the same as formal filming. The director could see the actor's performance under the lens through the monitor on the spot. Sometimes, if they weren't sure, they would adjust the camera position on the spot and ask the actor to do it again.

For example, Jessica Alba and Charlize Theron this time received such treatment.

It could be said that the grinding between the actor and the crew started from this moment of audition.

It was completely different from mainland China or Hong Kong.

These were also things Chen Nuo had only learned in the past two days through auditioning with James. After all, his previous roles were not in the normal Hollywood mode.

After hearing Chen Nuo say this, Janice Man was undoubtedly even more nervous, "Darling... I, I'm afraid."

"I just said it was for the heroine audition before, you aren't auditioning for the heroine now. You're just a bit part, don't worry."

"But, but... didn't you say there would still be so many people on the scene?"

"Yes, but people might try three or four shots; for you, it's just to see the feeling. And, didn't I see you perform quite well just now? You have to believe in my vision."

"Alright, alright."

Although she said so, Janice Man still had a worried expression.

Chen Nuo could understand this.

Looking at it these two days, he truly felt that if he had followed such a formal process when he went to Warner to audition for the Joker, he definitely wouldn't have had a chance.

It was also thanks to the actresses who came to audition this time, each of them was a veteran around 30 years old, each of them had been struggling in Hollywood for many years, experienced countless auditions and film set tempering, so they could show their different understanding of the role in front of the lens after only getting the script for 24 hours.

Among them, besides Charlize Theron wearing red high heels and black silk long legs,

On the stage under the dim and blurry lighting, twisting her body to the rhythm of New Orleans jazz,

Her eyes carried three parts provocation, three parts indifference, and four parts exhaustion, showing the complex inner heart of Eve vividly; the feeling she gave was like a butterfly trapped in yellow amber, beautiful and sexy.

There was also Jessica Biel, who had appeared in *The Texas Chainsaw Massacre* and *Blade: Trinity*.

When auditioning, she chose the scene where Eve argued with Lee in a dilapidated apartment.

On the stage, she wore old denim shorts and a white tank top, stepping barefoot on the wooden floor, her emotions from anger to collapse to despair, full of explosive power.

Especially the last scene, the moment she suddenly stopped her hysterical performance, lit a cigarette with trembling hands, and looked out the window with empty eyes, at that moment, in Chen Nuo's eyes, this woman perfectly interpreted Eve's powerlessness toward fate.

Janice Man's performance, compared to these people, was naturally not worth mentioning.

However...

As Li Er said.

Life is an actor's best teacher.

"Alright, perform it one more time. You found out your boyfriend likes another woman. Tonight, he took the money and ran out again. Leaving you alone in the apartment, ignoring you, not asking, not listening."

"3, 2, 1! Action!"

The whole venue burst into applause, although sparse, indeed quite a few people were clapping.

"Very good! Excellent, great!" James Pritzker said loudly while clapping, "Janice, I like your performance style, it has a very realistic feeling, great."

"Thank you, thank you. Thank you director, thank you everyone," Janice Man wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes and said shyly.

Besides the director, others also gave unanimous praise at this time.

"Her emotions were expressed too well, especially that desperate look at the end, it really broke my heart."

"I think her body language is in place; look at her hugging herself with both hands, as if she is protecting herself, too real."

"Yes, especially the moment she sat on the floor and lowered her head, I felt she was completely that abandoned woman."

"Janice, you were completely immersed in the role just now, the performance was too infectious!"

"Chen, you introduced a good actor; I think there's no need to audition anyone else."

Listening to the assistant director's words, James Pritzker also nodded and said: "I think so too, Chen, I think the role of 'Dan' should be set like this."

Chen Nuo asked hypocritically: "Are you sure? James, this is your movie, I don't hope our friendship interferes with your decision."

James Pritzker laughed loudly: "No, really. Perhaps before this, I had a little thought. But now, no, really, I think she is too outstanding. Now the remaining problem is the heroine, Charlize Theron or Jessica Biel? What do you think?"

James asked very sincerely, Chen Nuo thought about it, and gave his answer, "I prefer Jessica Biel."

James was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "Alright, I know."

Next, the crew still had to audition other actors, but Chen Nuo didn't need to participate anymore.

Leaving the Paramount set with Janice Man, they got into the car back to the hotel.

Although Allison's expression showed that she was very curious about this girl who suddenly flew over from Hong Kong the day before yesterday, she still didn't ask much.

Chen Nuo was very satisfied with this.

With the increase in artists under Huanxin and the increasingly busy domestic business, the role Qi Yuntian could play in China was much more than accompanying him to film abroad for a long time.

In this case, Allison's timely appearance just filled Qi Yuntian's vacancy. Whether in terms of ability or connections, this woman made Chen Nuo unable to find any fault.

Although because of the large medical expenses every month, she cared very much about money, but conversely, this was not a place that made Chen Nuo feel at ease.

The problem now was that Allison didn't think so herself.

"Chen, my ability is limited. Even if you don't feel you need an American agency, what about Ms. Man? She wants to sign a contract with James's crew, needs to apply for a work visa, and needs to join the union; I can help her handle it this time, but what about next time?"

"As I said before, the help given to artists by a company like CAA is very great; it can accelerate your career and handle all the troubles you encounter."

"I understand CAA's client rating."

"With your current popularity after the Oscars, you can already be rated as a top-tier star in their internal evaluation system, the same as Tang Mu Cruise and Brad Pitt, as an A-list star."

"Only second to A+ stars like Tang Mu Hanks and Harrison Ford."

"Do you know what this means?"

"This means you can not only get top-level film contracts, but also have a dedicated team to help you plan the global market, and even don't have to worry about trivial matters like taxes and publicity, completely freeing up your energy to focus on your career."

Although he knew this was because Allison had professional ethics, she would give such a suggestion.

After all, if CAA joined in, although it could indeed let Allison get rid of the current state of being an all-around assistant, conversely, her importance would also be greatly reduced.

Chen Nuo didn't believe Allison didn't know.

However, he really didn't consider this problem for now. He was used to being free and easy alone; really handing over the business in the US to CAA, although there would be many more opportunities, it was equivalent to putting an invisible shackle on himself.

Before he reached the point where he needed to borrow CAA's power to break through some invisible ceiling in Hollywood, he wouldn't consider this problem for the time being.

Immediately interrupted: "Alright, Allison, thank you for your opinion."

Allison glanced at the silent Janice Man, then nodded and didn't say anything more.

Back at the hotel, as soon as they entered the door, Janice Man said "Ouch," and the whole person fell softly on the sofa, shouting in Cantonese: "Really nervous to death! Before going, I shouted many times, almost, almost I couldn't shout it out. Lucky!"

In Cantonese, "shout" means cry, Chen Nuo smiled and said sincerely: "Whether you cry or not is actually not important, the most important thing is that you performed the emotions of the role, just like what the director and the others said, real, infectious, very good, very great."

Janice Man laughed, switched back to Mandarin, and said: "Really? Hehe. Actually, I took care of my dad in Hong Kong during this time, and when I had nothing to do, I took out the books from school to read."

"It's very strange, the things I couldn't read in school at that time, I could read them in the hospital instead. When my dad went for physical therapy, I went to the rooftop to practice, shouting like a ghost."

Saying this, she stuck out her tongue, "I was bumped into several times, they thought I was crazy, staring at me for a long time, hehe. Later, they even came to watch me act together, there was an Uncle Deng inside, who even told me to treat him to tea after I made it big, hahaha."

Looking at the girl on the sofa, Chen Nuo was really a bit surprised.

After the Golden Horse Awards, he went to Hong Kong to transfer to the United States; when he talked to Janice Man about this play, he actually didn't think about this aspect.

The reason he recommended Janice Man was very simple.

He just read the script and felt that this role, which only had a few scenes, was very suitable for Janice Man in all aspects. And it happened that her father's health was almost treated, and she could come out

He was quite surprised that things had gone so smoothly; he had thought life had changed people.

It turned out he hadn't expected... there was more to it behind the scenes.

Chen Nuo asked curiously, "You performed for them all by yourself on the rooftop? What did you perform?"

"A monologue, like Zhou Ping or Marguerite. Hehe, just the ones the teachers at the Film Academy taught us before."

"Come on, perform a bit for me to see."

"... Oh my, I'm so embarrassed to perform in front of you."

"Hurry up, or I'll spank you."

"Alright, alright, but you're not allowed to make fun of me!"

"Don't worry, I definitely won't."

Afterward, as Chen Nuo watched Wen Yushan slowly stand up from the sofa and take a deep breath, her whole demeanor seemed to change.

She chose Marguerite from *The Lady of the Camellias*, standing in the center of the hotel room, pretending there was a mirror in front of her. Her right hand lifted gently, her fingertips trembling as they touched the air, as if stroking her own reflection, her lips parted slightly, and she whispered in English: "Marguerite, look at you now... how haggard you are..."

Then, her body leaned forward slightly, as if unable to support her own weight, her left hand supporting her forehead, her fingers digging into her hair with some force. She slowly squatted down, her movements slow and heavy, as if she were truly dragged down by illness and despair.

She said in a low voice: "How much longer can I hold on? Armand... he won't come back..."

As she said this, her head dropped suddenly, her hair falling down to cover half her face.

Immediately after, she slowly rose from her squatting position, turned her back to him, her shoulders trembling slightly as if crying silently, and said in a voice that was almost inaudible: "Goodbye, my youth..."

The scene froze for a few seconds.

Then, Wen Yushan turned around, stuck out her tongue, and said with a slightly flushed face and a smile: "How was it? Was it too exaggerated?"

Looking at her, a sense of unfamiliarity suddenly welled up in Chen Nuo's heart.

The performance in front of James and the others just now was not accidental, nor was it just a perfect fit for the role.

Of course, the traces of performance were still a bit heavy, and the emotional transitions were not entirely seamless; it wasn't as James and the others had wildly praised, as if the next Oscar for Best Actress was hers for the taking.

Chen Nuo wasn't stupid; of course, he knew these were just the social niceties of the Americans.

However, he understood very well that for Wen Yushan, this was absolutely a huge step forward.

Chen Nuo remembered that Wen Yushan had returned to Hong Kong in the second half of 2009.

During this time, the two had met very few times, and even when they did, it was always a hurried encounter, and she had never mentioned anything about this.

Counting it up, it had been four years since she entered the vocational class at the Film Academy.

Two years of school study plus two years of self-study,

Finally, in front of him, she had visibly transformed from a little model who knew nothing into a true actress capable of skillfully performing a monologue from *The Lady of the Camellias* and reciting the lines by heart.

Chen Nuo gave a sincere thumbs-up: "Not exaggerated, it was excellent."

"Hehe." Wen Yushan smiled shyly, changing the subject, "Alright, hurry up and pack your things, the plane is about to take off!"

In the suburbs of Toronto, York Region.

In front of a mansion leaning against a mountain and facing a lake.

When Wen Yushan got out of the car and saw the mansion in front of her, as well as the few servants and the hostess standing at the entrance to welcome them.

Before coming, she had thought she would be angry and sad.

But when it came down to it, she wasn't.

On one hand, she knew that if Chen Nuo hadn't been doing what he was doing during this time, she certainly wouldn't be this calm.

But he had flown to Hong Kong in person to explain this to her face-to-face, and without regard for the potential controversy, he had given her a job opportunity she had dreamed of.

What else could she do?

As a Hong Konger, she had seen too many heartless men.

Just like a few days ago, her senior had officially released a statement that she had formally broken up with the second son of the Li family.

This meant that after giving birth to three children, she was still kicked out by the Li family.

Compared to that, how could she not be convinced?

On the other hand, when she saw that woman, whose cheeks were rounder than before and who looked like she had a bit more soft luster, standing at the entrance of the mansion, smiling at her without any resentment, not looking at her as a hostess looking at an intruder, it seemed hard for her to harbor much hostility.

"Yuan Shanshan, long time no see."

The woman walked up and hugged her gently.

Wen Yushan felt the pent-up frustration in her heart dissipate by more than half, and she hugged her back, "Sister Bingbing, long time no see."

In this hug, she realized it wasn't an illusion; the other party had indeed gained weight. Her chest was soft and plump, giving her a feeling of being padded.

Fan Fan Binbing let go.

She looked up and down at the girl in front of her who had thinned out quite a bit, and for no reason, a sense of pity welled up in her heart. She knew this was definitely sentimentality caused by hormones.

However, in this time and place, she indeed had many feelings.

She said with genuine concern: "Yuan Shanshan, you're too thin, you should eat more."

Wen Yushan smiled embarrassedly, "I actually eat quite a lot, and I'm not on a diet."

"Alright, you two go inside and talk, it's cold outside." Chen Nuo interjected from the side.

"Okay, come, Yuan Shanshan, let's go in." Fan Fan Binbing took Wen Yushan's hand and walked toward the house.

Chen Nuo followed behind.

To be honest, he felt a huge relief in his heart. He definitely wouldn't have hidden this from Wen Yushan.

Of course, he hadn't expected the girl to take the initiative to come and see.

He had been worried about sparks flying, because these two hadn't gotten along at all before.

But, it seemed okay now.

Since that was the case, hehehehehe.

Huh, what am I laughing at? Why did my face move on its own?

Chen Nuo pinched his own face.

What are you thinking about?

Shameless.

When Wen Yushan looked at the little thing in Fan Fan Binbing's arms, she couldn't help but feel a bit of envy.

She touched the fair and tender cheeks with her fingers, seeing her open her black-and-white eyes, looking at her curiously. Wen

Yushan smiled and asked curiously, "What's her name?"

"Fan Ruoruo."

"No, it's Chen Ruoruo." Chen Nuo interjected again.

Fan Fan Binbing glared at Chen Nuo irritably.

Men's words are indeed all bullshit.

He had clearly said before that he would let the girl make her own choice after she was 18, but now, not even 18 months later, he couldn't wait to change the name back.

"Yuan Shanshan, let me tell you, you be the judge... which one sounds better?"

After hearing Fan Fan Binbing's complaint, Wen Yushan smiled and said, "I think both are good, both sound nice."

Fan Fan Binbing curled her lips, then smiled and asked, "Yuan Shanshan, do you want to hold her?"

"Me?! Can I?"

When Wen Yushan carefully took her from Fan Fan Binbing's hands, she had an indescribable feeling in her heart.

She gently rocked the little Ruoruo in her arms, feeling the soft little body leaning against her chest, the warm touch making her heart tremble.

Wen Yushan looked down at the little one's bright eyes and whispered, "You're so cute, when you grow up, you'll definitely be as beautiful as your mom and dad."

In the evening, two women and one man each held a glass of dry red wine, chatting in the dimly lit living room. The room was filled with the faint woody scent of the burning fireplace, and the orange-red firelight reflected on the faces of the three, casting warm and soft shadows.

When she heard Chen Nuo say that Wen Yushan had landed the role, Fan Fan Binbing shouted in surprise, "Really? Yuan Shanshan, that's amazing!"

Wen Yushan smiled embarrassedly, "Actually, they were all doing it for his sake."

Chen Nuo shook his head: "Not me, it has nothing to do with me."

Fan Fan Binbing also said: "Americans don't have that many favors to give, Yuan Shanshan, this is all your own strength! Keep it up, strive to bring back an international award!"

Under the firelight, Wen Yushan's face turned even redder, and she smiled, pursing her lips: "I'm just playing a bit part in the movie, how could that be possible."

"Why not?" Fan Fan Binbing said seriously, "Can't bit parts win awards? Best Newcomer awards and such, Cannes, Berlin, Venice all have them, and there's the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress too. Chen Nuo, am I right?"

Chen Nuo didn't laugh, nodding solemnly: "Hmm, I think that makes sense."

"Hey, why are your eyes darting around everywhere? Behave yourself, okay? I've been watching you for a long time, what are you trying to do?" Fan Fan Binbing took a sip of wine and said with a half-smile.

Wen Yushan's face turned red in an instant.

How could she not have noticed what Fan Fan Binbing noticed?

Ever since they finished dinner and handed the baby to the nanny, and the three of them were alone, the man's eyes hadn't been very well-behaved, looking up and down, left and right, and occasionally moving his hands and feet.

Finally, he brought them here, deliberately making the fire in the fireplace very bright, making the whole room hot.

What he wanted to do was truly obvious to everyone.

Actually, a long time ago, it wasn't like she hadn't gone crazy with him.

But with Fan Fan Binbing?!

"Ah, I'm a bit sleepy, maybe I'll go up and sleep first." Wen Yushan pretended to yawn.

Fan Fan Binbing held her back and asked: "Wait, what's the rush? Don't mind him, let's chat. I still have a lot to ask you."

Wen Yushan had originally thought Fan Fan Binbing was just being polite, but she didn't expect the other party to really seem to care about her, asking about everything from her upcoming contracts and visas to her family situation.

Later, she also asked the other party many questions.

Like the hotel apartment she was running in Canada.

This was also where Wen Yushan had to admire her.

This woman not only dared to think and give birth, but the key was that she had the courage and knew how to start a business!

It was said that she had hidden it from everyone, investing all her assets in Canada by herself, and almost didn't have the money to give birth to the baby.

In the end, her life-risking investment also brought rich returns.

Chen Nuo told her that the woman's apartments were already getting better and better, and last month's turnover had already exceeded 500,000 Canadian dollars, which was almost 3 million RMB! She was about to prepare for further expansion, which was why she had to return to Toronto from Palm Beach to take charge.

Thinking of this, and then thinking of other people, the sense of urgency in Wen Yushan's heart became even heavier.

Chen Nuo ended up staying in Toronto for 3 days, although he actually wanted to stay longer.

Anyone in his shoes would think the same.

In these three days, he exclaimed again and again that rebirth was truly wonderful.

30-year-old Fan Fan Binbing, plus 22-year-old Wen Yushan.

What is called "joy in the deep spring of the emerald curtains, red lips whispering long stories of love." What is called "delicate posture leaning softly, heart and soul swaying, whispers murmuring in beautiful dreams."

He had thoroughly experienced it.

Chen Nuo felt that he might only need to stay for another two or three days.

His ability to write poetry would probably improve by leaps and bounds, and he would no longer need to switch from one room to another at night.

However, the phone calls from back home were coming in one after another like life-threatening demands.

In the end, he had to leave Wen Yushan to continue as a guest in Toronto, waiting for Allison to handle things in LA.

He flew back to the country with Linghu.

On the night of March 10, 2011, at 11:20 PM, there were quite a few reporters squatting outside the Beijing airport.

Huang Hongwei was one of them.

Like the others, he was here to squat for "Brother Big Coat."

Brother Big Coat, whose real name was Zhu Zhiwen, became popular last year for participating in Shandong TV's *I Am a Big Star*, and then participated in *Avenue of Stars*, and even this year's Spring Festival Gala, making him famous all over the country.

Today, there was gossip that he would come to Beijing to participate in a CCTV program.

So even after 11 PM, there were still many reporters at the exit of Terminal 2 where he was.

Of course, he also knew that many peers were squatting at T3.

That was because there was some gossip that Chen Nuo might return to the country in the next few days. Because the paparazzi in the US hadn't had any news about him for several days.

So, many people had been trying their luck at T3 these days.

Huang Hongwei scoffed at this. He didn't think that with that elusive style of his, he would be caught by them.

But just at this moment, he noticed a few paparazzi on the opposite side suddenly running away like crazy.

Before he could react, people around him were also running.

Huang Hongwei grabbed one with quick eyes and hands and asked: "What's going on?"

The person struggled but couldn't break free, so he had to say: "They said over there that they saw Chen Nuo's name landing."

Huang Hongwei was stunned for a moment, then reacted and cursed: "Damn!" Now he couldn't care about Brother Big Coat or Brother Small Coat, turning around and running toward T3.

At the same time, the reporters at the T2 exit also swarmed into action, some running directly to the parking lot, trying to hail a taxi or jump into their own cars, while others dialed phones to notify other colleagues, the scene in chaos.

Huang Hongwei ran a few steps and found it was too far to run, but luckily, there was an airport shuttle bus that had just stopped in front of him, and he decisively jumped on it.

The shuttle bus drove for less than 5 minutes and arrived at the T3 exit.

As soon as Huang Hongwei got off the bus, he saw that the T3 exit was already packed, with dozens of reporters and paparazzi surrounding it in a circle, flashlights flashing non-stop, and shouts rising one after another.

"Chen Nuo! Look here! What are your plans for returning to the country?"

"Chen Nuo, can you talk about the Oscars?"

"Chen Nuo, can you reveal your new movie?"

"Chen Nuo..."

Not only reporters, but also countless travelers were following on the periphery, holding their phones high.

Huang Hongwei couldn't even squeeze into the outermost circle, so he could only raise his camera, aim it in that direction, and take a few shots as a last resort.

Finally, he could only see from afar a man wearing a black baseball cap and a mask, lowering his head and walking quickly toward a black nanny van, drilling into the car, the door closing, and driving away rapidly.

"Damn it!" Huang Hongwei cursed fiercely again.

Then his eyes rolled, and he decided to camp out at T3 starting today.

Since you've returned, you have to go out eventually! I don't believe it!

Chen Nuo had returned to the country.

This news spread rapidly online through the lenses of these paparazzi, and also quickly reached the ears of all parties.

In the brightly lit Huawei Building in Shenzhen.

Yu Chengdong received this news just as he was about to get off work.

He almost didn't hesitate at all before saying to his secretary, "You immediately book me the earliest flight tomorrow, I'll fly to Beijing tomorrow to talk to him face-to-face."

Assistant Liu agreed and asked: "Do you need me to contact them now?"

Yu Chengdong instinctively wanted to nod, but immediately realized and shook his head: "Forget it, it's too late, no one will be at work, let's talk after we go over tomorrow morning."

In a high-end residential area in Beijing.

Zheng Zhongjian had just finished taking a shower and was preparing to sleep.

A woman in her 30s was clinging to his back, whining and humming, but today was too busy, and Principal Zheng was a bit powerless, so he pretended not to hear.

The woman hummed in dissatisfaction, said nothing more, and turned away.

After a while, Zheng Zhongjian suddenly heard the woman say: "Hey, Principal, Chen Nuo has returned to the country."

Zheng Zhongjian's eyes opened suddenly, and he turned his head to ask: "Really?"

The woman nodded and said: "Hmm."

Zheng Zhongjian subconsciously wanted to touch his phone, but he stopped, then shook his head and smiled.

Forget it, let someone clean up the mess they made themselves.

Also in a villa in Beijing, Cao Guowei, who had just arrived home, hung up the phone and let out a light sigh of relief.

After the Oscars, the registered users of Sina Weibo officially exceeded the 200 million mark.

It had become the veritable leader among the few Weibos, and could almost certainly be the final winner.

Under these circumstances, it had also attracted the attention of many strategic investors.

The recent Alibaba matter had been causing a huge stir in the board of directors, giving him a headache.

Alright, now that this great god has returned, it should be able to make many people shut up.

Huawei, SARFT, Sina... the matters of these companies were indeed the content of one phone call after another urging him to return to the country.

However, what finally made Chen Nuo decide to step out of his comfort zone was another matter.

Zhang Yiyi's father, the old man of the Zhang family, had passed away.

When Chen Nuo went to the Zhang family overnight and saw Zhang Yiyi, Li Yu, and even Li Xiaotian who was helping out, he really felt terrible.

Last year, the meal of pork knuckle he ate at Zhang Yiyi's house when he was alone in Beijing was a memory he still couldn't erase to this day.

After comforting Zhang Yiyi's mother, he went out into the courtyard.

Although there was no expression on Zhang Yiyi's face and he was quite calm, Chen Nuo could feel the surging emotions in his heart.

At this time, there was no way to say much, and he couldn't even stay long. Because the friends and relatives of the Zhang family present were all surrounding him, holding their phones and taking pictures non-stop.

It was estimated that if he didn't leave, the paparazzi would be coming.

"Go, go do your work." Zhang Yiyi hugged him tightly, his voice finally choking up, "Good brother, thank you."

Chen Nuo patted Zhang Yiyi's back hard, saying nothing.

After leaving Zhang Yiyi's house, Chen Nuo's mood was naturally not good.

Even though it was already past 3 AM, he had no sleepiness at all, and asked expressionlessly in the car: "Tell me, what exactly is going on? Who blocked *No Man's Land* and where? How did it have problems and fail to pass the censorship?"

PS:

The wind is tight recently, I can only write poetry, please bear with me.

(End of chapter)