Chapter 496

May 14, 2016, Saturday, 1:00 p. m.

The underground parking lot of Huayue Film and Television Company's building.

A luxury black sedan entered the parking lot, stopped at an empty spot, and two people got out.

Ruan Lin, who had been acting since childhood for seven or eight years, got out of the car with her mother and agent, Lyu Yilan, and walked beside her mother toward the elevator.

"Have you memorized the script lines?" Lyu Yilan asked as she stepped into the elevator, adding the question as an afterthought.

"Mom, you've already asked me several times today," Ruan Lin sighed. "Isn't that annoying?"

"This opportunity is rare—there aren't many competitors. You must seize it," Lyu Yilan frowned, lowering her voice. "When you were younger, playing child roles in TV dramas just required some connections."

"Now you've grown up—you can't play children anymore, but adult roles aren't available to you either."

"This time, finally, there's a Gao Zhongsheng role with substantial plotlines. You must take this seriously."

"Didn't you say you wanted to buy that dress? Think carefully about it yourself."

"I know, I know," Ruan Lin said absentmindedly, twirling a strand of her long hair; her face bore light makeup, making her look strikingly beautiful at a glance.

She was seventeen, about to enter Gao San; since entering high school, landing roles had become exponentially harder.

It wasn't because her acting was poor—on the contrary, as she grew older and had been immersed in film sets since childhood, her acting was actually flawless.

But roles suited to her age group were extremely scarce.

Even when they existed, they were mostly minor, disposable parts.

This audition for "Little Joy" was one of the rare opportunities recently suited to her.

Even without Lyu Yilan's reminders, she understood its importance and had practiced privately countless times.

So Lyu Yilan's constant nagging had made her ears numb.

When the elevator finally reached the fourth floor of Huayue Film and Television, Lyu Yilan and Ruan Lin saw the audition poster and signs at the elevator entrance and quickly found the audition location.

It was a spacious hall, with many people waiting.

Lyu Yilan pulled Ruan Lin along and, unlike other auditionees who casually sat down, scanned the room, spotted a staff member, and politely greeted them.

After chatting for a moment, the staff member pointed in a direction; Lyu Yilan thanked him with a smile and hurriedly pulled Ruan Lin down the corridor, soon finding a conference room and knocking on the door.

"Who is it?" A middle-aged man opened the door, glanced, then recognized them. "Lyu Yilan?"

"Director Chu, hello, it's been a long time," Lyu Yilan smiled warmly, then quickly pulled Ruan Lin forward. "Director Chu, this is our Ruan Lin—do you remember her? We worked together on 'Bad Wife at Home.'"

"Hello, Director Chu~" Ruan Lin sweetly greeted Chu Jiyong.

"Of course I remember!" Chu Jiyong, the assistant director of "Little Joy," chuckled and stepped back half a pace to clear the doorway. "Come in—Director Wang and the others are inside. You can meet them first."

"Thank you, Director Chu!" Lyu Yilan's smile widened fully as she hurriedly pulled Ruan Lin behind Chu Jiyong into the conference room.

The conference room was small, with just a small table that could seat about five or six people.

But the room wasn't empty.

Lyu Yilan followed Chu Jiyong inside and swept her eyes across the room, instantly absorbing the scene, then stiffened.

Among them:

Seated at the head of the table was Wang Jun, the director of "Little Joy."

To his left sat Zhang Ruiwen, the producer of "Little Joy," an old friend of Wang Jun's.

To his right sat a very young man.

Before arriving, Lyu Yilan had done her homework and dared not underestimate him.

He was the original author of the novel "Little Joy."

According to what Chu Jiyong had privately told her, this young novelist was no ordinary person.

It was rumored that he had invested a large portion of the funding for "Little Joy."

Besides these three, there were two other key crew members: the head of cinematography and the head of makeup and costume.

But what truly made Lyu Yilan stiffen wasn't any of these people—it was the three girls sitting by the window on unused chairs behind the original author!

Honestly,

Lyu Yilan's original goal was simple.

Gao Zhongsheng—no one at that age could match the skill of seasoned actors.

As long as the acting was decent, the rest came down to appearance, physique, and aura—whether they matched the character.

If several candidates were roughly equal, it came down to the judges' personal preference or hidden connections.

Lyu Yilan's relationship with Chu Jiyong was merely past collaboration and decent rapport.

She had even treated him to dinner to learn some behind-the-scenes details.

This time, she planned to bring Ruan Lin ahead of the audition to get familiar with the crew.

If the other candidates were equally qualified, perhaps that prior familiarity would tip the role to Ruan Lin.

But…

What the hell were those three girls by the window?!

Lyu Yilan believed her daughter Ruan Lin was among the most outstanding in appearance and physique among girls her age.

Yet these three girls, at a glance, were no less impressive.

And even…

Had someone already come ahead of her and her daughter to charm the director?

Though she'd anticipated this possibility, she hadn't expected three—three of them!

And all three had equally outstanding appearances and physiques.

This instantly filled Lyu Yilan with intense anxiety.

After all, although "Little Joy" had two other female Gao Zhongsheng supporting roles, their screen time was far less than the character "Qiao Yingzi."

If they failed to secure this role, it would be a real loss.

Lü Yilan thought of this, her mind racing, and first pulled Ruan Lin to greet Wang Jun and the others.

Then she cast another glance at the three girls by the window, making some judgments in her mind.

Hmm… the one on the left has too large a chest; although Qiao Yingzi's physique isn't described, a large chest would break immersion—it's not suitable for this role.

The one on the right… her face is too refined, her legs are long too, probably quite tall—also not suitable.

But the one in the middle… hmm…

That pure and lovely face, just-right figure, paired with her natural aura—she truly matches Qiao Yingzi's image perfectly.

Seeing this, Lü Yilan's sense of crisis deepened.

Beside her, Ruan Lin, though not thinking as much as her mother, still unconsciously fixed her gaze on the girls around her own age.

But unlike the caution and vigilance in Lü Yilan and Ruan Lin's eyes, the three girls by the window remained calm, their eyes only curious.

Even when they saw the equally beautiful Ruan Lin, they showed no extra glances or expressions.

After Lü Yilan and Ruan Lin greeted them, Chu Jiyong briefly introduced them to Wang Jun and the others.

Li Luo, seated to Wang Jun's right, sized them up and found Ruan Lin's aura and appearance quite decent.

But when Wang Jun whispered and asked him, Li Luo only smiled and shook his head: "Wait for the audition."

After mingling and making an impression, under Wang Jun's subtle signal, Chu Jiyong understood—he told Lü Yilan and Ruan Lin to leave and wait in the audition hall.

But as they reached the exit of the meeting room, Lü Yilan stole another glance at the three girls inside and couldn't help asking, "Director Chu…"

"What is it?" Chu Jiyong looked puzzled, then whispered, "The final decision still depends on audition results; getting you in here for an introduction is already generous."

"I know, I know, thank you so much, Director Chu," Lü Yilan quickly smiled, yet still couldn't resist asking, "But… I just want to ask—those three girls inside… are they…"

"Oh, you mean those three?" Chu Jiyong paused, saw Lü Yilan's worried expression, instantly understood, then laughed twice, "Relax—they're not actors. Don't overthink it. Just prepare properly."

"Huh?"

…

"Won't you reconsider?"

Inside the meeting room, Wang Jun smiled at Li Luo, then turned his gaze to Ying Chanxi sitting behind him: "Doesn't it feel like Chongran wrote Qiao Yingzi specifically for you?"

After all, they were childhood friends, and in the recently concluded novel "Little Joy," Fang Yifan and Qiao Yingzi both got into the same university—something that sparks endless imagination.

Although Li Luo indeed based the story on the TV drama version of "Little Joy," Ying Chanxi, in certain ways, does possess traits that align perfectly with the character in the book.

Add to that her exceptional appearance and aura, and it's no surprise Director Wang Jun felt she was perfect the moment he saw her.

Originally, when Wang Jun met Ying Chanxi today, he assumed Li Luo had specifically brought her for the audition, just to make an impression.

Just like Assistant Director Chu Jiyong had people like Lü Yilan come in through connections to make an impression.

Such social exchanges are completely normal in the industry; everyone gives a little face—it costs nothing.

But Li Luo said the three girls were just there out of curiosity, drawn by the audition's buzz, and wouldn't be auditioning.

This disappointed Wang Jun.

But Li Luo's meaning was clear.

He himself wouldn't be playing the male lead in "Little Joy"—why would he have Ying Chanxi play the female lead?

Ying Chanxi herself wouldn't agree either.

"Thank you, Director Wang, but I still have classes to attend, and I have no acting experience—I truly appreciate your recognition," Ying Chanxi politely declined from behind.

"No problem, no problem—I just saw a promising talent and felt a bit sorry," Wang Jun smiled, waving his hand.

At this point, Chu Jiyong sat down and cautiously asked, "What about Ruan Lin just now? Though she came through my connection, I liked the girl—worked with her before, her acting was quite good."

Chu Jiyong was the assistant director recommended by the largest investor among the funding board members, who had invested fifteen million.

Although the money wasn't his own, he represented that board member's interests.

When he said this, Li Luo and Wang Jun naturally nodded.

"Make a note of her—if everyone else is about equal, go with her," Li Luo said. "But as I said, wait for the audition results."

"Of course," Chu Jiyong smiled. "Everything serves the story."

"It's almost one-thirty," producer Zhang Ruiwen said, glancing at his watch. "Let's head to the audition room—I'll have someone organize the queue."

"OK, let's go," Wang Jun stood first, and the others immediately followed.

On the way to the audition room, Xu Youyu and the others obediently followed behind Li Luo, curiously observing their surroundings.

When they reached the audition hall and passed through the crowd of auditioning girls, every eye turned toward them.

Among them, the girls auditioning for Qiao Yingzi and other high school female supporting roles instantly sensed a threat upon seeing Ying Chanxi and the two others.

Only Lü Yilan and Ruan Lin, having learned some insider information earlier, now felt less tense than before.

"You three sit over here."

After entering the audition room, Li Luo pointed to several empty chairs behind the audition panel and said to Ying Chanxi and the others, "If you get bored, go out the back door—we'll probably be busy until evening."

"Got it, go ahead and work," Ying Chanxi nodded obediently, whispering, "I just want to see how the actress playing Qiao Yingzi performs."

"That Ruan Lin just now?" Li Luo asked with a smile.

"She's okay? She's pretty—what do you think?"

"Not as suitable as you."

"So you want me to act?"

"No," Li Luo pinched her cheek and laughed. "So we'll just have to make do."

"Eee~" Xu Youyu beside her giggled teasingly, "Why doesn't Director Wang look at me and Zhusheng? Aren't we suitable?"

"Sis, your chest is too big," Yan Zhusheng cut in bluntly.

Xu Youyu: "... Isn't that a good thing?"

"Cough… too good a figure might visually overshadow the character," Li Luo coughed. "Anyway, sit down—I need to prepare too."

"Hmph," Xu Youyu huffed, crossed her arms, and sat down.

At this audition, the three of them came along primarily on Xu Youyu's suggestion.

She had previously written entertainment-themed novels, but she had never actually met a film crew in person, let alone seen an audition—much of what she wrote in her novels was pure imagination.

This was a rare opportunity, so she naturally begged Li Luo to let her come along and take a look.

As a result, Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng also insisted on coming along, and that's how things ended up.

Unbeknownst to them, their presence had already placed immense pressure on the young female actresses outside waiting to audition.