Chapter 355: Launch and Publication

The notification call was made after five o'clock, and by then Reba had already returned to the school dormitory.

Her heart was in turmoil, and she couldn't stop worrying.

Tao Hui was similar, though her expression showed slight worry.

During the audition, she boldly observed the expressions of several judges, but Jiang Heng remained stern throughout, and her performance seemed not to move him.

But the gazes of the other judges were noticeably more enthusiastic.

The problem is that the roles in Director Jiang's new film will definitely be decided by his opinion, so others probably can't say much—did we just miss out like this?

Compared to the glamorous, wealthy big stars, the life of a low-level office worker is truly boring.

She had just started her freshman year; she had never thought about these issues before, but because of this open audition, she urgently wanted to enter the entertainment industry.

The phone ring suddenly rang, breaking the dormitory's silence.

Tao Hui first looked at the phone beside her pillow, realized it wasn't hers ringing, and her face instantly turned pale.

"Hello, this is Dilireba. Sign the contract? Really? That's great, okay, I'll definitely be there on time tomorrow, thank you, thank you!"

After hanging up, Reba felt light-headed, as if she were falling into a dream.

The other girls also gathered around with looks of surprise, saying, "No way, Reba, you, you really got selected?"

"Yeah, that's what the phone call said!"

"My goodness, you're going to become a big star!"

"Hard to say, maybe just a small actor!"

"What are you joking about? Director Jiang, his films are released worldwide—you'd better not forget us later!"

Seeing her roommates crowding around Reba, Tao Hui felt bitter to the point of death, yet she didn't dare utter a mocking word.

Maybe they'll become big stars right away, while I might someday ask her for a favor, get a small role, which would surely earn more than an ordinary person.

Just as she was feeling sentimental, Tao Hui's phone also rang.

"Me? What? You're saying I was also selected? For Director Jiang's new film... oh, it's just signing with the company, no problem, I'll definitely be there on time tomorrow, thank you, thank you!"

The other girls in the room were stunned, not understanding what was happening with Tao Hui.

After the call ended, they all turned to ask what was going on.

Tao Hui got out of bed leisurely and said calmly, "Oh, the company thought my qualifications were good, so they signed me directly as an actor; they'll arrange for me to act in movies and TV dramas."

"Ah, Huihui, you, you're too amazing—I said you could do it!" Li Fei exclaimed excitedly.

The girl beside her said, "Huihui, you, you're also going to become a star?"

Tao Hui chuckled smugly, "I'm not talking about big stars—just a small actor. If it's about big stars, that's Reba; from now on we'll both be at Love Outstanding Rising, you gotta look out for me!"

After saying that, she put her arm around Reba's shoulders, looking quite affectionate.

Reba laughed, "We're good sisters; we'll definitely support each other!"

Tao Hui laughed, "Come on, I'll treat you—let's celebrate properly!"

Reba hesitated, "Or we can talk about it another night; I need to sleep early tonight, and I have to go sign the contract tomorrow morning."

Tao Hui quickly said, "Right, right, you're thinking more thoroughly!"

Li Fei said, "How about we buy some dishes and eat them back?"

The girls thought the idea was good, so they all went out, packed a few dishes from a small restaurant off-campus, bought several bottles of beer, and came back to eat and drink (no need to mention further).

The next day, Dilireba and Tao Hui went to the hotel together, discovering there were also two other girls who had come yesterday for the audition. The four signed the contract together; Reba needed to take leave from school, receive simple training at the company, and then join the shoot. After this film wraps, she'll basically go back to studying at the drama academy.

The other three girls will still focus on their studies for now; Outstanding Rising Film Company will find them training teachers and set up a simple training class.

Training will be held every evening and on weekends.

During winter and summer breaks, there will be opportunities to join the crew and act in film and TV dramas.

These girls all breathed a sigh of relief, after all they're just small actors, not big stars.

Asking them to abandon their studies wholeheartedly to go film would be temporarily impossible; this arrangement is pretty good for now.

After Reba left and finished handling school matters, she immediately took a flight to Jingcheng.

Outstanding Rising Film Company arranged an apartment, assistant, agent, and driver for her, and she was also given a car—though just an Audi A4, it still made her overjoyed.

She's merely a small actor, hasn't even joined the crew yet, and yet Outstanding Rising Film Company is so generous, giving a "big gift package" upon signing!

For this, Reba somewhat humbly asked the assistant, "Why does the company give such high treatment when I'm not even famous yet?"

The female assistant laughed, "Acting in Director Jiang's film will definitely make you famous; even if you don't become a first-tier star, you'll at least be second-tier. So the treatment can be arranged in advance!"

Dilireba's expression turned to "I see," and her fondness for Outstanding Rising Film Company instantly shot to the peak.

The next afternoon, she finally had a chance to meet Jiang Heng, discovering that Director Jiang was more handsome than she'd seen on the big screen, his smile highly infectious, and his demeanor even gentler.

First, he asked if she was accustomed to her food and lodging, then briefly outlined the company's development plan for her.

Finally, he handed her a script for her to ponder first, and later a specialized teacher will train her.

Leaving Jiang Heng's office, Reba felt light-headed all over.

"What feeling?" the female assistant smiled meaningfully.

"Very good!"

"Your heart's racing?"

"Don't talk nonsense, I don't feel that way!"

The female assistant candidly said, "No need to hide it; even if you're heart-fluttering, it's normal—Director Jiang is so good, who wouldn't be? But you at least have the qualifications; people like us can only dream about it."

Hearing that, Reba couldn't help but indulge in the thought, then immediately shook her head as if trying to shake that scary notion from her mind.

"Haha!" the female assistant laughed uncontrollably.

During the One Person Under crew's open audition for Xia He's role, the other cast members were also being carefully selected.

Moreover, the shooting locations, costumes, and props were being prepared in an orderly manner.

In early April, Outstanding Rising Film Company officially issued a notice, holding the new film's launch ceremony and press conference in the capital, then promptly took the crew to West River to begin filming.

During this period, the manga company acquired by Love Outstanding Rising Film Company was also working around the clock, producing the manga; the first volume of the tankobon was even able to meet readers in mid-April.

Speaking of which, these manga were completed under Jiang Heng's guidance; the final draft before publication, naturally, he had looked over, and it was only slightly different from the version in his previous life, fortunately not a big difference.

Besides, it wasn't Jiang Heng who drew them himself, so it's not fair to be too harsh.

In the blink of an eye, a few days passed, and the tankobon of One Person Under had already filled nationwide magazine stands and bookstores; because it bore the words 'Jiang Heng's movie original manga', it can be said that as soon as it went on sale, it was snapped up.

Many readers initially bought this magazine just out of curiosity, not expecting to get hooked after a glance; they couldn't possibly anxiously wait for updates themselves, so they had to recommend it to friends!

Sales grew even hotter, and Jiang Heng's new film also began to be anticipated by more people!

(End of chapter)