Chapter 5: Lin Pinru Plays Ellie

"Let's begin the audition," the director said after a light cough, composing his emotions.

"I need to see your performance in front of the camera."

As he spoke, he flipped through the script: "Let's try scene 125."

"Chi Xuanyi, you'll act with them and play the role of Ellie for once."

Using Lin Pinru to play Ellie?

The producer and the screenwriter were somewhat speechless.

But there was only one female actress present; they couldn't very well have these men go up there posing and preening, could they?

"Oh... um... no problem," Qiu Chixuan said, stumbling over her words.

She understood Chinese but couldn't communicate fluently.

Hearing this, Qi Hui glanced at scene 125, read its content, and his expression became somewhat strange.

This scene was the one where Hong Shixian and Ellie were having an affair in the Hong family bedroom, which was also Lin Pinru's bedroom, and were finally caught by Lin Pinru.

Zhang Ruoyun wore a heavy and solemn expression, reading the script carefully; having just been crushed by two senior brothers, he decided to regain some face.

He couldn't let himself be looked down upon like this.

Ling Xiaosu pondered the character and the persona, figuring out how to act in a moment.

Qi Hui... he was somewhat lost in thought; this play felt a bit strange.

A few minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and Qiu Chixuan had already moved a chair and sat down in front of the camera.

"Begin, following the order from just now," the director said.

Xiao Zhang took a deep breath, walked forward slowly, and approached Qiu Chixuan.

Qiu Chixuan sat in the chair and performed a set of imaginary actions, pretending to apply makeup to her face by touching the air.

"Why are you wearing Lin Pin's clothes?" Zhang Ruoyun asked with his hands on his hips, his expression somewhat arrogant: "And using her things too?"

He had not forgotten Young Master Hong Shixian's identity.

"Uh... since we want to... um... seek excitement..." Qiu Chixuan stammered out her lines.

But before she could finish, Xiao Zhang couldn't hold it in anymore; his emotions weren't steady.

"Cut!" the director shouted directly.

The reason he chose this scene was because it had only one line of dialogue for the male lead and one for the female lead.

But unexpectedly, there were still problems.

Xiao Zhang felt somewhat depressed; he hadn't even used his full strength yet.

"Teacher Ling, you go next," the director said.

"Um... should I use Mandarin or Korean?" Qiu Chixuan asked, raising her hand.

Part of the blame for the previous audition attempt lay with her.

"Korean," Ling Xiaosu said, patting his chest: "I'll pick up your scene."

"Thank you," Qiu Chixuan said gratefully.

"Begin."

Qiu Chixuan turned around, sat back in the chair busily, and kept applying imaginary makeup to her face.

Ling Xiaosu walked up from behind, tugged at her clothes: "Why are you wearing Lin Pin's clothes? And using her things too?"

The director nodded slightly; he had about five percent of Hong Shixian's look now.

Qiu Chixuan stood up, a seductive expression appearing on her face: "자극을추구해야되니까..."

"???" Ling Xiaosu paused for a moment:

"It's my turn, right?"

"... 그럼끝까지지켜봐야죠."

The two spoke at the same time, then fell silent at the same time.

The scene had a hint of awkwardness.

A few seconds later, Qiu Chixuan couldn't hold it in first and tentatively asked: "How about... I use Mandarin after all?"

"Cut!" the director said somewhat speechlessly, calling a halt: "Let's pause for now."

Qiu Chixuan stood awkwardly in place; she also knew it was because of her that the audition had some problems.

"Miss Qiu, be more confident," Qi Hui said in Korean:

"The Ellie you are playing is a confident, proud character."

"This doesn't match the character."

Qiu Chixuan paused slightly, then took a deep breath: "Okay, I understand."

The two communicated in Korean; those present looked on, not understanding why, but they could see that Qiu Chixuan had swept away the awkwardness and lack of confidence from just now.

She looked a bit more like Ellie now.

The director looked at the two, felt a stir in his heart, and immediately said: "Qi Hui, you two start the audition."

"Speak Korean," Qi Hui said to Qiu Chixuan in Korean.

Qiu Chixuan nodded slightly, turned around, and sat in the chair just as before, using the air to apply makeup to her face.

She was now Ellie, wearing Lin Pinru's pajamas.

She was applying makeup at Lin Pinru's vanity table.

Behind her, the Hong Shixian played by Qi Hui emerged from the "bathroom," still holding a hand towel.

Relaxed, natural, just like in his own home.

The director nodded; this was how Hong Shixian looked at home.

Seeing Ellie wearing Lin Pin's clothes in front of the vanity table, Hong Shixian couldn't help but walk forward in confusion.

Gently tugging at the nightgown on 【Ai Li】, she asked in confusion in Mandarin: "Why are you wearing Lin Pinru's clothes? And using someone else's things?"

Not bad... the director nodded; this was the Hong Shixian he had envisioned.

Qiu Chixuan stood up, flicking her hair lightly to her side, a seductive, bewitching smile on her face:

"If we're going to pursue excitement, we might as well carry it through to the end..."

As she spoke, she gently tugged at her own clothes to show them to Qi Hui, then looked at Qi Hui with a graceful, smiling expression, her eyes utterly captivating.

Qi Hui pressed his lips together, barely able to hold back his smile, and said involuntarily:

"You're so flirtatious..."

Saying this, he immediately pulled Lin Pinru's portrayal of Ai Li into his arms.

The director's eyes lit up; this line wasn't in the script, but it was interesting!

"Hahahaha..." Ling Xiaosu and Zhang Ruoyun laughed wildly on the side.

That line was too funny.

The producer, the screenwriter, and the others present were equally unable to hold back their laughter.

"Haha... cough, cough, cut!" The director came to his senses and immediately called for a stop.

In front of the camera, Qi Hui slowly lowered Qiu Chixuan, whom he had lifted high.

"Oppa..." Qiu Chixuan, her face flushed, hadn't quite recovered yet.

His body was so hard, his strength so great, and he smelled so good.

"Not bad." The director, with a stern face, said: "You can leave for now; we'll notify you of the results."

"Don't go too far; stay near the hotel," the producer said. "The results will be out soon."

Hearing this, the three of Qi Hui exchanged glances, somewhat puzzled.

Shouldn't they go back and wait for the results first?

After Qi Hui and the other two left and the door closed, the director tapped the table, cleared his throat lightly, and said to the producer:

"The audition is over. I won't interfere with who gets the male lead, but I'd like to share my opinion."

The producer nodded, gesturing for him to continue.

"Ling Xiaosu's acting isn't bad; he performed very well just now," the director said. "Although the language caused some difficulties, it was still acceptable."

"However, Qi Hui is better. His acting is on par with Ling Xiaosu's, and he has no language barriers."

As for Zhang Ruoyun, he was ignored.

The producer nodded; he could see all of this himself.

Hua Xuanji then looked at the screenwriter.

"Don't look at me; I don't understand acting," the screenwriter shrugged:

"However, from a screenwriter's perspective, the one who understands the story and characters best is, of course, Qi Hui."

Zhang Ruoyun was ignored by him as well; little Zhang was just here to tag along.

The producer looked at Qiu Chixuan; she was the female lead, with many scenes between her and the male lead.

Her opinion could serve as a reference to some extent.

"Miss Qiu, what do you think..." the producer asked.

And then... then he saw Qiu Chixuan, her face flushed red, seemingly lost in thought.

Beside Qiu Chixuan, her agent pinched her thigh hard; no backbone.

"Ya... ah? What?" Qiu Chixuan reacted to the pain, then asked somewhat dazedly.

"... Forget it, pretend I didn't say anything," the producer said with a dark face; this woman was obsessed with male charm.

No need to ask; it was clear who she sided with.

After a moment of silence, the producer slowly shook his head:

"I understand what you're saying, but Qi Hui is just a newcomer with no fame."

Using a completely unknown newcomer for the male lead carries too much risk.

He wasn't targeting Qi Hui specifically; he was just speaking objectively.

Before the audition, he wouldn't have wavered at all regarding the choice for the male lead.

After the audition, the fact that he wavered already speaks volumes about Qi Hui's ability.

"Let me add one more point," the director said:

"Although Qi Hui has no fame, his salary isn't high; he saves money."

"Hmm?" Hearing this, the producer paused, his eyes brightening slightly.

"Not only does he save money," the director continued, "but he also understands Korean and has a very good grasp of the script."

"These two points will make our filming much more time-efficient."

The producer took out a Hong Shuangxi cigarette and lit it silently.

Time-saving... for a film crew, saving time means saving money.

Amidst the faint swirling smoke, the producer's mind began to waver once again.