Chapter 74

In the HD district, inside an office building.

This was the audition site for the drama "I Am a Special Forces Soldier"; many people had come, and at a glance, there were at least ten or so.

Qi Hui's agency indeed had no one interested in this script, but as Yang Siwei said, the entertainment industry was full of people eager to push forward.

No matter how hard or tiring, someone still wanted to give it a shot.

Like Wang Baoqiang, who played in "Blind Shaft," or Huang Bo, who played in "Crazy Stone."

Dangerous mines, stinking sewers—they'd jump right in.

Qi Hui glanced around; most people were unfamiliar, but two faces stood out as recognizable.

One was Gu Zhixin, the original Xiao Zhuang—he was from the Central Academy of Drama's class of 2000, and Qi Hui's first impression of him was as the young instructor in "Just Like Our Youth."

Later, he appeared on a variety show, paired with Qian Feng from Hunan Satellite TV, even calling each other brothers.

In truth, they were classmates and got along well.

Qian Feng had collaborated with him on "Just Like Our Youth," playing Xiao Zisheng, the former friend of the instructor.

But later, Xiao Mao and Xiao Zisheng diverged in ambition; Xiao Zisheng even went to serve under the transport unit commander.

Getting back on track, Qian Feng later ran into trouble, accused of sexual assault; Qi Hui forgot the outcome, but Qian Feng's situation was likely bad.

As for the other familiar person, Qi Hui knew him well—Wu Jing.

In 2003, he went south to Hong Kong, aiming to become the next Jet Li, but… it didn't go well.

The entertainment industry has always been about connections, and Hong Kong was even more so—a capitalist place.

In Hong Kong, Wu Jing mostly played villains as supporting roles and had almost no good resources.

Though he'd played leads before, the reception was poor and he never gained traction.

He took a lot of beatings there, lived in a small apartment, and even grew so lonely he listened to Guo Degang's crosstalk to ease his homesickness.

In 2008, unwilling to remain ordinary, he wrote and starred in "Wolf's Tooth," only to be crushed by Donnie Yen's "Ip Man."

That was bad enough, but this movie also bombed badly.

It was icing on the cake.

If he remembered right, Wu Jing had recently made "West Wind Blows" with Duan Yihong, signaling his shift of focus back to the mainland.

It also marked the failure of the kung fu kid's attempt to break into Hong Kong.

But then again… Qi Hui wondered, wasn't he supposed to take the special forces role only in "Blade of the Sword II"?

Why was he here now?

Qi Hui was observing his competitors, and the competitors were observing Qi Hui too.

Recognizing Qi Hui, they inwardly groaned—this was Xie Ruolin, the hot name from just a while ago… for them, it truly was a big name.

Xie Ruolin had high online buzz, especially after the video Qi Hui edited, which netizens kept talking about.

Add to that Qi Hui's arrest of a fugitive and the trophy he won at the White Magnolia Awards.

And most importantly, among these people, those with Qi Hui's fame weren't as young as he was; those as young as he was didn't have his fame.

And this role required someone young, someone growing from a recruit.

Now, the competitors were thoroughly stumped.

With his career going so well, why skip variety shows and paid performances to come here and compete for this small script?

And this guy had a buzz cut, walked with rigid precision, stood straight as a rod.

If he wasn't military-trained, he'd practiced hard before coming.

Thinking this, the competitors grumbled—how intense is this? What are you trying to do?

Isn't this a bit unfair?

Beside him, Ling Xiaosu greeted someone and walked into another room.

He was auditioning for Wang Yanbing… no, Zheng Sanpao.

In the drama, Zheng Sanpao was Xiao Zhuang's squad leader, and they had many scenes together.

Soon, the auditions began.

Everyone lined up in order, waiting their turn.

Wu Jing, for some reason, quietly stepped back and slipped over to Qi Hui's side.

"Hello," he greeted.

"Senior Wu, hello," Qi Hui smiled slightly: "I grew up watching your dramas, especially 'Tai Chi Master'…"

Ding~

Before he finished speaking, a system chime rang in his mind.

【Host has contacted actor Wu Jing, gains one lottery chance. Draw now?】

Qi Hui's heart stirred; he silently thought: Draw.

【Congratulations, Host has obtained skill: Proficient Gun Performance (Level 1 Warrior Rank)】

Qi Hui raised an eyebrow, his eyes instantly brightening—if he remembered right, this rank was just below Yingwu Rank?

Holy shit, awesome!

"Uh… hah, you actually watched 'Tai Chi Master'?" Wu Jing chuckled awkwardly; he felt like an ancient relic in front of Qi Hui.

Age didn't help, fame didn't help, even appearance didn't help… how could he compete?

Wu Jing felt he probably couldn't beat this kid.

"Senior Wu is known for action films, why suddenly try a military drama?" Qi Hui asked curiously.

Before his transmigration, he thought he'd seen marketing accounts mention this, but… who remembered what marketing accounts said?

Wu Jing sneered: "There are too many pretty boys now—it's disgusting!"

It wasn't just that—he'd once been deeply moved by soldiers' bravery and had longed for it.

Upon hearing this, Qi Hui gave a slight nod, rolled his eyes, and asked: "If you don't land the audition for Male Lead Number One, would you consider playing a supporting role?"

After all, Old Ling was auditioning for a supporting role, so Qi Hui asked in advance.

"No." Wu Jing shook his head, glanced at Qi Hui, and said: "If it doesn't work out, I'll just find the problem, then fix it."

Before he came back he played supporting roles, after coming back he still plays supporting roles — wouldn't that make his return pointless?

And it's a supporting role in a TV drama, no less.

That kind of thing he found hard to accept; he had his own pride.

Time passed bit by bit, and Qi Hui asked Wu Jing about his experiences on Hong Kong Island.

Wu Jing glanced at Qi Hui, began speaking slowly, and then... once he started, he couldn't stop.

At first he still held back a little, only stating objective facts without mixing in personal commentary, then it turned into complaints.

Later on, he even muttered a few curse words under his breath.

It was obvious he hadn't been doing too well for himself on Hong Kong Island.

"Just the two of you left, come on in together." At that moment, someone poked his head out and called.

Wu Jing and Qi Hui looked up, only to realize everyone ahead of them had already gone in.

They'd been so engrossed in their conversation just now that they hadn't noticed the time.

Upon hearing this, Qi Hui and Wu Jing exchanged a glance and walked into the room.

A long table sat in the room, with three chairs, occupied by three people.

On the far left was a buzz-cut fatty — if he remembered correctly, he should be the author of the original novel "The Last Bullet for Me."

He was also the director of this drama.

The one sitting in the middle was a gaunt middle-aged man, and on the far right sat a man in military uniform.

Seeing Qi Hui and Wu Jing come in, the three raised their heads and simultaneously sized up Qi Hui.

They didn't look at Wu Jing, though.

The reason was simple: Qi Hui had an upright build and a buzz cut, and at first glance he didn't look like an actor but more like a soldier.

For an actor, cutting off one's own hair was no small thing — enough to show his attitude and determination.

Moreover, every movement Qi Hui made carried a military flavor; it was obvious he had trained.

At this, the three stared intently at Qi Hui — among all the auditioners, Qi Hui had done the best job.

"Alright, let's begin the audition." Liu Meng chuckled and had his assistant hand the script to Qi Hui and Wu Jing.

"Let's do Scene 33." Liu Meng said: "We start in five minutes."

This scene was from the military exercise, when Xiao Zhuang changed into civilian clothes and escaped the encirclement of Dog Head Old Gao.

In that scene, Xiao Zhuang claimed to be a college student, handed over his student ID, and luckily dodged the pursuit — he even swindled Dog Head Old Gao out of 100 yuan for travel money, becoming the hope of the whole company.

Qi Hui's eyes lit up — playing a college student... this I'm good at!