Chapter 14: Family Members

Jiang Qin’s performance truly made Wu Yuchen view her in a new light.

The words she spoke were vivid, and her casual curses highlighted the character’s personality.

“Did you base your performance on a real person?” Wu Yuchen asked.

Jiang Qin smiled and admitted: “The female bus driver who took me from my hometown to Jingcheng.”

Wu Yuchen nodded unconsciously, thinking she had observed carefully—though her imitation showed a hint of artifice, it was still quite good.

Just as Jiang Qin was about to step back after her performance, Wu Yuchen suddenly spoke:

“I’ll ask you this—if you were the bus driver and got robbed halfway, would you just hand over the money?”

Jiang Qin thought for a moment and asked back: “Was the robber dangerous?”

Wu Yuchen nodded:

“Dangerous—tall and big, clearly not someone to mess with, face full of menace, holding a knife.”

“Then I’d definitely give in and hand him the money,” Jiang Qin said cheerfully, admitting defeat outright.

Wu Yuchen chuckled, said nothing more, but now studied Jiang Qin’s face closely.

Though called the “most beautiful classical beauty,” Jiang Qin’s face wasn’t the round, soft oval of classical beauty—it had sharp angles, a feature that suited the role well.

“Go eat your meals now, and wait for my news~” Huang Lei smiled at the group of girls he’d brought.

After the girls chattered and laughed their way out, Huang Lei walked over to Wu Yuchen and patted his shoulder:

“How about it? Aren’t your senior sisters pretty good?”

“Meh, decent enough.”

“Come on, don’t act so cocky in front of me—I’ll stop helping you if you keep it up!

I’m asking you straight: are you interested in Qin Qin?”

Huang Lei wasn’t stupid—Jiang Qin had clearly demonstrated the perfect temperament for the bus driver role: that fiery, unbridled spirit of a rogue with nothing left to lose. And Wu Yuchen had singled her out with a question—his intent was obvious.

Wu Yuchen didn’t answer right away, mentally reviewing Jiang Qin’s acting career.

During the casting for “The Legend of the Condor Heroes,” her online votes for Little Dragon Maiden had crushed all other actresses—but she’d been tricked by Big Beard Zhang… no, not that part.

First came “Half a Lifelong Romance,” where she portrayed the ruthless Gu Manlu—a performance worthy of a Best Actress award, proving her extraordinary talent. Liu Jialing had played Gu Manlu too, but she was utterly outshined by Jiang Qin.

Later, she played the female lead in “Qiaojiada Academy,” winning both the Feitian Award and the Golden Eagle Award for Best Actress.

After starring in several Qiong Yao dramas, Jiang Qin refused to remain a pretty face—she had ambition and wanted to prove herself, and she ultimately did.

Wu Yuchen, combining her performance just now with her past career trajectory, concluded she had talent, was moldable, willing to work hard, and wasn’t one of those aimless actors.

Wu Yuchen glanced at Huang Lei, recalling how enthusiastically he’d helped. He thought of the actress he’d originally planned to approach—Gong Beibi from the Central Academy of Drama—she was also a sophomore this year, and no stronger than Jiang Qin.

Wu Yuchen smiled and gave Huang Lei a thumbs-up:

“No wonder you’re Senior Huang—I’m an open book to you.

Senior Sister Jiang Qin is indeed excellent—thank you for your help~”

Huang Lei now wore a proud smile—he’d personally mentored her:

“Don’t be fooled by how pretty Qin Qin looks—deep down, she’s got that spicy, stubborn mountain-town girl spirit. She’s hardworking at school, and last year, despite dozens of guys chasing her, she ignored them all.

I’ll tell you, plenty of guys wanted her to act in their plays—if it weren’t for your senior brother here, you’d never have gotten her into your crew.”

Wu Yuchen nodded honestly—he admitted it was true.

Before entering school, Jiang Qin had already starred in the hit TV drama “Xi Shi,” directed by Yang Jie of “Journey to the West,” who filmed her Xi Shi as if she were a fairy.

So Jiang Qin was already famous before enrollment—when she arrived last year, she immediately pushed Xu Cairen out of the spotlight and was publicly crowned the Jingying campus beauty; inviting her wasn’t easy at all.

These campus gossip about beauties—when the dorm lights went off at night, the guys talked nonstop—Wu Yuchen naturally knew all about them.

“Alright, I’ll tell Qin Qin about this today—she’ll probably say yes.”

“Thank you, Senior Brother!”

Wu Yuchen and Huang Lei walked out of the classroom smiling.

“Wait a second,” Wu Yuchen was called back as they were about to part—he turned to Huang Lei.

Huang Lei pulled a thick envelope from his chest and shoved it straight into Wu Yuchen’s hand.

Wu Yuchen felt it immediately—he knew what it was, and the thickness suggested at least several thousand yuan!

“Senior Brother, I can’t take this—you’ve helped me so much already, I can’t take your money…”

Seeing Wu Yuchen try to return it, Huang Lei blocked his hand:

“You were so friendly when you came to me yesterday—why are you being formal now?”

“Senior Brother, it’s too much…”

“I’m an actor who gets paid—do you think I’m short on cash?

And isn’t your crew short on funds?

This isn’t much—five thousand yuan, barely enough to buy four rolls of film.

Save every penny, and just make a good movie!”

Wu Yuchen was genuinely moved—yesterday he’d only been playing the poor card, saying the crew had less than twenty thousand yuan. He hadn’t expected Huang Lei to actually remember—and now he was personally funding them five thousand yuan.

According to Wu Yuchen’s original budget, after buying equipment, thirty thousand yuan should’ve been enough. But since extra cash could help in emergencies, he decided not to refuse—having this five thousand yuan gave him peace of mind.

Huang Lei’s willingness to invest stemmed first and foremost from being moved by the “Car 44” script—even though he wouldn’t act in it, he wanted such a great story to be filmed.

He also genuinely believed in Wu Yuchen—talented, highly proactive, and able to assemble a crew so quickly. His potential alone made him worth investing in; at least this money wouldn’t vanish—it was like helping the school cultivate talent.

Then Huang Lei put an arm around Wu Yuchen’s shoulder and said solemnly:

“Also, remember—we’re all Jingying brothers. Family must look out for family!”

Wu Yuchen understood Huang Lei’s meaning—without this brotherly bond, who would help him? It was also a lesson in giving back to the alma mater through action.

Wu Yuchen nodded sincerely, and inwardly marveled—back then, school ties were far stronger than they were in the future.

…

In the dorm, as Jiang Qin returned after being called out by Huang Lei, Chen Shasha leaned over and asked:

“Hey, Qin Qin, did Senior Huang come to talk to you about the short film?”

“Mm-hmm,” Jiang Qin nodded.

“Did you say yes?”

“Not yet—I want to read the script first.”

Jiang Qin shook the script in her hand. She trusted Huang Lei, but she still needed to see if the script aligned with her taste.

“I’d turn him down—first-year student, comes to us to act and acts all high and mighty, rude to boot~” Chen Shasha pouted.

“Shasha, he’s not targeting you,” Jiang Qin smiled.

Jiang Qin, still feeling slightly guilty toward Wu Yuchen over past events, spoke up for him—she thought if the script was decent, she’d do it; after all, Senior Huang said it’d only take a weekend.