Chapter 366: Auditions

The entertainment industry, this arena of fame and fortune, is sometimes truly fascinating.

By all rights, Zhao Zhao Yanzi, having become a director with 600 million yuan in box office thanks to "So Young," should have everyone around her flocking to her.

In reality, most of her classmates and friends within the industry have indeed done exactly that.

But the most interesting thing is that an exception has emerged among them: her classmate, Chen Kun.

During the release of "So Young," he not only failed to offer a single word of promotion, but has now deleted all Weibo posts related to Zhao Zhao Yanzi, including the birthday blessing he gave her in March.

This has caused the industry and the media to speak with many voices at once, greatly fueling their gossiping hearts.

A huge number of Zhao Zhao Yanzi's fans besieged Chen Kun's Weibo, scolding and cursing him, accusing him of rudeness and pettiness, and saying he lacks the loyalty, righteousness, and cultivation of his classmate, the Yellow Emperor.

Chen Kun, far away in Cannes, was quite direct when facing media interviews.

"My friendship with her is really not as good as everyone thinks; it is merely the friendship of gentlemen."

"Furthermore, I am truly very disgusted that during the release of 'So Young,' I was repeatedly and constantly brought up to hype the movie with talk of friendship..."

Before this response even allowed netizens to react, many of Zhao Zhao Yanzi's friends within the industry immediately unfollowed Chen Kun.

Even her brother jumped out to post a sarcastic message:

"Does Zhao Wei absolutely need a 'friend' like you? What does the box office success have to do with you? Acting like you're some big shot."

The fire of gossip online seemed to be ignited in an instant; was this a 'breakup' between two top-tier A-list stars?

At this moment, Lin Nan, while taking a call from Huang Huang Xiaoming, couldn't help but tease:

"Everyone says you are the mainland's Andy Lau; your conduct in dealing with people is simply smooth beyond words, becoming a benchmark."

Huang Huang Xiaoming was not the least bit modest. "I still have to keep working hard; the more friends, the more paths, right, Lin Dao?"

Lin Nan knew the purpose of Huang Huang Xiaoming's call and didn't beat around the bush anymore:

"Everyone must audition this time. When the time comes, just come directly; you will need makeup and costume changes."

"So formal? That makes sense; to fit the image of a soldier from that era, I suppose I should keep some stubble?"

"About right."

"Alright then, I will definitely arrive on time and strive for an exceptional performance, hehe..."

In Lin Nan's view, Huang Huang Xiaoming was not suitable for the male lead, but he could try out for the third male lead.

Just like his image in "A Man Called Hero," with scruffy stubble and a bit of makeup, he would be a perfect positive image of a soldier in our army.

The company's audition arrangements for all actors had already been sent via email. The casting for "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy" will officially begin in two days.

The box office for "American Dreams in China" smoothly surged past 300 million; judging by the box office trend, the momentum is very strong.

The Hong Kong circle was even more excited than the mainland media.

It was as if the success of this movie was entirely Chen Chen Kexin's Ren De Gong.

At this time, Bona and China Star also took the opportunity to announce their new movie: "From Vegas to Macau."

Chow Yun-fat stars in a gambling film again!

Not just the film industry, but countless viewers and fans were also drawn by this news, with anticipation instantly maxed out.

The background music of "God of Gamblers" involuntarily rang in their ears.

The media, like cats smelling fish, reported on it one after another.

"After many years, Wang Jing teams up with Chow Yun-fat again; can they continue the classic of 'God of Gamblers'..."

"Mainland top-tier flower Miss Jing Tian will partner with Chow Yun-fat and Nicholas Tse to play the female lead in 'From Vegas to Macau'!"

A group of young actresses felt somewhat numb.

Since debuting, for seven or eight years, Miss Jing Tian has always been like this, with resources exploding to the max.

Just after finishing "New Police Story 2013" with Jackie Chan, she immediately partners with Chow Yun-fat.

Both movies feature her as the female lead, leaving everyone both envious and helpless.

"Stop scrolling through the news; we need to set off."

Usually, it was Lin Nan urging Liu Liu Yifei, but today it was reversed.

This was because the "Wolf Warrior," invested in by Miss Liu, was holding its kickoff ceremony early.

"Coming? It's rare to see you so enthusiastic. Hmm, your light makeup today looks very good."

Lin Nan put down the tablet, smiled as he pocketed his phone, and took the bag from Liu Liu Yifei's hand.

"I did my own makeup," Liu Liu Yifei said playfully.

Both were dressed in casual, sporty attire, perfect for going out for a spring outing.

And the filming location for "Wolf Warrior" is right at Jin Ling's National Forest Park.

A Mercedes SUV was parked outside the villa; the driver and assistant were both there.

"We'll arrive before noon; after the kickoff ceremony, we can still play for the afternoon, then fly back in the evening."

Liu Liu Yifei spoke with great interest about the itinerary, grabbing Lin Nan's hand and walking out.

Wu Jing's mood at this moment was indescribable; he recalled past events.

Back then, the pay was not high; after years of struggle, the entire "Tooth and Nail" project was lost.

Now this is his second movie, with a budget of eighty million; he had no choice but to be cautious and take it seriously.

"Will Lin Dao and the others arrive today?" Wu Jing asked Xie Nan uncertainly.

For the "Wolf Warrior" kickoff press conference, the biggest stars were Lin Nan and Liu Liu Yifei.

"Yes, I specifically called Liu Liu Yifei to confirm yesterday."

"If you started filming two days later, they absolutely wouldn't be able to come, because Lin Dao's new film is also starting auditions."

Xie Nan had already fully thrown herself into the role of the supportive wife, and was handling it with ease.

Quite a few media outlets were already waiting at the "Wolf Warrior" crew.

To put it bluntly, neither the film industry nor the media were very optimistic about this film that Wu Jing was going to direct and star in himself.

Because a very practical issue was that virtually every military-themed film on the market lost money.

And most of the media reporters had come for the investor behind "Wolf Warrior," namely Liu Liu Yifei.

When Lin Nan and Liu Liu Yifei stepped out of the crew vehicle wearing sunglasses, they immediately drew plenty of attention.

"Lin Dao, Liu Yifei."

Xie Nan stepped forward first and shared a hug with Miss Liu.

"If it weren't for 'Wolf Warrior' starting up here, I definitely would have gone to audition for 'Taking Mount Mount Weihu.'" Wu Jing said with a laugh as he walked over.

"That really is a pity — you play a soldier, the image fits you perfectly."

Lin Nan greeted Wu Jing while sweeping a glance over the crew's opening-day set.

How to put it — a bit bleak. Very few people from the industry had come to show support, and almost all of them were from Enlight and had decent ties with Xie Nan.

At present, Wu Jing and Xie Nan's status and influence in the entertainment industry still fell a bit short...

"Lin Dao."

He shook hands with Yu Nan — this one was the type of actor who grew on you: "Schedule conflict, otherwise I could have let you audition for 'Taking Mount Mount Weihu.'"

"Bad timing, what a pity." Yu Nan said with a smile and a nod.

"The schedule really is bad timing, otherwise I could have gone to audition for Lin Dao Nan's 'Taking Mount Mount Weihu' as Zuo Zuo Shandiao, haha..."

Lin Nan spotted Ni Ni Dahong — another seasoned, skill-based veteran actor.

"I'm also looking forward to working with Teacher Ni Ni Dahong next time." Lin Nan replied with a smile.

Nearly an hour later, the opening ceremony for "Wolf Warrior" officially began.

Because of Lin Nan and Liu Liu Yifei's arrival, the media reporters on site got noticeably more excited — after all, those were the only two big names.

…………

By the afternoon, Wu Jing had already entered the filming of "Wolf Warrior."

Lin Nan, meanwhile, was out with Liu Liu Yifei, Xie Nan and the others enjoying a spring outing in the forest park — the feeling was pretty nice!

The media and the internet already had reports about this side.

"A military action film produced by Red Star Fort, directed by Wu Jing, starring Wu Jing, Yu Nan, Ni Ni Dahong and others, 'Wolf Warrior' held its opening ceremony ahead of schedule today; filming has officially begun."

"Liu Liu Yifei attended the opening ceremony in the capacity of investor, with Lin Dao Nan accompanying her..."

……

When they got home that evening, Miss Liu was still full of energy, excitedly running off to post on Weibo to show off the photos she had taken during the day.

Not to mention her taste in picking outfits — that's an old issue. But her selfie skills are also very hard to describe!

The next day.

Early in the morning, quite a few RVs and luxury sedans were already parked downstairs from Lin Nan Pictures.

Today was the actresses' audition; some were waiting in their cars for their assistants to come notify them.

A small number had already gone inside the building for simple styling and a change of clothes.

Of course, there were also a very small number of media reporters staking the place out.

Lin Nan, Director Lu Yang, Guo Fan, Han Jianü and others had all come to the company early in the morning.

"Liu Yifei isn't coming?"

In the large third-floor conference room, Jiang Jiang Xuerou, who had come in carrying a stack of materials, looked at everyone and couldn't help but ask.

Lin Nan shrugged helplessly and glanced at the watch on his wrist:

"She'll probably be a while longer. Let's get started first."

"Okay."

……

The whole film had only two female roles with significant screen time — one was the Chieftain's Lady, the other a female medic.

The Chieftain's Lady role was the ornament of the bandits' lair, with quite a few plot-driving scenes.

Anyone who caught Zuo Zuo Shandiao's eye and was carried up the mountain must certainly have been quite good-looking and well-figured.

The first one to come in was Yan Yan Danchen, wearing an ordinary floral-padded jacket, styled to look like a rural woman.

"Lin Dao, Director Guo, Director Lu..." she greeted them with a smile.

"Senior Yan Yan Danchen, it's been a long time."

Some people really do stand the test of time — Yan Yan Danchen was that type, both in looks and figure.

"Your audition piece: in a state of despair over death, you learn that your son is still alive..."

Half an hour later, Jiang Jiang Xuerou saw Yan Yan Danchen out — her age and temperament weren't a fit for the female medic either.

"Let's discuss it." Lin Nan opened the floor.

"Her looks fit the part, but she's a bit too delicate — missing a touch of fierceness. The phrase 'a mother hardens for her child' doesn't come through."

Director Lu Yang cut straight to the point — Yan Yan Danchen's on-screen image was mostly like that too.

"Indeed not a fit." Guo Fan added.

Han Jianü sat there without a word, every so often pulling snacks out of her pocket and sharing them with the three beside her.

She had the self-awareness to know she was just there to make up the numbers.

Lin Nan smiled and shook his head. "First one, eliminated."

Those auditioning for the Chieftain's Lady were mostly the industry's top actresses.

The second one, for instance, was another old acquaintance — Gao Gao Yuanyuan.

……

"Not enough explosive power, and her acting is a bit lacking. Her temperament is still better suited for art-house films and that sort of thing…"

Before Lin Nan could even speak, Guo Fan gave a flat rejection right away — it was close, but not quite.

"Li Li Xiaoran, on hold…"

……

"Lu Tailang actually agreed to let Qin Lan come audition? Oh, right — they just broke up! Eliminated…"

Lin Nan was saying 'eliminated' on one side while cursing Lu Chuan on the other for being no good, having slept with someone for years for nothing!

……

"Hao Lei, on hold."

When he saw Ceng Li walk in wearing a cotton-padded-style qipao, face bare of makeup.

Lin Nan, Director Lu Yang, and Guo Fan all lit up — she really looked the part!

"Sorry for the trouble, having you wear all that in May or June weather." Lin Nan said with a smile, teasing her.

"It's an audition, after all." She said with a smile.

Ceng Li, in that outfit, showed off her figure beautifully — long legs, slim waist, curves in all the right places.

"Then let's begin."

…………

(End of chapter)