Chapter 367: Guest Appearance

"Cold and glamorous, explosive presence, looks and figure are both excellent, age is also suitable. But, the acting seems a bit lacking. Hold?"

Lin Nan nodded; Ceng Li could indeed be held.

"I think we could let Old Han choose, after all, she's his 'wife captured from the bandit's lair,' hehe..."

Han Jia Nu dropped an unexpected joke, making everyone unable to hold back their laughter.

"That sounds like something a real daughter would say. I'll tell Chairman Han later? Hahaha." Lin Nan teased.

Previously, several top female stars had called back from Cannes, inquiring about the roles.

Lin Nan's answer was uniform: auditions are mandatory, no matter who you are.

Finally, after deep consideration, Little Zhang Zhang Ziyi and Li Li Bingbing both replied in succession, giving up the audition; Lin Nan said nothing.

With figures like theirs, playing a young married woman with a child just doesn't look right!

Just like the words Lin Nan said to Zhou Xun: which mountain bandit would be blind enough to snatch someone like Little Zhang Zhang Ziyi?

Liu Liu Yifei admitted she woke up late, but also blamed Lin Nan for not waking her.

She couldn't recall at all the incident where someone tried to wake her and she threw a pillow at them.

A red Ferrari drove in slowly and stopped beneath Lin Nan's film company building.

Many people in surrounding cars couldn't help but look over.

When they saw Liu Liu Yifei come out, the crowd first sighed in relief, then felt a bit jealous.

"Is that Liu Liu Yifei?"

"The producer of this film is her."

Some actresses were eyeing the role of the wife captured from the bandit's lair, while others were eyeing the female medic.

The former were mostly actresses born around 1975 or 1980; the latter were mostly post-1985 actresses.

In the industry, any female actress with a bit of fame had basically signed up for the audition.

At this moment, the group of young actresses waiting inside the car, including Liu Liu Shishi, Yang Ying, and Ni Ni, all felt somewhat unnatural.

Because in a moment, they would most likely be auditioning right in front of Liu Liu Yifei; she was a peer actress, yet today, their status was already different.

"They're auditioning over there, right?"

At Jiaxing, Yang Mi couldn't help but ask.

"They are auditioning; there are already reports online, and many actresses have finished their auditions." Ceng Jia replied.

Originally, Yang Mi also wanted to audition for the female medic, but after thinking it over carefully, she immediately dropped the idea.

It wasn't that she couldn't save face, but because Lin Nan would absolutely not allow an actor to double-book during the filming of his movie.

But Yang Mi herself had to join the production in July, so there was no way around it.

When Liu Liu Yifei entered the conference room, Dilraba had already finished her audition.

Since they were all insiders, everyone was much more casual.

"How did Dilraba's audition go?" Miss Liu asked with a smile.

Dilraba shook her head shyly, smiling somewhat forcedly: "Sister Liu Yifei, I..."

"Ultimately, there is still some immaturity."

Lin Nan answered softly, giving Dilraba the final verdict.

"Mm, try harder next time."

Miss Liu acted like a big sister, patting Dilraba on the shoulder.

"Thank you, Sister Liu Yifei. I will continue to work hard."

As the actors came in one by one, truly all kinds of people appeared.

"Who can tell me how one becomes one of the Four Little Dandans? The acting and dialogue are a complete mess!"

When Yang Ying auditioned, everyone gave face to the "Sect Leader," saying no harsh words. Even Han Jia Nu only chuckled secretly.

After she left, Director Lu Yang immediately complained.

"Perhaps Brother Xiao Ming never harbored the fantasy that she would pass the audition." Liu Liu Yifei also joked.

"A bit better than Yang Ying, but only a bit. There's no drama in the eyes; it's like a dead pool of water, dull and stagnant."

This was the first time Lin Nan had asked Director Lu Yang and Guo Fan to come over together to help him with the auditions.

These two, when evaluating actors, were simply more ruthless than one another, though all were plain truths.

"Ni Ni, the temperament doesn't fit."

"Lin Dao, Guo Dao, Director Lu, Producer Liu... hello everyone, I am Tong Tong Liya..."

When Tong Tong Liya, dressed in a simple women's military uniform, walked in, Lin Nan and the others suddenly brightened.

That smile indeed gave people a feeling of being bathed in the spring breeze.

Lin Nan had to admit that Tong Tong Liya was indeed a strong contender for the role of the female medic.

"Hold."

"I think that works too."

The afternoon auditions continued at a fast pace.

Whether an actor was suitable or not could basically be seen at a glance by the group; even if they were a bit lacking, Lin Nan had absolute confidence he could train them up.

The rumors outside — that after auditions end, there's still a week or even a month of deliberation — all have something fishy going on.

Basically, it's giving the actors time to coordinate the relationships behind the scenes and make deals.

Take Liu Liu Yifei's case back then — the choice for the male lead took a very, very long time, and in the end the Sect Leader pulled in some connections and used financial power.

Online news about the female role auditions had been flooding the feeds for almost a full day.

Photos of large numbers of actresses and female artists coming and going at Lin Nan Pictures had been leaked.

A few of the photos were even in full makeup, just shot through glass from a distance, so they were a bit blurry.

Just as the day's auditions were about to wrap up, an employee hurried over to say there was one last person — she'd just arrived.

"Then let's work a bit late. Tonight, I… Producer Liu will treat everyone to a big meal."

Lin Nan said to the people on either side of him.

"Okay."

"Thanks, Producer Liu."

"If I'm paying, I'm paying." Liu Liu Yifei agreed readily.

When Fan Li Bingbing bent down and walked in, Lin Nan couldn't help but laugh — he truly hadn't expected it to be her.

"Lin Dao, Liu Yifei, Guo Dao, Director Lu, Director Han — sorry, my flight was delayed."

Fan Li Bingbing nodded slightly, offering her apologies.

"You — flew back from Cannes?"

"Yes, Lin Dao. After the audition, I have to fly back tonight — the closing ceremony is the day after tomorrow."

Hearing this, everyone present felt a touch of admiration for her.

Of the several top actresses at Cannes, only Fan Li Bingbing had flown back for the audition.

Honestly, this sense of dedication and attitude alone left Lin Nan with a very good impression.

"Alright, let's not waste any more time. Get into the right headspace — we start in two minutes."

……

A state of walking-dead numbness, with death in her heart;

The trembling crying and sobbing upon hearing that her son was still alive;

The explosive force of clenched teeth and gnashed fury…

Within ten minutes, Fan Li Bingbing had completed three audition shots.

Lin Nan saw satisfaction in the eyes of Guo Fan and Lu Yang.

"Afterward, if there's news, the company will give you a call."

This was the only actress all day to whom Lin Nan had said those words.

Liu Liu Yifei instinctively glanced at Lin Nan, as if she'd guessed something.

"Thank you, Lin Dao…"

Fan Li Bingbing thanked him with a smile on her face — whether it worked out or not, having those words was enough.

…………

At dusk, Lin Nan Pictures' Weibo posted an announcement to the public.

"【Lin Nan Yin】, all female role auditions are complete. Those who did not participate will no longer be given individual auditions."

Plenty of people in the industry, looking at the lists of auditioning actresses reported by the media, were guessing who would ultimately land these two roles.

The five of them gathered for a meal at a private kitchen restaurant, and Producer Liu generously picked up the bill.

Lin Nan also got a call from Sect Leader Huang — no need to guess, it had to be about Yang Ying's situation.

"You'd better just get ready for your own audition. As for her — I'll be straight with you — she's got no chance."

Being good friends with Huang Huang Xiaoming as well, Lin Nan didn't hold anything back — whatever it was, he said it straight.

Sure enough, a helpless laugh came through the other end of the line.

"Just as I expected. Getting rejected by a great director, and now she knows her own worth, hahaha… Well then, I won't disturb your gathering, Lin Dao. See you at the audition later."

"Then I won't disturb you and Lin Dao's gathering. See you at the audition later."

On the other end of the line, Huang Huang Xiaoming shook his head at Yang Ying.

"I told you long ago — definitely no chance. If it were only off by a little, Lin Dao might have reluctantly agreed, but you — you're off by way too much. How about I find you some teachers at Beijing Film Academy, and you study up properly?"

Yang Ying instinctively shook her head. "Let's just forget it. Practice makes perfect — I'll learn while I act…"

Hearing this, Sect Leader Huang had no choice but to let it go.

Hearing this, Bishop Huang had no choice but to let it go.

The industry was all watching Lin Nan Pictures' upcoming auditions.

However, news coming back from Cannes also made the entire film circle turn their heads.

The only Chinese-language film in the main competition at Cannes — Jia Jia Zhangke's — had won Best Screenplay.

This was already one of the higher-ranked major prizes.

Including Lin Nan, a large number of industry filmmakers sent Jia Jia Zhangke congratulatory messages.

Some media outlets were even joking that Director Chen Chen Kaige could sleep peacefully for another year.

Because his Palme d'Or remained the only one in the country, and he didn't need to worry about his position being shaken.

Although it was a joke, it was also steeped in sarcasm — practically an insult.

Although this was said in jest, it was saturated with thick sarcasm—nothing short of humiliation.

That film starring Liu Ye and Ni Ni had pretty dismal box office numbers — its opening day was only around a million.

Now, three or four days had passed, yet daily box office hadn't risen — instead, it had dropped to around five hundred thousand.

Now, three or four days had already passed, yet the daily box office had not only failed to rise, but had actually dropped to just over five hundred thousand.

Everyone in the circle was remarking that the data wasn't much of a blow to Liu Ye, but for Ni Ni, this newly risen member of the Four Little Goddesses, it was a severe setback.

Because if this film got pulled early from theaters, the only one who'd suffer would be Ni Ni, the Four Little Goddesses.

Lin Nan wouldn't give Ni Ni the role out of sympathy; he began flipping through the list of male actors' auditions.

The role of Yang Yang Zirong was truly hard to cast, or rather, there were too few suitable actors.

Luo Jin also wanted to audition for the role of squad leader, but Lin Nan felt he wasn't right for it.

"We'll decide during the audition—maybe another supporting role could work."

Some roles have very few screen moments, counted as cameos, but they're crucial and easily stick in the audience's memory.

Take Jiang Lei's role, which opens and closes the story—it carries considerable weight.

Perhaps precisely because the screen time is so minimal, almost no one wants to audition for it.

Lin Nan thought of Hu Ge; this role is just a cameo, so he could invite Hu Ge to play it as a friend.

That way, he'd help him out without inviting excessive exploitation from Tang Ren—perfect.

Thinking of this, Lin Nan picked up his phone and called Hu Ge directly.

…………