Xu Hongdou and Zhao Ling'er
Wang Yue was taken aback. He hadn't expected the director to make that kind of request, and asked suspiciously, "Director Xu, are you serious, or are you considering something else?"
Hearing Wang Yue say that, Xu Hongdou, who had been starting to feel tempted, quieted down. She wanted to hear what the director meant, too. After all, she'd heard that plenty of coal magnates in the entertainment industry pursued actresses or tried to make stars of their mistresses. She suspected the director was only asking because he wanted to please Wang Yue.
Most young women dreamed of becoming stars because it was such an easy way to make money. But they knew themselves well enough to realize that becoming a star wasn't easy, so they kept those ambitions to themselves.
Director Xu was startled, but immediately understood what Wang Yue meant. He hurried to explain, "No, Boss Wang, you've got it wrong. I asked because your girlfriend has a certain ethereal quality that makes her perfect for the female lead in Legend of Sword and Fairy!"
Wang Yue neither agreed nor disagreed. He glanced at Xu Hongdou and saw that she seemed tempted, so he smiled encouragingly. "It's up to you. If you agree, then agree. If you don't want to, just say no."
Xu Hongdou was pleased that Wang Yue respected her choice. She nodded, then voiced her concern. "I've read the script A Yue wrote. Zhao Ling'er is only sixteen, and I'm nearly thirty. I'm not even a professional actress. Am I really right for the role?"
Hearing this, Producer Li tried to smooth things over. "Miss Xu, you and Director Xu even share a surname. You may not know this since you're not in the industry, but Director Xu is especially good