Chapter 23

Not to mention that when Chen Mo made such a move—though he was still wearing a school uniform, what he presented to everyone was a noble young man in a deep robe, one who had weathered sudden upheaval yet held military power in his hands. Young, proud, and brimming with ambition.

At the sight of Chen Mo like this, Wang Chusheng's eyes lit up. His previously relaxed posture immediately turned formal. Leaning forward, he studied Chen Mo closely for quite some time before asking, "You're in your senior year of high school, right? Your agent said you had final exams today. How did they go?"

Chen Mo nodded. "Not bad."

Wang Chusheng asked, "What does 'not bad' mean? Did you do well, or not?"

Chen Mo smiled again. His gentle, clear eyes rested on Wang Chusheng for a moment before he raised his brows and said, "A normal performance. Taking first place in the entire grade won't be a problem."

Perhaps Chen Mo's answer had been too certain. The high spirits in his words made it sound as though he was not discussing exam results, but another victory on the battlefield. Wang Chusheng smiled with interest and turned to look at the person beside him. That person nodded slightly as well, admiration visible in his eyes.

"You're very confident," Wang Chusheng said to Chen Mo.

Chen Mo merely smiled without answering. Yet the expression in his brows fully conveyed the sentiment: Of course it should be so.

Wang Chusheng glanced at Chen Mo's elegant posture, which had not changed throughout their conversation. Though he was no expert in Qin-Han etiquette, he had made literary and historical films for over twenty years. He understood how difficult it was to maintain such graceful movements.

Though Chen Mo currently appeared relaxed and refined, carrying the innate nobility of an aristocratic young master in every gesture, Wang Chusheng knew that maintaining this kneeling posture without moving, unable to sit firmly, must have left his muscles aching badly.

Wang Chusheng wanted to test how long Chen Mo could hold the posture. After gathering his thoughts, he began speaking in a manner that sounded heartfelt but was really just rambling domestic chatter. "Being good at studying is a good thing. People outside all say actors rely on their faces. But if you want to play a role well, a face alone isn't enough. What sort of environment a character lives in, what education he receives, what he thinks and how he behaves at every age—if you don't study and understand these things, then you won't know them. And if you don't know them, you can't interpret them or express them before the camera. Then you won't act the role well. That's why I like actors who know how to learn. A good actor really needs more than a face. You need to know how to learn, to understand how to interpret a character—and then you still need a face!"

"So becoming a good actor is difficult. It's no easier than taking first place in every exam."

Chen Mo smiled faintly but did not respond.

Wang Chusheng unscrewed a bottle of mineral water, took a sip, and asked, "I heard Qing Zhong say that you like history?"

Chen Mo himself did not actually feel much about history. The reason Director Zhang had gotten the impression that Chen Mo liked it was because, while portraying Han Yan, Chen Mo had been able to casually recall all kinds of customs and anecdotes from Emperor Wu of Han's era. That had given Director Zhang such a misconception. Rather than saying Chen Mo liked history, it was more accurate to call it an extra benefit of having soaked in the system space for so long.

Still, there was no need to explain that to others. Chen Mo considered the role he was auditioning for and said seriously, "I wouldn't say whether I like it or not. It is merely something I can make use of."

The standard answer of one in a superior position. In a single sentence, it vividly displayed Sun Ce's pride and self-assurance as a young lord.

Wang Chusheng immediately understood why Chen Mo had answered that way. He was even more delighted, instinctively feeling that he had found a treasure. Without showing it, he glanced at the person beside him and continued, "The role you're auditioning for, Sun Ce—what do you know about him?"

Chen Mo organized his thoughts and said, "Sun Ce, Sun Jian's eldest son. The Records of the Three Kingdoms described him as 'handsome in appearance, fond of laughter and conversation, open-minded and receptive, skilled at employing people.' His contemporaries called him 'Sun Lang'..."

Chen Mo first recited a passage from the book, then offered his own analysis of Sun Ce's personality and historical accomplishments.

To secure this role, Chen Mo, armed with his system cheat, had practically read through every bit of information about Sun Ce available online. The authoritative Records of the Three Kingdoms went without saying; he had also read whatever he could find about Sun Ce in Romance of the Three Kingdoms and other historical records. Then, in order to understand the role more deeply, he had spent an unknown amount of time pondering it in the Immersion Space and Training Space. With Chen Mo's current understanding of Sun Ce, he was more than qualified not only to explain his views to a director at an audition, but even to stand at a podium and defend a thesis.

Such a diligent and studious attitude, along with such inspired acting, completely won over Wang Chusheng and the other interviewers.

Wang Chusheng rose directly from his seat, walked around the long table, and personally handed the script to Chen Mo. "Filming starts after the Spring Festival. That won't be a problem for you, right?"

Chen Mo smiled in understanding. Following Han-era etiquette, he nodded slightly to Wang Chusheng and accepted the script with both hands before deliberately asking, "No audition required?"

"No." Wang Chusheng said as he pulled Chen Mo to his feet and gestured toward the particularly handsome man who had been seated behind the long table. "Let me introduce you. Your Zhou Yu, Chen Yuxiu. I originally had him come over to act with you for the audition, but it turned out we didn't need him."

Wang Chusheng did not like dealing with strangers. But since Chen Mo had been chosen to play Sun Ce, he was no longer a stranger from this point onward. Wang Chusheng never forgot to show favor and goodwill toward his own people. He had already intended to cast Chen Mo as Sun Ce, and now that Chen Mo had won the role through his own ability, Wang Chusheng was even more pleased.

Chen Yuxiu had come for nothing, leaving the hero with nowhere to show his skills. He was not annoyed, though. Smiling, he extended a hand to Chen Mo. "Greetings, my lord. In history, we were ruler and subject who got along famously, a tale passed down through the ages. In reality, we Chen men were family five hundred years ago. It looks like this collaboration is bound to be pleasant."

Unlike a complete newcomer like Chen Mo, Chen Yuxiu was forty years old and had been in the industry for over twenty years. He had won three Golden Crow Best Actor awards and one Lily Flower TV Emperor award. Though he had unsuccessfully tested the waters in Hollywood a few years earlier, there was no denying that compared with a newcomer like Chen Mo, the Best Actor Chen Yuxiu—also surnamed Chen—was an unshakable major figure in Huaxia Entertainment.

This time, Wang Chusheng was filming The Three Kingdoms: Eastern Wu, with the life experiences of Zhou Yu, played by Chen Yuxiu, as its central thread. It could be said that Chen Yuxiu was the undisputed male lead of the film. Chen Yuxiu had accepted the project partly to repay Director Wang Chusheng for his support and guidance, partly to stabilize his lofty domestic position, which had wavered somewhat after his failed Hollywood venture, and partly because he had invested in the film himself.

Ever since his Hollywood failure, Chen Yuxiu had come to deeply understand that an actor's fame and Best Actor titles were nothing but illusions. Whether domestically or abroad, the market was brutally realistic. If you could win Best Actor awards and earn box office revenue, you were a hero. But one failure dimmed every halo. If you failed too many times, directors, investors, and fans would all leave you.

Chen Yuxiu was already over forty. He was no longer a young man just entering the industry. Things were still all right now, but in a few more years, when age caught up with him and even anti-aging injections could no longer hide the wrinkles across his face, even if he could still act, audiences would probably have grown tired of watching him. After the blow dealt by Hollywood, Chen Yuxiu had no choice but to begin planning his future path.

This was also why so many actors, after making money from acting, moved on to business or directing.

Therefore, Chen Yuxiu placed great importance on this film. He wanted to oversee every stage and every detail personally, afraid that any mistake might affect the movie's quality.

That was why, when Director Zhang had recommended Chen Mo to Wang Chusheng for the role of Sun Ce, Chen Yuxiu had been highly dismissive. Letting a seventeen-year-old high school student, who had only acted in one idol drama so far, take on an important role in a historical film? Wasn't that absurd?

It concerned both his future and his money, so naturally Chen Yuxiu had been unwilling. But he also knew Wang Chusheng's personality. Once Wang Chusheng made up his mind, he would never listen to anyone else's opinion.

Left with no other choice, Chen Yuxiu had followed Director Wang to the audition. He was also meant to run lines with Chen Mo. Knowing there was a fly in the food and still having to swallow it was truly disgusting.

Who could have imagined it?

Chen Mo had given them such a huge surprise during the audition. At that point, not only Wang Chusheng, who had already intended to cast him, but even Chen Yuxiu, who had held no expectations, wanted nothing more than to hug Chen Mo and kiss him twice.

Given such wildly fluctuating emotions, it was only natural that Chen Yuxiu expressed his fondness for Chen Mo with such enthusiasm.

As for the other interviewers, though they were also part of the film's creative team, they had basically been dragged over by Director Wang to make up the numbers. Naturally, they had no objections either.

After the audition ended, Yang Qindong came in from outside. Since Chen Mo was the only artist auditioning that day, everyone still had the leisure to remain where they were and chat for a while after business was finished.

When it came to social pleasantries and warming up a room, even ten Chen Mos tied together could not compare to one Yang Qindong. Yang Qindong also wanted to build a good relationship with people like Wang Chusheng and Chen Yuxiu. So after only exchanging a few words, he brought up the idea of everyone going out for dinner together.

Chen Mo had eaten only a piece of bread and a sausage at noon, so he was already starving. Wang Chusheng and the others had eaten lunch, but they all understood that Yang Qindong's invitation to dinner meant more than just dinner, and they readily agreed with smiles.

With seven or eight people eating together, if they were not having stir-fried dishes, then hot pot was the only option.

Yang Qindong knew that Wang Chusheng and Chen Yuxiu were both from Shuzhou and loved spicy food. But he did not know whether the other members of the creative team could handle spice. If they chose stir-fried dishes, no matter what cuisine they picked, there was a chance that someone would dislike the food. Yet ordering carelessly would make it seem as though he had not put enough thought into it.

So Yang Qindong suggested a divided hot pot. Whether someone could eat spicy food or meat, there would always be something they liked. Once the individual pots were bubbling hot and the iced beer was flowing, the atmosphere would naturally heat up.

Sure enough, no one objected when Yang Qindong suggested hot pot.

However, when they came out of the audition room, they ran into a small problem.

A young woman with a ponytail, clearly a junior assistant judging by her clothes and appearance, blocked the door and said to Chen Mo, "Um... are you Chen Mo? Would you be interested in auditioning for our male lead?"

As she spoke, she took an audition card from her pocket and handed it to Chen Mo.

Everyone looked at one another, completely baffled. One member of the creative team, wearing a baseball cap, could not help laughing. "What is this? Are scammers trying to fool us now? Scammers these days really are bold—wait!"

As he spoke, his peripheral vision caught the title on the audition card. He frowned and snatched it from the girl's hand. "Diary of Time... Isn't this the coming-of-age campus film Director Jin Wanqiu is preparing to make? Is Director Jin holding auditions here today too?"

Once again, everyone looked at one another. Their gazes gradually converged on Chen Mo.

Setting aside internal factors like acting ability, just looking at Chen Mo's neat black short hair, his handsome face still carrying the freshness of youth, and the blue-and-white athletic school uniform that had endured throughout Huaxia...

He really did fit the male lead of a coming-of-age film!