A Slacker Gets Stepped On

Chapter 8

The next day, He Meng took Li Wenchuan to an audition venue. It was the first time since transmigrating that Li Wenchuan had gone out to seriously work at his actual profession.

He opened his thermos and took a light sip, letting out a satisfied sound. That morning, he had once again exchanged health-preservation secrets with the old men, and he felt he had made great progress.

At the very least, he no longer dared stay up late, so when he heard there was new work, he only asked, "Will I have to stay up late?"

He Meng got out of the car and led him inside. "That depends on the production crew. You're only the fourth male lead, so it probably won't be too exhausting."

"Besides, why are you worrying about that when you're so young?"

Before getting out, he shook his thermos. "Health."

"Then why are you steeping goji berries in Sprite in that thermos?" What kind of cursed health regimen was that?

He Meng: Heh :).

Li Wenchuan had truly made a splash yesterday, and sure enough, work offers had come knocking.

For the Phoenix was a major IP adaptation centered on a female protagonist. It had an enormous readership and sky-high expectations. The moment news of its screen adaptation was released, one trending topic after another appeared online, with everyone discussing who would be suitable for the roles.

Of course, the male and female leads had already been decided, but the supporting roles were still open for discussion.

The fourth male lead was a villain who, unable to obtain the female lead, turned dark. Because the author had lavished words upon his looks and bearing, readers had let their imaginations run wild and fallen head over heels for the character.

The director had taken a liking to Li Wenchuan's performance in You and Me Back Then. He felt that Li Wenchuan's face alone suited the role perfectly, and his performance on the show had been good as well, so he had asked him to come audition.

"You'd better perform well later. Don't screw it up." He Meng walked ahead in small steps. Her hoodie had two little ears on the hood today, making her look especially cute.

Infected by her cuteness, Li Wenchuan answered, "I'll work hard."

Afraid that he would be as unreliable as usual, He Meng added, "This role is quite controversial, but it's the kind most female viewers will like. It can help you build a solid fan base." They could not keep nurturing that pack of antis forever, QAQ.

When they reached the elevator floor, quite a few people were already sitting in the hallway waiting.

Perhaps because his looks were too striking, Li Wenchuan was the kind of person who would catch everyone's eye the instant he was thrown into a crowd. Quite a few people turned to look at him.

Those gazes held disdain, confusion, and a trace of envy.

"Tsk, can just anyone act these days?" A female actress sneered, covering her mouth as she leaned back against her chair. Her phoenix eyes shifted as she swept her gaze over everyone present. "Did I say anything wrong? Strays who don't know their place really overestimate themselves."

He Meng tugged at Li Wenchuan's sleeve, signaling for him not to start a conflict.

She whispered, "That's Zhang Sisi from Longteng Entertainment. She's been pretty popular lately. She's probably here to audition for the second female lead."

Longteng Entertainment was an industry giant, and that was what gave Zhang Sisi the confidence to be so confrontational. Li Wenchuan was merely an artist from a small company, unknown and unvalued by his own company. So what if she stepped on him a few times?

Clearly, she had no intention of stopping there. Flicking her nails, she said, "Only the second male lead and fifth male lead are left now. Tell me, do some people think they're above everyone else just because they made a few trending topics, or do they think—with that scrawny body—they can play a great general?"

He Meng's eyes widened slightly. What did she mean? What about the fourth male lead? They clearly were not late.

Li Wenchuan lazily watched the woman laughing to herself so hard that she trembled all over, then politely said, "Stop laughing. The nose job you just got has gone crooked."

Zhang Sisi's face immediately turned deathly pale. She covered her nose, but after feeling it and finding nothing wrong, she instantly realized she had been tricked. She had debuted as a natural beauty—how could she have gotten plastic surgery?!

No one present laughed openly, but their eyes had already turned amused. No one would speak up for Li Wenchuan, but that did not mean they were all on Zhang Sisi's side.

"You!" Zhang Sisi glared at Li Wenchuan, furious.

It was easy to imagine that news would soon spread about the so-called naturally beautiful Zhang Sisi and her secrets.

Yet Li Wenchuan did not continue arguing with her. Instead, he pulled the confused He Meng away and walked straight out.

He Meng stamped her foot in anger. She had even communicated with the company beforehand—how had things suddenly become like this? She hurriedly made a call. "Sister Zhang, didn't we agree that Li Wenchuan would audition? Why did they suddenly change their minds?"

She refused to believe it was the director's doing. The problem had to be with the company's side of the arrangements.

Sister Zhang gave an awkward laugh. Her tone was flat, with a hint of deliberately affected disappointment. "Sorry, Xiao He. I only just received word that they had some minor issues over there, so they changed the timing. They were worried you wouldn't be able to fit it into your schedule, so..."

"Who did you replace us with?" He Meng suppressed her anger.

"This... isn't that any of your business?"

He Meng still wanted to speak, but Li Wenchuan snatched the phone and hung up. "That won't help."

"But..."

"It wasn't like I had much to do anyway. What difference does one more job or one less make?" He was exceptionally broad-minded and unconcerned.

"Then go beg for food?" He Meng was about to be enraged to death.

"..."

When they arrived at the company, He Meng wanted to confront Sister Zhang, but unexpectedly ran into Wang Yiwen.

The other woman had her own artist with her as well. Meeting on a narrow path, Wang Yiwen raised a brow. He Meng ignored her and took a step to the side, intending to pass by, but Wang Yiwen shifted with her.

After several repetitions, He Meng finally understood. With fierce adorableness, she snapped, "Are you fucking bored? Cosplaying as a roadblock?"

Wang Yiwen was not angry. With her arms folded, she gave Li Wenchuan an interested glance before looking back at He Meng. "No need to ask anymore. That role already belongs to Han Shiye."

Han Shiye was Wang Yiwen's new artist. He had debuted in an idol group, and his popularity and buzz had always been good.

He nodded politely, but with his hands in his pockets and his eyes narrowed, there was not a shred of sincerity in the gesture.

"A third-rate artist with a third-rate manager—why not add a third-rate script too? That'd make three of a kind. You'll amount to nothing." Wang Yiwen curled her lips, cast the two of them a mocking glance, and left with her artist.

So what if Li Wenchuan had trending topics and buzz? She did not believe he had any chance of becoming famous.

If he were going to become popular, he would have done so long ago. He would not have fallen to this point. He was already getting older, yet he still wanted to compete with young newcomers? Dream on.

Besides, with Li Wenchuan's utter lack of social skills, getting dragged by the entire internet was only a matter of time.

At the director's office, Sister Zhang kept trying to smooth things over without giving a direct answer. However, she understood the art of balance well enough not to truly drive them into a corner, so she said, "Plans can't keep up with changes. This kind of thing happens all the time, but things will work themselves out."

She took out a script and handed it to He Meng generously. "See? Although you lost the fourth male lead, you've gained the male lead. This was given to me today, and they specifically requested Li Wenchuan for the role."

She looked at Li Wenchuan, whose expression had not changed much, and suddenly felt that this artist was especially sensible and easy to deal with. He was also pleasing to the eye, so her voice unconsciously softened. "The director said that as long as you take the role, you'll be first-billed."

Sister Zhang weighed it over several times in her mind and still felt that Li Wenchuan had come out ahead. Some people spent their entire lives in the industry and remained supporting characters, yet Li Wenchuan had become the male lead right away.

Then He Meng slammed the script onto the desk and shouted, "But this is a fucking trashy web drama!"