Audition 2

There were a few girls who were keen on tracking his private schedule. Xie Yibai recognized them, but he never dared say hello. These days, quite a few celebrities had seen their careers collapse over private contact with fans.

The audition was at a building on the Third Ring Road, the entirety of which belonged to the Mirror World Film Group. Mirror World Film was a long-established mainland film and television company and a production giant that mainly made mainstream commercial films. The nineteenth floor, where Xie Yibai took the elevator, housed Mirror World's independent film branch: 404 Studio.

404 Not Found Productions. If those words appeared on the big screen, they were sure to be followed by "A Sheng Ke film."

He was about to meet the legendary Little Great Director, and Xie Yibai couldn't help feeling nervous. Fortunately, as soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he ran into the casting director waiting for him. He was a young man in a baseball cap, with a thin chin visible beneath the brim. He smiled at Xie Yibai and said, "You're finally here, Teacher Xie. Did you have a smooth trip?"

Flattered, Xie Yibai said modestly, "Hello, hello. Sorry, the traffic was a little heavy."

They shook hands, and Xie Yibai realized the man was wearing the cap to hide the dark circles under his eyes.

"I'll take you in. The last person just left."

"I go straight in? Is there nothing I need to prepare?"

The casting director smiled again. "Director Ke has seen your previous work and has a general idea. Once you go in, just introduce yourself as usual."

Xie Yibai's heart pounded, but he could only steel himself and go in. He kept telling himself, If I get it, I'm fortunate; if I don't, it wasn't meant to be. Then, encouraged by a look from his assistant, he followed the casting director into the room.

"It's been fifteen minutes." Zou Yan checked his wristwatch for the third time. "Why can't he be on time?"

It was a question, so the man sitting beside him naturally answered, "Maybe he got stuck in traffic."

"Then he should have checked the traffic and left early." Zou Yan looked utterly unsympathetic.

Sheng Ke, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind. He soothed the agitated producer instead. "It's fine. Want to go have a cigarette?"

Zou Yan was about to speak when the door swung open.

The casting director had stayed up all night revising the budget, and his face was sallow and dull beneath his cap. After entering, he stepped aside and announced, "Director Ke, Brother Zou, he's here."

The man in front of him stepped aside, revealing Xie Yibai's face. He had a small, pointed face, a slender neck, and a head-to-shoulder ratio that was just right. His narrow shoulders and back supported his loose casual clothes, and his limbs were long and graceful, bringing to mind nimble creatures like white cranes and sika deer.

All of Zou Yan's complaints vanished in an instant. Pleased by what he saw, his expression softened, and he turned his head to whisper, "He looks even younger in person than in his photos and videos."

Staring down at the résumé, Sheng Ke gave a hesitant "Mm."

Xie Yibai stood in front of the camera and bowed first. When he saw the casting director return to the empty third chair, his gaze moved left from the baseball cap to two equally young faces. They had to be the director and producer.

Sheng Ke sat in the middle and was easy to recognize, but he didn't look up at Xie Yibai, absorbed in reviewing his information.

Xie Yibai could only meet the gaze of the producer, who was looking straight at him, and introduce himself. "Hello, everyone. My name is Xie Yibai. I'm twenty-six years old, and I've been acting for ten years."

Chapter 2: Audition 2

Actors were the ones being chosen. Xie Yibai couldn't have been clearer about the nature of his work and his own position.

He did his best, but what could a mere self-introduction show?

After briefly going over his basic information, Xie Yibai fell silent and studied the expressions of the three people sitting there.

In film, especially independent film, the director was the central figure and the one ultimately at the helm. But Sheng Ke was clearly less than interested in him, having looked up at him only twice the entire time.

By contrast, the producer, Zou Yan, was quite enthusiastic toward him and was the first to ask a question. "Do you have any dance training? Can you dance?"

Xie Yibai said, "No, I studied music."

The casting director asked, "You first acted when you were sixteen, so why didn't you major in acting at university?"

"I happened to get a role in my first film or television production by chance. When I was in my second year of high school, a crew came to our school to shoot on location and recruited extras. The director picked me out of a group of boys, saying I had a small head and face and looked good on camera, and had me audition for a supporting male role." Xie Yibai smiled sheepishly. He had a dimple on one cheek, and when he smiled, he looked sweet and harmless.

"Then I passed the audition on my first try. I was playing a high school student, which was close to who I already was, so it wasn't very difficult. I was young at the time and thought filming was exhausting. I still preferred singing, so when I applied to university, I didn't consider any acting programs."

Zou Yan asked, "But I see you signed with an agency while you were an undergraduate and continued acting. How come you didn't mind how tiring it was anymore?"

Xie Yibai had guessed the question would come up and answered honestly. "Because I met a smooth-talking agent who told me I could act and sing at the same time, be a triple threat in film, television, and music, and all that, so I agreed. I've released an album too, and I sang the opening and ending themes for several dramas."

This time, Sheng Ke spoke. "So, do you still prefer singing now?"

"No, I like both now," Xie Yibai said, neither servile nor overbearing. "My interest in acting gradually developed through practice. I really enjoy the process of understanding and portraying a character, and I want to try a wider variety of roles."

"Then are you willing to play supporting roles?"

"Yes."

The questions and answers came to an end. Zou Yan leaned over again and whispered in Sheng Ke's ear, and the latter merely nodded in silence. Xie Yibai's expression didn't change, but his heart was twisted in knots. His throat tightened, and he waited in silence for two minutes before he suddenly heard Sheng Ke say, "He's a little too beautiful. More than I expected."

In any other setting, that would undoubtedly have been a compliment, but coming from a nitpicking director, it sounded more like a criticism. Xie Yibai had a feeling he wouldn't be selected this time.

He had done what he could and would leave the rest to fate, but Xie Yibai wanted to make one last small effort. "Director, I prepared a performance. May I show you?"

Sheng Ke said nothing, but Zou Yan, seated on the far left, said, "Sure, go ahead."

"No need." The director cut in just in time. "You were fifteen minutes late, and we're out of time today. That'll be all. Thank you."

Xie Yibai's sinking heart abruptly hit bottom, and instead he felt calm. He bowed and thanked them again, then politely left the room.

The door opened and closed, and the actor was gone. The room fell silent except for the sound of a pen marking the list. His suggestion having been rejected, Zou Yan frowned in displeasure, though he wasn't truly angry. Half joking, he said, "Great Director, you couldn't even give me that little bit of face?"

Unmoved, Sheng Ke said, "Didn't I say so? He's too good-looking. He's beyond what I'm looking for."

The casting director interjected, "Actually... keeping him as a backup wouldn't be bad. I spoke with his agent, and his schedule is the best fit. He also brings his own traffic, which would save us some publicity costs."

With both men opposing him, Sheng Ke said coldly, "Don't think I don't know what you two are planning. No."

Zou Yan was close friends with him and didn't want work to damage their relationship, so he backed down. "Okay, the director has the final say. I'm going out for a smoke. Xiao Shu, want to come?"

"Sure, I'll go too." The casting director, Shu Lin, followed him out.

The company had a smoking room, right next to the pantry. Zou Yan lit a cigarette in the enclosed little

space

as Shu Lin pushed the glass door open with his arm and came in, carrying a cup of extra-strong coffee in each hand. He gave Zou Yan the one without milk.

Zou Yan puffed away and shook off the ash. With the nicotine easing his fatigue and the coffee soothing his throat and waking him up, he had the energy to look back on the audition just now.

It was rare to find someone who smiled so well.

"Xiao Shu, if I remember correctly, that actor just now wasn't on the original list of audition candidates, was he?"

"No, he wasn't there at first. He's too popular, and his fee is high, so he isn't cost-effective." Feeling guilty, Shu Lin took a gulp of coffee and pursed his lips. "But someone on my end strongly recommended him, so I thought, whether it worked out or not, I might as well call him in and let Director Ke take a look."

Zou Yan put a hand on his shoulder and said earnestly, "I don't mean to lecture you, but don't you know what he's like by now? Young and headstrong, he thinks he's number one under heaven, that he's the light, the electricity, the center of the universe. Tell him the benefits of using someone with traffic, and not only will he not appreciate it, he'll think you're throwing money around and deliberately trying to make trouble for him. If you ask me, find him some ordinary unknown. He likes the feeling of mining for gold and nurturing talent, you know?"

"I understand, Brother." Shu Lin smoked thoughtfully and said in repentance, "I was reckless this time. From now on, no personal favors, just business."

"That's the right way to think." As soon as Zou Yan finished, he abruptly changed course. "Now, send me his WeChat contact."

Shu Lin lost his train of thought and asked blankly, "Who? The guy just now?"

"Who else?"

"Oh."

In the underground parking garage, Xie Yibai had just gotten into the car when his agent called. As soon as he answered, a familiar woman's voice came from the other end. "Is the audition over? How did it go?"

"I didn't get it."

"What role did you audition for? Did you not prepare properly?"

"I don't know what role it was. I didn't get a script or any lines." Xie Yibai found an outlet for the frustration he'd been holding in all morning, but it had nothing to do with his agent. She wasn't the one who had secured the opportunity for him, so he did his best to hold himself back. "This is so unreliable. I'm never falling for this again. They made it sound good, but I was really just there to be someone else's stepping stone."

"Oh, don't think of it that way. That's Sheng Ke. He doesn't like using young actors with familiar faces, and he's been picky for a long time. Just treat it as experience. It's okay, Xiao Xie. If I'd known, I should have rushed back. Maybe I could have helped you, but the news came so suddenly that even an overnight flight wouldn't have gotten me there in time."

"I'm fine, Sis. I'm just in a bad mood because I didn't get to sleep in." Xie Yibai let out a breath and said indifferently, "If he doesn't want me, fine. His team all looked young to me, and he's young himself. What gives him the right to discriminate against young actors?"

"Everyone on his team was personally promoted and trained by him. Young people are easy to mold, and they all depend on him for their livelihoods and rely on his support. Besides, that bunch are artists, and their style doesn't suit the kind of work we do. Maybe it's a good thing you didn't get in. Otherwise, when the time comes, you might bring the buzz and still end up buried in criticism. Let's just stick to shooting web dramas. You can still be wildly popular that way."