Ji Shiyu pushed open the door.
The audition room was bigger than he had imagined.
Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the entire room.
The floor was covered with a gray carpet, which made no sound when stepped on.
Directly opposite is a long table, behind which sit two people.
The one on the left is Song Yuan.
He was thinner than in the photo, wearing silver-rimmed glasses, holding a pen, and looking at some materials.
Hearing the door open, he looked up, glanced at Ji Shiyu, his gaze quick and expressionless.
I'm more familiar with the one on the right.
Pei Yubai was wearing a thin black jacket over a dark gray T-shirt. His hair was shorter than when he was in Village Above the Clouds, probably because he had it cut before joining the crew.
He leaned back in his chair, a pen in his hand, which he twirled between his fingers before stopping.
Ji Shiyu stood in the doorway, his hand still on the doorknob. He took a deep breath, removed his hand from the doorknob, walked to the center of the room, and stood still.
"Hello Director Song, hello Teacher Pei."
Song Yuan nodded and pointed to a chair in front of him. "Sit."
Ji Shiyu sat down, his back very straight, his hands resting on his knees, his fingers slightly curled.
Song Yuan flipped through the materials in his hand. "You were a singer before?"
Ji Shiyu nodded. "Yes."
How long have you been acting?
"After the career transition, I acted in a few films and TV series, but not for very long."
Song Yuan turned another page, looked up at him, and said, "Let's try out a scene. Have you read the script?"
Ji Shiyu nodded. "I've seen it."
Song Yuan announced a scene, which was a monologue from the script.
The character in the play lost someone important to him. Standing in an empty room, he spoke to the air. There was no opponent, no action, only lines.
Ji Shiyu stood up, walked to the center of the room, with his back to the long table and facing the floor-to-ceiling window.
The sunlight shone on him, casting a long shadow on the ground.
He stood there for a moment, then spoke.
His voice wasn't very loud, and his speaking speed wasn't fast; he pronounced each word very clearly.
When he was halfway through his line, his voice started to tighten, and he clearly conveyed the character's choked-up emotion—wanting to shout but unable to, wanting to speak but unable to.
After the performance, he turned around and looked at the two people behind the long table.
Song Yuan offered no comment; his expression remained the same as when he first entered.
He glanced at Pei Yubai.
Pei Yubai in his hand, not looking at Song Yuan.
He looked at Ji Shiyu for two seconds, then put down his pen.
"Standard of, nothing special." He said these four words, then paused.
"It's not outstanding, but there's nothing particularly wrong with it either."
Ji Shiyu listened to Pei Yubai's words.
Pei Yubai glanced at him but said nothing more.
Song Yuan put down his pen, leaned back, and looked at Ji Shiyu: "Go back and wait for news."
Ji Shiyu nodded again, then turned and left.
As he reached the door, he paused and glanced back at the two people behind the long table.
Pei Yubai had already picked up his pen and continued spinning it, without looking at him.
Song Yuan was flipping through another document and didn't look at him.
He pushed open the door and went out.
Outside the audition room, Shen Yuzhou squatted against the wall in the corridor, holding a twig he had picked up from somewhere, and drew circles on the ground.
Cheng Yanqiu stood next to him, leaning against the wall, holding a water glass in her hand; it must have been new.
Lin Yanru sat on a bench in the corridor, a notebook open on her lap, a pen between her fingers, but she didn't write.
Jiang Wantang stood by the window in the corridor, looking at the lake outside. A breeze rippled across the lake's surface.
Several people heard the door open and looked up at the same time.
Ji Shiyu came out from inside, his face expressionless, making it impossible to tell how the test had gone.
Shen Yuzhou jumped up from the ground, throwing away the tree branch he was holding. " Brother Ji! How is it?"
Ji Shiyu shook his head. "Wait for news."
Cheng Yanqiu glanced at him and handed him the water glass in her hand.
Ji Shiyu took it and drank a sip.
Jiang Wantang walked over from the window, stood outside the crowd, looked at Ji Shiyu, and didn't say anything.
The young actor who had just come out of the audition room was still standing at the corner of the corridor, looking down at his phone. Hearing the noise, he looked up and saw Ji Shiyu coming out.
He hesitated for a moment, then walked over and bowed slightly to the group. "Hello, teachers."
Shen Yuzhou waved his hand. "Hello, hello. You're here for an audition too?"
"Hmm, I tried out for a small role. Didn't get it."
The young performer's voice had a slight nasal tone, and her eyes were still red.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the rising sourness, and forced a smile.
Shen Yuzhou glanced at him, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Why are your eyes red?"
The young performer paused for a moment, then reached up and touched the corner of her eye, her fingertips brushing against her damp skin.
He smiled sheepishly, " Film Emperor Pei is right, my acting was indeed wrong. It's just that the way you spoke, Film Emperor Pei, was a bit..."
He thought for a moment, "Tear incontinence. It means being unable to control your tears; it's not because you're sad, it's just that you can't control them."
Shen Yuzhou chuckled, then quickly suppressed his laughter, realizing it might be inappropriate. "You'll get used to it. That's just how Brother Pei talks. He talks like that to everyone, and his tongue is really sharp."
Cheng Yanqiu, standing nearby, chuckled, "When Teacher Pei comments on others, he certainly doesn't mince words."
The young actor quickly explained, " Film Emperor Pei really didn't say anything. It's just that my acting was terrible. His understanding of the character is indeed profound, and what he said was spot on. I just... couldn't hold back my tears."
He scratched his head. "Besides, Film Emperor Pei isn't exactly a sharp-tongued person; he just said my character's expressions were too exaggerated."
He laughed after he finished speaking, "Actually, he's quite right. I was just too nervous, and when I'm nervous, I overdo it. But that tone of voice, paired with that expressionless face, I couldn't help it."
Shen Yuzhou patted him on the shoulder. "You'll be better next time. You'll become immune to Brother Pei's face after a few more looks. You need to have thick skin."
The young performer nodded, bowed slightly to the group, and then turned and left.
The comments section was filled with people lighting candles.
[Poor thing, [lighting candles]]
[Poor child [lighting a candle]]
[Poor kid, how did he have to run into Pei Yubai's mouth? [Lighting a candle]]
The auditions are still ongoing.
Pei Yubai sat behind the long table, twirling the pen in his hand again and again.
Another artist has left.
Song Yuan rubbed his temples, put down his pen, and leaned back in his chair.
"Did you give some pointers to Ji Shiyu before?" Song Yuan asked.
Pei Yubai paused, pen in hand. "He asked me for advice."
Song Yuan nodded and looked at Pei Yubai: "How do you feel?"
Pei Yubai thought for a moment. "It's decent, nothing special, but nothing major wrong with it either. The attitude is good, though."
Song Yuan glanced at him. To receive such a compliment from Pei Yubai was already quite impressive.
A couple of years ago, there was an artist who hyped up his acting skills so much that he went up to Pei Yubai and insisted on getting his evaluation.
Pei Yubai was so annoyed that he said, "His acting is so bad that it's become his own style. He's a bad example, and newcomers should avoid him like the plague."
The celebrity didn't say anything on the spot, but went back and posted a long Weibo crying all night, which garnered a lot of attention.
But from then on, no one dared to dance in front of Pei Yubai and ask him to evaluate their acting skills.
Song Yuan didn't ask any more questions.
Pei Yubai put down his pen and stood up from his chair. "I should go record the show."
Song Yuan nodded. "Go."