The audition was held in a multi-functional hall in the North Tower of Tengda Binhai Building.
When Cheng Che arrived, there were already quite a few people standing in the corridor.
Guided by the staff, he entered the inner room, where five people sat behind a long table: President Fang, the producer, the screenwriter, Director Zhou, and himself.
On the table were bottled water, rating sheets, and several pens, and in front of President Fang was an open laptop.
President Fang looked around at everyone, smiled, and tapped his finger on the table:
" Teacher Cheng is here, let's begin."
The audition this morning was for a supporting male role.
Four people came in before me, all promoted by their agencies. Their resumes were impressive, some had played the second male lead in web dramas, and others had played minor roles in serious dramas.
They had memorized their lines well and their movements were standard, but Cheng Che wrote "pending" on several of their performances on the evaluation sheet, not seeing anything particularly outstanding.
When the fifth person pushed open the door, Cheng Che looked up briefly.
Zhao Yiming.
Zhao Yiming saw him too, stomped his foot, and then grinned.
He bowed to the long table, walked to the center of the space, and stood still.
Director Zhou certainly knew Zhao Yiming; he smiled and flipped through the file.
"You're playing Shen Mo, the strategist. This scene is about Shen Mo playing chess with an old general in a tent, and the old general is testing him. We invited Teacher Chen to act in it."
He pointed to an elderly actor with gray hair sitting next to him.
Teacher Chen is over sixty years old and has been acting all his life. He is a well-known veteran actor in the industry.
He stood up, nodded to Zhao Yiming, and walked towards the center of the field at a leisurely pace, as if he had seen this kind of occasion many times before.
Cheng Che suddenly smiled and said, " Director Zhou, let me direct this scene."
Director Zhou was taken aback for a moment. "You're coming?"
"I'm interested in the role of Shen Mo and would like to give it a try."
President Fang and the producer exchanged a glance.
President Fang looked a little surprised, but he didn't stop him, since it was the male lead's idea.
Director Zhou glanced at Teacher Chen, then nodded:
"Okay, Teacher Chen, you can rest now."
Teacher Chen sat back down in her chair, crossed her arms, and looked at Cheng Che.
Cheng Che walked to the center of the venue and sat down opposite Zhao Yiming.
Then he opened [ The Faces of All Beings ].
[ The Faces of All Beings: You can perceive the core essence of various characters in the world. The deeper your perception, the greater the overlap with that character. When you fully immerse yourself in the role, your expression, tone of voice, actions, and way of thinking will perfectly match, reaching the state of "you are him/her."]
He closed his eyes, held them for three seconds, and then opened them.
Slightly arch your back, place your hands on your knees, and slowly raise your head.
The moment Zhao Yiming looked up, he sensed that the person opposite him had changed.
Cheng Che was several years younger than him, but the person sitting opposite him at this moment exuded a calm and collected demeanor, as if he had been through many battles.
His brow was furrowed, a mocking smile played at the corners of his mouth, his shoulders were broad and heavy, and the way his hands rested on his knees made it seem as if he could press a knife at any moment.
Even their breathing slowed down.
"Mr. Shen," Cheng Che began, his voice hoarse and slow, with a slight northern accent at the end.
Zhao Yiming caught it, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "General."
Cheng Che leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and interlacing his fingers.
"Mr. Shen's move was clever. But clever moves are easily seen through."
When he said the word "skillful," the corners of his mouth twitched slightly upwards, but there was no hint of a smile in his eyes.
"I've spent thirty years at the border and seen too many clever people. Clever people always die young."
Zhao Yiming was so shocked that he couldn't put his words into words.
He acted alongside Cheng Che in " The Youth Here," so of course he knows Cheng Che is a good actor.
But that was Zhou Ye, a character whose temperament highly overlapped with Cheng Che Himself.
However, the person sitting opposite him at this moment seemed to be a completely different person, inside and out.
If you don't look up, you'd have no idea that the other person is actually a young man.
The lines have been rehearsed.
Zhao Yiming stood up and bowed. When he looked up at Cheng Che, he couldn't hide the shock in his eyes. He chuckled, a chuckle full of admiration.
Director Zhou sat behind the long table, his pen hovering over the scoring sheet, not moving for a long time.
He stared at the center of the field, as if he hadn't quite come to his senses yet.
President Fang turned to look at Director Zhou, his voice not loud, but with barely suppressed surprise. " Teacher Cheng, your acting skills... you really haven't received any systematic training?"
The producer put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, let out a sigh, and spoke with a relaxed tone that came after being shaken:
"That's what genius is all about."
Cheng Che walked back behind the long table and sat down, nodding to Director Zhou: " Zhao Yiming is good. I'm quite comfortable with the setup."
With the lead actors having spoken, Director Zhou wrote his name on the rating sheet and pushed it to President Fang.
President Fang glanced at it; it read, "Pass."
The female lead was auditioned in the afternoon.
The first three actresses are all professionally trained, and their resumes are all impressive.
But when acting alongside Cheng Che, she was invariably overshadowed.
The first play performed was about seeking justice in the imperial court.
Cheng Che plays a cold and aloof old minister who sits opposite her without even lifting his eyelids.
Her voice started trembling halfway through her lines.
Cheng Che raised his eyes, and she froze.
The second scene performed was a farewell scene.
Cheng Che plays the hostage prince, and she plays the female lead who sees him off.
Cheng Che looked up at her, just once, and when she finished her line, her breathing became completely disordered.
The third one was slightly better, managing to catch five sentences.
Cheng Che changed his tone in the sixth sentence, from humble to subtly sharp. She didn't follow suit, stood there stunned, and then said "I'm sorry" to herself.
The three of them looked rather grim when they left.
In the hallway, the first actress's agent asked her what was wrong. She shook her head and then said with a sigh, "He acted too well; I couldn't keep up."
The second actress leaned against the wall and whispered to her assistant, "Isn't he only nineteen? How come he can play every role so convincingly?"
The third one said nothing and walked away with his head down.
This situation made Director Zhou and the others smile wryly; this was truly an award-winning performance.
Is this a waste of talent for a TV series?
Next, another person came in, and it was an old acquaintance.
Cheng Che was taken aback.
Ning Qing wore a loose, dark gray sweater, her hair was down, and she wasn't wearing makeup.
She walked to the center of the area and bowed towards the long table.
She seemed quieter than usual on " Walking the Flower Road Together," even a little nervous, her fingers slightly clenched beside her trouser seam.
Director Zhou was also taken aback for a moment, then flipped through the files. "You auditioned for the female lead?"
"Yes," Ning Qing said.
Director Zhou and President Fang exchanged a glance.
If a singer auditions for the female lead in a period drama, they might not even be given a chance to audition under normal circumstances.
But Ning Qing is different; after " Walking the Flower Road Together," her popularity and reputation have stabilized considerably.
Director Zhou thought for a moment, then didn't ask any more questions, "Then let's have the third scene. The female lead escorts the hostage away."
He turned to look at Cheng Che, " Teacher Cheng, could you put it together again?"
Cheng Che stood up, walked to the center of the field, and sat down on the ground.
He closed his eyes, held them for two seconds, then opened them.
This time he plays a hostage prince.
A time traveler stranded in a foreign land. He should be full of vigor and ambition, but now he has to pretend.
They feigned weakness, feigned incompetence, feigned weakness to the point that they couldn't even straighten their backs.
When you're pretending, you still need to hide a hint of sharpness in your eyes, so that no one can see it, but you can't completely hide it either.
This scene is no simple matter.
But Director Zhou wanted to see just how good Cheng Che's acting skills really were.
And this was his only chance to do so.
It's no longer the director's world. With Cheng Che's top-tier popularity, he's the one whose words carry weight on the set.
Although Director Zhou knew that Cheng Che wasn't that kind of person, he still had to show him the respect he deserved.
Top-tier celebrities with two legs are hard to find, but directors seem to find them all at will.
Cheng Che sat on the ground, his shoulders slumped, his neck hunched, and his head slightly lowered.
He seemed like someone who had been under house arrest for far too long.
Ning Qing took a deep breath, and began her lines.
The female lead arrives to deliver the hostage, and the two stand a few steps apart. Ning Qing stands in front of him, reciting her lines as she walks out.
Those present nodded in approval.
They didn't expect that Ning Qing, a top-tier singer, would have acting skills that were no worse than those of professional actresses.
Although there is a gap between them and top actors, TV dramas themselves don't place much emphasis on acting skills.
Moreover, Ning Qing and Cheng Che had some on-screen chemistry in " Walking the Flower Road Together," so their pairing is sure to generate a lot of buzz.
At this moment, the director and producer were already preparing to choose Ning Qing.
In the play...
Cheng Che looked up at her.
But when the gaze fell on her chin, it was as if she was used to talking to people with her head down, and her expression and movements were somewhat humble.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice hoarse, the last syllable trailing off.
Ning Qing squatted down to meet his gaze.
As she recited her lines, Cheng Che suddenly turned his head away, looked elsewhere, and tapped his fingers on the ground twice, interrupting her.
"Did your father send you?"
Ning Qing paused for a moment, then added with a sad tone, "I... I wanted to come."
Cheng Che didn't reply, his head was down, and his fingers stopped tapping, clenching and unclenching.
Ning Qing continued speaking, and when she said the last sentence, "I hope you will take good care of yourself on your journey," her voice trembled. She lowered her head, avoiding his gaze.
Cheng Che was silent for two seconds, then chuckled.
The laugh was short and abrupt, coming from his nose, tinged with a hint of melancholy.
"Treasure."
He repeated the word and gave a wry smile.
"What is there to cherish about someone like me?"
The Bard Incubus Voice made the words seem magical, as if a truly humiliated hostage was standing before Ning Qing.
Ning Qing froze for a moment, forgetting her lines.
"Cut!" Director Zhou excitedly interrupted the scene.
Ning Qing stood up and took a step back.
Her ears turned red, and she lowered her head to rub the corner of her eye with the back of her hand.
She felt a little embarrassed, and even thought she had messed up.
But Director Zhou, President Fang, and others were very happy.
There was a certain chemistry between the two of them, a kind of broken yet tender beauty that captivated even the audience in this incongruous setting.
If this were made into a TV series, it would be phenomenal!
So, President Fang. Fang happily approved. "Congratulations, Ning Qing, you performed the role of the female lead exceptionally well."
Although President Fang was pleased, he calmly replied, "We will notify you after the audition."
After the door closed, Director Zhou chuckled with a sigh, " Teacher Cheng, you've really put these two actors through the wringer with your acting."
Cheng Che walked back behind the long table and sat down, smiling as he said, "It's because they acted so well."
In fact, Cheng Che had held back his power; otherwise, Ning Qing would definitely not have been able to withstand it.
He did this because he had a good impression of Ning Qing.
This TV series has a kissing scene, and it feels better to give it to a singer than to an actress who has acted a lot.
Casting continued until evening.
It was already dark when Cheng Che came out of the multi-functional hall.
He stood by the window in the corridor, took out his phone, and glanced at it.
There was a missed call on the screen from Professor Liu.
He called back.
" Cheng Che," Professor Liu's voice came from the other end of the phone, tinged with laughter, "The award ceremony for the Mathematical Society prize is scheduled for next Wednesday. Come to Capital City a day early; there are some formalities to take care of."
Cheng Che replied, "Okay."
"And also," Professor Liu paused for a moment, "The preliminary evaluation for the State Natural Science Award has passed. The awards ceremony will be held in November."
Cheng Che held his phone, smiling broadly.
"Understood. Thank you, Professor Liu."
After hanging up the phone, Cheng Che stood by the window in the corridor and glanced at Shenzhen City Bay in the distance.
I'm going back to Capital City the day after tomorrow to receive the award.
The final step of the Intelligence Trial is just around the corner.