"As long as you listen to me and do as I say, I can make your popularity skyrocket in just one year, making you the most popular female star in the country. You won't need to audition for even a minor role; countless scripts will be presented to you, begging you to play the lead role. There will also be all sorts of endorsements and resources. You'll have endless money, crazy fans, and you can get whatever you want..."
Hua Rong's words were fervent and highly persuasive.
"Sounds tempting?" Chu Meibo leaned back, crossed her arms, and asked casually, "But I know there's no such thing as a free lunch. Sister Hua, you're not the kind of person who does charity, are you?"
Chu Meibo's overly calm response was like a bucket of cold water poured over Hua Rong's head.
Hua Rong sat up straight and asked urgently, "What are you worried about? Unspoken rules? Or do you not believe I can do it?"
Chu Meibo remained noncommittal.
Hua Rong's words became a little hurried: "You can inquire about my reputation in the industry. If I say something, I can certainly do it. As for unspoken rules, although I can't guarantee anything, I'm definitely not the kind of short-sighted person who would casually act as a pimp for my artists..."
She stared intently at Chu Meibo: "The moment I saw you, I knew you were the same kind of person as me. You are ambitious, unwilling to be ordinary, and willing to give everything for your goals. Those empty titles are just used to trap incompetent people. True strong people don't care about these things at all."
Upon hearing her words, Chu Meibo's expression finally changed slightly.
She burst out laughing.
Hua Rong frowned: "What are you laughing at?"
Chu Meibo said calmly, "You're right. I'm ambitious, unwilling to settle for mediocrity, and willing to give everything for my goals. I don't care about my reputation, but..."
"But what?" Hua Rong pressed.
"I am an actor." Chu Meibo's voice was calm, but the determination beneath it was undeniable. "My ambition is only about acting."
"Huh?" Hua Rong looked at her in disbelief, chuckled briefly, and then quickly said, "An actor? What nonsense are you talking about? Memorizing lines?"
Chu Meibo wasn't angry; she just chuckled lightly, "Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together."
Hua Rong barely suppressed her anger and continued, "Even so, our goals don't conflict; we both aim to become the most popular..."
“It’s different.” Chu Meibo shook her head. “What you need is a star, a persona that is completely opposite to the current mainstream of naive and innocent characters. She needs a lot of exposure, to appear in the public eye, so that when people think of her, they think of her as a person, not the characters she plays.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Hua Rong retorted, unwilling to accept it.
"There's nothing wrong with it," Chu Meibo said nonchalantly, "It's just not suitable for me."
“I am an actor, and my work should be the character I appear in every drama, not myself. I need more space to reflect and get into character. I am indeed not content with just playing supporting roles. I want to challenge more outstanding and complex characters and participate in more interesting stories, but my ambition does not need to be achieved through these low-class methods.”
"With my abilities, one year is enough."
Her words were utterly blunt, like a slap across Hua Rong's face.
Hua Rong's face flushed red and then turned pale. She suddenly stood up and said, "You're too naive. You'll regret this sooner or later!"
Chu Meibo: "Oh, then let's wait and see."
Hua Rong suffered a crushing defeat in this confrontation. Disregarding her composure, she angrily summoned the waiter to settle the bill.
The waiter came over with a bag of takeout containers: "These are the dishes you ordered."
Hua Rong gasped for breath.
Chu Meibo calmly accepted the gift and smiled at Hua Rong, saying, "Thank you for your hospitality."
Hua Rong: "..."
Hua Rong was trembling with anger. In the end, she angrily paid the bill in her high heels and quickly left the restaurant.
Chu Meibo then slowly walked out of the restaurant carrying the packed food.
Shortly after the two left, at a table not far from them, an elderly man with sparse white hair smiled and said, "This young girl is quite remarkable."
The person opposite him also laughed and said, "Director Xie is right. In this materialistic society, there are really not many actors who are still so pure."
Director Xie stroked his chin: "What do you think about casting her as Cheng Yanxin?"
The person opposite him was shocked: "Are you kidding me?"
Director Xie looked displeased: "Am I the kind of person who likes to joke around?"
"But...but..."
The other person was almost in tears. He was the producer of the movie "Red Singer," and the director opposite him, Director Xie, was the director of the film and one of the most famous directors in China.
"Red Actress" is a novel of the same name written by Xu Hanzhang, a literary giant of the Republic of China era. Xu Hanzhang has achieved great success in literature, and "Red Actress" is his most famous novel. The female protagonist, Cheng Yanxin, is based on the legendary film star Gu Mei.
Ever since it was announced that Director Xie was going to direct this drama, countless actresses have been eyeing the role of Cheng Yanxin. Even though the drama is still in preparation, many people have already been inquiring about it through various channels.
However, Director Xie is famous but also has a bad temper and is stubborn, so he is not satisfied with any of them.
So he immediately made the decision: "Go find out which company it is, and have her come over for an audition."
Chapter 74
Although Shen Huai was abroad, he didn't completely wash his hands of the business. However, Chu Meibo didn't have any filming assignments recently, and both "The Secret" and "Honey" were in post-production and hadn't entered the promotional phase yet.
So, Shen Huai was stunned when he learned that Director Xie actually intended to let Chu Meibo audition.
The film "Red Actress" is extremely famous. The original work is by Xu Hanzhang, a literary giant of the Republic of China. The director is Xie, a top director in China. The screenwriter is Xie's go-to screenwriter. The investors behind it are all industry giants. It has been in preparation for three years, and the script alone has been polished for two years.
Although filming has not yet begun, it has been the most anticipated Chinese-language film for several consecutive years.
The role of Cheng Yanxin, the female lead, is one that every actress in China dreams of, making the competition extremely fierce.
Shen Huai had also considered fighting for the role for Chu Meibo, because in his opinion, probably no one in the world was more suitable for Cheng Yanxin than Chu Meibo.