This is related to the second major event that recently happened to Xihe.
Xihe recently parachuted in a high-ranking executive named Lu Yu, who is said to be the eldest princess of the Lu Group.
This rumored princess has eccentric hobbies (she carries a fox cub named 0413 with her every day), is aloof (Lu Xiaomi is socially awkward), and is also violent (she beats up Sun Hao in the office). In short, she doesn't seem like an easy person to get along with.
Fortunately, President Lu doesn't usually get involved in things. He's a loner and spends the whole day alone in his office (finding scripts for Chen Fu).
The third important thing...
"Have you heard? Our company's SSS+ script 'Cultivation' is starting to cast actors this year!"
Indeed, as a film and television group, Xihe releases a high-quality film and television drama every few years. This drama is well-produced, has a sufficient budget, and is a darling of the screen, nominated for various awards.
There was supposed to be an SSS+ project last year, but the script was too obscure and not favored by investors, so it had to be shelved.
This year is different. President Lu, who was parachuted in, is involved in the production of the TV series. While Her Highness the Eldest Princess can't offer much professional advice in other areas, she has one advantage: she's rich and powerful. As soon as she heard that this year's project was about to begin, she immediately secured a large investment from headquarters without hesitation.
As for why this is considered a major event for the company.
Because this drama was developed by Hee-hwa, the casting of the characters was basically done by artists under Hee-hwa's management.
So every year around this time, all of Xihe's contracted agents pull out all the stops to get their artists into the show. Even a minor role is enough to boost their exposure.
But usually, it has nothing to do with artists like Chen Fu who have separate contracts.
*
Chen Fu received a notification on Monday morning, asking her to go to the filming location for an audition that afternoon.
Her agent's surname is Sun. She is almost forty years old this year. Because of her seniority, everyone calls her Ms. Sun.
Ms. Sun has been immersed in the Chinese entertainment industry for many years. In her youth, she was very adept at interpersonal relationships, navigating social situations with ease and becoming well-liked in various settings. As a result, she mentored several well-known artists. Her success in her career and her increasingly seasoned experience became the source of her pride, gradually making her arrogant.
She currently manages four or five female artists, and Ms. Sun is particularly optimistic about one named Wei Xi. Wei Xi debuted late, but with her sweet appearance and outstanding acting skills among the new generation, she is now a rising star.
She's recently hit a popularity slump and desperately needs a big-budget production to broaden her acting range. Ms. Sun had her eye on the female lead in "Cultivation" a long time ago. Ever since the script was finalized, she's been contacting people everywhere for Wei Xi. She just received the script and character biography a week ago, and before she could even get used to it, she hurriedly handed it to Wei Xi, urging her to read the script through and thoroughly understand the female lead's character.
Wei Xi also lived up to expectations, turning down almost all the work she could this week to focus entirely on studying the script.
Most of these tasks are scheduled in advance, and if they are canceled, someone will naturally have to be found to fill in; otherwise, the brand will certainly not let it go.
Chen Fu became the best choice at this time.
This wasn't the first time she'd cleaned up Wei Xi's messes. When Wei Xi first debuted, many brands approached her with a "let's give it a try" attitude, and Ms. Sun was overjoyed to receive all the offers, accepting them all. After careful comparison, she gave the best ones to Wei Xi, while leaving the ones that would damage her reputation to Chen Fu.
As for the face of "Cultivation" this time...
She had never even considered having Chen Fu participate.
Chen Fu was not formally trained and had not taken many acting classes, so it was extremely difficult for her to stand out among dozens of interviewees.
The assistant director only mentioned it to her when she received the script, telling her to let Chen Fu know when she auditioned.
Ms. Sun readily agreed with a smile at the time, then turned away and put the matter out of her mind. It wasn't until this morning that she remembered it, so she randomly picked a minor role and tossed it to Chen Fu, telling her, "Just try this one out, and memorize the script."
"It's not an important role. It's okay if I don't get selected. I'll just consider it a learning experience."
Ms. Sun smiled very kindly.
Chen Fu took the stack of thin papers, carefully turned to a page, and read 'Cultivation - Brief Biographies of Four Female Characters'.
"Thank you, Sister Sun."
Chen Fu's face was beaming with delight as she held the stack of documents in her hands as if they were a priceless treasure. Ms. Sun raised an eyebrow mockingly and then turned and left.
Then, the moment the door closed, Chen Fu's face immediately turned cold.
She placed the stack of papers on the table and closed her eyes wearily.
A week has passed since 0505 last issued her a mission, and the conditions for this mission are very vague.
"This caused significant emotional fluctuations in Luyu."
What kind of emotion is it? Joy, anger, or sadness and disappointment?
This is not what Chen Fu should be thinking about right now. What she should be thinking about is how to see Lu Yu before the mission deadline.
Chen Fu isn't a high-profile celebrity and has always had little presence in the company. It's unlikely she'll see Lu Yu openly, but privately...
Thinking of Lu Yu's attitude when he rejected her last time, Chen Fu gave up the idea.
However, Lu Yu had sent her a WeChat message before...
Chen Fu looked at her phone screen, which displayed her chat history with Lu Yu. The conversation had ended two weeks prior. Lu Yu had sent her character biographies and a brief script for his novel, *Cultivation*.
"You're the perfect choice for the female lead! Good luck! I'll be watching your audition QWQ~~~~~"
It was followed by two very cute emoticons...
This news ensured that Chen Fu would see Lu Yu at the audition. The audition was close to the deadline for the mission, which meant that Chen Fu had to succeed on her first try.
Her memory of Lu Yu was still that night when she fled in panic. Lu Yu was tall and slender, standing in front of her, impatiently crossing his arms.
She's such a cold person, yet she still adds a tilde to her messages...
Chen Fu silently complained to herself.
*
After dealing with the male characters, Lu Xiaomi finally began to face the female characters in the afternoon, and she immediately perked up after a dazed morning. Ever since she rejected Chen Fu after being possessed by the system, Lu Xiaomi had felt extremely guilty. Half a month ago, she received a brief script of "Cultivation" and sent it to Chen Fu along with a brief biography of the female lead.
The female lead character was almost modeled after Chen Fu. Yan Shan suggested early on that they should skip the selection process and finalize the role directly. At the time, Lu Xiaomi was wary of the system's out-of-character (OOC) rules and shook her head, saying that they should still meet in person.
But now that the auditions have started, Chen Fu has not yet appeared.
What's going on?
Yanshan also did not see Chen Fu, so he quickly signaled the stagehands to go look for her.
After searching around without success, the stagehands returned home. Just then, a series of hurried running sounds came from the doorway. Chen Fu was panting heavily, her brows furrowed.
She looked panicked, and her eyes were red-rimmed, as if someone was chasing her.
Sure enough, before she could even stand still, Chen Fu was grabbed by the arm by a staff member.
The man started off with a harsh scolding, which startled the other actors on set.
"I told you this isn't your show. Why are you wandering around like this? You injured your leg and your hearing isn't working well either? You're such a nuisance."
The person speaking was Chen Fu's assistant. She was here today at Ms. Sun's request to accompany Chen Fu to the audition. Although she said she was accompanying Chen Fu, she was actually helping to take care of Wei Xi.
The assistant had always been unfriendly to Chen Fu, but after hearing that Chen Fu was highly regarded by the new CEO, Lu, her attitude towards Chen Fu had softened somewhat. However, when she tried to curry favor with Wei Xi today, she was met with a few sarcastic remarks, so her feigned friendliness crumbled. Almost forgetting that there were other people in the room, she blurted out a string of curses.
Chen Fu was being pulled by her clothes, and her expression was somewhat panicked, but this expression couldn't stand up to scrutiny; a closer look revealed joy.
They've taken the bait.
"What happened?"
"I can't breathe," Lu Xiaomi asked from her seat.
Perhaps because of Chen Fu's appearance, she was in a good mood, and her tone was encouraging to her assistant to continue.
"Mr. Lu, my artist is a little nervous during his first audition and went to the wrong room."
Lu Xiaomi's words startled her assistant, who had heard that President Lu valued Chen Fu. Her anger instantly subsided, and she spoke with a cautious apology, as if afraid her insensible artist might anger President Lu.
Lu Xiaomi gritted her teeth and gave her a deep, admiring look.
This person is really a good assistant to Chen Fu.
When she was a fan, she often heard that Chen Fu was mistreated by her assistant. At first, Lu Xiaomi thought it was just a brainwashing rhetoric from the fan circle, but now she realized that the assistant was really taking advantage of her.
Chen Fu had no idea how much mistreatment she had suffered at the hands of this person in private.
“It’s alright. ‘Cultivation’ is Xihe’s own script. I invested money in the filming to give my artists a chance to hone their skills. Since she wants to audition for the lead role, why not give her a chance?”
Lu Xiaomi was so angry that she gritted her teeth, but she was afraid of the system's OOC punishment and tried her best to calm herself down.
Chen Fu stood in the center of the field with her eyes downcast and no expression on her face.
The assistant probably didn't expect Mr. Lu to answer like that. She looked blankly in Ms. Sun's direction, her lips twitching slightly, as if she wanted to say something more.
"Didn't you hear what President Lu said?" Yan Shan didn't give her a chance to speak.
*
Before the audition, the actors had a preparation time. Chen Fu sat in the dressing room, looking blankly at the script.
I messed up again.
The assistant had always been impatient with her, and Chen Fu thought she could use a reasonable scolding to evoke Lu Yu's sympathy, so she specifically begged the assistant to accompany her to the audition. Along the way, she repeatedly showed the assistant the biography of the fourth female lead that Ms. Sun had given her, saying several times that she was auditioning for the fourth female lead. Before going on stage, the assistant was playing on her phone. Knowing that her assistant had just been stabbed by Wei Xi, she deliberately asked, "Has Wei Xi gone in yet?"
After asking that question, Chen Fu lowered her head and walked into the room.
Sure enough, her assistant angrily stepped forward to stop her, saying, "Weren't you auditioning for the fourth female lead? Now you're the female lead. What are you doing going in there?"
With so many people around, the assistant couldn't afford to get angry with Chen Fu, so she was trying her best to control her temper.
Chen Fu glanced at her, then fiercely shook off the assistant who was holding her arm.
...
She thought her plan was foolproof, but the result was still unsatisfactory.
Luyu showed no anger whatsoever. Moreover, after 0505's precise detection, Luyu did not exhibit the slightest emotional fluctuation.
Chen Fu was so worried that she didn't know what to do.
*
The audition scene for the female lead requires two actors, and according to Yanshan's idea, Chen Fu and Wei Xi need to play supporting roles for each other.
This scene is very challenging, requiring the actor to be both emotionally expressive and subtly nuanced in their portrayal. Even Wei Xi, who has formal training and is always confident in her acting skills, is not sure she can fully deliver such a performance. Therefore, it is clearly even less likely that this self-taught singer-dancer could pull it off.
In order to capture the female lead's facial expressions to the greatest extent, the actors playing opposite her had to face away from the director and the audience, a design that gave Wei Xi more room to maneuver.
The space to manipulate things.
"Sister, how can someone continue living after losing the most important thing in their life?"
Wei Xi's delivery of the lines was superb; her voice trembled as she portrayed a girl who had lost both her parents overnight and was now utterly heartbroken.
Most of the staff around her exclaimed in praise, but Chen Fu found it strange.
Did Wei Xi change the lyrics?
Chen Fu had memorized the script perfectly. The original line for this scene was "a person loses the most important family member," but Wei Xi had changed "family member" to "things."