After confessing, Bie Yunzong gave the photo on the screen a virtual kiss, then turned off his phone, put it away, and walked out of the lounge with a serious expression.
He wanted to take this opportunity to thoroughly investigate who had wronged his beautiful wife back then.
At 10:30, the auditions began. Staff called out names in order and grouped the registered artists into groups of four.
According to the calculation, Su Yanxi, number 13, is the first in the fourth group.
Grouping is not unusual; many public audition events group actors together, both to facilitate distributing audition questions and organizing collaborative performances. What is truly surprising is Xiang Mingyue—Xiang Mingyue is number 16.
Following the group order, Xiang Mingyue caught up with the last member of the fourth group.
The timing was perfect; Xiang Mingyue hadn't reported to the film set immediately either. Combining these two events, Su Yanxi keenly sensed that something was amiss with Xiang Mingyue.
"Group four, you may enter the waiting area." Before they could think further, the staff were organizing the entry. "The first three groups didn't perform well and have already been eliminated. We hope your group can prepare well and not disappoint the judges."
Su Yanxi had just sat down in the waiting area and hadn't even received the script when a staff member startled her: "All three groups were eliminated?"
"Yes." The staff member smiled faintly at Su Yanxi, "He couldn't speak properly and was rejected as soon as he opened his mouth."
"Oh my god..." The young actor number 14, sitting next to Su Yanxi, patted his chest in alarm. "They're so strict!"
This is truly a public audition for a major production! The difficulty and requirements are high, and the judges are incredibly strict, not wasting any time on ordinary applicants. What was originally planned as an hour and a half of auditions for the three groups was reduced to less than thirty minutes, and all three were eliminated!
Su Yanxi became nervous. He quickly opened the cover and began reading the script.
In stark contrast to Su Yanxi's tense and cautious demeanor, Xiang Mingyue appeared much more relaxed: "Of course it's strict. This is a large-scale TV series invested in by CCTV; we can't let anyone slip through the cracks!"
The two junior actors in the same group were silenced by Xiang Mingyue's words. It was obvious that they were also there to gain exposure and audition experience.
Xiang Mingyue was smug, and only then did he begin to read the script.
Su Yanxi didn't respond to Xiang Mingyue's words at all, but she felt even more that something was wrong with Xiang Mingyue.
Assuming the production team prepared multiple scripts, like a college entrance exam with different versions, and rotated between them, is it possible that Xiang Mingyue took a crooked approach, knowing the fourth group's script in advance, and then deliberately controlling the registration time to cheat?
It is very difficult to do, but it is not impossible.
Ten minutes passed quickly. Su Yanxi was too busy to understand and master the script to figure out Xiang Mingyue's scheme.
"Time's up. Please enter the examination hall and line up in a row from left to right."
Su Yanxi took a deep breath, closed the script, and adjusted his facial expression. Despite his nervousness, he calmly led the way into the assessment hall.
The examination hall was fully equipped and arranged in a standardized manner. In addition to the examiners and accompanying invigilators, there were four cameras with flashing green lights.
There are surveillance cameras in all four corners of the hall.
Meticulous equipment not only ensures error-free invigilation but also guarantees fairness, preventing malicious individuals from tampering with the process.
Behind those four cameras, there might be even more authoritative and insightful teachers.
"No need for self-introductions, we have all your materials. Let's not waste time, let's start the dialogue rehearsal." The examiner instructed Su Yanxi, "Number 13, Su Yanxi? You start. You will use the tone of the protagonist, Fan Honghua, to perform the lines from the second paragraph of the third page for me."
The thought of being scrutinized by even sharper eyes ignited Su Yanxi's competitive spirit, and she mustered all her energy.
"Okay." Su Yanxi cleared her throat slightly, took the script and stepped forward. "Please start, teacher. I'm ready to begin at any time."
In the back-end monitoring room, Bie Yunzong stared intently at the broadcast screen.
The director gave the main seat to Bie Yunzong and sat on the plastic stool on the left, praising the beauty on the screen: "This No. 13 has great acting skills! After listening all morning, this artist's pronunciation is the clearest and her delivery of lines is the most emotional!"
Bie Yunzong appeared uninterested and remained expressionless throughout, but in reality, he was overjoyed and wished he could lick the screen!
"Yes, it's really good."
His tone was indifferent, but in his heart he was thinking, "What a great director, what a great Uncle He! You really have excellent taste!" He hadn't praised anyone else all morning, except my wife!
"Yes, the lines are really good," commented the script supervisor next to him. "As for the appearance... it's alright?"
Bie Yunzong gave the script supervisor a sidelong glance, thinking to himself, "Are you sure this is 'okay'? — My wife has such a beautiful face, and you only call her 'okay'?"
Bie Yunzong secretly made a note for the stage manager.
"He's a bit too handsome. The protagonist, Fan Honghua, is a hardworking and progressive young man from the countryside. Wouldn't it be better to find someone with a simpler, more unassuming appearance?" the script supervisor added.
Upon hearing this, Bie Yunzong thought to himself, "What? He actually thinks my wife is too beautiful?"
That's understandable. His wife is too outstanding; in a period drama set against the backdrop of reform and opening up, it's easy to be distracted.
Sigh, what can he do when his wife is so beautiful? What a sin.
Bie Yunzong silently forgave the script supervisor and calmly defended his wife: "Changing one's image and temperament is also one of the basic skills of an actor, right? As long as the acting skills are up to standard, I don't think it's difficult."
Chapter 6
The chief director agreed with Bie Yunzong's words: "That's right, and besides, costumes and makeup are also variables. Let's see how good his basic skills are first."
As the top student in her grade at the Beijing Academy of Drama, Su Yanxi naturally possesses excellent basic acting skills. After the first round of dialogue performance, only Su Yanxi (number 13) and Xiang Mingyue (number 16) remained in the fourth group, and the two of them continued to participate in the second round of character performance.
The difficulty in portraying the protagonist lies in the fact that the protagonist's age spans three stages: adolescence, youth, and middle age. The actor must not only portray the naivety of adolescence, the passion and ambition of youth, the helplessness and paleness when faced with setbacks, but also the indifference and worldly wisdom of middle age.
Su Yanxi and Xiang Mingyue's group was quite lucky, as they drew a script about young people. Since they were both in their mid-twenties, performing a script about young people was a piece of cake for them.
Both of them performed very smoothly and naturally.
However, if I were to give my opinion, his wife's acting is better and more pleasing to the eye!
"Both are quite good. Number 13 has excellent acting skills and a solid foundation; Number 16 handles the details more vividly, and seems to be naturally good at portraying characters who grow and mature." The director's praise continued. "They are both top contenders! I think they are both very good, so why don't we approve them both?"
Even if Bie Yunzong didn't like hearing this, in his heart, a top player could only have one wife!
“And script comprehension is also important.” Bie Yunzong coldly reminded him, “Uncle He, script comprehension is more important than basic skills, isn’t it? If you don’t understand it properly and don’t know how to adapt, then you’re not an actor, just a tool that can recite lines.”
"Yes, yes, Yun Zong is right, as is their understanding of the script!" The director was overjoyed, but calmed down after being reminded. "Let's see whose understanding is better."
The examiner asked Su Yanxi and Xiang Mingyue to each share their understanding of the drama, such as which plot they liked in the script and which scene impressed them the most.
In order, Su Yanxi answered first: "I think the protagonist's growth is closely related to the progress of the times; many of his characteristics are characteristic of the times. The play uses the homophones of 'Honghua' and 'red flower' to highlight the theme of 'When the Red Flower is in Full Bloom' - it is both the blooming of ordinary people and the blooming of the times."
Su Yanxi answered nervously and observed the examiner's expression.
"Okay, well said." The examiner simply nodded, his expression not changing much, seemingly not particularly satisfied?
Su Yanxi's heart tightened, her first reaction being that her answer was not good enough and that her understanding of the script was not deep enough.
"Number 16, what are your thoughts?" The examiner quickly turned his attention to Xiang Mingyue.
"I share some similar views with number 13."
Xiang Mingyue held his head high and spoke with an unconscious upward inflection at the end of his sentence.
"The protagonist, Fan Honghua, is an epitome of the people of that era; the drama tells the story of Fan Honghua's growth to depict the legend of that era to the audience."
"Besides telling stories of the times, the show also explores the legalization of same-sex marriage and same-sex adoption laws. Although same-sex marriage and same-sex adoption laws have been passed and improved for many years, I still think these are controversial hot topics of discussion - which is what makes 'Red Flower' so attractive to me."
Xiang Mingyue's language was so fluent that Su Yanxi couldn't help but be amazed: After graduating for many years, this guy's growth rate is visible to the naked eye! Sure enough, having experience working on set is more advantageous.
But upon closer reflection, something about this answer seems a bit off.
"What...what did you say?" The judge's eyes widened in disbelief at the answer he had just heard. "Are you sure your answer was something you came up with on your own after independent thought?"
"Definitely not!"
Inside the monitoring station, Bie Yunzong couldn't help but slam his hand on the table, angrily picked up the answer key sheet beside him, and raised his voice.
"Uncle, his answer is almost exactly the same as the reference answer!"
"—He cheated; his answer definitely wasn't his own!"
Author's Note:
The dog team did a great job!
04#Backstage: I am my own backstage.
"W-What do you mean?"
Xiang Mingyue panicked. From the start of the audition until now, he had always appeared confident and in control; this was the first time he had shown any sign of panic.
"Wasn't my answer similar to that of number 13?" Xiang Mingyue was both flustered and puzzled.
Judging from the reactions of the judges, Su Yanxi sensed that something was amiss.
"It's far too far off." The chief judge shook his head and showed Xiang Mingyue the answer sheet next to him. "Although No. 13's answer was superficial, he had his own thoughts and logic; after ten minutes of reading and research, he was able to answer so fluently, which shows that he has flexible thinking and excellent comprehension."
"And you, your answer was very complete. Besides your opinion on the protagonist, you even mentioned same-sex marriage law and adoption law?"
Whether Xiang Mingyue was genuinely stupid or feigning ignorance, he dared to ask with audacity, "So, my answer wasn't even better than Su Yanxi's—"
Is it better?
Startled by the chief judge's sharp scrutinizing gaze, Xiang Mingyue didn't dare finish his sentence.
Su Yanxi stood quietly, already guessing what kind of crooked path Xiang Mingyue was taking: Sure enough, this guy had read the script beforehand.
"This script doesn't delve into same-sex marriage and adoption laws, so how can you be so sure that the play will focus on these two key elements?" the chief judge pressed.
"I...I guessed," Xiang Mingyue stubbornly insisted. "After seeing the lines with related words, I just assumed that's what I was talking about!"
Su Yanxi sneered inwardly, thinking how stupid they were to actually use such an obviously false excuse.
Xiang Mingyue was so focused on cheating that he forgot the limitations of audition scripts. After reading the entire script, reading the smaller one naturally led to an omniscient perspective, exposing any flaws he should have made.
Chapter 7
No wonder they were blocking the sign-in spot for Group 4. They probably found out that Group 4's script was simple and the acting was less difficult, which is why they weren't in a hurry to sign in at the audition location.
If that's the case, then besides bribing the scriptwriting team, Xiang Mingyue must have also bribed other staff members. Otherwise, how would he know which team used which script?
Su Yanxi wanted to point out the oddity of the sign-in time, but due to the occasion and her status, she didn't dare to interrupt.
"You guessed?" The head judge sneered, as if on cue Su Yanxi's suspicion, "Did you time your sign-in to deliberately wait for this script?"
Xiang Mingyue became even more flustered, stammering as he tried to explain, "No, no! Judges, why would I be late for the sign-in? I don't know the script, so it doesn't matter if I come early or late!"
This is such a blatant attempt to cover up something; no normal person would believe Xiang Mingyue's nonsense.
“The protagonist in this script is in his youth, so in terms of acting difficulty, it’s easier than the scripts used by other groups.” The head judge got angry and threw down the reference answer. “Your performance just now was too smooth and natural. Could it be that you practiced beforehand and deliberately showed off?”
How could that be?
Relying on the fact that the chief judge had no clear evidence, Xiang Mingyue remained stubborn and refused to admit it.
"Judges, why don't you believe I'm suited to play this type of role? The answer is my own, and it just so happens to be similar to yours; the same goes for my acting skills—it's all just a coincidence!"