He casually picked up a piece of white paper from the side and placed it on his head, while making an elegant "brushing" motion with his other hand.
"Is he simulating lifting a straw hat?" the assistant director wondered.
This kind of pantomime requires perfect coordination of movements and expressions, which Cheng Jixue, a Peking Opera actor, mastered almost effortlessly, without any awkwardness.
At that moment, the hand that was holding down the white paper loosened, and the white paper instantly fell to the ground. "Changming" cast a surprised look into the distance, and then curiously reached out and grasped the air.
That was the first time the gods felt the wind of the human world. From then on, the gods born in chaos heard the joys and sorrows of humankind.
True skill lies in simplicity; without needing exaggerated expressions, Cheng Jixue was simply using the role to demonstrate his expressiveness and understanding to the director team.
As for Changming's shock and anger when he was left in the human world, Cheng Jixue did not follow the director's suggestion to use a dramatic acting style to interpret it. He only used his eyes and subtle body language to depict Changming's complex psychological activities.
At the end of the audition, Lu Xun specifically asked about his acting teacher and study time. Finally, he stroked his chin and said, "Sigh, I quite like working with drama actors and stage actors. They all have good acting skills and comprehension... I didn't expect that Peking Opera actors would also have such a foundation."
"If you master one subject, you'll master all subjects," Cheng Jixue said, without becoming complacent despite receiving such implicit high praise: "The performances are all similar to some extent, only the methods of handling them are different."
In the end, Cheng Jixue received extremely high treatment; even the director's assistant personally saw him out. He knew perfectly well that this meant he was likely to succeed, as he was very confident in his ability to understand the character and his acting skills.
This also makes him difficult to be swayed by others and allows him to always stand firm in his choices.
He even maliciously wanted to scare Zhang Chaohe—Zhang Chaohe had come to this event to see if he could win against Xu Shen. Although he couldn't witness it in person due to the arrangements, he must be very curious, right?
He must have been very anxious waiting outside.
Cheng Jixue thought happily.
However, he was stunned when he opened the door. For some reason, everyone in the lobby had crowded into a corner, and the scene was as chaotic as a large-scale fan meeting. There were even several girls dressed exactly the same, probably actresses who were going to audition for the female lead later.
And in the middle of that group was Zhang Chaohe, who should have been anxiously waiting for him to leave... He had already taken off his hat and mask and was signing his name in the notebook with an air of aloofness and domineering CEO.
Everyone even left the actors who hadn't had a chance to audition standing aside, all trying to squeeze in next to Zhang Chaohe.
Cheng Jixue also heard a very loud, loving voice: "Zhang Baiwan, look at Mommy!"
He watched as Zhang Chaohe painfully pinched the bridge of his nose and suddenly burst out laughing.
A note from the author:
Xiao Cheng: Oh, he must be waiting very anxiously, blah blah blah;
In reality, Zhang Baiwan, the real celebrity, is so busy signing autographs he's sick of them.
Babies, I did the math! It seems like writing 10,000 words a day isn't very realistic. I'm such a slow writer, and I also have classes on weekdays. But it seems like I can squeeze in some effort to write 10,000 words a day on Saturdays!
So after the VIP chapters, it will be 6 days a week! I'll make up for the word count I missed these past few days after the VIP chapters, hehe!
Thank you to all the little ones who fed us!
Kiss you all! And while I'm at it, I'll give all of your paws a little squeeze!
Chapter 20
It all started when he suddenly wanted to play on his phone.
Zhang Chaohe was using the latest mobile phone developed by a subsidiary of Shengjing, but Zhang Yinshan did not check the phone's functions when he had it delivered.
So when Zhang Chaohe actually used the phone, he discovered this obvious design flaw—for the sake of screen aesthetics, the phone used the latest invisible camera and curved screen design, but did not have in-screen fingerprint recognition technology!
So when Zhang Chaohe was too lazy to enter a six-digit password, he could only pull off his mask for facial recognition!
Then he was exposed—the waiting hall was full of celebrities and actors, while Mr. Zhang seemed much rarer.
With the help of Cheng Jixue and Xiao Wen, Zhang Chaohe finally left in a sorry state. The moment he successfully got on the bus, he felt like he had no bones and slumped into his seat. However, Cheng Jixue and Xiao Wen were staring intently at him, and he felt a little embarrassed.
Zhang Chaohe could only continue to stand tall and act like the boss: "Where should we eat?"
Cheng Jixue was still processing this when President Zhang didn't ask him how the audition went, but instead inquired about the pickled fish for lunch.
He suddenly smiled—Cheng Jixue's smile had a special kind of radiance. Zhang Chaohe had never been able to describe this special temperament. She was beautiful but not weak. In short, it was a very vibrant and lively beauty.
Cheng Jixue sent the location directly to the car navigation system. Today, the company provided the car, which wasn't expensive, and the restaurant was just an ordinary eatery. The three of them didn't attract any attention when they got out of the car.
However, when Zhang Chaohe went to the restroom to wash his hands, he unexpectedly ran into a trainee from the company. He didn't expect it to be such a coincidence. After exchanging a few polite words, he went back.
As soon as the fish was served, before they could even take a couple of bites, they saw four or five handsome young men with wine glasses in high spirits walking towards Zhang Chaohe's table from afar!
Zhang Chaohe's eyebrows twitched, sensing that something was wrong. Sure enough, the boy he had just met said excitedly, "Mr. Zhang, it's such a coincidence that we met today. We brothers must toast you!"
After saying that, he tilted his head back and chugged the full glass!
Zhang Chaohe's hand holding the lemon juice trembled slightly.
Xiao Wen was dumbfounded. These trainees were dressed up in a flamboyant manner and even brought bottles of alcohol; their intentions were clearly impure! For a moment, he inexplicably thought of a scene from a palace drama where the emperor wanted to stay overnight in the empress's palace, but was instead snatched away by a shameless concubine!
He subconsciously looked at his own artist and found that not only was his brother Cheng completely unaware of the crisis, but he was also watching the show with great interest, resting his chin on his hand.
Xiao Wen's anger rose in his heart, and his courage surged. He had the audacity to take advantage of the table as a shield and lightly kicked Brother Cheng!
Don't look at me, bro, you're about to fall out of favor!!
After he finished kicking, Mr. Zhang turned his face away with a cold look in his eyes, as if he were shooting ice arrows: "Why did you kick me?"
Xiao Wen almost fainted—he had just kicked the very vehicle that was General Manager Zhang!
His upper body remained motionless, but his legs were already swaying slightly. Mr. Zhang kept staring at him—he could actually see a faint expectation in Mr. Zhang's eyes.
By this time, the trainees had already drunk with the fourth person. It was clear that their gratitude was genuine; their eyes gleamed slightly as they looked at President Zhang, showing no ill intent whatsoever.
Before the last person finished drinking, he gave an important speech, roughly thanking General Manager Zhang for giving them the opportunity, saying that they could now join the ranks of the 18th-tier celebrities and would soon be able to generate revenue for the company, and so on.
Forced to open for business was imminent, so Zhang Chaohe intensified his efforts, his expectant look turning into earnestness—he didn't want to embarrass himself here after getting drunk!
In an instant, Xiao Wen had a flash of inspiration! He finally connected with President Zhang's brainwaves. After the fifth trainee took a sip of the Xuan Kong wine, he stood up and took the bottle from the other trainee, filled his own glass, and said to the trainees, "President Zhang has an important meeting this afternoon and can't drink. I'm President Zhang's assistant, so I'll drink this glass on his behalf!"
Zhang Chaohe suddenly loosened his clenched fist and nodded calmly: "I do have an important meeting this afternoon that I have to attend, so I'll offer you all tea instead of wine and wish you all smooth sailing in your careers."
Xiao Wen gulped down a glass of baijiu, his cheeks flushed. Fortunately, the alcohol didn't hit him too hard, and he was even able to politely see the five children off before returning to sit down.
Zhang Chaohe had just avoided the embarrassment of falling asleep again, and now he saw Xiaowen as nothing less than a sweet and considerate daughter. He called his driver to come and pick up Xiaowen and take her home, his voice unusually gentle: "Give me a raise!"
Xiaowen seemed to hear the most beautiful sound in the world—how could anyone not love Boss Zhang!
After seeing Xiao Wen, who was on the verge of getting drunk, off, Cheng Jixue sighed, "Luckily, Xiao Wen was there. If I had been the one to drink for President Zhang, we would have had to pay for the fish on credit today."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chaohe's eyes widened slightly, looking quite surprised: "I would rather drink it myself than let you drink it. Aren't you opera actors very careful about protecting your voices?"
Cheng Jixue was speechless for a moment. He stared straight into President Zhang's eyes—to be fair, those eyes were really beautiful. If too much white was shown, they would look fierce, and if too much eyelid covered the pupils, they would look listless.
Anyone who is stared intently at by such deep and beautiful eyes will naturally have a strange feeling.
Am I special? Am I favored by him?
Zhang Chaohe didn't think that much about it. He had only heard that some Peking Opera actors had to leave the stage at a young age because of damaged voices, so the industry paid great attention to protecting their voices, and avoiding smoking, alcohol, spicy food, and strong tea were basic precautions.
Although he could easily be killed by Zhang Chaohe's mishap, he couldn't let others down, especially since Cheng Jixue sang so well. His momentary embarrassment could ruin someone else's lifelong career, and Zhang Chaohe couldn't do such a despicable thing.
Zhang Chaohe's casual remark stirred up a flood of thoughts in Cheng Jixue, but he himself remained oblivious, continuing to eat his fish. Cheng Jixue ate very little, only picking at the fish meat a few times before stopping.
He held the yam and red date paste that Zhang Chaohe had specially ordered for him, feeling a mix of amusement and disbelief. This was the first time someone had ever thought that "Cheng Jixue" was so precious that even his drinks had to be served hot.
Mr. Zhang finally finished eating. Today, his hair wasn't neatly combed back; instead, it hung softly in front of his forehead, making him look like a fresh college graduate.
He finished the last sip of lemonade with satisfaction, rolled up his sleeve to glance at his watch, and asked, "Are you busy this afternoon?"
Zhang Chaohe's thoughts were actually very simple: he didn't want to go to work.
He skipped work today with a clear conscience, so of course he wouldn't go back right after lunch! He's not Zhang Yinshan; with Jiang's assistant overseeing this small business at Jiasheng, he's completely at ease.
Thanks to Assistant Jiang, his signing speed has increased dramatically, and he often uses the excuse of reviewing documents to slack off alone in his office. Just a couple of days ago, he even became obsessed with console games. Facing Assistant Jiang's rare, slightly reproachful yet loving gaze, Premier Zhang confidently declared that Gain Capital intends to expand into the gaming industry.
Assistant Jiang assumed he was just a young kid who wanted to play games, and even thoughtfully provided him with a high-spec computer for gaming!
But now, all he wants to do is ask Cheng Jixue to play games with him in the afternoon to avoid going to work.
Unfortunately, Cheng Jixue looked troubled and said, "President Zhang, I have to practice my skills this afternoon."
"Practicing martial arts?"
"Yes, I also had an appointment with the musician this afternoon, and I can't stand him up."
Hearing this, a normal person would probably immediately and considerately say goodbye and go home. However, Zhang Chaohe's eyes lit up—he had never seen what Peking Opera actors practiced like before!
When Cheng Jixue saw his eyes light up, she secretly curled the corners of her lips. Sure enough, Zhang Chaohe coughed as if trying to cover up his unease, looking somewhat unsure of himself: "Um... do you mind if someone watches you practice your martial arts?"
“It will be very noisy, Mr. Zhang…” Cheng Jixue hesitated.
Zhang Chaohe became even more determined to go—he wasn't afraid of noise! A little noise was good, a little noise would make things lively!
Compared to being imprisoned in an office, everything outside is so much more fun!
He was completely unaware that he had been manipulated, and even hesitated for a moment before reluctantly agreeing.
Half an hour later, the taxi driver, carrying the two, sped to a stop at the entrance of People's Square.
Although this time of day wasn't as lively as after dinner, the retired elderly people were still quite a force to be reckoned with. The square was filled with the sounds of gongs, drums, and loudspeakers, making him and Cheng Jixue, two young men, seem out of place amidst the vibrant colors.
Looking at his surroundings, Zhang Chaohe found it hard to believe. He had thought that Cheng Jixue would at least practice in a quiet, deserted training room, and at best, there would be a sense of historical dust – that's what the public generally thinks of Peking Opera actors!
He tried to maintain a cool expression and asked in a low voice, "So you've been practicing your skills here?"
“Yes, the soundproofing at home is terrible. I get up early because I’m afraid of disturbing the neighbors.” Cheng Jixue’s tone was not resentful at all, but rather gentle and calm: “Before the troupe disbanded, I would practice in the troupe’s rehearsal room. Now I can only occasionally go to the company’s rehearsal room to practice secretly.”
"Please don't report me, Mr. Zhang."
Perhaps influenced by his singing style, Cheng Jixue's usual speaking voice is clear and magnetic. At this moment, he openly and casually expressed his difficulties, almost as if joking, and even seemed to have the mood to joke—
To Zhang Chaohe: As expected of a handsome, strong, and tragic male protagonist! Even when a beautiful woman is in trouble, he can still remain calm and actively fight against fate!
With all this money, what reason do I have not to work harder and earn even more!
Although Cheng Jixue obediently lowered her eyes, her back remained straight, like a resilient pine tree.
Zhang Chaohe gave him a deep look. Cheng Jixue's birthday was in a month, and he had already decided what gift to give her.
⚹
Cheng Jixue said she had made an appointment with a qin player and she really did. Zhang Chaohe followed Cheng Jixue to a small, detached pavilion.
This is probably the central stage for the entire square orchestra—the small pavilion looks quite impressive, with a set of stone tables and benches in the middle, and a red wooden railing around the four sides where people can sit. From a distance, you can hear the lively sounds of a good stringed instrument and drums.
Zhang Chaohe was wondering how they had brought the drum to the square when he saw a young boy with a black... electronic drum set spread out in front of him?
He suspected he was seeing things, but the simple electronic drum set was indeed producing a very Peking Opera-style gong and drum sound! However, Zhang Chaohe wasn't very sensitive to musical instruments, so he could only say that the sound was very similar but couldn't be sure.