"It's trending on social media!"
The PR staff on the other end sounded like they were on the verge of tears.
"The news that Gu Zhong is being kept by the CEO of Tianchen is all over the internet! We've been trying to suppress it all morning, but it's like they're determined to destroy Gu Zhong, we just can't suppress it!"
"Sister, which big shot has this little devil under your command offended?!"
Ling Yan's expression hardened, and she tapped her phone a few times with her fingers.
The CEO of Tianchen Entertainment should be CEO Li from that day's cocktail party.
An unavoidable plot, from the very beginning of the cocktail party, was all pre-planned.
In the film "Peach Blossom", Gu Zhong plays a character who is simple and untouched by worldly affairs.
A good character design can bring great benefits to the actor playing the role. Even if the audience knows it's fictional, they can't help but equate the movie character with the actor himself.
Even if Gu Zhong didn't establish a persona and remained silent for a long time, the backlash she might suffer if scandalous news broke that was extremely inconsistent with her character was exposed.
The person who set this up is really patient, only revealing it now. I wonder what they were thinking?
It seems that Liu Wanjun is not someone who knows the inside story.
Thinking of Ge Tan's smile before he left, Ling Yan understood something.
I originally thought he just wanted to use sending Gu Zhong away as an opportunity to take the throne, after all, he was a ruthless person who would sell himself.
It now seems that things are not so simple.
"I understand... Stop suppressing it, and don't try to whitewash it with your online trolls. Just fuel the fire, and whatever the other side says about Gu Zhong, just say even worse things, preferably to the point where their accounts get banned."
Lingyan quickly made another decision.
"??"
If the question from the other side were to materialize, it would likely be something like, "Sister, have you lost your mind?"
"Sister Yan, what's wrong?"
Yu Guang had been observing Ling Yan's composure. When he saw the person walking steadily toward him, he suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with a strong thirst for knowledge.
"It has nothing to do with you... How are the preparations going?"
Lingyan didn't want to affect Gu Zhong at this crucial moment.
"But I feel like it has a lot to do with me."
Gu Zhong scooted closer to her, tilting his head back and staring at Ling Yan with an innocent expression that inexplicably made her feel guilty, as if she were doing something heinous.
"...The audition is the most important thing!"
Lingyan turned her head away, avoiding her gaze that could melt even the hardest heart.
"All right…"
With a wronged look in her eyes, Gu Zhong accused Ling Yan again before burying her head back into the script in disappointment.
Lingyan opened her phone and her fingertips swiped rapidly across the frosted screen.
Various entertainment gossip accounts and marketing accounts have really pulled out all the stops. After all, it's not easy to create a major news story in a period of relative calm.
Some bluntly singled out Gu Zhong and criticized him.
Shocking! The rising starlet is actually CEO X's kept mistress!
"A certain young actress meets her lover late at night..."
Some people secretly hide new melons in old melon fields and sell them in bulk.
A compilation of female celebrities who rose to fame through unspoken rules in the entertainment industry!
There's also the sophisticated kind of black.
"To be fair, acting skills and character are not the same thing. We should view the chaos in the entertainment industry rationally."
The titles, main themes, and entry points of the articles are incredibly diverse; if collected, they could form a comprehensive journal covering all genres.
However, what they have in common is that they all have photos of Gu Zhong and President Li entering the Century Dynasty 1884 room in turn.
The photos are blurry and obviously taken secretly, which further enhances their credibility in the eyes of the public, especially since the date and time on the photos are only about 20 minutes apart.
It's really commendable that they even went to the trouble of finding an old camera that could add a time watermark during the printing process; they really put in a lot of effort.
After closing the chaotic news page, Lingyan opened her contacts and dialed a number she had saved for a long time but had never used.
"Mr. Li, how have you been lately?"
After finalizing the discussions for tonight, Lingyan hung up the phone. Director Chen had already made arrangements, allowing the actors who came to audition to enter the studio one by one for individual assessments.
The role we're competing for is the female lead in this drama, and there aren't many people with the courage and ability to participate; including Liu Wanjun, there are only five of us. This significantly increased each person's audition time, making it almost 20 minutes long.
Gu Zhong's number was fourth – it appears to be a sorting system based on the order in which people arrived.
The three people in front of us are indeed veterans who have been in the industry for many years. Each of them looked calm and composed as they came out of the studio, having long lost the youthful innocence that used to show their joy and laughter.
"Number four!"
A stagehand wearing a baseball cap lifted the black curtain and called out, as Gu Zhong leisurely stood up from his chair.
"Sister Yan, I'm off!"
"Keep it up!" Ling Yan gave her an encouraging smile.
"Tch—" Liu Wanjun scoffed again, "Don't come out crying—"
Gu Zhong frowned and glanced at her with the look one would give a mental patient, but ignored her and walked steadily toward the audition location.
"Ms. Liu, I don't know when my artist offended you?"
Lingyan smiled instead of getting angry, adopting a gentle, humble, and attentive attitude.
"It's just a clash of personalities."
Liu Wanjun still held her head high with pride, not even deigning to glance at Ling Yan, and too lazy to even offer a perfunctory reply, "You're just a small-time agent, you should be thinking about how to get rid of this mess as soon as possible...tsk..."
"I'm sorry to have troubled you, Miss Liu."
Lingyan's smile grew even gentler. Sometimes, when people are naive and arrogant to a certain degree, they become more than just stupid. A pampered princess might need to be toughened up by society.
She stood up and walked around to the back of the studio, where capital always enjoyed certain privileges.
For example, let Director Zhang secretly put her in the audition room where no one else is allowed to enter. After all, as one of the investors, he should actually observe the actors' abilities in the new drama.
Ling Yan sat in the last row, completely shrouded in black shadows. No one on set noticed her presence; everyone was focused on watching the performance on stage.
Without costumes, props, or acting partners, Gu Zhong, dressed in a simple white lace dress, began her performance.
The scene we tested today was about the female lead being besieged by the immortal sects because of her so-called doomsday destiny.
Her eyes closed, and when she opened them again, her entire demeanor changed abruptly. She shed her ethereal sweetness and was no longer that innocent girl, but... a rebellious person who had experienced betrayal and hardship, and was at odds with the world. She revealed sharp edges, filled with unyielding, rebellious, sad, and determined spirit, moving forward without hesitation and unstoppable.
——————
The woman, clad in black armor, held a silver spear. The white tassel at the spearhead was soaked in black blood, dripping down in droplets. Layers of black mist surrounded her, seemingly wanting to pounce on her, yet hesitant in fear.
"Concern..."
A familiar voice came from behind me.
The woman, who resembled a demon, turned her head, her cold expression softening, and a genuine and warm smile blooming on her face.
"Ayan!"
——————
For some reason, looking at the impassioned young woman on the stage, her brows furrowed with unwavering resolve, Ling Yan unconsciously recalled her last meeting with Gu Zhong—the black-armored war god who single-handedly fought against ten thousand on the brutal battlefield where gods and demons clashed…
"Good!" Director Chen, sitting at the front, shouted excitedly, waking Ling Yan from her daze and announcing the end of the scene.
“I’ve seen your play ‘Peach Blossom’ before, and it was very spiritual. But in terms of your own temperament, I originally felt that you were not very suitable for my play, because you are too pure, and no one wants to break this innocent purity.”
Once an actor's image and temperament limit their acting range, few can break free, and it can make the audience feel something is off. I just didn't expect such a drastic style change, and you managed to handle it so well. I've never seen such a talented individual in my life.
Director Chen clicked his tongue in amazement, his eyes shining with the light of seeing a priceless treasure, wishing he could sign Gu Zhong on the spot.
"Ahem... Director Chen, there's one more—"
Another assistant director coughed twice and whispered a reminder.
"Thank you, director!"
Gu Zhong suppressed his heavy yet hopeful demeanor, his sharpness vanished, and he revealed a sweet smile, bowing in thanks.
"You can go down now...wait for further notice."
That being said, almost everyone believes that Gu Zhong is a shoo-in for the role. After all, compared to her meteoric rise, everyone knows Liu Wanjun's acting skills and image, and this one is just there to make an appearance.
"Sister Yan! How was my performance?"
Stepping out of the studio, Gu Zhong, like a proud little peacock, spread her beautiful tail feathers and coaxed a compliment.
"? I didn't see it—and I can't go in—"
Lingyan raised an eyebrow, a mischievous thought forming in her mind.
"You're lying! You're definitely here!"
Gu Zhong immediately burst into tears, complaining pitifully, "You came after me and sat in the last row."
Unexpectedly, while the little guy was performing on stage, he was still able to notice her suddenly appearing in the audience. Ling Yan's heart was instantly filled with a feeling of being cared for.
"Gu Xiaozhong, you're really great—Director Chen hasn't praised anyone in many years."
Lingyan looked at the person in front of her with a smile, genuinely happy for her.
"Of course! I'm awesome!"
Encouraged, the peacock became proud and self-satisfied once again.
The phone rang again at an inopportune moment; it was Starlight's public relations representative again.
"Sister Ling! Things have gotten even worse! Director Chen's new film has been leaked! The hashtag 'Gu Zhong pre-selected' is already trending! It can't be suppressed at all!"
Author's Note:
Um, I'm asking for leave in advance. I'm going out for a holiday during the May Day holiday, and I'll update the next day~ Happy May Day everyone!