CH 14

T/N: Sorry sorry sorry! A new term began and I got busy. I’m sorry, I won’t be able to update as often as before. I’m thinking a chapter per week, now. Every Saturday, probably. 

Real beauty was not skin-deep.

Qian Cong Hai, for the role of Fairy Qingya, had invited so many outstanding actresses to audition, but these people lacked the feeling he wanted.

He had seen the figures of immortals, goddesses and fairies on murals and paintings. Though the features were vague due to years of erosion, the demeanour of the painting was such that it made one yearn to be immortal.

It was a kind of feeling where one just needed to take a look and would feel a sense of reverence and longing. It was not something only beauty could express.

When Ning Xi appeared at the door, Qian Cong Hai finally found the feeling of the fairies in the paintings.

Seeing Ning Xi come in, Zhou Haili was also in a daze for a moment. She turned to look at Qian Cong Hai and knew that Ning Xi was cast from his expression.

Ning Xi had just walked in when she heard Qian Cong Hai say, “There will be no audition.”

She felt a little disappointed in her heart but on the surface, she maintained a calm expression, looking at Qian Cong Hai. Was her performance so bad that Qian Cong Hai didn’t even want to see her audition?

An excited Qian Cong Hai was gleefully rubbing his hands. “Haili, I owe you big time for today. Next time, I’ll treat you to a meal.” Saying so, he looked at Ning Xi intently. “You’re called Ning Xi, were you professionally trained?”

Ning Xi first nodded and then shook her head. This move seemed so elegant in her costume that it gave off an otherworldly charm.

The eyes of the crew members brightened. They exchanged looks of satisfaction.

“You don’t have to treat me, just give me a few more shots.” Seeing that Qian Cong Hai fancied Ning Xi’s talent, Zhou Haili turned to her and smiled, “This is Jiuji Entertainment’s newly signed artist. Recently, she played Princess Dangli. She’s very smart.”

In her opinion, although Ning Xi’s performance was not yet as skilled as the senior artists in the industry, she had a unique and unspeakable aura. As long as her skills were carefully polished, in a few years, she would certainly be a powerful figure as an actor.

Qian Cong Hai and Zhou Haili were old friends, so he immediately understood her intention. Nodding at Ning Xi, he said, “It doesn’t matter if you haven’t been trained professionally. In this circle, there have been many movie kings and queens who were not professionally trained actors, but their acting was absolutely first-class.”

Standing at the side, Zhang Qingyun’s heart skipped a beat. It seemed like Director Qian was going to let Ning Xi play the role of Fairy Qingya.

“Since your agent is here today, sign the contract.” Qian Cong Hai was a straightforward man. Since he found an artist he admired, he would definitely sign her for his project. “Ning Xi, do you have anything to say?”

Ning Xi was suddenly speechless. Did this mean that she got the role without an audition?

“We have no opinion, Director Qian,” Zhang Qingyun said. “We can sign the contract anytime.” This was a wonderful opportunity that even money could not buy, what else could they say?

After signing the contract and the NDA, Qian Cong Hai told Ning Xi, “The shooting is going to start soon. You and your agent keep your phones switched on, someone will call or send an email to notify you. I want you to go back and ponder about this role. I hope you won’t let me down.”

“Thanks for the opportunity, Director Qian, I will work hard.” Ning Xi knew how rare such an opportunity was; it was so rare that no one would believe her when she would announce it. So she listened intently, afraid to miss a single word of his.

Looking at her obedient and clever look, the crew developed a more favourable impression of her. They were all senior people in the entertainment circle. They didn’t usually have favourable impressions of newcomers. A newcomer like Ning Xi who was well-behaved and polite made these people lose their preparedness.

Qian Cong Hai had something to discuss with the others, so it wasn’t good for Zhang Qingyun and Ning Xi to disturb them. They took the initiative to leave.

Zhou Haili didn’t leave with them but stayed back. She sent off Ning Xi at the door and smiled, saying, “See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.” Ning Xi once again thanked Zhou Haili and followed Zhang Qingyun into the elevator. Zhou Haili watched the elevator close and went back into the room.

Seeing her return, Qian Cong Hai laughed, “Since when did you start valuing the newcomers? You even personally sent her off.”

“I don’t regard her highly,” Zhou Haili smiled at Qian Cong Hai and whispered, “It’s not me that values her highly.”

It wasn’t well done for her to deliberately say something, but Qian Cong Hai was her friend of many years. It was better to remind him of some things.

Qian Cong Hai was surprised for a second, then he laughed. “Such a promising artist, it’s not difficult to like. I can understand.”

Zhou Haili simply smiled. They didn’t continue talking about Ning Xi, but their hearts were like mirrors.

Once they got out of the building, Zhang Qingyun could no longer hide his joy. He opened the door for Ning Xi and said excitedly, “This time, participating in a movie by Director Qian will help you get a stable start.”

Since the success of ‘My Heart Longs for You‘, Zhang Qingyun had received many scripts for Ning Xi to act in. But most of them were either shoddy pieces or low-cost idol dramas.

With the high position of Ning Xi within the company, he didn’t intend to make her act with a mixed crew with unknown people. Sometimes, if an actor was seen often in melodramas and idol dramas, it was easy for the audience to stereotype him or her. Then, taking up a script with a high cost of production would be difficult.

It was because he was taking all this into consideration that Zhang Qingyun was extra careful about choosing the right script, in order to not affect Ning Xi’s development. Now that Ning Xi had bagged a role in ‘Tán Hǎixiān jì‘, her status would improve exponentially, and the chances of getting a good script later would improve.

This was why many actors wanted to desperately enter this director’s eyes.

Pinching the script in her hands, Ning Xi smiled, looking at the passing streets out the window, “Yes, this opportunity is indeed rare.”

She wanted fame, wanted money. So this for her was like the harvest in spring.

When the car stopped at a signal, Ning Xi looked at the motionless traffic. Feeling bored, she took out her phone to look at the news. She found out that there was a couple quarrelling at the junction and the ex-girlfriend drove into their car. The boyfriend had now broken his ribs and they were waiting for an ambulance.

In the article, the two girls were wearing designer clothes and the man was lying down on the seat. Both of them were standing by the door with their expressions hidden.

Ning Xi hissed looking at the two pictures and threw her phone aside.

A few minutes later, the ambulance finally came, relieving the traffic. But there were too many vehicles on the road, so the ambulance moved slowly.

Ning Xi sat in the car watching the lights atop the ambulance, a cold smile on her face.

“These rich second-generation youngsters can really play,” Zhang Qingyun also read the news on his phone. He put his hand on the steering wheel and turned to her. “This story can really be turned into a TV show.”

“A melodrama?” Ning Xi smiled, “You’re sure that if this show is filmed, they won’t be scolded by the audience that the story is giving them brain damage?”

Zhang Qingyun shrugged. “If Tian Liang Wang can have such a broken plot, why shouldn’t this work?”

Ning Xi looked at him with disdain, “I didn’t know you had done a thesis on this kind of drama.”

Zhang Qingyun: “…”

A moment later, the traffic eased out. When they drove forward, they saw a totalled blue Maserati parked to the side.

She looked away, touching the thin silver bracelet on her wrist.

Aside from Director Xu and Zhou Haili from the crew of ‘Yunyue of Han Dynasty’, no one else knew that Ning Xi had got the role of Fairy Qingya, so the rest of the shoot was undisturbed and smooth. A month later, her shooting came to an end and several leading artists invited her to have a meal as a celebration.

On knowing that the crew of ‘Yunyue of Han Dynasty’ actually held a party for the supporting role, he was a little curious. What was Ning Xi’s backing that made so many big names give her face?

Right now, Ning Xi had no other work released apart from ‘My Heart Longs for You‘. Maybe this topic wouldn’t interest outsiders but for such big names to give her face, if someone said there was nothing suspicious, even if he was beaten to death he wouldn’t believe it.

So the next day, there were reports of the big names in ‘Yunyue of Han Dynasty’ gathering for a party. Unfortunately, Ning Xi had a limited celebrity status. Except for those youngsters who were always online, others didn’t know who she was. The news was therefore like a pebble thrown into the sea. It passed without making any ripples.

As for Ning Xi, these days, she practised acting and her other skills. Jiuji invited trainers to teach her one-on-one. They couldn’t wait till Ning Xi’s performance stunned the country and conquered the world.

Since she got the role in ‘Tán Hǎixiān jì‘ as Fairy Qingyun, the company gave her a car and a driver. As one of the few actresses in Jiuji Entertainment, she had long overtaken several actors.

It was reasonable to say that when something was rare, it became precious.

After practising crying for a few hours, Ning Xi felt her head ache. She exited the building and put on her sunglasses, afraid that someone would misunderstand that she was aggrieved.

When the car passed by a roast duck shop, she couldn’t help missing the taste of roast duck.

“Mister, please stop the car. I want to buy something.” Upholding her principle of not wronging her stomach, Ning Xi finally succumbed to her cravings.

The roasted duck in the shopkeeper’s hands was quickly sliced with a sharp knife. Every slice cut was thin like paper and gave out an irresistible aroma. Ning Xi swallowed unconsciously.

Carrying the wrapped roast duck, she was in a good mood and turned around. She bumped into someone and her sunglasses fell down, breaking the lenses.

“I’m sorry, are you okay?” A nice, slightly familiar voice came from above her.