Chapter 28: 028

Chapter 28

Nine out of ten interviews started with this kind of dialogue, and Jiang Tang had already become somewhat numb to it. She remembered that when she first went for auditions, there was never any follow-up because they wouldn't even ask her any questions.

Seeing this opening, Jiang Tang felt discouraged, knowing she had likely wasted another trip. She didn't mind for herself, but she felt her sister would be very disappointed, given how much she had been looking forward to this.

"You're Jiang Tang, right?" The person in front suddenly spoke up.

Jiang Tang, who had been looking down, was completely caught off guard by being called on. Like a student caught daydreaming, her eyes showed panic and guilt.

"I'm Jiang Tang," she answered, raising her hand like a schoolgirl.

The casting director sitting in front flipped through her resume a couple of times. "You've acted in quite a few things."

Jiang Tang's eyebrows raised involuntarily. She was about to say something when the person in front put down her resume and asked, "You're with Cheng Yuan now, right?"

"Ah... yes," Jiang Tang replied. The situation was heading in an unpredictable direction.

The director wore a hat, and perhaps because the brim blocked his vision, he tilted his chin up high. With his arms crossed, leaning back in his chair, he looked down his nose at Jiang Tang. "How much do you weigh now?"

Jiang Tang immediately recalled her most recent weigh-in. In those brief two seconds, she even debated whether to embellish her weight a bit, but what if they asked her to step on a scale right there? In the end, she reported the true number: "My height is 166 cm, and I weigh 49 kg."

The director pondered for a moment after hearing this. "...Can you get down to 44 kg before filming starts?"

In that instant, Jiang Tang's mind went blank, and she saw fireworks explode before her eyes. But as soon as she came to her senses, she immediately exclaimed loudly, "I can do it!"

"Alright, go home and wait for our notification. Call in the next group."

After standing up, Jiang Tang continued, "Thank you, director! Thank you, sir!"

The people sitting there looked puzzled and laughed at her. "Nothing's set in stone yet."

But she kept saying, "Thank you, sir!"

This was the first time in Jiang Tang's life that she had been asked questions during an audition. In all her previous attempts, just like the actor sitting at the other end earlier, she hadn't even been mentioned, always being the person who was there just to make up the numbers.

All those acting experiences listed on her resume were ones she had fought for herself in Hengdian. At that time, she had gone to Hengdian alone and worked as a background actor for several months, then passed tests to become a featured extra with some lines. Only then did she have experiences worth putting on her resume.

After coming out, Jiang Tang's mood was still difficult to describe.

Jiang Juyou, who walked over with her phone, looked at her sister cautiously. "...How did it go?"

"They said to go home and wait for news," Jiang Tang shared with her sister.

Judging from her sister's expression, Jiang Juyou could tell that she must have performed well inside. Hearing this, she felt relieved. "That's good. Cheng Yuan should be able to secure it."

After she said this, Jiang Tang's expression changed.

Busy looking at her phone, Jiang Juyou didn't notice. She linked arms with her sister and said as they walked out, "Cheng Yuan said the next few auditions are for non-overlapping productions, so if you get all of them, you can do them all."

Just as they exited the production studio's main door, Jiang Tang grabbed her sister's arm and asked with furrowed brows, "What do you mean?"

Jiang Juyou was taken aback, then tried to recall if there was anything wrong with what she had just said. "...Just that, if you get them all, you can do them all... but if you think the schedule is too tight, we can adjust it. Cheng Yuan only gave rough timelines."

Standing in front of her, Jiang Tang suddenly deflated, her expression no longer as bright as before.

Jiang Tang let go of the sleeve she was gripping and exhaled deeply, as if trying to expel all the frustration from her chest. "...Never mind, it's nothing."

"What's wrong?" Jiang Juyou asked carefully.

Perhaps sensing that her sister wasn't in a good mood, she even hunched her shoulders as she asked, afraid that a too-assertive posture might upset her sister again.

"It's nothing, just that I've let go of my pride and become someone I used to hate... but also someone I really want to be."

Jiang Tang used to criticize these people with connections very harshly, even crying while cursing them before. Now that she had become the kind of person she used to despise, that sense of burden only lasted for a few minutes before she quickly accepted it.

Having entered this world of fame and fortune, it was time to put aside that useless self-respect. Only climbing to the top was the truth.

She also admitted that the reason she used to criticize those people so harshly before was simply because she wasn't one of them. Now that her position had changed, it was time for her to experience this sense of satisfaction too.

She walked forward with a relieved expression. Jiang Juyou followed behind, mulling over her sister's words several times before understanding their meaning. She wanted to say something but in the end only moved her lips, saying nothing.

On the way back, Jiang Tang was still driving. As she drove, she grumbled, "Tch... seriously, I'm always the one driving when we go out. What use are you?"

"I have to reply to Cheng Yuan!" Jiang Juyou protested.

"You have a point," Jiang Tang conceded.

"I'll drive tomorrow, okay?"

"...I'll believe it when I see it."

Despite her words, when they passed by a convenience store, Jiang Tang asked if her sister wanted something to eat.

Each role had very fragmented scenes and wouldn't take long to film, but they were all S+ projects on various platforms. Just appearing in them would significantly increase her value.

"We've been living here for half a month. Although it's been tough, at least the results have been good," Jiang Juyou sighed, rolling around on the bed. "Great Sister Cheng Yuan, she's so reliable."

Jiang Tang, sitting on the bean bag, looked up but didn't say anything.

Jiang Juyou on the bed was about to say something more when suddenly her phone on the bedside table vibrated a few times. She crawled over to grab it, saw that it was from Sister Cheng Yuan, and exclaimed, "Oh!"

She opened it and read it once, then frowned and confirmed it again before looking up to tell her sister, "...Sis, there's been a change with that princess role."

Jiang Tang, who was reading a novel, looked up. Seeing Jiang Juyou's serious expression, she seemed to understand something. She pressed her lips together and said, "If it's gone, it's gone. Aren't there other roles?"

"It's not that," Jiang Juyou said, then looked at her phone again. "Sister Cheng Yuan says a role has become vacant over there. The casting director is asking if you want to play that role. It's the maid beside the female lead, called Liu Cheng."

Cheng Yuan had obviously read the original work, as she had analyzed the pros and cons of these two roles in her message to Jiang Juyou.

Jiang Juyou looked at the content on her phone and said, "The princess doesn't have many scenes, but the costume and makeup should be very glamorous. Originally, the crew wanted to find a second-tier actress for a friendly cameo, but in the end, I... uh, Sister Cheng Yuan managed to get it for us. Although there aren't many scenes, this part is at a minor climax of the drama. With good makeup and acting, it could be very memorable and easy to market. The role of Liu Cheng is more tricky. She's always by the female lead's side, with a lot of screen time but not many lines, mainly serving as a mouthpiece. The filming time might be very long. The advantage is being by the female lead's side, able to get more face time."

After she finished, she looked at her sister, "Sister Cheng Yuan is asking which one you choose?"

Jiang Tang: "..."

The world has really changed, now she even gets to choose.

Jiang Tang, who was sitting calmly before, suddenly panicked. She raised her hand to stop, "Wait, it's too sudden. Let me think for a moment."

Jiang Juyou on the other side was about to urge, "Sister Cheng Yuan says to give an answer within an hour."

After considering for just two or three seconds, Jiang Tang immediately raised her hand and said, "I choose Liu Cheng!"

"Why?" If it were Jiang Juyou, she would definitely choose the princess role. It has its own backstory, has tragic colors, and is at a minor climax. Plus, with guaranteed costume and makeup, it's a role that would leave an impression on anyone who sees it.

Jiang Tang on the other side changed her expression. She pouted, looking at Jiang Juyou as if she was looking at an idiot, "Can't you think for me? The reason the princess is taken hostage is that she's the emperor's most beloved daughter. The reason he loves her is that she's beautiful and cute. Which of these words do you think applies to me?"

"...Self-awareness," Jiang Juyou said softly.

"..." Jiang Tang heard the correct answer, but her mood wasn't pleasant at all.

Seeing her sister's expression change to one of speechlessness, Jiang Juyou quickly added, "But you look quite good. It's just that your current figure might seem a bit chubby in the entertainment industry. It'll be fine if you lose a bit more weight. Luckily, we both take after mom with our small goose egg faces. If we took after dad, you'd be a square face number one, and I'd be number two."

"That doesn't make me feel any better."

"Whatever, I'll go reply first."

Jiang Juyou, falling back onto the bed, replied to Sister Cheng Yuan, sending over Jiang Tang's choice. She was about to put down her phone when it vibrated again.

"Tsk... I'm supposed to be the one on 24-hour standby for the company." Jiang Juyou opened her phone and found that it wasn't from Sister Cheng Yuan, but from the newcomer department.

Today was the pre-check for the trainees, and seven had already been selected to perform solo stages. Jiang Juyou looked at the list and sat up in shock.

Among the top seven, the only one she was familiar with was Pei Luming.

"What's going on?" Jiang Juyou said as she sent a message to ask about the specific situation, wondering if the previous people had made mistakes during the pre-check.

It was understandable not to have Yao Shuo, but how could Ye Xing not be there? Those people had tried so hard to protect her before.

The staff member replied in the group: "No one made mistakes. They're just too competitive."

This was the first time Jiang Juyou had gone so long without inquiring about the trainees' situation. Previously, there were at least weekly meetings where someone would report on the trainees' status every Monday morning. Now that she wasn't in Beijing and the trainees weren't practicing at the company, this information seemed as distant as another galaxy, difficult to communicate.

Jiang Juyou steadied herself and replied to them, "Alright, I understand."

Jiang Tang, who was sitting on the sofa, finally dared to ask, "What's wrong?"

Jiang Juyou shook her head, "The situation with the trainees, their rankings exceeded my expectations." After saying this, she remembered something and looked up at her sister, "The survival show still needs a host. Do you want to do it?"

Jiang Tang, holding her phone, paused, "...Is there payment?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll definitely do it!" Jiang Tang said, recalling something, "I haven't met the company's trainees yet. I heard that Ye Xing is quite famous. He looks handsome in photos, how is he in real life?"

Jiang Juyou had no time to entertain her sister's questions; she was busy buying return tickets.

Jiang Juyou thought: I feel like if I don't go back soon, everything will turn upside down.

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Today's word count has improved a little bit!

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