CH 26

Wang Haisheng used this method to streamline the audition. He instantly went through seven or eight people in a single go.

He didn’t even give them a chance to perform. He dismissed them after a single photo. This kept going until an idol walked into the room. He had gotten really popular within the past year. 

His name was Cheng Xian. It hadn’t been very long since he entered the industry, less than a year or so. He had dimples when he smiled, and he had a clean aura to him. The vibe he gave off was a little bit different from the previous candidates who auditioned.

As soon as he walked in, he was met face-first with a camera, but he didn’t get angry and his expression didn’t collapse. Instead, he smiled and tilted his head a little bit. It was quite obvious that he was very used to being in front of the camera.

Wang Haisheng didn’t smile, but that was just the kind of person he was. For Wang Haisheng to be patient enough to talk with him for a bit meant that he was already pretty satisfied.

He even asked Xie Luyu to act out a scene with Cheng Xian. It was the part where Ke Mu blocked an assassin’s attack for Ke Chengqi. 

With this, Xie Luyu could pretty much guarantee that Wang Haisheng was going to go with the first version of the script. It was the one with fewer scenes of Ke Mu. Although the movie would be losing a lot of its color, it was still acceptable.

If they went with the second version, the character might seem a little too unbelievable. Ke Mu was so beautiful that even the princess fell in love with him at first sight. This kind of unworldly beauty was almost impossible for people to imagine.

Cheng Xian didn’t quite hit the mark. If they tried to force it, the entire plot would seem a little exaggerated and unrealistic. It would break the audience’s suspension of disbelief.

Although this was a commercial film, the movie couldn’t be too illogical. After all, the audience weren’t idiots.

“Alright. You can go back and wait for our notice.”

Cheng Xian smiled throughout the entire audition. Clean and fresh, he gave others a good impression. It seemed that he also knew what his advantages were.

“Okay. Thank you, Director Wang.”

After that, Wang Haisheng visibly relaxed. He started going back into photo mode. 

The audition wasn’t open to the public. Everyone here had been invited by the crew to audition, so it would be hard to explain themselves if they didn’t at least give them a chance.

Wang Haisheng’s attitude looked as if he wanted to get this audition over with and go back to work.

The role was pretty much decided. Xie Luyu yawned, a little bored, and looked down at the script.

It was a pity. Without Ke Mu, the script lost a lot of its luster. 

The surroundings suddenly went quiet. What followed was a series of whispers, one after another.

The voices of the two assistants next to Xie Luyu were especially clear because of their proximity to him.

“His skin is so pale. It’s as white as paper!”

“I’m jealous. I always use sunscreen and carry an umbrella, but I’m still nowhere near as pale as he is.” 

“Lfs, mbnfg obg wf. P’w ubccj rcjq j qtbab.”

“Tbe kjccj vlf? Glgfmabg Qjcu lr gluta atfgf!”

Wlf Oese ibbxfv eq, j ilaaif vjhfv.

Ktfc, tf rjk atf wjc rajcvlcu lc atf wlvvif bo atf gbbw. 

Xe Hlcumtl rabbv lc atf wlvvif. Lf kjr tbivlcu j mjgv klat tlr cewyfg bc la.

A simple white shirt, jeans, and a pigtail.

It didn’t look like it had been carefully styled, but, when it was on him, you couldn’t look away.

He looked like he had walked out of a manga. It wasn’t the result of photoshop or exaggeration. It was the kind of figure that could hold up against all kinds of angles and cameras. 

His appearance didn’t lose to his photos at all. In fact, he looked even more stunning in real life than he did in the photos online.

As everyone knows, people tend to look better in real life than they do in photos. This doesn’t apply to celebrities. They all have special teams to retouch their photos.

However, Gu Qingchi was an exception. There was nothing to retouch in his photos. He looked exactly the same in real life as he did in his photos. When looking at his photos, you’d think that there’s no way such a beautiful person exists. It doesn’t feel real. It must’ve been edited.

However, when the real person appears in front of you, you’ll realize that this person is actually rather unphotogenic. 

When this kind of person shows up in front of you, the impact is huge.

Anyone who sees a good-looking person would look twice.

Gu Qingchi undeniably attracted everyone’s attention.

Before he went in, the almighty Xiao Ke had already asked around about the situation. She had pretty much figured out what the audition process would be like. 

She was afraid that Gu Qingchi would be nervous. Before Gu Qingchi went in, she gave him a quick run-down. Just take a photo, and leave. It was that simple. Don’t feel any pressure.

Gu Qingchi believed it, so he didn’t feel pressured at all. He sincerely believed that the audition would just be a single photo.

Gu Qingchi walked in and saw a person with a camera in front of him.

He solemnly raised the card to his chest, posing for the photograph. 

Wang Haisheng hadn’t planned to take his photo. It was clear that he didn’t need to. He had completely crushed the competition the minute he walked in.

However, Gu Qingchi kept silently urging him with his eyes. He stood as straight as a pencil and obediently held his card before his chest, just like a mugshot. Wang Haisheng didn’t understand what Gu Qingchi was urging him to do at first. He tentatively raised the camera, and the camera clicked.

Once Gu Qingchi saw that Wang Haisheng had taken his photo, he turned his head and left. He felt that he had completed his task, so his footsteps were light and quick. He wasn’t reluctant to leave at all. His mind was entirely focused on the milk tea that Xiao Ke had promised him. 100% sugar with ice and milk foam.

Yes, Gu Qingchi, the guy who drank alcohol like his life depended on it, was not only addicted to alcohol but also a big fan of milk tea. However, ever since Ye Li took over Gu Qingchi’s diet, milk tea had become a luxury that he could only have once a month. 

Ye Li never said anything about alcohol though. It was very likely that Ye Li didn’t know about how often Gu Qingchi drank, so he didn’t impose any restrictions.

In fact, when Gu Qingchi installed a wine cabinet in his apartment, Ye Li even gave him a few bottles of red wine.

That’s why every opportunity to drink milk tea was very precious.

Wang Haisheng was holding the camera. 

“Hey, hey, hey, wait a minute.”

Gu Qingchi stopped and looked back at him. He didn’t even turn around, and he didn’t speak. He simply asked with his eyes: Do you need something?

It was rare for Wang Haisheng to be ignored like this. Other than the professional actors, the rest of the audition candidates were pretty much the same. He had decided on Gu Qingchi as soon as he saw his face. There wasn’t any need for an audition. Their acting was all garbage anyway.

“It’s nothing. Go back and wait for our notice.” 

Once work was over, Xie Luyu walked next to Wang Haisheng. He didn’t beat around the bush. He raised an eyebrow and asked directly.

“So what do you think?”

Wang Haisheng was also very calm. Although he looked cold and indifferent, he was actually quite talkative with people he was familiar with. His face remained expressionless, but his mouth had quite a bit to say.

“What else could I be thinking? I’ll just go with the one who looks the best. None of them were professionally trained. It doesn’t matter which one I pick. What else can I do but look at their faces.” 

“First version or second version?”

Wang Haisheng revealed a bit of a smile this time.

“Second version.”

Wang Haisheng’s team was very efficient. As soon as the auditions ended that morning, the results were released that afternoon. After notifying the audition candidates, they tagged the actors on Weibo that evening. 

******

Cheng Xian’s agent’s office.

The agent scrolled through Weibo, in disbelief. An insider had informed him in advance that they had a very good chance.

Out of all his artists, Cheng Xian had the best foundation. He could be considered a top-notch artist within the industry, and he was also hard-working. By now, Cheng Xian had already become a popular idol. 

“How is this possible? He suddenly showed up out of nowhere. Who is this? I haven’t heard of any newcomers with backgrounds to watch out for. Which rich kid is this?”

Gu Qingchi still hadn’t debuted yet. The splash he made wasn’t small, but it wasn’t very big either. He hadn’t become a household name yet.

Cheng Xian’s mentality was rather stable. His outward persona was that of a shy boy, but he was actually quite casual and carefree. He was an easygoing and shameless punster.

If he disagreed with someone, he would start spouting nonsense like it’s nothing. 

At this moment, he was casually scrolling through his phone. He didn’t even look up.

“Don’t be so negative. Couldn’t they just be better than me? Let’s find something else.”

The agent’s face was full of distress.

“What do you know? You don’t know anything. Society is just that negative.” 

He pulled out Gu Qingchi’s photo and stared at it for a while. After a while, he angrily turned off the computer.

“It’s photoshop! It’s definitely photoshop! I’ll hire an even better photo editor for you right now.”

Suddenly, the assistant next to him let out a cry. Everyone in the room turned to look at him.

“He went to another high school near mine. It was a private high school. The tuition was crazy expensive, at least a hundred seventy thousand a year—” 

Cheng Xian and his agent both went back to doing what they were doing. This assistant didn’t have any issues and did his job well. He was just a little bit too talkative. He could talk and talk without ever getting to the point.

Everyone else had left. The only person left was an entertainment reporter who had smelled the scent of gossip. He scooted closer to the little assistant and listened with great interest.

“…He was super low-key. He didn’t show up very often, but, even so, he became famous in our high school with just his face alone. Who doesn’t know about Gu Qingchi? Ah, it’s really a pity.”

The little assistant sighed. 

“I don’t know what happened with his family. He didn’t go to college. When we found out he got married, everyone mourned for at least a month…”

“Wait a second.”

The entertainment reporter pushed up his glasses and turned on his voice recorder.

“Did you just say ‘married’?”