While Fu Meihua and Pan Yuerou were chatting, Pu Rong and Xiao He finished signing autographs. Pu Rong leaned close to Xiao He and whispered, "Do you know that Pan Yuerou?"
Xiao He turned his gaze away from that direction: "I don't know him."
"Then why are you staring at people the whole time?"
Xiao He rested his chin on his hand and pondered, "I just feel that her temperament is particularly suitable for playing a role."
"You actually care about this kind of thing?"
"The main reason is that the studio has been making investments recently," Xiao He replied. "That production crew has been short of an actor for a long time and hasn't started filming yet."
It was a palace intrigue drama with a more internet-savvy feel and a very novel premise. The female lead was a delicate, innocent type; although physically weak and sickly, she was extremely intelligent, adept at disguising herself, and ruthless in using all the resources around her to climb the social ladder—a typical villainous woman in palace intrigue.
Xiao He had confirmed that this project was an adaptation of an online novel IP, and the script was quite good. Although most of the main creative team members were still relatively young, their personal abilities and achievements were undeniable. As long as it could be filmed in a decent manner, it would definitely be profitable. For this reason, Xiao He did not hesitate to invest more money and even coaxed Ma Qianyou to become the producer and help take care of the project.
The only headache is that none of the actresses they've found so far are quite suitable for the lead role.
Either their appearance was unsuitable, or their temperament and acting skills were lacking. In any case, the production team went through several actors, but all of them failed.
Xiao He was starting to suspect that Ma Qianyou's bad luck had struck again.
As it turned out, he actually found a suitable candidate when he came to audit the lecture this time.
Those who can attend classes here must have excellent acting skills, and their appearance and temperament are a perfect match for the female lead...
Xiao He felt that he might really have a stroke of good luck this time.
The project finally found the right person—which meant it could start making money for him.
Great, great, I'm so happy! The sooner we find the right people, the sooner we can start work, and the sooner we can get paid! Hehe!
Xiao He quickly sent a message to Liu Rulan, asking her to come and take a look. If she seemed suitable, he suggested she make contact with her.
After Xiao He sent the message, Gao Zhenxia and the other teachers finally arrived.
Xiao He immediately put away his phone and began to listen attentively to Gao Zhenxia's speech.
These veteran teachers of Peking Opera truly deserve recognition; their understanding and perspectives on performance are invaluable and worth learning from. Although Xiao He's initial motives for entering the industry weren't entirely pure, he still hoped to excel in any field he chose. The sharing from these teachers allowed Xiao He to see the diversity and possibilities of performance, giving him more confidence in his future acting endeavors.
Finally, Gao Zhenxia invited Xiao He and Pu Rong to perform a classic film scene, as a way to set an example for the other students.
And the final result was, of course, a standing ovation.
The class lasted all afternoon, officially ending around 6 p.m.
Xiao He and Pu Rong went to catch up with Zhuo Jianhua and Gao Zhenxia, while Liu Rulan, who had already received the news, stopped Pan Yuerou and Fu Meihua at the corner of the corridor after understanding the general situation.
"Sorry to bother you."
Liu Rulan looked at the girl in front of her, her gaze lingering on Pan Yuerou. Her expression softened as she handed over her business card: "My name is Liu Rulan. I'm an agent at Linghui Studio. You might know me."
Pan Yuerou certainly recognized Liu Rulan, but her face turned pale, and she wondered if Liu Rulan had come to see her because of Su Shengxi's matter.
Fu Meihua was very excited, covering her mouth and gently shaking Pan Yuerou: "It's Xiao He's agent!"
Liu Rulan immediately noticed Pan Yuerou's unease, raised an eyebrow slightly, but did not delve into the girl's thoughts. She directly told Pan Yuerou her purpose: "We have a film crew project where the female lead is very suitable for you. I wonder if you would be interested in learning more? It's a palace intrigue script, and I guarantee you will receive excellent treatment."
It's like a script fell from the sky! And it's for the female lead!
Fu Meihua looked at Pan Yuerou excitedly, about to signal her to agree quickly, but then her expression froze.
She suddenly remembered that a while ago, a film crew had been negotiating with her friend. It was said to be a big production, and although she wasn't the lead actress, but only the second lead, the director was famous and the project had a large investment. If Pan Yuerou accepted the role, it would be a very good opportunity.
So Fu Meihua quickly asked on behalf of her friend about the investment and main creative team of the Liu Rulan production team.
After Liu Rulan gave a brief explanation of the situation, Fu Meihua's expression softened considerably.
On one hand, there's the second female lead in a big-budget production, and on the other hand, there's the lead actress in a small-budget production... Compared to that, the former project is clearly more appealing.
She felt that her friend deserved to go to a better film crew.
After a moment's thought, Pan Yuerou nodded in agreement to Liu Rulan's invitation: "Okay, I can."
"Yue Rou!"
Fu Meihua gasped, surprised that Pan Yuerou agreed so readily. She quickly winked at her, "Why don't you think about it some more?"
Pan Yuerou, however, was quite firm: "I can."
Liu Rulan glanced at Fu Meihua, but did not force her. She simply nodded and said, "Someone will come to discuss the detailed contract with you tomorrow. You can think about it again."
She then took her leave.
After Liu Rulan left, Fu Meihua said anxiously, "Yuerou, why did you agree? What about 'The Legend of Zhaohua'?"
“I owe Xiao He and the others a favor because of some things I did before,” Pan Yuerou said. “I’ve been feeling bad about it, and taking on this script is a way of making up for my mistake.”
If I take a smaller paycheck and do my best to portray the character, it will be a way of atoning for my past "blindness" in my youth.
"Well, you can't joke around with your future like that!" Fu Meihua said excitedly.
"No, don't worry, Meihua, I'm really calm." Pan Yuerou patted Fu Meihua's hand, knowing that her friend was genuinely thinking of her best interests, and her expression softened. "Actually, I also have my own considerations. Liu Rulan has always had a good eye, and this is the first investment project of their Linghui Studio, so it certainly won't be too bad."
"On the other hand, I've already looked into 'The Legend of Zhaohua.' You can tell from the name that it mainly revolves around the female lead's story. Other characters have a very small role. Even if you play the second female lead, you might not get as much screen time as the maids next to the female lead."
Moreover, the production team had conditions—once Pan Yuerou agreed to play the role, her agency contract had to be signed under the name of the entertainment company behind the production team.
Pan Yuerou hasn't graduated yet, and she doesn't really want to be tied to a contract at this time.
Therefore, the production team from Ling Hui's studio is more suitable for her.
While comforting Fu Meihua, Pan Yuerou silently resolved in her heart to work hard in the film crew.
On the other side, Xiao He was completely unaware that he had a hater (in the past tense) and was preparing to work hard to atone for his sins. After leaving the classroom, he happened to see Liu Rulan.
"How is it?" Xiao He asked immediately.
"Not bad, the success rate is high."
"That's good." Xiao He breathed a sigh of relief. "Now the crew is finally complete, and we can start filming anytime."
Liu Rulan chuckled lightly: "What? Are you worried about problems with the production crew?"
No, that's not it.
Xiao He recalled Ma Qianyou and looked up with some melancholy: "The main problem is that the crew hasn't started filming. I'm worried that this old fellow Ma Qianyou really has some kind of mystical knowledge, and our little temple can't accommodate him."
Liu Rulan: "...You think about so many things all day long."
