Many people came to the hall.
This art center has many paths leading upstairs. In addition to the most common elevators and fire exits, there is also a huge spiral staircase and escalators. The overall decoration style is exceptionally elegant, with bright lights and gleaming marble floors, making the already spacious art hall feel interconnected.
The people who came today were clearly not tourists, but actors who came to audition.
Some people headed straight for the elevator, intending to take it upstairs.
Another group split up, admiring the artworks displayed in the hall while walking up the huge spiral staircase.
Xiao He's pause went unnoticed by the others.
Apart from Yun Ziqi.
When he heard unfamiliar footsteps behind him, Xiao He immediately turned around and looked back.
A young man dressed in a modern Chinese-style white shirt walked towards him with a smile.
The other person's style today is very much like that of a scholar from the Republican era. Not only does he have an unusually colored jade pendant hanging from his waist, but he is also pretending to hold a folding fan in his hand. Just one glance is enough to give people a unique feeling.
Clearly, he, like Xiao He, was prepared to win by relying on his temperament and similarity.
However, that wasn't the main reason he came to find Xiao He.
"This is an authentic calligraphy work from the seventh year of Emperor Chen's reign. It was later treasured by a certain emperor, but for unknown reasons, it ended up overseas and disappeared for many years. Finally, it appeared at an auction in England two years ago and was sold for HK$280 million to a patriotic Chinese collector..."
Xiao He didn't interrupt, but listened attentively to the other person's story.
"Later, when he heard that the film 'The Imperial Empire' was about to be filmed, this patriotic collector lent the original painting to the production team for research and displayed it here so that more people could appreciate its true appearance."
Yun Ziqi finally finished telling the story.
Xiao He glanced at Yun Ziqi, then at the painting in front of him, chuckled, and said, "So this is the key to your successful acquisition of a recommendation spot?"
Yun Ziqi did not answer immediately.
But the answer seems obvious.
"What a grand gesture!" Xiao He sighed insincerely. "It's something that ordinary people like us couldn't do. He truly deserves to be called a 'patriotic businessman'."
He emphasized the last word.
If Xiao He's investigation is correct, the patriotic businessman Yun Ziqi mentioned is his grandfather, who immigrated overseas many years ago, and is also a major reason why Yun Ziqi was attacked online some time ago.
It's true that if someone is useful, they're patriotic; if they're useless, they're just a businessman.
What's borrowed must eventually be returned. After wandering around the country, it was still taken overseas by this patriotic businessman. How could Yun Ziqi have the nerve to say such a thing?
Yun Ziqi was not embarrassed by Xiao He's words. He simply reached out and knocked on the railing in front of him, saying leisurely, "After all, the opponents this time are very strong, so I have to go all out."
He then looked at Xiao He: "So how did you get in? Perhaps we're not so different."
Xiao He twitched the corner of his mouth and smiled at Yun Ziqi: "How you got in isn't important, the final result is what matters. What do you think, Teacher Yun?"
Although the previous issues had been superficially resolved, the two were still somewhat on edge when they met again.
"Xiao He".
Another voice came from behind them.
It's Shu Han.
He was also there to audition, but unlike Xiao He, he got the role through a different channel through his agent.
Having two top-tier agents in one company is simply excessive.
Shu Han had heard some things about Xiao He and Yun Ziqi at the company, so his sudden call to Xiao He was naturally to be wary of Yun Ziqi.
His gaze swept over Yun Ziqi almost imperceptibly, then he cast an inquiring look at Xiao He.
Xiao He shook his head slightly, signaling Shu Han not to interfere in the conflict between him and Yun Ziqi.
However, he didn't intend to stay there any longer and listen to the other person say some extremely boring things.
So Xiao He strode forward, patted Yun Ziqi on the shoulder, and said with a touch of roguishness, "Good luck, Teacher Yun. I'll be going now."
Then, under Yun Ziqi's gaze, Xiao He followed Shu Han upstairs.
-
Once they were a little further away, Shu Han asked in a low voice, "What happened? He didn't give you any trouble, did he?"
"They're playing psychological warfare."
Xiao He shrugged. "I don't know what he's thinking. There are so many actors auditioning, why does he treat me like his number one enemy?"
Shu Han was silent for a moment, then said with a complicated expression, "Then you don't have a clear understanding of yourself."
"Among the actors present, you are already the most popular contender. Haven't you seen the rankings from netizens these past few days? You've consistently been at the top."
Xiao He is young, popular, and a good actor, so it's normal that he would become a thorn in the side of others, right?
Hearing Shu Han say that, Xiao He explained somewhat awkwardly, "I haven't been paying much attention to public opinion lately; Sister Liu has been handling it all... But if that's the case, your ranking must be pretty high, right?"
In that case, Shu Han seems to be more competitive than Xiao He, since Shu Han is very suitable to play the emperor, both in terms of experience and acting skills.
"Well, but my agent told me that my past experience of developing my career abroad might be a red flag, and that I'm not well-liked by directors."
Shu Han sighed deeply.
Xiao He raised an eyebrow and muttered under his breath, "That Director Qiu is quite old-fashioned. Yun Ziqi has already come in, and he still cares about your trip abroad."
"It's not surprising that he would have such thoughts."
Shu Han gave a wry smile.
They become popular in China and then go abroad to develop their businesses; when things don't go well, they come [N O V E L I G H T] back to the domestic market as a fallback... This kind of behavior is truly despicable.
This is something Shu Han brought upon himself; he can't blame anyone else.
Seeing this, Xiao He didn't say anything more.
The two went up the spiral staircase to the lobby on the upper floor. Many actors were already sitting in the lobby, but the whole space was quiet and few people were talking. The atmosphere seemed to suddenly become tense and serious.
These people are all here to audition, but not all of them are here to audition for the role of Emperor Chen; there are other important roles as well.
Xiao He and Shu Han stood at the top of the stairs and looked around for a moment. Then they went around the crowd in the hall and came to a spot by the window to get some fresh air and continue their discussion about the audition.
“There has already been a round of actors auditioning,” Shu Han said. “I’ve observed that they are all actors in the recommended positions with relatively low competition. I suspect that Director Qiu had already quietly categorized us before our auditions today.”
Xiao He thought for a moment and asked, "I was in the 3 PM batch, what about you?"
Shu Han shook his head helplessly: "I was in the batch that started at one o'clock in the afternoon."
Xiao He immediately understood.
He and Shu Han were separated.
If what Shu Han said is true, then it means that Shu Han is at an intermediate level, while Xiao He is at a higher level, and Director Qiu clearly values his group of actors more.
So, did Shu Han's experience of developing his career abroad really lead to some setbacks?
Xiao He thought bitterly.
Fortunately, Fortuna D.C. 7 has not yet entered the promotional period.
This director Qiu has just too many problematic points!
