Xiao He left the audition site through another door.
Shu Han waited for Xiao He in the corridor.
"How about it?"
He first observed Xiao He's expression before asking the question.
"It's alright. I can tell that Director Qiu doesn't like me very much, but the other main judges seem quite satisfied."
Xiao He shrugged and spoke the truth.
"It seems like everyone is not doing well."
Shu Han sighed, "Director Qiu might be a little gentler with you, but after my audition, he asked me a lot of questions without any mercy."
Moreover, each question was extremely pointed.
Xiao He smiled helplessly as he recalled how Director Qiu had also bombarded him with questions about the skills listed on his resume.
Yes, it's clear that Director Qiu was indeed looking for trouble, but after searching for a long time, he couldn't find any sharp questions, so in the end he simply asked those questions.
Shu Ge, on the other hand... is probably not so lucky.
Sure enough, Shu Han continued, "He asked me why I went abroad in the first place? He also asked me what achievements I had made after going abroad? Finally, he asked me why I came back since I was going to go abroad anyway."
Upon hearing Shu Han's words, Xiao He broke out in a cold sweat.
Okay, that's quite aggressive.
It's a real question of death.
"So as soon as I came out, I knew I probably had no chance."
After sighing, Shu Han shook his head and patted Xiao He on the shoulder. "You're the only one with any hope right now, but there's no point in us staying here any longer. Let's go back and wait for news."
Xiao He didn't speak, but nodded helplessly.
So the two of them went downstairs together.
But this time, when Xiao He went downstairs, he saw the original painting again.
He stopped and carefully examined the writing on it.
Although it is possible to imitate the handwriting exactly, the original work, written by the author himself and spanning many years, still carries that unique historical charm and has a unique meaning.
The only pity is that it is confined behind cold glass, gazing at all those who come after it from afar.
Shu Han also stopped.
"I heard that this original work was worth a lot of money when it was auctioned off." Shu Han looked at the calligraphy and painting that was so well protected and sighed. "When it appeared at an overseas auction, it caused quite a stir. Many Chinese businessmen came to compete to buy this calligraphy and painting and bring it back to the motherland."
Xiao He paused for a moment, then raised an eyebrow, sensing something was amiss: "But in the end, it still remained overseas."
In the end, this calligraphy was bought by Yun Ziqi's grandfather and has been kept in his overseas property ever since.
"Hmm, I think I know a little about this."
Shu Han recalled for a moment and then said, "At the end of the bidding, it was basically all Chinese people bidding. I don't know how it was negotiated, but in the end, it was a Chinese expatriate who won the bid."
Overseas Chinese are ultimately not Chinese citizens; they are foreigners who have immigrated overseas.
So in the end, the original remained abroad as the private collection of this overseas Chinese collector.
I never expected to see it in the country now.
However, it probably won't stay there for too long. Once the film crew finishes their work and it has completed its mission, it will be shipped overseas again.
It's quite ironic, actually.
It came from China, but its destination no longer belongs to China.
Xiao He didn't speak, but stared at the original for a long time, feeling a slight regret in his heart.
Countless antiques have been lost overseas over the years, hidden in private collections or museums.
It's just one of them.
"well."
Xiao He turned around and looked at Shu Han. "I think I'll wait here. During the audition, one of the consultants really admired me and wanted to get my contact information. I'll wait here a little longer and see if I can have a chance to talk to him in person after the audition is over."
Where is the best place to exchange contact information in person rather than after the fact?
Moreover, by then, the other competitors had already finished their auditions, so he could subtly inquire about Qian Lao's final decision.
"Wow, I never expected you to have such good fortune."
Shu Han gasped, "Okay, I'll go book a private room first, and we'll celebrate when you get back."
Xiao He smiled helplessly: "It's not like we'll know the result so soon. Don't pop the champagne for me beforehand, this thing has a flag."
"Haha, okay, okay, I was wrong."
Shu Han laughed heartily, genuinely happy for Xiao He, waved, and left the art center excitedly.
After Shu Han left, Xiao He continued to explore the art center.
However, he also had to admit that he didn't really have much artistic talent.
Especially in the dimly lit art exhibition room in the middle, every oil painting displayed here looked like randomly splashed paint lines, and the deathly yellow light overhead also had a strange flash. Let alone standing under these paintings to take a selfie, even just standing there looking up to admire these paintings made Xiao He feel that they were blinding.
He stood before the dim light, squinting as he tried to decipher the painting's meaning, but ultimately failed.
Xiao He felt that he might be wasting the most important half hour of his life.
Oh, wait, he's been watching for half an hour already...
Xiao He walked back while reflecting on his actions.
This time, at the familiar corner, he saw a stranger.
The other person was thin and had medium-length hair. They didn't look like a celebrity, but more like an art center staff member or artist.
From Xiao He's perspective, he could clearly see the other person carefully touching the original manuscript—even though it was just through a layer of glass.
That kind of cherishing and obsession is something even Xiao He couldn't achieve.
He observed the other party for a while and did not sense any danger from him, ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) so he did not disturb him and simply found a place to sit and rest.
About an hour later, the audition officially ended.
During this period, besides Xiao He who came out first, the person who came out after him was Yun Ziqi.
And unsurprisingly, the last person to emerge was Yang Heng, who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
The people who came out all had calm expressions, and Xiao He couldn't read anything from their faces.
They were somewhat surprised to see Xiao He still waiting there, but they maintained their composure, nodded slightly to Xiao He, and then left.
Yang Heng, who was the last to emerge, took the initiative to walk towards Xiao He.
"Actually, I'm really curious about the final rankings."
Yang Heng admitted, "Before I came, my fourth uncle told me that you would be a very strong opponent."
Xiao He thanked him, saying, "Thank you for your high regard, Director Yang. You are also a very strong competitor. I really like your work, 'Green Hills'."
"Green Hills" is a play about a young general, and the character in it is based on Emperor Chen.
It was only when Xiao He was researching the materials that he finally remembered why Yang Heng looked familiar—because when he watched history bloggers analyze and explain, many of the video clips were taken from Yang Heng's stage performances.
It's no wonder Yang Heng is here; the young Emperor Chen is his home turf.
Yang Heng chuckled, not minding at all that Xiao He had only gone online to add his representative works afterward. Instead, he invited, "You can come to the theater to find me when you have time. I think someone who can perform in 'The Twelve Mirrors' should be pretty good if we were to collaborate on stage, right?"
"ah?"
Xiao He was genuinely shocked, even somewhat uncertain: "If I heard correctly, you're inviting me to perform at your place?"
Yang Heng nodded: "That's right."
Xiao He fell silent for a moment.
The National Theatre has extremely high entry requirements; it's not something anyone can just get into. Even becoming a permanent member is difficult. However, if you participate as a guest performer, you can be recommended by the principal to participate in formal performances.
Therefore, being specially invited by the National Theatre is a great recognition within the industry.
Xiao He hadn't expected that after only meeting him once, the other party would extend such an invitation to him.
But with the opportunity right in front of him, he certainly couldn't miss it!
"OK."
Xiao He agreed without hesitation.
