Upon hearing Xiao He's words, Liu Rulan also fell into thought: "That's possible, but I didn't know when he became so familiar with the Hong Kong entertainment circle."
As we all know, every circle is inherently exclusive; without some tricks and abilities, you simply can't get in on your own.
It's quite unusual that Tong Junhui received such preferential treatment.
"And there's something strange about this. Director Feng's script clearly stated that even the investors didn't know the plot, but then we got the complete script from Director Hou. So who leaked this script?"
Here, Xiao He would certainly not suspect Director Hou, but rather Director Feng.
While submitting scripts to actors in advance is already standard practice in the industry, this audition was deliberately made mysterious by Director Feng's side, who promoted a so-called secret script to ensure fair competition once everyone was on set. In the end, it all came down to connections and resources. Director Feng secretly leaked some information, reaping both benefits and favors.
It's like everyone else has an open-book exam, but his family deliberately set up a closed-book exam, claiming it was absolutely fair and just. In the end, he leaked the questions while taking a cut, so it was still an open-book exam in the end. But before the exam, he gained fame and also made a killing. He's really shameless.
Liu Rulan chuckled: "It's not surprising that they would pull these kinds of moves."
Xiao He sighed, "This shameless act really does remind me of an old friend."
The last time such a shameless media hype was done was by Cheng Hongwen and Tian Heng, and they were just as despicable.
Indeed, the entertainment industry is a small world, and everyone's tricks have something in common.
...
On the day of the audition, although Liu Rulan told Xiao He to go by himself, she still accompanied him in the car all the way to the back gate of the theater.
After the first day of casting for the male lead, the online discussions finally calmed down a lot, but many people still wanted to stake out the place to film the subsequent audition list, so the area remained very lively. Even though Xiao He had gotten in through connections, he was still taken aback by the crowds thronging the perimeter.
Upon seeing Xiao He's van arrive at the door, everyone moved in unison, as if copied and pasted, raising their cameras and snapping photos of the van.
"Don't feel pressured for this audition. Just do your best. I can cover for you no matter what happens. I also have some ideas for a new script, which is also directed by a big director. We'll talk about it when you get back."
Liu Rulan whispered to Xiao He, "When you get off the car, don't be too enthusiastic about these people. Just keep your head down and walk. You're here for an audition, not a fashion show. You don't need to pay attention to them."
"good."
Xiao He nodded, then opened the car door and got out.
As soon as he got out of the car, he heard a commotion around him and people shouting for him to look over, but Xiao He ignored them and continued walking towards the back entrance of the theater.
Because there have been many fans and media visiting recently, access to the back door has been restricted, and an audition invitation is required for entry.
Xiao He scanned the invitation and walked into the empty security checkpoint. After undergoing a basic check by security personnel, he was led to a temporary waiting hall by the staff who came to greet him.
At this moment, many people were already waiting in the hall, men and women, all of whom looked very young and were dressed in casual and trendy clothes. Their expressions were either calm or tense. Even when they saw Xiao He coming, not many people reacted. Most of them were very indifferent, just glancing up at Xiao He before continuing to look down at the script in their hands.
A central chandelier with openwork ceiling hangs overhead, while staff members move about silently around the room. The entire hall is so quiet you could hear a pin drop, which inexplicably adds to the sense of pressure.
"Brother Xiao—"
A person raised their hand and waved slightly, and Xiao He met their gaze precisely.
It was Liu Zehang, whom I hadn't seen in a long time.
"You're here too."
Xiao He walked over, sat down next to Liu Zehang, and said in a low voice.
Liu Zehang did not attend the celebration banquet for "Killing Life" last time due to various circumstances. Xiao He also did not see him speak in the group for a long time. He thought that Liu Zehang was probably still arguing with his old employer, so he did not take the initiative to disturb him.
However, judging from Liu Zehang's current condition, he seems to have recovered.
"How have you been lately?" Xiao He asked.
Liu Zehang smiled and looked much more relaxed. He said to Xiao He, "I renewed my contract, but I changed my agent and revised the contract. My current agent and team are very good, and I have already started catching up on my schedule again."
"That's great, congratulations!"
"Hey, by the way, which role are you auditioning for?"
Xiao He raised his hand and tapped on the script in Liu Zehang's hand.
Upon seeing that name, Liu Zehang's face immediately fell.
"Oh no, oh no, we're playing the same character as you!"
It turns out that the role Liu Zehang wanted to audition for was the same one as Xiao He.
Liu Zehang still vividly remembers Xiao He's performance in the "Killing Life" crew. After all, he was full of confidence at the time, thinking that he had an amateur to back him up. However, he ended up being pushed to the ground by a newcomer and having to do a lot of retakes. He really didn't want to bring up that sad past again.
Liu Zehang genuinely acknowledges Xiao He's acting skills.
However, this is on the premise that the other party is not his competitor.
But the next moment, Liu Zehang was full of confidence again: "I went to intensive sword training a month in advance, Brother Xiao, you're in danger."
Xiao He: "Oh, I went too."
Liu Zehang: "..."
No, is everyone so well-informed?
Xiao He: "What? Want to go have a match later?"
Thinking of the bone-scraping knife technique that Xiao He displayed on set, Liu Zehang automatically assumed that Xiao He was a skilled expert with a training foundation, and immediately said with a mournful face: "No need, I'm afraid you'll cut me down to just bones."
Xiao He: "Tsk, no way, I'm a novice too, I've never learned swordsmanship."
Liu Zehang had already silently pushed Xiao He away a bit: "Get out of the way. Before the audition, we are rivals. Don't ruin my Dao Heart so easily."
A newbie? Haha, who would believe that!
Xiao He: "...Okay, shall we grab a bite to eat after the audition?"
Liu Zehang: "That's a good option."
As the two were casually joking around, someone behind them sneered.
Xiao He and Liu Zehang turned their heads to look at the same time.
It's Chen Yulin.
That guy who lost to Xiao He in the audition for "Shining Stars" and whose trending topics and marketing were overshadowed by Xiao He.
The moment Liu Zehang saw Chen Yulin, he said sarcastically without any politeness, "Oh, so it's Chen the slippery one. What brings you here today? Your hand isn't slippery today, is it? Be careful not to slip and fly your sword during the audition."
Chen Yulin choked, his face turning black and red in turns.
When Su Shengxi accused Xiao He of bullying on set last time, Chen Yulin was just watching the drama unfold. But when he saw Xiao He being attacked online and even afraid to log into his account because of Su Shengxi's fans, Chen Yulin felt extremely pleased, thinking that Xiao He was already a dead man and wouldn't amount to anything.
So, in a moment of impulse, Chen Yulin deliberately liked the comment that Xiao He had stolen his role, wanting to take this opportunity to play the victim and, at the same time, kick Xiao He while he was down, and vent his anger.
Unexpectedly, the incident took a dramatic turn, and Chen Yulin's accidental like became a topic of ridicule among many in the industry.
"Don't be like Chen Yulin; he's the best at accidentally liking your posts."
During that period, not only Su Shengxi lost fans, but Chen Yulin also lost fans rapidly. Although he had apologized and blamed his assistant, he still suffered a huge loss. He even lost his original leading role. However, there were no outstanding supporting male roles recently, so Chen Yulin had to take a break for a while. It was really frustrating for him.
Fortunately, he turned misfortune into blessing, as he happened to be casting for Director Feng's new film.
The only bad thing was running into Xiao He again.
Every time I run into him, nothing good ever comes of it!
