kingnovel Chapter 16 Audition
Chapter 16 Audition
The script tells the story of a modern girl and an ancient general who, through a bronze cauldron that connects the past and present, embark on a love story that spans a thousand years.
The general's side was in the midst of war, and the people were suffering terribly, but he still held firm at the pass.
Meanwhile, the girl lives in a modern society where food and clothing are plentiful, and the near-expiry food and water that are casually thrown into the cauldron are regarded as miracles by the ancients.
The script is novel and has exciting moments. In addition, the protagonists are set up as an ancient general and a kind-hearted girl next door in modern times, which can create a sense of destiny that transcends time.
Bai Li gave Jiang Mingfei a thumbs-up: "This script is really good."
Jiang Mingfei pointed to the girl next to Bai Li: "I paid for it. The original work is right next to you, Xiao Hui. Introduce yourself."
Xiaohui wore large black-rimmed glasses and had some freckles on her face, making her look very young. She sat quietly the whole time, and Bai Li didn't even notice her.
Xiaohui blushed and greeted Bai Li softly, her eyes shy, not daring to look Bai Li in the eye: "You... Hello, I'm Hu Xiaohui."
A typical characteristic of this type of person is that they don't look people in the eye when they speak.
Bai Li: "Hello, my name is Bai Li. Your script is really good. Are you a screenwriter?"
Hu Xiaohui: "No... no, I'm just an online writer."
Jiang Mingfei revealed: "Xiaohui is very impressive, with over a million readers on a certain reading platform."
Hu Xiaohui scratched her fingers shyly, and after a long pause, managed to utter four words: "Thank you, President Jiang."
The production coordinator came to the rescue just in time, saving Xiaohui from the shyness that made her so embarrassed she was picking her toes: "Mr. Jiang, the camera crew has all been set up."
Jiang Mingfei looked around and asked, "Where's Director Chen?"
Everyone is ready, except for the most important one: the director.
Jiang Mingfei frowned slightly and kept glancing towards the door.
Just as she was getting a little impatient, a portly man slowly walked in.
The man walked with his hands behind his back, taking a leisurely pace, a carefree expression on his face.
Finally, it arrived, and Jiang Mingfei breathed a sigh of relief.
Since this was Jiang Mingfei's first time investing in a web series, she hired a professional director from outside, namely Director Chen.
Director Chen spoke as soon as he sat down, raising his chin slightly with a hint of arrogance in his eyes.
He cleared his throat and said, "President Jiang, let's finish this quickly."
Jiang Mingfei nodded and replied decisively, "Okay, let's get started then."
Bai Li rubbed her hands together expectantly; it was her first time participating in an audition.
First came the selection of the female lead, with female contestants coming in one by one to perform.
Although Bai Li isn't a professional, she can still tell whether an actor is good-looking or not, and whether their acting is awkward or not.
Acting skills are a really mysterious thing.
Some people may be beautiful, but they just lack charm.
Some people are naturally charming at first glance. Although they may not have the same outstanding facial features as the former, their performances are more likely to be likable.
A girl from next door was marveling at a bronze cauldron, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling with curiosity, her mouth slightly open, looking quite adorable.
A piece of bloodstained gauze fell out of the bronze cauldron, startling her. Her eyes widened in horror, and her mouth gaped open in surprise: "Ah! What is that!"
She jerked her body back and covered her mouth tightly with both hands.
He picked up the fabric with his hand and immediately threw it away, his face showing a mixture of disgust and fear, his brows furrowed: "What's going on? Why are strange things constantly falling out of this bronze cauldron?"
Her brows were furrowed, and her eyes were filled with doubt and fear.
After watching this girl's performance, Bai Li couldn't stand watching anyone else.
The image of the female lead in this script had already been formed in her mind.
That's how it should be.
Not only Bai Li felt this way, but this performance received unanimous praise from the audience.
The female lead was quickly cast.
Jiang Mingfei clapped her hands, a satisfied smile on her face, and said cheerfully, "Everyone, take a break. We'll select the male roles in the second half."
Halftime break. Bai Li was about to go to the restroom.
Jiang Mingfei smiled and said, "Do you want me to go with you, sweetie?"
Bai Li looked puzzled: "I can do it myself."
Jiang Mingfei gave a thumbs up: "Keep it up!"
Bai Li blushed and said, "Go for it, my foot!"
I always felt that Jiang Mingfei had developed some strange filter on me.
Bai Li walked quickly towards the restroom.
Suddenly, a figure appeared from around the corner, and Bai Li bumped right into it. She felt as if she had hit a solid wall, and her body involuntarily moved backward.
Fortunately, he was held firmly by a pair of arms.
"Thank you." Bai Li steadied herself by clinging to his arm.
He only let go of her arm once she had regained her footing.
The man in front of her had blood-stained bandages wrapped around his body and arms. The bandages that had just supported her were still stained with blood.
Bai Li gasped, instinctively asking, "Are you alright?"
The man was also stunned. He removed the bandage from his arm and explained, "It's nothing, it's just a prop."
Bai Li realized she had misunderstood. She remembered that the male lead's audition scene included a scene where he had to change bandages, so the man in front of her must be auditioning.
Bai Li patted her chest and said, "Oh right, you were auditioning? You gave me quite a fright."
The man also noticed something. He looked down slightly and saw that the fake blood on his body had smeared onto the other man's clothes. He recognized the logo on the clothes; it was from a luxury brand, and each piece cost at least five figures.
A look of apology flashed across the man's face: "I'm sorry, I got it on your clothes."
His eyes were filled with guilt, and his brows were tightly furrowed.
Before the sudden accident, Bai Li hadn't had a chance to notice the man's appearance, but now she finally saw him clearly.
He's really handsome!
He was tall and imposing; Bai Li had to look up to see him. She estimated he was about 1.9 meters tall, with broad shoulders, a wasp waist, and mantis legs. His bronze muscles looked powerful, and he was as perfect as a sculpture, with every line exuding strength.
Despite his wild physique, he was handsome with slightly disheveled hair, a few strands falling casually across his forehead, obscuring half of his eyes. He had a high, straight nose, and his thin lips were tightly pressed together, his expression tense.
A hint of amazement flashed in Bai Li's eyes.
This time, even without Xiao Hao's announcement, Bai Li knew that the man in front of her had a looks score of at least 80, maybe even 90.
The noise in the corridor seemed to gradually fade away, leaving only this small space, where there seemed to be an invisible current in the air.
What does it feel like? It's the feeling of being moved!
Xiao Hao: "Found a girl with a 96 out of 100 looks, highly recommend befriending her!!!"
Bai Li didn't really care about her clothes getting rubbed, but now she thinks it's worth it.
She touched her clothes; they were sticky, and the stain left a mark on them. "Is this fake blood?" she asked.
Bai Li pinched her fingertips, which were now covered in sticky red fake blood.
"It's prop blood. It's not easy to remove this stuff from clothes. I'm sorry." The man apologized calmly and offered a solution: "You'll have to take it to a professional place for treatment. I'll take it there for you. If it can't be removed, I'll compensate you for the price of the clothes."
Bai Li: "Sure, here's the clothes. But what should I wear later?"
"I brought new clothes."
The two entered the fitting room. There was no one else in the fitting room. The man took his clothes out of his bag and handed them to Bai Li.
A new white shirt, clean but too big.
She held the white pear up to her body and gestured with it.
What's the difference between this dress and a gown?
At 167cm tall, Bai Li is not considered short for a girl.
But the hem of this dress almost reaches the knees.
The man smiled silently. From his angle, all he could see was a small white pear holding an ill-fitting piece of clothing with a conflicted expression, which was rather cute.
Bai Li returned the clothes to the man: "Never mind, I can't wear your clothes. Let's exchange contact information, and I'll contact you later."
After adding VX, Bai Li slipped away in a hurry.
[Zhang Yu's favorability +10]
[Zhang Yu's Favorability: 10]
Back in the interview room, Bai Li received Zhang Yu's favorability and a message that she had been accepted as a friend.
Zhang Yu's profile picture is a small red octopus.
Her WeChat Moments are very simple; she just posts pictures of her cat's daily life. She has a little black cat.
Such a generous target of the opposite sex, adding 10 favorability points right away.
Zhang Yu: I apologize again, I will compensate you for your losses.
Bai Li: It's okay. It was just that I lost my balance. I'll go back and find someone to take care of it. You said I need to find a professional. What kind of professional?
Zhang Yu: We need a special chemical reagent.
Then, Zhang Yu sent over a set of processing procedures.
Oh my god, this is so troublesome!
Jiang Mingfei looked worried, her brows furrowed: "Goodness, why did you take so long? What's this on your clothes?"
After Bai Li gave a brief explanation, she received a look of affection from Jiang Mingfei.
As expected of a young lady from a wealthy family, even going to the toilet can make her look so disheveled. Jiang Mingfei's strange filter has been amplified once again.
"Is he your employee?" Bai Li asked.
Jiang Mingfei knows the internet celebrities her company has signed like the back of her hand: "Zhang Yu, oh, Teacher Octopus, is a cosplayer signed by our company."
Jiang Mingfei sent the short video media account of Teacher Octopus to Bai Li.
Bai Li opened the app and immediately followed the account.
Zhang Yu turns out to be a cosplayer...
The account is simply called Octopus, and it has nearly 100,000 followers.
The videos mainly consist of cosplay videos, featuring male characters with great physiques from anime.
The most viewed video is a cosplay of Jin from Jujutsu Kaisen.
High-end ingredients often require only simple cooking methods.
Teacher Octopus was simply dressed in a plain black outfit, paired with a pair of black boots, and just standing there, he exuded terrifying power.
The comments below were all praising the screen.
Runaway to the Moon: Teacher, if you could collect stamps with me, I can't imagine how optimistic and cheerful I would be!
Iron Pot Stewed Goose: Strategist, how do you pursue someone like this?
Grayish-white hair: This is for the strategist~
Sima Qin: Daddy, I'm willing to marry Fu Hei Hui for you.
Bella: How come you're eating and taking things at the same time?
11: Octopus Teacher's cosplay is always great, but she never shows her head.
DaMeiYo: He must be really ugly in real life, that's why the shrimp-headed guy doesn't show his face.
Bai Li flipped through the next few videos.
Octopus Teacher has also cosplayed Zoro from One Piece and Tengen from Demon Slayer... both male anime characters with excellent physiques.
A perfect figure is faintly visible beneath the clothing, but unfortunately, it's all about the body, not the face.
Jiang Mingfei asked casually, "So? Isn't our Octopus Teacher's figure pretty good? Do you like it?"
"I like it..." Bai Li answered subconsciously, but when she noticed Jiang Mingfei's gaze, she slammed her phone shut, trying to cover it up: "Don't talk nonsense, I just admire it."
"Oh~ I admire it~" Jiang Mingfei teased, "I even added them on WeChat while I was admiring them."
Shirari declared righteously, "It's just a proper exchange!"
She then asked curiously, "Why doesn't Teacher Octopus show his face? He's clearly very handsome in person."
Jiang Mingfei: "Teacher Zhangyu has a regular job, so it's inconvenient for him to show his face. I rarely see him at the company. I was quite surprised that he came to audition this time. I'll ask him when he comes in later."
After the break, the selection of the male lead officially began.
The male lead is an ancient general and is the most outstanding character in the entire series.
The general described in the script is tall and straight like a pine tree, with sword-like eyebrows that slant upwards into his temples, and eyes like stars, possessing a composure and wisdom beyond his years.
He joined the army at a young age, distinguished himself, and was stationed on the last line of defense in the war-torn Northwest. Facing an enemy force of vastly different strength, he was still invincible and became a legendary figure in the army.
He possessed both iron will and boundless tenderness. Even as the imperial grain supply dwindled, he did not mistreat the famine-stricken people. In the hearts of the people of the Northwest, this general was like a radiant sun.
Perhaps the standards for a general in the script are too high and too difficult to meet. We looked at a number of people, each handsome in their own way, but none of them were suitable for the role.
The male supporting roles have almost all been decided, but the male lead role has yet to be finalized.
Just then, a somewhat familiar face entered.