Chapter 551: 260 Capital (Second update)

Ming Jing didn’t ask her how it went, instead, she unscrewed the lid of the water bottle and handed it to her.

Ye Zhen took it and took a sip to moisten her throat. Her eyes sparkled with confidence and mischief.

She blinked at Ming Jing, leaning in to whisper, “I saw Qu Feitai inside.”

Ming Jing’s lashes remained still as she looked down and replied indifferently, “And then?”

“According to my analysis, he can’t possibly act. The most likely possibility is he’s in charge of the movie’s music, which makes him part of the main creative team.”

Apart from the actors, the director, editors, post-production staff, special effects team, prop department, music team, all are part of the main creative team for a movie.

Ming Jing glanced at her watch. “Let’s wait for Xiao Lan to come out and have lunch together.”

Ye Zhen nodded. “Xiao Lan should be fine. She is Director Yu’s type.”

And it’s not just one leading actress in a movie, there’s also the role of the female comrade who secretly loves Xiao Hang and the role of the little sister, both of which have quite a few scenes and opportunities for development in the film.

After sizing them all up, she concluded that none of the others auditioning seemed good enough.

The only real competition should be Lan Huixin.

Lan Huixin is an artist Qing Zheng wants to sign and is also a friend of Ming Jing’s. If she got the lead role, Ye Zhen would genuinely be happy for her.

After all, in terms of “spiritual energy,” compared to Lan Huixin, she falls a bit short.

Spiritual energy is the wind of nature, the clouds floating in the sky, every visible flower—it’s real and free, naturally perfect.

Having experienced a lifetime of ups and downs, her mindset is no longer that of a young girl, no matter how hard she tries, she can’t act that natural vibrancy.

Fortunately, the age of Ming Xin helps to make up for this deficiency, but Lan Huixin is more distinguished in terms of appearance and bone structure. As an aesthetic master, Yu Dawei’s primary consideration is the three-dimensional sense of the actor on the big screen, and in this regard, Lan Huixin has a very prominent advantage.

The wait for Lan Huixin had been longer than Ye Zhen’s. Many people had already left and the entrance was quiet.

Only Xiao Wenwen was still waiting.

At that moment, a young boy in white came out through the door, yawning lazily and stretching opulently.

“So boring, I knew I wouldn’t have come,” the boy murmured.

“Ming Jing?” Seeing Ming Jing, the boy instantly perked up, excitedly running over.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m here for my sister’s audition.”

“Your sister?” Bai Ziyan’s gaze fell on Ye Zhen.

“So she’s your sister.” Bai Ziyan looked at Ye Zhen curiously.

“Have you acted before?”

Ye Zhen didn’t want to lie, but admitting that she had never acted was more than her thick skin could bear.

So she remained silent.

Bai Ziyan assumed she didn’t want to talk to him, he raised his eyebrow, “Want to know the audition result?”

Ye Zhen glanced at him, this little punk was really annoying, intentionally keeping her in suspense.

At his age, appearing here, he must be Yu Dawei’s son.

“I don’t want to know.”

“Hey, you really are stubborn,” Bai Ziyan thrived on opposition. The more someone ignored him, the more he became interested.

His eyes darted around, and he suddenly smiled, “The last one who went in, what’s her name, Lan something…seems like Director Yu is quite pleased with her, if there are no surprises, she may get the lead role. What a pity.”

Pity what?

He carried a peculiar tone with his words, but Ye Zhen took a deep breath, reminding herself she didn’t have to engage in petty squabbles with a child.

Seeing her bottling up her annoyance, Bai Ziyan burst out laughing, appearing completely provocative.

Seeing their bickering, Ming Jing smilingly shook her head.

Suddenly, Bai Ziyan leaned in close to her, “Ming Jing, let’s have lunch together later. Xiao Fei will be there too. He helped out a lot last time, we should thank him properly.”

His words were hard to refuse.

As his plan succeeded, Bai Ziyan broke into a sly smile.

He lowered his head, typing a message in the group and tagged @ Qu Feitai: I got your goddess, how are you going to thank me?

Mr. Song: Ming Jing??? What did I miss?

Jiang Jinchen must be in class as there was no response from him in the group.

Qu Feitai glanced at the message from Bai Ziyan on his cellphone and paused for a moment.Ming Jing?

Upon finishing the audition, Lan Huixin seemed to relax, allowing herself to quietly breathe a sigh of relief.

Yu Dawei asked her some more questions, and she honestly answered. He then let her go.

The last one to audition was Xiao Wenwen, who was out in five minutes.

Zhou Zhengru took a sip of water and asked, “Master, have you made a decision yet?”

Yu Dawei glanced at him, “What do you think?”

Zhou Zhengru drummed his fingers on the desk, taking a moment before saying, “Both Lan Huixin and Ye Zhen are worth considering. They are both talented. Lan Huixin might be more in line with your expectations. She’s like a blank canvas, capable of portraying the world as you see it.”

Here, Zhou Zhengru paused and looked at Yu Dawei.

Yu Dawei nodded thoughtfully, gesturing for him to continue.

“If Lan Huixin is a raw gemstone waiting to be carved, then Ye Zhen is a dusty pearl. Her acting is naturally superb, and she’s extremely talented. Her demeanor is a restrained and restrained as Dong Wa’s. I believe that she would make the perfect Dong Wa.”

Mr. Wu said, “Lan Huixin is more beautiful than Ye Zhen. She will shine on the big screen. As for acting skills, Director Yu, you can guide her step by step. That shouldn’t be an issue.”

“In comparison to acting skills, an actor’s talent is far more important. Ye Zhen has characteristics similar to Dong Wa’s, something Lan Huixin painfully lacks. Lan Huixin would be better suited for the role of Xiao Heng.”

Out of the blue, Qu Feitai said, “I agree with him.”

Zhou Zhengru glanced at Qu Feitai, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

At this moment, Wu Chao stood up and said, “Let’s discuss the casting later. We’ve worked hard all morning; allow me to treat everyone to a meal.”

Zhou Zhengru and Qu Feitai, two giants in their industry, only agreed to come out of respect for Yu Dawei. Otherwise, an established artist to guide a novice? A leading musician in the music industry to serve as musical director?

No other film crew would have such a luxury.

Of course, it’s a significant gamble. In any case, Yu Dawei has the guts.

The group left through the back door, when Yu Dawei suddenly thought of something and stopped, “Where is Ziyan?”

Qu Feitai said, “Mr. Bai bumped into a friend.” He looked at Wu Chao, “Mr. Wu, would you mind if we added a few more to our party?”

Wu Chao hurriedly replied, “Of course I don’t mind. Mr. Bai’s friends are my friends. The more people, the more lively, right?”

A friend of Mr. Bai’s would undoubtedly be no ordinary person. In this industry, networking is crucial, and expanding one’s network is typically done over various dining tables.

Yu Dawei frowned and looked at Qu Feitai.

What decent friends could this kid have made?

However, seeing Qu Feitai’s nonchalant look, Yu Dawei knew he had his own plans and said nothing more.

At this time, Mr. Wu received a call and came over to say, “Director Yu, the representatives from the investors and the production companies have arrived. I think they’re planning to join us for lunch.”

Yu Dawei, who was unamused by these capitalists, appeared impatient, “Are they not giving up?”

Yu Dawei was referring to them trying to cram people into the film.

Wu Chao was embarrassed: “If all the roles are set, the investors should have nothing to say.”

Yu Dawei frowned, “Dealing with investors is your job. I am only responsible for creating a good film, don’t let these trivial matters affect me.”

Since Yu Dawei fell ill, his personality had softened significantly. It seemed like everyone had almost forgotten about the explosive person he was in his youth.

He was known to berate actors until they shut down.

Mr. Wu hurriedly nodded agreement, feeling sandwiched between the two sides.

Qu Feitai heard the mention of investors and frowned, “Uncle Yu, I think we’re going to sit this one out.”

Yu Dawei waved his hand.

Wu Chao, seeing Qu Feitai about to leave, appeared anxious. Qu Feitai was a major asset amongst the investors- he could not leave.

Yu Dawei seemed to see through his thoughts, giving him a cold glance, “What? Are you planning to have Qu Feitai accompany the investors for a drink? Continue to help you raise funds?”

Having caught a glimpse of the unique relationship between Qu Feitai and Yu Dawei, Wu Chao quickly responded, “Director, you don’t understand. This film uses a lot of special effects that burn through money. No one would complain about having too much money.”

Yu Dawei snorted, “Asking Qu Feitai to raise funds, you certainly have some wild ideas.” He walked away, shaking his head.

Zhou Zhengru watched Qu Feitai leave with a thoughtful look.

Wu Chao looked at Zhou Zhengru, his last hope.

Zhou Zhengru smiled gently, “Feitai is certainly not suitable for this, I will do it.”

He learned a crucial lesson from Xue An.

Stars or actors are nothing more than chess pieces in the hands of capitalists, ready to be discarded at any moment, unless you become one of the capitalists.