A middle-aged woman of a somewhat plump build appeared.
She kindly took Shen Ningxi's hand and led her towards the house, "Why are you waiting outside? Come in!"
Shen Ningxi looked at the little assistant inside and chuckled, "The staff didn't let me in."
The little assistant's expression inside instantly changed.
She hurried out to explain, "Director, I, I sent you a message."
The woman was the casting director of Dragon Shadow Group.
She opened her mobile phone and glanced at it, seeing a message: 【 Director, there's a very dark man here to audition for Lin Wei, should I chase him away? 】
A candid photo was attached below.
The casting director's face darkened, and she reprimanded, "Didn't I tell you an important artist would be coming for an audition this afternoon? And you're blocking them outside! Move aside, I'll deal with you later."
The little assistant was sweating profusely.
She nodded repeatedly in apology.
How could she have known the important artist would look like this!!!
The casting director didn't even have Shen Xubai fill out a form and directly took him to the makeup and styling room.
The artists in the waiting room stared in bewilderment.
"Why is the casting director so friendly?"
"Is this still Director Sun that we know? She didn't smile once yesterday!"
"Her mouth is practically glued open today. Who is that girl to her!"
...
Who was Shen Ningxi to Director Sun?
She was practically her god!
Director Sun's position as the head casting director at Dragon Shadow Group was entirely thanks to Shen Ningxi. Several artists she helped select had become Best Actors and Best Actresses. More importantly, she had helped screen out inferior artists, avoiding major pitfalls and saving a lot of money, thus establishing Director Sun's reputation.
How could she not treat her like a treasure!
While Shen Xubai was removing his makeup, Director Sun took out a stack of makeup test photos and showed them to Shen Ningxi, "Ningxi darling, quickly give me your advice. I'll transfer the money to your account later. 2999 per photo, no negotiation!"
Shen Ningxi didn't stand on ceremony.
She quickly scanned through them for her, but only selected three photos, analyzing their fortunes with great care.
The conversation between the two outside.
Shen Xubai couldn't hear the content, but he could tell the tone. The casting director seemed incredibly familiar with Shen Ningxi.
Doubt resurfaced in his heart.
Even if Shen Ningxi was the fourth young lady of the Lu family before, she would at most be familiar with people from Lu Shi Entertainment. How could she be so familiar with people from Dragon Shadow Group?
The chief planner and chief casting director both showed such respect to Ningxi. Was that reasonable?
Thinking about the artists poached from Xingyao and the scripts stolen, Shen Xubai felt increasingly uneasy.
With his troubles, he removed that layer of black hair dye.
He let the makeup and styling teacher style his hair.
When he walked out of the makeup and styling room.
Director Sun took one look at his face and exclaimed, "Oh my!"
Although she had heard he was dark-skinned, she hadn't expected him to be *this* dark.
Director Sun pulled Ningxi aside and whispered in her ear, "Ningxi darling, even though he's your Third Brother, he can't use the backdoor."
Shen Ningxi, however, confidently hummed, "He doesn't need the backdoor. My Third Brother just needs an opportunity."
After speaking, she clenched her fist towards Shen Xubai.
"Third Brother, your little sister can only bring you this far. The rest is up to you. Go for it!"
Shen Xubai smiled and patted her head, "Okay, Third Brother will do his best!"
At that moment, the dream of becoming a Best Actor he had as a child, like a soul returning to its body, suddenly came back...
...
Shen Xubai followed Director Sun to the interview room.
He held back again and again.
Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "Director Sun, you seem very close to Ningxi. Did you have past work interactions?"
Director Sun was taken aback.
She had been too excited to see Ningxi just now and had forgotten that Planner Zhang had instructed her not to be too intimate with Ningxi.
Oh dear, oh dear, she almost revealed the secret.
If Shen Xubai knew that people from his company had defected specifically for Ningxi, wouldn't that ruin their sibling relationship?
Director Sun grinned, her smile even more exaggerated, "Close? What are you talking about! In our line of work, the worst thing is to fall for a client. Look at me, I greet everyone with a smile. It's all socializing, not real closeness."
Shen Xubai breathed a sigh of relief.
He had overthought it. How could Lu Shi's problems be blamed on his Ningxi.
Director Sun showed all eight of her teeth, smiling as brightly as a flower, greeting everyone she met. She had used all her acting skills for this.
Passing colleagues: !!!
Who is this?
Is this the cold-faced King of Hell, Director Sun, from their company?!
Isn't she known for her poker face and inability to smile? Did she get possessed today???
Seeing her blooming smile, everyone involuntarily shivered...
...
Inside the interview room, there were sighs of regret.
"Alright, there are no other candidates. Let's go with Lu Ang. At least his image fits."
"Why are today's young idols' acting skills so terrible? There isn't a single decent one. It's like picking the best of a bad bunch."
"Forget it, it's passable. The fans will buy it anyway, and the ratings won't be too bad."
"Alas, the winter of the film and television industry, no successors!"
"Sigh, sigh, sigh—"
Today was the deadline for auditions, and despite holding a stack of papers, they couldn't select a satisfactory candidate after reviewing them repeatedly.
The five veteran artists were all top-tier artists in the film and television industry.
Their pursuit of film and television had long surpassed mere profit, focusing instead on their responsibility to the industry and their dedication to their work.
However, the current reality had sobered them.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Director Sun entered with Shen Xubai.
An old lady inside the room saw Shen Xubai and excitedly stood up, "Xiao Bai!"
Upon seeing the person, Shen Xubai nodded, "Teacher Hu Ying, long time no see!"
Hu Ying had collaborated with Shen Xubai twenty years ago.
Back then, Shen Xubai was just a child, incredibly beautiful, with excellent acting skills. When he wasn't filming, he would follow the older artists around, learning with great seriousness.
Everyone on set liked him, and they even gave him a nickname: "Little Drama Enthusiast."
However, the child later developed a strange illness.
His skin color grew darker and darker, eventually becoming so dark that he had to leave the entertainment circle.
Hu Ying felt regretful.
But she also knew that eight out of ten things in life are unsatisfactory, and who could fight against fate.
Hu Ying didn't engage in small talk; in this setting, emotions were not discussed.
The other interviewers had no prior connection with Shen Xubai.
Their expressions, without even pretending, were all gloomy.
"Director Sun, this artist doesn't fit the image of Lin Wei. There's no need to waste each other's time."
Director Sun's face was now stiff from smiling.
She met their blaming gazes.
With a stiff face, she pulled at her lips, "Everyone, let Teacher Shen audition first. We can discuss any issues after the audition."
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