"Did you see the message in the group chat? They say this year's art exam has a candidate who's absolutely stunning!"
"How stunning? Even more beautiful than Zheng Lingyu?"
Zheng Lingyu was a long-established senior in the industry. Even in a place like the entertainment world, where beauties were as plentiful as clouds, she was a universally praised beauty—widely recognized as being in the "most beautiful" tier of actresses.
"They must have signed with a company to drum up hype, right? Isn't it always like this? 'Most Beautiful Art Exam Candidate' or whatever—there are several of those every year… They're actually only famous for a brief moment. Once they finally enter the entertainment industry, they realize their beauty doesn't really stand out that much among all the handsome men and beautiful women."
"Still, having beauty is definitely an advantage in the art exam. As long as you're pretty enough, it doesn't matter even if your professional skills are a bit lacking—the teachers will show some leniency…"
"After all, we live in a society that judges by looks, don't we?"
The candidates around her were chatting away enthusiastically, but Zhuang Jing, who had just walked out of the exam room, was rather distracted.
Seeing her looking so dazed, her friend who had come to take the exam with her seemed to misunderstand something and asked nervously, "What's wrong? Did something go wrong with the exam?"
Zhuang Jing shook her head. "Nothing. I just finished the exam… I'm still a bit nervous."
Her friend immediately relaxed and held her hand to comfort her. "It's fine. You've prepared so thoroughly, and you have such a great image. You'll definitely pass!"
"Yeah, thanks for the good wishes."
Zhuang Jing smiled.
She had indeed been very nervous just now.
But it wasn't because of the exam.
Zhuang Jing was a local of City A. Her family owned several properties, making her something of a rich second generation. Because of her parents' line of work, the family had quite a few connections in the entertainment industry—otherwise, she wouldn't have had the courage to participate in the school-based exam at the "A City Film Academy."
Although she had some background, that didn't mean she didn't work hard. For this exam, Zhuang Jing had started preparing early—physical training, monologues, vocal music, sketch performance… She had made thorough preparations for every segment, absolutely guaranteeing there would be no mistakes.
But three weeks before the exam, a good friend of her father's—who was also Professor Gao from the Acting Department of the A City Film Academy—suddenly called to ask about her audition pieces and suggested she swap the pieces for the vocal music and monologue segments.
"Why so sudden? Professor Gao, it's not that we don't want to switch, but the exam is right around the corner. There might not be enough time to prepare anew…"
"I know you're short on time, which is why I didn't even suggest changing the 'dance' and 'performance' segments—just the 'vocal music' and 'monologue' ones. If you get ready quickly, you'll still make it in time."
"But why the sudden change? Is there something wrong with the pieces Jingjing originally prepared?"
It was only after her father pressed him repeatedly that Professor Gao finally revealed the truth: "Do you know Director Qin?—Director Qin Yuesheng."
The name "Qin Yuesheng" was impossible for anyone who had watched even a little film to not have heard of. She was one of the most famous directors in Dongzhou and even the world. With over thirty years in the industry, she had produced countless classic works, impeccable in both box office and awards. Many of the big names currently active in the entertainment industry had once appeared in Director Qin's works.
If there was ever a chance to appear in a Director Qin production—even just a minor role—countless actors would fight tooth and nail for it.
Since his daughter was going to enter the entertainment industry in the future, Father Zhuang naturally knew of Director Qin's reputation. He just didn't understand why Professor Gao was bringing up Director Qin now. Could it be that his friend had connections with Director Qin and could help introduce Zhuang Jing?
"Don't joke around. What kind of status does Director Qin have? Even Best Actors and Best Actresses in the industry have to line up to see her. I'm just a professor in the acting department—I don't have any standing to speak in front of Director Qin… But there really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity right now."
He lowered his voice and said, "You've probably heard before that Director Qin is going to 'descend to the mortal world' to film a TV drama—the historical epic Ode to Great Yan. There have been several rounds of private casting already. The other roles have been filled, but the only one that hasn't been decided is the female lead, Princess Changning. She's not satisfied with any of the current stars in the industry, and it seems she wants to use a newcomer… I heard from others that Director Qin might come to the A City Film Academy to observe this year's art exam."
Why would a director who had long since achieved fame need to come observe these art exam candidates' raw, inexperienced performances?
Unless… she wanted to pick someone from among these candidates.
"That's why I specially notified you—to have Jingjing switch her pieces and lean closer to the image of Princess Changning. Think about it: if she really gets chosen by Director Qin and her first drama is as Director Qin's female lead, wouldn't Jingjing rise to the top in one step?"
The beautiful vision that Professor Gao described was something Zhuang Jing's father could not have failed to think of. Naturally, he expressed his gratitude profusely for quite a while, and the whole family then searched for information on Princess Changning, studying it carefully, and deliberately selecting a repertoire that could reflect a similar temperament based on the princess's life story.
And then came today.
Zhuang Jing walked into the examination hall with a heart full of excitement and nervousness. Her peripheral vision casually swept the room, and sure enough, in an inconspicuous corner, she spotted the woman wearing sunglasses in a low-key manner.
Professor Gao's information was correct! Director Qin had indeed come to the examination hall! Director Qin was going to select the female lead from among them, the examinees!
Zhuang Jing's heart pounded fiercely. Fortunately, she had learned the news in advance and already had confidence. Although she was somewhat nervous, she still completed her performance smoothly—one could even say beyond her usual standard.
Before leaving the examination hall, she caught a glimpse of Director Qin seemingly smiling, as if very satisfied with her performance.
This made Zhuang Jing's already surging heart beat even more violently.
Even after leaving the examination hall, she was still replaying that smile at the corner of Director Qin's lips.
What could it mean? Did it mean Director Qin had already noticed her, and she was one step closer to the female lead position?
No, even if it wasn't the female lead, even if she was only asked to play the second or third female role in the drama, she would still be willing.
Because she was too immersed in her own world, even when her friend said something like, "I heard there's a stunningly beautiful girl among this year's art exam candidates," she had no mood to care. Listening to her close friend's well-meaning but ignorant words of comfort, a trace of guilt quietly rose in Zhuang Jing's heart.
She hadn't told her friend that Director Qin might come to the examination hall to select the female lead for her new drama, so the repertoire her friend had prepared was still the one decided earlier.
Or rather, aside from herself, this matter was inherently a secret.
Zhuang Jing was not a petty person. In her daily interactions with classmates and friends, she often treated them to meals, and even if she occasionally suffered small losses, she never quibbled over momentary gains or losses. But this matter was different.
There could only be one female lead. If she told others the news, her own chances would diminish by a fraction. In the entertainment industry, missing one opportunity could completely change the rest of one's life.
After all, she wasn't generous enough to hand over an opportunity to someone else.
She could only say sorry.
…
Just as Zhuang Jing's emotions were in turmoil, inside the examination hall, the performance department teachers were also trying to gauge Qin Yuesheng's thoughts.
"That examinee from just now was quite good—pretty face, good temperament too."
"The main thing is her acting is decent… Although she hasn't entered the industry yet and doesn't have much performance experience, she can't compare to those examinees who started as child stars, but among these ordinary examinees, she counts as having some natural talent."
A teacher carefully probed: "I saw Director Qin smile just now. You also think that young lady is good?"
Qin Yuesheng agreed upon hearing this: "She is indeed good, just 'good' beyond my expectations."
Before anyone else could speak, she continued: "Everyone says the entertainment industry is in decline, but I don't think so. Isn't the Film Academy teeming with talent? In today's examination, there were actually so many examinees who prepared obscure repertoire like 'The Phoenix's Arrival' and 'Lament of Mountains and Rivers.' It seems that regardless of gender, everyone wants to be an emperor or princess. What a meeting of minds."
Qin Yuesheng said meaningfully: "Dean Zhang, your incoming freshmen may not have particularly outstanding qualifications, but when it comes to pulling strings and finding connections, they truly are like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea—each showing their own special prowess."
Director Qin's words left everyone present feeling somewhat embarrassed.
Because it wasn't an official itinerary, Qin Yuesheng's visit to A City Film Academy to select a female lead had not been made public, and she had requested the school to keep it confidential before coming.
Yet several examinees had coincidentally chosen definitely obscure repertoire like "The Phoenix's Arrival" and "Lament of Mountains and Rivers." Even if Director Qin were a fool, she would understand what was going on.
Just as Zhuang Jing's family had Professor Gao's help, didn't other teachers and professors have a few close friends or students they favored?
With a renowned director like Qin, if there was even a chance, who wouldn't want to try to fight for it?
Probably taking this into consideration, although Qin Yuesheng pointed all this out on the spot, she didn't get angry. She merely lowered her head and took a sip of the black tea in her cup, concealing the flicker of disappointment in her eyes.
If she truly couldn't find a suitable candidate for the female lead, she wouldn't have resorted to this measure, trying to select someone from the Film Academy.
But the character of Princess Changning was indeed very difficult to cast. In terms of appearance, she was "so beautiful as to make fish sink and geese fall, her beauty toppling cities and nations"; in terms of character, she was "exceptionally brilliant in strategy, courageous and resourceful"; and her final ending was stacked with the BUFF of "Premature Death, heaven's jealousy of beauty"—she was the ultimate white moonlight.
Even more fatal was that Princess Changning was not a fictional character from a novel, but a real person who existed in the history of the Great Yan Dynasty, which meant everyone's expectations would inevitably be higher.
But how could one person completely portray another? Even just the aspect of appearance was very difficult to reproduce.
Director Qin hadn't originally intended to find an actress of breathtaking beauty anyway; she only wanted to find someone whose temperament fit as closely as possible.
But judging by the current situation, it seemed she wouldn't find the actor she was looking for here.
Qin Yuesheng let out a low sigh and was about to leave when she suddenly felt the surroundings fall silent.
So quiet that one could almost hear a pin drop.
"Hello, esteemed teachers. I am candidate number 52."
The director raised her eyes, and the moment her gaze landed on her, it suddenly froze.