“Chen Cheng, damn, that was awesome! Awesome! You son of a—today, I’m giving that performance a perfect score.”
“Go away, go away. Enough with the profanity. We’re cultured people, so watch your language from now on.”
“Fine. Damn…”
“…”
The first day of casting came to an end.
Zhang Wei was so excited that he wanted to treat Chen Cheng to a meal.
However, Chen Cheng refused, saying, “It was only the initial selection. Whether you get chosen still depends on Director Yu.”
Zhang Wei was still very excited. “Either way, thanks. Without you, I wouldn’t have even made it past the first round. You know, when I saw you back then, I almost went over to greet you.”
“Luckily, you held back. If you had greeted me, I probably wouldn’t have dared say a word to you at the time.”
“Exactly. That’s what you call acting skill. I just pretended not to know you.”
“Forget it. I’m from the Beijing Film Academy too. Anyone who asks around will know.”
Chen Cheng gave an awkward smile.
The reason Chen Cheng could speak up for Zhang Wei was that the role Zhang Wei was playing was not very important. It was not considered a major role.
Therefore, even if the two teachers realized that Chen Cheng was helping Zhang Wei, it did not matter.
…
The next day.
Casting at the Beijing Film Academy continued.
As usual, Chen Cheng went to the cafeteria for breakfast.
However, unlike usual, wherever Chen Cheng went, quite a few people greeted him.
“Look, that’s Chen Cheng.”
“Damn, he’s only a second-year student, yet he’s already serving as a casting teacher for The Return of the Condor Heroes. That’s terrifying.”
“Come on, let’s go greet Chen Cheng and make ourselves familiar.”
“Exactly.”
This left Chen Cheng somewhat bewildered.
Did this mean he had become famous?
It seemed he had never even acted in anything.
“Major director, how does it feel?”
Just then, Yang Mi, Zhang Xiaofei, and Yuan Shanshan came over as well. Yang Mi smiled at Chen Cheng as she spoke.
Chen Cheng was caught between laughter and tears. “Mimi, calling me ‘Major director’ makes me embarrassed.”
“What’s there to be embarrassed about? A casting teacher is actually a casting director. What’s wrong with calling you ‘Major director’?”
“Mimi, stop teasing me. I’m only an assistant, and I’m just handling the screening. For a major star like you, I don’t have the authority to be responsible for your casting.”
Zhang Xiaofei, standing nearby, was displeased by those words. “Chen Cheng, what do you mean? Are you saying the people you’re responsible for are just a bunch of nobodies like us?”
“Pfft…”
Zhang Xiaofei made Chen Cheng laugh. “Xiaofei, I think you could become a sketch comedy or crosstalk performer in the future.”
“Tch, give me a break. I’m going to become a major star in the future.”
Naturally, Zhang Xiaofei did not agree.
Chen Cheng could not do anything about it either.
Who knew what the road ahead would bring?
Zhang Xiaofei could only make her way forward on her own, step by step.
…
After breakfast.
Chen Cheng went to the basketball court.
As soon as he entered, Chen Cheng saw Teacher Zhang Songwen.
Chen Cheng was just about to greet Zhang Songwen when the latter called out to him first. “Chen Cheng, not bad. Without making a fuss, you’ve climbed such a high step.”
“Teacher Zhang, how are you teasing me too?”
“What teasing? Your teacher is happy for you. The Return of the Condor Heroes is a major production. Becoming a casting teacher is quite impressive.”
Chen Cheng felt somewhat embarrassed, but he was still happy inside.
However, Chen Cheng also found it a little strange and asked, “Teacher Zhang, what brings you here?”
“Me…”
After looking around and confirming that no one he knew was nearby, Zhang Songwen lowered his voice. “I’m here for an audition too.”
“An audition?”
Chen Cheng did not quite understand. “Wait, Teacher Zhang, didn’t you say you wanted to keep teaching? What are you auditioning for?”
“Well… Ahem. Cough… Let’s talk about it later.”
“Right, Chen Cheng, you can’t tell anyone that I came here for an audition.”
“Why not?”
“You brat, why do you think? If your teacher fails the audition, won’t everyone laugh me to death?”
“Pfft…”
Chen Cheng was in tears.
Who would have thought?
Teacher Zhang Songwen had such a cute side.
However, Chen Cheng comforted him. “Teacher Zhang, don’t worry. With your acting skill, you could choose any role you wanted.”
“Enough with the flattery. I can still distinguish between teaching and real acting. That’s enough. I’ll go audition first.”
After adjusting his hat, Zhang Songwen headed to Director Yu’s audition office.
That was right.
An actor like Teacher Zhang Songwen naturally could not register with Chen Cheng.
Of course.
It was not only Teacher Zhang Songwen.
Yang Mi had also bypassed Chen Cheng’s stage and gone directly to Director Yu.
…
“Good morning, Director Yu. Good morning, teachers. My name is Yang Mi, and I’m a second-year student in the Acting Department at the Beijing Film Academy. I’ve acted in several Film and Television Dramas before, but I don’t yet have a particularly well-known signature role.”
“Hehe, Yang Mi, you don’t need to introduce yourself in such detail. We know you very well.”
Seeing Yang Mi enter, Director Yu said with a smile, “We’ve seen your work. When you were six, you even rode on Stephen Chow’s shoulders.”
“Director Yu, I barely remember those scenes anymore. I don’t even know how I somehow ended up becoming a child actor.”
“It’s normal that you don’t remember; you were very young at the time. Still, although you were young, you showed a talent for acting from an early age. By the way, last time you acted in Director Li’s production?”
“Yes, Director Yu. It was Director Li’s Wang Zhaojun.”
“Director Li thinks very highly of you. Which role are you preparing to audition for this time?”
“Guo Xiang.”
“How do you view Guo Xiang? Or how do you view Guo Xiang’s feelings for Yang Guo?”
“They first met at Fengling Ferry, and seeing Yang Guo once caused her lifelong regret. She could only lament that she was born when he was already old, and remember him before the Broken-Heart Cliff. I believe Guo Xiang fell for Yang Guo the first time she saw him. Many people believe that Guo Xiang’s feelings for Yang Guo began as admiration. Although I also believe that admiration was indeed part of her feelings, in the original work, Guo Xiang was already moved when she first saw Yang Guo’s face—in the scene involving the three golden needles. However, it may not have been especially obvious then, or Guo Xiang herself may not have known whether that feeling was love. It was only through gradually spending time with Yang Guo, learning about his background and his family’s shared hardships with the Guo family, being rescued by Yang Guo time and again, and watching him become a great hero like her father that Guo Xiang slowly became unable to forget him. Unfortunately, Yang Guo already had Xiaolongnü, so Guo Xiang could only bury those feelings in her heart, never daring to reveal them…”
Previously, Yang Mi had not been especially confident in her understanding of the character Guo Xiang.
But after rereading The Return of the Condor Heroes over the past few days, Yang Mi understood Guo Xiang much better.
At the same time.
It was precisely because she had reread The Return of the Condor Heroes that she finally understood what Chen Cheng had meant by “the regret that can never be resolved.”
At this point.
Yang Mi thanked Chen Cheng inwardly.
If not for Chen Cheng.
She would still have been thinking about Guo Fu.
Yet she did not understand Guo Fu very well either.
After hearing Yang Mi’s explanation, Director Yu gave a faint smile. “It seems you have a deep understanding of Guo Xiang. All right, Student Yang Mi, you may go back for now. We’ll notify you as soon as we have news.”
Although he said this same thing to every auditionee.
The difference in his tone and manner when saying it could make all the difference.