Yun Feiwu did not write anything, she sketched. Well, to be precise, she sketched a bunch of matchstick figures.
There were matchstick figures fighting each other with swords, matchstick figures holding hands and walking with school bags, matchstick figures that looked like aliens, two matchstick figures hugging each other in a way that formed the shape of the Chinese character “软” (“Ruan”), there were all sorts of drawings.
The key point was, her drawings were quite ugly.
Ugly to an extent that it was beyond imagination, so unsightly that it cause frustration and resentment in people.
It was really hard to fathom how Yun Feiwu, with such a serious expression, managed to create such bizarre and comical drawings.
Xia Shutong struggled to hold back her laughter, but her gaze softened.
She vaguely recalled that she used to enjoy drawing matchstick figures with twigs on the riverbank behind her house when she was a child.
Back then, very few people ventured to the dirty and disorderly old riverbank, so she could play there for hours by herself.
There, no one bullied her, and she wouldn’t encounter debt collectors giving her strange looks.
Come to think of it, she was a timid and fearful child during her childhood.
She didn’t dare to initiate greetings with neighbors, didn’t dare to speak loudly to others, and when bullied, she only dared to hide behind her mother.
She remembered that there were three boys living near her home back then. As soon as they saw her, they would pick up stones and throw them at her. After her mother unintentionally found out about this, she became so infuriated that she, despite her frail health, took a stick and went to those boys’ homes.
After returning home, her mother earnestly and solemnly taught her, emphasizing that she couldn’t continue being so timid. If she was bullied, she had to learn to stand up for herself and protect herself.
It seemed that when her mother was alive, she had taught her a lot of profound life lessons, but at that time, she couldn’t comprehend any of them.
Later on, her mother passed away. She couldn’t recall anything that happened afterward.
Xia Shutong gently brushed her finger over the paper matchstick figures, and her emotions surged within her.
She became increasingly curious about what she had experienced over these years and how she had transformed into the person she was now.
“How is it President Xia? Is Xiao Yun’s acting particularly good? Tsk tsk, she can even convey the feeling of world-famous paintings through her drawings. It’s amazing!” Director Dai Su remained completely unaware of what Xia Shutong was thinking and chattered away.
“Hmm.”
Xia Shutong absentmindedly nodded, and naturally folded the paper, placing it in her bag.
Xia Shutong flipped through the audition list again and casually asked, “Director Dai, do you have a suitable candidate for the second female lead role in mind?”
“Bian Xin.” Director Dai Su’s attention was successfully diverted. “Although Bian Xin is on the popular path, her acting skills are quite good. I looked at the upcoming audition list, and unless something unexpected happens, she’s the one.”
Soon, the next round of auditions began.
There weren’t many actresses auditioning for the second female lead, just five in total, and Bian Xin happened to be the third.
Her appearance was sweet and lovely, her posture petite, which indeed matched the image of the second female lead, Zhou Ling Xue. Her acting also showed no significant flaws. As a result, after this round of auditions, the casting for the second female lead was decided.
After the auditions concluded, Director Dai Su excitedly chatted with Bian Xin.
On the sidelines, Xia Shutong watched with a slight frown. She noticed that when Director Dai Su got overly excited, he had a habit of shaking hands with people. Of course, Xia Shutong would never extend her hand for him to shake.
Yun Feiwu also only shake his hands once. Apart from that perfunctory handshake earlier, Yun Feiwu hadn’t offered her hand to him again.
However, Bian Xin obediently extended her hand every time, allowing Director Dai Su to shake it heartily.
If Xia Shutong didn’t know about Director Dai Su’s unwavering devotion to his deceased girlfriend, coupled with his slightly foolish personality, she might have thought, based on this scene alone, that he was a guy trying to make advances to a female actress.
As for whether Bian Xin had any such intentions.
Xia Shutong raised her eyes slightly, giving a subtle shake of her head.
She was aware of the prevalent atmosphere in the industry. As long as Bian Xin had excellent professional skills and didn’t cause any trouble during filming, she couldn’t be bothered to intervene. After all, Director Dai Su’s naivety made it highly unlikely that anything would truly develop between him and Bian Xin. As for the other staff on set, with Xia Shutong keeping an eye on things, no one dared to create trouble under her watch.
Several supporting roles were auditioned next. After a day’s work, evening was approaching.
Just as Xia Shutong was about to get up and leave, Director Dai Su held her back.
“President Xia, I’ve arranged for Xiao Yun and Xiao Bian to have dinner together. Would you like to join us?”
Xia Shutong paused. “I’ll pass.”
She hadn’t even had a chance to hide from Yun Feiwu, let alone consider having a meal with her!
However, swiftly, Xia Shutong removed her sunglasses and arched an eyebrow warily. “When did you arrange this? Why did you invite them for a meal?”
It’s not that she didn’t trust Director Dai Su, but his actions certainly resembled those of a director who engaged in unethical behavior.
As soon as the audition ended, he invited the two female leads to have a meal together.
What was his intention?
Director Dai Su had no inkling of the impression he had left on Xia Shutong. He responded honestly, “Oh, I made the arrangement to chat with them after the auditions. Since they both play pivotal roles in the movie, I thought it would be beneficial to communicate and establish some rapport before filming, you know, to smooth things out.”
Indeed, in “Chasing the Light,” a movie heavily centered around its female lead, nearly the entire core of the film rested on the shoulders of the main actress. Aside from Du Yuan, the character with the most screen time was the second female lead, Zhou Ling Xue.
Director Dai Su’s question was a mere formality; after all, he wouldn’t be discussing the plot with Xia Shutong. To him, it didn’t matter who went, so he nodded without much thought.
…
Yun Feiwu did not have any prior engagement, which is why during the afternoon gathering, she and her agent, Tao Wei, were among the first to arrive.
As they took their seats, Yun Feiwu immediately immersed herself in the script, her demeanor cool and distant, emitting a subtle aura that felt like a towering presence from afar.
After spending a few days together, Tao Wei had grown accustomed to her distant and indifferent personality.
Tao Wei was considered one of the top agents at Wutong Management, and she had brought forth several A-list trainees from the company.
Beforehand, Tao Wei had some concerns, as Yun Feiwu was, after all, a film actress. She wondered if Yun Feiwu might look down on their company or even exhibit diva behavior. However, she quickly realized her worries were unfounded.
Indeed, Yun Feiwu was reserved, preferring silence, but her dedication to her work was evident, and she treated the people around her with respect, causing minimal inconvenience.
It was no wonder that Yun Feiwu had maintained a good reputation within the industry for so many years.
This realization strengthened Tao Wei’s resolve. If Yun Feiwu entrusted her and their company, she couldn’t afford to betray that trust. She was determined to provide Yun Feiwu with development opportunities far surpassing those of Xinghui Entertainment (her previous company).
Ten minutes later, a knock sounded on the private room door.
Yun Feiwu lifted her gaze from the script to see who was entering.
First, it was Director Dai Su, followed by Qian Lingling, it’s only the two of them.
Had Xia Shutong not come?
Was she avoiding her?
Suppressing her curiosity and disappointment, Yun Feiwu was about to delicately inquire, but Tao Wei approached first. “Director Dai, Xiao Qian, good evening. Oh, isn’t President Xia coming tonight?”
“President Xia is still wrapping up some work,” Qian Lingling explained.
Tao Wei added, “President Xia is really dedicated, all she thinks about is work. Xiao Qian, when you go back, do remind her to take care of herself.”
Why did that sound like instructing a wife to remind a husband engrossed in work?
Yun Feiwu subtly lowered her head, her lips curving downward momentarily.
Her heart felt a tinge of bitterness.