Global Film Emperor

Chapter 262 Brothers Fight for a Role
November 24, 2020, Friday, Beijing.

Lu Ze has actually been to the capital quite a few times, but he rarely comes to Chaoyang CBD, mainly because of the traffic jams. Just like now, he arrived in the capital at around 7 a.m. and encountered the morning rush hour. It took him more than three hours to drive here, stopping every two steps. Lu Ze was so shaken that he almost threw up.

"Aze, can you hold on a little longer? There's a traffic jam here, and no parking spaces. If I drive around to the south gate, it'll probably be slower than you getting out and going through the north gate now. What do you think we should do?"

Liu Bin was in a difficult position. With the traffic jam so bad, it would take at least half an hour to circle around the Hengmao Building. Lu Ze could walk there in less than five minutes. But Liu Bin had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask Lu Ze whether he wanted to get out and walk or continue in the car. Would it be right for a driver to be kicked out by his boss?

"I don't want to think about it anymore, I'm getting carsick. I'll get out and walk myself. Could you turn right and pull over to the side of the road? I'll get out and walk."

Why bother turning? The traffic is so congested here, no one will let you cut in or stop. Lu Ze couldn't take it anymore. He glanced behind him, put on his hat, opened the car door, crossed the road, and got to the other side.

He went to a nearby supermarket to buy a bottle of mineral water and swallowed the breakfast that was on the tip of his tongue. Even so, Lu Ze was still a little pale and staggered into Hengmao Building.

Who knew that Dijing Jinxiu Culture Media was located in such a place? Today, Lu Ze came to Dijing for the purpose of auditioning for "Where Are You".

This film was produced by Jinxiu International Culture Communication Co., Ltd. and filmed by China Film Studio. The interview process was conducted at Jinxiu Culture Company.

In the eyes of ordinary people, CBD is known for its many companies and wealth, but the last impression is that it's crowded. Lu Ze, wearing sunglasses and a hat, was standing at the back of the crowd, waiting in line to get on the elevator. Who knows that it was already past ten o'clock, yet there were still so many people going up.

Jinxiu Culture didn't have the capability to install a dedicated elevator for artists in this building in this location. When Lu Ze arrived, the elevator started jingling as soon as he entered.
Somewhat awkwardly, Lu Ze stepped out of the elevator. Someone next to him chuckled. Lu Ze was puzzled, wondering who was laughing at him. He turned his head and found the man wearing a beret and sunglasses, with an undisguised smile on his face, to be somewhat familiar. After looking at him carefully for a while, he asked uncertainly.

"Teacher Ge?"

"You only just recognized me? I've been standing behind you for ages, hahaha, a big star like you, haven't had an elevator ride in ages, has it?"

Ge Yunzheng, 44 years old, from Qingdao, a former child star, a national first-class actor, was the most popular TV drama actor in China from the 1990s to the early 2000s. Lu Ze grew up watching his shows. Not to mention anything else, he played Nezha in the 1986 version of Journey to the West and Bai Jingqi in The Grand Mansion. Are you scared yet?
"I'm so sorry, Teacher Ge. I'm so sorry, I got carsick this morning and I'm still feeling dizzy."

"It's okay, it's okay. You haven't been this way before, have you? It's perfectly normal if you haven't been here before. To be honest, I didn't want to come this way either. The traffic jam is driving me crazy. Okay, let's take the elevator. It's really enough that we chose such a congested place for the audition."

Clearly, Ge Yunzheng was also there to audition for "Where Are You". Lu Ze remembered that he was almost fifty years old, but he couldn't recall the exact age. However, he couldn't rule out the possibility that Ge Yunzheng was his competitor.

But Lu Ze wasn't nervous at all; on the contrary, he was very excited. This was his idol, okay? He loved watching "The Grand Mansion Gate" when he was little, and other classic roles he played were also deeply imprinted in Lu Ze's childhood.

Think about it, Ge Yunzheng is here to audition, so how many veteran actors must there be? How could Lu Ze, who hasn't acted alongside veteran actors in a long time, not be excited to be able to compete with them on the same stage?
"You're here to audition for Wang Jian, right? I think your image is a good fit. You're thirty-five this year?"

"Teacher Ge, I just turned thirty this year."

Ge Yunzheng's acting skills are absolutely impeccable, but his eyesight is indeed not very good. Lu Ze was speechless. He turned his head and looked at the metal interior of the elevator, where his own image was reflected. He then began to have deep self-doubt.

"Hahaha, sorry, I really enjoy watching your shows, like 'Mr. Tree' and 'To Live,' I especially love them. But I really didn't know how old you are, don't mind me, don't mind me."

"It's okay. Maybe I just look old."

Lu Ze responded with one sentence, then became deeply withdrawn. He wasn't like a woman who, in her thirties, still wanted children to call her "sister." But if he exaggerated his age, no man could accept it.

The two didn't exchange many words. After the elevator reached the 22nd floor, Lu Ze and he got off together and entered Jinxiu Culture Company. Led by the receptionist, they headed to the large conference room where they were waiting for auditions.

Even from a distance, Lu Ze could hear a loud commotion, the sounds of people talking, like a bustling market. The receptionist seemed unfazed and knocked on the conference room door with a warm smile.

"Please come in."

After being greeted by someone inside, the young woman pushed open the door, waved to Lu Ze and Ge Yunzheng, and said in a soft voice, "Teacher Lu, Teacher Ge, please come in."

Once the door opened, the noise grew even louder, creating quite a commotion. The staff arranging the interviews in the conference room looked at the two of them, stood up, and bowed slightly to them, completely ignoring the actors who were chatting casually.

No entertainment company would dare to manage these people. There are over a hundred people in the group, including more than sixty national second-level actors and more than forty national first-level actors. They are all top-tier actors whose names start with "national". If you were in their shoes, would you dare to manage them? Even if they are playing mahjong in the room, you would still have to help them get change from the convenience store downstairs!
"Please make yourselves at home, teachers. Once the auditions begin, we will invite you to interview one by one."

"Okay, thank you." After nodding to the staff to indicate that he understood, Lu Ze glanced at the group of people. Goodness. This group of people basically represented all the TV dramas and movies from CCTV up to the past thirty years, not to mention the ones from CCTV.

Let me briefly mention a few well-known TV series: *Dream of the Red Chamber*, *Journey to the West*, *Water Margin*, *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, *Don't Talk to Strangers*, *Lurking*, *Conquest*, *Blood Romance*, *Our Parents' Love*, *The Way of Heaven*, *Under the Zhengyang Gate*, *Bright Sword*, and so on.
"Look who's here! Old Ge, how many years has it been since we last met? Come and give me a hug. This must be Lu Ze, right? He's so tall and handsome."

"Teacher Wang, you're too kind. I won't keep you all from catching up with Teacher Ge any longer. See you later."

After greeting Teacher Wang, who played An Jiahe, and the other veteran actors present, Lu Ze picked up his bag and headed to the back. However, as he walked, Lu Ze wanted to turn back.

"Lu'er! Where are you going! Can't you see your brother? Come here!"

The group was having a great time chatting and didn't even look at Lu Ze. Lu Ze had thought he could escape, but now he could only secretly lament and worry about his stomach.

This whole bunch of people—Song Guiyuan, Wang Pushen, Zheng Yi, Li Wei, Chen Zhijun, Zhao Xinxiang, and other crew members, as well as friends Lu Ze knew—more than a dozen people in total, all focused their attention on Lu Ze. Well, not a single one of the heavy drinkers from "My Chief and My Regiment" was left out; they were all here.

"Hey? You guys are here? Sorry, everyone! I didn't see you earlier. There are no seats available. I'll go find some. Let's catch up after the audition!"

Lu Ze clasped his hands in a fist salute, turned around and left, when suddenly he felt someone pulling his bag, forcibly pulling him back, and then pressing him down into the seat next to Li Wei.

Lu Ze knew what kind of people these were; many of them could drink more than him. Last time, at Song Guiyuan's wedding, Lu Ze was so drunk that he almost ended up in the hospital on an IV drip and lay in bed for three days. Lu Ze was genuinely scared. He sat in his seat, rubbing his hands, and gave an awkward smile.

"Old Song, weren't you supposed to be acting in a play? Why are you here for an audition?"

"I've been acting for two months already. I can't just take leave to come back for an audition, and then go back to acting? But you... I mean, are you trying to act like a big shot here? You treat us like we're dog shit? Can't you see these three seats right next to me?"

"Alright, let's drink it."

Lu Ze was quite shrewd. Knowing there was no way to escape, he simply resigned himself to his fate and said something completely nonsensical, which made everyone laugh and create quite a lively atmosphere.

"Are you here to interview Wang Jian?"

When Song Guiyuan asked this question, Lu Ze was taken aback for a moment, but then quickly realized that there was no need to hide it, so he simply admitted it.

Yes, you are too.

Song Guiyuan was immediately annoyed. Wang Jian's requirement was for male actors between the ages of thirty and forty-five. He originally thought Lu Ze wouldn't be able to come, after all, he was only twenty-nine, and even a year's difference was significant. If he had known Lu Ze was coming today, why would he have bothered with the audition at all!

Song Guiyuan is no match for Lu Ze's abilities. If he were to compete with Lu Ze for this role, Song Guiyuan would know perfectly well that he has no chance of being chosen.

Today was a wasted trip. He finally got a day off, but instead of going out with his wife and kids, he didn't get a proper rest. He spent the whole day sleeping in the hotel, and then he had to get up early to fly back to the capital. He was stuck in traffic like a grandson, suffering and getting no benefit. How could he not be angry? He grabbed Lu Ze's head and tucked it under his arm, and started scolding him angrily.

"Aren't you bending the law for personal gain?! You're only twenty-nine! How can you audition when you're too old? You're dishonest! Don't you need some re-education from our great motherland?!"

"Don't let go, you're out of breath! Song Guiyuan, you bastard! I'm biting you! I'm really going to bite you!"

The two brothers were just playing around and joking, but they couldn't really use their strength. After a couple of playful moments, they let go. Lu Ze tidied his hair before asking a serious question.

"Old Song, are you really testing Wang Jian?"

"That's right, me, Zheng Yi, Pu Shen, Lao Zhao, and you all tried Wang Jian!"

"."

(End of this chapter)