Rebirth of Chinese Entertainment, the Diary of a 95 Flower

Chapter 106 Smiles for outsiders, silence for oneself

The production assistant, wearing an orange vest, knocked on the audition room door and then pushed it open.

The warmth was overwhelming.

"Director Wang, Zhao Jinmai is here, and Jiang Yang and Yang Chaoyue, the two alternate actors, are also here..."

The stagehand stepped inside, not hearing what followed.

The wooden door closed automatically.

Jiang Yang didn't go in; he waited outside.

Just a moment ago, I could clearly see the environment inside the audition room.

The decor is simple and modern, and the walls are made of soundproofing material.

It has professional photography and lighting equipment.

There were several single sofas in the rest area. Huang Lei sat by the window, holding a tablet computer, as if he were looking at the costume photos of the confirmed character.

Sitting to Huang Lei's right is director Wang Jun, wearing a dark gray cashmere blend long coat with half of his storyboard peeking out of the pocket.

He was looking down at the actor's information sheet, making marks with a red pen.

Where is screenwriter He Qin? Where is producer Xu Xiaoou?
I didn't see the two of them; they must have been delayed by something and couldn't come.

But I saw Zhao Jinmai's mother, He Lin, sitting gracefully on the long sofa against the wall.

On the other side, four people were sitting on a long sofa by the window.

The two are children around the same age as Zhao Jinmai, in their adolescence: Li Nuo, who played Rose in the original story, and Hu Xianxu, who played Zhang Xiaoyu.

Li Nuo was wearing a dark-colored dress, with long hair and bangs. She gently bit one side of her lip, fidgeted with her fingers, and sat on the sofa with her head down.

He seemed very nervous.

The lips recited the lines silently.

The woman with big, wavy hair next to her looked a lot like her; she was obviously her mother.

Hu Xianxu was wearing a childlike little suit and a tie.

As soon as the stagehand pushed the door open, he turned his head sharply to look over, his gaze sweeping around before quickly landing on Jiang Yang, his brows furrowing and his lips tightening.

The man in the sharp suit sitting next to him was his father.

In summary, during the audition, the screenwriter and producer from the main creative team were absent, but director Wang and art director Huang Lei were present.

The other two alternate actors, Li Nuo and Hu Xianxu, along with their respective guardians, were also present.

The remaining one is Zhao Jinmai's mother, Hu Lin.

As the stagehand went in to speak, everyone looked up at him.

In that short time, Jiang Yang could only use his vision to discover information that was favorable to him; he couldn't see anything after that.

After all, the wooden door was already closed.

The area outside the audition room was quiet.

"Sister Chaoyue, so your surname is Yang. I always thought your surname was Chao... It's okay, don't be nervous. The director isn't fierce. By the way, can you tell who is who among the director, producer, and screenwriter?" Zhao Jinmai whispered to Yang Chaoyue.

Yang Chaoyue twisted the hem of his clothes with his fingers and shook his head gently: "I don't know him."

"It's okay, I'll go in and say hello in a bit, then you'll be able to tell who's who." Zhao Jinmai squeezed Yang Chaoyue's hand.

I felt a chill in my palms.

It's obvious that Chaoyue is very nervous.

She offered a few words of comfort, knowing exactly what was going on.

Since Sister Chaoyue got the audition through connections, she can't recognize the main creative team members.

This shows that the person who actually had connections within the production crew was not Chaoyue's sister.

It was Jiangyang.

Zhao Jinmai glanced at Jiang Yang, showing no sign of nervousness.

He waited calmly outside, glancing around the audition room to get a feel for the environment inside.

It doesn't seem like the mindset of a new actor at all.

Zhao Jinmai reached out and gently patted Jiang Yang's palm: "Jiang Yang, are you nervous?"

"Call me brother, little Maruko."

"Don't try to imitate Northeastern dialect, you Southerners can't do it right."

Jiang Yang still had the mind to joke with himself, showing a much better attitude than his sister Chaoyue.

The palm of his hand felt warm to the touch, unlike Yang Chaoyue's which was icy cold.

Zhao Jinmai became even more certain of her thoughts.

Who is Jiang Yang connected to in the creative team? Is it director Wang Jun, screenwriter He Qin, art director Huang Lei, or producer Xu Xiaoou?
It's not certain yet.

You'll find out soon enough.

The wooden door was opened by the stagehand who led the three people in from the inside, who politely gestured for them to come in: "Please come in, teachers."

The words had barely left her lips when Hu Lin's voice rang out: "Girl, come on, did you bring your schoolbag? Come in and say hello to everyone."

Hear the words.

Zhao Jinmai bit her cheek and stepped inside.

With a sweet smile on her face, she politely greeted everyone in turn and sat down next to her mother.

Director Wang Jun and producer Xu Xiaoou simply nodded and smiled.

Huang Lei put down his tablet and smiled at Hu Lin, saying, "Mai Mai has grown so tall. Kids grow so fast. She's still as polite as ever."

“My daughter has been like this since she was little. Everyone says she is sensible.”

Hearing her daughter being praised by Huang Lei, Hu Lin smiled contentedly.

He then turned to Zhao Jinmai beside him and said, "Girl, you smiled beautifully just now, everyone was satisfied... Have you finished the test paper I asked you to write in the dressing room?"

"Nope."

"Now that I have some time, I'll write something."

"Ah."

Back by Hu Lin's side, Zhao Jinmai became much more concise in her speech.

The smile on his face faded.

Smiles are for outsiders; silence is for oneself.

Others envy her for standing in the light, but they can't see that the light had already been positioned at the correct angle.

I've long since learned to silence my emotions, afraid of waking up the willful child inside me.

He used his allowance to buy comic books that his parents forbade and hid them under his mattress.

I secretly envy my classmates who post photos of the amusement park.

Silently, I took out my English test paper and carefully read the questions.

He turned his head to look at Yang Chaoyue.

Yang Chaoyue was nervously standing next to Jiang Yang.

I don't know why, but I suddenly feel very envious of Yang Chaoyue.

My mom plans and arranges everything for me on set.

What should I say when I meet the director?

How do I build relationships with the other actors?

Everything is well-organized; all I need to do is follow the instructions.

Like a puppet on a string, you have to keep moving forward, unable to have your own thoughts, unable to say what you want to say, and even unable to have your own emotions.

When adults praise themselves for being outstanding, they always feel like they are praising someone else, because that's not the real them.

In front of the camera, she's a sweet Mai Mai; behind the camera, she's a silent work machine.

My favorite language is my hometown's Northeastern dialect, which I speak secretly, like a foreign language.

Chaoyue is different.

Every emotion I feel, every single second, is real.

The tension he showed wasn't acting, and his smile was genuine.

They have their own phones to play with, and they can manage their own time.

The person by her side was Jiang Yang, who would never hold a grudge against her no matter how much she joked or teased him, and would even help her create rebellious moments.

Yang Chaoyue's sister's nervousness was genuine, while her composure was rehearsed.

If my parents hadn't paved the way for my future when I was young, and if I had been able to venture out on my own, perhaps I could have lived a life like Chaoyue.

My career may not go well, and my studies may not be good either, but it's real enough.

She stared at the sweat on Yang Chaoyue's palms as if she were staring at her own evaporating youth.

The graffiti on the edge of the exam paper is an artwork that does not require approval.

A docile struggle.

"Go, Chaoyue!" Zhao Jinmai silently murmured to herself.

Since it's to cheer for Yang Chaoyue.

It's also a way of comforting the part of myself that isn't allowed to fail.

"Honey, are you spacing out?"

"No, I was just thinking..."

Before he could finish speaking, Hu Lin lightly patted his thigh: "Speak Mandarin."

Zhao Jinmai immediately changed her tune, withdrawing her gaze from Yang Chaoyue's direction and focusing intently on the test paper: "This question is too difficult, I can't do it."

(End of this chapter)