Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 171, Section 171: The Test of Eyes
Just as Song Ci was looking through the resumes of the actresses who had auditioned, his arrival caused quite a stir in the outdoor waiting area.

The female celebrities whispered amongst themselves, their eyes frequently glancing at the imposing bodyguards standing at the audition room door.

Her eyes were full of curiosity and anticipation, hoping that she would be chosen by this noble young man.

"I never expected that Song Ci would actually come in person. This has really changed things!" Cai Yinong sighed, muttering to himself with a worried expression and a helpless look on his face.

She knew that given Song Ci's status and position, since he was present at the audition today, the final result would definitely be based on his wishes. She guessed that all the connections that Miss Liu had gone to great lengths to find would be in vain.

Liu Shishi breathed a sigh of relief. With Mr. Song personally coming to show his support, things were definitely settled.

Quickly gather your thoughts and prepare to give a good performance later, so that your man can see the improvement in your acting skills.

Putting aside their differing thoughts, Yuan Shanshan, not far away, was so excited she almost jumped up: "Honey, it's Song Ci! He actually came too!"

"I saw it, I'm not blind. Besides, her boyfriend is here, why are you getting so excited?" Yang Mi rolled her eyes, speechless at her roommate's infatuated expression.

Yuan Shanshan retorted, "What boyfriend? I saw Song Ci not even glance at Liu Shishi just now. They must have broken up."

I knew it! How could my idol possibly be interested in someone like Liu Shishi, with her flat chest and hips, not to mention her plain face?

Jiao Junyan teased from the side, "Isn't your idol Chen Xiao who played in 'Orange Born in Huainan'?"

Yuan Shanshan hurriedly said, "Nonsense, my idol has always been Song Ci!"

"Speaking of 'Orange Born in Huainan,' something comes to mind: why didn't I see any female artists from Tengda Culture at this audition? This is their own company's film, and they just gave up like that?"

Zhang Xiaofei suddenly voiced her doubts. She looked around several times but couldn't find the two leading actresses from Tengda Culture.

"Maybe they're not available!" Jiao Junyan said uncertainly. She had checked Tengda Culture's information before the interview and knew that Wang Luodan and Lü Yi were currently filming.

"Forget it, this is a movie. The release date can be adjusted. If that doesn't work, we can just do another movie."

Yang Mi curled her lip, dismissing her roommate's thoughts. In her opinion, scheduling was no problem at all, and the future queen of multiple projects was already showing signs of emerging.

Zhang Xiaofei thought for a moment and guessed, "Perhaps there's another possibility: they know they can't win, so they simply won't come!"

"This is the worst possible outcome, I hope it's not!" Yang Mi frowned, her heart filled with apprehension.

She is already considering whether she should accept Zeng Jia's invitation and switch to Tengda Culture after her contract with Rongxingda expires.

Since we can't beat them, we might as well join them. Tengda Culture is now a giant in the entertainment industry with plenty of good resources.

Jiao Junyan was the most optimistic, comforting her friend by saying, "Things will work themselves out. It's okay if you don't get selected; just consider it an opportunity to broaden your horizons."

As soon as the words were spoken, a staff member shouted, "Actors who have come to participate in the audition, please go in for the interview in an orderly manner after hearing your name. First one, Bai Bing."

A young and beautiful actress stepped forward, took a deep breath in front of the door, and then pushed the door open to enter the audition room.

Bai Bing entered the room and saw five interviewers sitting behind a long table. After greeting them one by one according to their place cards, he waited quietly for the audition to begin.

Sitting in the center, Song Ci took a closer look and realized that this was "Princess Yu Shu," another familiar face.

He knew that Bai Bing wasn't famous yet. A few months later, the photo scandal would happen, ruining the reputation of Hong Kong's new generation of actresses, while this one would start to receive strong support from Emperor Entertainment and receive a constant stream of resources.

Teng Huatao glanced at Song Ci discreetly. Seeing that the big boss had no intention of speaking, he coughed lightly and began to exercise his rights as director, presiding over the audition.

"The Stormtrooper, right? Get ready and act out a scene for us." He then winked at a staff member standing nearby.

The staff member understood immediately and picked up a script from the table next to him, handing it to Bai Bing.

Some things are all discussed in advance, and actresses are given almost no time to prepare. They basically have no hope of being selected unless they have an extraordinary performance, in which case there is only a slight possibility of making a comeback.

Bai Bing picked up the script and immediately looked distressed.

The script describes a scene where the female lead confesses her feelings to the male lead, then discovers he already has a girlfriend. Disappointed, she cries and falls helplessly into the water, requiring the actor to have extremely high emotional control.

In her haste, she knew she couldn't possibly portray that feeling.

Seeing Bai Bing standing there with a worried expression, Teng Huatao urged, "Miss Bai, you can begin if you are ready."

Bai Bing gritted her teeth, forced into the role, and hastily put on a performance. Naturally, the effect was poor; her performance was stiff and lacked appeal.

After the performance, Teng Huatao said calmly, "Please go back and wait for news, Miss Bai!"

Bai Bing bowed slightly, then left the audition room, knowing she had failed.

"Is there some trick to this?" Song Ci asked curiously as soon as Bai Bing left the audition room. Anyone with eyes could see that Teng Huatao had been deliberately making things difficult for him.

Zhang Zhao explained, "President Song, this female artist works for Emperor Entertainment Group in Hong Kong."

We're competitors with the Hong Kong entertainment industry, so we can't possibly support them. We'd only consider it if she's a perfect fit for the role or has exceptional acting skills.

The actress we just saw was mediocre in both appearance and acting skills compared to the rest of the group, so there was no need to waste time on her. Director Teng quickly went through with the scene.

Song Ci nodded slightly, understanding Zhang Zhao's meaning. It's the same principle as signing with the organizer to achieve a good ranking in a talent show.

Film and television companies don't just give away their valuable resources to outsiders. You either have to join the company, exchange resources for them, or have a powerful figure invest in you.

"Next, Huo Siyan!" the staff member continued to call out.

A moment later, a radiant beauty with heavy makeup walked in.

With a beaming smile, bright red lips, and a dark green dress, she was stunningly beautiful.

She walked gracefully to the group and greeted them politely: "Hello, Chairman Song! Greetings, interviewers!" After speaking, she even gave Song Ci, who was in the main seat, a flirtatious look.

When Teng Huatao saw Huo Siyan's makeup, he couldn't help but shake his head. Huo Siyan's image and temperament were completely different from that of a pure high school girl. She was more suited to playing a female teacher in the drama.

"Miss Huo, please leave. Your image and temperament are not suitable for a high school girl."

Teng Huatao thought for a moment and added, "However, there's a female teacher role in the drama. I think you could give it a try. The audition for the supporting role will be the day after tomorrow." This is because Zhou Xun from Huayi Company starred in "Painted Skin," which was invested in by Tengda Culture, and the two companies are currently in a cooperative relationship.

Therefore, Teng Huatao wanted to give Da Wang and Xiao Wang some face and offer a word of advice.

Huo Siyan was stunned when she heard this, never expecting that she would be eliminated right away.

Having been through countless battles in the entertainment industry, she immediately realized that her makeup today was too hasty. It was true that she always went for a bright and sophisticated style, but today the female lead was a naive young girl, and she had let her old habits ruin her.

In a moment of crisis, Huo Siyan had a sudden inspiration and realized that the only person who could save her from this audition was Song Ci, the big boss of Tengda. She immediately pleaded for help: "Chairman Song, you..."

Before Song Ci could speak, Zhang Zhao interrupted, "Miss Huo, you are not a good match for the female lead in terms of age. Please leave. If you are interested in a supporting role, you can come back the day after tomorrow."

Huo Siyan was stunned when she heard this. The producer thought she was too old!

However, Zhang Zhao's status was a level above the director's. After waiting for a long time and seeing that Song Ci had no intention of speaking, he could only barely control his expression and leave dejectedly with a hint of resentment and annoyance.

Watching Huo Siyan's departing figure, and recalling how Huo Siyan had just tried to seduce her in her desperation, Song Ci chuckled lightly: "A vulgar woman."

The auditions continued, with seven or eight more actors coming and going. Song Ci had no recollection of any of these artists, guessing they were all unknown figures in the entertainment industry.

"Next up, Liu Shishi."

Outdoors, upon hearing his name called, Cai Yi-nong encouraged him, "Go for it, Shi-shi! Don't feel pressured."

Liu Shishi nodded and walked lightly into the audition room.

Closing the door, she gracefully walked to the center of the room. Facing the interviewers, Ms. Liu smiled and said sweetly, "Hello, Chairman Song! Hello, General Manager Zhang! Director Teng, Director Ma, Teacher Zhang! It's a pleasure to meet you all."

Zhang Zhao's originally serious face broke into a smile, and he greeted her warmly, "Shishi, it's been a long time! How have you been?"

"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Zhang. I just finished filming my scenes as Mu Nianci in 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes' and I'm resting at home these past few days to get back into shape."

Sitting at the very edge, Zhang Songwen, who hadn't spoken a word throughout the entire interview, quietly observed the familiar interaction between General Manager Zhang Zhao and Liu Shishi.

I was right. This female student who had once consulted me on acting skills indeed had a close relationship with Tengda Culture.

A few days ago, when Zhang Zhao asked him to join the cast of "The Little Thing Called First Love" as an acting coach, he was a little puzzled. Wasn't this the script that Liu Shishi used when she was learning acting from him? How could the company's project have been leaked in advance?

Upon seeing them, it dawned on me that they had connections and knew about the project long ago, having started planning and making ample preparations months in advance.

Seeing this, assistant director Ma Xin also seized the opportunity to build rapport, laughing as he said:

"Shishi, 'Hello, Old Times' will be broadcast next winter vacation. You need to pay more attention to the promotion of this show during this period. We can't let it fall apart."

Although he didn't know Liu Shishi's specific background at Tengda, he was certain that someone in the group's upper echelons was protecting the young girl.

There are rumors in the company that it is Jiang Tiantian, the new director of the group's office, or even possibly COO Wang Jing, which is why Zhang Zhao is so polite to her.

It's laughable that I was so clueless during the audition for "Nightclub" back then, unable to see the real situation, and foolishly recommended Gao Yuanyuan, only to make Xu Zheng laugh at me for nothing.

Upon hearing that her new drama was about to air, Liu Shishi was overjoyed, her eyes crinkling like beautiful crescent moons: "Director Ma, don't worry, I will do my best in the promotion."

"Let's start the audition!" Song Ci interrupted Miss Liu's chatter with the interviewer. If they continued talking like this, the audition would not be able to proceed.

Teng Huatao nodded slightly, understanding that the person in front of him was someone with exceptional connections. He looked her over carefully and saw that the young girl was dressed in a white dress with long hair draped over her shoulders. She was gentle and beautiful, and her suitability for the role was impeccable.

"Liu Shishi, I see your resume is good. You've played similar high school student roles before, and your image and temperament are fine. Let's give your acting skills a try."

Ms. Liu stood tall and proud, full of confidence, and said, "Please test me, Director."

To play the lead role in this movie well, she practiced for several months and became thoroughly familiar with every detail of the script.

After thinking for a moment, Teng Huatao felt that since this person was a relative, he should be given some consideration, so he gave him a simple question.

"In this movie, the female lead has a crush on the male lead. Liu Shishi, could you imagine yourself looking at the boy you like with the eyes of someone who has a crush on him? You can prepare beforehand."

A very basic eye acting technique is something that formally trained actors or some veteran actors can easily master.

Liu Shishi closed her eyes and focused her thoughts on the boy she was looking at. Mr. Song's handsome face with his sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes involuntarily appeared in her mind, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.

She slowly opened her eyes, then stared at Song Ci, the interviewer who was standing right in front of her. And then, nothing more happened. She just stared blankly at him.

Seeing Liu Shishi staring at him with wide eyes, Teng Huatao assumed she was waiting for him to say "start," so he reminded her, "Um, Liu Shishi, you can start right away. Look at the boy you have a crush on."

"I'm already performing." After saying that, Liu Shishi slightly adjusted her expression, trying hard to control the sweet smile that she almost couldn't help but reveal, but her eyes were still fixed on Song Ci.

Teng Huatao was taken aback upon hearing this, and asked in surprise, "Are you performing?" He could hardly believe his eyes.

Zhang Songwen couldn't stand it anymore. What kind of acting was Liu's? He admitted that the chairman was super handsome, and he could easily be mistaken for the male lead. But to act out a crush, all she did was stare at the handsome guy—was that appropriate?

Left with no other choice, Zhang Songwen interjected, reminding him, "That Liu Shishi is secretly in love! You have to be subtle and tactful!"

"Oh!" Liu Shishi adjusted her gaze slightly. Although her gaze was not as direct and intense as before, it was still full of emotion as she looked at Song Ci with tender affection.

Zhang Songwen lowered his head and rubbed his forehead, sighing helplessly. The little girl used to perform quite well during training, so why did she mess up at the crucial moment?

Song Ci slightly raised his head, blushing a little. His own poetic treasure's acting skills were just too bad! However, the affectionate look in his little plum's eyes still made him feel a sweet warmth in his heart.

The interviewers stared at each other blankly. Teng Huatao looked at Zhang Zhao, indicating that he should handle the situation.

Zhang Zhao looked to the chairman for Song Ci to decide, as he himself was unsure whether the audition should continue.

One cannot criticize their own childhood sweetheart in front of outsiders, so Song Ci spoke gently and tactfully:

"Shishi, you acted well, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. Take advantage of this time before joining the crew to practice more and ask Teacher Zhang Songwen for advice."

(End of this chapter)