The birth of an actor

Chapter 105 Speech Karma
"My performance is over, thank you teachers."

"Well, let's go out."

"Okay, goodbye everyone."

After Liu Ye walked out of the audition room, Huo Jianqi frowned.

Not only him, but the expressions on the faces of the others were also far from satisfied.

Kang Jianming glanced at the documents in his hand and said:

"I feel his understanding of this character is still too superficial. What do you guys think?"

But no one responded.

Seeing that Huo Jianqi wasn't going to speak, Kang Jianming looked at Zhao Lei, who was sitting next to the camera, and asked:
"Old Zhao, how do you feel?"

"Too young."

Zhao Lei casually shrugged:

"His acting is too immature, especially in close-ups, his facial muscles are stiff."

Kang Jianming nodded slightly, clearly agreeing with this statement, and then asked:

"So, how do you compare them to that kid named Anxin from earlier?"

"That depends on whether you're wearing makeup."

Zhao Lei continued in his reply:
"Given the child's age, if he wanted to play the role of 'son,' we'd have to find something suitable in terms of makeup and styling. But in terms of his presence and overall image, he's clearly more suitable. His energy and spirit are there. Of the actors who auditioned so far, I think his suitability is the most appropriate for the tone of this film; the others are just average."

As the director of photography, Huo Jianqi naturally had to consider his opinions.

Furthermore, he also realized that Kang Jianming was also fond of the child named Anxin.

This is also the main reason why he hasn't spoken.

Based on his impression, he felt that Liu Ye was more suitable.

As a director, the first impression of an actor is actually very important.

Because the director sought out real-life models for the characters based on the story, it's fair to say that if someone even bears a slight resemblance, they've already surpassed many others.

But that's where the problem lies.

Liu Ye only had a vague impression of the script, but he felt he hadn't fully grasped it. Although his performance was adequate, it wasn't as good as he had imagined.

On the other hand, the child recommended by the four families was different.

Both his performance and his understanding of the script are the best among all the "son" roles so far, and he is also the most suitable for the role.

So, at this moment, preconceived notions and the choice of the best among the best started to fight in my mind.

Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Kang Jianming stopped talking and said to the staff:
"Call the next person in."

"Number 12, come in; number 13, get ready."

A few seconds later, Fan Bingbing stood confidently in front of the cross.

……

"Sister Hua, we're done."

Looking at An Xin and Fan Bing coming out, Wang Jinghua nodded and asked, just like a parent concerned about how the final exams went:
How did you perform?

"It was alright. My audition was pretty simple. The director just told me to smile at the camera and say a few lines. What about you?... Hey, wake up, the auditions are all over."

"..."

Anxin didn't say anything, she just rubbed her face.

After massaging for a while, he finally let out a sigh of relief:
"Phew... I did alright, just average... If nothing else, I'm heading back to school now?"

He checked the time and, finding there was still time, said...

Fan Bingbing and Wang Jinghua nodded simultaneously, but the girl specifically reminded them:
"Someone just called you, remember to check."

"I know."

At that time, he was just immersed in the characters and hadn't quite come out of it, but he wasn't completely unaware of what was happening in the outside world.

After responding, he quickened his pace and walked towards the outside of the Beijing Film Studio.

He returned to school and went straight to the classroom to begin his classes. After the last class of the morning, before having lunch, he went to a public phone booth and dialed Xu Jinglei's number.

"Beep beep, hello?"

"Hello, Sister Leilei, this is Anxin."

"Reassured?...Why did it take you so long to reply?"

Xu Jinglei's voice held a hint of speechlessness.

Anxin's voice, however, was entirely innocent:

"I'm in class."

"...Okay, you're done with get out of class now? I'll come find you. I need to talk to you about something."

Anxin could probably guess what it was about.

But instead of refusing, he said:

"No need for that, Sister Leilei. Just name a place, and I'll come over. I don't have class during the first period this afternoon, so I can stay until around 3 PM. Is that okay?"

"...Okay, then come to the company now. Do you remember the address?"

"I remember. The Kunlun Hotel."

"Yes. Let's skip the meal and eat together at noon."

"Ok."

After responding, she hung up the phone with relief and headed straight for the school gate.

After riding his motorcycle here at a leisurely pace, he followed his memory and arrived at Good Dream Company.

Upon entering, I found the company no longer had a receptionist. Unlike the previously organized chaos, this time the office, starting from the reception area, was littered with scattered documents, and the tables and chairs that used to be in the lobby were gone. The entire office felt empty.

?

Why does it look like it's about to go bankrupt?

He pondered for a moment, then went to the office and knocked on the door:
"Enter."

Hearing the noise, he pushed open the door and immediately saw Xu Jinglei and Xu Fan sitting on the sofa.

I didn't see Wang Shuo, nor did I see Feng Xiaogang.

"You're here with peace of mind."

After Xu Fan greeted her with a smile, An Xin, with a hint of the strangeness Qing Jie had described as "a mistress taking over," politely replied:
"Sister-in-law, Sister Leilei."

"Okay, Leilei, shall we go?"

Xu Jinglei, sitting in Wang Shuo's boss chair, nodded:
"Okay, let's go, don't worry, let's go eat." "Okay... Sister Leilei, what's going on outside?"

Hearing his words, Xu Jinglei paused, then continued:
"They've disbanded; they don't plan to continue."

Anxin thought to herself, "As expected..."

Xu Jinglei clearly had no intention of elaborating further, only saying:

"Come on, let's go eat."

"it is good."

The three of them went downstairs and didn't go far. They randomly found a small restaurant by the roadside, asked the owner to confirm that there were private rooms available, and then went inside together.

Once inside the private room, the menu was presented to Anxin.

"Don't worry, you order what you like."

"No need, no need, Sister Leilei, you can order whatever you want. We'll just order a few things and have a bite."

Hearing this, Xu Jinglei stopped refusing. After ordering a few home-style dishes, An Xin poured tea for the two of them. As the waiter left, the atmosphere in the private room suddenly became a bit strange.

There was a brief period of silence.

However, this didn't last long. After glancing at Xu Fan, who was staring at her, Xu Jinglei spoke up:
"Don't worry, the reason I called you over today is actually... about something that will happen during the Chinese New Year."

"I can probably guess."

Anxin readily admitted that she understood the meaning of those words.

Xu Jinglei showed no surprise, but uttered a rather intriguing remark:

"I didn't ask you to do my fortune telling during the Chinese New Year... Now that I'm asking you, does that mean you can't do it for me anymore?"

As she spoke, her eyes stared straight at him.

Anxin nodded knowingly.

"Yes, once I cross the Shanhaiguan Pass, I'll be just an ordinary college student."

"I see... alright then. Can you change someone's fate?"

"..."

Anxin's lips twitched.

I was thinking, "What do you take me for?"

I'm just a shamanic disciple, not a real deity. Besides... even deities wouldn't dare bear this karmic burden.

What do you think?
"Sister Leilei, those are all tricks used by swindlers in the underworld, pure feudal superstition. Changing fate or destiny, altering a person's predetermined destiny? That's completely unrealistic. Don't believe anyone can do it. Anyone who promises to do such a thing is a complete fraud."

"..."

"..."

After he said this, both Xu Fan and Xu Jinglei had strange expressions.

I thought to myself, "These are feudal superstitions, so what is this?"
But this idea didn't stay in Xu Jinglei's mind for long. Her main reason for calling An Xin here today was...

"Then...could you...please ask your old fortune teller to...give your brother Wang some guidance?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Fan spoke up:

"Don't worry, your brother Wang has been having a lot of bad luck lately. You were here last time too, right? One of your brother Feng's TV dramas was shut down by the Film Bureau... And this year, every single one of your brother Wang's scripts and novels—whether they're adaptable or original—is banned. We're all really worried. What do you think we should do?"

"Yes, could you give us some pointers? ... If you can, I'll book plane tickets right now, and we'll go to Northeast China tomorrow."

"It's no use, Sister Leilei."

As soon as Xu Jinglei finished speaking, An Xin shook her head immediately:
"Let's not even talk about whether he can give us guidance. Even if he could, the old immortal wouldn't give us any guidance after we go back to the Northeast."

"……Why?"

"Because Brother Wang got into trouble with his words in front of the temple. If I hadn't stopped him, the sore in Brother Wang's mouth would have taken at least a year to heal, instead of just a week."

"!!!?"

Xu Jinglei was taken aback at first, then her expression immediately changed, and she exclaimed:

"How did you know!?"

"……what?"

Seeing her sudden change in expression, Xu Fan was puzzled.

Mouth ulcer?

"Wang Shuo... has a mouth ulcer?"

she asked subconsciously.

After returning from Northeast China, it was already close to the Lunar New Year. Xu Fan had also gone home and only came back after the New Year.

It wasn't until after the New Year that she reunited with Feng Xiaogang and Wang Shuo, so she had no idea about this matter.

But after hearing her question, Xu Jinglei looked at An Xin with an incredulous expression...

After Wang Shuo returned home, he did indeed develop a large blister in his mouth.

That is, oral ulcers.

It hurts so badly that I can't eat anything, and even swallowing saliva is excruciatingly painful.

I used two tubes of that watermelon frost spray, and the pain lasted a full week before it subsided.

And this matter... is known only to myself.

At first, she simply thought her boyfriend was just stressed and didn't take it seriously at all.

The only people who knew about this were herself, her boyfriend, and her family.

How could he possibly know?!
"you……"

“Sister Leilei, the immortals are also living beings who have received enlightenment and descended to the mortal realm to cultivate and accumulate merit. The place where they are is the temple, the shrine. They know what happens inside and outside the temple. I know Brother Wang's temper, but the immortals don't. If someone curses in front of the shrine, polluting the place, it's like someone spitting phlegm into your clean house. And if the person cursing is me, it's like that phlegm not only spit in my house, but also in my face.”

When they cultivate themselves, they are actually quite in accordance with their true nature. You come to me with a question, and I give you the answer. I don't want your money, and I don't want your life. Because doing this kind of thing is doing good deeds and accumulating merit for myself. But my good intentions have been directed at you, and not only are you not grateful, but you've also insulted me. If you were in my shoes, what do you think? What would you do?

As she spoke, Anxin waved her hand:
"So, the old immortal wanted to punish him, which was originally a severe punishment, but I changed it to a minor admonition. But the matter is over, and the connection is over. Immortals don't ask for money from mortals, but they do ask for piety and respect. If you don't respect me, why should I help you? So even if I go back to the Northeast, it's no use. If someone treats me with respect, I'll treat them with even greater respect. If someone doesn't respect me, I'll only suffer misfortune. He won't give Brother Wang any more guidance."

"..."

Xu Jinglei was speechless for a moment.

But a glimmer of light flickered in Xu Fan's eyes.

No, I need to go back and ask Lao Feng if he knows about Wang Shuo's mouth ulcers during the Spring Festival.

I've never heard him mention that...

If Lao Feng didn't know either, then how did An Xin find out?
Could it be... that he really is capable?!

(End of this chapter)