Huayu, my cheat code is a bit strange.

Chapter 26 That's Gu Xiao (Please read on, please recommend, please do everything!)

At the entrance of Beijing Film Academy.

In mid-March, the temperature in the capital remained unpredictable.

It rained all night, and the wasteland began to turn green.

Gu Xiao disliked this incongruous scenery, just as he disliked Liu Yifei's incongruous outfit.

The black cotton coat, clearly a size too big, covered most of her body, with a corner of a beige sweater peeking out underneath. Paired with light-colored jeans, it gave off a rushed feeling of "getting up late and just grabbing whatever was available."

"Gu Xiao!"

Liu Yifei jogged up to him, slightly out of breath, her cheeks flushed. "Have you been waiting long?"

"Just arrived."

Gu Xiao's gaze lingered on her wide sleeves for a moment, and he couldn't help but say:

"Are you wearing Auntie's coat out in public?"

Liu Yifei was taken aback, and sheepishly tucked her hands back into her sleeves, but she still stubbornly insisted:
"Mind your own business! It's warm here!"

Xiao Jiu was woken up and poked his head out of his pocket.

Liu Yifei's attention was quickly drawn to it, and she smiled and said, "Good morning, Xiao Jiu!"

The little guy was unusually quiet today, only lazily lifting his eyelids as a greeting.

"What's wrong with it?" Liu Yifei asked curiously.

"I stayed up too late and wasn't fully awake."

Gu Xiao stuffed Xiao Jiu back into her pocket and turned her gaze toward the interior of the campus.

Today is the last day of the art exams, and since it's the weekend, the school is exceptionally lively.

Groups of Beijing Film Academy students gathered together, chatting loudly, occasionally casting glances at the candidates passing by.

"This year's class is pretty good-looking, no worse than ours."

"Look at that girl in the white sweater, she has such an amazing aura."

"The girl in the black cotton coat next to me is pretty too."

Gu Xiao thought to herself, "Sure enough, no matter the era, college students are always a group that's both idle and gossipy."

……

……

Upon arriving at the waiting area, the small classroom was already filled with examinees.

Gu Xiao unexpectedly saw Luo Jin, whom she had bumped into during the preliminary exam, and Li Rui, who was in the same group as her during the re-examination, and couldn't help but sigh once again at how small the art exam circle was.

"Gu Xiao! Over here!"

Li Rui waved excitedly at him, pointing to the empty seat next to him.

Gu Xiao glanced at it and thought it was a good location—quiet and secluded—but he couldn't go there.

Because there was only one spot available, Liu Yifei grabbed his sleeve.

Under Li Rui's astonished gaze, Gu Xiao led Liu Yifei straight to Luo Jin's location.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

Gu Xiao gave a brief greeting and naturally pulled out the chair next to Luo Jin and sat down.

Luo Jin was deeply impressed by Gu Xiao, and said with a smile:
"I never expected to see you here again."

He then introduced himself and asked curiously:
"I still don't know your name."

"Gu Xiao".

Gu Xiao pointed to the girl beside her, "This is Liu Yifei."

Liu Yifei nodded slightly, said "Hello" softly, and subconsciously leaned closer to Gu Xiao.

Luo Jin's gaze swept back and forth between the two of them, his expression somewhat meaningful.

Gu Xiao was speechless. She wanted to explain something, but felt it was too much trouble, so she simply closed her eyes and rested.

Liu Yifei further demonstrated her "bullying the weak and fearing the strong" nature, not daring to speak to strangers at all, silently taking out her manuscript to study, and adopting an attitude of "keep away from strangers".

The subtle interaction between the three had already been observed by the teachers in the waiting room.

They remained outwardly calm, but inwardly they had already begun to make a preliminary assessment.

This is the third round of auditions for the Beijing Film Academy.

With a fixed number of places available, teachers need to conduct a comprehensive evaluation based on students' temperament, abilities, and appearance. This evaluation process begins quietly from the moment a candidate steps onto campus.

……

……

"That's Gu Xiao?"

In the waiting area corridor, Zhou Xiaowen stood by the window, an unlit cigarette between her fingers.

The director, sporting a thick beard, was thin, and his brown coat completely covered him, giving him a listless appearance.

He peered through the glass at the boy inside the room, who was resting with his eyes closed, his gaze carrying a clear scrutinizing quality.
"The temperament is suitable, and the height is enough, but the age is too young."

Are you worried that he can't handle hardship?

Huo Xuan understood what the other party meant.

Filming is physically demanding, and martial arts dramas have a lot of action scenes. If actors are not physically fit, it will not only delay the filming schedule, but also pose a safety hazard.

He said seriously, "You watched the retest video. If you can train your sword dance like him, your physical fitness must be excellent."

Zhou Xiaowen noticed the protective tone in Huo Xuan's voice and raised an eyebrow, saying:
"You think highly of this kid?"

"I wouldn't say I'm optimistic about it, I just find it very interesting."

Huo Xuan put her hands in her pockets and gently reminded him, "Martial arts dramas are difficult to produce, so you need to carefully consider the funding aspect. If you decide on a lead actor sooner, it will lighten your burden."

It's true that the producer manages the money in a production, but ultimately the pressure of execution falls entirely on the director's shoulders.

If you want to ensure the quality of your work within a limited budget, you have to be very careful with how you pay your actors.

Zhou Xiaowen fell silent upon hearing this, his gaze lingering on Gu Xiao for a few more seconds before he spoke:

"It's too early to talk about that now. If he can pass the three tests, I will seriously consider it."

Seeing this, Huo Xuan stopped there.

Casting a newcomer with no acting experience as the lead actor is indeed too risky, especially since the producer of this drama is Zhang Jizhong, who is not an easy person to talk to.

……

……

In the waiting room.

Gu Xiaoruo looked up as if she had a premonition, and saw two figures leaving outside the window.

"What's wrong?" Liu Yifei asked softly.

"It's nothing." Gu Xiao looked away, her fingers unconsciously stroking her admission ticket.

That hairstyle, that gait—there's no mistake, it's the examiner who secretly watched him during the second interview.

Is the man in the brown coat next to me the new examiner? Why is he in the waiting area before the exam?

Just as Gu Xiao's thoughts were churning, the door to the waiting room was gently pushed open.

The guide, who was patrolling the corridor, stood at the door with a list in hand and read it aloud clearly:

"Candidates whose exam numbers are called next, please step forward: 0208112, 0208551, 0208171"

When a certain string of numbers was read out, Liu Yifei suddenly looked up, her gaze instinctively falling on Gu Xiao.

Gu Xiao met her nervous gaze and nodded gently.

……

……

In the corridor, the candidates whose numbers had been called had already spontaneously lined up in a row.

Led by the guide, they walked through the corridor and entered a huge, empty, almost undecorated rectangular room.

The light here is exceptionally bright, even a bit dazzling.

Ten examiners sat behind two long tables that were joined together.

Dean Chen Yi still resides in the center.

On either side of him stood familiar faces such as Huo Xuan, Wang Jinsong, Cui Xinqin, and Liu Shibin, as well as several unfamiliar figures.

The stranger who had appeared outside the window was also among them.

Several black cameras were coldly pointed at the center of the room from different angles, their red recording indicator lights unusually conspicuous.

With the chief examiner Chen Yi nodding, the third test officially began!
(End of this chapter)