Huayu, my cheat code is a bit strange.

Chapter 74 Two "Duan Yus" (Please read on, please recommend, please do everything!)

In mid-August, the sweltering heat persisted.

Gu Xiao walked quietly down the corridor of the teaching building and found the room with the sign "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" on the door without much effort.

Push the door open and enter.

The small rehearsal room was now packed with people, a veritable constellation of stars.

In addition to the main creators, including producer Zhang Jizhong, director Yu Min, and action director Zhao Jian, whom I had met during the initial audition, there was also a cast of leading actors such as Hu Jun, Gao Hu, Chen Hao, and Liu Tao.

A dozen or so people sat together, each holding a script, the atmosphere lively. But when Gu Xiao appeared at the door, the enthusiastic atmosphere was instantly replaced by awkwardness.

A barrage of gazes, filled with astonishment, inquiry, curiosity, and even anger, were all fixed on him.

Gu Xiao's gaze swept across the entire room, lingering briefly on Liu Yifei before giving her a slight nod and then sitting down in the far corner.

The room was so quiet you could hear the air conditioner blowing air.

Zhang Jizhong gave Yu Min, who was standing next to him, a look of impatience on his face.

The latter immediately understood, cleared his throat, and said in a calm and unhurried tone:

"Gu Xiao, I think you weren't invited to this audition, were you?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the lead actors looked at each other in bewilderment, and an awkward silence began to build in the room.

Liu Yifei's fingers tightened unconsciously around the script, the edges of the paper becoming wrinkled.

Her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but Gu Xiao stopped her with a look.

Gu Xiao looked at Yu Min and said in a calm tone:

"The invitations to the audition and reading were personally sent to me by Director Zhou some time ago. If Director Yu is unclear about the specific arrangements, you can call Director Zhou now to confirm."

Yu Min's cheek twitched almost imperceptibly, and her expression stiffened.

Zhang Jizhong, standing to the side, frowned, his tone turning cold and hard for the first time:

"No need to confirm. There must have been a mistake in the notification process. Gu Xiao, you can go back now. I'll have someone contact you when there's a suitable opportunity next time."

Gu Xiao ignored him completely, took out her phone, and started tapping on the buttons without looking up as she replied:

"Whether it's a mistake or not, we'll know when Director Zhou arrives. He's the overall director of this project, and I personally believe he wouldn't make such a basic mistake on such a routine."

The air in the room was completely frozen.

Hu Jun, Gao Hu, and the others exchanged complicated glances, and even Zhao Jian, who was about to smooth things over, was speechless for a moment.

Zhang Jizhong's face darkened completely. Before he could get angry, there was a gentle knock on the door. The next second, Lin Zhiying walked in with a script in hand, her face bearing just the right amount of warm smile.

"Sorry, sorry, there was a bit of traffic on the way. I hope I'm not too late."

He greeted everyone with a bright smile, speaking Mandarin with a distinct Taiwan accent.

The people in the room nodded stiffly in response, their eyes unconsciously glancing towards the corner of the room.

Lin Zhiying also sensed the awkward atmosphere and, following everyone's gaze, spotted Gu Xiao. A hint of curiosity flashed in her eyes. "Who are you?"

"Gu Xiao, your competitor." Gu Xiao said succinctly.

Lin Zhiying's sunny smile froze. He subconsciously looked at Zhang Jizhong, his eyes filled with questioning and panic.
"Producer Zhang, this?"

Zhang Jizhong's face was ashen, and his hands on the table clenched unconsciously.

Seeing this, Yu Min quickly forced a smile and tried to smooth things over: "It's just a misunderstanding, Jimmy, please sit down."

As he spoke, he winked at Lin Zhiying, signaling him not to ask any more questions.

Lin Zhiying was no newcomer either, and she immediately suppressed her emotions, smiled politely at Gu Xiao, and then sat down near the main cast.

"so."

Lin Zhiying carefully considered her words, trying to make her tone sound more relaxed, "Do we need to audition again now?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jizhong's expression turned even more unpleasant.

Yu Min didn't know what to say, so she could only smile wryly and say, "Director Zhou has his own plans, just relax."

Lin Zhiying nodded as if he understood, and with Yu Min's introduction, he began to greet the other main actors. However, he was quite absent-minded, his eyes always uncontrollably drifting towards the boy sitting in the corner, and he often gave irrelevant answers to the questions asked by others.

This scene, let alone Yu Min who was trying to persuade him, even made Hu Jun and Gao Hu somewhat disdainful, feeling that this "Duan Yu" had a rather poor mental fortitude.

……

……

Time passed second by second, and everyone in the room was enduring varying degrees of torment.

Hu Jun and Gao Hu, along with several other lead actors, chatted idly in low voices; Yu Min and Zhao Jian huddled together discussing the filming schedule; Zhang Jizhong simply closed his eyes to rest, but his tightly pursed lips betrayed his inner turmoil.

Gu Xiao did not participate in any conversation throughout the entire process.

From the moment he sat down, the phone in his hand kept clicking away, the crisp sound particularly jarring in the room.

He stared intently at his phone screen, as if everything around him was irrelevant.

Lin Zhiying felt extremely uncomfortable.

He tried to say something several times, but after seeing Zhang Jizhong's gloomy face and Gu Xiao's detached expression, he swallowed his words back.

Just when everyone thought this suffocating atmosphere was going to continue, the door creaked open again.

All eyes turned to the doorway.

The girl who walked in was beautiful and tall.

She wore a simple black T-shirt and jeans, yet her cool and outstanding temperament was undeniable.

It was Jiang Xin, who played "Mu Wanqing".

She was visibly taken aback when she saw the room full of people, especially when her gaze swept over Gu Xiao in the corner, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

But she quickly regained her composure, nodded slightly to everyone, and found an empty seat to sit down.

Before anyone could greet them, a slender figure appeared at the door—it was none other than the chief director, Zhou Xiaowen.

Upon seeing the other party enter, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Regardless of who ultimately plays "Duan Yu," they really don't want to experience this tense and suffocating atmosphere a second time.

"Old Zhou, what exactly is going on?"

Zhang Jizhong opened his slightly closed eyes, his face so gloomy it could drip water. "Hasn't the choice for Duan Yu already been finalized?"

Zhou Xiaowen glanced at him and said with a hint of sarcasm, "Who made the decision? As the director, did I nod my approval?"

Sensing the sharpness in Zhou Xiaowen's words, Lin Zhiying awkwardly looked away, avoiding eye contact.

Zhang Jizhong suppressed his anger, forcing out his voice through clenched teeth:
"I'm the executive producer of this project! If I decide, then it's done!"

Zhou Xiaowen gave a nonchalant hum:
“You are indeed the executive producer, but as the director, I also have my own considerations regarding artistic creation and character portrayal.”

He raised his hand and waved, interrupting any potential argument: "Who will play Duan Yu will be judged in a moment."

Zhang Jizhong laughed in anger, "Who can judge the people I've chosen?!"

Zhou Xiaowen stopped responding, walked straight to the empty seat next to Gu Xiao, sat down, and calmly closed her eyes, clearly indicating that she didn't want to say anything more.

Zhang Jizhong was so angry that his chest heaved violently, and the veins on his forehead throbbed. He could no longer control the anger he had been holding back.

He slammed his hand on the table, and just as he was about to unleash a torrent of abuse at Zhou Xiaowen, the heavy door to the conference room was pushed open again.

Then, Huo Xuan, the head of the performing arts department, was seen helping a sprightly old man in his seventies slowly walk in.

The old man was dressed in a simple white T-shirt, his hair was neatly combed, and his face was kind and wise.

Behind him were two respectful assistants.

The moment they saw the old man's face, everyone present, including the originally furious Zhang Jizhong and the astonished Lin Zhiying, were so shocked that they stood up from their seats, their faces filled with disbelief.

You could hear a pin drop in the conference room.

This person is none other than Mr. Jin Yong, the renowned literary master and author of the original novel "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils"!
(End of this chapter)