This director loves making friends.

After seeing He Qing off, Qin Keqing returned to the audition room. The two representatives from Changchun Film Studio and Tianjin Film Studio had already left, leaving only Xie Fei in the large audition room.

Qin Keqing gently closed the audition room door, walked over, filled Xie Fei's cup with tea, and reminded him, "Director, you have a meeting with the cameramen in ten minutes."

Before filming begins, the director and cinematographer usually meet to discuss and determine how to use the camera for some important scenes.

"Um."

Xie Fei tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table as he considered which of the two actresses would be more suitable.

"Ke Qing, what do you think of Wu Yujuan?"

His fingers stopped tapping, as if asking Qin Keqing, or as if talking to himself, "Wu Yujuan is a graduate of the Central Academy of Drama, she has received professional training, her acting skills are fine, her temperament and image are very suitable for the role of Huanhuan, and her age is also appropriate."

Qin Keqing didn't respond immediately. He tidied up the documents on Xie Fei's desk, separating and organizing them, and also took the opportunity to look at the audition records that Xie Fei had made.

It seems Xie Fei really hasn't made up his mind.

According to Xie Fei's records, both Wu Yujuan and He Qing fit the character descriptions perfectly, with no issues in terms of temperament or appearance.

The difference is that Wu Yujuan has formal training and has been nominated for the Golden Rooster Award for Best Actress, which is an advantage.

He Qing's advantage is that she seems to evoke a stronger protective instinct and arouse sympathy.

Once Qin Keqing was certain that Xie Fei was truly undecided, she slowly smiled and said, "Director, I'm not from a formal acting background, so I always felt that those with formal training would have better acting skills."

Just like you, not only are your own directing skills better and more comprehensive, but you've also taught many talented students. Having formal training allows for more systematic learning, so you become more well-rounded in all aspects.

Xie Fei looked up, smiled, and pointed at Qin Keqing.

That flattery made him feel good.

He has indeed taught many talented directors.

Although he wasn't Zhang Yimou's or Chen Kaige's class teacher, he taught all the directing-related courses for the entire Class of '78.

Xie Fei thought Qin Keqing made sense; this young man was still very valuable to cultivate.

So he picked up his pen, ready to put a checkmark after "Wu Yujuan".

Qin Keqing stood behind Xie Fei with a smile until Xie Fei put a checkmark next to "Wu Yujuan". Only then did he calmly say, "Wu Yujuan is not only a professionally trained actress, but she also has a great advantage in playing the role of 'Huanhuan'."

"Oh?"

Xie Fei didn't look up. He put the pen cap back on, carefully placed it aside, and then prepared to file the audition materials.

"You must have noticed that Wu Yujuan seems a bit tired, which makes her temperament and image more similar to Huanhuan's experience."

Qin Keqing reached out to organize the audition materials, categorizing them as she spoke.

Xie Fei thought about it and realized that it was indeed the case; this state of mind was more in line with the role.

"At first I thought she was in this state specifically for the role, but later I heard that she had been in this state for a while. It seems that she is indeed destined for the role of 'Huanhuan'."

Xie Fei's curiosity was piqued.

"Is she still caught up in her role in another drama?"

"no."

Qin Keqing shook her head and said, "Her boyfriend got into some trouble, and she was really worn out, which is why she's so exhausted, but this state just happens to fit the requirements of our character in the play."

"What happened to her boyfriend?"

Xie Fei stood up and asked casually.

"She's addicted to that stuff, can't quit, and her personality has changed drastically. She must be troubled by this; she's quite pitiful..."

As Qin Keqing spoke, Xie Fei paused noticeably, then sat down again, his brows furrowing.

Xie Fei's father was one of the "Five Elders of Yan'an," and his mother was a veteran of the Long March. He was born in Yan'an in 1942.

People like him may seem easy to talk to at times, but they are extremely principled.

Xie Fei reached out and took the audition materials that Qin Keqing had prepared. He picked up a pen, put a big "X" over Wu Yujuan's name, and then handed the materials back to Qin Keqing.

"Let's archive it. I've thought about it, and He Qing is more suitable for the role of 'Huanhuan'. Tell He Qing to report to the set on time."

"it is good."

Qin Keqing didn't deliberately ask why. He glanced at the time and reminded him, "Director, you should go to the meeting."

"Um."

After Xie Fei left, Qin Keqing couldn't help but shake his head.

"Sigh, being a director is still the best. If I want to do something, I don't need to go through all this trouble."

"I just don't know if actors these days have a sense of contract. They can't just renege on their promises just because I'm a little assistant."

After returning home, He Qing felt both apprehensive and secretly full of anticipation.

She thought she would have to wait a while to find out the result, but that very evening, she received a phone call.

"Hello He Qing, this is Qin Keqing. I'm officially informing you that you've passed the audition for 'Woman of Fragrant Souls.' If there are no problems, please report to the film set before August 25th..."

"No problem, I have no problem at all. I will report to the film set on time."

He Qing felt her heart pounding, as if it were about to jump out of her throat. The surprise came a little too fast, and it could even be said that she was caught off guard.

After she finished speaking, Qin Keqing didn't hang up the phone, and neither did she.

After a tense standoff lasting about twenty seconds, He Qing pursed her lips, coughed to clear her throat, and said in a very soft, sweet voice, "Director Qin, when...when can I invite you to dinner?"

Qin Keqing smiled; he really wanted to eat it today.

Unfortunately, the production team was in the final stages of preparation, and he hadn't yet finished the shooting schedule and arrangements he was responsible for. This had to be completed before filming, and he would definitely have to stay up late to work on it.

Furthermore, He Qing has only just made things official. If he were to do something, even something as simple as having a meal together, what would Xie Fei think if it got back to him?

Therefore, this matter cannot be rushed.

There's plenty of time ahead of us.

August 25th is the last day for actors to report for duty. After that, there will be a two-week script reading period before filming officially begins.

At this stage, most directors will organize a script reading session with the actors before filming begins.

Qin Keqing had thought that he would have enough time to "eat" with He Qing during the script reading, but he decided to keep it simple.

The term "script reading" is just a general term.

The script reading for "Woman Sesame Oil Maker" involved going to Baiyangdian, the filming location, wearing the same clothes and eating the same food as the villagers, experiencing their lives during the day, and discussing their feelings and the script together at night...

Qin Keqing and the others were left in the capital to continue working with the coordinator and others on the filming schedule and arrangements. Clearly, this was a better place to handle written work.

Qin Keqing wasn't in a hurry, and He Qing showed no sign of backing out. He felt that after a few more days, once the movie was officially filmed, he would have the time and energy to do some fun things with He Qing.

Don't those couples on set all have plenty of time and energy to have fun and relax together during filming?

However, once he arrived at Baiyangdian and filming officially began, even more problems arose.

Since he was responsible for developing the shooting schedule and arrangements during the film's preparation, Xie Fei entrusted him with overseeing the film's progress after filming began.

Managing the film's progress was far more complex than Qin Keqing had imagined.

He was responsible not only for scheduling on set and controlling the filming progress, but also for adjusting the filming schedule and schedule at any time, as well as arranging actors' schedules and managing their transportation.

In addition, because he is also Xie Fei's assistant, he also has to handle the director's schedule, file archives, and crew attendance records...

He was so busy that he didn't even have time to "eat" with He Qing. He could only eat quickly and hurriedly, and sometimes he would be called away to deal with other matters during that time.

However, Qin Keqing was busy with it willingly.

Because on September 12th, the second day after the official start of filming for "Woman Sesame Oil Maker," he received a big surprise.