Huayu 2007: Starting with fleecing the "Fairy Sisters"

Jing Tian stepped out of the coffee shop, and a night breeze blew in her face, carrying a hint of early autumn coolness.

She took a deep breath of the fresh air outside, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily curved into a smile.

Shuangzi definitely has a problem with her aesthetic sense; she actually said he was only average-looking when he was clearly very handsome.

Moreover, it is clean and refreshing, calm and confident, and not greasy at all.

Especially those eyes, they're absolutely captivating.

These were the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen.

Clear, bright, and deep, without a trace of impurity.

When he looked at her face to face, his gaze seemed to bewitch her, making her heart inexplicably race.

If she weren't already well-off and only wanted to play leading roles, she wouldn't have any interest in supporting roles.

She might just give in and agree.

……

That evening, Wu Wei received text messages from Kan Qingzi and Chai Biyun, both of whom expressed their willingness to act.

Wu Wei replied to each of them with, "Okay, let's schedule a time for you to come to the company for a screen test. If there are no problems, we'll sign a contract."

Having secured two roles, Wu Wei felt much better.

I put down my phone and continued reading the textbook in my hand.

The next morning, Wu Wei returned to the Beijing Film Academy campus, intending to find Zhang Ruoyun and Tan Songyun to finalize the role.

Things went much more smoothly than he had imagined.

When Tan Songyun heard that he wanted her to act in a movie, she was flattered.

As a student in a vocational college, she received very few resources from the school, which were incomparable to those for undergraduate students.

She had only been enrolled for two months when a film project suddenly came knocking on her door, and it was a project from a big company called Anle, which made her feel like she was dreaming.

At first, she had some doubts, after all, this happened so suddenly.

She had some doubts about whether Wu Wei was a fraud.

However, after Wu Wei revealed his identity and said that he was the Wu Wei who sang online, and sang a line a cappella to prove it, Tan Songyun immediately felt relieved.

Her eyes lit up instantly, her voice brimming with undisguised delight: "You're Wu Wei? I've been listening to your songs non-stop lately! I've been listening to 'What's Wrong' on repeat for days!"

And that's how it was resolved so simply.

He originally thought that it might take some effort for Zhang Ruoyun to handle the situation.

After all, this guy looks like a little thug, and he seems very difficult to talk to.

However, after getting to know him, he found that although he was a bit pretentious, he was actually a nice person.

Wu Wei found an empty classroom, sat down face to face with Zhang Ruoyun, handed her the script, and said he wanted to invite her to play the second male lead, A Tuo.

Zhang Ruoyun took the book, opened it, and read it very carefully. After finishing, she looked up and said, "Okay, I really like this role. I'll take it."

There wasn't a single wasted word; his straightforwardness surprised even Wu Wei.

"That's great, but..."

Wu Wei looked him up and down as he spoke: "You're going to audition in a few days, so you'll need to change your outfit. You'll need to cut your hair; this 'punk' hairstyle definitely won't do. You'll also need to take off your earrings and lip rings, especially the piercings around your mouth. Start healing them now so that they won't be impossible to cover up during the shoot with makeup."

He thought Zhang Ruoyun would be somewhat reluctant, after all, these outfits were clearly the result of the kid's hard work and were his way of expressing himself.

But Zhang Ruoyun simply nodded: "No problem, I can do it for the role."

Wu Wei was very satisfied with his attitude.

He was only 19 years old at the time, and it was normal for him to be unrestrained and act cool.

His willingness to give up these things so readily for the sake of the role is enough to show that his professional attitude is excellent.

Wu Wei thought to himself, no wonder he was able to make it in his later years.

After securing Zhang Ruoyun's services, Wu Wei called Zhang Xuwei, the assistant director in charge of casting at Anle Company.

"Hey, Brother Zhang, I've found four actors at the Beijing Film Academy. Could you arrange a simple audition for me in the next few days? If they perform well, we'll sign them directly."

Zhang Xuwei replied, "Sure, what roles are they auditioning for?"

"The second male lead, the female lead's sister, and the villain, Mango Cake Girl, and her best friend."

Zhang Xuwei: "Okay, I'll arrange it. How about this Saturday? Have them come to the company."

Wu Wei: "Okay."

Zhang Xuwei: "By the way, Director Wu, I have something to tell you."

Wu Wei: "What is it?"

Zhang Xuwei's tone suddenly became somewhat unnatural: "Um... Liu Yifei rejected it."

Wu Wei was taken aback, his heart suddenly tightening: "They rejected you?"

"Yes," Zhang Xuwei said, "We contacted her a few days ago and we were having a good chat. But after we heard that the movie was called 'First Love' and that you were the director, their attitude completely changed, and they rejected it outright."

"I've tried to talk to them again through various means these past few days, but they've been very firm in their stance, saying they're currently in the US and working on a Hollywood project, and they've completely ignored us these past few days."

Wu Wei's brows furrowed deeply.

He didn't expect Liu Yifei to refuse.

Because after he sent her the script last time, the system feedback clearly told him that she liked it.

The extremely high "heart-fluttering index" speaks volumes.

unless……

"Did Liu Yifei say that herself?" Wu Wei asked.

"No," Zhang Xuwei said, "it's her agent, who is also her mother."

Wu Wei remained silent for a few seconds, then sighed inwardly.

As expected, it was Liu Xiaoli again.

Does Liu Xiaoli dislike him that much?

Hearing his name was like seeing a monstrous flood; people avoided him at all costs.

He even turned down the opportunity to play the lead role in a movie so that his daughter wouldn't see him.

Doesn't she know that this will jeopardize her daughter's future?

Wu Wei was speechless and somewhat helpless.

Since Liu Xiaoli refused, the matter is basically over.

For a moment, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

He originally thought that this time he would finally be able to film with Liu Yifei, spend every day together on set, and take the opportunity to build a deeper relationship with her...

In hindsight, he was overestimating himself.

Oh well, if I'm rejected, I'm rejected. There will always be other opportunities in the future.

He shook his head, clearing his mind of those distractions, and refocused his attention on the important matter at hand.

"Director Wu," Zhang Xuwei asked on the other end of the phone, "do you have any other candidates in mind for the female lead? If not, we need to start casting as soon as possible, otherwise we won't have enough time."

"Not yet, let's look in both places."

Wu Wei hung up the phone and stood there in a daze for a while.

He always thought of Liu Yifei for this role and never considered anyone else.

Now that this has suddenly happened, his mind went completely blank.

He took a deep breath and began to think seriously.

The role of Xiao Shui actually requires quite a lot of skill.

First, the age has to be right.

She's too old to be a student anymore; no matter how hard she tries, she won't look like one.

In addition, one must be beautiful.

Only in this way can the stunning feeling of "the ugly duckling turning into a swan" be brought to life.

Finally, the acting skills must also be passable.

She needs to be able to portray the subtle feelings of a teenage girl's crush, the bittersweet emotions of a young girl, and the changes in her personality and state of mind throughout the process.

All three points are indispensable.

Wu Wei leaned back in his chair, one face after another flashing through his mind.

Jing Tian was the first person he thought of.

This girl said yesterday that she wanted to play the lead role of Xiao Shui. Should we give her that opportunity?

The moment the thought flashed into his mind, Wu Wei immediately dismissed it.

Jing Tian's appearance is acceptable. Although she wasn't as stunning as Liu Yifei when she played Xiao Shui, she was definitely beautiful enough.

However, her acting skills are really not good now.

She can barely manage to play a supporting role that doesn't require much acting skill, but she definitely can't handle a role like Xiao Shui, which has a lot of screen time, big emotional changes, and a huge range of development.

His own acting was already a bit of a drag, and if Jing Tian were to join in, with both the male and female leads having increasingly poor acting skills, the film would be completely ruined.

Moreover, there is indeed a bit of mystical element to her.

The titles "prone to box office failure" and "box office poison" are not given lightly.

This is his first film, and he can only succeed; failure is not an option.

Even if it were for good luck, he wouldn't dare let her be the female lead.

I wouldn't dare to do that for my first film.

Wu Wei then thought of her roommate, Shuangzi.

Shuangzi's appearance is quite good; back then, Chu Yuxun was someone who caught his eye.

Her acting skills are so-so, but passable, at least much better than Jing Tian's.

With proper training, she could be reasonably competent in the role of Xiao Shui.

However, Shuangzi is a big bombshell.

He didn't want his first film, which he had worked so hard to make, to be taken down by 404 (a Chinese censorship policy).

After these two names were rejected, Wu Wei thought of a few more, but he wasn't satisfied with any of them.

It's either that their age doesn't match, their temperament isn't right, or their acting skills are subpar.

Just then, an image suddenly appeared in his mind.

Wu Wei's eyes lit up.

Liu Shishi.