Ling Xiaosu was a 1999 acting major at the Beijing Film Academy.
When he graduated with his degree, Qi Hui hadn't even enrolled yet.
Coming from a family of artists, his grandfather had picked up a camera to become a director even before the full-scale War of Resistance began. By the time Hainan Island was yet to be liberated, his grandmother was already an international best actress. His father was a cinematographer at the Xi'an Film Studio, and his mother was a director and producer there as well.
His own career was going quite well too. Back in 2002, while still in school, he was already collaborating with Yuan Quan, Jiang Shan, and others. After that, it was one major production a year, always playing the male lead, with never a shortage of acting work.
He seemed like a rising star whose momentum was unstoppable... until his divorce from the "Flower of Evil," compounded by the impact of his scumbag persona in The Temptation to Go Home.
Ling Xiaosu took the full brunt of all the negative public backlash.
From then on, he could practically be said to have never recovered, while Yao Chen, on the contrary, became increasingly famous.
Of course, all of that came later.
"Senior Brother, it's only been a few years, but you're getting more and more famous," Qi Hui said with a smile. "I saw The King of Wrestling that you starred in, and your performance was truly fantastic. A northwest guy playing a Shandong guy, and I couldn't spot a single flaw. And that wrestling—that had to be real kung fu, right?"
"Hahahahaha, you flatter me, Junior Brother, you flatter me," Ling Xiaosu beamed from ear to ear. That was his pride and joy, a collaboration with Yan Danchen, who had once played Chang'e.
*This junior brother is not bad at all. Good-looking, and says all the right things.*
*I like him.*
Ding~
[The host has made contact with the actor Ling Xiaosu. You have received one lucky draw. Would you like to draw now?]
Qi Hui's brow twitched slightly, and he immediately initiated the draw.
[Congratulations to the host for gaining +20 Acting Skills.]
A radiant smile bloomed across Qi Hui's face, growing a fraction more sincere.
"Hey, Junior Brother, why are you here... and still dressed in this getup..." Ling Xiaosu reined in his inner satisfaction, looking at Qi Hui's white suit with a mix of surprise and a touch of excitement.
"Forgive me, Senior Brother," Qi Hui said frankly. "I heard that the male lead for this production hasn't been locked down yet, so I came to try my luck."
"Is that so?" The excitement on Ling Xiaosu's face grew a bit more intense, and he spoke just as candidly. "Actually, I'm the male lead they invited."
"Oh..." Qi Hui feigned surprise, looking at Ling Xiaosu in shock.
Ling Xiaosu said, "Don't be nervous. To be honest with you, I actually don't like this script, nor do I care for the character Hong Shixian."
"In a moment, let's go inside together for the audition. I'll introduce you to the director and let him choose for himself," Ling Xiaosu continued.
The implication was clear: he wasn't short on work, and he couldn't warm up to this particular character.
To him, this production was a hot potato.
But since he had already given his word previously, it wouldn't look good to flatly refuse.
So he was willing to give someone an opportunity.
As for whether he could actually secure the role, that would depend entirely on Qi Hui's own abilities.
"Many thanks, Senior Brother. I understand!" Qi Hui said gratefully, knowing he had just picked up an unexpected windfall.
Regardless of whether it worked out or not, he had to remember this favor.
Ling Xiaosu smiled and waved a hand. "Don't mention it."
He had his own calculations as well. If it succeeded, he would shake off a hot potato and buy himself a favor to boot.
If it didn't succeed, he had already prepared himself to star before coming here, so he had lost nothing.
Either way, he came out ahead.
"Can we add one more person?" Qi Hui's eyes rolled as he gestured toward Zhang Ruoyun not far away, saying, "He's also from our Beijing Film Academy—a junior from the class of '07."
"Oh... huh?" Ling Xiaosu glanced over, and without waiting for an introduction from Qi Hui, he said in surprise, "Isn't this Little Zhang from Old Zhang's family?"
Zhang Ruoyun's father, Zhang Jian, was also a well-known director and producer in the industry.
Although Ling Xiaosu had never met him, he had heard his name a few times, especially since his entanglements with Liu Bei were quite a spectacle. Getting married and divorced, then divorcing and remarrying—it had caused quite a stir, making it hard for anyone not to know about it.
"Hello, Senior Brother. I've heard my dad talk about you," Zhang Ruoyun said as he walked over at a brisk pace, offering a greeting.
"Well, that's perfect. Let's go in together, shall we?" Ling Xiaosu's eyes lit up. It seemed the probability of him not having to do this show had just increased significantly.
"No, no, no need," Little Zhang quickly waved his hands. "My dad put together a crew and cast me as the third male lead, so I won't get mixed up in this."
The show was Snow Leopard, with Wen Zhang as the male lead and him as the third male lead.
"Ahem, ahem... If only Little Qi and I go in there, the odds of success are probably pretty low," Ling Xiaosu said with a light cough.
"We go in together to spread the heat," Qi Hui explained.
Ling Xiaosu had been handpicked by the producer and director, so dragging him in directly would definitely rub the producer the wrong way.
But if there was a third person, the chances of pulling this off would be very high.
"Mm... the junior is right," Ling Xiaosu said, feeling somewhat surprised.
He was surprised that Qi Hui had grasped his intentions so quickly.
This didn't look like a fresh graduate at all.
"Uh... alright. But honestly, I'm not really that fond of this male lead either," Zhang Ruoyun said.
He had read the script; the male lead was a playboy swaying between two women—a total scumbag.
He didn't like such a character at all, far too fickle.
What he hated most were fickle people!
"Who is?" Ling Xiaosu shrugged.
He wasn't short on male lead roles, nor was he lacking in acting work, and he genuinely didn't like this character.
Besides, the primary focus of this drama was entirely on the female lead and the second female lead.
The male lead... you couldn't say he was entirely dispensable, but you could definitely say he wasn't all that important.
If the producer hadn't been so remarkably sincere beforehand (promising a high paycheck), he wouldn't have agreed in the first place.
Qi Hui: "..."
How capricious... As expected, if you have no background and no resources, you simply can't make it in the entertainment industry!
...
Inside a room, the production's producer Wu Zhuji, director Lin Tianyi, along with the assistant director, the screenwriter, female lead Qiu Chixuan, and her manager were all waiting inside.
They were waiting for the arrival of the drama's male lead.
"Why hasn't he arrived yet?" The producer checked his watch and couldn't help frowning.
The director, however, wore a completely expressionless face. He was actually somewhat displeased that the audition was being treated as nothing more than a mere formality.
What director wouldn't want to find an actor perfectly suited for the role?
What director wouldn't want to make their production better?
Yet such an important matter as an audition was practically being phoned in.
This was even his very first time meeting the male lead.
But there was no help for it; the production crew had been put together by someone else, and he was just a hired hand.
Knock, knock, knock~
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.
The producer's eyes lit up, and he said in a deep voice, "Come in."
With a squeak, the door was pushed open.
Stepping inside, however, was a young man in a white suit—handsome and dashing.
Director Lin Tianyi and the female lead Qiu Chixuan instantly lit up. Was this the male lead?
Well, not bad at all!
Ding~
[The host has made contact with the actress Qiu Chixuan. You have received one lucky draw. Would you like to draw now?]
The system chimed once more. Qi Hui's brow twitched slightly, his gaze sweeping unostentatiously over Qiu Chixuan standing off to the side.
"Draw."
[Congratulations to the host for acquiring the skill: Korean Language.]
Qi Hui instinctively pressed his lips together, feeling somewhat speechless.
Every person he made contact with resulted in an actor's draw, but what he won never seemed to have anything to do with the actors themselves.
"This gentleman, you are..." The producer asked with a slight frown.
"Producer, he's my junior," Ling Xiaosu said with a smile as he walked into the room alongside Zhang Ruoyun.
Ling Xiaosu introduced him: "Class of 2005, Beijing Film Academy Acting Department, Qi Hui."
"Hello, Producer. Hello, Director," Qi Hui greeted with a smile.
The director smiled and nodded.
Qiu Chixuan quietly looked Qi Hui over.
"Class of 2007, Beijing Film Academy Acting Department, Zhang Ruoyun," Ling Xiaosu continued introducing.
"Hello, Producer. Hello, Director," Zhang Ruoyun greeted with a smile.
The producer was baffled. "This is..."
"Isn't the male lead still undecided?" Ling Xiaosu said with a smile. "The three of us came to give the audition a try."
"Later on, just pick whichever one catches your eye. Don't stand on ceremony with me at all."
The producer understood what he meant; his old habit of not wanting to act was acting up again.
Instantly, the producer furrowed his brow. "This isn't what we agreed upon..."
"Hey, since we're already here, there's no harm in trying it out," Director Lin Tianyi chimed in. "Doesn't the final say still rest in your hands?"
He could tell that the originally scheduled male lead was rather reluctant to perform.
This came as no surprise; the male lead of this drama, while called the male lead, was in reality just a supporting role meant to prop up the female lead and the second female lead.
The most important characters were still the female lead and the second female lead.
Hearing those words, and then looking at Ling Xiaosu's cheeky grin, the producer slowly nodded.
That was true enough; he could cast whoever he wanted as the male lead.
"In that case, let's go ahead with the audition," the producer said, giving face to both the director and Ling Xiaosu.
Still... no matter how the audition went, it was nothing more than a formality anyway.