Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 94 Do you know who I am?

As was customary, the deputy sitting next to Wu Yuchen began by saying, "Please introduce yourself first."

"My name is Li Xiaoran, I'm 20 years old, before..."

Wu Yuchen waved his hand to interrupt her. How could he not know Li Xiaoran's situation?
Wu Yuchen stared at Li Xiaoran in front of him and asked:
When did you get your hair done?

"I did it last night." Li Xiaoran wasn't shy at all, and even tossed her head slightly to show Wu Yuchen.

Wu Yuchen nodded silently. Li Xiaoran had cut off more than half of her originally shoulder-length hair and specially got this outfit. Looking at her determined eyes, he already had the answer in his heart.

He then instructed his deputy to continue the audition process without saying anything more. Half of his attention was focused on Li Xiaoran's audition, while the other half of his mind was already thinking about other things.

For 99% of actresses in China, the most desired role is probably that of a "Zhang Yimou Girl" (a term referring to actresses discovered by director Zhang Yimou).

The three most successful "Zhang Yimou girls" are Gong Li, Zhang Ziyi, and Zhou Dongyu.

Gong Li was chosen by Zhang Yimou through a coin toss. At the time, he was hesitating between Gong Li and another actress, Shi Ke, but in the end, the coin toss chose Gong Li.

Gong Li actually took the entrance exam for the Central Academy of Drama three times, even falling short by 11 points on her third attempt. She was finally admitted through a special exception. She wasn't one of the top students in her class, and was rejected by directors multiple times during auditions. After she was chosen as the lead actress in "Red Sorghum," there was considerable gossip at school, with many believing she lacked the necessary skills. However, the film's success and awards proved them all wrong.

As Zhang Ziyi herself said, she was at the bottom of her class and had absolutely no acting skills when she joined the film crew. Even after experiencing life on set for a month, she still had to do 45 takes for her first scene. Later, when filming crying scenes, she couldn't cry no matter what she did. That night, Zhang Yimou had the crew leave, leaving Zhang Ziyi alone on the mountain. She only started crying when she heard wolves howling. But after leaving the "My Father and Mother" film crew, Zhang Ziyi had an epiphany.

Zhou Dongyu, nicknamed "Little Yellow Duck," was truly chosen from among novices and is said to be extremely talented. However, during the filming of "Under the Hawthorn Tree," even a single scene was reworked more than 100 times by Zhang Yimou.

One thing must be admitted: Zhang Yimou is indeed very good at tapping into the potential of actors, and with his guidance, he can transform an actor completely.

While initial casting is crucial for a film, the creation of many excellent characters, or the growth of many outstanding actors, is inseparable from the guidance and support of directors.

Admittedly, Li Xiaoran's acting skills are far inferior to those of Ning Jing, and even to Yu Lan and others. However, from the reckless look in her eyes just now, and from seeing her cut off her long hair and dye it a fiery red afro, one can know her desire and determination for the role of Lola.

The aura she exudes now is indeed becoming more and more like Lola's.

After thinking about all this, Wu Yuchen's main concern was that Li Xiaoran was his woman. He had already gone this far, so how could he bear to refuse her?

The original director of "Run Lola Run" and the actress who played the female lead were also a couple. He can promote his girlfriend, so what's wrong with him casting Li Xiaoran?
When Zhou Dongyu, nicknamed "Little Yellow Duck," was chosen as the female lead, didn't she still attract a lot of angry criticism?
In terms of appearance alone, although Li Xiaoran lacks a bit of the strength of Yu Lan, she has more vitality and is more suitable for the role than actresses like Chen Shasha and Mei Ting who are ranked second.

Wu Yuchen simply considered it as exchanging the one million yuan he was going to offer Gong Li for film fees, and spent it negotiating with Li Xiaoran!
Outside the meeting room, Jiang Qinqin and Chen Shasha stood waiting.

Chen Shasha's expression was already somewhat anxious and frustrated. The girl who had just walked past had left a very deep impression on her, one that wouldn't leave her mind. She could tell at a glance that the girl was more suitable than herself. If even she thought so, what would the director think?

Although Jiang Qinqin didn't show it on her face, she was also quite unsettled inside. The girl's entire outfit was exactly like the description of the female protagonist, Lola, in the script. How could this be a coincidence?
She must have read the script beforehand!
Where did she see the script? Was she someone with powerful connections? Or does she have some kind of relationship with Wu Yuchen?
These questions kept swirling in Jiang Qinqin's mind, making her unconsciously a little irritable.

Before anyone knew it, the door opened, and Li Xiaoran, with her fiery red hair, came out, once again attracting everyone's attention.

However, Li Xiaoran didn't care about any of this. She walked to the wall outside, crossed her arms in front of her chest, leaned against the wall with one foot on the ground and the other foot against the wall, exuding a self-assured and independent aura.

At this moment, Jiang Qinqin couldn't help but take a closer look at Li Xiaoran. Beneath her fiery red hair was a very pretty face, but what attracted Jiang Qinqin's attention even more was her alluring figure. The bulging, high breasts supported by her arms made Jiang Qinqin feel involuntarily ashamed; the difference was too great. But at the same time, it also gave her a stronger sense of threat.

Just then, Li Xiaoran seemed to notice something, tilted her head slightly to meet Jiang Qinqin's gaze, and unconsciously slowed down her chewing gum.

The two women stared at each other for maybe five seconds, maybe fifteen seconds, before simultaneously looking away.

Seeing that Li Xiaoran hadn't left after her interview, Jiang Qinqin felt even more annoyed. She let out a long sigh and then said to Chen Shasha beside her:
"Sasha, why don't you go back first? I'll let you know as soon as I hear any news."

Chen Shasha hesitated for a moment. She had originally wanted to wait until the end to see if she could make a better impression on Wu Yuchen, but after hearing what Jiang Qinqin had said, she nodded.

After another hour, everyone had finished their interviews and left. Wu Yuchen led a few people out, explaining the details of tomorrow's auditions for the male lead and supporting roles.

"Alright, try contacting those you couldn't reach before again. Follow today's procedure."

As soon as he stepped out the door, he noticed Jiang Qinqin and Li Xiaoran standing in the corridor. His heart skipped a beat. Why hadn't they left?

Seeing that Wu Yuchen and the others greeted him and left, Jiang Qinqin took two steps over to his side and asked in a low voice, "Who is that girl over there? How does she know Lola's entire outfit?"

Just as she was asking the question, Li Xiaoran strode over with her long legs.

Seeing Li Xiaoran approach, Wu Yuchen held his breath for a moment, then smiled easily and said:
"This is my sister Ranran."

"Sister, this is Jiang Qinqin."

Upon hearing Wu Yuchen's introduction, Jiang Qinqin suddenly remembered that on Wu Yuchen's birthday last year, he called a woman named Ranran and said that she was his cousin.

She immediately felt a sense of relief, all the frustration in her heart vanished, followed by a feeling of embarrassment, because the look she had given that person was quite hostile.

Besides, this is the first time I've met Wu Yuchen's family. I have to make up for it and not leave a bad impression!
Jiang Qinqin quickly switched to a slightly embarrassed and apologetic smile: "Hello, Sister Ranran, I didn't know it was you just now, otherwise I would have greeted you earlier!"

Li Xiaoran raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. Looking at Jiang Qinqin, who was now somewhat submissive in front of her, and hearing her address her as "Sister Ranran," she felt a strange sense of satisfaction!

But she still asked, "Do you know who I am?"

Jiang Qinqin smiled sweetly:
"Wu Yuchen's cousin, he mentioned her to me once, but he never told me you're also an actress. I think you're really suitable for the female lead, Ranran. When I first saw you, I thought Lola had stepped out of the script!"

Hearing Jiang Qinqin praise her to her face, Li Xiaoran felt a strange yet pleasant sensation. She nodded at her and then glanced at Wu Yuchen with a playful smile.

Seeing that Li Xiaoran didn't say anything, Wu Yuchen quickly said to Jiang Qinqin beside him:
"Qinqin, you don't need to wait for me. I still need to discuss some things about the female lead with Sister Ranran."

Jiang Qinqin nodded obediently. She had originally wanted to ask for Chen Shasha, but upon hearing this, she knew that the female lead was probably this Sister Ranran. However, she didn't feel jealous at all, since they were family!
After Jiang Qinqin left, Wu Yuchen led Li Xiaoran to a hotel room. He had booked a room here to rest for several days in preparation for his interviews.

As soon as she entered, Li Xiaoran pounced on him. Her legs, strong from dancing, gave her a quick leap, wrapping them around Wu Yuchen's waist and hooking her arms around his neck for a passionate kiss. Wu Yuchen held her against the wall, and after what seemed like an eternity, they were tumbling onto the bed.

……

Lying in Wu Yuchen's arms, Li Xiaoran slapped away his hand that was groping her chest:
"Cousin? How can you treat your cousin like this?"

Wu Yuchen didn't loosen his grip, chuckling:

"There are plenty of cases like this. Not to mention decades ago, even now there are still quite a few cousins ​​getting married in this area."

"Shameless!" Li Xiaoran laughed and scolded him.

Then she shook her head again, her swaying hair brushing against Wu Yuchen's skin, and asked with a smile:

"Does it look good?"

Wu Yuchen clicked his tongue twice, then said:

"To be honest, this cooking skill is really not that great!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaoran paused, wondering if Wu Yuchen was implying that her performance was unsatisfactory and did not meet Lola's requirements.

Seeing her somewhat downcast expression, Wu Yuchen guessed what she was thinking and kissed her on the cheek again.
"I'll find a reliable makeup artist to redo your makeup before the shoot. Street-side makeup artists can't meet my standards!"

"Really?!" Li Xiaoran was overjoyed upon hearing this. She rolled over and pinned Wu Yuchen down, looking down at him with her big eyes full of excitement and joy.

"Don't you want to act?"

"Let me think about it!" Li Xiaoran said, her eyes brimming with laughter, and she kissed Wu Yuchen's face several more times.

Wu Yuchen helped her up and said with a smile, "You, just tell me if you want it! Why hide it from me? What if you don't even pass the first round of auditions? You might unknowingly end up resenting me!"

"Didn't you want to invite Gong Li and Ning Jing? How can I compare to them..."

When you later said that neither of them could come and that the auditions would be open to the public, I couldn't hold back any longer.

I love Lola so much! I've been running and exercising every day for the past few days, and while I run, I think about what I would do if I were Lola. If you're willing to teach me, I don't believe I can act worse than anyone else!

Wu Yuchen smiled and ruffled her red hair. In terms of personality, Li Xiaoran did indeed have Lola's kind of fearless and reckless spirit.

It doesn't matter if her acting skills are a little lacking. Li Xiaoran is not like the kind of actresses in later generations who are forced to stay in their roles or some young actresses who are not motivated and cannot be taught. She learned on her own, and later her performances were no worse than those of the professionally trained actors from the 96 class of Beijing Film Academy.

Isn't it just about disciplining actresses?
Wu Yuchen now has the resources to properly teach her how to act. If the money isn't enough, he can add more. He can definitely help her play Lola well!

The following day, after the male lead's audition, some people were still there.

Sun Honglei pleaded with Wu Yuchen, "Director Wu, please give me a chance! I used to be a gangster, so I know exactly how to play a gangster!"

“If I let you act, you’ll become a mob boss. If you run out of money, you’ll just kill the boss and take over. Your demeanor is really not good!” Wu Yuchen waved his hand.

"Absolutely not, Director Wu! I'm a coward, I can't be the boss. I wouldn't even dare to raise my head if you told me to squat down!"

Seeing that Sun Honglei was still trying his best to persuade him, Wu Yuchen patted him on the shoulder, sighed, and explained:

“Hong Lei, it’s not that I don’t want to give you a chance, it’s just that your height and build determine that you can’t act.”

My movie is about Lola saving her boyfriend. The male lead, as the one being saved, can't be taller and more imposing than the female lead. You've gone too far.

Seeing that Wu Yuchen had already said so much, Sun Honglei didn't continue. He just sighed regretfully, then put on a smile and said:

"Director Wu, if there are any suitable roles in the future, I'll be ready to serve you anytime!"

Sun Honglei starred in two of Wu Yuchen's works. One of them, "Car 44," made him a celebrity at school. Teachers and classmates praised him, and he no longer had to feel inferior because of his status as an "auditor".

Another film, "The Night the Comet Came," not only won Best Film at the Sydney Film Festival, but also achieved good box office and word-of-mouth after its release in China, which led some film crews to contact Sun Honglei.

Sun Honglei knew who had brought about such a big change in his acting career. In addition, the news that Wu Yuchen had won a major award at the Tokyo Film Festival came back. Therefore, he now had absolute trust and even admiration for Wu Yuchen. He was willing to act in any of Wu Yuchen's works!

Having finally managed to get rid of Sun Honglei, Wu Yuchen started thinking about the male lead again.

The male protagonist is a thug who is threatened because he lost his boss's money. If he doesn't find it, he will be hunted down, which is why Lola keeps running.

Besides not being much taller than Li Xiaoran, the requirements for the male lead are that he can't be too handsome, he has to have a gangster vibe, but he can't be too annoying. This balance has to be struck.

Ultimately, Wu Yuchen selected Fu Dalong from among a group of auditioning actors.

His appearance meets the requirements, his acting skills are excellent, and his age is just right.

Duan Long also auditioned, but to be honest, his performance was actually worse than Fu Dalong's. Fu Dalong's extensive acting experience from childhood to adulthood is something Duan Long simply cannot match.

Fu Dalong can play a tough, spirited veteran in "The Dog" and a humble waiter in "Young Justice Bao". He is truly versatile and adaptable, and his performance is always seamless.

After seeing his audition performance, Wu Yuchen had already decided that he would play the male lead.

As for Chen Kun, putting aside whether Cui Xinqin will release him or not, his acting skills have deteriorated considerably. He doesn't have the time or inclination to create another burden while simultaneously coaching Li Xiaoran.

(End of this chapter)