Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 452 Audition [Part 2]

A few minutes later.

Chang Jihong emerged from behind the curtain, hesitating about how to rate Yuan Li's figure.

Among women of the same age, Yuan Li is definitely the type with a curvaceous figure, but the problem is that Li Xue was the one who examined the actresses' bodies before, so she didn't know what level this was considered.

After a moment, she decided to give a positive review. After all, this girl was clearly a feisty character, and her physical attributes were not bad. There was no need for her to cause trouble for Li Xue.

However, before speaking to the other judges, she first comforted Li Xue with a few words, and then subtly criticized her, saying, "You should have told me about this earlier, then I would definitely have arranged for you to avoid suspicion."

Li Xue didn't complain, but kept apologizing: "I'm sorry, Sister Chang, I've never done these things before, I thought... Don't worry, I will definitely not make such a mistake again!"

Seeing her good attitude in admitting her mistake, Chang Jihong looked at her with more respect.

After all, girls this age are at a rebellious age. Even if they don't dare to talk back, they will most likely find reasons to excuse themselves. Not many can honestly admit their mistakes like this.

She patted Li Xue's shoulder and said, "It's also because I didn't explain things well enough. I'll go over these details with you properly later. You can summarize the data you just recorded, and I'll take care of the rest of the physical examination."

Li Xue nodded, placed the previously recorded physical test data on the table, and then quietly left the audition room.

When Yuan Li finished dressing and came out from behind the curtain, she saw that Li Xue was no longer there, and couldn't help but raise her chin slightly.

Of course, she knew that this would easily offend people, but if she didn't speak out and was targeted by Niu Li and Li Xue, wouldn't she be at an even greater loss?

Riding on this momentum, Yuan Li performed quite well during the audition.

At least Cheng Jie and Zhang Yibai nodded repeatedly, but after discussing it for a while, they asked Yuan Li to try out the role of the third female lead.

Because the previous preparations were all for the second female lead role, Yuan Li's performance this time was much worse. However, Cheng Jie and Zhang Yibai still agreed that she was the actress who was most suitable for the third female lead role.

For no other reason than her fiery temper just now, she's definitely capable of playing the third female lead well.

After Yuan Li left.

Li Xiaoran walked in somewhat reservedly. Chang Jihong smiled at her and said, "Come on, let's go get a physical exam first."

Li Xiaoran didn't say anything, but obediently followed him behind the curtain.

Unsurprisingly, there were two electric heaters placed diagonally inside, running at full power, making one feel parched as soon as they entered.

"Take off your clothes."

Chang Jihong instructed, "Keep only one."

Although they were all women, Li Xiaoran was still a little shy. She walked to the middle hesitantly, and her movements as if she were stuck when she tried to unbutton her clothes.

"We're all on the same side, what's there to be ashamed of?"

Seeing this, Chang Jihong smiled and said, "I have a good relationship with your regimental commander. She even specifically asked me to take care of you."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaoran's eyes lit up. Having attended so many acting training classes, she knew that Chang Jihong was the head of the film and television team. Although she was not the producer of "The Age of Glory," she still wielded considerable influence.

However, considering Wang Luyao's status and position, she felt that this was only natural.

With this relationship in place, her shyness and nervousness eased considerably. She turned her back slightly to Chang Jihong and quickly took off her clothes.

When Chang Jihong saw her porcelain-like skin shimmering under the electric heater's light, she couldn't help but marvel, secretly wondering if the girl had also been blessed.

After all, judging from Wang Luyao's tone that day, she didn't seem to be opposed to bringing in new people, since the treatment of new people could never catch up with hers.

Li Xiaoran placed the last piece of breastplate on the chair next to her, turned around and saw Chang Jihong staring at her blankly. Feeling a little embarrassed, she brushed her hair aside and whispered, "Chang... Chang..."

"Just call me Sister Chang." Chang Jihong then came to her senses, picked up the ruler next to her, and first measured her waist, and then measured the length of her legs.

Li Xiaoran became increasingly uncomfortable and couldn't help but ask, "Sister Chang, why are you measuring all this?"

"We'll make costumes for you."

While taking careful measurements, Chang Jihong joked, "You young people with formal training just don't have much experience. Actually, this approach is quite considerate of your feelings."

Years ago, when I was working odd jobs on a film set, they would lift up actresses' skirts in front of everyone to measure their legs. Those lewd assistant directors would even touch and pinch them, sometimes making them cry on the spot.

Li Xiaoran's attention was drawn to her words. While raising her arms to show off her bust size, she asked curiously, "Doesn't anyone care if they do this?"

"We've taken care of it."

Chang Jihong sneered, "The director told that girl not to be so delicate and to lift her skirt up a bit herself, otherwise the assistant director wouldn't be able to see clearly and would have to fumble around to find it."

After hearing Chang Jihong's account, Li Xiaoran remained silent for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, "Actually, it's the same for us dancers. Back when I was in the dance troupe, some people would take advantage of me during corrections to grope me—that's why I wanted to switch careers, but I never expected..."

"It's the Vanity Fair, after all."

Chang Jihong was not surprised at all: "If you want to stand out, you will inevitably have to suffer some hardships and grievances. However, with your Commander Wang protecting you, your future path will definitely be much smoother."

As he spoke, he patted the back of her hand and said with a smile, "Alright, put your clothes on. Don't be nervous when you answer the questions later. If you can't answer them right away, don't rush to speak. The most important thing about this role is the temperament. With your qualities, as long as you can control your expressions and emotions, that's enough."

Li Xiaoran nodded hurriedly. After Chang Jihong left, she quickly got dressed, but instead of rushing out, she tried to calm herself down first.

However, the more she tried to eliminate distracting thoughts, the more some ideas lingered in her mind.

With the leader's protection, her future will definitely be smoother, but what will be the price?

Was the commander joking that day, or was he hinting at something to himself?

If it were General Manager Zhang protecting me, would I also be able to be the lead actress like the group leader?

"Little Li?"

It wasn't until Chang Jihong urged her from outside that Li Xiaoran finally put these thoughts aside for the time being.

As Wang Luyao and Chang Jihong explained, she indeed won applause during the audition and successfully landed the role of the fourth female lead.

Two days later, on October 1st, National Day, the casting for "The Age of Glory" was officially finalized, with the seven main characters being:

The cast includes Li Yapeng (male lead), Wang Luyao (female lead), Wang Xuebing (male second lead), Niu Li (female second lead), Jiang Wu (male third lead), Yuan Li (female third lead), and Li Xiaoran (female fourth lead).

As expected, Xu Zheng got the role of the comprador supporting character with the most screen time, while Shen Xiaohai lost to Li Yapeng in the competition.

Shen Xiaohai held a grudge about this for a long time, because he lost not because of his acting skills or looks, but because of his physique.

Many people also saw through the truth through this interview: although Yuanmeng does not practice nepotism, those with connections undoubtedly have a much greater chance of getting ahead.

Of the seven main actors, four are obviously hired through connections. It's questionable whether Wang Xuebing and Niu Li were hired through connections, and it seems that only Yuan Li can clear herself of any connection.

This fact has dampened the enthusiasm of some people, but it has also made others more proactive.

Of course, neither the former nor the latter had any intention of leaving Yuanmeng, after all, all crows are black, and connections and networks are just as important elsewhere.

The production team that successfully started filming is unparalleled in mainland China. Even with so many connections, others still have a chance to get a share of the profits.

(End of this chapter)