The birth of an actor

Chapter 27 Substitute

The "female soldier's hairstyle," as the name suggests, is a continuation of the hairstyles worn by female soldiers in the military. There is a very clear standard: "bangs should not extend past the eyebrows, and the ends of the hair should not extend past the collar."

That is to say...

Fan Bingbing is going to cut off her thick braids from today's hairstyle and turn into a "tomboy".

When the chubby Sha Jie said this, not only Fan Bingbing, but even An Xin was stunned:

"So short?"

"Yes."

Compared to the two children, Sister Sha, who seemed remarkably calm, nodded:
"That's the requirement."

As she spoke, she looked at Fan Bing:
"is that OK?"

Any questions?

You can tell just by looking at Fan Bingbing's expression.

But... in the end, it came out of the girl's mouth as:

"Okay, I know."

"?"

An Xin was taken aback and subconsciously looked at her.

But the girl's pale face was filled only with gratitude:

"Sister Sha, where should I look for you at noon?"

"Give me your pager, I'll call you after I finish eating."

"Ok."

The girl quickly took out her business card from her pocket and handed it to the other person, while Sister Sha continued:

"Do you discuss your salary with your agent, or do they tell you directly?"

"Just tell me, my... my agent isn't here, he's out of town."

"Yes, the pay is one thousand. It will be paid in cash after filming."

"Okay, I understand... Take care."

The girl watched Sha Jie leave, and after Sha Jie left the audition room, An Xin's gaze immediately fell on Sha Jie's thick whip.

"..."

I wanted to speak, but I didn't know what to say.

Fan Bingbing seemed a bit absent-minded at this moment, a far cry from her earlier excitement. She was like a soulless shell, devoid of any energy or spirit.

Anxin knew that he shouldn't make decisions for others in this kind of situation.

only……

"Are you really going to cut it? Or... maybe we shouldn't cut it?"

He didn't say what not cutting it meant.

Fan Bing remained silent.

It was as if they hadn't heard.

After nearly a minute of silence, suddenly, a gasp echoed in the empty room.

The girl took a deep breath and then straightened her back.
"Let's go eat!"

"...So, are you still going to cut it?"

"Cut it."

This time, the girl no longer looked distraught; instead, she appeared completely indifferent.
"The female lead in the music video, it's just her hair, why doesn't she cut it?"

"..."

Anxin remained silent, her gaze once again falling on that incredibly thick braid.

The girl followed his gaze and looked down, then grinned:
"It's not like it's stopped growing. My hair grows really fast; it sprouts up in just a few months!"

That stubborn, defiant attitude permeated the air once again.

Anxin thought for a moment and said:

"Do you want to tell your mother?"

"Need not."

The girl waved her hand nonchalantly:
"Why are you saying all this? Let's go, I'm hungry. Hey, how about I treat you to big meat noodles for lunch? I know a place that's really good. They give you lots of meat chunks, and it's only three yuan a bowl, with an incredible amount of meat..."

With that, she walked out of the audition room.

Anxin watched her back, which showed almost no sign of disappointment and remained as ordinary as ever, sighed helplessly, and walked out.

As they went downstairs, Fan Bing started telling him about the best place for big meat noodles. Unexpectedly, her eyes lit up as soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs:
"Brother Zhong."

Anxin looked up and saw the man walking towards her; it was Zhong Hua, the one who had been selecting actors that day.

"Oh, Bingbing, don't worry."

Anxin was quite surprised; she hadn't expected the other person to still remember her name.

Fan Bing greeted him with a smile:

"Brother Zhong, thanks to you, Anxin and I were both selected. Hehe, I'll treat you to lunch to thank you properly."

"Ha, that's great."

Zhong Hua smiled and shook his head:
"I don't need to eat lunch, I have something to do at noon. So when do you guys start filming?"

"This afternoon, Brother Zhong, did they pay up readily?"

"I'm not sure, but it should be fine. After all, I'm the one who introduced you. Do you have a makeup artist? Do they handle styling? Would you like me to introduce one to you two?"

These words immediately revealed his kind and generous nature.

In a sense, the two of them were fortunate to have met a benefactor.

But as soon as he opened his mouth, Anxin said:
"The crew is in charge of styling. That Sister Sha just told me to go see her for a haircut after lunch."

Zhong Hua was taken aback:
"Get a haircut?"

Fan Bing was about to say something, but An Xin spoke faster than her:
"Yes, we need to get a female soldier's haircut. Brother Zhong, if you know the crew well, could you ask if it's possible to make an exception? We both have a role in a film starring Aunt Qiong Yao in the second half of the year."

Actually, when An Xin said this, she knew she had overstepped her bounds.

But... how should I put it?

What people fear most is meeting someone they want to help when they are at their most vulnerable.

After spending these past few days together, the image of the girl from her past life had actually faded considerably from his mind.

In his past life, he could only see her on Weibo. Red carpets and fashion shows everywhere. She exuded an air of nobility, unattainable. But now, she had completely entered his life.

A 15-year-old girl who wakes up in the morning with a swollen face and smiles foolishly at herself... is just like a little sister to Anxin.

Whether it's out of compassion or male chauvinism, it doesn't matter.

He really wanted to try and see if he could "save" it.

Even if it's driven by selfish motives.

As expected, Zhong Hua was taken aback when he heard this.

Fan Bingbing immediately panicked.

"Oh dear..."

An Xin ignored the girl and looked at Zhong Hua with hope.

Zhong Hua's gaze fell on the girl's thick, long braid.

After observing for two seconds, he sighed helplessly:
"So that's how it is... Sigh, it really is."

"?"

The two of them were both taken aback when they heard this.

Some people didn't understand what this meant.

Zhong Hua thought for a moment, then pointed outside to the two of them, signaling them to follow, and walked straight out.

"What are you doing!"

The girl said in a low, urgent voice:
"I'm fine..."

"..."

An Xin ignored her and followed Zhong Hua outside. She saw Zhong Hua take out a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes from his pocket.

Of course, I didn't give Anxin a single one either.

Anyone with eyes can see how old these two kids are, and they wouldn't do something like this.

"Hiss~ Bingbing, Xie Dong personally chose you this morning, right?"

"Ah."

The girl nodded:

“He was there when I arrived. After seeing me, he didn’t even ask me to perform. He just pointed at me and said, ‘That’s me.’”

Xie Dong is the singer who sang "Smiling Face".

"Actually, his music video originally had a female lead."

Zhong Hua shook his head slightly:

"This girl's name is Wu Qiong. I've met her before. She's a student at the Beijing Film Academy. She has short hair, like a female soldier's hairstyle. Her eyes are the same size as yours, and she looks quite pretty when she smiles. She's a very pretty girl."

"...?"

Fan Bing was taken aback at first, but then she understood:
"Do I look like her?"

"It's quite similar."

After Zhong Hua finished speaking, he shook his head slightly:
"Originally, she was supposed to be the female lead in the music video. But... let me put it this way. That girl is from the Literature Department at Beijing Film Academy. And this year, Xie Dong failed his entrance exam for the Literature Department at Beijing Film Academy. Do you understand?"

understand?

She understands it so well.

So, after all this, Fan Bingbing is just a substitute?

"I was wondering why the song 'Smiling Face' was released two years ago. It's been so long, why did they only think of making a music video now? But now that I think about it, I guess I can understand. So that's why he insisted I cut my hair like a female soldier, right?"

Hearing the girl's words, Zhong Hua nodded:

"So, I reckon it's going to be difficult for you not to get a haircut."

"Hehe, that won't be a problem. At worst... I'll just wear a wig. Don't worry, Zhong-ge, Aunt Qiong Yao's drama is really important to both of us."

"what."

Seeing that the girl was taking the initiative to explain to Anxin, Zhong Hua smiled and shook his head:

“I don’t blame you two, and I understand. After all, your hair is so long; it’ll definitely take you years to grow it out. But there’s really no way to solve this. To be honest, what he wants isn’t you at all…”

"It's that older sister, I know. Hehe, Brother Zhong, it's okay, I'll cut it. Anyway, my hair will grow back. Don't blame Anxin, he was just worried about me, that's why he asked you. Hehehe..."

Zhong Hua glanced at the two of them and suddenly laughed.

"Haha."

He formed a preconceived notion in his mind, but he didn't call it out, after all, he was also a young man and had gone through this stage himself.

So he said:

"Is there anything else?"

"That's all. Brother Zhong, it's already noon. We're right at the entrance, let's treat you to lunch..."

"They all said no."

Zhong Hua waved his hand again:

"I have something to do at noon. That's settled then. You two, do your best this afternoon!"

"Well... okay, thanks, Brother Zhong."

"Ah."

After they parted ways, the two politely watched each other walk into the office building. Only then did the girl look away, purse her lips, and say:

"Don't make decisions for me next time. What if you upset someone?"

"..."

I felt at ease and remained silent.

After glancing at her twice, he shook his head and sighed.
"Ugh."

"What's with the sigh? So old-fashioned. Come on, hehe, I'll treat you to a big bowl of meat noodles~ Oh right, shouldn't you get your photos? I'll go check them out later..."

The two walked together toward the entrance of the Beijing Film Studio.

Fan Bingbing moved quickly, while An Xin moved slowly.

He just stood there, watching the girl's braids swing back and forth...

So long.

(End of this chapter)