1979: The child's mother is a celestial being.

Chapter 24: He Died His Own Trap

"Hello, Comrade Fusheng. I'm a fan of your books, and now I'm also captivated by your acting skills. Could you please sign your autograph?"

After Siqin Gaowa finished her audition, she hesitated for a moment before walking towards Chen Fusheng.

"No problem, where do you sign?"

"Please wait a moment."

With that, Siqin Gaowa hurriedly left the audition studio.

But less than ten minutes later, she came running back, panting heavily, with a copy of "Fragrant Grass" magazine in her hand.

During her absence, Chen Fusheng, Han Sanping, and the others, after some discussion, unanimously decided to give the role of the female lead, Jiu'er, to Siqin Gaowa.

Of course, Siqin Gaowa was unaware of this.

She handed the magazine she had brought back to Chen Fusheng, and said in a grateful tone:
"Sign it here!"

"okay."

After exchanging a glance with Han Sanping, Chen Fusheng took the magazine from Siqin Gaowa, thought for a moment, and wrote a blessing:
"Wishing Comrade Siqin Gaowa success in her career, harmony in her family, good health, and happiness every day—Fusheng!"

"Thank you, Comrade Fusheng, I will keep it safe."

"You're welcome," Chen Fusheng continued. "Also, I have some good news for Comrade Siqin Gaowa."

"What good news?" Siqin Gaowa had a vague idea and stared at Chen Fusheng expectantly.

He continued, "After a meeting of our directing team, we have decided to sincerely invite Comrade Siqin Gaowa to play the female lead, Jiu'er, in 'Cow.' Would you be willing?"

Upon hearing the good news, Siqin Gaowa clenched her fists excitedly and immediately said, "I am willing. It is my honor. Thank you again, Comrade Fusheng, and thank you to the production team for giving me this opportunity. I will definitely perform well and live up to everyone's expectations."

This moment deserves a celebration, so the audition studio erupted in enthusiastic applause for more than ten seconds.

Following Siqin Gaowa, they auditioned more than a dozen actors that afternoon. As for the selection of the male lead, they still adopted the selection model of Chen Fusheng demonstrating and then having the actors imitate him.

Perhaps because Chen Fusheng lowered the difficulty of the performance later, the subsequent actors were not directly scared off, but even their imitations were increasingly awkward.

Even after the auditions ended, they still hadn't found an actor who could barely be considered for the male lead role.

"Ah~"

Chen Fusheng let out a heavy sigh.

That day, especially in the afternoon, he was not only physically exhausted, but also mentally exhausted.

Since Emei Film Studio couldn't find suitable actors, they had no choice but to follow Han Sanping's method and search for them one by one at other film studios.

If you're lucky, you might find a suitable candidate on the first try, but if you're unlucky, it could take a long time just to select the male lead.

Of course, Chen Fusheng also had a slightly more convenient method, which was to look for them in old movies. However, the drawbacks of this method were also obvious. Just because someone's appearance is suitable doesn't mean they are actually suitable. You still have to audition to find out. In addition, there was no internet, no search engine, and no way to fast forward in this era. So, all things considered, this was actually a huge project, and it was even less efficient than going door-to-door to look for them.

"Sigh, Lao Han, it seems we have no choice but to use your method and slowly search other film studios. Hopefully, we'll have better luck and find a suitable male lead as soon as possible."

Chen Fusheng chose to compromise with reality, but after he finished speaking, he looked up and found that three pairs of eyes were staring at him meaningfully.

"..." Chen Fusheng sensed that something was off and asked in confusion, "Why are you all staring at me? Did I say something wrong?"

Han Sanping suddenly said, "Why look for other film studios? Isn't our male lead right here, even though we're far away?"

The producer and photographer nodded in agreement.

At this moment, Chen Fusheng understood perfectly well that these guys had their eyes on him.

It's also his own fault for being too caught up in the situation to see clearly; he was kept in the dark the whole time.

Looking back now, I guess those three guys had already conspired together.

"I was wondering why the three of you were so calm and collected all afternoon, not in a hurry at all."

Chen Fusheng retorted to the three of them in an annoyed tone.

He then went on to explain why he hadn't considered himself from the beginning: "My appearance is too different from the male lead's."

Han Sanping said, "That's simple. You're the screenwriter. Just make some adjustments to Niu Er's character." The producer also advised, "Who would have thought that you, Fusheng, are not only a good writer but also such a great actor? You might have been too focused to notice, but the three of us have been quite shocked by you this afternoon."

The photographer nodded in agreement: "That's right. After watching your performance this afternoon, I think no one is more suitable to play Niu Er than you."

Chen Fusheng looked at the three of them, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back, feeling utterly speechless.

Before this, he had never really thought about acting in the film.

But given the current situation, it seems like it would be unreasonable for him not to act.

'Damn it, I think I've messed up.' he cursed inwardly.

However, although it was unexpected, Chen Fusheng asked himself honestly, and he didn't seem to have much of a resistance to playing Niu Er.

Plus, the thought that if I were in the role, I could finish filming sooner and go home to be with my wife and kids...

In an instant, his mind became clear.

"Alright, since you all put it that way, I'll give it a try!"

"That's right, it should be more straightforward like this."

"Comrade Fusheng, rest assured, your actors will receive every penny of the subsidies due."

"..."

Today's audition was a complete success, so the group had a private training session that evening.

In the middle of the night, Chen Fusheng was awakened from his single dormitory assigned to him by Emei Film Studio by the urge to urinate.

After waking up and going outside to relieve myself, I sobered up.

Then he found himself unable to sleep.

When I can't sleep, I start thinking about my wife and the baby in her belly that hasn't been born yet.

This thought made me even more energetic.

So Chen Fusheng simply got out of bed and decided to write a letter to his mother and daughter.

—To my dear wife:

I left home on March 1st, so it's been a week since I left.

Honey, are you doing well at home? Are you still experiencing morning sickness? Is the baby behaving well in your belly? Mom and Dad…

In the first half of the letter, Chen Fusheng inquired about matters at home.

Then, in the second half, he introduced his own situation.

'Let me share a funny story with you, my wife. I got myself into a mess today. Here's what happened…'

Chen Fusheng described his experience of the day to his wife in a letter.

He went on to write:

"So now, not only am I the screenwriter for the show, but I've also inexplicably become the male lead. When you see this, I bet you're thinking, 'What would it be like if I played Niu Er?'"
Haha, to be honest, I'll definitely change the main character's personality a bit... Hmm, as I write this, I suddenly have some inspiration. I'll keep you in suspense for now, my dear wife, you can look forward to it.

One last thing: the production team's finance department has already transferred the money to my bank account. I've left the passbook at home. Honey, after you receive this letter, remember to check with the bank to see if the money has arrived. If it's inconvenient for you, you can ask Mom and Dad for help.

Sincerely!

salute!

—Chen Fusheng!

Written in the early morning of March 7, 1980.

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(End of this chapter)