Huayu, my cheat code is a bit strange.

Chapter 43 You're a nepotism hire, aren't you? (Please read on, please recommend, please do everything!)

In the center of the studio, within the area of ​​light, a figure stood still.

The staff members around them looked at each other, their eyes filled with astonishment.

Director Li Dawei looked at Gu Xiao carefully and said:

"This isn't an art exam. The camera isn't cutting to a wide shot. If you take one wrong step or your movement is slightly distorted, the whole scene will be unusable. Do you know what that means?"

Gu Xiao nodded gently, "I understand, let's begin."

Li Dawei frowned slightly, but didn't say anything more. He pointed to the young man next to him and said, "This is the casting assistant, Jiang Ran. He will play 'Jin Yanxi' and act opposite you."

Jiang Ran stepped forward, nodded and greeted Gu Xiao, and reminded her, "The audition requires very good lighting. Are you sure you're okay with it since you're new to the set?"

Gu Xiao was a little annoyed: "No problem."

Jiang Ran gave him a deep look, but said nothing more.

“Now that we’re ready, let’s begin,” Li Dawei said, breaking the silence.

The room fell silent, and all eyes were on Gu Xiao.

He stood in the center of the light zone, his eyes slightly lowered, and when he looked up again, his entire demeanor had changed.

Gu Xiao's eyes showed less composure and more caution and restraint, as if she were new to the life of a wealthy family.

He took a step forward, his steps steady, and stopped precisely on the positioning mark.

The light shone on his profile, outlining his clear features.

"Master Jin."

Gu Xiao spoke, her voice clear and bright, carrying just the right amount of anger and resentment: "I solemnly declare that yes, Qingqiu and I are good friends, but it's definitely not the kind of relationship you're thinking of!"

He stepped forward, his aura suddenly intensifying: "I've been tolerating you all this time, but don't push your luck!"

……

……

in front of the monitor.

Li Dawei crossed his arms and stared at Gu Xiao's face on the screen, its features sharply defined by the light. A look of astonishment flashed in his eyes, so much so that he forgot to call "Stop".

An eerie silence fell over the set.

Without the sound of the clapperboard, Gu Xiao had no choice but to continue performing.

His gaze was somber as he stared at the retreating figure of "Jin Yanxi" ahead, his voice low:
"If you continue to act this way, don't blame me for giving you a taste of your own medicine!"

"Pass!"

Li Dawei's voice finally rang out.

Gu Xiao detached herself from her role, bowed slightly, and quietly awaited the next instructions.

A subtle silence fell over the studio.

Li Dawei's lips moved, as if he wanted to say something or ask something, but considering the occasion, he ultimately swallowed his questions and continued to direct as the director:

"This time, we'll test your dialogue skills with 'Jin Yanxi.' The scene will be a conversation in the car after the banquet."

He looked at Gu Xiao with a hint of probing: "Would you like to review the lines again?"

“No need,” Gu Xiao shook her head, her tone still calm. “Let’s begin.”

Li Dawei nodded in satisfaction, "Very good!"

Jiang Ran twitched his lips, coughed twice, and held up the script somewhat awkwardly: "Um... Director Li, I might need to take another look."

Several staff members, who were originally serious, couldn't help but turn their faces away, their shoulders trembling slightly.

Even You Jianming, sitting behind the monitor, had a slight smile on his lips.

Li Dawei glared at Jiang Ran with disdain, then waved his hand helplessly: "Hurry up."

Jiang Ran felt as if she had been granted a pardon, and quickly buried herself in the script, muttering to herself.

Gu Xiao stood quietly in place, closed her eyes slightly, and quickly sketched out the enclosed space of the back seat of a car from the Republic of China era in her mind.

A moment later, Jiang Ran raised her head and took a deep breath: "Director Li, I'm ready."

“Ready—go!”

At the command, the performance began.

…… ……

five minutes later.

As Jin Yanxi's emotionally charged confession echoed in the studio, Gu Xiao, who played Ouyang Yujian, stiffened almost imperceptibly.

He turned to look at "Jin Yanxi" with a cold, indignant gaze, and a fleeting hint of inferiority.

The photographer thought to himself, "Beautiful!" and quickly zoomed in for a close-up.

In front of the monitor, Li Dawei stared at the complex profile of the man, offering no comment. Instead, he turned his head, half-covered his mouth with his hand, and whispered a few words to You Jianming beside him.

As You Jianming listened, he nodded slowly, his gaze occasionally sweeping over Gu Xiao, who stood quietly in the room. His expression was unreadable, except for a slight shake of his head and a soft chuckle from time to time, the meaning of which was hard to decipher.

Gu Xiao was feeling uneasy as the two men scrutinized her. Just as she was about to use her spiritual sense, You Jianming spoke first to the female assistant beside him: "Take him to get his makeup done."

The female assistant's expression was a little stiff, but she quickly adjusted her emotions and nodded to Gu Xiao in a formulaic manner: "Please come with me."

……

……

It's called a dressing room, but it's actually just a simple partitioned area separated by curtains.

The cramped space contained only a mirror, a few bright makeup lamps, and cosmetics piled up on the table.

Gu Xiao looked around and found that there was no one else there except him and his female assistant.

An ominous premonition came over me.

His lips twitched slightly, and he tentatively asked, "Could it be..."

This time, the female assistant dared not be coy anymore and explained quite carefully: "The makeup artist is not exclusively for our studio. She needs to finish her other work before she can come to do our makeup."

Gu Xiao: "."

……

……

That's why the Doctrine of the Mean is said to be the essence of Chinese culture.

Having experienced such a horrible wait before, Gu Xiao actually felt a sense of happiness this time, as she only waited for twenty minutes.

When the makeup artist lifted the curtain and walked in with a smile, he even thought that the woman in front of him was pretty and kind.

"I'm sorry, there was a problem with the makeup for 'Ji Xiaolan,' which caused a delay." The makeup artist spoke quickly and moved even faster, deftly opening the makeup case as she spoke.

What else could Gu Xiao say? She could only offer an understanding yet numb smile.

"Come on, look up and close your eyes."

The makeup artist's fingers, cool to the touch, applied and outlined his face.

With her eyes closed, Gu Xiao could feel the gentle patting of the powder puff and the drawing of the eyebrow pencil.

The makeup process was tedious and boring, but fortunately the progress was trackable, so it wasn't too difficult to endure.

Just as Gu Xiao was pondering whether to ask the female makeup artist about the next steps, the latter couldn't resist gossiping first.

"Hey, handsome young man," she lowered her voice, but her hands didn't stop applying the paint, "I heard from outsiders that you knew President You before the audition?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Xiao instinctively wanted to frown, but realizing she was putting on makeup, she forcibly restrained herself from doing so.

He said softly, "I wouldn't say we know each other; we only met once at school."

"Tsk tsk." The female makeup artist paused, smiled knowingly, and said, "A nepotism hire, huh?"

Gu Xiao was speechless for a moment, wondering if the other party had some misunderstanding about the concept of "connections".

He patiently explained, "I only met President You once at school, and the conversation lasted less than fifteen minutes. We didn't have any deep interaction."

"Hi!" The female makeup artist swept a brush across his face and said with a knowing look:

"It's already difficult enough to meet during the preparation period! Who do you think you are, Mr. You? Do you think you can just meet with him whenever you want? Don't you understand the importance of avoiding suspicion?"

That makes a lot of sense, but the problem is I really have nothing to do with him. Gu Xiao silently complained.

Before he could speak again, the female makeup artist began to speak eloquently:
“Ouyang Yujian has interviewed several people, and each one had to be tested with Leng Qingqiu. You only tested with Jin Yanxi. What else could you be but someone with connections?”

Gu Xiao couldn't help but frown this time, opening her eyes with a look of astonishment:
"What did you say?"

(End of this chapter)