Rebirth: A big star falls in love with me

At noon, the two went to the school cafeteria for lunch. The campus was beautiful after the snow; snow clung to the pine trees, and students were having a snowball fight, their laughter echoing throughout. They walked side by side, like an ordinary couple, but neither of them spoke.

"Zhang Yu." Chen Chen suddenly spoke as they reached the cafeteria entrance.

"Ok?"

“I will treat the afternoon meeting professionally.” She looked at him, her eyes clear. “The same goes for you. Don’t let personal feelings affect your work.”

“I understand,” Zhang Yu nodded.

"That's good." Chen Chen smiled slightly, a faint but genuine smile. "Let's go eat."

The two went into the cafeteria, got their food, and found a seat by the window. Sunlight streamed in through the window, warm and gentle. It was a quiet and peaceful moment—if it weren't for the meeting that afternoon, it would have been a perfect midday.

Afternoon: The covert battle in the conference room

At 1:50 PM, in the Rongxinda conference room.

When Zhang Yu pushed open the door, there were already more than a dozen people sitting inside. At the rectangular conference table, Li Xiaoming sat at the head of the table, with several investors and producers to his left, and a row of female celebrities to his right.

Chen Chen had already arrived and was sitting near the door, looking down at her documents. Next to her was Huang Ying, who was wearing a purple dress that accentuated her fair skin. Further to her right was Zeng Li—a burgundy suit skirt, her long hair styled in an elegant updo, her makeup exquisite, and her aura powerful. Next to her was Li Xiaoran, wearing a beige knit sweater and dark gray trousers, exuding a gentle and refined air.

Across from her sat Bai Bing, who wore a light gray coat over a white shirt, her long hair loose, still with that aloof air. Next to her was Yang Mi, wearing a black leather jacket and skinny jeans, her long hair slightly curled, her makeup cool and glamorous. Next to Yang Mi was Liu Shishi, wearing a light blue sweater, her long hair tied in a low bun, quiet and gentle.

There were also a few young girls that Zhang Yu didn't recognize; they were probably new actresses. The entire conference room was dazzling with stars and beautiful women, but the atmosphere was subtly suffocating.

"Director Zhang is here!" Li Xiaoming greeted him warmly. "Sit down, sit down, we've been waiting for you."

Zhang Yu sat down in the empty seat to Li Xiaoming's right, facing the row of female celebrities. He could feel their gazes—Zeng Li's allure, Li Xiaoran's gentleness, Bai Bing's complex emotions, Yang Mi's scrutiny, Liu Shishi's concern... and Chen Chen's deliberately avoided gaze.

"Alright, everyone's here, let's begin." Li Xiaoming cleared his throat. "Today is the first formal preparatory meeting for our 'Scholarly Family' project. First of all, welcome our director—Director Zhang Yu!"

Applause broke out, not enthusiastic but polite. Zhang Yu nodded slightly.

"And then there's our confirmed female lead—Chen Chen!" Li Xiaoming continued.

Chen Chen stood up and smiled politely. Although she was dressed simply today, her elegant demeanor still stood out among the many beauties. The applause was a bit more enthusiastic than before, but Zhang Yu noticed that a few actresses' eyes flashed with a barely perceptible hint of jealousy.

"Next, let me introduce the other candidates," Li Xiaoming said, rattling off the names with ease. "Zeng Li is competing for the second female lead, Su Manli; Li Xiaoran is competing for the third female lead, Bai Die; Bai Bing is competing for the fourth female lead, Lin Wanqing; Yang Mi is competing for the fifth female lead, reporter Fang Qing; Liu Shishi is competing for the sixth female lead, student Zhou Wan..."

He introduced them one by one, and each actress rose to greet him; each was beautiful in her own unique way. Looking at them, Zhang Yu's shelved thought began to resurface—if he really wanted to collect Starshine Marks, these women were excellent candidates. They were famous, beautiful, talented, and also…interested in him.

"Alright, that concludes the introduction. Let's get down to business." Li Xiaoming turned on the projector, and the script outline and character introductions for "A Family of Scholars" appeared on the wall. "Director Zhang, could you first tell me your overall vision for this play?"

Zhang Yu gathered his thoughts and began to speak. He spoke with great professionalism, covering everything from the historical context to character development, from narrative structure to aesthetic style, his points clear and insightful. As he spoke, his gaze swept across the actresses' faces, revealing their attentive listening—Zeng Li was taking notes, Li Xiaoran was deep in thought, Bai Bing's eyes were focused, Yang Mi nodded slightly, and Liu Shishi's eyes held admiration...

Only Chen Chen had his head down, seemingly lost in thought.

"...So, the core of this drama is 'perseverance'." Zhang Yu concluded, "In a chaotic world, a family and a group of women each uphold something in their own way—it might be family honor, personal ideals, or...love."

When he spoke of "love," his gaze unconsciously drifted towards Chen Chen. Chen Chen looked up, meeting his eyes with a complex expression.

"Well said!" Li Xiaoming applauded. "Director Zhang, what are your thoughts on casting?"

This was a crucial question. All the actresses looked at Zhang Yu, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment: "I need to see their understanding of the characters. How about this, for the next week, each person prepares a short audition scene, and we will arrange individual auditions."

"Alone?" Zeng Li raised an eyebrow. "Can't we try it together?"

“Each role requires different qualities, and a solo audition is more effective in showing how well the actor fits the role,” Zhang Yu explained. “Moreover…some scenes require emotional investment, and it can feel unnatural to have someone watching.”

What he said made perfect sense, but Zeng Li sensed something else—a solo audition meant more opportunities to spend time alone with Zhang Yu. A smile played on her lips: "Director Zhang is so thoughtful."

They then discussed some production details, and the meeting continued until 4 PM. As the meeting adjourned, Li Xiaoming announced a dinner invitation for the evening and asked everyone to attend. No one refused—in this industry, dinners are also part of the work.

The actresses left the conference room one after another. Chen Chen walked very quickly, and Zhang Yu tried to call her back, but she and Huang Ying had already walked out the door.

"Director Zhang." A gentle voice sounded from behind.

Zhang Yu turned around and saw Bai Bing standing behind him. She wasn't wearing a coat today, just a white shirt and dark gray trousers, which made her look slender and tall. The shirt was buttoned up to the top, giving it a kind of ascetic beauty, but the shirt was also a bit see-through, and under the conference room lights, the outline of her underwear could be vaguely seen.

"Bai Bing, what's wrong?" Zhang Yu asked.

"I'd like to schedule an audition with you." Bai Bing's voice remained cold. "I've been preparing for the role of Lin Wanqing for a long time, and I'd like to be the first one to audition."

“Okay, tomorrow morning at 10:00, Rongxinda rehearsal hall,” Zhang Yu said.

"Thank you, Director Zhang." Bai Bing nodded slightly, turned to leave, but stopped. "Also... I watched last night's performance. Song Qian danced very well. Director Zhang's teaching was also excellent."

She spoke calmly, but Zhang Yu detected a hint of bitterness in her voice. He looked at her and asked, "You want to learn to dance too?"

"No." Bai Bing shook his head. "I just wanted to say... it's rare to see Director Zhang being so dedicated to everyone."