IPCFS: Chapter 110 Part 1

Ji Li hadn’t expected the audition results to be announced on the spot, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face. “Director Xu, what do you mean?”

He was looking at Xu Yanzhi’s expression out of the corner of his eye as he asked this question.

If the other person was really the ‘predetermined male lead’, would this result come too suddenly?

“For the male protagonist of the fourth ‘Demon Monk’ movie in the Godslayer series, I’ve decided on you.” Xu Cheng took the initiative to hold out his hand. “Ji Li, I wonder if you would like to cooperate with our team?”

“Of course I do.”

Ji Li immediately reached out his hand to shake it. This was the script he was looking forward to and the male protagonist role he got in exchange for a hard audition.

He won beautifully and answered in a dignified manner.

“Call your agent over.” Xu Cheng got straight to the point. “If this is a convenient time, the teams of both of our sides can draw up a filming contract.”

Xu Cheng had been a director for many years and now had absolute decision-making power in his own movies.

He decided that Ji Li was the male protagonist of the movie, and no one could stop him.

The two sides already had the intention to cooperate, so it was best to sign the contract as early as possible to give each other peace of mind.

Ji Li smiled in response. “Okay.”

Zhang Ye was convinced by this answer and bowed to Xu Cheng and the others. “Director Xu, I will go first. Thank you for being willing to give me this audition opportunity. I wish the movie crew all the best in the future.”

Xu Cheng had a good impression of Zhang Ye and took the initiative to pat him on the shoulder. “Don’t be discouraged. Your age is your biggest advantage. Polish your acting skills, and your future will be bright.”

“Yes, I will!”

Ji Li and Zhang Ye walked out of the inner room one after another.

Yu Fuya and Baozi sat on the plastic stools and waited patiently. Chen Chao was standing by the window with a cigarette in his hand.

The moment the door of the inner room opened, the three people waiting outside shifted their attention over.

Chen Chao extinguished the cigarette on the edge of the window and casually threw it into the trash. “What did you audition for? There were only three people. Why did it take so long?”

Wasn’t he just accompanying the male lead?

It was boring to waste so long on a pretense.

“One person played two roles, playing two images: the holy monk and demon monk. We had to act against each other,” Zhang Ye explained briefly.

Chen Chao could see the results of the audition from Zhang Ye’s expression, and he snorted like it was natural. “Forget it, I knew you wouldn’t be able to get it. Go back and I’ll find you another role.”

So troublesome?

Wasn’t the audition just to let Xu Yanzhi shine?

“Ji Li, what about you? Did your audition go well?” Yu Fuya was tense while she asked with anticipation.

To be honest, the most feared thing in the entertainment industry was the relationship between parties, not to mention that Xu Yanzhi was someone with a relationship with the director and also had good acting skills.

Baozi gulped dryly and couldn’t help repeating the question, “Brother Ji? What is the result?”

Chen Chao saw the nervous appearance of the two people and sneered. “Do you still need to ask? I said a long time ago that the two of us were just accompanying the other person.”

The moment these words fell, Chen Chao was slapped in the face by his own artist.

“Ji Li’s audition was successful. Director Xu appointed him as the male protagonist of ‘Demon Monk’ on the spot. There is no need for us to go back and wait for the result notification,” Zhang Ye answered for Ji Li.

The natural acting skills that Ji Li showed off convinced him happily and sincerely.

Zhang Ye was genuinely looking forward to the day when he could shape his character as easily as the other person.

“……”

The smug smile on Chen Chao’s face froze.

Yu Fuya and Baozi exchanged looks and asked Ji Li in unison, “Really?”

“Yes. Director Xu also said that a preliminary contract can be drawn up today.” Ji Li smiled and didn’t hide his joy.

Since Xu Cheng was able to announce the male protagonist result in front of everyone, it meant he didn’t care about the casting news being exposed. There was nothing wrong with letting Chen Chao know.

Baozi jumped directly on Ji Li’s body with joy. “Brother Ji! I knew you would have no problems!”

Yu Fuya was also very happy and quickly rubbed the head of her artist. “Yes, you have never let us worry.”

Then Yu Fuya looked at Chen Chao. “Every time you open your mouth, there is the word ‘accompanying’ coming from it. Aren’t you afraid of being heard by Director Xu?”

What type of person was Director Xu Cheng?

He always wanted strong skills when choosing actors!

If he had set his nephew as the ‘male protagonist’, did he still need to go through all this trouble to cast auditions?

It was impossible to do so.

As long as the artists faced the audition seriously, there would still be a chance!

“You haven’t been back in the circle for so long, and you still have the same dirty thoughts? Save yourself.”

“If you don’t have the ability to take care of an artist, don’t come out and harm new actors.”

Yu Fuya always kept some face for others in front of insiders, but today she opened her mouth in cannon mode when meeting Chen Chao.

The three major stenches of Jincheng Pictures:

The executive director Jin Xianliang, the actor Zhu Xusheng, and the ‘gold medal’ agent, Chen Chao.

There was so much turmoil in Chaoying back then, and it was mostly thanks to these three people!

Now Jincheng was showing signs of decline while Chaoying had started to recover thanks to the presence of Ji Li, Ji Yunqi, and others. The angry energy in Yu Fuya’s heart had finally been completely cleared.

“……”

Chen Chao’s face was faintly blue, but he didn’t say anything to refute her. He just glanced at Zhang Ye, who didn’t say anything, and walked away quickly.

Zhang Ye seemed used to him. He smiled and bowed to Ji Li’s group in apology. Then he left the room.

Yu Fuya shook her head. “This kid called Zhang Ye looks good, but he entered the wolf den of Jincheng.”

The entertainment industry was a big tank of dye. It was said that those who got close to vermilion were red, while those who got close to ink were black. Could the artists under Jincheng maintain their clean habits?

Ji Li looked in the direction where Zhang Ye had left, and a thoughtful light appeared in his eyes.

---

The audition inner room.

Xu Cheng patted his nephew’s shoulder and asked, “Yanzhi, do you blame me for not letting you in through the back door?”

“No.” Xu Yanzhi paused before replying seriously, “Ji Li’s acting skills are better than mine. You should choose him.”

“In fact, your acting skills aren’t worse than his, but there was a mistake in your understanding of the role.” Xu Cheng pointed out his shortcomings.

“It isn’t enough for the demon monk to have an evil spirit. You should’ve felt it when you acted against Ji Li.”

Xu Yanzhi recalled the scene where Ji Li ‘seduced’ him just now, and unnatural redness appeared on his face.

He nodded, which seemed to be in agreement with Xu Cheng’s words.

“I was the one who set you up with a role when you acted as a child. I know your acting skills and talent.”

If Xu Yanzhi was really given the opportunity to study the script well, he could play the evil and charming demon monk once filming officially started.

Unfortunately, there was only one chance to audition.

Xu Yanzhi hadn’t acted in so long, and after five years, he met a strong opponent again.

In the past, Xu Yanzhi became a big hit with ‘Dream Corridor’ and officially transformed from a child star to a new generation actor. A bright star path was in front of him, but he encountered a roadblock.

Xu Cheng’s brother, Xu Yanzhi’s father, got cancer.

In order to accompany his sick father, Xu Yanzhi resolutely gave up the glamorous and gorgeous entertainment industry and went to the United States.

He concentrated on his studies while accompanying his father.

This was until the end of last year.

The entertainment industry was a place where it was easy to be replaced. Xu Yanzhi had lost almost all his fans, and it was difficult for him to get in touch with excellent movies or dramas.

In desperation, he had to ask Xu Cheng for help. This led to him encountering the script of ‘Demon Monk.’

However, the result was a bit worse.

“Don’t be discouraged. In fact, there is another character in this movie who is more suitable for you than Chen Yi.” Xu Cheng was still willing to give his nephew a chance.

The screenwriter Lan Lingmeng heard this and immediately understood. “Indeed. Once that character is polished, he should be more suitable for Yanzhi.”

Xu Cheng laughed heartily. “Yanzhi, we still have to choose the best actor for the role. This time, you got a good grasp of the role. I only talk about strength here, not the back door.”

“I understand,” Xu Yanzhi responded.

“Go back and rest first. I still have some movie matters to deal with,” Xu Cheng ordered.

“Yes.”

As Xu Yanzhi went out, he happened to run into Ji Li, who returned with Yu Fuya.

The two of them saw each other, and their steps subconsciously paused.

Xu Yanzhi was a taciturn person but this time, he took the initiative to speak. “Ji Li, it is nice to meet you.”

“I hope to have the opportunity to cooperate with you in the future.”

Ji Li faced his initiative and accepted calmly. “Okay, there will be such a day.”

Ji Li and Yu Fuya entered the audition room, and the latter took the initiative to speak as his agent, “Director Xu, thank you for your appreciation of our Ji Li.”

“Ms. Yu, you are being polite. Ji Li was chosen for this role because his ability is good enough.”

Due to ‘Time Lobbyist’, Xu Cheng privately got to know the actor Ji Li. Someone once commented about him:

Ji Li is the leader of a new generation of young actors.

Xu Cheng originally felt this praise was too high. Then in today’s audition, he found that Ji Li deserved this praise.

“I was afraid that we wouldn’t be able to cast the right actor. I didn’t expect the casting to go so smoothly this time.” Lan Lingmeng was very happy.

She was looking forward to the complete appearance of Ji Li’s Chen Yi in front of the public.

Xu Cheng glanced at the time. “Shall we get together early for dinner? I called the team about the script contract. Let’s eat and talk?”

“No problem,” Yu Fuya responded.

The group divided into two batches to leave. Ji Li took advantage of when Yu Fuya was getting the car to go to the bathroom.

Unexpectedly, he met Zhang Ye the moment he entered the bathroom. The other person was red-eyed and crying. He was completely missing the lively smile from before.

Zhang Ye saw him through the mirror’s reflection and immediately wiped away his tears in an embarrassed manner. “B-Brother Ji?”

Calling him Mr. Ji was too unfamiliar, and calling him Ji Li was too direct. Zhang Ye thought it and simply followed Baozi’s way of calling him.

“What’s wrong?” Ji Li asked with concern.

How could a celebrity hide in a public bathroom and cry?

“It’s okay. I’m just in a bad mood and wanted to vent it out.” Zhang Ye pulled a tissue beside him to wipe his hands. “I will take a taxi and leave straight away.”

“Take a taxi?” Ji Li felt that was even more wrong. “What about your agent? Isn’t he taking you back to the company?”

“……”

Zhang Ye was silent and instinctively frowned.

Ji Li saw his appearance and understood a thing or two.

Chen Chao probably vented his anger on Zhang Ye for not getting the male protagonist of the movie.

“Your acting skills aren’t bad, but you lack experience. It is difficult for you to enter the act in a short period of time.” Ji Li comforted him with the key points.

“I heard you have a professional acting school background? The days ahead of you are still long, and you have time to polish your skills slowly.”

Ji Li was very accurate in seeing people.

The present Zhang Ye was like a piece of rough jade shining with a bit of light. As long as some effort and energy were spent to polish him, he could become a dazzling gem.

In the later stages of the original novel, Zhang Ye grew into an actor who could compete with the male protagonist Ji Yunqi.

There was definitely potential and qualifications.

Ji Li just hoped he wouldn’t be blackened by the atmosphere of Jincheng.

 

Proofreader: Azure