When will I be the queen

Chapter 498 The Strong

Cai Cai was also lamenting to Xianjun about why Shen Yun, with such strong acting skills, wasn't more famous. Hearing her uncle criticize Shen Yun like that, she was completely dumbfounded, having no doubt about her uncle's judgment, "But he's been very nice to me!"

Tang Jinyi laughed. "It's not the kind of disgust that comes from treating women badly, it's envy and jealousy of women's abilities."

Wei Min was a little curious, and mustered up her courage to ask, "How...how did you figure that out?"

Tang Jinyi knew this was a director and that she was very kind to Cai Cai. She could tell how much she liked Cai Cai just by looking at her. So she said, "Don't be so polite. My eldest sister is a very successful woman. I think she's amazing. But in her social environment, she often encounters people like Shen Yun. I'm very familiar with that kind of look in her eyes."

Wei Min frowned. "Isn't that bad? Should we find someone else?"
"That won't be necessary," the immortal lord said.

Tang Jinyi doesn't understand filming, but he also said there's no need to replace him. "He actually has no ill intentions towards women; he's just simply envious. It seems that in the entertainment industry, successful female stars have a higher status than male stars. Cai Cai previously said that most legendary superstars are female stars. He just knows his own inadequacy and is jealous. He actually despises unambitious men even more." So, it's quite interesting.

Cai Cai was a little confused. Was it that she was tired of it or not?
Tang Jinyi pondered how to explain to Cai Cai, but the Immortal Lord spoke first.

"Given equal acting skills, it might seem that male actors have an easier time succeeding, but in reality, female actors have a much longer career lifespan. This is because after thirty, male actors inevitably face the challenge of transitioning to other roles, and the career battlefield for male actors is far more brutal than that for younger actors. Female actors can still act in idol dramas and youth dramas one after another in their thirties; as long as their appearance is acceptable, the audience won't be too critical. But male actors can't do that."

Xianjun gave Cai Cai an example: "Look at many male artists who have just entered the industry. They immediately become the third or second male lead, or even the male lead. It seems more glamorous than female artists, but that's because their time is limited. They can't wait, and the capital behind them can't wait either. They have to push them to the most profitable positions to maximize profits. Another reason is that male artists' conditions, whether in appearance or lifestyle, are not as stable as female artists'. Relatively speaking..."

Oh, male celebrities are more prone to scandals.

Cai Cai, however, felt that this was a good thing no matter what, "Why can't female artists have this kind of treatment during their newcomer period?"

"Yes. For example, you, even in your newcomer period, you received the treatment of a lead role. This is because you are very talented. Any female artist with talent, even if she is not good-looking, will receive good treatment as soon as she enters the industry. It's just that most artists are directly defeated by the talent barrier."

Wei Min seized the opportunity to speak, "Male actors are easier to work with. Newcomers are especially cooperative, and even female directors love using them. Newcomers, however, are sometimes less cooperative. This isn't their fault; they're just more cautious. After all, sometimes male actors can afford certain losses, while female actors can't." The most obvious example is certain special scenes, like bathing scenes. Newcomers can basically film them freely, but female actors definitely can't. Being cautious ensures a longer and more stable career.

Tang Jinyi didn't have much to share about acting with Cai Cai, but he could share other things. He also understood why people like Shen Yun held such views within the entertainment industry. However, the situation in the broader society wasn't so simple. The entertainment industry was considered relatively friendly to women.

"In the broader social context, women's social status is quite complex. Objectively speaking, social status is how outsiders perceive one's social role. It is largely based on the judgment of interests, and subjectively, it is also a reflection of one's own distribution of interests. If one focuses on career, then in the eyes of outsiders, one is a career woman who can build professional networks. If one focuses on family, then in the eyes of outsiders, one becomes a life expert who can provide life assistance or even share gossip."

Tang Jinyi summarized it simply: "Outsiders, as the main body, also divide the people around them according to their own interests and needs. So, in the end, regardless of gender, social status is basically defined by the size of one's own interests."

As she spoke, she compared herself to Xianjun, saying, "For example, in the eyes of outsiders, Xianjun is an actor, a superstar, a handsome man, an investor, and a controlling shareholder. Depending on the different interests involved, outsiders will perceive him differently. Extending this further, the methods of calculating interests will also differ. For instance, most people will introduce Xianjun and other handsome male artists to their preferred connections, while handsome male artists like Xianjun will also choose more valuable interests based on their own good looks."

Wei Min didn't dare offend either side, but for Cai Cai's sake, she forced herself to smooth things over, saying, "Actually, the script is simpler, and the social issues it addresses are more intense and acute. For example, in the scenes depicting the plight of women, the script portrays the double blow of life and work without any particular emphasis." Some of the plot points are indeed quite cruel.

The Immortal Lord looked at Cai Cai and said, "You've read a lot of family drama scripts, don't you have any thoughts on the plots about women's plight?" It's impossible that I don't have any thoughts.

Cai Cai thought about it carefully, but she really didn't have any ideas. However, if she really had to think about it, it would be from the scripts of family ethics. "After all, family ethics dramas will definitely have some plots depicting the preference for sons over daughters. It's a classic plot, where good is rewarded and evil is punished, and in the end, there is a happy ending. Audiences like happy endings. I have seen a lot of plots in idol dramas that, in my opinion, are related to the plight of women."

"In those 'broken mirror mended' love stories, the male characters usually feel that new feelings will emerge, but the female characters, even after breaking up or getting divorced, seem to be continuing to be with someone who doesn't exist, without any new feelings. That's the requirement of purity, isn't it?" Cai Cai has read many scripts, and they are all similar. There are even those where the female lead marries someone else, but it's a marriage of convenience, and she continues to remain chaste for the male lead. "This kind of pure love story requires the female lead to be pure in body and mind, and still deeply in love with the male lead. I think that's unrealistic." But it's not so much a discipline as it is more like an unrealistic fantasy and expectation of women.

Oh, so it doesn't seem like a predicament after all.

The immortal master said there was nothing he could do; that's just how the market is. "To put it bluntly, it's a kind of fantasy-like pursuit of true love. True love and purity are often closely linked in many people's minds. And the embodiment of true love is often female characters, which is also related to the general public's belief that women are more faithful. These are all inherent cultural influences of society. However, there aren't many dramas like this anymore; you're probably watching unreleased scripts." Since it hasn't been filmed, it's safe to assume this script must have more than just this one flaw. "What about the others?"

Cai Cai thought for a while longer, "There's another kind of plot, no matter the subject matter, where the ending is always the female character looking at her husband and children with a happy smile. But I think the true happy ending for women should be standing on various award stages or in a high position. I think the happiness that family can bring to women is not as great as career achievements. Why can't it be that woman stands on the award stage, looking at her husband and children in the audience with a happy smile?"

"."

This was an angle the Immortal Lord hadn't considered. "Perhaps it's because family happiness is the easiest thing to achieve. It's not easy for either men or women to succeed in their careers." Cai Cai's thought process is really not suited for reading scripts; it's a shame she has to write them.
Wei Min lowered her head, pursed her lips, and suppressed a laugh.

But the Immortal Lord still wanted Cai Cai to continue finding the parts of the script that she didn't like.

Cai Cai really couldn't think of anything, and shook her head. "When I read a script, I just follow the plot. If I have opinions about every plot and character, then why should I read the script?" A diverse range of art forms is a good creative environment. "The characters sketched in words come alive on the page, are performed, and become living people. That's three-dimensional. You can't judge a character's good or bad based on a single plot or line of dialogue." Anyway, as long as she doesn't have to act, she can read any script.

"." You just read it casually because you think you're so capable.

The Immortal Lord was a little envious, because he carefully selected scripts, even those he didn't act in. "What I want to tell you is that only by seeing the negative aspects of a script can you better portray the positive ones. When you're choosing a script, start by looking for its flaws; it makes selection easier," the Immortal Lord explained. "Many scripts actually focus on one point, writing it in a positive or negative way. For example, the theme of women's suffering is often explored in crime dramas. On the contrary, scripts set in ancient times are less likely to be written about." After all, in a feudal society, no matter how you write about it, it's all suffering. If you focus on depicting women's suffering, let alone making it into a film, the script wouldn't even pass censorship.

Cai Cai paused for a moment, then understood. "I know. The teacher taught me that it's easier to develop a character by starting with their flaws." (Seriously, the Immortal Lord is so long-winded!)
Is such that.

Tang Jinyi glanced at the Immortal Lord, but ultimately said nothing. In terms of career, as family, they could only offer Cai Cai so much help, unlike someone like the Immortal Lord who had experience.

The auditions continued.

Unfortunately, by the end of today, no one had been selected. We'll have to continue tomorrow.

Cai Cai got up very early this time. Xian Jun returned from his run at seven o'clock, and she got up to prepare breakfast. Xian Jun took the coffee and went straight to the audition area. Although he didn't urge Cai Cai, she still hurriedly ate her breakfast.

Tang Jinyi brought over the family chef's apprentice. Whenever Cai Cai was home, the chef would make her bird's nest steamed egg. This was the first thing Cai Cai ate when she first came home as a child; it was a child's meal, and she ate it with great relish. The chef remembered this and made it for her whenever she was home afterward. This apprentice was a true disciple, learning by example and following Tang Jinyi. He made it for Cai Cai yesterday as a late-night snack, and today it was breakfast. The apprentice, named Zhouzai, stood at the door, smiling at Cai Cai, forcing her, who had originally intended to chase after the Immortal Lord with a sandwich, to sit down and eat the steamed egg.
After eating and changing clothes, it was already eight o'clock when Cai Cai sat down next to the Immortal Lord.

The immortal lord had already finished his cup of coffee and looked at Cai Cai, saying, "Don't rush, it hasn't started yet."

I get the feeling you're making sarcastic remarks.

The Immortal Lord was, of course, making sarcastic remarks. He could tolerate the Tang family's habit of staying wherever they went, since they were only staying with him temporarily. However, compared to Ms. Cai and Ms. Feng, Tang Jinyi not only stayed there, replacing the sofa and bed, but also brought her own chef. In fact, when the Immortal Lord asked, Tang Jinyi had even brought a bartender.
"..." The rich young master's behavior in Hong Kong is really annoying. Tang Jinyi was troublesome when he was a child, and he even complained that the young masters in the capital were troublesome. All the young masters in the capital combined are not as troublesome as you.

Tang Jinyi looked at the Immortal Lord with a cold smile. "With your funeral-style aesthetic that hasn't changed in years, you still have the nerve to criticize my taste. You're probably thinking to yourself that I'm making a fuss."
Cai Cai didn't want to get involved in their flirtatious squabble, so she asked Wei Min for today's audition list, crossed out those who couldn't make it at the last minute, and added those who rushed over; there were about eighty people in total.

"There are still four roles left, and we hope to finalize them today." The crew has already started filming; the assistant director is leading the crew to shoot sets and establishing shots, and post-production is also working on some special effects for the war scenes. If they don't find the right people, the crew's finances will be difficult to audit.

Perhaps Cai Cai's hopes were too high, because among the people who came to audition, she really received a response.

The third person to audition, whom Huang Xin marked with a checkmark, was a veteran actor in his thirties.

Why is he considered a veteran actor? Because he started acting at the age of two. From child star to adult actor, he's essentially been acting his entire life. With a handsome appearance, tall stature, and excellent acting skills, he's a familiar face to audiences, even without any major breakout roles. He has no obvious weaknesses.

Of course, he doesn't have any obvious weaknesses as an actor. But in other areas...
This veteran actor is named Xu Dong. He's from southern China, and his family is in business. He himself is very keen on starting businesses, but he consistently loses money. He loses money no matter what he does. Besides being enthusiastic about entrepreneurship, he's also enthusiastic about having children. Since it was revealed that he had a child when he was seventeen, there have been reports almost every year that he has another child.
The internet meme about him is that he discovers a new child every day. But it's all a mix of truth and fiction; some say he only has five children, while others say he has fifteen.

Other celebrities, not to mention those who started acting at the age of two, have basically achieved financial freedom and can not only support themselves but also their families. But Xu Dong still needs financial support from his parents. His younger brother is a popular online influencer who posts videos of his family's daily life, which mainly consists of complaining about his older brother coming home and raiding the refrigerator, while also asking their parents for living expenses.
Another running joke about Xu Dong is that he's naturally gifted, but he's too lazy to ask for it. He undoubtedly has acting talent, which he's had since childhood. Even better, as he's grown up, accumulated experience, faced societal scrutiny, and even his own laziness, none of this has diminished his talent. So, whenever he's in the spotlight, directors and projects are always looking for him; he never has to worry about work. Of course, he's not picky either. Regardless of the script's quality, he can portray his character exceptionally well, and even with fragmented editing, he can still leave behind memorable scenes.

Judging solely by talent, he can rival Cai Cai.

However, he only comes out when he's broke. The rest of the time, he's living a carefree life, traveling and having fun, making videos with his brother, and filming short videos himself. His endorsements are mostly long-term, nationally recognized brands, and he doesn't do many commercial deals.

Netizens knew he was broke as soon as they saw him back in the movies. Oh, Xu Dong's easy financial troubles are largely due to the child support he has to pay for his child and the child's mother.
Cai Cai is fairly familiar with Xu Dong; she has seen his movies and TV series. Yes, he's a solid actor on both the big and small screens.

The Immortal Lord's knowledge of Xu Dong was limited to his work; he had never met Xu Dong in person. However, he did know a little about the man. He had quite a few children—six in total. Two took his surname, and the rest took their mother's. One of the mothers was a colleague in the entertainment industry. He genuinely only dated and had children without getting married. Many male and female celebrities in the industry did this; married people were a minority. But having so many children like Xu Dong was still rare.
The moment Xu Dong entered, it had the effect of illuminating the entire space. Tang Jinyi was stunned for a moment.

"Hello everyone, I'm Xu Dong." After greeting everyone, Xu Dong sat down. He was a little surprised that Cai Cai was there. It wasn't that he felt Cai Cai shouldn't be there, but rather that the internet was in complete chaos, and Cai Cai was still here working.
Wei Min greeted him and then asked Xu Dong which role he was auditioning for. Actually, Huang Xin had already told him that he was auditioning for the role of the prince consort.

“The Third Prince Consort.” Xu Dong pulled out the audition notice, which he had crumpled up a bit. It listed the audition details and requirements for the role of the prince consort.

The scene the prince consort had to audition for involved him imprisoning his sister-in-law, but feeling deeply in love and respectful, sitting opposite her and urging her to eat more. There were no lines; he was free to improvise. The performance required a certain level of maturity.

Why should an actor portray a certain age, and how should this age be expressed? That's something the actor needs to experience for themselves. Compared to the audition for the guards, which explicitly stated the protagonist was the Ninth Princess, the audition for the Third Prince Consort didn't explicitly state this; it only mentioned the sister-in-law. This was the Immortal Lord's idea. It was also a test of the actor's intuition regarding the role.

For example, Shen Yun was quite capable; he immediately recognized from the perspective of the sister-in-law that the Third Prince Consort needed a contrasting portrayal of righteousness and awe. However, while he understood the nuances, he couldn't execute the performance. He then chose the role of a guard, a character who clearly had many scenes with the protagonist, the Ninth Princess—this was also the Immortal Lord's idea.

The guard seemed to have many scenes with the main characters, but actually, he was the weakest among all the supporting male characters.
This isn't really a trap, since all the male supporting characters don't have much screen time, the difference being only about ten minutes. If you really want to nitpick, it is indeed a trap, but it's just a matter of degree, because they're all traps.

However, the Immortal Lord required Huang Xin and Li Muzi to portray all the male supporting characters as dream lovers, including the Third Prince Consort. Furthermore, they were to ensure that every appearance, shot, and even line of dialogue for all the male supporting characters was a highlight, effective and impactful moment, with no wasted shots or lines.