Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 634 Throwing yourself into my arms
The following afternoon, Beijing Capital International Airport was once again in an uproar—Angelina Jolie had arrived.

She was wearing a dark gauze coat, sunglasses, and a mask, revealing only her bright eyes, and was accompanied by two bodyguards and her agent, Mary.

As soon as I stepped out of the exit, I was surrounded by reporters, and the sound of camera shutters clicking incessantly.
"Julie! Are you here to audition for Mission: Impossible 4?"

Do you think you can handle this role?

Did you know Director Zhang Chen before?

Jolie did not respond to reporters' questions, but simply waved politely to the camera before getting into the waiting car under the escort of bodyguards.

That evening, the news of "Angelina Jolie's surprise arrival in Beijing" became a trending topic, sparking much discussion among netizens.

"Even Julie auditioned, this role is so sought after!"

"Julie is the biggest star among the actresses who auditioned so far, I feel like she'll win in the end~"

"I feel that Angelina Jolie's aura is more suitable for Mission: Impossible 4!"

The audition took place at Star Entertainment on the morning of the third day.

Angelina Jolie wore a black bodysuit that accentuated her slender figure, and when she took off her sunglasses, her deep eyes were full of confidence.

There were two audition scenes: one an action scene and the other a steamy scene.

Don't get me wrong, it's not some kind of unspoken rule. There's a scene in Mission: Impossible 4 where a female agent seduces an Indian tycoon, and the erotic scene corresponds to that. It's just that Jolie is letting herself unleash her charm.

The first audition was for an action scene, with Tom Cruise personally acting alongside him.

She needs to play a female agent who fights with the enemy in a hotel room, showing both nimble movements and conveying the character's calmness and ruthlessness through her eyes.

As soon as the director yelled "Action!", Julie immediately got into character.

Her movements were swift and decisive, and every glance and expression was perfectly timed. Especially in the scene of "disarming the gun with bare hands," her eyes were full of murderous intent, which caught the attention of everyone present.

After the audition, Sasha couldn't help but applaud: "Angie, your performance was outstanding! This role is practically tailor-made for you!"

Tom Cruise laughed and said, "It would be a lot of fun to work with you."

Julie smiled and said, "Thank you, I'm looking forward to it too!"

Of Hollywood's three male gods—DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, and Brad Pitt—Pitt has already been won over by her, while the other two have never worked together.

To say that there were no expectations would be utter nonsense.

Women are lustful too, not to mention the 'bad girl' Julie, who had a track record of seducing her mother's boyfriend when she was a teenager.

Zhang Chen clapped his hands: "Not bad, not bad! Now let's try some dramatic scenes!"

"Okay, give me a minute to get myself together~"

Julie let her hair down, and her previously neat and capable demeanor immediately changed.

"Director Zhang Chen, how about you act alongside me?"

"Me? Okay, no problem~"

Julie acted very professionally, and Zhang Chen didn't think anything of it, but Tom Cruise next to him seemed to be deep in thought.

Julie closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, Zhang Chen felt that she was a completely different person.

At this moment, Julie's chin was slightly tucked in, and her beautiful eyes were fixed on Zhang Chen, containing endless charm.

She walked gracefully towards Zhang Chen, her elegant gait and swaying body revealing her exquisite curves.

Zhang Chenming knew it was an audition, but being looked at like that by her, a strange thought arose in his mind.

Julie came to Zhang Chen's side, put one hand on his shoulder, and wrapped her body around him.

Strands of hair brushed against Zhang Chen's face, and he could clearly smell the fragrance emanating from them.

Julie circled around Zhang Chen from behind and finally stopped on his other side.

Because of the height difference, this time it was an upward view, and up close, her full lips appeared even more sensual.

hiss~
That Pete guy, he's really got a lot of ladies' luck!
Tom Cruise, who was not far away, felt a strong urge to join in and couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Zhang Chen then seized the opportunity to announce: "No problem, Ms. Julie's performance was flawless!"

The enchanting atmosphere has vanished.

The performance is fine, so the next step is to talk about money.

However, this is a matter between Sasha and Mary, and has nothing to do with the three of them.

The two went into the room and closed the door to talk, while the three outside drank tea and chatted.

That's what an agent does. No matter how heated the arguments are inside, Jolie can act like she doesn't know anything and it won't affect her relationship with the production company.

Inside the room, a heated debate was indeed taking place.

Sasha: "No, this price is too high, we can't accept it!"

Mary: "But Angie is worth that price. Looking back, she has 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith,' and more recently, 'Salt.' In the action actress category, Angie is one of a kind!"

Sasha: "Alright, Fan Binbin is also a very suitable candidate. You should know that she was originally cast for this role, but she had to be replaced because her salary was too high. Now Angie's salary is even higher than Fan's. Do you think we would agree to that?"

Since it's a business negotiation, neither side will care too much about saving face, which is also a way to lower the price.

"No, how can Fan compare to Angie? There are no outsiders here, so let's be frank. Fan has an Asian face, and Angie is completely outmatched by the audience in terms of acceptance. Believe me, Angie joining Mission: Impossible 4 will definitely raise the film's international profile to another level..."

Sasha frowned. "Mary, we admire Angie's acting skills, but our budget is indeed limited. Could we discuss this further?"

Mary shook her head: "Sasha, this is already our bottom line. We can't lower it any further."

Sasha's brows furrowed deeply; she sensed that Mary wasn't there to negotiate at all.

She thought that since the other party was still willing to audition even though they knew Fan was out due to budget issues, they were at least prepared to lower their fee, but it seems that the other party did not have that intention.

Negotiations reached an impasse.

"Then we'll probably have to think about it."

This is actually another way of saying "I refuse".

Sasha noticed Mary's expression but found that the other woman didn't seem to mind.

The two opened the door and came out, where the three people were chatting animatedly.

"Tom, Angie, it's still early. If you're free, I'll take you around BJ and let you try some local BJ snacks."

Tom Cruise immediately agreed: "Sure, I've been wanting to see the alleyways of Beijing for ages!"

Julie smiled and said, "No problem, I've always been full of anticipation for the mysterious Eastern power."

Upon seeing the two emerge, the three of them all looked over.

"Oh, where are you planning to take them?"

Seeing that Sasha didn't say anything like "pleasant to cooperate," Zhang Chen knew that the talks had probably fallen apart or hadn't yielded any results, so he simply changed the subject and started talking about the itinerary for later.

Without hesitation, Zhang Chen led Tom Cruise and Angelina Jolie to Nanluoguxiang.

As soon as they entered the alley, the two were attracted by the various stalls, craft shops and a wide variety of snacks along the roadside.

Zhang Chen took the two of them to eat stinky tofu, the most common kind in the commercial street, but the two still thought it was delicious.

It smells so bad, how come it smells so good?
It was inevitable that they would be recognized along the way, and there were bound to be many people asking for photos.

Nanluoguxiang has a relatively strong commercial atmosphere, and Zhang Chen then took them to visit some ordinary hutongs.

Elderly men and women sat chatting on small stools by the door, holding groceries they had just bought, while children chased and played in the alley, their laughter ringing out.

“This place is so different from Los Angeles,” Tom Cruise said, looking around curiously. “These old houses are really unique.”

Zhang Chen smiled and introduced, "These hutongs have a history of hundreds of years, and each hutong has its own story." Around noon, he took the two of them to the Old Beijing Fried Noodles King in Hongqiao.

As the three entered, the servant at the door loudly announced, "Three guests!"
This approach was quite novel; not only the two foreign friends, but even Zhang Chen, a local, found it interesting.

There are many foreigners here, and even though the waiters recognized the three as big stars, they just glanced at them a couple of times and didn't think anything of it.

The three of them found a seat by the window and sat down: "This restaurant's Zhajiangmian (noodles with soybean paste) is the most authentic in Beijing. You must try it."

The Old Beijing Fried Sauce Noodle King is the best fried sauce noodles Zhang Chen has ever eaten. Whenever friends from out of town come to visit, he takes them there.

Unfortunately, the store disappeared due to the later redevelopment of Hongqiao.

The waiter brought out three bowls of noodles with soybean paste, along with several side dishes—smashed cucumber, pickled radish, and donkey rolls.

Julie picked up her chopsticks, carefully stirred the noodles, took a bite, and her eyes immediately lit up: "It tastes so good! Much more authentic than the Chinese food I've had in America."

Tom Cruise also enjoyed his meal immensely, and even joked, "If I had known the snacks in Beijing were this good, I would have come much sooner!"

After finishing their noodles with soybean paste, Zhang Chen took the two of them to stroll along Wangfujing Snack Street.

Julie was very interested in the candied hawthorns sold on the roadside. Zhang Chen bought her a skewer, and after taking a bite, the sweet and sour taste made her smile: "This is so delicious! I want to take a few skewers back to the United States for my children to try."

Tom Cruise was particularly interested in the old teahouses in the alley. The three of them went into one, ordered a pot of jasmine tea, and listened to excerpts of Peking Opera on stage.

Although Tom Cruise couldn't understand what was being sung, he was still captivated by the performance: "This art form is so unique and very moving."

As the afternoon wore on, the setting sun bathed the old houses in the alley in gold.

Julie took out her phone and took many photos, including brick walls in the alley, old trees by the roadside, and photos of her with Tom Cruise and Zhang Chen.

“I’ve had a really great day,” she said to Zhang Chen sincerely. “Thank you for showing us so many places and letting me see a different side of Beijing.”

Zhang Chen smiled and said, "You're welcome. I hope you like it here."

Julie knew that although she might not get the role in Mission: Impossible 4, the day they spent together had brought them much closer—perhaps not in the way Mary described, but she believed that the friendship built in the everyday atmosphere of the alley was more precious than any business collaboration.

In the evening, the three of them finally returned to the hotel.

Before parting, Zhang Chen reminded everyone, "You've all had a long day and are exhausted. Get some rest!"

……

In her hotel room, Jolie had just removed her makeup, her face still glistening with the moisture from her skincare products. She swiped her fingertips across her phone screen and dialed Brad Pitt's video call.

The phone rang three times before Pitt's face appeared on the screen—he had just finished filming on set, his hair was a little messy, and the sounds of crew members packing up equipment could be heard in the background.

"Hi, honey, how was your day? Did the audition go well?"

Pitt's voice was tired, but he still managed a smile, and his gaze softened when it fell on Jolie.

Julie leaned back on the sofa and casually picked up a candied hawthorn from the coffee table—it was bought from Wangfujing that afternoon, the sugar coating still intact, glistening and translucent around the hawthorn.

"The audition went well; the director was quite satisfied."

She took a bite of the candied hawthorn, the sweet and sour juice spreading on her tongue, her tone revealing little emotion, "But today Zhang Chen took Tom and me to stroll through the hutongs, eat zha jiang mian (noodles with soybean paste), and even went to an old teahouse to listen to Peking Opera, it was quite interesting."

"Peking Opera?" Pete raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes. "Can you understand it?"

"I couldn't understand it, but the costumes worn by the performers on stage were beautiful, and their singing style was very unique."

Julie smiled, her fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of her phone. "BJ is more lively than I imagined, especially in the alleys. There are all kinds of local snacks, and old men and women sitting at their doorways chatting. It's very lively."

Pitt nodded, about to say something, when his assistant's voice suddenly came from behind him: "Brad, it's time to remove your makeup. We have to get up early tomorrow to film the sunrise scene."

He turned around and responded, but when he turned back, the tenderness in his eyes had faded a little: "Then get some rest, be careful, and let me know if you hear anything."

"Well, don't overwork yourself." Julie's voice softened, but she didn't say anything else.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds, then Pete on the screen waved and hung up the phone first.

The blacked-out screen revealed Jolie's face, and her smile slowly faded—during the call, she deliberately avoided mentioning the deadlock in the salary negotiations, nor did she reveal the true purpose of his visit, just as Pitt hadn't mentioned the female screenwriter who frequently appeared beside him on set.

After seven years of marriage, some things don't need to be said aloud; both parties understand each other perfectly well.

Julie got up and walked to the dressing mirror. The woman in the mirror was wearing a black silk nightgown that outlined the curve of her waist, and the skin around her collarbone shone with a delicate luster in the warm light.

She raised her hand to brush her cheek, pausing for a moment when her fingertips touched the corner of her eye—time hadn't left many marks on her face, but instead added a touch of mature allure to her eyes.

She knew her advantages; from Hollywood to the world, countless men had fallen at her feet, and Zhang Chen was no exception.

I am Angelina Jolie, the most sexually charged actress in all of Hollywood. No man can resist me.

What she has to do next might be to let down Pitt.

After all, they have been married for many years and are the parents of six children. Such behavior certainly cannot be considered loyalty.

But that guilt was only momentary, fleeting.

Over the years, Pitt's extramarital affairs have never stopped. She wasn't unaware of those late-night phone calls when he didn't come home, or the unfamiliar perfume scent on his suit; she just couldn't be bothered to expose them.

If he can do it, why can't I?
Moreover, Zhang Chen holds what she needs most – resources in the Chinese market, potential collaborations for "Mission: Impossible 4", and even tickets to more major Chinese films in the future.

Putting aside other benefits, if she wins over Zhang Chen, it will be equivalent to sowing discord between Zhang and Fan, thus eliminating a competitor.

As for Tom Cruise, Jolie certainly wanted to endorse him as well.

Tom is handsome, a top Hollywood star, and has a lot of resources at his disposal.

However, in terms of cost-effectiveness, it may not be as good as Zhang Chen's.

Julie took off her clothes, turned around and walked to the dressing room, taking a long, dark brown trench coat from the hanger.

The trench coat is made of suede, with a matching belt at the waist, which not only covers the traces of pajamas but also makes her figure appear even taller.

She wasn't wearing makeup, only a layer of mauve lipstick. When she fastened the trench coat buttons with her fingertips, her movements were crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

Stepping out of the room, the carpet in the hallway absorbed the sound of footsteps, leaving only the warm yellow glow of the hallway lamps on the walls.

She stood between two doors—Tom Cruise's room on the left and Zhang Chen's room on the right.

His fingertip hovered over the left doorknob for a second before turning to the right.

The knocking was soft, yet it was exceptionally clear in the quiet corridor.

Three taps, neither too fast nor too slow, carrying a confident probe.

Footsteps came from inside the door, and then the lock clicked open.

Zhang Chen was wearing a light gray loungewear set, and her hair looked more casual than when it was neatly styled during the day.

When he saw Julie at the door, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it, replacing it with a calm and composed look.

Julie didn't speak, but bit her lower lip slightly—she clearly remembered that it was this gesture during the day that made Zhang Chen glance at her a few more times.

Her gaze fell on Zhang Chen, her eyes filled with undisguised desire.

The corridor light fell on her face, making the color of her lipstick appear exceptionally soft in the night. A small patch of skin exposed at the collar of her trench coat shimmered with a delicate glow under the warm light.

She stood there, like a rose quietly blooming in the night, thorny yet alluring.

Zhang Chen didn't let her in immediately, nor did he close the door. He simply leaned against the doorframe, meeting her gaze.

There seemed to be a subtle electric current flowing in the air. On one side was Julie's proactive probing, and on the other was Zhang Chen's calm response. Both of them knew the other's purpose, but neither of them spoke first.

This battle over resources and appeal has only just begun.

Finally, Julie spoke first: "I don't think I performed very well at the audition during the day. I'd like to try again."

Zhang Chen smirked: "Alright, then please begin your performance."

Behind another door, Tom Cruise, hiding behind the peephole, pursed his lips, seemingly resigned to his defeat.

He had been wondering whether Julie would choose him or Zhang Chen, and he was still a bit conflicted. If Julie really knocked on his door, should he open it or not?
Now it's all good, no need to worry about it anymore, sigh~
(End of this chapter)