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A week after the cast of "The Story of Minglan" was finalized, Chen Xiaojun was looking at a list of actors' profiles in the conference room of Guangguai Luli Film and Television Company.

"Was this Tian Xiwei just signed last week?" she asked Li Na, the director of the artist management department.

“Yes, she’s a freshman in the acting department at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, 19 years old.” Li Na handed over more information. “She’s only played the third female lead in one web series before, but she was very talented during the audition. I signed a five-year contract, and the profit sharing is based on the newcomer standard.”

Chen Xiaojun flipped through the audition videos. The girl in the video played a scene from "Dream of the Red Chamber" as Shi Xiangyun. She was charming and natural, with clear eyes.

"What kind of roles do you think she's best suited for?" Chen Xiaojun asked.

“She’s young, sweet-looking, and a total cutie with big eyes, perfect for playing younger sister roles.” Li Na thought for a moment, “She could try playing Ru Lan or Mo Lan, the four sisters of the Sheng family in ‘The Story of Ming Lan’.”

"Mo Lan is scheming, she might not be suitable, after all, it requires too much acting skill."

"Mr. Chen, that's what I think too."

“As for Rulan…” Chen Xiaojun’s eyes lit up, “that innocent, charming, and willful fifth young lady?”

"There is a resemblance in temperament, but although Rulan is a supporting role, she has a lot of screen time, and she has to act opposite you, her 'sixth sister,' so there is a lot of pressure," Li Na said frankly. "She is only a freshman in college, and she also lacks experience."

Chen Xiaojun closed the document: "Call her to the company first, I want to meet her."

"it is good."

Half an hour later, Tian Xiwei arrived.

The girl was wearing a simple white T-shirt and jeans, with her hair in a ponytail, no makeup, and was very tall.

He seemed a little nervous as he entered: "Hello, Mr. Chen, hello, Director Li."

"Sit down, don't be nervous," Chen Xiaojun said with a smile. "Would you like some water?"

"No need, no need." Tian Xiwei sat down properly opposite her, placing her hands on her knees.

Chen Xiaojun sized her up: she was about 170 cm tall, with a petite frame, a round face, big eyes, and canine teeth when she smiled. She was indeed very popular with the audience.

How tall are you?

"Mr. Chen, my height is 168.5 cm."

"Being tall gives me a lot of confidence! I even include a decimal point when I report my height."

"Hehe, Mr. Chen, I am indeed very confident in my height."

"Hmm, have you read the original novel of 'The Story of Minglan'?"

“I’ve read it!” Tian Xiwei nodded immediately. “After Director Li gave me the script outline last month, I finished reading the original novel and even made character notes.”

"Oh? Tell me your understanding of the Sheng sisters."

Tian Xiwei took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down: "The four sisters of the Sheng family have completely different personalities. Hualan is the eldest sister, dignified and elegant; Molan is proud and arrogant, and cunning; Rulan is innocent and charming, and somewhat willful; Minglan... Minglan is unassuming and wise in disguise."

Which character do you like?

“I like them all, but I want to play Rulan the most.” Tian Xiwei’s eyes lit up. After all, her agent had already analyzed it with her. “She lives the most authentic life. She laughs when she’s happy and makes a fuss when she’s angry. Although she’s sometimes immature, she’s kind-hearted and good to Minglan.”

Chen Xiaojun and Li Na exchanged a glance, realizing the intelligence and wit of the little girl in front of them.

“You’ll act out a scene with Rulan,” Chen Xiaojun said. “It’s the scene where she and Minglan are having a private conversation in their boudoir. You’ll play Rulan.”

There was no script; this was an improvisational test.

Tian Xi was slightly taken aback, but quickly got into the zone.

She adjusted her posture, straightened her back, and raised her chin slightly—this was the demeanor of the legitimate daughter, Rulan.

"Sixth Sister, have you heard? Mother is going to arrange another marriage for me." She said in a coquettish tone, "That young master from the Li family last time, he's as short as a gourd, I don't want to marry him!"

Chen Xiaojun naturally picked up where Minglan left off: "Fifth Sister, you can't say things like that carelessly. If Madam hears you, she'll scold you again."

"So what if I heard that!" Tian Xiwei (Rulan) pouted. "I'm not getting married! If I'm going to marry, I'll marry someone like Young Master Qi, so elegant and refined!"

"How could we possibly be worthy of someone like Young Master Qi..."

"I don't care! I'm not going to marry just anyone!" She suddenly leaned closer and lowered her voice, "Sixth Sister, I'll tell you a secret—I secretly went to the front hall yesterday and saw that Wen family scholar, he's incredibly handsome!"

In just two minutes, she brought a charming and willful young lady to life.

After the performance, Tian Xiwei was a little embarrassed: "I...I didn't perform well, I was too nervous."

Chen Xiaojun smiled: "You acted well. Li Na, take her to sign Ru Lan's performance contract."

Tian Xiwei was stunned: "Really...really? I can really play Rulan?"

“The contract is for three months, you’ll be filming on set, and your pay will be based on the newcomer standard,” Chen Xiaojun said. “But you have to promise me three things.”

"You say!"

"First, read the original novel three more times before joining the crew and write a 20,000-word character biography. Second, get up half an hour early every day during filming to practice your posture, as the demeanor of Song Dynasty ladies is different from that of modern people. Third, your acting skills... are somewhat hard to describe. When you get to the crew, you must humbly seek advice and never neglect your acting skills because of your beauty."

"I will definitely do it!" Tian Xiwei's face turned red with excitement.

After she went out with Li Na, Chen Xiaojun called Su Ning.

“Su Ning, I’ve decided on the actress for Ru Lan. Her name is Tian Xiwei. She’s a student at the Shanghai Theatre Academy and a newcomer I just signed.”

On the other end of the phone, Su Ning was in a technical meeting at Tiangong Auto: "Your decision is fine. But although Ru Lan's role isn't large, it's crucial. Is her acting up?"

"His acting skills are a bit lacking! But he has a lot of talent, and with a little guidance, he should be quite good," Chen Xiaojun said. "Besides, I'm thinking that our company should also cultivate new talents. We can't always rely on the old folks like us to carry the show."

"You decide what to do. By the way, Hou Hongliang and Director Zhang invited us to dinner tonight to discuss the script reading time. Remember to bring Tian Xiwei's information to show them."

"it is good."

That evening, in a private room at the West Lake State Guesthouse.

After reviewing Tian Xiwei's information and audition footage, Hou Hongliang nodded: "Her image and temperament match Rulan's. Although her acting skills are still immature, they have a certain charm. President Chen has a good eye."

Director Zhang Kaizhou asked more specifically, "Has she tried on period costumes before?"

"Not yet, but I've asked the stylist to do a makeup trial for her tomorrow," Chen Xiaojun said. "If you two think it's okay, then we'll choose Rulan."

“Okay,” Hou Hongliang decided. “However, Mr. Chen, I must remind you that newcomers are prone to nervousness when filming, especially when acting opposite a mature actor like you. They might not be able to keep up with the performance. You need to be patient during filming.”

"I see."

After finishing their business, Zhang Kaizhou brought up another matter: "President Su, President Chen, there's something else. We originally cast another actress for the role of Mo Lan, but yesterday her agent said there was a scheduling conflict and she had to cancel. Does your company have a suitable candidate?"

Chen Xiaojun thought for a moment: "The character Mo Lan... is proud and arrogant, and cunning. The actress needs to have that kind of 'beautiful yet self-aware' arrogance."

“Yes, and she should have a scholarly air about her, after all, she is a young lady from the Sheng family,” Zhang Kaizhou added.

Su Ning, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "I recommend someone—Zhang Shishi."

"Zhang Shishi?" Hou Hongliang recalled, "The one who acted in 'Legend of Dragon Pearl'?"

“Yes, she worked with Guangguai Luli on a web series last year. Her acting was good, and her period costume look was also good,” Su Ning said. “Most importantly, she has that ‘I am beautiful, I know it’ quality, which matches Mo Lan.”

Chen Xiaojun glanced at Su Ning with some surprise—he actually knew so much about actresses? Hou Hongliang and Zhang Kaizhou exchanged glances: "We've seen Zhang Shishi's acting; it's indeed quite good. What does President Chen think?"

“I have no objection,” Chen Xiaojun said. “However, we have to audition. The role of Mo Lan is more difficult than Lan’s, so we can’t just look at her appearance.”

"Then let's arrange for makeup and screen tests together tomorrow," Hou Hongliang decided.

On the way home, Chen Xiaojun asked Su Ning, "How do you know so much about Zhang Shishi?"

Suning was looking at a technical report on his phone without looking up: "This is data compiled by Afu. It has detailed evaluation reports for all the actors the company has worked with. Zhang Shishi's overall score ranks in the top three among the new generation."

"It's Afu again," Chen Xiaojun muttered. "You're such an all-around professional manager."

"As long as it works well." Su Ning put away his phone. "By the way, Tian Xiwei has signed a contract. How do you plan to develop her?"

"Let's finish filming 'The Story of Ming Lan' with the crew first and see how she performs," ​​Chen Xiaojun said. "If she really has potential, we'll send her to an acting class after filming and have a teacher specifically teach her lines and etiquette."

“Training new talent is a long-term process.”

“I know, but someone has to do it.” Chen Xiaojun leaned back in his chair. “Look at the film and television industry now, how serious is the talent gap? Actors over 30 years old are getting narrower and narrower roles, while those under 20 can’t carry big productions. As producers, we have a responsibility to discover and cultivate new talent.”

Suning nodded: "Tell me what resources you need."

"Hmph! I thought you were going to say that I should make all the decisions."

"Hehe, I'm all yours now, what more could you want?"

"Suning, I'm suddenly so scared."

"What are you afraid of?"

"The entertainment industry is a big melting pot. Pretty girls are fighting tooth and nail to get in. I'm afraid you might change your mind one day."

"Actually... I entered the entertainment industry by accident. You know best what happened back then. After I made money in the stock market, my first thought was to try my luck in the entertainment industry. My goal was indeed to date female celebrities."

"Hmph! You're quite frank."

"There's nothing I can do! I really like you, so naturally I don't want to lie to you."

"Then tell me honestly, when you were filming 'Ode to Joy' with Yun Xiao last time, did you have any bad intentions?"

"With so many intimate scenes, it's impossible not to feel anything."

"you……"

"Xiaojun, there are too many things I can't promise you, but the only thing I can promise you is that you will always be the Empress."

"..." Chen Xiaojun was naturally very clear about this.

Logically speaking, Su Ning's official girlfriend should have been Fan Lin, but in the end, Su Ning secretly married Chen Xiaojun.

Fan Lin still doesn't know about this, so Chen Xiaojun really doesn't need to compete with those women for her affections.

"Su Ning, I know I can't ask anything of you, but Lin Yunxiao and I have a special relationship. I hope you can handle this well and not let me lose this good friend."

"Don't worry! Just pretend you don't know anything! I won't force her. If she doesn't want to, I won't hold a knife to her neck."

……

Three days later, in the bizarre and wonderful company rehearsal room.

For the first time, Tian Xiwei wore the attire of a young lady from the Song Dynasty: a light pink jacket, a moon-white pleated skirt, and her hair was styled in two buns adorned with pearl flowers.

She stood in front of the mirror, somewhat at a loss.

"Put your hands here, walk slowly, and take small steps." Chen Xiaojun personally demonstrated. She graduated with a degree in opera. "Ladies in the Song Dynasty were particular about 'not showing their feet when walking and not showing their teeth when laughing.' Have you seen 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival'? The women in it all acted like that."

Tian Xiwei tried to learn diligently, but her movements were stiff.

"Relax, don't think 'I'm acting,' just think 'I am Rulan.'" Chen Xiaojun patiently instructed, "Rulan is the legitimate daughter, and she was pampered growing up, so when she walks, her chin is slightly raised, her eyes are bright when she looks at people, and her voice is clear and crisp..."

Just then, the rehearsal room door opened, and Su Ning and Zhang Shishi walked in.

Zhang Shishi came to try out the makeup and styling for the Mo Lan look today. She wore a light purple dress and had a cool and aloof temperament, which indeed gave her the arrogance of the "Fourth Miss of the Sheng Family".

"President Chen, President Su," Zhang Shishi greeted politely.

"Shishi is here." Chen Xiaojun greeted her with a smile. "This is Tian Xiwei, who plays Rulan. You two are sisters in the play."

Tian Xiwei quickly bowed and said, "Hello, Teacher Zhang!"

"Don't call me teacher, just call me Shishi," Zhang Shishi said gently. "You look good, very much like Rulan."

Over the next two hours, Chen Xiaojun led the two in rehearsing several scenes of sisters acting together.

Zhang Shishi, as expected of an experienced actress, quickly got into character.

The character she played, Mo Lan, appeared gentle on the surface, but harbored scheming in her eyes, and her words were always laced with barbs.

At first, Tian Xiwei couldn't keep up with the performance, but after a few tries, she gradually found her footing.

Her portrayal of Rulan is innocent and straightforward; she gets easily provoked by Molan's few words, perfectly embodying a spoiled little girl.

After the rehearsal, Chen Xiaojun was very satisfied: "Not bad, the chemistry between the sisters is there. Xiwei, you've improved a lot today."

Tian Xiwei wiped her sweat and smiled shyly: "It's thanks to President Chen's excellent teaching and Sister Shishi's excellent guidance."

Zhang Shishi also praised her: "Xiwei is very talented and grasps things quickly. Perform well, the role of Rulan will be outstanding if played well."

After Zhang Shishi left, Tian Xi whispered to Chen Xiaojun, "President Chen, may I ask you a question?"

"ask."

"You and President Su are both big bosses, why do you have to act in this ourselves? And so seriously..."

Chen Xiaojun smiled: "Because I love it. Acting was our initial passion, and even now that we're bosses, that passion hasn't changed. And—"

She paused for a moment: "Only by standing in front of the camera yourself can you know what actors need and how to create good works. This is something you can never learn sitting in an office."

Tian Xiwei nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

"Alright, that's enough for today." Chen Xiaojun patted her shoulder. "Go back and study your character carefully. Next week is the script reading. Don't let me down."

"I will definitely work hard!"

Watching Tian Xiwei's joyful departure, Chen Xiaojun thought to herself: Perhaps ten years later, this girl will become a dazzling and popular leading lady.

What she and Suning want to do is give these talented young people a chance to shine.

Just as someone gave them a chance back then, this is the kind of inheritance that the film and television industry should have.

As for Su Ning's ulterior motives, since we can't stop him, we might as well just ignore them.

Perhaps the so-called bottom line is meant to be crossed; once you encounter that devil, you can no longer hold onto that bottom line.

...(End of chapter)