Shadow of Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 52 Controversy
In the capital city in September, the heat has not yet completely dissipated, and the scorching sunlight is pouring down wantonly.

The asphalt road surface was also baked slightly soft, and as the vehicles sped past, it left behind a series of blurry heat wave patterns.

Beijing Film Academy is like a cool oasis, shielding against the summer heat. The campus is shaded by green trees, and the rustling of branches and leaves seems to be whispering, welcoming the new students who come to study.

Yesterday, Hu Xiaobei took time out to attend the opening ceremony of Beijing Film Academy.

The auditorium was brightly lit, the seats were neatly arranged, and the air was filled with a unique scent of paper and leather.

On the stage, the lights were focused, and Hu Xiaobei stood straight, delivering a speech in his dual identities as the top scorer in the college entrance examination and a student of Beijing Film Academy. His calm and confident voice echoed on all four walls of the auditorium.

After the ceremony, Hu Xiaobei stepped out of the auditorium step by step, facing the dazzling circle of light.

As for the subsequent military training and normal classes, he did not participate.

Back in the preparatory group's office, the old air conditioner was creaking, sending out a relatively cool breeze. Documents were piled up on the desk, and the computer was humming.

Thanks to Hu Xiaobei's joining these days, the originally stagnant atmosphere in the preparatory group has been broken, discussions are heard one after another, and work efficiency has been visibly improved.

This is how the crew works. Whoever has the ability, the connections, and the more say will have a higher status.

Hu Xiaobei has all the qualifications, and his status in the hearts of everyone in the preparatory group is gradually increasing.

With the continuous recognition from investors and the crew, Hu Xiaobei was given the position of special consultant.

This is because he is a low-key person, otherwise Ma Dajun would have wanted to give him the title of director.

Due to time constraints, at Hu Xiaobei's suggestion, many newcomers were divided into two tests, civil and military, in the name of the final audition, and scored.

It’s hard to say about the written test, as beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

The martial arts test is much simpler. Those who can meet the standards can meet the standards, and those who cannot meet the standards will not be able to meet the standards in the short term.

This way, the screening process is much faster.

Among all the newcomers, the best one is Sun Feifei.

However, even she is far from being suitable for the role of Xiaolongnu, whether in terms of martial arts test scores, literary test scores or appearance.

Moreover, this was also the candidate recommended by the production team. In the early days, Da Huzi thought she was more suitable to play Gongsun Lue'e.

As a result, the casting process has reached a deadlock again.

Time was running out, and the preparatory meeting room was filled with smoke.

The investor's representative frowned, took a deep drag on his cigarette, flicked the ash impatiently, and said in a deep voice, "If the casting is delayed any further, the costs will be unbearable!"

The producer also looked helpless, holding the information in his hand tightly, and the paper was wrinkled.

In view of this, the investors proposed to use An Xiaoqian to play the role of Xiaolongnu.

After some debate, the investors proposed to decide who would play the role of Xiaolongnu by secret ballot, and An Xiaoqian was far ahead.

After all, based on previous auditions and online voting, she was considered the best choice.

If there hadn't been some opposition before, and if it weren't for the Xun Ge'er incident, the crew might have decided on An Xiaoqian long ago.

However, this matter once again aroused opposition from the producers, and the suggestion of letting Xun Ge'er star in the film was mentioned again.

More complications arise and the conflict intensifies again.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was tense, with everyone arguing and refusing to give in.

Seeing that they were about to fall into another vicious circle, the investors were really angry and directly said, "Why not let the two candidates enter the previous civil and military examinations and make the final decision?"

Xun Ge'er was already considered a big star at this time. She had never participated in an audition, so it was okay for her to compete with newcomers in acting skills, but if she also had to take a martial arts test, it would be a bit difficult.

Although An Xiaoqian's role is smaller, she fits the role very well and is very popular.

Even though she had already won the audition and online voting, the then director Yu Minjie publicly rejected her to the media on the grounds that she was too young and had no emotional experience and was not suitable for the role.

Of course, this statement is quite contradictory and worth further study.

After all, during the audition, An Xiaoqian was the one who performed the best and was recognized by everyone.

Even the bearded guy applauded her image and acting skills. If that was really the reason for rejection, why did he let her audition?

Even in this situation, it is somewhat difficult to let An Xiaoqian try this and that.

Seeing that they were about to fail again, the investors turned their attention to the duo from Beijing Film Academy.

After all, we are from the same school, so we should have some ties with each other!
So, the task of communication fell on Zhou Xiaowen and Hu Xiaobei.

Then, with Zhou Xiaowen's support, it finally fell on Hu Xiaobei alone.

Hu Xiaobei glanced at Zhou Xiaowen unhappily, then carried him up as well.

The two stood up together and made their bottom line clear in public: "It's okay for us to communicate, but if An Xiaoqian comes to audition for Wu Pei.

But Xun Ge'er didn't come, and no more suitable candidate was found in a short time.

Then let's choose An Xiaoqian. Otherwise, let's choose Xun Ge'er, what do you think?"

Seeing someone come out to resolve the problem and take responsibility, both sides no longer had any objections.

Hu Xiaobei is not someone who can be easily treated as a firecracker. He winked at Zhou Xiaowen.

Zhou Xiaowen cleared his throat in public, indicating that he had something to say.

When everyone was staring at him, he patted Hu Xiaobei's shoulder and gave up his seat.

Hu Xiaobei put one hand on Zhou Xiaowen's shoulder, exerting a little force, then looked around.

He said seriously and solemnly, "Let me be frank upfront. If we've tricked someone into coming here to save face, I hope everyone will behave as we just said. Otherwise, we won't be able to go back to Beijing Film Academy."

If it weren't for Hu Xiaobei, Zhou Xiaowen wouldn't care at all whether to shoot this drama or not.

Hearing this, he immediately agreed: "That's right, this matter of the heroine has nothing to do with us.

We've put our heads together this time, and we hope everyone won't use this method to kick us out of the crew afterward!"

This statement was a bit harsh, but it was also within reason. The investors were happy to see it happen and quickly responded and made guarantees.

The producers were also the ones who had just put someone in the fire, so there was nothing more to say at this point and they could only go along with it.

Time was tight, so Zhou Xiaowen and Hu Xiaobei called An Xiaoqian as soon as they left the preparatory group and drove all the way back to Beijing Film Academy.

Today is September 9th, the beginning of the school year. The Beijing Film Academy is crowded with people inside and outside the campus. Freshmen are laughing and walking around the campus in groups.

Due to the large flow of people inside and outside the school these two days, the two parties agreed to meet in Principal Zhang's office.

It has been ten days since I last saw An Xiaoqian. During this time, Hu Xiaobei cleared his mind and devoted himself to his work.

He has reached the state where there is no woman in his heart and he is as natural as a god when he draws his sword.

A mere An Xiaoqian wants to disturb my mind?
Haha, don’t even think about it!
When the two arrived at the open door of Principal Zhang's office, they saw him chatting with An Xiaoqian and a beautiful and elegant woman.

She was wearing an exquisite pink off-shoulder top with a light pink thin jacket draped lazily over her shoulders.

The soft fabric fits her skin well, her shoulders and neck are graceful, her skin is fair, and the color of the clothes makes her look excellent, like a delicate and beautiful peach blossom, emitting charming radiance and adding a bit of casualness and elegance.

Her hair is black and thick, falling naturally on her shoulders like a waterfall, sparkling with a shiny black luster under the light, adding a touch of gentleness and charm to her temperament.

She has a graceful figure, eyes full of autumn water, her words are full of intelligence, and her every move is full of mature charm. She is An Xiaoqian's mother Liu Xiaoli.

The two walked into Principal Zhang's office with just the right smile on their faces.

He first greeted Principal Zhang, then looked at Liu Xiaoli and her daughter, and greeted them politely.

An Xiaoqian raised her eyes, a complex emotion flashing across them, including the joy of reunion and a bit of uneasiness due to unresolved concerns.

He just blinked at Hu Xiaobei as a greeting, and soon lowered his head like a child.

Liu Xiaoli was very graceful. She stood up and shook hands with the two men one after another, smiling and saying, "Thank you for making this trip. I'll have to trouble you two with Xixi's matter."

Although her voice was gentle, it revealed a sharpness that should not be underestimated.

(End of this chapter)