Top Chinese celebrity: Debuted from Running Man

Chapter 401 Da Tiantian's Sense of Crisis (6.6k)
……

……

Gu Qing had no idea before that the director of the drama "Love O2O" was...
It turned out to be director Lin Yufen, who had worked with him on "Legend of Nine Tails Fox".

In my past life, who would pay attention to the director's credits when watching a drama?

The fact that the two are collaborating again is quite a coincidence, as if it were predestined.

Even director Lin Yufen himself was pleasantly surprised and happy.

After successfully completing the filming of "Legend of Nine Tails Fox", she took a break to recuperate for a while.

During this period, she naturally received many scripts seeking collaboration.

However, perhaps their standards have become too high, judging from both the overall quality of the scripts and the appearance and temperament of the potential actors.
All of this made Lin Yufen, who had just finished working with a top-tier production like Gu Qing, feel a huge sense of disappointment and she really couldn't muster any desire to take on the role.

can only say,
The "top-notch collaborative experience" that Gu Qing brought was so intense that it caused her to unconsciously raise her standards for projects by several levels.

With Gu Qing's arrival, he received an unprecedented level of popularity both inside and outside the film crew.

Needless to say, the crew members flocked to him, surrounding him with warm and respectful greetings; just the way he walked...
The excited and enthusiastic greetings from the Beijing Film Academy students queuing in the corridor for their interviews were enough to prove his popularity.

"Senior Gu Qing!"

"Hello, Mr. Gu!"

"Brother Gu Qing!"

Gu Qing always wore a gentle smile on her face. As she walked, she naturally waved to the students on both sides, maintaining that rare and approachable friendliness.

In the few weeks since he enrolled, it's safe to say that almost every student on the entire Beijing Film Academy campus has seen him in person.

Many people have been lucky enough to receive his autograph or take a photo with him.

Gu Qing's kind and gentle demeanor, bordering on top-notch in his professional interactions, had already, through these small, everyday moments, demonstrated his powerful ability to attract fans.

He left a deep impression on every student who came into contact with him, making them completely admire him.

These seemingly small, but accumulated sincere efforts naturally brought him rich rewards.

Those journalists and self-media outlets who spend their days staking out the area near schools, trying to extract information from students, have discovered that...

Whenever students from the Beijing Film Academy are interviewed, regardless of gender, they almost all act like "fans" when Gu Qing is mentioned, showering him with praise and finding virtually no flaws in him.

These genuine and widespread positive reviews from "people around us" were then disseminated through media channels.

This further consolidated and enhanced Gu Qing's excellent reputation and image among the general public.

Seeing this warm and sincere scene before her eyes, Jing Tian felt a mix of emotions, and was filled with envy.

She actually arrived at the interview location a step earlier than Gu Qing. When the director, screenwriter, and producer saw her, they also greeted her with polite and respectful smiles.

Among the students queuing outside, a few of the bolder ones would blush and timidly call out to her, "Senior Sister Jing Tian."

Yet that invisible barrier, stemming from a sense of distance and unfamiliarity, remains clearly visible.

This was completely different from the genuine enthusiasm Gu Qing had shown when she arrived.

……

"Gu, it's too noisy outside, let's go inside and talk."

Director Lin Yufen smiled, affectionately took Gu Qing's wrist, and walked towards the classroom on the first floor that was being used as the interview venue.

The classroom was already set up. Behind a long table, there were six chairs.

Director Lin Yufen, two screenwriters, and one producer.

The four core creators sat on the outer edges of the long table on both sides.

Behind them, on the wall, were eye-catching promotional posters for the auditions of "Love O2O".

The two most central and core positions at the long table are naturally reserved for the male and female leads of the drama—Gu Qing and Jing Tian.

Good morning, junior brother!

Jing Tian had already returned to her seat. Seeing Gu Qing approach,
Her crystal-clear eyes immediately curved into crescent moons as she looked at him with a smile, her pearly teeth slightly showing, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible teasing.

She was secretly chuckling to herself, wondering if Gu Qing had noticed the "masterpiece" she had left on his coat yesterday—a cute little pig's head.

"morning."

Faced with her obviously ill-intentioned expression, Gu Qing simply nodded slightly and replied with a single word.

He then sat down in his seat and completely ignored her, as if she were sitting next to him in thin air.

He naturally turned his head and chatted warmly with Director Lin Yufen and Teacher Gu Man on his left.

Being so completely ignored, Da Tiantian gritted her teeth in anger, and began to fantasize about sticking voodoo dolls in Gu Qing's back.

During the chat,
Gu Qing also took out the original biography, which she had filled with notes, and humbly asked Gu Man for advice on a few questions she had about understanding the character "Xiao Nai" after reading it.

His respect for the original work and his dedication to studying the character deeply moved and pleased Gu Man.

She has worked with many A-list celebrities, and on the surface, she is naturally polite and respectful to the original author.

But often behind the scenes, they'll have their agents or company executives put pressure on them using various pretexts.
They often infuriated her by demanding that she drastically revise the script according to the actors' preferences or market considerations.

after all,

In this industry, no matter how much power screenwriters have, they often appear weak and powerless in the face of star actors who have huge popularity and capital.

Actors like Gu Qing, who are top-tier celebrities yet still manage to immerse themselves in studying the original work, respect the originality, and engage in equal discussions with the screenwriter about the core of the character, are truly rare and invaluable.

With all the interviewers present, the casting auditions for the film crew officially began.

It must be said that most students at the Beijing Film Academy have a rather "brave" mentality.

Gu Qing picked up the audition list compiled by the production team and glanced at it. She found that the most competitive roles were concentrated in the four positions of the second male lead "Cao Guang", the third male lead "KO", the second female lead "Zhao Erxi", and the third female lead "Meng Yiran".

Students who signed up for these four popular roles alone accounted for more than 70% of the total number of applicants.

however,
The harsh reality is that these four highly anticipated supporting roles had already been "predetermined" by various forces through resource exchanges and other means.

The role of the second male lead, "Cao Guang," was given to an artist named "Bai Yu."

He is an artist under the management of the famous and top agent Yang Tianzhen and has good resources.

future,

He will gain a lot of popularity thanks to the broadcast of the BL drama "Guardian", and he has become quite popular.

The actor who plays the important supporting male role "KO" is Zhang Binbin, who is under the company of Da Mimi. It is unclear how he was managed to get the role.

It can be said,
The important male supporting characters who are Gu Qing's roommates in the drama have almost all been snapped up by several powerful entertainment companies.

As for the two most important female supporting actresses, it goes without saying that they were the result of a power struggle among various parties.

What troubled and frustrated Gu Qing the most was that his classmates seemed completely unaware of the underlying rules of the game.
Their targets were almost all these important supporting actors who were already taken.

Perhaps in the students' naive and simple understanding, their chances of being selected should be "very high" because of their relationship with Gu Qing as "classmates".

All I can say is... the children are still too naive.
You're oversimplifying the entertainment industry.

……

quickly,

The first boy to come in for an interview was Gu Qing's classmate, named Wang Jun.

"Hello, teachers! Hello, Brother Gu! Hello, Senior Sister Jing Tian!"

Wang Jun was clearly very nervous. His student-like face showed obvious unease, and his voice trembled slightly when he introduced himself, stammering, "I...the role I'm interviewing for is...'Cao Guang'."

Upon first seeing Wang Jun, both the picky director Lin Yufen and Gu Man secretly frowned.

"Why are you wearing so much white powder on your face, you big boy? And why are you wearing an earring?"

Lin Yufen, a director from Hong Kong and Guangdong, has a personality even more straightforward than most men, and speaks her mind directly, revealing a hint of disdain that is readily apparent.

The TV dramas she directs always pursue a realistic and natural aesthetic, with actors often sporting almost bare-faced makeup.

They either wear extremely light, bare-faced makeup, rarely using filters, and they don't really like this kind of obviously overly deliberate dressing up.

"Cao Guang?"

Gu Man, the screenwriter and author of the original work, then began with serious professional questions: "Why did you choose to interview for the role of Cao Guang?"
Do you think you and he share any similar traits or points of resonance?

In her writing, Cao Guang is a talented foreign language major from a family of diplomats. His appearance is described as "refined and handsome," and his temperament should carry the refinement and nobility of a scholarly family.

The young man in front of me, though dressed smartly, had a somewhat slouching posture. When asked crucial questions, he scratched his head and stammered.

Where is even a trace of the demeanor and bearing that a diplomat's son should possess?
Wang Jun stood in the center of the field, sweating profusely with nervousness, unsure of what to do with his hands and feet, completely at a loss.

"Wang Jun, don't be nervous,"

At this critical moment, Gu Qing spoke with a warm smile, attempting to ease the almost frozen atmosphere.

"The teachers are just asking routine questions to get your thoughts. Relax and start your performance segment."

Since the male lead had personally spoken to ease the tension, Gu Man didn't press the matter further, so she casually assigned an impromptu performance topic:
"Then you can act out a scene where Cao Guang mistakes Zhao Erxi for Bei Weiwei in the game and nervously confesses his feelings to her in real life."

"Huh? Teacher...?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Jun scratched his head in even greater confusion and blurted out, "Shouldn't we be acting out the scene where Cao Guang falls in love with Bei Weiwei at first sight when he first meets her on the basketball court?"
I...I've only practiced that one section repeatedly these past few days.

Gu Man: "..."

Lin Yufen: "..."

The two lead creators were speechless for a moment, and their gazes turned to Gu Qing, who was sitting in the center, with complicated expressions.

Faced with the silent gazes of the two people beside him, Gu Qing could only offer a helpless bitter smile, and opened his mouth...

Finally, he resigned himself to his fate, rubbing his forehead and bowing his head with a look of utter despair. He forced a smile and said, "...Fine, Wang Jun, then you can perform the scene you prepared."

Next,
Wang Jun poured all his hard work and effort from the past week into this short, "highlight" performance.

It must be said that this performance was... extremely "stunning".

He completely misunderstood the "stunning beauty" Cao Guang felt when he first saw Bei Weiwei in the original novel, and instead portrayed it as an extremely exaggerated "drooling with desire".
His eyes were fixed on her, and he even slurped his saliva, looking exactly like a lewd street thug seeing a beautiful woman.

The dialogue was also unclear and lacked any emotional depth.

Her performance was so poor that even Jing Tian, ​​sitting next to Gu Qing, couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle softly. She suddenly felt that compared to this classmate, her own often-criticized acting seemed... to have suddenly become incredibly refined and natural?
The actors in the TV drama category are indeed incompetent; my colleagues were right.

She subconsciously glanced at Gu Qing beside her, only to see his brows furrowed, his handsome face almost contorted into a bitter expression.
That indescribable expression of "pain" was a "spectacular facial expression" she had never seen on his face before.

The contrast made Da Tiantian laugh even more, and her shoulders twitched slightly.

Gu Qing felt a sense of helplessness. He suddenly realized that perhaps he had overthought things and overestimated the professional abilities of his classmates at this stage.

Given that most of them are only first-year students and lack practical experience, even if these roles were not predetermined, they would probably find it difficult to compete for them based on their own abilities.

Gu Man and Lin Yufen also shook their heads and sighed repeatedly.

Before the play was even halfway through, Wang Jun himself seemed to sense the huge gap between his expectations and reality, as well as the pervasive awkwardness in the air.
Unable to withstand the pressure any longer, she blushed with shame and fled the interview room in a panic.

The performances of the other classmates who came in afterward were also mostly unsatisfactory.

Either their acting is overly exaggerated and contrived, like performing in a stage play; or they go to the other extreme, with a flat expression and unwavering delivery of lines, like a mindless repeater.

Their performance was so immature that it was hard to believe they were professional students who had gone through countless rounds of selection to get into this top art school.

Before we knew it, most of the students who had come for the interview had left dejectedly and disappointed.

Even though Gu Man and Lin Yu didn't offer any harsh criticism on the spot out of consideration for Gu Qing,

But Gu Qing knew in her heart that, based on the level her classmates had shown so far, probably none of them would meet the production team's hiring standards.
At best, they can only play minor roles in dramas, playing background characters with few lines or very little screen time.

Just as the interview atmosphere was getting a little dull, a pretty girl with delicate features, a sweet smile, and a charming demeanor walked in with light steps.

"Brother Gu Qing—oh wait, no!"

As soon as she entered, she realized her slip of the tongue and quickly stuck out her tongue playfully, correcting herself, "It should be: Hello, Senior Xiao Nai! Hello, Director! Hello, all the screenwriters! Hello, Senior Jing Tian!"

Zhou Ye politely bowed and greeted everyone behind the long table, then introduced himself with grace and poise: "My name is Zhou Ye, and I am a sophomore in the Acting Department of Beijing Film Academy."

Seeing her,
Director Lin Yufen and teacher Gu Man's eyes lit up almost simultaneously. "What a pretty and lively young girl!"

The two of them exclaimed in unison.

Having auditioned so many so-called "actors," it's one thing if their acting skills are subpar, but the real problem is that even their most basic physical appearance is unsatisfactory.

This is truly a torment for directors who pursue aesthetic beauty in their shots and authors who remain faithful to the original characters.

Zhou Ye is, after all, a promising talent carefully selected and cultivated by Li Binbin. His elegant and refined appearance is highly recognizable, even in the entertainment industry where beauties abound, and is worthy of being ranked at a mid-level.

Especially striking are the plump, almost overflowing collagen in her face, and her natural, unadorned youthful and vibrant student-like charm.
It's as if it has a built-in soft-focus filter, making people's eyes light up and feel refreshed.

"Ono, relax and do your best."

Gu Qing also gave her an encouraging look and said with a smile.

however,
When Zhou Ye walked in and uttered that natural and affectionate "Brother Gu Qing," Jing Tian couldn't help but glance at him repeatedly.

She nudged Gu Qing beside her with her elbow, lowered her voice, and asked with a hint of curiosity and inquiry, "This little girl... is she your sister?"

"She looks a bit like Junior Sister Jingyi. Are they sisters?"

"No, it's just that it looks similar."

Gu Qing turned her head and explained briefly in a soft voice, "She is an artist under Sister Binbin's company."

"Oh~"

Jing Tian deliberately dragged out her words, a knowing glint in her eyes. Then, in a teasing tone, she lowered her voice and asked, "'Brother Gu Qing'... you call him so sweetly, does it make you happy?"

Faced with her teasing once again, Gu Qing merely glanced at her indifferently, too lazy to pay attention, and refocused her attention on the interview.

"Young lady, which role are you interviewing for?"

Lin Yufen, who clearly has a thing for good looks, asked with a kind smile on his face.

"Hello director, the role I'm auditioning for is the second female lead: Zhao Erxi."

Although Zhou Ye was a little nervous, his answers were clear and appropriate, and his words exuded confidence.

After reading the original novel, she never considered the third female lead, "Meng Yiran," and firmly believed that the lively, cheerful, sweet, and lovely "Zhao Erxi" was more in line with her own appearance and personality traits.

"Zhao Erxi?"

Upon hearing this, Jing Tian, ​​who was still enjoying the fun of "bothering" Gu Qing, immediately snapped out of her daze.

She raised her charming and striking phoenix eyes and carefully examined the pretty and vibrant young girl in front of her.

I thought this girl was quite pleasing to the eye just now, but after hearing that she's going to play my "best friend" in the drama...
Suddenly I felt... something was missing?
A subtle sense of unease began to grow in her heart.

"Your physical appearance does match my description of Erxi in the book quite well."

Gu Man smiled and asked, "Have you read the original novel carefully?"

"I've read them all carefully!" Zhou Ye nodded emphatically, his tone certain.

"Alright, you perform one first..."

After a moment's thought, recalling how Zhou Ye addressed Gu Qing when he came in, Gu Man suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
With a smile in his eyes, he glanced at Gu Qing beside him and said, "Just give a performance. This is the first time Zhao Erxi has seen the legendary 'Xiao Nai God' in real life."
As I walked past him, I saw an expression and demeanor of admiration, excitement, and a touch of elation.

"This is the first time I've met Xiao Nai in person..."

Zhou Ye quietly repeated the scenario, raised his hand, and pleaded with a hint of coquetry, "Teacher Gu Man, then... then could I ask the great Xiao Nai himself to cooperate with me and just walk right past me?"

"Well..."

Gu Man's smile deepened, and with a look of anticipation, she turned her gaze to Gu Qing, "Then you'll have to ask our 'Great God Xiao Nai' himself if he's willing to cooperate."

"Xiao Nai, the great god..."

Zhou Ye immediately looked at Gu Qing with his big, watery eyes, pouting slightly and putting on a pitiful, cute, and coquettish expression.

Seeing this, Gu Qing sighed helplessly in her heart, but finally stood up and cooperated by walking to the designated position.

But until,
When Jing Tian watched Gu Qing so readily get up to meet Zhou Ye, who was smiling brightly and full of youthful energy,
The inexplicable feeling of unease in my heart instantly intensified and amplified.

She didn't have any special romantic feelings for Gu Qing. The two had only known each other for a week, and their interactions mainly consisted of bickering and arguing.

just,

Seeing Gu Qing, who usually ignored him and barely responded to his advances, now so naturally, even "compliantly," cooperating with another young and beautiful girl...

This stark contrast made her extremely unhappy.

This unpleasant feeling quickly fermented and deteriorated, transforming into something more direct...

A more acute emotion—the instinctive hostility between women stemming from comparison and competition.

This also contains a hint of anxiety about age and appearance that she herself is unwilling to delve into.

Am I... getting old?

The thought popped into my head uncontrollably.

"But I'm only in my twenties, the prime age for an actress. How am I old?"

"But she... she's only nineteen, right? About the same age as Gu Qing..."

Just as Jing Tian was in turmoil, Gu Qing had already taken on the role of "Xiao Nai" and walked calmly past Zhou Ye.

"Ah—! It's a master!"

"That guy is so handsome!!"

Zhou Ye instantly got into character, his almond-shaped eyes wide open, seemingly filled with tiny stars, shining incredibly brightly.

Like an excited little rabbit, her two small hands were nervously clasped together in front of her chest, swaying gently unconsciously.

Her cherry lips parted slightly, and two genuine blushes appeared on her fair cheeks. She exuded a pure and fervent joy and excitement, as if she were seeing her idol.

His demeanor and expression were so natural and genuine that there was almost no trace of acting.

"green tea!"

A somewhat harsh word uncontrollably surfaced in Jing Tian's mind.

She was startled by the momentary malice, but was quickly overwhelmed by a deeper sense of irritation.

She noticed that Gu Man, the screenwriter, and Lin Yufen, the director, both showed very satisfied, even surprised, smiles at Zhou Ye's impromptu performance, nodding repeatedly.

This kind of recognition,

This made Jing Tian's unease and discomfort even more profound.

"This girl is so beautiful and has such a captivating charm. If I really let her play my best friend, she could be by my side every day..."

An uncontrollable worry surfaced: "Will the audience's attention still be focused on me, the female lead, then?"

Why is it that in many films and television dramas, the important supporting actors who play the male and female leads are often not outstanding or eye-catching in appearance?
This is almost an unspoken rule within the industry.

The only reason is the concern that if the supporting characters are too outstanding, they will distract the audience and even overshadow the main characters, diminishing their brilliance.

"Feel……"

Another figure involuntarily surfaced in Jing Tian's mind, "It seems better to have Junior Sister Jingyi play Zhao Erxi..."

She thought of Zhang Jingyi, who always dressed simply, often even in her school uniform, and sat quietly next to her (when they were forced to share a table).

Although the girl was also pretty, she had a more reserved and quiet temperament, unlike Zhou Ye who was outgoing and eye-catching.

originally,

Her previous comment to Zhang Jingyi about "helping you get the second female lead" was mostly a spur-of-the-moment joke.
How could someone possibly use their connections to interfere with casting for a girl they've just met?

but now……

Looking at the sweet and lovely Zhou Ye in front of her, and then comparing her to the quiet and timid Zhang Jingyi in her memory, Jing Tian's mentality underwent a subtle change.

She felt that if she had to choose a "best friend,"
It seems like... casting Zhang Jingyi as Zhao Erxi would be a good choice?

At least, it won't make her feel threatened by being "outshone".

……

……

(End of this chapter)