Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 40 Irresistible Passion

The next afternoon.

Chen Hong arrived at the hotel where the film crew was staying twenty minutes early, only to find that Jiang Shan and Xu Fan had already arrived.

Seeing that Xu Fan still had that indifferent look, Chen Hong secretly curled her lips and quietly labeled him as 'pretentious'.

Even someone like me, who has played leading roles in movies, still has to study hard for exams. What is there for her, a current student, to be so arrogant about?
Chen Hong deliberately found a corner and sat down far away, but she still couldn't escape Jiang Shan's glare.

Chen Hong ignored her and simply blocked Jiang Shan's view with the script.

Seeing this, Jiang Shan also took out her script, nudged Xu Fan with her shoulder, and whispered, "Where's yours? Let me see it."

Xu Fan glanced at her: "What are you up to now?"

Jiang Shan said confidently, "I found my lines quite interesting, and I want to see if he's deliberately giving me preferential treatment."

Upon hearing this, Xu Fan silently took out his script and handed it to her, then began to stare blankly out the window.

After a while, Jiang Shan returned the script to him.

Xu Fan withdrew his gaze and turned to ask, "What did you see?"

"It seems about the same."

Jiang Shan was initially disappointed, but then she became excited again, clenching her fist and saying, "But this also proves that he is indeed talented, otherwise how could he write such good lines!"

This man is hopeless.

Xu Fan shook his head helplessly, but Jiang Shan was right about one thing: this screenwriter Zhang was indeed quite talented.

hmm~
She is still a heartbroken and devoted lover.

About seven or eight minutes later, Yu Feihong arrived. She looked at the two groups of people who were far apart, and consciously found a secluded spot to form an equilateral triangle with her seniors.

It was soon 2 PM.

The staff came downstairs and were about to call the people upstairs for the audition when they suddenly realized that one person was missing. They quickly took out the roster and called out the name.

It was eventually confirmed that the girl who didn't have formal training didn't come.

When the news reached upstairs, Zhang Yan asked Yan Xiaoming, "Director Yan, should we try contacting them by phone?"

"no need."

Yan Xiaoming shook his head decisively: "Opportunities don't wait for anyone; once you miss them, they're gone."

Ma Huiwu also spread his hands and said, "This kind of eager buying isn't a good deal. We're not desperate for her—and in this situation, it's highly likely that her parents have stopped us."

Since both of them said so, Zhang Yan didn't say anything more.

The next four actors auditioned in turn. This time, Chen Daoming went all out from the start, showcasing his nearly twenty years of acting experience.

Under his strong pressure, Yu Feihong was the first to give in. This future fairy was clearly lacking in resilience at this moment.

The other three performed about the same.

However, after Ma Huiwu asked Jiang Shan to try to make a quiet and thoughtful expression, he found that Zhang Yan's criticisms were indeed valid, so he had no choice but to eliminate her.

That leaves Chen Hong and Xu Fan.

After a brief discussion, the judges decided to have the two temporarily exchange scripts and then conduct a third audition.

In this round, both players' performances declined.

However, Chen Hong's problems were more prominent. Without prior preparation, she was clearly tense. Her expression wasn't exactly stiff, but it didn't show much variation.

While Xu Fan's performance was somewhat disjointed, it still displayed a great deal of talent.

At this point, it's no longer a question that the female lead will be chosen.

Although Zhang Yan was somewhat disappointed, choosing a female lead is not the same as choosing a girlfriend; the most important thing is to act well.

"Let's bring everyone in."

This time, Ma Huiwu stepped forward without hesitation to play the bad cop, directly announcing the final audition results in public.

Jiang Shan and Yu Feihong, who failed to advance to the third round, had anticipated the result. Although they were unwilling, they silently accepted it.

Chen Hong's pretty face turned pale. She turned her head and stared at Xu Fan for a couple of seconds. Seeing that Xu Fan still had that indifferent look, her resentment and indignation grew stronger.

In what way do I fall short compared to this pretentious woman?!

"Teacher Zhang," she couldn't help but ask, "I want to know, where exactly did I go wrong?"

As she spoke, she clenched her fists and stared at Zhang Yan with a pitiful expression.

Wasn't this announced by Lao Ma? Why is he targeting me?

While inwardly complaining, Zhang Yan vaguely replied in an official tone, "Well, your performance was actually quite outstanding, but after comprehensive evaluation, we still think Xu Fan is more suitable."

He paused, then added, "Sorry, let's work together again next time."

Chen Hong didn't say anything, stared at Zhang Yan for a while, and then silently turned around and left the audition room.

Her eyes reddened as soon as she stepped outside.

She has played leading roles in movies, and now she is forced to switch from the big screen to the small screen, which is a compromise after much internal struggle.

who knows……

Chen Hong gritted her teeth and turned around, looking through the door at Xu Fan's location. Only after Yu Feihong also pushed the door open and came out did she turn away dejectedly.

…………

Chen Hong left, Yu Feihong left, but Jiang Shan stayed.

While Yan and Ma were discussing contracts and schedules with Xu Fan, Jiang Shan took the initiative to sit next to Zhang Yan and pestered him with questions.

"So that's how the 'death rock' at Peking University Third Hospital came about—that's so interesting! If there's anything fun like that again, you have to take me along."

"Xu Fan and I are best friends, so I'll definitely be visiting the set in Tianjin. I'll be in a completely unfamiliar place then, and I'm counting on you—Teacher Zhang, you won't abandon me, will you?"

"Hehe, what's your home phone number? I'll contact you in advance."

"That missing person notice..."

To be honest, this was the first time Zhang Yanchang had ever met such a warm and proactive girl. It made him feel like he had been given a strong drink, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

Later, he didn't even know what he was saying anymore. All he remembered was Jiang Shan's bright and beautiful eyes, which seemed to be getting closer and closer, as if they were trying to capture him completely.

It wasn't until Xu Fan finalized the payment and schedule that he came over to invite Jiang Shan back to school together.

Jiang Shan reluctantly got up and generously extended her hand to Zhang Yan, saying, "Great writer, it's settled then, see you there!"

uh~
What did we agree on?

Zhang Yan, somewhat confused, grasped her soft little hand. Just as he was about to gently shake it a couple of times, he felt Jiang Shan lightly tickle his palm.

Zhang Yan recoiled as if he had been burned, reflexively withdrawing his hand.

"Cuckoo~"

Seeing his innocent reaction, Jiang Shan burst into laughter.

In the end, Xu Fan couldn't stand it anymore and forcibly dragged her away.

Tsk~
These girls in the entertainment industry are really daring!

Zhang Yan rubbed his palms together, still feeling unsatisfied. Suddenly, he regretted pointing out Jiang Shan's problem. Otherwise, if Jiang Shan had become the female lead, his life on set would have been wonderful.

But it doesn't make much difference now. Since Jiang Shan took the initiative to visit the set in Tianjin and specifically requested that he host her throughout, then this matter...

"Teacher Zhang."

Just as a surge of anger was rising within him, Yan Xiaoming walked over and asked, "Now that the male and female leads and several important supporting roles have been cast, we're planning to return to Tianjin first thing tomorrow morning. What do you think...?"

"So urgent?"

After thinking it over, Zhang Yan decided that since he didn't have anything urgent to do next, he would stay in Beijing for two days to spend with his mother and sister, and also treat Dou Wei's fans to a meal.

So he said, "Then I won't go with the main group. I'll go back by myself in a couple of days—if anything urgent happens, you can call me."

Yan Xiaoming sighed upon hearing this, patted Zhang Yan on the shoulder and said, "It's a good thing that young people value relationships, but you've already done your best. You should let go now."

What do you mean, "let go"?
Zhang Yan was stunned for a moment before realizing that Yan Xiaoming must have mistakenly thought that he wanted to stay in Beijing to wait for a call.

He opened his mouth to explain, but Jiang Shan's enthusiastic face suddenly flashed through his mind.

perhaps……

Leaving this misunderstanding behind isn't necessarily a bad thing.

(End of this chapter)