The birth of an actor

Chapter 46 The Roles Are Settled
An Xin wanted to buy a portable music player with a radio function, and upon hearing this, Fan Bing immediately dragged him shopping.

But Anxin refused and obediently led the girl back to Old Ye's place.

There's plenty of time this afternoon, let's practice first.

To be honest, after more than half a month, the two of them have become quite used to balancing bamboo tubes on their heads. From initially being able to keep them up for five minutes before they fell off, to now being able to keep them up steadily, their progress is quite remarkable.

When Old Ye heard that An Xin wanted to treat him to lunch, he was delighted after finding out the reason.

However, he didn't actually benefit from Anxin's cooking, or rather, he was quite disgusted with the restaurant's food. He insisted that the two of them eat there.

There was no time at noon, so the dinner was moved to the evening.

After saying that, the old man went out to buy groceries with his hands behind his back.

Anxin was about to go along, but Old Ye glared at her:

"Stand up straight!"

Fine.

Stand still and watch Fan Bingbing doze off, her head firmly resting on the yellowed bamboo tube.

He looked at him with admiration.

Young is good.

Just sleep when you say sleep.

She can fall asleep standing up.

When Grandpa Ye returned with the groceries, An Xin and Fan Bing had already started walking around the courtyard one after the other.

Whether you call it a square walk or an official walk, it doesn't matter.

Anyway, we just follow the example and move forward step by step.

They walk steadily and peacefully, and their journey brings peace and prosperity to the world.

Seeing that the two of them, though slow and clumsy, had done all the details he had taught them, Old Ye nodded in satisfaction and said:
"Let's have noodles with soybean paste for lunch."

Then she went into the kitchen to get busy.

Outside the small kitchen window, the figures of two children would flash by at regular intervals.

The old man standing in front of the wok, simmering the sauce, became increasingly satisfied.

If it started as a favor after indulging in a moment of greed, it has now developed into a bond between master and apprentice. Putting everything else aside, just the sheer determination these two kids have gives him a sense of déjà vu, like he's back in his youth.

When the apprentice practices martial arts, the master must provide meals.

So, for this bowl of noodles with soybean paste for lunch today, he cut large chunks of meat.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a chunk of meat.

Eat up, and you'll have the energy to practice your skills.

Practice your skills well... I'll be waiting for you two little brats to become stars!

……

When Old Ye heard the news that Fan Bing was moving during lunch, his first reaction was to look at An Xin.

First sentence:

"Where do I stay?"

Then, before Anxin could finish answering, the second sentence was:

"I can't stay at your place, we should live separately."

Anxin was both amused and exasperated.

Fan Bing's face flushed red instantly.

"Uncle Ye! What are you saying... I was thinking of renting a place in this alley, so I can be closer to you!"

She seemed rather embarrassed and annoyed.

Upon hearing this, the old man, looking at the girl's face, which shone brighter than the sun, surprisingly didn't make fun of her. Instead, he nodded.
"Okay, then go ask around in the alley later. Stay here and help me wash the dishes."

Then, after the girl put down her bowl and went to look for a house, Old Ye's first words to An Xin were:

"She's a young, unmarried woman, still very young. Young master, you can't even touch her, understand?"

"..."

Anxin was speechless.

I was thinking, "What's going on here?"

I touched her?
Touching a minor?

He readily agreed, and through their interactions over this period, Old Ye knew the boy was reliable and had a good sense of propriety. So he didn't say anything more. After the two of them finished washing the pots and pans, Fan Bing returned.
"I found it!"

Right here in this alley, someone is renting out a house, and there's an advertisement posted on the door.

A single room costs 150 yuan a month, and the room is even bigger than the one I stayed in.

Similarly, the conditions are much better than the tin shack where the two girls lived for 160 yuan.

But how to put it... the Beijing Film Studio area is inherently a high-demand area for renters. Extras from all over the country flock there, so it's normal for rents to be a bit expensive.

Anxin accompanied her to take a look. The house was about 50 meters away from Grandpa Ye's house as the crow flies, which was really close.

The landlady was a very warm and welcoming woman. Assuming it was a shared room, she pointed to the double bed and said that her husband had welded the bed himself out of angle iron at the factory, guaranteeing its quality…

I'm so relieved to hear this.

Do you people have nothing else on your minds?
Don't you know that Old An is sworn enemies with gambling and drugs?
Regardless, the girl simply pulled out 450 yuan and generously rented the place for three months.

They didn't even sign a contract; that's not how things are done these days.

After paying the money and receiving the keys, Fan Bing began to plan her move.

It's getting hotter and hotter over there in late July...

So after discussing it with Anxin, the two decided to skip their lunch break, hop on their motorcycles, and head out that very day.

When they arrived at the girl's place, Fan Bing fell asleep on his back again.

I woke up groggily, got out of the car, grabbed my keys, and opened the door.

Good heavens, a burst of hot air shot out like a steamer.

"I'll pack my clothes, and you can help me roll up my bedding."

"it is good."

Anxin braved the heat and went inside to help her move.

To be honest, they didn't have much stuff: a bedding roll, two large bags of clothes, and a bag of cosmetics and other miscellaneous items. The two of them picked up what they could and put it in the car. After returning to Jishuitan, he left Fan Bing there and took the key she had given him and went back to the Beijing Film Academy.

I packed up the rest of the things and then found the landlady I had met before with the key.

Upon hearing that Fan Bing was moving out, the older woman jokingly asked if she was living with An Xin instead.

Anxin didn't bother to argue, handed over the key, and left with the last remaining items.

After finding the girl again and explaining the situation, the simple move was completed.

Then he helped with the cleaning. After the house was completely cleaned, the girl, her forehead covered in sweat, put her hands on her hips:

"Come on, let's go shopping. Didn't you want to buy a Walkman? I'll just buy an electric fan..."

So, under the blazing sun, the girl pressed her face against Anxin's back again:

"Ugh...it's so hot."

"You know it's hot? If it's hot, can you stay away from me?"

"Hehehe~"

The girl smiled and closed her eyes:
"I'll take a nap."

"...Do you have some kind of narcolepsy or similar condition?"

"Hehe, you just don't understand. Beautiful girls are all made through sleeping around~"

Anxin said no more, just felt the heat coming from his back and wiped the sweat from the tip of his nose.

Soon, Fan Bing, inhaling the scent... slightly soapy, drifted into a half-dreaming, half-awake state.

"Don't worry, let's go for a walk?... Oh, are you watching a movie?"

Anxin, who had been enjoying a good meal and planned to watch a movie until she fell asleep, was surprised to see the uninvited girl and realize that... she had moved.

"Aren't you going to get some rest?"

He lay peacefully in bed without moving.

"I wanted to rest, but there were mosquitoes in that room, so I lit some mosquito coils to fumigate it... Oh right, remember to remind me to buy a door curtain tomorrow."

"Ah."

He responded, while Fan Bing sat down on the stool next to him, staring at the TV program "Taxi Driver" and smacking her lips repeatedly.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Robert De Niro..."

Just as they were about to express their feelings, they heard a "beep beep beep" sound.

Anxin's pager went off.

He casually took it out and saw that it was sent by He Xiuqiong.

"Don't worry, call back."

"Who?"

"Director He, did you send him a message?"

"no."

Fan Bing looked on with curiosity and picked up the pager to take a look.

No news.

She craned her neck and glanced at the message again:
"Then why don't you call Director He back?"

"Ah."

Anxin got up and walked outside.

The back door of the local specialty shop was unlocked, so he could naturally go in.

Fan Bing thought for a moment and asked:
Can I hear it?

"Listen to it."

Only after receiving Anxin's permission did she follow.

Once inside the store, I sat down at the phone and dialed He Xiuqiong's number on speakerphone.

"Beep beep... Hello, Anxin?"

"Director He, it's me. Did you need something?"

"Ah."

In the hotel, He Xiuqiong, having just finished watching the audition videotape, gripped her mobile phone and said directly:

"I've watched your audition footage, including Director Sun. Don't worry, congratulations, you did a great job, we're all very satisfied."

An Xin was fine, but Fan Bing's eyes widened in surprise.

"Uh……"

An Xin paused for a moment, then smiled and said:
"Thank you for the compliment, Director He."

"Haha~"

He Xiuqiong's laughter came from the phone:

"You performed really well. Your reactions in front of the camera were very natural. I can't believe this is your first time acting. To be honest, after watching it, Director Sun said that your temperament and Ertai's are a perfect match."

"Thank you, Director Sun."

As soon as An Xin finished speaking, the girl nudged his arm and mouthed, "Ask her, is it you?"

So, Anxin asked:
"Has this role been confirmed?"

"Otherwise, why would I call you?"

For some reason, He Xiuqiong was also in a good mood. Holding the remote control, she was watching An Xin's audition clip, and in the silent scene, she smiled and asked in return:
"Did they want to chat with you?"

Her answer implicitly conveyed the outcome of the matter to Anxin.

"Aren't we going to take it back to Wanwan to show Aunt Qiongyao?"

"Ha, Bingbing told you, right?"

"……Correct."

"She's looking at the four main characters: Xiao Yanzi, Ziwei, Yongqi, and Erkang. You're a supporting character, so we can make the decision directly."

Upon hearing this, An Xin wondered if he should ask Fan Bing on her behalf... After all, in his heart, he always remembered that she played Jin Suo, not Zi Wei.

But just as he was about to speak, He Xiuqiong said:

"Don't worry, are you really not considering signing with a company?"

Anxin's answer was quite simple:
"I'm not considering it for now, Director He. As you know, I didn't even know what an actor was at first. If you hadn't given me this opportunity, I probably would never have thought about this career path. I still want to focus on my studies."

Fan Bing felt her breath catch in her throat.

I inexplicably started to feel nervous.

She was particularly afraid that Director He would say something like, "In that case, I can only choose someone else for this role."

However, she thought too much.

Although He Xiuqiong had prepared herself mentally, she was still filled with regret upon hearing these words.

She really liked this child.

I can't explain why, but I just find everything about it pleasing to the eye.

pity……

Indeed.

Renmin University.

The top-tier institution of higher learning on the mainland.

In mainland China, college students who get into university are already among the best, let alone... getting into such a good university.

Whether it's out of gratitude or simply a sense of affinity.

If it were someone else, she could probably manage to handle it. But with An Xin…

"Alright then, that's a real shame. But it's okay, let's treat this time on set as a life lesson and have a good experience. It'll be a wonderful memory in the future."

"Hehe, I thought so too."

"Ha~"

A soft laugh came from He Xiuqiong's side:
"Okay, then. I'll take the videotape back to Taiwan tomorrow. You need to give me a fax number tomorrow, and I'll send you the contract when I get back. Once you sign it, you can just send it to the Beijing Film Studio. Do you have any questions about the remuneration?"

"Um... how much is the pay?"

"Your original salary was 800 yuan per episode, but I've increased it to 1,000 yuan. How about that, any problems?"

Anxin's lips twitched...

Although I knew long ago that I wasn't worth much... but having gotten used to seeing people in later generations making millions a day, hearing this price again really made me feel a huge sense of disappointment.

But he still readily agreed:
"No problem, thank you, Director He."

"Haha, don't call me Director He, it sounds too formal. Just call me Sister He."

Now it was Fan Bingbing's turn to twitch at the corner of her mouth.

Anxin smiled and replied through the corner of the girl's mouth that had been pulled away:
"Okay, Sister He."

He Xiuqiong's mood instantly brightened.

(End of this chapter)