Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 496 Huang Xiaoming: So this is what a domineering CEO should be like!

"Huang Xiaoming, get ready!"

The announcement startled everyone in the meeting room.

Just now, Wei Feng took Wang Chuanjun to the audition. The latter came back alone, and the person who gave out the number was now Wei Feng's assistant.

As the number was called, Deng Chao, the second person to audition, walked in with a somewhat unpleasant expression, just as Huang Xiaoming got up to leave.

The two passed each other without exchanging a single word.

Huang Xiaoming followed Wei Feng's assistant to the far end of the corridor, a smile always on his face, but all sorts of thoughts were swirling in his mind.

"Given the current state of Datang Pictures, I'd better make a good impression when I meet President Chen later..."

"It seems that General Manager Chen and Brother Lei (Wang Zhonglei) don't get along very well? For the sake of their future, they have to make a choice, and I believe Brother Lei can understand..."

"If I can get a role in this movie, I might even be able to connect with Guo Fan and get a role in 'The Wandering Earth 2'..."

"I just don't know what the audition criteria are. Wang Chuanjun seemed to have passed when he came back, but Deng Chao clearly didn't. This means that the audition isn't just about acting skills..."

In his early years, Huang Xiaoming was always competing with Deng Chao, but he still highly recognized Deng Chao's acting skills.

Just as Huang Xiaoming continued to ponder the audition issue, Wei Feng's assistant suddenly stopped in front of a glass door with privacy film applied.

"Brother Xiaoming, the audition room is right here."

"Oh, thank you, thank you for your help."

Huang Xiaoming responded politely and did not treat the other party with disrespect just because he was an assistant.

After carefully considering his emotional intelligence, he glanced at his clothes and hairstyle to make sure everything was in order before pushing the door open and entering.

The audition room was a rectangular room with privacy-protecting glass on one side and a window on the other, with a long strip of incandescent light extending forward from the ceiling.

After Huang Xiaoming went inside, his gaze swept across the row of windows to the end of the room, then turned left and stopped at the other side of the wide wall of the rectangular room.

There were three long tables pushed together, and sitting on them were the unshaven Guo Fan and the thin Wei Feng... Why were there only two people?
Huang Xiaoming frowned in confusion, his gaze subtly shifting left and right until he finally found Chen Xiu in the corner on the right.

He sat there quietly, his eyes fixed intently on the computer on the desk, seemingly detached from the world around him...

How can I make a good impression on Mr. Chen in this situation?
Huang Xiaoming yelled "Oh no!" as he walked toward Guo Fan and Wei Feng.

He walked very slowly over the short distance of just a few meters. By the time he stood in front of the long table, Huang Xiaoming already had a plan in mind.

Once you pass the audition and join the production team, you'll inevitably have opportunities to interact with Mr. Chen...

"Mr. Wei, Director Guo, hello!"

Judging from Chen Xiu's seat, Huang Xiaoming didn't go to greet her, but just in case, he still greeted Wei Feng and Guo Fan before turning his gaze to Chen Xiu.

If Chen Xiu didn't want to be disturbed, Wei Feng and Guo Fan would definitely...

"Xiaoming, let me tell you about the character first."

"Ok."

Huang Xiaoming walked forward with a confident and smug smile on his face.

Guo Fan frowned slightly, looking somewhat greasy.

"Ahem, the role you're auditioning for is the second male lead, named Huang Xiaojun. He's the main character's rival, and he initially sells cost-effective mobile phones..."

"Director Guo, is this the role you're talking about?"

"Any similarities are purely coincidental. Let's continue."

Huang Xiaoming nodded with a stiff smile, and the image of another big shot couldn't help but appear in his mind.

After Guo Fan finished introducing the character, he took out a script from behind the table and handed it to Huang Xiaoming to prepare.

Huang Xiaoming took the script, glanced at the lines and performance requirements, and as a veteran actor, he already had a good grasp of it.

Before the audition began, Huang Xiaoming still glanced at Chen Xiu, who hadn't said a word from beginning to end.

Although the two were in the same room, there was an invisible barrier in the air.

If Chen Xiu is unwilling, Huang Xiaoming feels that the only person he can get in touch with is Wei Feng.

So-called celebrities are nothing in the eyes of these big shots...

With a sigh, Huang Xiaoming's expression hardened. He told himself: I must get this role!
"Director Guo, I'm ready."

"OK, do you want to see the script?"

"No need, I've already memorized my lines."

After acting for so many years, Huang Xiaoming still has some talent.

Guo Fan nodded slightly, then went to discuss with Wei Feng for a while before raising his hand to signal Huang Xiaoming that he could begin his performance.

In front of the two of them, Huang Xiaoming raised his hands above his head, a confident and smug smile on his face. He narrowed his eyes, and his expression gradually became wicked and arrogant.

Guo Fan's eyebrows twitched, and he forced himself not to squeeze together...

"Everyone should believe in themselves and in our products. Even if they aren't the most expensive or the best, they are definitely the most cost-effective!"

Huang Xiaoming waved his hands, his expression agitated, and shouted loudly.

His delivery of lines is decent, but this particular line is clearly meant to boost morale and motivate the team. Could you please tone down that smile?
Guo Fan tried to hold back, but in the end he couldn't help it and squeezed his eyebrows together.

Huang Xiaoming continued acting: "Let's work together to complete this order..."

"Xiaoming, wait a minute!"

"what?"

"Your emotions are very strong, and your lines are fine, but your expressions are a bit too exaggerated. It would be better if you toned it down a little."

Guo Fan gestured with his fingers to represent the universe, trying to phrase his words more tactfully.

Huang Xiaoming froze, realizing that Guo Fan was implying that his domineering CEO acting style was not suitable for this audition.

But he was clearly playing an entrepreneurial CEO, just like he did in "American Dreams in China," so why isn't he doing it today?

Seeing that Huang Xiaoming seemed somewhat unable to accept his assessment, Guo Fan thought for a moment and decided to give this top-tier celebrity some face. "How about you adjust your routine, and we can do it again?"

"Okay, give me three minutes."

Huang Xiaoming responded with his head down, looking somewhat dejected, and began to pace to the side.

He walked for a while, still unable to figure out what the problem was with the performance.

Just as he was about to start over, he heard Wei Feng and Guo Fan shouting at the same time.

"Mr. Chen, watch out!"

"Boss, watch out!"

Huang Xiaoming suddenly looked up, and as soon as his vision blurred, he met Chen Xiu's eyes, who was standing up with a bottle of water in her hand.

Why is he here?
Huang Xiaoming pondered this question in a daze, but no one answered.

It turns out that when someone you've always wanted to get close to and please suddenly appears in front of you, your mind goes completely blank.

Chen Xiu looked at Huang Xiaoming with a hint of doubt, wondering why he was there.

However, it doesn't really matter.

When Chen Xiu looked Huang Xiaoming up and down, he subconsciously dared not look away, and even raised his head to take a deep breath, wanting to show his best side.

Huang Xiaoming's lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say hello, but his nervousness was obvious to all three of them.

Chen Xiu chuckled softly and didn't try to put any more pressure on him.

"Heh, why are you looking down?"

"Excuse me, Mr. Chen, I wasn't paying attention and almost bumped into you..."

Chen Xiu simply shook her head dismissively at Huang Xiaoming's incoherent explanation.

“It’s okay to bump into someone. I’ve seen your performance in ‘American Dreams in China.’ Your emotions and skills were spot on. Try to recapture that feeling.”

"I will."

"Have a sip of water and calm down!"

"Thank you... uh."

Chen Xiu slapped the water in her hand directly onto Huang Xiaoming's chest, which he instinctively puffed out.

Huang Xiaoming was taken aback and reached out to catch it. Then he saw Chen Xiu squat down again and take another bottle from the box of mineral water that had been opened by the wall.

Watching Chen Xiu return to the table in the corner, Huang Xiaoming felt his mouth go dry and his heart rate accelerate.

The bottle of mineral water he was holding to his chest was nothing special, and Chen Xiu didn't say anything special, but a thought inexplicably arose in his mind: So this is what a real domineering CEO is like!
Huang Xiaoming has met many domineering CEOs, and he is most familiar with the two Wangs. He has also met Ma Yun and Lei Jun once.

However, the former two always give people a feeling that they are not presentable, while the latter two's sincerity often seems deliberate.

Chen Xiu gave Huang Xiaoming a completely different feeling; it was a natural and genuine sincerity.

It seems that Chen Xiu treats everyone the same way, whether they are billionaires or ordinary actors.

This sincerity imbues even a simple, ordinary sentence with special power, making people willing to approach and trust him from the bottom of their hearts.

This is what is meant by personal charisma.

Huang Xiaoming swallowed hard, unscrewed the bottle cap, gulped down a mouthful of water, then his eyes narrowed as he turned and walked toward Wei Feng and Guo Fan.

"I'm ready, let's get started!"

"OK."

Guo Fan glanced at Huang Xiaoming with a puzzled look, a strange feeling rising in his heart, as if the other party had been stripped of his grease.

In the audition performance, with the same lines and the same acting style, Huang Xiaoming, who didn't laugh, still managed to deliver a different feel.

This result made Guo Fan turn to look at Chen Xiu after informing Huang Xiaoming that he had passed the audition, and silently think to himself, "Awesome!"

Upon learning the audition results, Huang Xiaoming turned to look at the busy Chen Xiu, his lips moving slightly as if he had something to say.

In the past, he might have gone over and struck up a conversation, but now he was inexplicably worried that he might disturb Chen Xiu's work.

After hesitating for a moment, Huang Xiaoming could only approach Chen Xiu from a distance and say, "President Chen, thank you."

"Ok?"

Chen Xiu looked up and glanced back, her face showing confusion. Then, she lowered her gaze and suddenly smiled, "It's just a bottle of water. There's no need for such a formal thank you. It was originally prepared for the auditioning actors."

"It's not just water, anyway, thank you."

"Don't make it sound like I gave you special treatment. You passed the audition entirely because you have the ability."

"I know, I won't say anything."

Huang Xiaoming quickly denied it, but this explanation seemed to only make people more misunderstand.

Chen Xiu pursed her lips, too lazy to argue, and turned to give Wei Feng a wink, signaling him to handle the situation.

Wei Feng understood and stood up: "Xiao Ming, you've passed the audition. Let's briefly discuss the pay. This time, your role is the second male lead, so we might not be able to offer too high a salary..."

“It’s okay! I didn’t get paid for my cameo in ‘The Eight Hundred’ before, so I don’t have to get paid this time either.”

"We still have to give it to them."

Wei Feng got up and went to the other side with Huang Xiaoming to discuss the film fee, and the result was naturally very smooth.

When Huang Xiaoming left the audition room, he couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

Just as he was about to reach the meeting room, his expression suddenly changed again. He turned around, went to a corner, took out his phone, and dialed Wang Zhonglei's number.

"Hey, Little Lei, are you free later? I'm done with work, let's grab some time to eat..."

After the call ended, Huang Xiaoming put away his phone with a determined look in his eyes, thinking to himself: I hope Brother Lei can understand me. He definitely can. After all, he's the one who said the saying "a wise bird chooses a good tree to perch on"...

(End of this chapter)