Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 497 Wang Zhonglei's Defenses Are Completely Broken
"Brother Hu, can you speak Cantonese?"

When the audition reached its final stage, and he should have had the job in the bag, a question suddenly popped up, and Hu Ge felt his heart leap into his throat.

He slowly turned his head, looking at Chen Xiu, who was asking him a question, with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

"Mr. Chen, I can speak basic Cantonese."

"The role you're auditioning for will have a lot of comedic elements. Simply having a basic grasp of the language might not be enough. We need you to be fluent in Cantonese and understand its slang usage."

Chen Xiu made her demands to Brother Hu.

The roles I need to audition for today are actually male supporting roles from the second to the fourth.

Among them, the second male lead is the male lead's business rival, and Guo Fan's opinion is more important.

The third and fourth male leads are members of the male lead's entrepreneurial team and have more scenes and interactions with Chen Xiu, so their requests will be the first consideration.

Wang Chuanjun landed the role of the third male lead. Chen Xiu's requirements for him were to learn the Hunan and Jiangxi accents and to learn to eat chili peppers.

As a city built by migrants, Shenzhen has a significant number of people from the Hunan and Jiangxi regions. As an actor, one naturally needs to change their accent and dietary habits.

Without hesitation, Wang Chuanjun took out his phone and wrote down the requirements for this type of performance, saying that he would completely transform into a Hunan-Jiangxi native before filming began.

The same problem was presented to Brother Hu.

Looking at Chen Xiu, who was waiting for his answer, Brother Hu swallowed and said confidently, "Mr. Chen, I can hire a tutor to help you master Cantonese as soon as possible."

"This is just the first request..."

Chen Xiu's gaze toward Brother Hu became uncertain.

Remembering Cai Yinong's instructions before he came, Brother Hu quickly seized the opportunity: "No matter what the request is, I can meet it."

"OK! Take out your phone and write this down."

"..."

Brother Hu was stunned and speechless, never expecting Chen Xiu to be serious.

He paused for only a second before taking out his phone without hesitation and staring intently at Chen Xiu.

Chen Xiu didn't stand on ceremony with him: "The fourth male lead is supposed to be a backpacker who frequents Huaqiangbei. He needs to know everything about Huaqiangbei, not just by rote memorization, but by having a deep understanding of it..."

"For example, if I ask you which pork trotter rice is good, can you tell me the location, why it's good, what the taste is like, and how it differs from other places..."

"You also need to change your demeanor. A backpacker isn't a thug. You were too much like Li Xiaoyao during your audition. You should go and see for yourself how backpackers squat on the ground chatting and communicating with stall owners..."

Every two sentences Chen Xiu spoke, Brother Hu would look up at him.

He looked up to show respect and surprise, because he had never encountered such a meticulous filmmaker before.

I only glanced at it because if I looked any longer, my hand speed wouldn't be able to keep up with Chen Xiu's explanation.

Just as Chen Xiu finished explaining all her requirements and asked Brother Hu if he had forgotten anything,

Brother Hu's expression was blank, his mouth agape, his hands holding his phone, lost in thought, as if he were pondering something...

"Excuse me, Mr. Chen, I was lost in thought."

Hu Ge looked at Chen Xiu in a panic and explained, "I feel that the requests you made directly explained the situation to a living person. It's a very strange feeling."

"Can you portray him?"

Chen Xiu ignored Brother Hu's remarks and only asked for the answer she wanted to know.

Hu Ge gripped his phone tightly, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded at Chen Xiu with unusual firmness.

"No problem! Please give me this opportunity."

Chen Xiu stared at him for a long time, then nodded slightly.

"The system will be operational on July 1st. You only have one month to prepare for the above requirements."

"Okay, I won't do anything else this month but will use it to prepare for the role!"

Brother Hu gave his assurance, feeling the surge of emotion and the powerful beat of his heart.

He had thought that today's audition would be like the one for "The Art of Attack and Defense," where Chen Xiu wanted to find a few celebrities to play with him.

As a result, the situation changed drastically the moment the audition requirements were announced.

You can tell the quality of a production team just by looking at the auditions. Hu Ge has auditioned for many productions, but no one has explained the requirements of the role in such detail as Chen Xiu.

If he were to act in this role, Hu Ge feels he might even win an award for it...

"No problem. Someone will talk to you about the salary and contract later."

Chen Xiu gave her a notification that she had passed the audition.

Brother Hu opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he just said thank you and turned to leave.

After the audition room door closed, Chen Xiu glanced to her left and right, and Wei Feng and Guo Fan understood.

"Mr. Chen, the roles for the second to third male leads have all been decided. The auditions can be concluded today."

Guo Fan offered his opinion, his face filled with expectation.

Based on the information he received from Chen Xiu, he became increasingly confident about the new film that was about to begin shooting.

Wei Feng added, "I will confirm the actors' salaries and contracts with them later."

"OK, the rest is up to you."

"No problem!"*2
They both replied in unison.

Chen Xiu shook her head in surprise and said earnestly, "Next week, I'm going to Hong Kong to represent Douyin at TikTok's listing event. Thank you all for your hard work on the movie preparation."

Upon hearing this, Wei Feng and Guo Fan felt a warmth in their hearts and quickly expressed their agreement.

"It's no trouble at all, this is what I should do!" "Boss, don't worry, I won't let anything go wrong."

"Once I've finished dealing with things over there, I'll head straight to Pengcheng to meet you all. See you then."

"Okay."
Chen Xiu got up, patted Wei Feng and Guo Fan on the shoulder, took her laptop, and left the audition room.

Wei Feng and Guo Fan also began to handle the work after the audition, as well as the pre-production work for the film.

The final cast for the film is as follows: Chen Xiu as the male lead, Tian Xinwei as the female lead, Huang Xiaoming as the second male lead, Wang Chuanjun as the third male lead, Hu Ge as the fourth male lead, and Pony Ma in a cameo role...

For the remaining less important roles, there's no need for special auditions; the casting director can decide.

That evening, Huang Xiaoming, who had signed an actor contract, met Wang Zhonglei in a private dining room he had booked in advance.

The two, who knew each other very well, began exchanging polite greetings as soon as they met.

"Brother Lei, you've been so busy lately, I can't even get a chance to meet up with you."

Huang Xiaoming grasped Wang Zhonglei's hand with the same enthusiasm as always.

Looking at this younger brother he had known for many years, Wang Zhonglei's expression became somewhat sentimental.

Huang Xiaoming's heart skipped a beat. He thought: I haven't even started yet, how did he find out? That shouldn't be the case!
"Xiao Ming, when it really matters, it's you!"

Wang Zhonglei continued to sigh, his other hand unconsciously covering Huang Xiaoming's hand.

Huang Xiaoming's eyelids twitched, his smile froze, and his heart tightened.

"Hahaha! Brother Lei, what's wrong with you? Huayi has been doing quite well lately, hasn't it? 'The Eight Hundred' has passed censorship and is scheduled for release in July. These are all good things! Come, come, sit here, let's have a drink and chat."

After saying that, Huang Xiaoming led Wang Zhonglei to the dining table and quickly withdrew his hand.

After sitting down, Wang Zhonglei repeatedly praised Huang Xiaoming's thoughtfulness and took the opportunity to complain about the snobbishness of the others.

These words made Huang Xiaoming increasingly annoyed, so he had no choice but to follow the topic and ask questions seriously, intending to chat for a while before cutting ties with Wang Zhonglei.

"Brother Lei, who are these opportunists and leeches who you're talking about?"

"Who else could it be! Chen Sicheng and Wang Baoqiang both came from Huayi Brothers, so let's not forget those who dug the well when we drink the water! As a result, when 'Detective Chinatown 1900' started filming last month, I originally wanted to put someone in, but Chen Sicheng said he couldn't make the decisions about the actors and told me to try to contact him less in the future, worried that I would be misunderstood!"

Huang Xiaoming's pupils dilated sharply. He realized he had asked the wrong question, because he had invited Wang Zhonglei to dinner today and had intended to say something similar...

Wang Zhonglei didn't notice Huang Xiaoming's change in expression and continued to curse at Chen Sicheng.

"Let me tell you, a man like him deserved to be dealt with by Chen Xiu back then! If he had been allowed to direct 'Detective Chinatown' on his own from the beginning, without having Xiao Yang to keep him in check, Chen Sicheng would have been swaggering around!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Brother Lei, let's have a drink to calm down."

Huang Xiaoming quickly poured wine, trying to change the subject.

Unexpectedly, the wine was just poured when Wang Zhonglei grabbed it and drank it all in one gulp.

"Let me tell you, although I don't get along with Chen Xiu and we have some minor grudges, over the years I've come to admire him."

"Um???"

This is a good topic. Let's continue with the next sentence, so that when I say goodbye to you later, you won't be in so much pain.

Huang Xiaoming, still intrigued, asked, "Brother Lei, what do you admire about President Chen?"

"Look!"

Wang Zhonglei put his hand on Huang Xiaoming's shoulder and pressed him down, saying, "Chen Xiu is so handsome..."

"Hmm, Mr. Chen's looks are about the same as mine."

"Tsk, I didn't see you drinking anything!"

Wang Zhonglei's dissatisfied expression hurt Huang Xiaoming, who thought to himself: "Shouldn't I be the one stabbing you in the back today? Why are you the one stabbing me first?"
After his rant, Wang Zhonglei continued, "In terms of looks alone, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he's the male version of Liu Qianqian, but he never relies on his looks! Look, he was able to found Didi right after starting university, and after leaving Didi, he founded Douyin."

“Now even Douyin’s subsidiary, TikTok, is going public. Mr. Ma doesn’t even have the opportunity to invest. What do you have to compare with them?”

Huang Xiaoming pursed his lips and could only nod in agreement.

"That's incomparable. In terms of personal achievements, no one in the entertainment industry can compare to President Chen."

"That's right! I can't even compare to him, so you have no chance at all. Pour me another glass."

Wang Zhonglei removed his hand from Huang Xiaoming's shoulder so that Huang could pour the wine more easily.

As Chen Xiu's achievements grew and she made more friends, Wang Zhonglei became increasingly aware of the gap between them and chose to look at the problem from a different perspective.

He felt that the matter of offending Chen Xiu before was not a big deal.

When Chen Xiu remembers, he can go pour the wine and apologize. Anyway, he used to pour wine for Ma Yun, so there's nothing to be offended about turning around and pouring wine for Chen Xiu.

Just like Huang Xiaoming pouring him wine now, Wang Zhonglei believes that this is the difference in their levels.

After finishing the second glass that Huang Xiaoming poured, he finally remembered to ask, "Xiaoming, what brings you to dinner today? You must have something on your mind!"

Having been given the chance to speak, Huang Xiaoming decided not to beat around the bush any longer.

"It's true."

"Hahaha! Just say it."

Wang Zhonglei waved his hand and laughed heartily.

Huang Xiaoming let out a breath and quickened his pace, saying, "I went to audition for a supporting role in President Chen's new film this afternoon, and the contract has already been signed. I think we should stop contacting each other for now, so that President Chen won't misunderstand me. Brother Lei, you understand?"

"..."

Wang Zhonglei's smile froze on his face, and the light in his eyes was quickly fading.

(End of this chapter)