Chinese Entertainment: Becoming a Superstar After a Breakup

"Yes, I see you." Shen Ze put down his phone and listened to the noisy sounds in the cafeteria. Strangely enough, if he hadn't remembered the other person, this audition place might have been a one-time meeting with no further developments.

After seeing the somewhat familiar name Xin Yukun, he contacted him directly. The audition was scheduled for today, but the location was quite unexpected—it was in the school cafeteria, which felt like a makeshift operation.

"Sit down. It's been a long time since I've been back. Since you're also in the performing arts department, we arranged to meet at the cafeteria. I really miss the days when I was in school," Xin Yukun said.

Looking at the young man in front of him, Xin Yukun smiled. However, for him, this trip was not for any gain. He did have a project, but he didn't have enough money, the actors were not yet cast, and the script was only barely available. He came here to give his project a boost.

After all, it's a proper undergraduate acting program, which is somewhat helpful for the project, but there's one problem: I'm afraid the other party might not be willing to film it.

With unpredictable hours, insufficient pay, and the need to travel to rural areas, this group of formally trained newcomers might seem like a makeshift operation, a deceptive film.

Actually, when the film was in preparation, he really wanted to make it a big production. However, as time went on, he realized the difficulty of attracting investment. Now, his goal is to make his first film smoothly and steadily.

An hour later, everyone went home. The so-called audition was just a simple meal of rice bowls. Luckily, Shen Ze didn't have to pay for it, otherwise it would have felt like a scam.

Xin Yukun was actually quite satisfied with Shen Ze, especially after learning about his background. He was also a boy from the countryside and a professional actor. The only pity was that it was unknown when his project would start filming.

Shen Ze also gained quite a bit. First, he learned the name of the project, "The Coffin," which was quite an ominous name. However, the story was roughly the same one he had seen on Douyin, the one that frequently appeared in high-scoring movie lists: "The Coffin in the Mountain."

There were also surprises and gains. He had a feeling that once the movie started filming, he could easily get a role, it was almost too easy.

All I can say is that he benefited from being reborn. If it were someone else, they would probably have a bad feeling when they saw the audition results. But he genuinely wanted to participate. Who would take a job with no time and uncertain pay? But directors can talk a lot. They don't talk about money, they talk about dreams. It's quite interesting. In the end, it all comes down to not having money.

This was just a side story. The two sides exchanged contact information, and Shen Ze planned to ask more about the project in the future and take the initiative to participate.

"Ugh, that name sounds creepy. You mean you still want to go? Are you kidding me?" This was her first reaction after Shen Ze told his girlfriend about it.

"It shouldn't be. You know my judgment. Why don't you come along?" Shen Ze said. He wanted to give his girlfriend a hand. If she had this project, would it be good for her future career?

"He'll have to talk to the company, but I doubt it will work. It would be great if he were even somewhat famous. I looked at his resume; he's never made a movie, just a short drama. I advise you not to fall for it. You don't want to waste your time and energy if you run out of money halfway through filming." Dilraba said.

"It shouldn't be that bad. I still think highly of him. Let's give it a try. We've got nothing better to do anyway," Shen Ze said.

It seems unlikely that Dilraba will participate. Xin Yukun probably can't afford to hire her either. It's true that Dilraba is a newcomer, but her resume includes the lead role in a TV series that has already been released.

"Has no company contacted you? Are there any suitable candidates?" Dilraba sniffed at Shen Ze's audition, but there were no results. She asked the company. Only with a company can you get roles. This was her true feeling. If she hadn't signed with Yang Mi Studio, how could she have gotten into a project like "Swords of Legends" as an important supporting actress?

"It's still those fraudulent companies I've never even heard of. They all talk the talk, promising a lead role in a movie if you sign a contract. Who would dare go there? They'd be obedient after just one short film," Shen Ze said.

"Wait a minute. Once I've established myself in the studio, I'll recommend you for a position. Then we can see each other every day, which would be great."

"And another thing, you haven't come to see me for ten days. When you were pursuing me, you would go to Shanghai every week for tutoring classes. Now that it's summer vacation and I don't have much to do, you're not even worried. Shen Ze, just say you're annoyed." Dilireba said, starting to get nagging.

"I'm fed up," Shen Ze said.

"Do you want to die?" Dilraba thought she had misheard, but after clarifying, she immediately became anxious.

"I'm tired of not seeing you. In a couple of days, after that audition, didn't I tell you?" Shen Ze teased Dilireba.

Actually, sometimes watching Dilraba is quite contradictory. In terms of appearance and figure, she is very mature and sophisticated, but when she is in a relationship, she is very feminine, soft, and even acts coquettish, which is quite nice.

Days passed by like this. Now we were juniors, and everyone was looking for their own path. Needless to say, we had very few classes, and those without jobs spent their days lying in their dorms or playing sports. If there were auditions, they would go; otherwise, they would just stay put.

Shen Ze finally landed his first role, a role that was neither good nor bad, a minor one with some lines, but definitely not in the top twenties. Whether it was good or bad was irrelevant to him. He wasn't even a supporting actor, let alone an important one. But it was a movie after all, so he figured he might as well make some money.

This character doesn't have many scenes, but he's quite interesting. Also, it's a movie, so he's likely seen it before, but it's not currently showing in theaters, so the movie's title might not be finalized yet.

This is most likely the movie "Ex-Files," starring Han Geng. He plays an ex-boyfriend sitting at the same table as his ex-boyfriend. Because the third installment of "Ex-Files," which features eating mangoes, was very popular, he even went back to watch the first and second parts. The scene where the ex-girlfriend and ex-boyfriend are seated at separate tables at a wedding is quite memorable.

With his Beijing Film Academy background, and even though it wasn't a particularly important role, he was cast on the same day after the audition, which was quite fast. It was a two-day shoot for 5,000 yuan, which was a sign of respect for his academic qualifications.

Then they set the start date for the production three days later. This shows that they only contacted the actors at the last minute, which fully illustrates the unimportance of the actors.

……

"Make way, keep your voices down." "Where's the makeup artist for Group A?" Listening to the noisy sounds, Shen Ze felt a bit amused; this was what a real film crew was like.

He sat at a round table, waiting for filming to begin. Opposite him was the male lead of their drama. However, the difference was that the male lead was surrounded by seven or eight people, some giving instructions, some doing makeup, and an assistant blocking the way outside. When he saw someone wanting to take a photo, he was immediately stopped.

This is a real star, unlike him, who just takes a script and tries to understand the role himself, with at most an assistant director explaining things to him. But in terms of difficulty, it's not difficult at all, just a few lines. I don't know how long it will last in the movie.

The first film has started shooting.