HuaYu: Starting with Photography to Navigate the Entertainment Industry

As Xu Lang was looking at Zhou Xun's face, he suddenly felt a tickle on his palm.

He then came to his senses, withdrew his hand, chuckled at Zhou Xun, and said generously:

"Brother Xun really has a face that tells a story; I'm completely captivated by him."

"Teacher Xu is a well-traveled and knowledgeable person. To be able to captivate you is the greatest compliment you can give me."

Zhou Xun responded with a smile, and then the two sat down opposite each other.

After ordering two drinks casually, Xu Lang asked Zhou Xun,

"By the way, Brother Xun came all the way to see me, and I've been waiting for several days. Is there something important?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xun's eyes flashed with resentment, but it quickly disappeared.

After a moment's hesitation, Zhou Xun finally spoke:

"Actually, the reason I came here this time was to prove to you that I am the best candidate to play Xiaowei in 'Painted Skin'."

"Oh?"

Xu Lang frowned, thinking to himself:

"With 'Painted Skin' about to start filming, has Zhou Xun, or rather, Hua Yi, not given up yet?"

After a pause, Xu Lang asked:

"Brother Xun, is this visit at Hua Yi's behest?"

"Of course not."

Zhou Xun scoffed, "My relationship with Huayi is more of a collaboration. I have a certain degree of autonomy; it was I who wanted to come to you."

As she said this, she leaned forward slightly and raised an eyebrow at Xu Lang.

"Xu Lang, would you like to give me another audition opportunity? You can play Wang Sheng, and I'll play Xiao Wei. You can choose the scenes for the audition, such as the rendezvous between the two in a dream."

"Um?"

Zhou Xun's bold statement truly surprised Xu Lang.

He was very familiar with the script of "Painted Skin". Wang Sheng was the male lead in "Painted Skin", the one who was entangled with the fox demon Xiao Wei.

In the movie, Wang Sheng and Xiao Wei's dreams are all passionate scenes between the two.

Now, Zhou Xun says she can audition with Xu Lang for a scene in a dream?

This. . .

Xu Lang looked at Zhou Xun's ambiguous smile, and suddenly felt a foot under the table nudge him intentionally or unintentionally.

If Xu Lang still can't understand Zhou Xun's meaning by now, then he really is a fool.

"That shouldn't be the case!"

Xu Lang looked at Zhou Xun opposite him, his doubts growing even stronger.

"She's one of the 'Four Dan and Two Bing' actresses, a top-tier actress in the Chinese entertainment industry. She shouldn't be trying to seduce me for just one role."

Seeing Xu Lang staring at him without speaking, his eyes filled with some doubt, Zhou Xun chuckled softly.

"To be honest, it's not that I necessarily want to get the role of Xiaowei, I'm just unwilling to lose to a little girl."

At this point, Zhou Xun reached out and grasped Xu Lang's hand, gently stroking it.

"I can even give up the role of Xiaowei. I just want to prove myself, to prove it to myself, and to prove it to you."

"Oh?"

Under the table, Xu Lang felt a small foot creeping up his calf.

On the table, Xu Lang's palms were also being tickled intensely.

Zhou Xun's eyes were fixed on Xu Lang, her exceptionally bright eyes filled with endless allure, as if they could electrify him, sending a shiver down Xu Lang's spine.

"Using that acting skill to be alluring is truly doubly effective!"

Xu Lang has been with many top beauties, but they are all young girls. Liu Yifei and Yang Mi are only 18 years old, and the oldest, An Yixuan and Liu Tao, are only 24 years old.

Xu Lang has never experienced anything like Zhou Xun, who is thirty years old.

"They say a young married woman is a treasure, and they're absolutely right!"

but. . .

Xu Lang shook his head slightly; to be honest, he still couldn't quite accept it.

"A top actress came to seduce me? Do I really have that much charm?"

Thinking of this, Xu Lang chuckled and said to Zhou Xun:

"Brother Xun, I'm really experiencing your charm now. Are you trying to make me look foolish in public?"

Seeing Xu Lang break free from his earlier excitement, Zhou Xun was both surprised and somewhat disheartened.

She withdrew her hand, leaned back, and pulled her feet back under the table.

He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, lit it, and took a deep drag.

"Many people say I'm love-obsessed. I didn't believe it at first, but then a lot of busybodies summarized my romantic history clearly and thoroughly."

After I saw it, I was shocked.

Zhou Xun took another drag of her cigarette, and the smoke she exhaled was clearly visible under the bar's lights, swirling around in a hazy, dreamlike atmosphere.

"I started modeling and acting when I was 15, and by the time I was 18, I was already a well-known actress."

Although many people are optimistic about me and believe that I have a bright future.

But it was then that I met Dou Peng, who was performing in Hangzhou.

I fell in love with him at first sight, and for that, I gave up everything I had and my future to follow him to Beijing.

To earn money, I sang with him in bars, earning 50 yuan a day. We lived in a basement and ate at street food stalls. Once, a guy insisted that I drink with him, but I refused, and he hit me.

Even so, I still feel very happy.

...

Intermittently, Zhou Xun recounted several of her romantic relationships.

After speaking, Zhou asked Xu Lang,

"Tell me, is this love? Am I just blinded by love?"

Xu Lang actually knew a bit about Zhou Xun's romantic history. In his previous life, he even knew quite a bit about her romantic history after she turned thirty.

Originally, I just treated it as gossip, but now, listening to the original owner recount it in detail in front of me, this feeling...

It was shocking, impactful, and also eerie!

After listening, Xu Lang understood Zhou Xun somewhat:

Zhou Xun has had numerous lovers and relationships throughout her more than ten years in the entertainment industry, and has never had a period of being single.

For example, in his first relationship, he felt happy when he and Dou Peng were struggling in Beijing. But when they both made it through and their lives gradually improved, they broke up.

Every other experience was more or less the same.

"All she wants is the feeling of being in love!"

Constantly changing people and experiences brings a sense of novelty and new excitement.

For the feeling of "being in love," for novelty and excitement, Zhou Xun is willing to give up everything she already has time and time again.

"That's really reckless!"

Xu Lang smiled and shook his head, then looked at Zhou Xun and said:

"Brother Xun, although I'm not a reporter for a tabloid, aren't you afraid I'll publish these things for you?"

"Ha ha!"

Zhou Xun laughed heartily, her eyes showing no worry whatsoever.

"Xu Lang, do you know why I came all this way to find you, and why I've been waiting for you for several days?"

"Isn't it for the role of Xiao Wei, or as you said, to prove yourself?"

"Of course not, do you think I'm lacking roles right now?"

Zhou Xun shook her head dismissively, then pointed at Xu Lang.

I came here for you.

"I?"

"right!"

As Zhou Xun spoke, she leaned forward again, grasping Xu Lang's hand once more, her voice trembling with excitement:

"You previously flaunted your feelings online, and many people confessed their love for you in a self-destructive manner."

Do you know how thrilling this kind of love, which is almost like "dying for love," is?

To be honest, just thinking about it makes me excited and thrilled.

These past few days, whenever I've become involved in your emotional story, I can't help but tremble with excitement.

At this point, Zhou Xun grasped Xu Lang's hands and said emotionally:

"I also want to experience that feeling, that thrill. Can you give it to me?"