Chapter 9: President Meng Backs Him Up

The subsequent auditions proceeded quickly.

Neither acting skills nor appearance stood out or matched the requirements.

Lü Feifan’s frown deepened, her patience gradually wearing thin.

The actor for the second male lead had originally been decided, but after witnessing Yun Xingcan’s performance that day, Lü Feifan had dismissed the originally chosen actor.

She had considered having the originally cast second male lead play the third male lead instead, but the actor, likely feeling undervalued, declined.

Lü Feifan didn’t care about offending people; she only wanted to produce a good TV series, and casting was extremely important to her.

“Director Lu, may I try for the third male lead role?”

Lin Ming suddenly spoke up.

Lü Feifan looked up, glanced at him, then nodded in agreement.

Before coming, Lin Ming had already auditioned for the second male lead and was directly rejected by her. For the third male lead… perhaps he could manage.

“Alright, perform the scene where the Taoist priest dialogues with the female ghost.”

Yun Xingcan looked at Lü Feifan this was the same scene he had performed yesterday.

He also wanted to see how Lin Ming would interpret this segment.

It was nearly noon, and after almost four hours of auditions, Lü Feifan massaged her temples wearily.

In this era of popularity driven entertainment, truly skilled actors were rare.

After a whole morning of auditions, the third male lead role remained undecided.

Lin Ming held a pen, using it as a substitute for the peach wood sword in the script, pointing at empty space.

“You have your reasons?”

Lin Ming wore an expression of disbelief, unconvinced by a ghost’s words.

“Your reasons are no excuse for harming people!”

“Cut!”

Lü Feifan stopped him directly, rubbing her temples.

“Lin Ming, you’re a kindhearted, almost naive Taoist priest! Not a butcher with ‘I want to kill ghosts’ written all over your face! You completely misunderstand this character!”

If it weren’t for the fact that Lin Ming was recommended by Deputy Director Yang, Lü Feifan wouldn’t even bother with explanations she’d have shown him the door directly.

Lin Ming stood in place, pursuing his lips. Ever since receiving the script, he had only studied the second male lead role.

Deputy Director Yang had assured him the second male lead was his for sure, but what happened now? Yun Xingcan had swooped in and taken it!

The male lead was decided early on, leaving only the second male lead role as a worthy rival to the male lead. He hadn’t bothered to familiarize himself with the third male lead role at all.

“Sorry.”

Lü Feifan waved her hand, signaling Lin Ming to save his breath.

Truth be told, Lin Ming’s performance wasn’t bad. After all, he had acted in numerous productions, both as male lead and supporting roles, and his skills were proficient if not exceptional.

He had simply picked the worst possible timing.

With Yun Xingcan’s outstanding performance setting a high bar earlier, combined with Lü Feifan’s exhaustion from interviewing too many people, Lin Ming ended up bearing the brunt of her frustration.

Yun Xingcan was quite pleased he was gloating over others’ misfortune.

For people he disliked, every bit of Lin Ming’s misery brought him equal joy.

“Send the rest of the candidates away.”

Lü Feifan massaged her temples and made the final decision.

After the crowd dispersed, only the male and female leads who had been quietly observing in the corner remained, along with Director Lu, Deputy Director Yang, Lin Ming, Yun Xingcan, and Meng Chengxiao.

“President Meng, I’d like to host lunch today. Would you care to join us?”

Director Lu extended the invitation to Meng Chengxiao without much expectation.

This man was extremely busy and getting him to grace them with his presence was no easy feat.

“Alright.”

Meng Chengxiao stood with his hands in his pockets beside Yun Xingcan.

“Perfect. Our Starry Splendor can be a bit inexperienced, so my presence might help put some minds at ease.”

Lü Feifan turned to Yun Xingcan with a noticeably more sincere smile.

“You performed very well. Compared to our previous encounter, you’ve improved significantly.”

Yun Xingcan quickly expressed his gratitude.

Lin Ming, trailing behind the group, was in a foul mood. He pulled Assistant Director Yang aside without regard for whether the other was willing, whispering urgently.

“Director Yang, I truly love this series. Is there really no way?”

Assistant Director Yang had been hoping to seize the opportunity to exchange pleasantries with Meng Chengxiao, but Lin Ming’s lack of situational awareness annoyed him. Still, he couldn’t resist the temptation.

“Relax. Director Lü is just tired from all the auditions. Tomorrow the martial arts training begins, and she doesn’t seem anxious at all. She must have already decided on you.”

Though still uneasy, Lin Ming thought… Assistant Director Yang might be right. Perhaps he had already been chosen?

Lin Ming felt a surge of resentment. Why could Yun Xingcan land this role while he couldn’t? He didn’t believe he was inferior to Yun Xingcan in any way he worked hard, had good looks, and certainly possessed talent.

Walking at the very back of the group, Lin Ming shot daggers at Yun Xingcan with his eyes.

Yun Xingcan remained completely unaware, though even if he had noticed, he would have dismissed Lin Ming as childish.

The male lead of this series was Yu Lin, who had just won the Golden Rooster Award for Best Actor. The female lead was the talented Hua Xinya. Both were exceptionally skilled and attractive.

They were currently gathered around Meng Chengxiao with Director Lü.

Meng Chengxiao was truly a prized catch not merely the president of This Evening Media, but also a scion of the prestigious Meng family, one of Beijing’s elite circles. Aligning with him was like stepping directly into high society.

Of course, Yun Xingcan, who had been pushed to the back of the crowd, knew none of this. Firstly, he had no means of finding out Meng Chengxiao maintained decent privacy in this regard, though those in upper circles knew to some extent and information occasionally leaked. Secondly, Yun Xingcan had never delved into it; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been swayed by Lin Ming’s provocations six months ago at that banquet, considering seeking patronage elsewhere.

“Starry Splendor, come here.”

Meng Chengxiao suddenly called Yun Xingcan over, using an unexpectedly intimate nickname.

Everyone around them froze momentarily, instinctively making way.

Even Yun Xingcan was stunned. Starry Splendor? This was the first time Meng Chengxiao had addressed him so familiarly.

“What are you standing there for? Come on, get in the car. I’m taking you to eat. You’ve been dieting and exercising to maintain your figure you’ve gotten far too thin.”

Yun Xingcan glanced at the wide-open car door and slid inside first.

Meng Chengxiao very gallantly shielded his head before following him into the vehicle.

“Director Lü, name a place. We’ll head there.”

Lü Feifan quickly provided an address and got into the car behind Meng Chengxiao’s.

The others tactfully took seats in the following vehicle.

But Lin Ming eagerly approached Meng Chengxiao’s car window, peering inside.

“President Meng, may I ride with you?”

Meng Chengxiao smiled at Lin Ming.

“Get in the back.”

Lin Ming’s smile stiffened as he retreated to the rear vehicle.

He began to wonder if he’d forgotten to check the almanac before leaving home today nothing seemed to go his way.

Truthfully, by all accounts, Lin Ming currently had no official connection to this production crew. That Lü Feifan tolerated his presence at all was already a generous concession.

Yu Lin leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed, resting. When Lin Ming entered, he cracked open a slit to size up the man before closing them again.

Hua Xinya had noticed Lin Ming approaching Meng Chengxiao earlier and casually inquired, pretending nonchalance.

“Lin Ming, do you know President Meng?”Lin Ming looked down at his fingers, his face ashen, not daring to offend the woman, and perfunctorily grunted in acknowledgment.”

But Hua Xinya had no intention of letting him off.

“How would President Meng know you?”

“He’s my boss and also my agent.”

Hua Xinya exaggeratedly covered her mouth, about to say more, but was interrupted by Lü Feifan.

“Watch your words, everyone. President Meng isn’t as amiable as he appears on the surface.”

Hua Xinya warmly leaned toward Lü Feifan, her wavy hair brushing against him unintentionally, carrying a seductive fragrance.

“Director Lu understood. You must be tired too rest for a while.”

Lü Feifan ignored these people with their hidden agendas and closed his eyes to rest.

Soon, they arrived at the dining spot. Meng Chengxiao led Yun Xingcan straight into the private room, showing no intention of waiting for the others.

“President Meng, isn’t this a bit inappropriate?”

“What’s inappropriate about it? I’m an investor. I should have the right to let you eat first, shouldn’t I?”

Yun Xingcan was left speechless. He was the one paying, so he could indeed act as the boss.

“Here, there is a piece of chocolate.”

Yun Xingcan looked at the imported chocolate on the table, somewhat puzzled. When did Meng Chengxiao start liking chocolate?

“When did you develop a taste for chocolate?”

Meng Chengxiao browsed the menu to order while quipping at the person beside him.

“I don’t eat it. I prepared it for a certain ancestor who’s prone to low blood sugar.”

Yun Xingcan’s face flushed red; he understood Meng Chengxiao had specially prepared it for him.

The issue of low blood sugar had only started after he entered the entertainment industry, for no other reason.

To look good on camera, he was already controlling his diet, and as a trainee, his training intensity was too high, often causing him to forget meals.

Over time, he developed low blood sugar and stomach pain.

“To receive President Meng’s concern, this humble one is thrice blessed.”

“Alright, my classical style young scholar is back.”

By the time Meng Chengxiao finished ordering, the others had just arrived.

Seeing the waiter who had just left, no one dared to accuse the domineering man of acting unilaterally.

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