Rebirth: I Am the Wealthy Family (GL) - Chapter 4

Zhang Xi chose to continue. The director’s assistant spread the paper out for her, and the scene quickly quieted down. This audition had no lines; it primarily depicted Lin Huiyin practicing calligraphy under a lamp, with Liang Sicheng walking over, standing behind her, and looking down at her. Then, Lin Huiyin would slightly turn to look at him, expressing a distinct affection for Liang Sicheng. As for what kind of affection it was, that was up to the actress’s interpretation. Historically, Liang Sicheng was Lin Huiyin’s husband, and their relationship after marriage was quite good.

“Ready to start?” Lin Hong asked again.

Zhang Xi held the calligraphy brush. She had played talented women before, but she was never actually required to practice calligraphy. Such scenes in TV dramas and movies usually had the characters pre-written by someone familiar with calligraphy, and the camera would cut to the actors after a quick switch. This was truly the first time she had been asked to write herself.

“Yes, please begin.”

Zhang Xi took a deep breath and began to sit properly and practice calligraphy, holding the brush in her hand, sitting up in a practiced manner. At this moment, the actor playing Liang Sicheng stood behind her, hands behind his back, watching her practice. Zhang Xi’s hands were trembling due to nervousness. She wrote, but the characters were truly unpresentable. A strange look appeared on her face. The actor playing Liang Sicheng was named Bai Guanghan, a popular young actor who had rapidly risen to fame in recent years. He just stood there, silently.

“Okay, Zhang Xi, you can come down!”

It turned out her audition was over. Zhang Xi exhaled deeply and walked off. Lin Hong took her paper and handed it to Director Zhang, who shook his head. “The handwriting is really unwatchable. No good! Next one.”

“Qianyu, it’s your turn. Go up quickly. Don’t worry, just write a few words, then turn around and look at the man. Just act casually!”

Ah He had lowered his expectations for Chen Qianyu to the minimum. This role was just for her to try out. He personally held little hope for an audition where the Best Actress An Xi and veteran actress Yan Zhujia were also present. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

“Me, should I go up now? But I…”

Chen Qianyu was very hesitant; she really knew nothing. However, Ah He had already pushed her forward.

“Just sit here. The paper and brush are ready. You can write anything you want!” Lin Hong routinely instructed her by her side, letting Chen Qianyu prepare. Chen Qianyu grasped the brush and began to write.

“I haven’t even prepared yet? Chen Qianyu, why are you writing with your left hand?”

Lin Hong asked in surprise. He had never heard that Chen Qianyu was left-handed. Chen Qianyu was startled and immediately switched to writing with her right hand.

“So you can use both hands, but I haven’t prepared yet, and I haven’t called ‘Action.’ Let’s change the paper.”

Lin Hong stepped forward and took the paper Chen Qianyu had just written on. He was immediately stunned. He found her calligraphy was truly full of flavor. Yes, full of flavor! Such majestic and vigorous handwriting, truly piao ruo jing hong, jiao ruo jiao long (as light as a startled swan, as strong as a coiling dragon). She must have practiced for a long time.

“Can we start now, Chen Qianyu?”

Chen Qianyu nodded, glancing at Ah He offstage. Ah He gave her a look: “Go!”

Afterward, Chen Qianyu focused on writing. Bai Guanghan stood behind her. Chen Qianyu wrote very attentively. Bai Guanghan gently walked to her side. Seeing her so immersed and focused, he stood there, reluctant to disturb her. Seeing that she hadn’t turned around, Bai Guanghan subtly leaned closer, his hand touching her shoulder. Chen Qianyu was startled, turned back abruptly, and her face was filled with panic!

“Good, Chen Qianyu, you can come down!”

Lin Hong handed the calligraphy Chen Qianyu wrote to Director Zhang. Director Zhang was stunned after looking at her handwriting. This woman’s calligraphy was truly practiced. He hadn’t expected there was actually an actress in the entertainment industry who practiced calligraphy.

“Chen Qianyu’s handwriting is…”

Ah He thought something was wrong and quickly stepped forward to look. He was Chen Qianyu’s manager, and even if there was any mistake, as her manager, he had to try hard to minimize it.

“Director Zhang, what about Qianyu’s handwriting?”

“Good, so good, absolutely excellent! Qianyu, have you practiced calligraphy?”

Hearing this meant there was a chance, Ah He immediately laughed and said, “Director Zhang, our Qianyu has always admired your work and has been looking forward to collaborating with you. But she heard that your requirements for actors are very strict. When you started preparing for this play at the beginning of the year, Qianyu had already started preparing, practicing calligraphy, reading Lin Huiyin’s works, and learning about her life. She said that if she had the chance to audition, she would definitely seize it and hoped to be recognized by you, Director Zhang, and work with you!”

Ah He’s words made Director Zhang ecstatic; flattery is always appreciated.

Chen Qianyu stood not far from Ah He, hearing all these words. In fact, she had studied literature and loved calligraphy. She had indeed read many of Lin Huiyin’s works, but it was entirely not what Ah He had said.

“Oh, I didn’t expect Qianyu to be so dedicated. There are too few dedicated actors like her now. You two go back and wait for notification. We will give you an answer tonight.” Director Zhang politely glanced at Chen Qianyu, collected her calligraphy, and arranged for the next audition with Yan Zhujia.

“Qianyu, let’s go.”

Ah He saw that Chen Qianyu was still preparing to watch Yan Zhujia’s performance, but then thought about it. It was indeed necessary to watch, after all, Yan Zhujia was a veteran actress, and Chen Qianyu could learn from her. Suddenly, his phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number: “Ah He, hello, I don’t know if you still remember me, Gu Mingzhu. Didn’t you want to invite me to dinner? I happen to be free at noon. Are you available?”

It was Gu Mingzhu’s call. Ah He was so excited he was speechless for a moment, trying hard to calm down: “Yes, available. Qianyu just finished her audition. Why don’t we go to the Nine Heavens restaurant for dinner? We’ll go there first and wait for you.”

“Good, sure!” Gu Mingzhu replied briefly and then hung up the phone.

“Qianyu, hurry up and get ready to leave. Gu Mingzhu agreed to have dinner with us. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Ah He was overjoyed at the thought of having dinner with the future boss of Mingzhu Group. As long as she had her support, Chen Qianyu would not have to worry about not getting roles.

In the entertainment industry, if you want to become famous, you need someone to promote you, you need backing. Why has Yan Zhujia been a supporting actress for so many years, always half-famous, half-obscure? It’s because she has no one to promote her. Even though she has acting skills, looks, and education, she lacks support. And why has Chen Qianyu been in the industry for almost eight years since her debut, yet she’s been tepid, sometimes even jobless, and all her roles are princess dramas? It’s mainly because she has no background and no one to promote her. Since Gu Mingzhu said last time that she was her fan, this opportunity has now arrived.

“Gu Mingzhu is having dinner with us? She has time?”

“Yes, at Nine Heavens. Hurry up and get ready. Qianyu, this time, if you can’t say the right thing, then don’t say anything. This is a golden opportunity. Watch my cues later and act accordingly.” Ah He was still worried about Chen Qianyu and feared she might say the wrong thing.

“Okay, I’ll listen to you. Ah He, did my sister ever get ridiculed when she auditioned?”