The Rebirth of the Socialite's Glory (GL) - Chapter 34

An Ye was left outside in the suburbs that night to ‘atone for his sins.’ Consequently, An Ye caught a bad cold and developed a high fever, eventually spending a week in the hospital to recover. Aside from calling An Ye’s family the next morning to have someone pick him up, Feng Hua paid no further attention to him.

People must always pay the price for the mistakes they make.

If Feng Hua hadn’t reacted that night and had genuinely been framed, she definitely wouldn’t have just made An Ye stand out in the cold for one night; it was possible she would have arranged for An Ye to be raped.

Feng Hua kept her promise and provided Cheng Yi with a script and a contract within three days. As soon as Cheng Yi signed the contract, she could immediately advance two million yuan from Feng Hua to cover the surgery and medical expenses, and then focus on her work without worry.

Cheng Yi looked at the contract. There were no unreasonable clauses. The profit-sharing was even better than the company she was originally signed with, the terms were very flexible, and the duration wasn’t a lifetime commitment—it was only ten years. The only thing that made her hesitate was that Feng Hua was asking her to sign with a newly registered studio. As it stood, this was very unfavorable for the future of the signed artist. It was well-known that the larger and more established the company, the more resources it had, and the broader the artist’s future development path would be, while a small studio like this…

Although she had some reservations, Cheng Yi decisively signed. First, she urgently needed the two million, and second, she trusted Feng Hua’s ability and her status. The Feng family was a massive enterprise; they wouldn’t let her suffer a loss, would they?

After resolving Cheng Yi’s matter, Feng Hua began preparing for the auditions. Currently, the studio had only Feng Hua as the sole commander-in-chief, requiring her to handle everything personally. Consequently, Feng Hua became busy again and requested a week’s leave from the school.

“Professor Feng took leave, and another professor is teaching the class. Seriously, there’s no harm without comparison. I really, really miss Professor Feng’s class now.” Ning Ning propped her face on her hand, deforming the flesh of her cheeks slightly, her eyes glued shut as if with glue, unable to open.

Ye Qiu held her pen, making notes with a rustling sound on the paper. She responded with an “mm,” acknowledging Ning Ning.

But Ning Ning felt Ye Qiu was being too perfunctory and was quite unhappy. So, she acted audaciously and snatched Ye Qiu’s pen, capping the fountain pen. Having completed this series of actions, her previously sleep-shut eyes could now open. She smiled triumphantly at Ye Qiu, “I’m talking to you. Can you not be so dismissive?”

Ye Qiu wasn’t angry; she just stared at Ning Ning with her dark, grape-seed-like eyes.

Ning Ning felt awkward under Ye Qiu’s gaze and laughed dryly, saying, “Don’t you miss Professor Feng?”

Actually, Ning Ning didn’t believe Ye Qiu when she said that she and Feng Hua were friends. Not to mention that Feng Hua’s status naturally shouldn’t intersect with Ye Qiu’s life, but also because Feng Hua clearly didn’t show any special regard for Ye Qiu and had never spoken to her outside of answering questions. She didn’t look like Ye Qiu’s friend at all.

So, Ye Qiu must actually be an obsessed fan of Professor Feng, right?

Ning Ning felt she had peered into her friend’s inner secret! She understood, truly understood. She also wanted to be friends with the Goddess!

Ye Qiu glanced out the window, past Ning Ning, and said casually, “No.”

“I don’t believe it.” Ning Ning suddenly remembered something, took out her phone, opened Feng Hua’s Weibo, and showed it to Ye Qiu. “I see you’ve been studying diligently lately, so you must not have checked Weibo. Look, Professor Feng’s leave seems to be for this. It makes me so excited after seeing it…”

Ye Qiu took the phone.

The pinned Weibo post was about the auditions. Feng Hua had established a film and television media studio and was preparing to shoot a movie. They were currently holding nationwide auditions for actors. Auditioning for a movie wasn’t particularly unusual, but Feng Hua offered a one-million yuan reward for the first place winner, who would also be signed to Feng Hua’s studio. Furthermore, there were no restrictions on educational background, major, or experience for participants. As long as they caught the eye of the judges during the competition, they could join the film crew. This was a considerable temptation.

Registration was online, and within just half a day of the information being posted, the number of people drawn to register had already exceeded ten thousand.

“I want to give it a try. Even being a small extra in the crew would be great,” Ning Ning said longingly.

Ye Qiu gave an “mm,” returned the phone to Ning Ning, and effortlessly picked up her fountain pen to continue listening to the lecture and taking notes diligently.

“…” Can we not even talk properly and worship the Goddess anymore?

Ning Ning felt that Ye Qiu was very odd today—no, she had been odd for the past few days! Was it since the Professor took leave?

The Professor is absent, so her friend is moody. So, Ye Qiu is an obsessed fan of Professor Feng after all, right?!

Ning Ning signed herself up. Looking at Ye Qiu’s profile, she also signed up Ye Qiu. Maybe Ye Qiu could become famous and a big star because of this. It would be such a waste for her to remain so obscure with such a beautiful face.

—

Feng Hua was truly out of her depth in filmmaking, unable to grasp even the basics. So, she naturally hired an external director, Huang Shan, and his crew to direct the film. Feng Hua didn’t invite a famous director, as whether the person would accept or have availability was another matter, and it was entirely unnecessary for this film to have a famous director.

This was initially an obscure, poorly regarded small production. Inviting a famous director would offer no benefit and would only seem mismatched.

Feng Hua hired an ordinary director, Huang Shan, who had his own team and studio, and had filmed web series and micro-movies, but this hadn’t made him widely popular. He remained relatively unknown.

He wasn’t incapable; he just lacked a platform. Getting an opportunity to showcase himself wasn’t easy. There are many famous directors, and a simple analysis shows: why would one hire an unremarkable, lesser-known director for a large production?

It’s hard for actors without backing to make it, and the same goes for directors.

Feng Hua personally met Huang Shan. He was someone who, besides his gender and voice, which identified him as a man, was more feminine than most women. According to common knowledge, such a unique director wouldn’t remain ordinary forever. In fact, that was true. Even without Feng Hua’s support, Huang Shan would have his turning point in two years, and within a decade, he would become one of the top directors in the entertainment industry, winning awards effortlessly, and known as a maverick director.

Huang Shan was truly beautiful, possessing a kind of androgynous beauty that even startled Feng Hua when she first sat face-to-face with him.

However, apart from the first meeting when Huang Shan was impeccably clean and neat, every other time Feng Hua saw him, he looked like a slovenly otaku—depressed, unshaven, and casually dressed. He no longer had the original androgynous charm, actually looking much more manly.

Feng Hua spent a few days with Huang Shan. Once his image aligned with the Huang Shan she remembered, Feng Hua confidently handed over the responsibilities to him and became a hands-off boss herself.

Feng Hua didn’t pay attention to the first few rounds of the auditions. With ten thousand registered participants, the competition was divided into six rounds. The first round filtered out eighty percent, and by the fourth round, only fifty people remained. Only then did Feng Hua start paying attention to the competition videos.

The quality of the fifty remaining contestants was satisfactory, which made Feng Hua breathe a sigh of relief. Although there were ten thousand registered participants, the fact that eighty percent of those with good fundamental quality were easily filtered out in the first round showed that most people who registered were just joining in the fun. Famous actors weren’t interested in competing for a role in this “small production,” and those who wanted to be internally selected were directly rejected by Feng Hua.

If they couldn’t select some outstanding actors this time, it would not only be embarrassing but also put them in a difficult position regarding actor selection.

However, Feng Hua’s gaze lingered on the names Ning Ning and Ye Qiu…

Feng Hua looked up all of Ye Qiu’s competition videos. In every round, Ye Qiu simply sang a song, nothing innovative. The songs weren’t particularly special or difficult, but Ye Qiu’s voice was excellent, and she was stunningly beautiful. When she lowered her eyes, singing softly, what she sang no longer mattered; the deep emotion in her singing was captivating and intoxicating.

Feng Hua had never heard Ye Qiu sing. She didn’t know that Ye Qiu’s singing could be so… enchanting.

When the results for the fifth round were out, Feng Hua was looking at the financial report. Her phone rang, and the caller ID showed Huang Shan.

“Miss Feng, the top ten have been selected.” The content of the fourth round was to film a video they thought was most expressive and perform it live, which heavily tested the contestants’ abilities in various aspects.

“The movie needs not only leads but also many supporting roles and even extras. If you see anyone you like, keep them.”

“I know. I wanted to discuss the issue of the main lead with you.”

“The first place winner is the lead,” Feng Hua said calmly.

“But I feel the person chosen as first place this time may not be suitable for the lead role. However, not making her the lead would have a very bad impact; it would be tantamount to going back on our word,” Huang Shan said with hesitation in his voice.

“Oh? Who is your intended first place?” Feng Hua opened the official Weibo and clicked on the competition videos.

Huang Shan said, “Ye Qiu.”

Feng Hua paused. “Is there anything special about her?”

“She is special in every way. She is simply born to be an actress! But unfortunately, she is not suitable for the female lead of this movie.” Huang Shan genuinely felt it was a pity. In his mind, good actors like Ye Qiu were in the same predicament as himself—not lacking ability, but lacking the right stage.

“It sounds like you admire her very much?”

Huang Shan couldn’t discern Feng Hua’s attitude, but her tone didn’t suggest dissatisfaction, so Huang Shan continued with excitement, “Do you know? Ye Qiu can’t sing at all! Her singing is so bad that people can’t even remember what she sang, nor can they focus on the song itself. That is a terrible failure for a singer!”

“The reason she attracted so many people through her singing isn’t because she sings well, but because she acts well. She acts so well that people believe she is a diva, and they are mesmerized by her.”

“You mean she is acting?” Feng Hua’s eyes were filled with astonishment.

Thinking back carefully, it was exactly as Huang Shan said. She had watched Ye Qiu’s videos several times, but she only remembered that it sounded very pleasant, yet she couldn’t recall what she sang now.

“Yes, she is acting.”

“There’s a saying about soul singers, and there are also soul performers in acting. When such a person acts, it is truly frightening,” Huang Shan chuckled softly, his voice the characteristic deep, magnetic tone of a man.

Feng Hua, however, was already lost in another set of thoughts.