The Rebirth of the Socialite's Glory (GL) - Chapter 36

An Ye was kept in the suburbs that night to ‘atone’ for his sins. Because of the cold, An Ye developed a high fever and ended up recovering in the hospital for a week. Besides calling An Ye’s family that morning to have them pick him up, Feng Hua didn’t bother with An Ye further.

People must always pay for the mistakes they make.

If Feng Hua hadn’t realized what was happening that night and had truly been framed, Feng Hua definitely wouldn’t have just made An Ye stand in the cold for a night; it was possible she might have even arranged for An Ye to be sexually assaulted.

Feng Hua kept her promise and provided Cheng Yi with a script and a contract within three days. As long as Cheng Yi signed the contract, she could immediately advance two million in funds from Feng Hua to cover the cost of the surgery and medical expenses, and then work with peace of mind.

Cheng Yi looked at the contract; there was nothing unreasonable about it. The profit-sharing was even better than the company she had 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 having her sign with a newly registered studio. As it stood, this was very disadvantageous to the artist’s future. It was common knowledge that the bigger the company and the deeper its foundation, the more resources it had, and the broader the artist’s future development path would be. A small studio like this…

Although she had some reservations, Cheng Yi decisively signed. Firstly, she desperately needed the two million, and secondly, she trusted Feng Hua’s ability and identity. The Feng family was a large and wealthy enterprise; how could they possibly let her down?

After resolving Cheng Yi’s matter, Feng Hua began preparing for the auditions. Currently, the studio only had Feng Hua as the sole leader, so she had to handle everything herself. Thus, Feng Hua became busy again and took a week’s leave from school.

“Professor Feng is on leave, and another professor is teaching the class. There’s truly no comparison; I super miss Professor Feng’s class now.” Ning Ning supported her face with her hand, squishing her cheeks slightly. Her eyes seemed glued shut, impossible to keep open.

Ye Qiu held her pen and was making rustling notes on the paper. Hearing the comment, she simply hummed in acknowledgement, which counted as responding to Ning Ning.

But Ning Ning felt Ye Qiu was being perfunctory and was unhappy. So, she was suddenly seized by malice, directly snatched Ye Qiu’s pen, and capped the fountain pen. After performing this series of actions, her previously sleepy eyes could finally open. She smiled triumphantly at Ye Qiu, “I’m talking to you, don’t be so perfunctory, okay?”

Ye Qiu didn’t get angry, but just stared at Ning Ning with her dark, grape-seed-like eyes.

Ning Ning felt awkward under Ye Qiu’s gaze, and gave a dry laugh, saying, “Don’t you miss Professor Feng?”

Actually, Ning Ning didn’t believe Ye Qiu’s claim that she and Feng Hua were friends. Leaving aside the fact that Feng Hua’s background should have no connection with Ye Qiu, it was also because Feng Hua clearly showed no special treatment towards Ye Qiu, and never spoke to her outside of answering questions, not at all like friends.

So, Ye Qiu was actually just a devoted fan of Professor Feng, right?

Ning Ning felt she had glimpsed a secret in her friend’s heart! She understood, truly understood; she also really wanted to be friends with the goddess~

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

“I don’t believe you.” Ning Ning suddenly remembered something, took out her phone, opened Feng Hua’s Weibo, and showed it to Ye Qiu. “I saw you’ve been studying diligently recently, so you must not have been checking Weibo. Look, Professor Feng seems to have taken leave for this. After seeing it, I’m so tempted…”

Ye Qiu took the phone.

The pinned Weibo post was information about an audition. Feng Hua had established a film and television media studio and was preparing to shoot a movie. They were currently holding a nationwide audition for actors. Auditioning for a movie wasn’t particularly special, but Feng Hua offered a one million reward for the first place winner, who would also be signed to Feng Hua’s studio. Furthermore, contestants were not limited by degree, academic background, major, or prior experience. As long as they caught the judges’ eye during the competition, they could join the film crew. The temptation was significant.

Registration was online, and in just half a day since the information was posted, the number of people attracted to sign up had already exceeded ten thousand.

“I want to give it a try. Even just being an extra in the crew would be pretty good,” Ning Ning said dreamily.

Ye Qiu hummed, returned the phone to Ning Ning, effortlessly retrieved her fountain pen with a casual reach, and continued to listen attentively and take notes.

“…” Can we still chat properly and adore the goddess?

Ning Ning felt Ye Qiu was acting strange today, no, she had been acting strange for the past few days! Was it since the professor took leave?

The professor is away, so her friend is moody. So, Ye Qiu is indeed a devoted fan of Professor Feng, right?!

Ning Ning signed up for herself, glanced at Ye Qiu’s profile, and signed up Ye Qiu too. Maybe Ye Qiu could become famous and a big star because of this; it would be such a waste for someone with such a beautiful face to remain so unknown.

Feng Hua was truly unprofessional when it came to making movies and had no idea how to approach it. Therefore, she naturally hired a director and his team to manage the film. Feng Hua didn’t hire a famous director because whether they would agree and whether they had time slots were secondary, and hiring a famous director was simply unnecessary for this particular film.

This was initially an unknown, unpromising small production. Hiring a famous director would offer no benefit and would feel out of place.

Feng Hua hired an ordinary director named Huang Shan, who had his own team and studio, and had directed web series and micro-movies. However, this hadn’t made him widely popular; he continued to develop steadily without reaching great fame.

He wasn’t actually incapable, but merely lacked a stage. Getting an opportunity to showcase one’s talent isn’t easy. There are many famous directors, and a simple analysis shows that if there’s a big production, why bother hiring an unknown, mediocre small director?

It’s hard for actors without backing or promotion, and directors face a similar situation.

Feng Hua personally met with Huang Shan. He was a person who, apart from his gender and voice identifying him as male, was more feminine than most women in every other aspect. According to common perception, such a unique director would not remain mediocre forever. In fact, even without Feng Hua’s support, Huang Shan would find his turning point in two years, and within ten years, he would become one of the top directors in the entertainment industry, winning awards left and right, and known as a genius director.

Huang Shan was genuinely beautiful, possessing an androgynous beauty that even stunned Feng Hua when she first sat face-to-face with him.

However, apart from their first meeting where Huang Shan was impeccably clean and neat, Feng Hua saw him in all other instances looking dejected, unshaven, and casually dressed like an otaku, completely lacking his original androgynous aura, and looking quite a bit 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 manager.

Feng Hua didn’t pay attention to the first few rounds of auditions. With ten thousand applicants, the competition was divided into six rounds. The first round eliminated eighty percent, and by the fourth round, only fifty people remained. It was at this point that Feng Hua started paying attention to the competition videos.

The fifty remaining contestants were all qualified, which made Feng Hua breathe a sigh of relief. Although there were ten thousand applicants, the fact that the qualified ones could be easily screened out by eighty percent in the first round showed that most people signed up just to join the fun. Famous actors didn’t want to compete for this “small production” role, and those who wanted to secure a role through insider influence were directly rejected by Feng Hua.

If they couldn’t select some relatively excellent actors this time, they would not only lose face but also be in a difficult position regarding actor selection.

However, Feng Hua paused the video 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. There was no novelty, and the songs weren’t particularly unique or challenging. Yet, Ye Qiu had a good voice and was stunningly beautiful. As she lowered her gaze and sang softly, what she sang no longer mattered; the deep emotion in her singing was enough to make people irresistibly immersed.

Feng Hua had never heard Ye Qiu sing. She hadn’t realized Ye Qiu looked so… charming when singing.

When the results of the fifth round were announced, Feng Hua was looking at the financial statements. Her phone rang; 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 that the contestant believed was their most expressive, done on the spot, which greatly tested the contestants’ overall abilities.

“The movie needs not only a lead but also many supporting roles and even extras. Keep anyone you like.”

“I understand. I want to discuss the issue of the protagonist with you.”

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

“But I don’t think the person selected for first place this time is suitable for the protagonist role. However, if she isn’t the protagonist, the implications will be very bad; it would be going back on our word,” Huang Shan said with hesitation.

“Oh? Who is your top pick?” Feng Hua opened the official Weibo and clicked on the competition videos.

Huang Shan replied, “Ye Qiu.”

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

“She is special in every way; she’s simply born to be an actress! But unfortunately, she’s not suitable for the female lead of this movie.” Huang Shan truly felt it was a pity. In his heart, great actors like Ye Qiu were in the same situation as he was: not lacking ability, just lacking the right stage.

“It sounds like you really admire her?”

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! The songs she sings are so forgettable, and there’s no way to focus on the songs themselves. For a singer, that is a complete failure!”

“The reason she attracted so many people through singing is not because she sang well, but because she acted well. She acted so incredibly well that people believed she was a diva, and they were captivated by her.”

“Are you saying she was acting?” Astonishment filled Feng Hua’s eyes.

Thinking back carefully, it was indeed as Huang Shan described. She had watched Ye Qiu’s videos several times, but she only remembered that it sounded good, and now she couldn’t even recall what she sang.

“Yes, she was acting.”

“If there are ‘soul singers,’ then there are ‘soul performers’ in acting. When people like that act, it’s truly frightening,” Huang Shan chuckled softly, his voice possessing the inherent magnetic depth of a man.

Ye Qiu, however, was already lost in another set of thoughts.