Shen Hezhi abruptly stood up and ran out of the dessert shop, looking around but seeing no one. He initially ran towards the left intersection, then, not finding anyone, sprinted to the right intersection, still without spotting anyone.
Did he leave so quickly?
Shen Hezhi’s hands hung down, feeling an indescribable sense of loss.
Turning back to the dessert shop, he sat down on a chair, opened his e-wallet to settle the bill, only to be notified that the bill had already been paid.
Staring at the window for a while, Shen Hezhi chose to close it, picked up his phone, unlocked the screen, and silently repeated those three words.
His finger hesitated over the dial button, hesitated for a moment, and then withdrew.
“It’s… just a coincidence.”
Chu Qianze walked leisurely ahead, engaging in post-meal exercise. Meanwhile, on the floating screen beside him, recent queries displayed information.
[Chu Qianze, male, born in the year 3200 of the New Era, hometown in City F. Father is a renowned pastry chef, and mother is a classical dancer.
In his childhood, influenced by his parents, he excelled in both dance and culinary arts, eventually becoming a trainee in interstellar entertainment.
In the year 3216, during an invasion by extraterrestrial forces, City F fell.
In the same year, Chu Qianze gave up his debut opportunity, choosing to enlist and head to the front lines.
……]
[Footnote:
Interstellar Entertainment: At the time, the most elite entertainment company, with extremely stringent selection criteria; they only accepted geniuses. Many of the currently well-known mega-stars originated from there.
…
Information about Chu Qianze is derived from accounts by his comrades, reports, civilian interviews, and book records. Due to the constant turmoil caused by the extraterrestrial invasion and Chu Qianze’s personal aversion to being photographed, only one picture has circulated, and it’s not even a frontal view.]
“Oh, right, where do I sleep now?” Chu Qianze suddenly remembered this question as he continued walking.
[Host, you don’t have a place to stay.]
Chu Qianze acknowledged and promptly searched for nearby hotels, choosing the closest one to check in.
Lying on the bed without much movement, he decided to directly use the e-wallet to log in and search online for audition opportunities for “Extraterrestrial Invasion.”
“Name, gender, age, photo, desired role for audition, understanding of the character… Why so many?” He input his thoughts directly through voice-to-text, typing wherever he thought, quickly reaching the section about the guarantor.
“Guarantor, Shen Hezhi.” After confirming there were no issues, Chu Qianze clicked the submit button.
At the moment Chu Qianze submitted the documents, Shen Hezhi received a notification.
[New message detected.]
Upon opening it, it was the guarantor’s verification.
Has the audition application been filled out?
Opening the application form and glancing over it, Shen Hezhi’s eyes flickered. It was indeed Chu Qianze, the one with the same name.
Clicking to approve, he sat on the balcony, picking up the script again for a read.
Somehow, his thoughts couldn’t fully engage with the text.
Setting the script aside, Shen Hezhi gazed at the sky, and his mind involuntarily recalled the scene in the dessert shop.
Chu Qianze stood by the door, his nearly perfect body proportions exceptionally eye-catching. The sunlight streaming in through the window cast a long shadow in front of him. Upon hearing his own voice, Chu Qianze tilted his head slightly, his eyes trailing lazily. The scene was about seven or eight parts similar to the only circulated photo, with the difference being that the person in the photo wore a military uniform, while Chu Qianze was dressed in a simple hoodie and jeans.
As if transcending time and space, the two figures coincided at a certain moment.
Despite previously disliking any comparisons with that individual, why did everything change upon seeing him?
Everyone knows Director He’s temper; his casting demands are beyond extreme. Just feeling similar isn’t enough to impress him; there needs to be more tangible and specific skills.
The first meeting, based solely on a feeling of similarity, he was dragged into eating and chatting. He was even coerced into participating in Director He’s audition.
Clearly, nothing was understood yet, not even the other person’s name, which was only just confirmed…
Running his slender fingers through his tousled hair, Shen Hezhi closed his eyes and leaned back on the bench.
“Crazy, aren’t I?”
After waiting for about fifteen minutes, Chu Qianze received a message displaying the audition time, location, and a few story segments.
Glancing at the audition requirements, it seemed to involve randomly performing one of the story segments and then undergoing further assessment through director’s questions, possibly including some spontaneous tests.
It was indeed quite informal.
Adhering to the principle of doing things to the best of his ability once decided, Chu Qianze went through the story segment a few times, roughly memorized the lines, and then opened a web page. Using three words as keywords, he searched for relevant information.
Just now, he only gave the information a quick glance without delving too deep. Now, after a broad search:
Favorite historical figures, biographies, artworks, stories…
Compliments and rainbow phrases kept coming in waves, each one seemingly more creative than the last, without any repetitive patterns. It was almost like he was being praised into a blooming flower.
Closing the screen, Chu Qianze lay down on the bed, then rolled over to lie face down, allowing his face to have an intimate encounter with the pillow.
Damn, what kind of embarrassing play was this?
After a while, he sat up again, moving the screen in front of him to continue reading related content and stories.
It had to be said; the writing was really good.
The time came for the audition.
Chu Qianze arrived half an hour early at the location. After showing his audition notice at the entrance, he walked in.
Unlike what he had imagined, there wasn’t any formal audition happening. Only someone who seemed to be a staff member stood in the middle.
Seeing Chu Qianze arrive, she smiled and asked, “Hello, are you Mr. Chu Qianze?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, please follow me.”
Following her towards a corner, the staff member reached out to touch the wall, and it automatically disappeared, revealing a passage ahead.
“Your audition space is ahead. I wish you a successful audition.”
Chu Qianze thanked her and walked in, and the wall behind him vanished.
Glancing back, he reached up to touch it, noting the unique texture.
Not lingering for too long, he turned around and walked along the passage. It seemed a bit dim inside.
In the monitoring room, Shen Hezhi sat at his position, hands clasped on the table. “Uncle He, I didn’t expect you to choose this assessment method.”
Director He touched his beard, chuckling. “Well, it’s a matter of trusting your judgment. Being a guarantor in person, that’s quite rare. Skipping the usual process and going straight to practical skills is more convenient. If he passes this, the role is his.”
“No explanations, just a direct simulation. Isn’t it a bit casual?” Shen Hezhi glanced at the monitoring room, his shoulder-length hair tied up.
“Not at all. I know it’s acting; I don’t need him to defeat those things. Just portraying the character’s feelings is enough. You also know I emphasize authenticity. This time, we’re using holographic simulation technology for filming. If he can’t even handle such a basic thing well, there’s no need to waste time on him, don’t you think?”
Director He glanced into the screen, “Oh, he encountered it already. Starting with this, his luck seems a bit unfortunate.”
After walking for a while, a bright light appeared, and the field of view ahead widened.
The surrounding environment subtly changed. Taking another step forward, a strong wind hit his face.
“Hirururu—!!”
A massive spherical object appeared in front of him, dark red and grid-like, resembling the compound eyes of an insect.
Between its sharp mandibles, it raised a tentacle and swept it directly toward Chu Qianze.
Chu Qianze’s eyes suddenly sharpened, swiftly stepping to the side to evade the attack.
Dodging a few times, he took the opportunity to move behind the insect. Seizing the tentacle, he used the momentum to land on its shoulder.
That look in his eyes…
“He’s got some skills. Why didn’t you mention that this guy knows martial arts?” And he doesn’t look like a novice.
While Director He spoke, his gaze didn’t shift, continuing to watch the progress in the projection.
“Well… considering how much you struggled with casting, I thought I’d give you a surprise for you to discover on your own.” Shen Hezhi also noticed Chu Qianze’s actions, equally surprised.
“Speaking of casting, my temples start throbbing whenever it comes up.” Director He sighed heavily, taking a sip of water to calm himself.
This role is tough to cast, really tough.
Originally, the primary focus of his film in this genre was authenticity, and he didn’t really care about ratings. Matching the character and having the ability were the top priorities. As for an actor’s fame or other factors, they were secondary.
That’s why he expanded the audition scope repeatedly, hoping to find some surprising discoveries.
“By the way, didn’t you insist on playing the role of Chu Qianze before? Why have you changed your mind and selected Shen Zhuofeng now?” Director He asked.
Shen Hezhi replied, “If there’s no suitable candidate, instead of having someone else compromise and play the role of Chu Qianze, I might as well do it myself.”
“You really… have a deep love for Chu Qianze.” Director He didn’t know what else to say.
Chuckling softly twice, Shen Hezhi remained silent.
Since the first time he saw that portrait, he had been deeply fascinated. Everything around him seemed to disappear, and whether in the center of his vision or in his mind, there was only that slender figure and the slightly tilted head, revealing a small part of the face beneath the military cap.
Love at first sight, and then madness.
He relentlessly collected information about him, desperately searching for related materials. Even the subject of his first dream was him.
What use were power and money?
Over the span of two hundred years, everything seemed so pale and powerless.
“Actually, you are more suitable for the role of Shen Zhuofeng,” Director He said.
“Because we both have the surname Shen?” Shen Hezhi’s lips curled, bringing out a hint of sarcasm even he hadn’t realized.
“In my eyes, you are Shen Zhuofeng himself. If he were to travel to the present, he would probably be like you.” Director He said, redirecting his attention to the projection, then suddenly fell into a daze.
“I can’t become someone as amazingly talented as him.” Times have changed; how can one make such comparisons?
At this moment, Shen Hezhi heard a soft inhale. Somehow, Director He was staring at the projection screen, lost in thought.
Lifting his head to look over, he saw in the projection that the large extraterrestrial creature that had been roaring just moments ago was now lying on the ground.
Chu Qianze was crouched over the alien’s body, withdrawing his hand. Blood splattered, staining his cheek slightly.
He leisurely stood up, used the back of his hand to touch his face, as if sensing someone observing him. He lifted his eyelids and swept his gaze over, sharp and piercing, like an unsheathed sword, revealing a compelling and formidable aura.
Dangerous yet captivating, making it impossible to look away.
That’s him. This is the person I wanted to see!
Shen Hezhi clenched his hands slightly, trembling with excitement. A curve appeared at the corner of his mouth. “It should… be fine now.”
Finding a stream, Chu Qianze crouched down to wash his hands. Sensing movement nearby, he paused his fingertips, then continued his actions seemingly unconcerned. When he withdrew his hand, the surrounding scenery changed again.
“Hello, I’m the director of ‘Extraterrestrial Invasion,’ He Luo.”
Chu Qianze stood up, patted his clothes, and looked at the two people ahead with a serene expression, smiling with his clear features. It was as if the sharp killing intent from before had all been an illusion.
“Hello, I’m Chu Qianze.”
Support me on ko-fi ʚ(´꒳`)ɞ
