Ye Zhou’s new project hit a deadlock due to casting issues. They had held two auditions in a row but still couldn’t find suitable candidates. Ye Zhou and the screenwriter were unwilling to settle, resulting in the current situation.
At Jiang Tingyuan’s suggestion, Ye Zhou arranged a small internal audition with several actors from Jingzhe whose schedules happened to be free and who had a certain number of works and awards to their name.
Unexpectedly, just as the car stopped and Jiang Tingyuan opened the door to get out, waiting for Ye Zhou to follow, a white figure suddenly lunged over from not far away. Several bodyguards blocked the white figure, preventing him from getting close. He didn’t say a word, just kept struggling, making a big commotion that was hard to ignore.
Ye Zhou, halfway out of the car, looked through the open door for a moment before recognizing the person. Wasn’t this Yu Qiuze, Jiang Yu’s white moonlight who always seemed out of breath after taking a few steps?
What followed was a series of events. Yu Qiuze, with tears streaming down his face, tried several times to grab Jiang Tingyuan’s hand, but to no avail. Mr. Jiang simply wouldn’t let him near.
Ye Zhou hid in the car the whole time, watching with great relish. He originally didn’t want to laugh. After all, this wasn’t really a laughing matter. To be honest, it was quite tragic, and all three parties involved were quite miserable.
Cheng Ran loved Jiang Yu so much and had given so much for him, but not only did he not get anything in return, but he also found out that he was just a stand-in for someone else when Yu Qiuze returned. Even more tragically, Jiang Yu personally asked him to give his heart to Yu Qiuze.
Yu Qiuze was also quite pitiful. Due to his blood type, he had searched for many years but couldn’t find a suitable heart. Now that he had finally found one and saw hope for his health, who would have thought that hope would be dashed?
Of course, the most miserable had to be Jiang Yu. He had given out 50 million, hoping to save his white moonlight’s life, but now it was all for naught. He lost both the person and the money.
It was a rather tragic affair, but for some reason, coupled with Yu Qiuze’s expressions and words, it immediately took on a hint of comedy. At first, Ye Zhou could hold it in, but when Yu Qiuze blew a big snot bubble, Ye Zhou couldn’t help but laugh out loud despite trying to hold back.
Although he quickly restrained himself, Yu Qiuze still heard him.
Yu Qiuze looked quite disheveled now. Due to his condition, his complexion was always very pale, and he had just come out of the ICU not long ago, with traces of illness still visible around his eyes.
His eyes were red from crying, and the tip of his nose was also flushed. When he looked at Ye Zhou, his gaze was very fierce, not at all like the vulnerability he showed Jiang Tingyuan, as if he wanted to tear Ye Zhou apart.
This expression would have been intimidating, if not for the big snot bubble hanging under Yu Qiuze’s nose.
Ye Zhou, who had managed to stop laughing, instantly cracked up again. He covered his mouth with his hand, trying not to let his smile be too obvious, and finally suppressed his laughter after a few deep breaths.
He pointed to his own nose, motioning for Yu Qiuze to wipe it.
Yu Qiuze was puzzled, still looking at Ye Zhou with intense hostility, but his hand unconsciously touched his nose, following Ye Zhou’s gesture.
When he felt the sticky, wet sensation on his nose, Yu Qiuze froze for a moment. When he realized what it was, the tears that had just been held back suddenly burst forth.
Ye Zhou thought: Bro, shouldn’t you wipe your snot first???
At that moment, Ye Zhou suddenly saw Jiang Tingyuan waving at him, silently mouthing, “Let’s go.”
Ye Zhou knew exactly what Mr. Jiang meant. He nimbly got out of the car, grabbed his folder, and darted out. Before anyone could react, he took Mr. Jiang’s hand and ran into the Jingzhe office building.
It wasn’t until they were in the elevator that Ye Zhou, panting, asked, “Isn’t this a bit too much?”
The Jingzhe elevator was a fully transparent observation elevator. People inside could clearly see the situation outside. As the elevator slowly ascended, Ye Zhou saw Yu Qiuze struggling with the bodyguards downstairs.
He tried hard to break free from the bodyguards’ obstruction, but even with ten protagonist halos, his small frame was no match for the professionally trained, strong bodyguards. Despite his best efforts, he could only stamp his feet in place.
While Ye Zhou was still looking out, Jiang Tingyuan didn’t spare him a single glance and said, “The favor owed to him has been repaid, and besides…”
“Hm?”
Jiang Tingyuan looked at Ye Zhou, his eyes gentle. “Once is enough. I won’t do things that you’re against.”
When he brought up this matter, Ye Zhou put away the excess emotions in his eyes and said, “Everyone is an independent individual. Whether their life experiences are good or bad, whether their lives are smooth or difficult, it’s their own business. No one but themselves can or has the right to decide their lives.”
“I understand.” Jiang Tingyuan nodded, reaching out to embrace him. He whispered in Ye Zhou’s ear, “I’m sorry.”
The elevator reached the target floor with a soft ‘ding’.
Ye Zhou waved at Jiang Tingyuan, “I’ll go ahead. I’ll come find you when I’m done.”
Jiang Tingyuan nodded, watching his figure gradually disappear as the elevator doors slowly closed. He let out an imperceptible sigh.
The Jiang family had a complex environment, with problems unimaginable for ordinary people, both internally and externally. Jiang Tingyuan had grown up in this environment since childhood.
Business was like a battlefield, and Father Jiang was incompetent. While other children were studying at the age of eleven or twelve, Jiang Tingyuan was already accompanying his grandfather at negotiation tables for various projects.
What he encountered most were all kinds of exchanges of interests. If he hadn’t met Ye Zhou and fallen in love with him, Jiang Tingyuan might never have realized that what he did was wrong.
Regret couldn’t solve practical problems, and what had been done wrong couldn’t be changed. All Jiang Tingyuan could do was ensure that such a thing wouldn’t happen a second time.
Not to mention that Yu Qiuze had taken the money, even if he hadn’t, Jiang Tingyuan wouldn’t have been able to do him this favor.
The elevator slowly ascended to the top floor. Jiang Tingyuan walked to his desk and habitually glanced at the bright yellow sticky note attached to the upper right corner of his computer monitor.
He took out his phone and typed: Is seafood rice okay for lunch? 🐱❤️ (Cat Heart Emoji.jpg)
Ye Zhou, sitting behind the high table, saw this text message and immediately cheered up, sweeping away the gloom brought by Yu Qiuze just now. His fingers quickly typed a string of words, thought for a moment, and then deleted them.
Input: I’m craving spicy crab 😺🤤 (Cat Drooling Emoji.jpg)
Jiang Tingyuan frowned slightly and replied: Too spicy, it will cause internal heat. (Cat Refusing Emoji.jpg)
Ye Zhou casually took a photo of the water cup on the table and sent Jiang Tingyuan a sticker of a cat drinking water, indicating that he would drink water frequently and wouldn’t get internal heat.
Jiang Tingyuan smiled. Seeing the emoticon, he automatically associated it with Ye Zhou’s face, his eyes growing even gentler. He typed: Alright then (Cat Sighing Emoji.jpg)
Ye Zhou instantly beamed with joy upon seeing this message. He swiftly replied with a ‘Victory!’ sticker, unable to hide his smug smile.
Assistant Director Meng, beside him, noticed his delighted smile and leaned over, asking curiously, “What’s got you so happy?”
The two had collaborated twice before and were already old acquaintances, with a great private relationship. Not long ago, during the release of “Thriller Circus,” Assistant Director Meng had even helped with promotion.
When assembling the crew this time, as soon as Ye Zhou heard that he happened to have an open schedule, he immediately extended an olive branch, coaxing and tricking him into joining the crew.
Ye Zhou stuffed his phone into his pocket, “Privacy, do you understand privacy?!”
Assistant Director Meng clicked his tongue and waved his hand, “Come on, have you read through these actors’ information? They’ll be here soon, don’t get their names wrong.”
The two directors huddled together, quietly discussing the information. Soon, the screenwriter also joined in. It wasn’t until an assistant came over to indicate that the actors were ready outside that the three reluctantly ended their discussion.
Ye Zhou was quite looking forward to this audition because, unlike before, he had now proven his commercial value with his own box office results. He wasn’t a flash in the pan, but a director with sustainable development potential. Although he hadn’t won any awards himself, he had personally catapulted a Best Actor.
The recent box office success of “Thriller Circus” had made Ye Zhou the hottest new director among his peers.
If most of the auditionees during “A Farce” were amateur actors, then after “Chasing the Light” and “Thriller Circus,” many of the actors participating in the audition for “Rewind” were now well-known first- and second-tier actors.
Both Ye Zhou and the auditioning actors took this audition very seriously.
Although auditions may seem like directors selecting actors, they are actually a two-way selection process. Only by immersing themselves in the role can actors truly determine if they are suitable for it.
Directors choose actors, while actors choose directors, the crew team, and the role.
Once the audition began, Ye Zhou quickly got into the zone. He didn’t care about the actors’ status or how much popularity or box office they could bring to the film when they were performing.
None of these were necessary conditions for Ye Zhou’s selection of actors. Only the acting skills and the compatibility between the actor and the role mattered.
During the previous two auditions, suitable candidates could not be found. Among those who participated, there were undoubtedly popular young actors who could bring in considerable fan-based box office revenue. Some even had decent acting skills, although not outstanding, but still competent, which was already very rare among popular young actors.
However, because their temperament did not match the character, Ye Zhou ultimately did not select them.
If suitable candidates could not be successfully selected during this audition, the shooting schedule would likely have to be further delayed.
Halfway through the audition, Ye Zhou and the assistant director exchanged glances and called for a stop, their faces showing some fatigue.
After the actors and many staff members had left for lunch and rest, the spacious audition room was nearly empty. Ye Zhou rubbed his temples and asked Assistant Director Meng, “So, did anyone catch your eye?”
Assistant Director Meng shook his head with a wry smile, “You were watching too. If there was someone, wouldn’t you already know? I think you shouldn’t be so picky. How easy is it to find someone perfect?”
“Just now, there were two with pretty good acting skills. Xu Fan’s acting is not bad, and he has awards to his name. He’s currently very popular, with constant buzz around him, trending every few days. If we can’t find someone better than him after today’s audition, why not just choose him?”
Of course, Ye Zhou understood what Assistant Director Meng was saying. He sighed, “Let’s wait and see. There are still a few who haven’t auditioned. Maybe they’re among these few.”
Hearing Ye Zhou say this, Assistant Director Meng also sighed. Although he knew the hope was slim, he didn’t want to dampen Ye Zhou’s enthusiasm.
Just then, Ye Zhou’s phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated. Thinking it was Jiang Tingyuan, he was about to answer but found that it was an unfamiliar number from abroad.
Ye Zhou was stunned for a moment. Initially, he did not intend to answer, but feeling a sudden intuition, he pressed the answer key. “Hello, who is this?”
“It’s Cheng Ran.”
“Just listen to me. Don’t interrupt.”
Before Ye Zhou could react, Cheng Ran, on the other end of the phone, started speaking at an extremely fast pace.
“I left, but before I left, I swindled some money from Jiang Yu.”
“About what happened before, I’m very sorry.”
“Thank you for putting aside our past grievances and helping me find a way out. Thanks.”
“I don’t like owing favors. I don’t have much to give you. Give me your card number. The money I swindled from Jiang Yu, I’ll give you half.”
Ye Zhou: “…???”
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