Becoming a Movie Star, System Only Finished Loading After Ten Years
Chapter 76 - 075: Cutting Open the Scar Again (Asking for Monthly Votes)

Chapter 76: Chapter 075: Cutting Open the Scar Again (Asking for Monthly Votes)

Zhanqi Laiden’s probation period is over, and he officially became a PR staff member at Qi Hao Studio.

Of course, externally he must be referred to as "PR Director."

Qi Hao offered him a salary that truly befits the title of PR Director.

However, he became even more silent.

This PR genius, who often unleashed sarcasm and drew attention, fell into deep self-doubt.

Dammit, I thought I was badass, but I can’t even beat an egg.

In the end, it was Old Tian who gave a suggestion.

Since you can’t avoid the egg joke, then don’t bother dodging it.

Give away twenty!

Every fan who attends will receive twenty eggs.

Zhanqi Laiden suddenly saw the light.

However, it’s not entirely his fault for not thinking of it; his goal was to help his employer solve problems, not to hit a sore spot.

Sigh, what will the employer do in the future?

Will there be an additional nickname "Egg King" in the future?

It feels like it takes immense courage just to live.

As for the "October Fortress" crew, there wasn’t a scene for Qi Hao every day, so it was quite simple to schedule a fan meeting.

The difficult part was all the preparation work.

But that had nothing to do with Qi Hao.

His task was to act and read books, occasionally dealing with some Little Fatty Sheep matters.

Like discussing with Li Dawei who to have an affair with.

You could also say share a donkey cart.

"How about An Feng, I heard she was blacklisted."

Li Dawei being familiar with An Feng wasn’t surprising; An Feng’s debut work was the "Golden Family" he directed.

As for the blacklist, he didn’t really care.

The second generation should have their own confidence, he doesn’t rely on anybody for his livelihood.

"Her mom wouldn’t agree." Qi Hao couldn’t even imagine the scene of sharing a donkey cart with An Feng.

"Indeed." Li Dawei quickly gave up.

"Find someone less famous, we can’t offer much money." Qi Hao advised.

If you’ve got the cash, there are definitely willing girls.

You’ve got no money and still want to pick the best.

Where in the world is there so much free talent?

"None of your rumored girlfriends willing to make a cameo?" Li Dawei winked at Qi Hao.

The two were sitting in a Starbucks on the edge of the film city. It was early morning and not many people around, perfect for a chat.

The rich aroma of coffee teased the taste buds, making you want to close your eyes.

"No!" Qi Hao refused straightforwardly.

I knew you would ask this, damn you.

Friendship isn’t meant for exploitation.

Some friends, just bumping into them is already unlucky enough.

"Long longing, long longing. How to express longing, shallow feelings people don’t understand. So many rumored girlfriends, really none that made your heart skip?"

Others might think Qi Hao, an eighth grader, wouldn’t understand Yan Ji-Dao’s "Long Longing," but Li Dawei didn’t think so.

Qi Hao, like him, was a book lover.

Besides, this poem is already quite simple.

"No." Qi Hao shook his head and said, "This has nothing to do with whether they are invited or not, my suggestion is to find newcomers, or not-so-famous ones."

"Then I’ll try to look for some, right here in Shen City, see if Shanghai Theatre Academy has someone suitable, I’ll stay in Shen City these days."

Li Dawei chuckled.

He didn’t mention one detail, which is Qi Hao used "no" twice, yet the tone was different.

"Alright, if you need anything from my side, just reach me or President Gao." Qi Hao didn’t refuse to cooperate.

President Gao refers to Gao Fei, she is the boss of Little Fatty Sheep.

Gao Yang is currently busy with coal mining and real estate, with no energy for the small matters in the film circle.

According to Gao Fei, Gao Yang and his partners have invested at least a hundred times more energy and funds into real estate than the film industry.

Qi Hao actually couldn’t quite understand.

Economic crisis damn, isn’t investing at this time courting death?

Perhaps, that’s exactly why he can’t make big money.

So he can only be a shareholder of Penguin.

By the end of June, after a round of screening, Li Dawei finalized a few actresses.

Next, Qi Hao needed to participate in the reading auditions.

Most of them were from Shanghai Theatre Academy.

However, there were students from other film schools and even actors who have already debuted, who heard about this film project and came from afar for the auditions.

Li Dawei remained so proud.

He neither told people that "Comment" helped with the script, nor that it’s already confirmed Qi Hao would star.

Looking like I’m right here, whether you want to audition or not.

So, even though there were a lot of audition applications, no particularly awesome actors showed up.

After all, Li Dawei isn’t exactly a major award winner.

There are a lot of news events at the end of this month, like the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics’ championship; Jay Chou’s concert in Changsha; Liu Tao gave birth to a daughter; and the Shen City International Film Festival.

Oh, and Best Actor Qi Hao is holding a fan meeting for the first time in eight years...

So, "The Tale of Two Donkeys"—now renamed "Wait and See," this low-budget film’s casting isn’t considered a big deal.

These female students or female stars who got callbacks only found out on-site that they would be working with Qi Hao.

"Hello, Director Li, Hello, Teacher Qi Hao, my name is Wang Jingping..."

She seemed fairly calm, clearly having some stage experience.

Qi Hao looked through her resume.

She was in the top eight in the national finals of Dragon TV’s "My Show," already admitted to the Shanghai Theatre Academy, enrolling this September.

"Perform a segment according to the script given to you," Qi Hao said gently.

He himself didn’t have formal training, so he didn’t really emphasize having a professional background.

However, this girl is clearly not an exception.

Her performance was just too raw.

Even though the character in the film needs to be portrayed in its most natural state, it cannot be this unpolished.

Perhaps four years of university could bring her some growth, but she’s not there yet.

She was naturally asked to go home and wait.

"Well... Director Li, what do you see in her?" Qi Hao was puzzled.

If all those who got callbacks were at this level, he might as well use his own connections to directly select someone.

"Authenticity," Li Dawei said.

"Next one, please..." What else could Qi Hao say?

In a way, some directors really like using actors who haven’t been used by others.

It’s like a blank sheet of paper that can be painted according to one’s own expectations.

"Hello teachers, I’m Liu Qian from the 2006 class of the Broadcasting and Hosting major at Shanghai Theatre Academy..."

"Hello teachers, I’m Xu Qiweng from the 2001 class, a classmate of Hu Ge, and I have acted in ’Flying Knife Revisited’ and ’New Return of the Pearl’."

...

Several in a row weren’t very satisfactory.

Some didn’t even qualify for a scene with Qi Hao.

Li Dawei was quite helpless.

He also knew that if he used the banner of commentary, plus having Qi Hao the Golden Rooster Best Actor involved, he could definitely attract many more significant people to act.

But if that happened, what would it have to do with him as the director?

He’s just this stubborn.

As Qi Hao put it, this is a process for someone who hasn’t experienced much trying to gain societal recognition.

Like a simplified version of Chen Kaige.

"Teachers, I am Wan Qian from the 2000 class at the Shanghai Theatre Academy. I’ve acted in a few films and TV shows, and I am currently focusing on honing my acting skills in theatre... I’ve also released an album."

"Performed in plays? Any recent shows?" Qi Hao’s eyes lit up.

Over the years, he has worked with many actors with a theatre background.

They all take acting seriously and have high standards.

Even if the traces of stage performance are still there, they can adjust themselves quickly, much better than those who know almost nothing.

"Recently, I’m mainly working on ’Desert and People,’ which will be performed in September to celebrate the Olympic Games," Wan Qian answered calmly.

"She plays a reclamation team member named ’Fine Grass’ in it. The play mainly tells the poignant love story of a group of youth dedicating themselves to reclaiming land in Beidahuang." Li Dawei added helpfully.

Evidently, she was an actor he had his eye on from the first round of auditions.

"I saw ’The Tale of Two Donkeys’ being adapted into a movie, which is why I wanted to audition."

Wan Qian actually valued this script.

She officially debuted in 2002, struggled for four or five years without much success, and was nearly reduced to making a living by releasing albums.

While young, she was very poor. After several years of hard work, she was no longer young.

In any case, Li Dawei is a well-known director who produced "Golden Family." Even if it’s a low-budget art film and has a certain boundary, it’s still a good opportunity.

She only didn’t expect to see Qi Hao at the audition.

That’s when she realized she would be collaborating with Qi Hao, the newly acclaimed best actor.

In that case, she even more hoped to land this role.

"So, how about performing a bit and see?" Li Dawei sought the opinion of the two actors.

Neither actor would object, of course.

But this time, the "flying script" they took out was different from the one used for auditioning before.

For confidentiality, some crews give actors audition segments that may have nothing to do with the actual script.

Only when the actor needs to be finalized will they use the real deal.

The one Qi Hao and Wan Qian got was a flirting scene just before the two ride the donkey cart.

As for the boundaries, there wouldn’t be any—it’s just an audition.

However, it’s precisely this kind of "lowering her head in shyness, tying her hands with the skirt" bashfulness that can best highlight the actors’ genuine performances.

If Wan Qian performs this segment well, naturally, she will secure the role.