SAE CH8

Zhang Jie thought she had misheard.

But before she could confirm, Jiang Fanxing had already walked in with brimming confidence.

“Shen Tianqing, is the artist you brought under too much pressure? Has his brain stopped working properly?” Zhang Jie turned to look at Shen Tianqing beside her, her eyes filled with condemnation.

“His brain works entirely too well,” Shen Tianqing mirrored her gesture, rubbing his forehead. “Sometimes, I suddenly feel that being a simple, beautiful vase is quite nice—at least they’re obedient. By the way, the director inside is Zhu Guofu, right?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, if it’s him, I feel a bit more at ease,” Shen Tianqing finally let out a sigh of relief. “If he really gets scolded to tears, at least it won’t count as us bullying him.”

After all, Director Zhu Guofu was the man who had publicly cursed out a certain traffic actor in his cast for poor acting in front of the media, forcing the actor to apologize privately for a solid month.

Simply put, he wasn’t a soft target. If Jiang Fanxing bullied him, at least it couldn’t be considered bullying the weak.

“Ah?” Zhang Jie felt Shen Tianqing’s brain might be broken too. What kind of nonsense was he spouting?

After entering, Jiang Fanxing was asked to change into his costume. Then, the production’s makeup artist and stylist began applying his makeup and fitting him with a headpiece, among other things.

The first makeup test didn’t require exquisite detail; a rough approximation was enough. Only when shooting the official promotional photos would it require meticulous refinement.

Right now, it was merely a routine check to see the general vibe, just walking around in costume in front of the director and the rest.

This was also a personal requirement of Director Zhu Guofu. In his words: “Some artists look pretty enough, but once they put on historical costumes, their heads look huge and their bodies tiny, ugly as bobblehead dolls. Better to have them change and show us first.”

Zhu Guofu himself used to be considered a top-tier director, with quite a few good works under his belt. He had originally made his name shooting wuxia dramas.

The problem was, wuxia dramas were basically obsolete now, while historical idol dramas and xianxia (immortal heroes) dramas were currently the best at making stars. Naturally, he had to pivot his career to follow suit.

With sufficient seniority and high status, it was naturally easy for him to find everything disagreeable.

As Jiang Fanxing changed clothes, the stylists beside him praised, “The role of Murong Qing really suits you perfectly. You have a very scholarly aura; one look and you can tell you’re a noble young master from a prominent family.”

They had originally thought that an artist brought by Shen Tianqing, being so young, might be a bit timid. Who knew the Jiang Fanxing who showed up wasn’t like that at all? Instead, he was remarkably confident, acting as if he was certain the role was already his.

Jiang Fanxing emerged from the dressing room and walked into the audition room. Inside, another actor who had been thoroughly scolded was sitting off to the side, sulking, while his assistant tried to comfort him.

“It’s okay, we’re not angry. Zhu Guofu won’t be jumping around for much longer anyway; he’s getting on in years and will definitely have to retire soon.” “You’ll definitely be more powerful than him in the future.” “He’s just throwing his weight around because of his age, we won’t stoop to his level…”

Seeing Jiang Fanxing approach, the assistant immediately shut up.

Jiang Fanxing finally understood where Xiao Zhou’s earlier coaxing routine came from. Did all the assistants in the entire entertainment industry graduate from the same training class on how to coddle artists?

“Next, Nian Nian Studio’s Jiang Fanxing. Auditioning for the role of the third male lead, Murong Qing.”

Following the shout, Jiang Fanxing immediately walked in.

When wearing historical costumes, those who were tall and thin inherently held the advantage. Jiang Fanxing’s barefoot height was over 181 cm; add shoes, and he pushed past 185 cm.

Therefore, when he pushed the door open and walked in, he gave everyone quite a refreshing feeling.

However, the entertainment industry was overflowing with handsome men and beautiful women. Everyone knew the score and quickly retracted their gazes.

Sitting dead center in the room was Zhu Guofu, with several assistant directors flanking him. What caught Jiang Fanxing’s attention, however, was a woman wearing a hat and sunglasses sitting in the corner of the row behind Zhu Guofu.

This must be the female lead, Qiao Qiao.

For her, this was the first TV drama she had returned to shoot after achieving considerable success in the film industry; it was of paramount importance. If she didn’t perform well, people would mock her for finally becoming a film star only to scurry back to shoot TV dramas.

But how could outsiders know that the roles available for young actresses to shine in the film industry were pitifully scarce? Mainstream cinema was entirely the domain of middle-aged and older male actors, with younger male actors barely getting a foot in the door. The circle was intensely exclusive. Winning Best Supporting Actress was already the result of her fighting tooth and nail. Now that there were no good film scripts for her, was she supposed to just leave her schedule empty indefinitely?

She was the absolute female lead of this drama, and she held a crucial perspective on the casting of the male actors.

Of course, the two male leads with ties to the female lead were basically chosen from a handful of high-traffic young actors, depending heavily on their respective teams’ ability to fight for resources. The third male lead, on the other hand, wasn’t as critical. Moreover, this one had been specifically designated by Producer Zhang as a role that must be secured; coming here was basically just a formality.

As long as Jiang Fanxing’s look wasn’t bad, wasn’t one of those glaringly obvious plastic surgery faces, and his acting wasn’t so atrocious it angered both gods and men, he could pass.

By the time Jiang Fanxing walked in, Qiao Qiao was already satisfied.

She had seen countless people; the moment she saw Jiang Fanxing, she knew he was very suitable for the role of Murong Qing. At the very least, he exuded a scholarly aura and didn’t look like a brainless, beautiful vase. He had already succeeded halfway just on temperament alone.

Although she didn’t know what method Shen Tianqing had used to get Producer Zhang to agree, for now, it seemed his eye for talent was quite good.

However satisfied Qiao Qiao was, Zhu Guofu was equally dissatisfied.

Nepotism, another nepotism hire!

Directors and producers rarely got along. After all, one was responsible for spending money, and the other for scrutinizing the spending; it was rare for them to have a good relationship. As for Zhu Guofu, he considered himself old enough to be the father of that little girl Zhang Jie, yet whenever he asked her for money on previous shoots, he was constantly blocked by various hurdles. This time, a major project had finally arrived, and this little girl was actually his producer again. The project hadn’t even started filming, and the nepotism hires were already selected.

Qiao Qiao’s acting was beyond reproach, but the choices for the other two male leads were truly hard to describe. That Qiu Songsheng who ran out crying earlier had zero acting experience and was using this drama as his screen debut for marketing purposes. The other male lead was a top-tier male star whose popularity was plummeting after two or three consecutive flops and desperately needed a historical idol drama to save his life; his acting consisted of the same three rigid expressions that gave people a headache just looking at them.

Originally, he had his eye on an actor for the well-rounded role of the third male lead. But before he even had time to send an invitation, the role had been internally secured.

It would be a miracle if Zhu Guofu wasn’t angry.

“Jiang Fanxing, your resume says you used to be an extra and haven’t properly acted in a TV drama before, is that right?” Zhu Guofu looked at Jiang Fanxing’s resume, clearly displeased.

It also stated he was a student in the Law Department at University A. Eight out of ten times, he was just padding his academic credentials, likely getting in through some international pathway where he could just casually take an exam and pass.

Couldn’t these rich kids just obediently go back and inherit their family fortunes?

“Yes, I was an extra in Hengdian before, and I was fortunate enough to be spotted by Shen-ge before signing,” Jiang Fanxing was initially willing to put on a good front.

“Oh, which means you haven’t acted in a single proper role. You’re only a senior in college now, right? With such good academic credentials, you could do anything after graduation. Do you absolutely have to act?” Zhu Guofu continued his questioning.

“We don’t have classes in our senior year, so we can intern outside,” Jiang Fanxing replied with a good temper.

“My niece is also a law major. Her coursework is very heavy and tiring; she has no time to experience life as an extra,” Zhu Guofu smiled enigmatically. “You’re still young and have many choices. You don’t necessarily have to eat from the bowl of the entertainment industry. It’s better for young people to build a solid foundation step-by-step. Jumping right into a role with such heavy screen time is making things difficult for you. You still have to prepare for your graduation defense, right? Our crew will start filming in the spring and shoot for half a year; I’m afraid it might delay your graduation. How about this? Try another role—a likable character that doesn’t require such high acting skills, and the key is that the schedule is flexible. Once you graduate, we can collaborate again.”

Qiao Qiao and the other casting directors couldn’t help but look toward Zhu Guofu, somewhat surprised that he would actually say such a thing. But none of them spoke up. Although this person was designated by Producer Zhang, if he willingly agreed to change roles, that would be easy to handle.

Besides, for a rookie to jump right into such a heavy third male lead role was indeed quite a bit of pressure. If he were to constantly ask for leave citing graduation as an excuse later on, it would drag down the entire crew’s progress.

Everyone present was shrewd. Before seeing Jiang Fanxing’s hand, they naturally weren’t going to speak up for him easily.

Jiang Fanxing let out a chuckle.

If it were another rookie, they might have actually been fooled by this routine. Unfortunately, he used to frequently employ such tactics to deal with difficult clients; he had a myriad of tricks up his sleeve. Someone like Zhu Guofu truly wasn’t enough to impress him.

Sure enough, no matter the industry or profession, there were always these types who relied on their age and seniority to point fingers at young people. Not only did they always love reminiscing about the past, but they also constantly peppered their speech with “back when I was young.” They appeared full of righteous integrity, but in reality, they just bullied the weak and feared the strong.

“Director Zhu, it’s not that I don’t want to collaborate with you next time, but I’m afraid I might not catch you in time,” Jiang Fanxing sighed and said.

“There’s no such thing as not catching me in time. I’ll definitely save a good role for you in my next drama,” Zhu Guofu smiled, intending to settle the matter.

“Everyone says you’re going to retire and enjoy your old age after finishing this drama, so where would there be a next time?” Jiang Fanxing sighed heavily. “After all, you’ve shot five consecutive dramas that scored below a 6, and last year one of your films was mocked as a production scam, triggering a mass roasting session on Bilibili.”

Zhu Guofu’s face stiffened, realizing the young man before him was no pushover. He instantly dropped his facade of an amiable smile and said icily, “I want to shoot well too, but your acting skills are just what they are. You constantly use eye drops, or take leave to walk the red carpet. I certainly want to shoot well.”

“The crew found actors who aren’t up to par, and isn’t that the director’s problem?” Jiang Fanxing asked in astonishment. “Isn’t it said that the director is the one who controls everything on set? Could it be that you can’t even choose your own actors? That can’t be right, you’re considered a great director. My parents absolutely love watching your dramas.”

“Don’t you have any idea how you got in here yourself?” Zhu Guofu laughed in anger. “I’d love to choose people myself too.”

“Oh, I understand. At the end of the day, it’s the investors and big bosses who call the shots. You don’t have the qualifications to pick people, right?” Jiang Fanxing nodded, signaling his comprehension. “Did Qiu Songsheng run out crying in anger after hearing you say these things?”

Zhu Guofu snorted coldly, “Who’s to blame if his own mental fortitude is lacking? That’s how I am on set; whoever acts poorly, I curse them out directly.”

“Then it seems your cursing hasn’t yielded any results in your previous dramas. Perhaps it wasn’t their problem,” Jiang Fanxing looked deeply concerned. “When I interned before, the partners at our law firm also frequently scolded us for being disappointing. But even if graduates from top-tier foreign law schools came applying, he wouldn’t dare hire them, saying his temple was too small for such big Buddhas. I feel the former partners at our law firm at least had self-awareness. If the people chosen by the investors aren’t good enough, you should reflect that to the investors; that’s the correct workflow. Similarly, if you scold people this much on set and the drama still turns out poorly, you can’t say it’s the actors’ problem.”

Is this guy saying that if the drama is bad, it’s all my fault?

“Do I need you to teach me how to do my job?!” Zhu Guofu slammed the table in rage. “Get the hell out of here! I don’t care whose person you are! Out, immediately!”

“Director, if you are dissatisfied with me, please trouble yourself to speak with the producer,” Jiang Fanxing remained exceptionally polite. “I haven’t said anything. I merely believe that whether a drama is shot well or not, the director must certainly bear responsibility. It can’t be that if the drama airs well it’s the director’s credit, if it’s bad it’s the actors’ fault; if the plot is good it’s the director shooting well, if the plot is bad it’s the screenwriter’s fault. Could it be the director has no fault, the producer has no fault, and even the investors and platforms behind it have no fault? If you are dissatisfied with the status quo, you should go look for the capitalists.”

“Oh, the investors are the ones giving the money, they are the Almighty Client. You’re too embarrassed to go talk to them, right?” Jiang Fanxing shook his head, sighing helplessly. “Director Zhu, this won’t do. I heard that when Director Wang shoots films, he chooses the investors! How badass is that! I heard you two were college classmates. Perhaps you need to consult with him on how to select investors?”

They were both college classmates, yet one was a renowned box-office-guarantee director in the film industry, with swarms of investors begging to throw money at him, while the other was still spinning his wheels in historical idol dramas, using his seniority to lecture juniors—and if they weren’t careful, he’d brand them with labels like “acting like a diva” or “disrespecting seniors.”

It would be a miracle if he didn’t mind. The closer they were as classmates, the more they loved to compare.

“You, you, you…” Zhu Guofu was so angry his brain was spinning. Every single word Jiang Fanxing uttered stabbed right at his heart.

Jiang Fanxing sat quietly in his spot, smiling as he watched Zhu Guofu become so enraged he couldn’t even form a complete sentence, entirely devoid of fear.

The others in the room were beginning to feel afraid.

Where did this reckless punk come from? What’s his background to be so brazen?

Jiang Fanxing was far from afraid; he was recording the entire interaction.

Furthermore, he had concrete proof that this old geezer had scolded Qiu Songsheng to tears. If that really leaked, wouldn’t this old geezer be completely eviscerated by Qiu Songsheng’s militant fans?

No matter the industry, the aggressive fear the reckless, and the reckless fear those who don’t care about their lives. If he backed down, they would only think he was easy to bully. If they truly tore off all pretenses, naturally, these people with massive careers and businesses would be far more worried about their futures.

Bah, just consider it enforcing justice on behalf of heaven.