Chapter 121: Never Forget Why You Began!
Afternoon.
The auditions continued.
Fortunately, all fourteen actors Zhao Rong had invited had arrived, so they would not have to stage a performance for an empty house again.
Among the fourteen, there were still several who matched the standards for the characters fairly well.
Jiang Lun decided to audition the female lead first—Tong Xiangyu.
There were two candidates. Both were from northern Shaanxi. One was under twenty-five, though her information showed that she was married and had already given birth. The other looked quite young, but was actually in her early thirties.
The first twenty-five-year-old actress entered. After introducing herself, Zhao Rong handed her the character profile and lines.
“Go ahead and perform.”
“Mm!”
She spent very little time reading the lines, scarcely doing more than glance over them. Only when she reached the character profile did she slow down.
After reading it, she said nothing about being ready and began performing at once.
“I was wrong. I was truly wrong. I never should have married into this place. If I hadn’t married into this place… cough, cough…”
Halfway through, she suddenly stopped. Looking at Zhao Rong, she said, “I’m sorry, Director. Could I do it again?”
“Of course. Don’t be nervous.” Zhao Rong nodded.
He exchanged a glance with Jiang Lun. When the actress was not looking, the two of them shook their heads at exactly the same time.
She was still lacking something.
And in Jiang Lun’s eyes, this actress gave an entirely different impression from the original Tong Xiangyu.
He was not demanding, however. After all, the two worlds were different. Finding someone exactly the same was impossible. All he could do was hope for an actress who came within eighty percent of the original.
After performing it once more, the actress stopped and looked expectantly at the three men.
“Not bad,” Zhao Rong said objectively. “But your stage manner is too strong. Acting for the screen is different from performing in a play. Go back and think it over. We’ll let you know later whether you’ve made it.”
Disappointment flickered across the actress’s face, though it vanished almost instantly.
The second actress entered for her audition. Zhao Rong seemed to know her well and encouraged her with a smile.
“Sister Sun, don’t hold back. Perform it however you feel you should.”
“Mm!”
The actress Zhao Rong called Sister Sun forced out a faint smile and nodded. She took the character profile and lines from him.
She stood there with a gloomy expression. Unlike the first actress, she appeared to be in a terrible mood today, her entire person exuding an intense weariness with the world.
Jiang Lun immediately frowned. This was not a good sign. If it was merely temporary, there was no problem. But if this was simply the kind of person she was, then even if she joined the production, she would be difficult to manage.
Sun Lin truly was in a bad mood. And it had not begun today or yesterday. Three months earlier, the moment she learned that the military was going to reduce its personnel, she had been filled with unease. She had never expected to actually receive her discharge papers.
After returning to civilian life, the government had arranged a position for her at the city theater troupe. But she had to start again as a newcomer, while facing the constant intrigue and rivalry within the troupe every day. It was exhausting both physically and mentally.
She was already over thirty—not young anymore. She was unmarried, and the burdens of family and the pressure of work had begun to drive her toward despair.
When she received Zhao Rong’s invitation this time, she had initially refused. But he had invited her so warmly and repeatedly, and the two of them had worked together before. Zhao Rong had looked after her throughout the entire production, so she had finally decided to come, if only to repay the favor.
She took the character profile and read it carefully.
Name: Tong Xiangyu
Star sign: Leo
Nickname: Proprietress Tong
Age: Claims to be twenty-four by the traditional reckoning; actually twenty-six to twenty-eight.
Place of origin: Hanzhong, northern Shaanxi
Occupation: Proprietress of the Fortunate Inn
Special talent: Stinginess
Background: Eldest daughter of the Dragon Gate Escort Agency, with one younger brother and both parents
Education: Slightly below average
Interests: Money, Bai Zhantang, Mo Xiaobei
Ambition: Marry Bai Zhantang and have a son
Favorite expression: “Oh my heavens!”
Hidden occupation: Widow of the former leader of the Hengshan Sect
Weapon: A smiling face
Special technique: Flirting with her eyes
Killer move: Using her authority to bully others, limited to the inn’s staff
Ultimate move: The Incantation—“I was wrong. I was truly wrong. I never should have married into this place. If I hadn’t married into this place, my husband wouldn’t have died. If my husband hadn’t died…”
Nemesis: Bai Zhantang
…
After reading the character profile, she looked up before even reaching the lines and refused.
“Director Zhao, I’m not suited to this role.”
“Why?” Zhao Rong asked in confusion.
“The character is a widow. I’ve never even been married. How could I possibly play a widow well?” Sun Lin said.
“That doesn’t matter.” Zhao Rong waved his hand. “Acting doesn’t require you to have personally experienced everything. Take all those people who play emperors. Have any of them actually been emperors?”
“But…” Sun Lin remained hesitant.
“Don’t overthink it. I believe in your acting. Put yourself into the situation, feel out the character, and think about how you should play her.” Zhao Rong encouraged her.
Sun Lin held the lines and read them seriously, but soon shook her head again.
“No, no. I can’t do it.”
“Sun Lin…”
“Wait!”
Zhao Rong was about to persuade her again when Jiang Lun interrupted him.
Sun Lin raised her head and looked toward Jiang Lun. Then she suddenly recognized him.
“You are…”
“Tell me, what is your dream?”
Jiang Lun narrowed his eyes slightly, fixing her with a sharp gaze.
“I…”
Sun Lin found the question rather baffling. She had no idea why Jiang Lun was asking her this.
After calming her thoughts a little, she answered, “Are you asking about my dream in the past, or my dream now?”
“Tell me both,” Jiang Lun said.
“My dream now is to get married and have a child as soon as possible, and to earn more money so I can support my parents.”
Sun Lin answered honestly. Once a woman passed thirty and reached her age, all her former dreams began to seem childish. In the end, it was life itself that mattered most.
Jiang Lun smiled faintly.
“I can introduce you to a boyfriend. I can also help you earn a substantial sum of money immediately.”
“What?”
It was not only Sun Lin who was stunned. Zhao Rong and Li Xing were equally astonished, and the three of them practically spoke at the same time.
Jiang Lun smiled.
“I happen to know an excellent unmarried young man. He’s about your age. I don’t know much about his interests, but they should be similar to yours. He also wants to get married and have children.”
“What kind of joke are you making? We’re auditioning, not arranging marriages!” Zhao Rong tugged at him and reminded him in a low voice.
“Don’t be like that,” Jiang Lun said. “The young lady hasn’t rejected you yet. How can you reject her first?”
“You…” Zhao Rong was rendered speechless. Whether from excitement or anger, his index finger trembled rapidly as he pointed at Jiang Lun, but he could not get another word out.
Jiang Lun chuckled and continued speaking to Sun Lin.
“See? Getting married and having children can be taken care of easily. There are plenty of single young men. If you don’t like Director Zhao, I can introduce someone else.”
Unexpectedly, Sun Lin suddenly said, “No, no. Director Zhao is quite good.”
Only after saying it did she realize how it sounded. She hurriedly waved her hands.
“No, that’s not what I meant. I mean… Oh, I can’t explain it!”
“Heh, all right. Let’s talk about the second matter—earning money to support your parents.”
Jiang Lun asked, “How much were you paid per episode in your previous productions?”
“I…”
Sun Lin had no idea what trick Jiang Lun was planning next. She looked at him suspiciously, uncertain whether she should answer.
“This is a professional question concerning acting fees. Don’t overthink it.”
“Mm.” Sun Lin nodded. “When I played supporting roles, I generally received three hundred per episode. The most I ever got was six hundred. Last year I played the third female lead once. It was the biggest role I had ever had, and I was paid fifteen hundred per episode.”
“Tong Xiangyu is the female lead of this series. If you get the role, I can pay you five thousand per episode,” Jiang Lun said.
Even he felt guilty saying it. What kind of female lead received only five thousand per episode nowadays? But their funding was limited, and that was all the budget allowed. If they secured sponsorship later, he could increase everyone’s pay.
“What? Five thousand? And it’s the female lead?”
Sun Lin was stunned. Then she asked, “How many episodes would I appear in?”
“The series has eighty episodes, and you’ll appear in every one.”
The episode Jiang Lun referred to was a forty-six-minute full-length episode. In reality, each episode consisted of two twenty-three-minute installments. By that calculation, the series actually amounted to one hundred and sixty installments.
“Eighty episodes…” Sun Lin counted on her fingers. “That means I could earn four hundred thousand by filming this series? Good heavens! That much? Back home, I could buy an apartment with it!”
“Exactly.” Jiang Lun continued, “But that depends on you getting the role. You aren’t even willing to audition. How are you supposed to earn that money?”
“I…”
Sun Lin began hesitating again.
Jiang Lun narrowed his eyes, then posed another question that seemed to have nothing to do with acting.
“Now can you tell me what your dream used to be?”
Sun Lin clasped her fingers together and answered shyly, “My dream used to be acting—to become a good actress.”
“Then there you have it!”
Jiang Lun spread his hands.
“The chance to realize your dream is right in front of you. If you can play this role well, then you will be a good actress.”
“Then… I’ll give it a try.”
Sun Lin gritted her teeth. This time, her answer was no longer as reluctant as before. There was a trace of resolve in her voice.
Jiang Lun added, “Remember, never forget why you began.”
Those words jolted Sun Lin. She repeated them under her breath twice, then slowly closed her eyes. The next second, she opened them sharply and nodded with force.
“I understand!”
“All right. Begin your performance.” Jiang Lun smiled.
Beside him, Zhao Rong and Li Xing stared at Jiang Lun in astonishment.
This…