After Breaking Up with the Stoic CEO - Chapter 58

Chapter 58: The Audition

Half a month later, the production crew of Echoes held its opening ceremony.

Both Lin Shengjiao and Xu Wei had good reputations in the industry, and many actor friends came to visit the set. From early in the morning, fans had packed the area around the film studio so tightly that traffic police had to intervene to clear a path for vehicles. A steady stream of cars entered mostly minivans, but there was no shortage of luxury vehicles. Most of the drivers were professional chauffeurs, with the actual owners sitting in the back, their identities obscured.

Only one Porsche stood out. The driver was a woman, and sitting next to her was a girl who looked even younger.

A wave of whispering broke out in the crowd.

“Who’s that in the passenger seat? An investor?”

“I’m guessing it’s some actress who bought her way in? She looks unfamiliar.”

“Actress? Investor? The one driving is the real deal. Don’t you guys recognize Lu Wu?”

“Lu Wu? The screenwriter who won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay earlier this year?”

“I remember now! She’s the original author of Echoes!”

“You’re kidding, she’s actually here?”

Someone who was a fan of one of the actors but wasn’t well-versed in the original novel weakly raised a hand.

“Although… Lu Wu is the original author of Echoes. Whether she’s here as an invited guest or as the production’s screenwriter, isn’t that normal? Why is everyone so surprised?”

Someone countered.

“Don’t you know? It’s been rumored online for years that the Li family, who owns the copyright to Echoes, and Lu Wu have bad blood.”

Lu-Lu, someone said they saw you at the film studio. Is it true?

Lu-Lu, blink if you’ve been kidnapped! Mom will save you!

Heh, her writing is like dog shit. When will Lu Wu get out of the novel world?

The comment section on Weibo became increasingly chaotic. Many people were buzzing, guessing the reason for her appearance at the opening ceremony.

Lu Wu sat in the lounge, scanning the comments. With practiced ease, she blocked most of the extreme remarks. In truth, she really didn’t want to come into contact with anything or anyone related to Li Jin. But when one knowingly does what they would rather avoid, it is inevitably for an important reason that cannot be escaped.

In the last two years, the trend of female empowerment had flourished, and related film and television products had sprung up like bamboo shoots after rain. Lu Wu’s stories focused on themes of female growth and redemption, and many had been bought by investors for adaptation into TV shows and movies. This should have been a good thing.

However, in reality, after long periods of compromise and editing by the production crews, the plots and central themes of these works had drifted away from her original intent to varying degrees. Stories about two women supporting, growing, and redeeming each other often “accidentally” became romantic love triangles disguised as dual-female-lead dramas. By the time they reached the audience, they were unrecognizable.

The invitation from Hengyuan Entertainment was an opportunity to make a change. Since there was such a chance, Lu Wu naturally didn’t want Echoes to follow the same path as her previous works. She just hadn’t been clear about the relationship between Hengyuan Entertainment and the Li family, assuming the former had simply bought the rights from the latter.

Therefore, when she met Li Jin at the script reading, she had indeed been shaken. She had even considered breaking the contract. Fortunately, Li Jin’s purpose was clear and direct. This gave Lu Wu an opportunity to speak openly and explicitly refuse. Since that night, Li Jin hadn’t come to the set again. Although they were still WeChat contacts, Li Jin hadn’t sent any messages to disturb her.

Lu Wu breathed a sigh of relief. She finally felt at ease and could focus on the work at hand. Thinking of this, she instinctively backed out and switched to their WeChat chat interface. The other party’s profile picture had never changed: a minimalist, pure white square—nothing else.

Lu Wu clicked on it, her fingertip hovering over the delete button. Just as she was about to press it, she remembered the offensive words she had spoken, and the way Li Jin looked so fragile, as if she were about to shatter, upon hearing them. Her fingertip, only a hair’s breadth away, hesitated, and ultimately pulled away.

She simply exited the WeChat interface and returned to Weibo. Lu Wu edited a simple statement a brief update for her fans and a first bit of promotion.

Waiting for the opening ceremony. Looking forward to seeing the work presented in a new form.

As soon as the post went live, it was widely shared and commented on. Seconds later, WeChat gave a crisp notification chime.

Ding-dong.

The white profile picture flashed for a second.

Speak of the devil.

Lu Wu’s mouth twitched, and she quickly locked her phone screen. Just then, someone knocked on the door. Lu Wu set the matter aside.

“Come in.”

It was Xiao Yin.

“Sister Lu, Director Du told me to tell you that the opening ceremony starts at ten.”

Lu Wu checked the time; there was still an hour left.

“There’s nothing urgent, come sit down and rest for a bit.”

Xiao Yin obediently sat down and added: “Editor Huo called just now.”

Lu Wu flipped through the script in front of her, asking, “What did she say?”

Xiao Yin took out her notebook to relay what Huo Jing had instructed.

“She said there’s an internal book signing in Liucheng in half a month, mostly with rookie authors. She hopes you can clear your schedule and attend to help bring in some popularity.”

Lu Wu nodded: “Okay, I’ll reply to her.”

Xiao Yin continued: “She also said today’s opening ceremony is a big day, and as your ‘dearest boss,’ she decided to find someone to come and help show some support.”

Show support.

The phrasing was a bit exaggerated, but Lu Wu was long accustomed to Huo Jing’s style of speech. She asked, “Is someone coming?”

Xiao Yin shook her head and replied honestly: “Editor Huo didn’t reveal who, just said it’s a surprise she prepared for you and reminded you to keep an eye on your phone.”

Lu Wu’s hand paused. Despite their lack of contact, she suddenly remembered that unread message. If only I had clicked delete earlier.

She sighed slightly. “Understood.”

Ten minutes before the ceremony started, an unexpected person appeared.

Qu Wan.

They worked at the same publishing house in Liucheng. Qu Wan had a wonderful personality and many unique insights into writing. Lu Wu had gradually become good friends with her, and later, when Lu Wu moved to Tibet, they would frequently discuss character and plot development online. Whenever Qu Wan came to Tibet to collect inspiration, they would meet up to eat hot pot, walk around, and look at the scenery.

It had been about half a year since they last met, but she was exactly the same: wearing a cotton-linen dress, her waist-length hair hanging behind her, holding a bouquet of flowers, smiling with a gentle and soft expression.

Lu Wu stood up, a trace of surprise on her face. Xiao Yin clearly spotted Qu Wan too, her eyes lighting up with joy as she ran up to meet her.

“Sister Qu!? Why are you here?”

Qu Wan reached out to stroke her hair and asked, “Missed me?”

Xiao Yin nodded emphatically: “Yes!”

She had met Qu Wan a few times, and her gentle personality reminded her of a mother; she treated her very well, and Xiao Yin liked her very much.

Qu Wan smiled: “Then I’ll come over to play with you often.”

Lu Wu watched them catch up, remembering that Qu Wan had mentioned a few days ago that she wouldn’t be in C-City.

She asked: “Weren’t you on a business trip in Haicheng?”

Qu Wan turned to look at her, explaining softly: “I just got back last night.”

A suspicion grew in Lu Wu’s heart.

“Did Huo Jing send you?”

“She’s always so dramatic. It’s really just an opening ceremony; you didn’t need to make a special trip.”

Qu Wan’s eyes curved as she walked closer to Lu Wu and handed over the flowers.

“It wasn’t her idea. I wanted to come.”

Lu Wu took the flowers and set them aside, not taking the words to heart, joking: “Huo Jing already told me she prepared a surprise for me, and then you appeared. Is it really such a coincidence?”

Hearing this, Qu Wan’s fingers, which were still held in the air, trembled slightly. But she didn’t offer an explanation, only saying, “That is indeed quite a coincidence.”

Lu Wu checked the time; the ceremony was about to start, and there was no time to chat with Qu Wan.

“I have to go first.”

“Are you busy? Why don’t you stay for lunch?”

Qu Wan agreed: “Sure.”

“I know a place nearby that tastes great. I wanted to recommend it to you last time, so let’s go try it today.”

Lu Wu nodded and said to Xiao Yin: “Go with Sister Qu. I’ll call you when I’m done.”

Because of the conflict with Niu Bi on the day of the script reading, Du Hengxu took the opening ceremony very seriously, trying everything to ensure a lucky start. Besides the traditional incense burning and uncovering the red cloth, to show his sincerity, he had even grandly prepared a whole roasted suckling pig for the “pig-cutting ceremony.”

In his words the roasted pig, red and shiny, symbolized the film’s success, and its red skin represented the health of the entire crew. Cutting the pig from head to tail symbolized that the filming would go smoothly from beginning to end.

Du Hengxu carefully performed the “one-cut” on stage. Lu Wu watched from the side, bored, her gaze sweeping over the crowd.

Xu Wei was looking to the side, seemingly talking to someone. The person only showed a bit of their chin, looking quite young. At a glance, they seemed inexplicably familiar.

Lu Wu paused. When she looked again, Xu Wei shifted slightly, and the person she had been blocking was finally fully revealed.

From 13 to 18, the young girl had undergone a transformation. The baby fat on her face had faded, the youthful awkwardness in her features had vanished, and her figure had grown tall and graceful.

It was none other than Li Xinrui, whom she hadn’t seen for five years.

Did Li Jin send her here?

Remembering the unread message, Lu Wu jumped to that conclusion. But after a few seconds, she overturned the thought. No matter what, Li Jin wouldn’t use a young girl for something like this.

Her gaze lingered too long, and Li Xinrui sensed it, turning to look back. Their eyes met, and the girl’s expression became visibly excited.

Right at that moment, the opening ceremony drew to a close.

“I won’t say any more; I wish Echoes huge sales and a successful opening!”

After a round of applause, everyone dispersed to their stations. Li Xinrui said something to Xu Wei and trotted over. Lu Wu hesitated for a moment but ultimately didn’t walk away. She just waited where she was.

Li Xinrui stopped in front of her, her joy entirely genuine.

“Auntie Lu! Long time no see!”

Lu Wu reached a conclusion: this meeting was just a coincidence. She relaxed and smiled: “Rui-rui, long time no see.”

Li Xinrui was as lively as ever, her mouth curving into a sweet smile, chattering non-stop as soon as they met.

“Auntie Lu, why did you suddenly go to Tibet? You didn’t even tell me… I was planning to come visit you!”

Lu Wu guessed that Li Jin wouldn’t have told the girl these things. She thought about it and chose a plausible reason.

“I figured you needed to focus on your studies at school, so I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“You must be in high school now, right? Is your studying going well?”

“It’s going… okay?”

When the topic came up, Li Xinrui was uncertain and shrugged helplessly.

“But I couldn’t really keep up with the curriculum here. Reciting classical Chinese almost cost me my life… so I transferred back to the M country a few years ago.”

Lu Wu was surprised but offered comfort.

“Everyone is used to different environments, and this isn’t a bad thing. It just means the flexible learning style abroad suits you better than the one here.”

Li Xinrui blinked, her tone light.

“It’s okay, I never internalize stress. Although I’m not good at memorizing texts, I have things I am good at.”

“For example… my paper cranes are quite lifelike? Or for instance… I’ve mastered the exact timing to toast bread until it’s fragrant and crispy?”

Li Xinrui’s optimism and open-mindedness infected Lu Wu, who laughed involuntarily and stopped pressing the topic. Seeing that she had been standing next to Xu Wei, she asked:

“Why are you here today? Are you here to chase after Xu Wei?”

It was no wonder she thought that; many young girls chased after their idols to visit the set today. Most, however, didn’t have passes and could only stand outside.

Li Xinrui reacted for a few seconds before realizing what “chase” meant. She couldn’t help but laugh, then put on a mock-serious face.

“I do like the movie queen sister, but… I’m really not here to play today.”

Lu Wu was stunned, hesitantly asking: “Then…”

Li Xinrui handed over a stack of scripts. On it was written Meng Jiaojiao.

This was the name of an important supporting female character in the play, with many lines in the latter half. Since she was a middle school girl in the small town, Du Hengxu had specifically considered this when casting, limiting the age to under twenty.

So…

A flash of amazement crossed Lu Wu’s eyes.

Li Xinrui saw her surprise and hummed a soft laugh, her eyes round and bright. She looked like a little fox with its tail held high, waiting to be praised.

“I heard a few days ago that the Echoes crew was looking for non-professional actors. I’ve always liked this character, so I thought I’d fly back to audition. I didn’t expect to actually be chosen.”

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