After Secretly Marrying the Top Celebrity, I Fell in Love - Chapter 11

Inside the studio, in the dressing room.

Ye Manqing lit up her phone again, the screen coming alive to show the Beijing time as eleven o’clock sharp.

The woman in the mirror had her eyes slightly lowered, a waterfall of dark hair cascading over her shoulders, perfectly fitting the shampoo commercial of the day.

On the dressing table lay an open script.

In “Nine Heavens“, Ye Manqing was a special guest star, with her character only appearing in two episodes.

Ye Manqing lightly narrowed her pale, cool-toned eyelids, her raven-feather-like thick lashes half-concealing her eyes, effectively masking her inner expression.

The moment the phone screen dimmed, the woman lit it up again. No longer hesitating, Ye Manqing went straight to the call log.

The most recent call happened to be from Fu Yu.

With a light tap of her fingertip on the screen, Ye Manqing touched the name “Fu Yu” in the call log and dialed the number.

Beep-beep—beep-beep—

The phone rang for a long time. The “beep-beep” sound finally ceased, replaced by a familiar automated female voice.

“Sorry, the number you have dialed is temporarily unattended, please try again later…”

No one answered the phone. Could the audition still not be over? With only two people auditioning, it shouldn’t be taking this long.

Hesitating for a moment, Ye Manqing exited the call log and opened WeChat instead. Scrolling down slightly, she found the chat thread with Fu Yu.

She tapped it open.

The woman’s fair fingertip hovered above the phone, her knuckles slightly curled. A few seconds later, her fingertip lightly touched the screen, skillfully typing Pinyin to input a line of Chinese characters.

Ye Manqing: [What was the audition result?]

The message was sent, but she didn’t immediately receive a reply from Fu Yu. Two minutes later, she still hadn’t received a reply.

The message was like a stone dropped into the sea.

Ye Manqing had always been very patient with everything. But this time, Ye Manqing wanted to know the audition result immediately.

No matter the outcome.

The commercial shoot wasn’t over; this was just a break. Soon, Ye Manqing would have to change into another outfit, touch up her makeup, and continue filming.

Ten minutes later, the break ended, and the makeup artist knocked on the door on time.

“Teacher Ye, may I come in now?”

Ye Manqing put away her phone, locked the screen, and casually placed it on the dressing table. Without turning back, she quickly concealed the emotion in her eyes, and her pale, thin lips moved slightly.

“Come in.”

In reality, the audition at the hotel had long been over.

The two auditioning actors had already left, and they would be notified of the result, which would be released no later than tomorrow.

In the presidential suite, the two directors, the producer, the screenwriter, and the female lead all remained. The few of them sat around the spacious living room, discussing who should pass.

Immediately after the audition ended, an on-site vote was taken. The outcome was clear: Bai Yiyan passed with four votes.

Four out of the five people present voted for Bai Yiyan, except for the producer. Even though the result was decided, the producer adamantly disagreed, refusing to let an extra who was “nothing” play the second female lead.

The producer held absolute authority in a drama series.

The producer turned to look at Zhang Mingxiu, saying earnestly, “Director Zhang, I don’t know where this Bai Yiyan popped up from. She certainly has acting skills and she’s pretty. But we are filming a series, not running a charity or being a great philanthropist; supporting new talent in the entertainment industry is not your responsibility or mine.”

Although these words were addressed only to Zhang Mingxiu, everyone present could tell they had a double meaning.

Zhang Mingxiu didn’t immediately reply but slowly sipped his coffee, his expression unremarkable, making it hard to guess what he was thinking.

Four pairs of eyes in the room were watching Zhang Mingxiu, each with a different set of emotions.

Fu Yu sat quietly on a separate sofa, a meaningful, slight smile playing on her lips, watching the show in silence.

Zhang Mingxiu was famously known as a good-natured person in the industry, easy to talk to, but that didn’t mean he lacked principles or a temper. Especially when it came to casting, his choice was beyond question, and his decision was immutable.

Zhang Mingxiu finished the last sip of coffee, the straw making a “gurgling” sound. He then raised his hand and tossed the empty paper coffee cup into the nearby trash can.

“Director Zhang~” The producer smiled, a hint of flattery in his smile, breaking the slightly awkward deadlock.

“You know how difficult it was for me to put this project together; it took a whole year, back and forth. Finally, it’s about to start filming.”

“Teacher Bai’s acting has improved a lot, and she’s beautiful enough, right?”

“Director Zhang, please don’t delay everyone’s time for the sake of some nobody minor actor.”

The smile instantly disappeared from Zhang Mingxiu’s face: “…”

Zhang Mingxiu changed his posture, crossed his legs, and leaned back. He rested against the sofa, stretched out his arms, and the previously amicable smile instantly faded.

“Producer Zhao, we’ve known each other for almost twenty years, haven’t we?”

The producer was startled, then nodded: “Exactly, we’ve known each other for twenty years, and we are old friends.”

Zhang Mingxiu: “Since we are twenty-year-old friends, you should know my temper.”

The smile on the producer’s face vanished entirely: “…”

Zhang Mingxiu shrugged and continued, “Zhao Producer, I know it wasn’t easy for you to put this project together. But in a series, not only are the male and female leads important, but the second female lead, the second male lead, and every role is equally important. I don’t need to emphasize to you how significant the second female lead’s role is in our series, do I?”

The producer’s face grew increasingly unpleasant; this guy clearly had something more to say.

Zhang Mingxiu shrugged and continued, “I know you consider more things than I do, a fanatic who only knows how to film. I won’t force you. If you insist on dropping Xiao Bai, then find another director to shoot the series.”

The producer was so angry that he suddenly stood up from the sofa, staring wide-eyed at Zhang Mingxiu, shouting, “Zhang Mingxiu, you…!”

The man clenched his fists, his face instantly turning beetroot red with anger.

…

The situation was deadlocked, with no room for compromise.

Finally, the producer angrily stormed out of the suite, saying nothing and not stating his position.

The atmosphere was unprecedentedly awkward, and everyone left one after another with various excuses, except for Fu Yu.

Zhang Mingxiu wiggled his toes, looked at Fu Yu across the room with some confusion, and asked in return, “Xiao Fu, why aren’t you leaving yet?”

Fu Yu tentatively asked, “Director Zhang, may I ask you a question?”

Zhang Mingxiu: “Go ahead.”

Fu Yu’s expression suddenly turned serious, her smile gone, and she said, “Why are you so insistent on having Bai Yiyan play the role? Although Bai Yiyan’s acting skills are indeed much stronger than Bai Youcen’s, Bai Youcen’s popularity over the past two years cannot be underestimated. If our series had her join, just by capitalizing on the popularity, we could gain a lot of fans.”

Zhang Mingxiu smiled, repeating the three terms Fu Yu mentioned: “Popularity, benefits, series fans.”

“I am forty years old, and I’ve been filming for almost twenty years, finally reaching the position I am in today. Between profit and original intention, I have chosen original intention, and I have also chosen profit…”

“I really like Xiao Bai; it’s been a long time since I encountered an actor with such explosive power.”

“I want to give a newcomer a chance.”

“I’m willing to bet that Xiao Bai and I will achieve mutual success.”

A smile suddenly played on Fu Yu’s lips, and she looked at Zhang Mingxiu with certainty, full of confidence.

“Alright, I’ll bet with you!”

Someone who could impress both Ye Manqing and Zhang Mingxiu, Fu Yu believed she would surely win!

Fu Yu had been navigating the entertainment industry for so many years, and the first person whose acting she admired the most was Ye Manqing, whose skill was almost supernatural—she became whatever she played.

And Bai Yiyan was not just a pretty face but a treasured vase that had been “opened up” (blessed with talent)!

Indeed, new talent emerges constantly! There will always be one or two newcomers with both acting skill and beauty breaking into the scene to save this nearly stagnant acting circle.

…

Fu Yu left the hotel and bent down to slide into the commercial van. As soon as she sat down, the assistant handed her a rose gold phone.

Assistant: “Teacher Fu, Teacher Ye called you just now.”

Fu Yu took the phone and casually replied, “Okay.”

After unlocking the phone with her fingerprint, Fu Yu opened an unread WeChat message, which was also from Ye Manqing, asking about the audition results.

Calling and messaging—how eager was she to know the audition result?!

Fu Yu suddenly felt mischievous and wanted to tease Ye Manqing. After a moment’s thought, she sent two consecutive WeChat replies.

Fu Yu: [The little beauty had basically secured the role, four votes passed. But Producer Zhao won’t give up and is butting heads with Director Zhang.]

Fu Yu: [I was quite surprised, I didn’t expect her to be so good at the kiss scene too.]

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