Chapter 23
Ye Mingqian hadn’t appeared in the original novel. Pei Shaoze knew him because when he was supplementing his knowledge of movies and dramas, he accidentally scanned the movie ‘Flowing Light’ which had over 9 points on taoju.com. He clicked on it and noticed this person.
As Liu Xueyi said, Ye Mingqian’s acting was good. His role in the movie Flowing Light had a miserable life experience and many crying scenes. Ye Mingqian’s crying scenes were very well performed, whether it was silent tears or sobs. He could instantly drive the emotions of the audience. He cried beautifully and his tears on camera made people feel distressed.
He was already very talented to be able to act out crying scenes well. Based on Pei Shaoze’s vision, Ye Mingqian would have a bright future. However, Ye Mingqian wasn’t a signed artist of Tianxuan so Pei Shaoze didn’t care about his future development. Pei Shaoze hadn’t expected him to audition for the role of Qin Nian.
The front door was pushed open and Ye Mingqian stepped in. The agent didn’t follow him and obviously wasn’t very worried.
This good-looking omega seemed to have a halo everywhere he went. The strong light in the room made his skin dazzling. He wore no makeup today but was still exquisite and beautiful without makeup. He definitely couldn’t handle the HD lens of a photographer.
He walked to the middle and greeted the group politely, “President Pei, Director Lu, Teacher Xu, Teacher Lemongrass, staff members, good afternoon. My name is Ye Mingqian and I am here to audition for the role of Qin Nian.”
Pei Shaoze noticed that the eyes of the people around him, including the director, screenwriter and original author, lit up after seeing him.
Compared to the newcomers who were nervous and trembling, Ye Mingqian was at great ease and gave a good first impression. Director Liu immediately sat upright and spoke solemnly, “Ye Mingqian, I have seen your work. Your crying scenes in Flowing Light are done very well but the protagonist of Folding Paper doesn’t need to cry. He smiles every day. Why try out for this role?”
Ye Mingqian looked calm. “It is as Director Liu said. Due to my performance in Flowing Light, the impression I left on the audience is that of a melancholy and sad omega who loves to cry. This time, I want to try a transformation and play a sunnier role.”
Liu Xueyi nodded in admiration. “Yes. What type of scene have you prepared?”
Ye Mingqian replied, “Act 37.”
The audition requirements had long been released on the major artist forums so the actors who came to participate in today’s audition received the script in advance. Since the final script hadn’t been revised, the screenwriter’s audition script was just a role plot. The details would be left for the actors to play by themselves so they could see the actor’s understanding of the role.
Ye Mingqian adjusted his expression and soon entered the role.
Act 37, the hospital.
Qin Nian, who always thought he was an alpha, had a fever recently. Since he had to go to work after school every day and his schoolwork was heavy, his schedule was very tight. He didn’t have time to go to the hospital and only bought some anti-fever medicine to take.
That night when he went home, he suddenly fainted and was sent to the hospital by his sister Qin Yue. The doctor found his results were abnormal and traces of omega pheromones were detected in the blood. It was confirmed that he had differentiated into an omega.
Please improvise based on this scene.
From the description, there should be three people in the scene: the doctor, the younger sister and the protagonist Qin Nian. However, there was no one at the scene to act with him and he could only play a one-man show by himself.
Since many actors who auditioned for Qin Nian chose this role, a rectangular table was set up to temporarily serve as a hospital bed. Some actors with poor comprehension didn’t even see this. A patient who passed out and was sent to the hospital actually stood up and acted directly? Director Liu was speechless.
Ye Mingqian saw this table and quickly reacted. He lay down directly on the table and closed his eyes. After a while, he had a nightmare and suddenly woke up. He sat up straight like a carp. He frowned and pressed a hand against his temples, obviously suffering from a headache. Then he looked around and his eyes gradually cleared. He found that this was a hospital and reflexively called out, “Qin Yue, what happened to me?”
The voice coming from the sound equipment was nice and clear.
Ye Mingqian waited about eight seconds. Once it was time for his sister Qin Yue’s lines to be over, he smiled calmly and said, “I’m fine. Perhaps I’ve been too tired recently. I have low blood sugar and fainted after eating. You don’t need to worry.”
This smile was completely different from the tearful omega in the public’s impression.
The gentle smile when facing his sister showed how strong Qin Nian was a brother in front of his little sister. Ye Mingqian rubbed his head and wanted to get out of bed. Just then, the doctor should’ve opened the door and come in. His eyes shifted to the door like he actually saw the doctor there and he asked politely, “Doctor, when can I leave the hospital?”
The doctor would explain that omega pheromones had been detected in the blood. Ye Mingqian waited a few seconds before his eyes widened slightly. “Omega pheromones? How is that possible? I have always been an alpha!”
The doctor continued to explain.
Ye Mingqian listened carefully and his eyes kept growing bigger. He took the report form from the doctor in disbelief and looked through it line by line. After seeing the line about omega pheromones, his eyes stopped. He was a bit dazed and muttered to himself like he was dreaming, “There are really omega pheromones? This data can’t be right…”
He listened to the doctor’s next words and slowly regained his composure. He smiled at the doctor. “Yes, I have to trouble you to give me another detailed examination. I will take a leave of absence with my head teacher first.”
The doctor went out and he grabbed his hair in an annoyed manner. “How can I differentiate into an omega? God must be joking with me!”
Then Ye Mingqian got off the desk and spoke politely. “Director Liu, I’m finished.”
Liu Xueyi looked complicated.
In terms of acting skills, Ye Mingqian was really good, especially the change in his eyes. From the protagonist’s shock and confusion when he heard that he differentiated into an omega to his final reluctant acceptance, everything was perfect. No one acted against him but there were three people in his performance scene. The angle, gaze toward his sister and gaze toward the doctor were different. He clearly had nothing in his hands but he performed the action of checking every line in the report very vividly.
His speech skills were also very good. When acting, he reserved time for other people’s lines. His manner of speaking and volume control were all things that experienced actors could do. The live sound equipment didn’t show too many flaws. His smile looked good and it matched the ‘sunshine’ persona. His performance in this section was very different from the distressed omega in ‘Flowing Light.’ Such actors were very malleable.
However, Liu Xueyi always felt that something was missing. Was it a bit lacking? It was like a student had done a good job on the examination paper but as the examiner, he always felt that someone could do better.
Liu Xueyi leaned toward the author Lemongrass and softly asked, “Teacher, do you think he is like Qin Nian?”
Lemongrass was a female omega around 30 years old. She had long straight hair and was gentle and intellectual. Hearing Director Liu’s question, she leaned over and replied softly, “Among all the actors who auditioned in the afternoon, I think Ye Mingqian’s image and temperament are the best. His recognition is also the highest. Of course, I am a layman in acting. Director Liu is more professional than me. What do you think?”
She only commented on Ye Mingqian’s good-looking appearance and didn’t say that he was suitable for Qin Nian.
Liu Xueyi thought about it for a moment. “Ye Mingqian, can you try Act 56?”
Ye Mingqian smiled and nodded.
Act 56 was the protagonist Qin Nian’s one-man show. It was a scene without lines and was extremely difficult. Qin Nian differentiated into an omega and realized he liked his good friend Lu Fengyang. After returning home, he wrote in his diary in a complicated mood. The actors had to improvise this.
Ye Mingqian asked Zhang Fan to borrow a pen and paper and sat at the table, starting to write.
The camera was shooting his side profile. Director Liu saw Ye Mingqian’s magnified side profile on the monitoring screen and couldn’t help admiring it in his heart. With such a face, he could sit quietly and still attract a large number of fans.
Ye Mingqian looked serious. He made a few strokes before thinking of something and frowning. The young man who just found out that he liked his good friend was a bit embarrassed. His mouth curved in a smile before he frowned with worry.
This silent performance depended on the facial expressions and eyes. The emotional performance was also in place. Liu Xueyi couldn’t help praising it. “It’s not bad. It’s good.”
Ye Mingqian stood up and bowed politely to everyone.
Comparing all the actors in the afternoon, Ye Mingqian was indeed the best one so far. However, Liu Xueyi didn’t directly decide. First of all, the audition wasn’t over yet. Secondly, he had to ask the opinions of the author and President Pei before deciding an actor.
Liu Xueyi looked at Pei Shaoze who said indifferently, “Thank you for the wonderful performance. Go back and wait for the notice.”
Ye Mingqian nodded. “Yes, thank you Teachers.”
He turned and left through the back door. The people at the scene were already used to the words ‘wait for the notice’ from President Pei. Once the back door closed, Liu Xueyi couldn’t help asking, “President Pei, what do you think of Ye Mingqian? Among those who auditioned this afternoon, his acting skills are the best, right?”
Pei Shaoze commented with one sentence. “The form is similar but the spirit is different.”
Everyone, “……”
On closer consideration, President Pei’s evaluation was really on point, especially for the original author Lemongrass. She always felt that Ye Mingqian looked good and his pleasing image made people like him. It was just that he wasn’t Qin Nian, he wasn’t the Qin Nian she wrote. He might’ve worked hard to get closer to the ‘sunny’ setting but it was as President Pei said—
It was just the form. There was none of Qin Nian in his performance.
Pei Shaoze’s expression was calm. “Director Liu, don’t worry and keep looking. Call the next one in.”
Liu Xueyi wondered, “Is there anyone else trying out for Qin Nian?”
Zhang Fan replied, “There is one person left, Number 98. He is Tianxuan’s newcomer, Cheng Xia.”
Liu Xueyi hurriedly said, “Call him in quickly.”
Outside the door, the assistant called out, “Number 98.”
Cheng Xia immediately got up and walked to the front door, gently pushing open the door.
The inside of the room was exactly as what people said in the morning. This big scene was very shocking! The lighting and photography were in place and the producer, director, screenwriter and original author were sitting in a row. This would invisibly put a lot of pressure on people. If their psychological quality wasn’t good enough then the glare of the lights would make them panic.
However, Cheng Xia had worked hard for so long and temporary stage fright wasn’t his style! He took a deep breath to calm himself down, walked toward the open space and bowed in the direction of the five people. “President Pei, Director Liu, Screenwriter Teacher Xu, Author, Teacher and all the staff. Good afternoon, my name is Cheng Xia. The role I came to audition for today is Qin Nian. This is my information.”
He handed the information prepared by his agent to Director Liu Xueyi with both hands. The information included his academic qualifications, height, weight, hobbies, etc.
Liu Xueyi was meeting Cheng Xia for the first time. Cheng Xia in front of him and Ye Mingqian had two completely different styles. Ye Mingqian had a delicate and beautiful face and he made people amazed by his temperament at first glance.
Cheng Xia was handsome and sunny, with no obvious omega features. His eyes were bright and clear and no blemishes could be seen on his face under the high magnification lens. He was a proper handsome guy next door. If it came to beauty then the two people could be called comparable.
Liu Xueyi asked, “Are you a newcomer? Have you shot any works before?”
“Director Liu, I was just signed this year and I have only shot one MV which hasn’t been broadcasted yet. I have no experience with movie and television works.” He showed no nervousness when saying this. His expression was very calm.
Liu Xueyi frowned and thought about it. It was very difficult to work with a pure newcomer! Newcomers with high understanding could learn if they were taught. Meanwhile, those with poor understanding would frequently delay the progress of the entire crew. However, Cheng Xia looked good and he was Tianxuan’s artist. President Pei was sitting next to him and he had to give President Pei some face.
Liu Xueyi thought of this and immediately said, “It’s okay if you are a newcomer. Don’t be nervous. Our crew welcomes newcomers.” He noticed that Cheng Xia was holding a bag in his hand and couldn’t help asking curiously, “What are you holding in your hand? Did you bring items?”
Cheng Xia seriously answered, “Yes, Director Liu. I’ll change my clothes.”
He took the clothes out of the bag and put them on quickly. It was a blue and white high school uniform. A white sweater and blue school uniform. Cheng Xia looked like he just arrived on the set after rushing from school.
The eyes of the people at the scene instantly changed.
The corners of Pei Shaoze’s lips were lightly raised and his gaze toward Cheng Xia was incredibly soft.
There were 33 actors who came to audition for Qin Nian this afternoon. Only Cheng Xia brought a school uniform. They probably forgot that Qin Nian’s real identity was a high school student.
Clothing wasn’t a mandatory requirement for actors when auditioning but people depend on clothing. If one was playing a high school student then put on a school uniform—this was how to approach a role.
Proofreader: Cat
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