When they arrived at Tianwen Entertainnt, Jiang Qin noticed how exhausted Lan Yuyan looked and asked with concern, "Did you pull another all-nighter?"
You can’t keep this up. No matter how busy you are with work, you can’t keep overdrawing on your body’s strength with refreshing potions every day."
"Don’t worry, I can handle it."
Despite saying he could handle it, he seized the opportunity to step forward and embrace Jiang Qin, resting his head on her shoulder.
The sheer exhaustion on his face made Jiang Qin’s heart ache, and it made Yun Xie cringe.
"Why don’t you go get so rest? It’ll be fine even if you’re not at the auditions."
Lan Yuyan nodded, but not to agree. Instead, he said, "I was just about to tell you. I have to go et a director from the Empire later."
"So I can’t be with you for the auditions. I’m putting you in charge of all the casting decisions."
"If anyone gives you trouble, just call . I’ve already told them all to follow your lead."
Jiang Qin wasn’t officially employed by Tianwen Entertainnt; she was only involved in the production as a writer and director.
For both productions, they had chosen one of Tianwen Entertainnt’s own to serve as the lead director for filming, which was why Lan Yuyan worried soone might try to undermine Jiang Qin’s authority.
As it turned out, he knew the people at his company all too well.
During the very first casting, soone was already challenging Jiang Qin.
The person auditioning was a pure human.
He wasn’t a professional actor or an arts school student, but an extra.
In the past, he wouldn’t have even been qualified to set foot in Tianwen Entertainnt, let alone have the chance to audition.
However, for the two films Jiang Qin was producing, there was one prerequisite for casting: status and background were irrelevant.
As long as you believed you had the talent and the acting skills, you were welco to try out.
Deng Zimo was the first pure human to step before her.
He wanted the role of the male lead in *dicine God*, Cheng Yong.
She had to admit, the mont she laid eyes on him, Jiang Qin felt the role was made for him.
Because he had eyes that were full of stories.
In those eyes, Jiang Qin saw unfulfilled ambition, the struggle against poverty, and a deep, world-weary look.
But most importantly, it was his appearance.
He had a good facial structure, but his skin was rough and his face was drawn with fatigue. A single glance told you he was soone who couldn’t afford to take care of his skin.
Compared to all the pretty-boy actors, he was a perfect fit.
What’s more, his acting was excellent.
It ca back to the sa thing: he had eyes that told a story, and through them, he brought that story to life.
He conveyed the struggle of knowingly breaking the law.
Cheng Yong, at the start of the film, is by no ans a likable protagonist.
He’s just an ordinary man on the verge of being crushed by life, with a seriously ill father, an ex-wife, and a son.
His volatile temper alone is enough to make anyone uncomfortable.
This is also what makes the film’s plot so controversial and buzzworthy.
In the beginning, Cheng Yong is not a good person.
He sells the dicine to make a profit—for the money. But to the leukemia patients, when you compare a price of 5,000 to 40,000, he’s a good man.
Because he made it possible for them to afford the dicine.
Only if they could afford the dicine could they survive.
Few people could afford dicine that cost 40,000 a month. Even a middle-class family would be bankrupted by the expense.
But at 5,000 a month, a family could manage if they all pitched in and worked hard.
So, no matter how much money Cheng Yong made in the beginning, the leukemia patients were still grateful to him.
But in his own eyes, he was just a businessman—a peddler making money by breaking the law.
With the money he earned, he took his crew to nightclubs, indulging in a life of hedonism and excess.
He even started getting lecherous ideas about his female subordinate, Si Hui.
Now that he had money, it was clear he no longer bothered to suppress his greedy and lecherous nature.
This behavior creates a sharp contrast with the man he becos in the second half of the film, where he is practically a ssiah to the leukemia patients.
...
This transformation of character is not an easy thing to portray.
But Jiang Qin felt that the 35-year-old Deng Zimo could perfectly capture the psychological journey of the character Cheng Yong.
The lead director, Mr. Thompson, however, disagreed.
"Miss Jiang, I admit you are a very talented female, and this Mr. Deng’s acting is also quite good."
"However, he is a pure human. He simply can’t handle a high-intensity workload."
"If he has an accident in the middle of the shoot, everything we’ve fild up to that point will be for nothing."
"I’m not trying to oppose your choice. I’m just thinking about what’s best for the company."
She had to admit, if the director had disagreed with her simply because he looked down on her, she might have stubbornly dug in her heels.
But since he was presenting a logical argunt, she had to admit his points were quite reasonable.
But they had been holding auditions for an hour, and Deng Zimo was the only one who felt right for the part. It would be a sha to give up on him just like that.
Seeing her resolve waver, Deng Zimo gave a deep bow and said in a steady voice, "Honorable judges, I understand your concerns."
"But I’ve been doing grueling, manual labor for years. My body is not as frail as you think."
"I beg you, honorable judges, please give a chance!"
"Hah, give you a chance? And who’s going to bear the risk for us if we have to replace our lead actor halfway through?" the assistant director sneered.
"Tianwen Entertainnt isn’t a charity. You ca to this audition dressed so shabbily because you knew ahead of ti that Miss Jiang was the head judge, didn’t you?"
"Most females are soft-hearted. You were just planning to take advantage of that, weren’t you?"
In his opinion, a female shouldn’t be the one making decisions on important matters like this.
Females were emotional creatures.
They only ever let their feelings get in the way.
Despite the humiliation, Deng Zimo didn’t fly into a rage. His tone remained calm. "You’ve misunderstood. I just ca straight from work."
"I don’t need pity or sympathy. I hope that the honorable judges will choose based on my ability alone."
Thompson stopped the assistant director from saying anything further.
He had noticed Jiang Qin’s obvious displeasure.
So he stopped him from continuing his tactless and malicious speculation and simply said to Deng Zimo, "We acknowledge your ability."
"However, this film isn’t a good fit for you. The shooting schedule is very tight, so filming will be intense."
"Working day and night will be a regular occurrence, and you have the... delicate constitution of a pure human."
"So, I’m sorry, Mr. Deng, but you don’t et our requirents. You may go."
"I can do it!" Deng Zimo looked at Jiang Qin, his gaze unwavering.
"Please, honorable judges, give a chance. I really can do it."
"Working around the clock, high-intensity labor—I have no problem with any of it. That’s just my everyday life."
"If you don’t believe , you can take to a hospital for a physical. I’m in perfect health!"
"Or you could give a trial period. Let work under those high-intensity conditions for a few days to prove that my body is more than capable of handling the job."
After saying this, he bowed deeply to the panel once more. Taking a deep breath, he pleaded with genuine sincerity, "I’m begging you, honorable judges, please give a trial. Please."
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