The Peak Competition of Beauty and Acting (3)

Just as Xu Qichen was caught off guard, Li Yun's voice came from outside.

"Mengze? Mengze? Are you in there?"

"Yes!" Like grabbing a lifeline, Xu Qichen responded with a mouthful of candy and quickly got up, looking at the man in front of him, he bowed, "Thank you." Then he walked out.

"What are you doing? You scared me to death." Li Yun pulled Xu Qichen forward, her high heels clicking.

The female staff around them had surprised expressions on their faces, quietly calling out Ji Mengze's name. Xu Qichen then realized that his hat was still in the hands of that person.

Xu Qichen subconsciously turned around and saw Lin Ran coming out of the bathroom. Their eyes met, and Lin Ran raised the black baseball cap in his hand, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Xu Qichen turned his head and asked, "Will Lin Ran really be in the audition room later?"

Li Yun said, "Yes, the actors who auditioned earlier have all seen him." Li Yun tried to reassure Xu Qichen, "Don't worry, even though Lin Ran became famous at a young age, he has a good temper and isn't arrogant."

Xu Qichen wasn't comforted at all. He knew better than anyone what kind of person this young actor with a gentle and kind surface was deep down. Why did he have to create a character with a smiling tiger persona?

But there was something strangely familiar about the way Lin Ran's physical appearance was materialized...

Seeing him lost in thought, Li Yun quickly told him to stop thinking and said, "Hurry up and get ready, you're up next. Do you want to take the script with you?"

Xu Qichen shook his head, "No need."

Li Yun looked at him skeptically, but seeing his calm expression, she became even more worried. "Don't be too relaxed, okay?"

Xu Qichen nodded, "I know."

Not long after the person who auditioned before him came out, Xu Qichen took a deep breath. He had eaten too much candy just now, and his teeth felt a bit weak.

Upon entering, he realized that there were only two people sitting inside, a man in his forties and a woman in her thirties wearing glasses. They should be Chen Anping and Qu Qing. The third chair was empty for some reason, and Xu Qichen felt a sense of relief. He bowed slightly, walked to the front of the recording equipment, and briefly introduced himself.

Since he entered, Chen Anping and Qu Qing had been scrutinizing him, their gazes not too friendly. Xu Qichen could tell, after all, Ji Mengze was known for being a flower vase with nothing but looks, so their reaction was understandable.

Chen Anping kept a cold face and didn't say anything, creating a tense atmosphere.

Xu Qichen was not a competitive person, so he rarely felt the nervousness that comes with competition. He stared back at Chen Anping, unmoving.

Qu Qing was the first to speak, her tone neither warm nor cold, "Have you read the script?"

"Yes."

"First, you can try the monologue on the third page of Yu Ning. There's a script there that you can read."

Xu Qichen nodded, thinking that they were probably worried he would perform poorly and didn't want to make it too difficult for him. However, he didn't reach for the script. Instead, he cleared his throat, looked at the camera, and began directly.

"In June, the hot air on the asphalt road distort the view of everything in sight, swaying like seaweeds in the eyes. The sound of bicycle wheels spins madly in my ears. Sweat, warm breeze, blue sky, they mix together like oil paints on a palette."

"Will he be at that cafe today? Maybe. He was wearing an old black uniform yesterday, but it suited him well. Why didn't I take a look at his name tag? Then I would have known his name."

Xu Qichen spoke slowly. His voice was quite unique, a slightly cold but soft and tender teenage voice.

"What if he's not there? What if he's taking a day off today? It's so hot, the sun is scorching my back, and it hurts a little. The road seems like it's melting, looking all oily and sticky, like clothes stuck to my body. In the mixed air, a faint scent of aroma appears. My nose is really sensitive."

"Should I go in and buy a cup of coffee? Let's take a look through the window first. If he's not there, I'll go in and enjoy the air conditioning. But what if he is?"

"The palm of my hand inexplicably sweats, becoming sticky. I hate summer, it makes me look miserable. The window is transparent, allowing me to see clearly the shape of his smiling lips as he takes orders for others. He's here, should I stay or go? I try to pedal, but my feet won't move."

Xu Qichen looked at the camera, his expression becoming restless.

"Hello, one... iced mocaccino."

"I went inside after all. It's all because of summer, the high temperature and stuffiness gripping my body, forcing me to speak."

"Now, I started to dislike him a bit, just like how I dislike summer."

"Intense, unabashed, oppressing my heart."

After finishing the last line, Xu Qichen was momentarily caught up in his emotion. Feeling dazed, he suddenly heard a few applause, and he turned his head to see Lin Ran leaning against the door frame.

Lin Ran smiled and walked into the room, sitting next to Director Chen. Director Chen looked at the handsome young man in front of him, his gaze still cold but seemingly less disdainful than before. After a while, he spoke, "When did you memorize the lines?"

"While waiting backstage," Xu Qichen honestly replied.

Suddenly, a familiar voice popped into his mind, "Mr. Xu, you have an excellent memory."

This was the first time 0901 had initiated a conversation. Xu Qichen answered, "I studied liberal arts in high school, so memorizing things is a piece of cake for me. Besides, this monologue is written by me, so I have some impression of it."

Writer Qu wasn't like Chen Anping. The expression on her face revealed undisguised surprise. She almost wanted to stand up just now, hug this clean-faced young man in front of her, and shout, "It's you!" But she was just a screenwriter. No matter how well he fit the character, it still depended on the director.

"Your voice and appearance both fit the character of Yu Ning very well, " Qu Qing pushed her glasses up her nose.  "The monologue of other auditionees were missing something, but your monologue gave me a visual image."

To be honest, now that Ji Mengze was dressed in jeans, white t-shirt, and his natural looks, he looked like Yu Ning that had walked out of the script. However, acting was also a big issue. After all, this was a movie, not a magazine shoot.

Xu Qichen wasn't good at accepting compliments, so he just slightly lowered his chin. "Thank you, but in terms of acting, I really can't compare to others."

Director Chen nodded slightly, seemingly not displeased with this answer. At least he had self-awareness and didn't make excuses about not having a background in acting. However, Ji Mengze's reputation in acting really made people worry. Chen Anping stared at Xu Qichen for a long time without saying anything, making him feel uneasy.

Xu Qichen stood there, but his gaze remained on Lin Ran.

"0901, does the appearance model of Lin Ran have a real-life prototype?"

0901: "Mr. Xu, there is no real-life prototype. It was established based on the character setting in your novel."

This answer was perfunctory, but Xu Qichen couldn't help but keep looking at Lin Ran. Unexpectedly, it seemed like Lin Ran noticed and turned his head to look at him.

"Director Chen, how about I try acting a scene with Ji Mengze?"

Xu Qichen's inner thoughts were to refuse.

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