CHAPTER 12

"Huh?" Cai Juan was a bit slow to react and instinctively asked, "Are you serious?" He was genuinely delighted, thinking it would take a lot of effort to persuade Xiaoyuan, and success was not guaranteed. He didn't expect victory to come so easily.

He felt a sense of unreal victory without having to fight.

For now, this was the only way forward, Wei Jiabao had completely shut off her film resources! They could only break through through TV dramas.

"Really?" Xiang Zhishi on the side also asked with a smile. His tone was much lighter, as if he had expected it.

"Really!" Xiang Xiaoyuan stepped out, "I'll do it, who's afraid of who! I don't believe I can't do it!"

Cai Juan felt a surge of joy but also a sense of pity. For her, changing her mindset was not easy.

Xiang Zhishi looked at her, "Alright, I have a few TV drama scripts on my desk in the study. Go pick some out and see if there's anything you like."

Cai Juan discreetly shot him a surprised glance.

Had this been prepared in advance?

Relieved and admiring, he thought to himself how fortunate it was.

Xiang Xiaoyuan silently glanced at Xiang Zhishi, pouted, and said nothing, obediently going to pick a script. No matter how proud she acted in front of others, in front of her brother, she was like a docile little kitten.

Cai Juan relaxed as well. His round face broke into a joyful smile as he whispered, "Bro! It's great that she's willing to act!"

Xiang Zhishi nodded, turning to look at Cai Juan's smiling face. After a moment, Cai Juan felt a bit shy and asked, "Bro, what are you looking at?"

Xiang Zhishi said with a straight face, "Cai Juan, I remember your nickname was given to you by Xiaoyuan, right?"

"Yeah!" His late father was a language teacher who gave him the full name Cai Juanji, meaning auspicious day. Once, Xiang Xiaoyuan mispronounced it as "Cai Juan," and since then, she simply called him Cai Juan.

"I suddenly think 'Cai Bao [Cabbage Bun]' could also work for you."

Cai Juan: "..."

Working in this studio was too leisurely. His weight had unknowingly increased sharply over the past two years, coupled with Xiang Xiaoyuan not working for several months, and he also had no projects. his face had gotten rounder. But being called 'Cai Bao' was just... too much.

Cai Juan felt a bit embarrassed but not quite angry. "Bro! Don't tease me like this!"

Xiang Zhishi smiled again. He had a truly pleasant smile, like the gentle night gradually soaking through the twilight mist.

Cai Juan's heart raced suddenly.

'Oh mother, straight men really know how to flirt!'

'Oh, tofu! Oh, tofu!'

On Xiang Zhishi's desk were three scripts: a medical drama, a detective mystery drama, and an urban romance drama.

Xiang Xiaoyuan preferred the detective mystery drama, where the female lead was a police officer.

Xiang Zhishi said, "The highlight of this plot is the male lead. The female lead's role is just to provide clues and push the plot forward, with limited growth and not much to shine."

Cai Juan also flipped through one and said, "But the script is decent. The male lead is XXX, who has some popularity, and the broadcasting platform is excellent. Penguin and IQ have already secured the rights."

"What about this medical drama?" Cai Juan picked up another script.

"Although it's a professional drama, it lacks depth, mostly focusing on romance." Xiang Xiaoyuan shrugged. "I'd prefer this one."

"Let me see," Cai Juan continued to browse. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Oh, 'Their Little Affairs' this is a highly popular novel on Lujiang with many original fans. Directed by Sun Xin.

Wow! This is great! In the past few years, Lujiang has sold the film and television rights to many novels, with some adaptations doing well and boosting the popularity of several actresses. This script's writer is reliable, I have high hopes for this one."

Xiang Zhishi nodded, "I also prefer this one."

Both of them looked at Xiang Xiaoyuan, their intentions clear.

Xiaoyuan glanced around and felt that their reasoning made sense. Fine, she'd go along with their decision this time.

For the next month, Xiang Xiaoyuan studied the script at home. To be honest, the script didn't have much depth, as it was a romance drama with a smooth story flow and well-developed characters.

On the day winter began, she went for the audition. Although it was called an audition, it was more accurately an internal meeting of the production team. The roles were mostly set. Several actors, the director, assistant director, and producers met to finalize the casting.

'Their Little Affairs' is a modern urban romance drama featuring four characters: two men and two women. The major investor is a subsidiary of one of the three giants in the industry, "Boyi Media," and the young male and female leads are talents being groomed by the company."

In the book, there are two female lead characters. One is a sweet girl with a likable personality, pure but not foolish. The other character is a proud young lady from a wealthy family.

The actress from Warner Bros., Lu Jingnian, is a rising star, having started as a child actor. She has a fair, oval face with two small dimples, and her eyes curve charmingly when she smiles, making her particularly endearing. She fits the sweet girl setting perfectly.

Xiang Xiaoyuan can only play the role of the proud rich young lady.

The other male lead, Fang Hao, is a young heartthrob with red lips and white teeth. He is set to play one of the wealthy young masters and will be paired with Lu Jingnian as a couple. To be honest, his temperament doesn't quite match, the character in the novel is a seasoned flirt and a cynical romantic, while this actor has a sunny disposition.

Xiang Xiaoyuan found it strange, but this was the director's arrangement, and she had no right to voice her opinions. Moreover, the other male lead claimed a scheduling conflict and didn't attend this meeting. But looking at the director, there was no sign of displeasure, indicating that they had discussed it beforehand.

It looked like they had some significant connections.

Honestly, everyone involved in this drama has connections, and those two are the most straightforward choices. It's only natural for their company to invest in and promote their own artists. Xiang Xiaoyuan knows that her role was arranged through her brother's connections, and she couldn't let his kindness go to waste. She was a bit resistant at first, but she has already adjusted.

As Wei Jiabao said, there is some truth in his words. How many years could she wait? How much longer could she drag this out? She was scared. Scared of not getting any roles. What else could she do besides acting? Without acting, she felt like she was nothing.

So she will act well in this TV drama. She was confident she could do a good job, it didn't seem difficult at all. She hoped her opponent—the absent male actor—wouldn't be too bad.

On the day of the makeup photoshoot, Xiang Xiaoyuan and Cai Juan arrived early. When they got there, several makeup artists and stylists were already in the room, but no one came to greet them. When they entered, the group of people chatting stopped and looked over with various expressions.

Xiang Xiaoyuan nodded, her expression normal, confidently facing those who were scrutinizing them.

After a few minutes, a staff member came over and asked them to sit on the side.

Xiang Xiaoyuan didn't hear the group whispering to each other, "She looks unfamiliar."

"She looks pretty eye-catching!"

"..."

The buzzing conversation was not very clear.

They found their own seats and sat down.

Although they are all lead actors, their popularity and status are different. For those like them—without connections, fame, or standing—even if they arrived early, they still had to wait.

Cai Juan cast a reassuring glance at Xiaoyuan, who shrugged, indicating that she didn't care. She put on her headphones, closed her eyes, and listened to music, using it as a way to isolate herself and rest her mind.

The songs were downloaded by Cai Juan, featuring various styles. She wasn't really listening, she was just using the headphones as a prop to isolate herself.

"I'm thinking, someday, I will forget you

I will stop hating you

I will no longer think of you

By then, I will be free,

I will let go,

I will no longer be sad..."

A clear and gentle female voice suddenly drifted into her ears. Xiang Xiaoyuan's dark eyebrows twitched slightly, tilting her head.

It was a lyrical song, the melody instantly capturing her ears, with a clear tone, and interestingly, the ending note had a slight rise, tinged with hoarseness.

As the song concluded, she looked up the singer and composer and found they were the same person.

Yu Qiuse.

They waited a full forty minutes before the other two leads arrived one after the other, fashionably late.

"Sorry, there was traffic on the road." Lu Jingnian bowed.

"Sorry, sorry! I miscalculated the time and ended up being late. Thank you all for waiting." Fang Hao said, scratching his head.

Both were polite and sincere. The waiting staff felt at ease, so they naturally didn't have anything to say.

Xiang Xiaoyuan had already started watching a movie on the side, it had nothing to do with her.. They didn't talk much during the brief meeting last time, so they weren't familiar. Their lack of punctuality left her with a rather average impression, and she didn't feel like talking to them.

Cai Juan, on the other hand, went to socialize with the other parties' agents.

Lu Jingnian took the initiative to walk over, "Hello, you're Xiang Xiaoyuan, right? Sorry for being late, making you wait again."

Xiang Xiaoyuan had to take off her headphones and politely replied, "It's alright."

Lu Jingnian gave her a sweet smile, "Would you like some snacks? I brought a lot."

Xiang Xiaoyuan had to politely decline again, "No, thank you."

Lu Jingnian smiled lightly, with dimples showing, a harmless and gentle demeanor that made it impossible for anyone to be angry with her.

"Alright, then I'll go get my makeup done first." Despite being politely declined twice, she didn't seem to mind.

Xiang Xiaoyuan glanced at her a little more, changing her impression from average to good.

After the two of them finished taking their makeup photos with a series of clicks, Xiang Xiaoyuan had already dozed off against Cai Juan's shoulder.

When it was her turn to get her makeup done, she sat there drowsily, letting the makeup artist work on her face.

"Your skin is great, let's apply some foundation..." The makeup artist's attitude was decent.

The stylist brought over two sets of clothes, a Chanel lady's suit, and said, "Curl the ends of her hair a bit."

After Xiang Xiaoyuan's makeup was done and she changed into her outfit, all eyes in the room were focused on her.

"Lao shi [Teacher], can we start shooting?" After waiting so long, it was impossible not to have any emotions. She wore Chanel's classic white suit, a knee-length white pencil skirt, and a pair of black-and-white high heels. She adjusted her long curls to reveal her C-shaped diamond earrings.

With lightly drawn eyebrows, starry eyes, and retro red lips, she walked out gracefully, her eyes sweeping gently, chin slightly raised, completely embodying a well-mannered and proud young lady from a wealthy family.

The photographer's eyes gleamed with excitement.

Both outfits, one a dress and the other pantsuit, were from luxury brands. The production of this film clearly spared no expense.

The photographer was very satisfied and then asked Lu Jingnian to come over for a group photo.

In the drama, they had quite a few scenes together and would eventually become good friends.

Fang Hao had already left after finishing his shoot. It was said that his schedule was really tight.

Lu Jingnian stood at 163 cm, four centimeters shorter than Xiaoyuan, and even with both wearing high heels, there was still a slight height difference.

She had a small face, a sweet appearance, and was considered outstanding in the entertainment industry. However, standing next to Xiang Xiaoyuan, it was clear that her radiance dimmed slightly.

Sometimes, beauty is a pure kind of dominance—undeniable and impossible to refute.

Sometimes, when some actresses take photos together, they want to present their best angles and even compete to steal the spotlight, which can be challenging for the production team and photographers.

Lu Jingnian has a very good personality, she is easygoing, doesn't sweat the small stuff, and poses very professionally. Xiang Xiaoyuan is also willing to cooperate, and the two quickly and smoothly finished taking photos.

Even after the shoot, they still hadn't seen the male actor who was supposed to play her love interest.

"Who could it be?" Xiang Xiaoyuan asked Cai Juan after changing her clothes.

"I can find out if you're interested. Are you curious?"

Most of the on-site staff had already left, leaving only a few people doing some final tasks, so they didn't pay much attention to their conversation.

"Are you interested? Shall I tell you?" someone behind them said with a teasing tone.

Lu Jingnian blinked and flashed a sweet smile at her.

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