Huayu: Brother, I'm having such a great time!

Chapter 18 Preliminary Round Begins

After lunch, Xu Jingxing and Zhang Jiani returned to the hotel.

They took out the script and went over their lines for a while.

"Yunfan, are you playing hide-and-seek with me?"

"Ugh! Yunfan, why do these French people kiss all the time?"

"Alright, my bride, aren't you going to make a lasting impression on all my employees?"

"I guarantee that my bride will look 100% perfect."

"..."

As someone who traveled from 20 years in the future, these lines do feel a bit sentimental.

Both actors have few lines; the focus is on highlighting Zhang Jiani's body language.

Xu Jingxing felt quite lucky to have drawn this performance segment, as it perfectly highlighted Zi Ling's innocent and lively side.

If it's a crying scene or a scene with intense emotions, it won't be able to highlight Zhang Jiani's own strengths.

I don't know if it's because I wasn't on set or on stage, but the system notification for absorbing attribute points didn't appear.

However, the impact was not significant, and the rehearsal between the two in the hotel room went very smoothly.

Xu Jingxing was very confident that once he stepped onto the stage tomorrow, with the system's support, he would definitely have no problem entering the main competition.

That evening, when Xu Jingxing came out after taking a shower, he found that Zhang Jiani was already asleep.

"This girl is incredibly dedicated."

That afternoon, she practiced Zi Ling's lines, expressions, and body language over and over again.

I'm really exhausted.

Xu Jingxing gently kissed her, and just as he was about to take off his bath towel and change into his pajamas, a text message notification sounded.

It was a message from Tang Yan.

Did you eat well today? (*￣︶￣)

[I had some Hunan cuisine for dinner, it was too spicy. o(╥﹏╥)o]

Before emojis existed, emoticons were all the rage.

Xu Jingxing, who is over 40 years old, naturally has to keep up with the trends of today's young people.

[That's good. I'm on the train now, eating with Mao Mao!]

[......]

Leaning against the bed, watching the messages arrive one after another, Xu Jingxing couldn't help but feel a surge of sweetness in his heart.

Zhang Jiani, who was sleeping next to him, changed her sleeping position and turned to hug Xu Jingxing's waist, muttering incoherently in her sleep. She didn't know what she was dreaming about.

With his left arm around Zhang Jiani and his right hand replying to Tang Yan's messages, Xu Jingxing suddenly remembered the plot of a TV series.

"I should have secretly taken one of Tangtang's clothes and let Jiani wear it..."

......

The next day, at the Golden Eagle Film and Television Culture City.

There were significantly more people than yesterday.

Besides the contestants, there were also many fans who came to see their idols.

There will be no audience for the preliminary round, but several actors who have acted in Qiong Yao's films and television dramas have been invited to serve as judges.

These fans had obviously received advance notice and arrived at the gate early, eager to catch a glimpse of their idol.

But he figured he was going to be disappointed. When he arrived, Xu Jingxing noticed that several vans had driven in through the side door.

"What's wrong? Are you a little nervous?"

Xu Jingxing noticed Zhang Jiani's somewhat hesitant expression and asked with concern.

"I'm a little scared, worried that I'll mess things up."

"They're all here to be your cannon fodder. Just remember how you felt during yesterday's rehearsal, and you'll definitely perform well."

"Really?"

When have I ever lied to you?

"You lied to me the day before yesterday!"

"Huh? Where?"

"Didn't you say you were just going to rub against me for a bit the other day?!"

"Well......"

For a moment, I was speechless.

......

When it was time to gather, everyone came to the hall where the lottery was drawn yesterday. Unlike yesterday, today the hall was filled with plastic stools.

After signing their names in line, the two casually found a corner spot to sit down.

Seeing Zhang Jiani sitting next to him looking uneasy, Xu Jingxing was about to say something to comfort her when someone suddenly said, "It's obvious you didn't prepare properly."

Xu Jingxing paused for a moment, turned his head to look over, and met her gaze before realizing that the person next to him was talking about the two of them.

She was a woman with long, straight black hair, a beautiful face, and wearing a pure white dress.

The man beside her was dressed more meticulously, in a sharp white suit, with his hair neatly styled, exuding the air of a successful man.

Xu Jingxing didn't say anything. He knew perfectly well that his competitor was up to no good by striking up a conversation at this time.

Seeing that Xu Jingxing and the other two remained silent, the woman with long black hair chuckled smugly, "Ziling is supposed to be a pitiful, innocent little flower, but this lady is dressed so brightly and flamboyantly, it doesn't fit the role at all."

The man beside Xu Jingxing gave him a disdainful look. "Hmph, so irresponsible, showing up dressed so casually."

casual?

Xu Jingxing looked at himself, thinking to himself, "I've prepared so well."

I even went to the hotel front desk to borrow an iron this morning and ironed my clothes properly.

A polo shirt paired with casual pants and white sneakers—not a casual outfit at all.

But he was dressed like a master of ceremonies.

Xu Jingxing pulled Zhang Jiani back from speaking, and got up to move to another seat.

"Why didn't you tell me to yell at them!"

As soon as she sat down in a different seat, Zhang Jiani said indignantly.

"There's no need to pay attention to them. You must stay calm and focused before the match, and don't let irrelevant people throw you off balance."

"But she calls me 'sister'! I think she's at least 28, if not 30."

Indeed, women are generally very concerned about their age.

"These are the kind of people who lack the ability themselves, so they can only resort to psychological tactics!"

Xu Jingxing pointed, indicating that Zhang Jiani should look to her right rear.

"Look, they've switched places again and are talking to other people."

"What are they trying to do?" Zhang Jiani pursed her lips.

"They'll definitely find someone who poses a threat to them and disrupt them; that's what's in their favor."

"Nausea!"

"We should be happy! The fact that they're bothering us means they see us as potential adversaries!"

Xu Jingxing took a peach-flavored candy out of his bag and handed it to Zhang Jiani.

"You said this tasted good yesterday, so I'll eat one to calm myself down."

"You didn't give me any candy yesterday."

"When we kissed yesterday, I ate this candy first before I kissed you, because you said it tasted very sweet."

"Hate!"

After receiving the candy, Zhang Jiani's complexion was noticeably better than when she first entered the venue.

Seeing another group of people harassing the long-haired black girl, Xu Jingxing was somewhat grateful to them; this was a stroke of good luck.

"Look, someone's coming!"

Following Zhang Jiani's gaze, a group of people walked in one by one from the main entrance.

When they saw who it was, the whole audience cheered instantly.

He is a judge for this competition and also an actor who has given outstanding performances in Qiong Yao dramas.

Ma Yili, Huang Yi, Gu Juji, and Zhou Jie.

The four main actors of the third installment of Huanzhuzhu.

The person maintaining order at the scene was Li Weijia, a host from Hunan TV.

"First of all, congratulations to all the contestants who have stood out from the six competition areas across the country and come to Linxiang to compete for the final spots."

Li Weijia picked up the microphone, and the previously noisy scene instantly fell silent.

"We are also very honored to have invited four of the main actors from the currently popular TV series 'Princess Pearl III' to help our program select the thirty contestants who best fit the role of Zi Ling."

Another round of enthusiastic applause immediately erupted in the audience.

Xu Jingxing quietly tugged at Zhang Jiani's hand and whispered encouragingly, "Keep it up!"

......